Anne Silva Assignment 2 LIS 688-IL
Teaching a Soon-To-Be College Student How To Use Prezi
Prezi is an online presentation maker, used for a lot of the same reasons as Power Point, but with a different set-up. Presentations are made and posted online, and is free to use with the basic package. Presentation aids are an important part of giving a viable, useful presentation and Prezi is one that is gaining in popularity. On college campuses, Prezi is taking hold due to it’s flexibility and it’s ease of use. Because it can be stored online or downloaded, it is easily accessible both during and after the presentation. The general audience for this lesson is students entering or who are already in college who want to build new skills in presentation making. More specifically, I created this to teach my sister, who is a high-school senior, how to use Prezi so she can be up-todate on one of the up-and coming-presentation technologies. By the end of this lesson I expect my audience to know how to access the Prize website, create an account and have the skills to create an effective Prezi. I also expect my audience to be able to access their Prezi in order to use it for presentation purposes. I’ll know that this has been effective by viewing the finished product of the audience and also asking them to give a brief presentation using their Prezi.
I’ve decided to break this up into several sections using different teaching styles. Because my audience is fairly fluent in basic computer technology, I wrote a tutorial describing how to access the Prezi page and set up an account. I then lead them, through the written outline, to the three basic videos about how to prepare a Prezi. The Prezi website has many great resources to help new users navigate and utilize their product, so I incorporated those tools into my lesson. I then directed my audience to go to the “explore” section and take a look at some Prezis to get a feel for how they work. I then asked my audience, in the written outline, to create, name and describe their Prezi and go through the tutorial that pops up. The next step in my lesson was to be with my audience in person while they did the hands-on activity of creating their own Prezi. My sister decided to do one on some of her photography. I was there mostly to answer questions, pose suggestions and scenarios and to help troubleshoot technology problems. I then had her present her finished Prezi, and have confidence that she can do it again without my help. My audience did show knowledge of desired outcomes and left the session feeling comfortable in her ability to produce a basic Prezi presentation. If I were to do this again, I might have done the whole thing as a tutorial, because my physical presence wasn’t really necessary. I would simply give my contact information and encourage my audience to contact me with any questions, and then come together in person for the final presentations. I would incorporate what I learned from doing this into IL instruction by knowing better when to use remote technology and asynchronous tactics and when in-person instruction is necessary. My audience expressed that they would rather have an entire
tutorial and be able to access my help when needed, instead of having me there while they make it. I believe that many IL students like to work at their own pace in their own space, but are comforted that help is available if needed.
Lesson Plan/ Tutorial Part I—Self-Guided Creating Prezi Account 1. Go to www.Prezzi.com 2. Click on the “Sign Up Now” Button 3. Chose the version you desire. (The free, basic package generally meets the needs of college students.) 4. Fill out your personal information and complete registration.
Learn to Create a Basic Prezi 1. Click on the “Learn” tab. 2. On the left hand side, you will see a heading for “Basic” tutorials. Watch the three brief videos under that heading.
Explore the Possibilities 1. Click on the “Explore tab to see existing Prezis to get a feel for how they work and what you can do with them.
Create Your First Prezi 1. Click on “Your Prezis” and then on “Create New Prezi” 2. Go through the tutorial that pops up. 3. Chose a topic and start playing with the features. I’ll be there soon
Part II—In Person 1. I’ll be available for questions, advice, and troubleshooting.
Part III—Presentation 1. Give presentation to tie in the presentation tool and the actual presentation, and to show that audience has achieved the learning outcomes.