Prezi

 http://prezi.com/c3-s7wwmtqfs/learning-and-cognitive-processes/

Description of and rationale for how the technology might be used with and preferably by students (Bloom's) Prezi is an effective way to organize one's thoughts in an esthetically pleasing way. It is used for presenting information in a more engaging way than simply writing on a chalkboard or whiteboard. If used by the teacher, it only touches on the lower levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Prezi gives students information in a more exciting form that will hopefully help them remember and understand certain concepts. It is presented in a nonlinear order, so, unlike Power Point, it encourages students to form their own notes and thoughts rather than simply copying down what the teacher presents in that order. I think it encourages discussion more than Power Point because it is not laid out in a printable form. Prezi may include more than just notes; you can add pictures or links, make concept maps, etc. Another feature that is extremely useful for teachers is the ability to zoom in and out. It allows teachers to emphasize important material and even elaborate on it by drawing attention to "hidden" or smaller texts within a Prezi. Few things/topics are linear, so the ability to create a pathway through information is beneficial because teachers are able to come back to a previous point without having to scroll or click through various slides. It would also be a great tool for students to use for presentations of their own. I would have students use Prezi to create a summary of the main ideas in a novel assigned for class. Rather than having the teacher read through a bunch of book reports, students could work collaboratively in groups of two or three to present the book they were assigned to the class in. This way, they are not simply summarizing what they read; they will highlight main ideas and themes throughout their novels and teach the class about the particular time period, culture, and themes of the novel. I believe this will create a better understanding of the novel than simply writing a book report. Having students create their own Prezi over themes of a novel will require them to analyze important aspects of the novel and when it was written. Consideration of struggles for implementation (student, systemic, and/or hardware) I don't see many struggles for implementation with Prezi simply because it is so accessible and easy to use. One thing to consider is the amount of time required to create a Prezi in an effective manner/pattern. I am obviously new to Prezi, so I am sure it takes me much longer to create one than someone who's experimented with it more, but, nonetheless, it is still more time consuming than typing up notes and putting them on an overhead or making a Power Point presentation. Having students create their own Prezi will also take a lot of time and could be difficult if students do not always have access to a computer. Consideration of the biases and trade-offs of the technology A limitation of Prezi is the fact that teachers are still going to teach with it in the same way they've always taught—through lecturing. While the technology is engaging, it is not very interactive for the students because they are still observing and listening to the teacher. Another trade-off is the fact that it is not linear. The teacher's ability to form a path from one idea to another is probably more effective in teaching, but it makes it hard to print off notes or for students to organize the ideas on their own. A trade-off for students making these is that, if they are new to Prezi, they may spend more time creating their presentation rather than focusing on the content they will be learning/presenting. I would have each student only create one throughout the semester for one of the books that they read, so that they would have plenty of time to experiment with the program and gather their ideas. Explanation of how the project meets the selected teacher standard and student standards INTASC Standards:  Having students create their own Prezi on a novel will require them to understand the material they are reading and make connections with present life rather than simply summarizing the novel, as most students tend to do when writing a book report. This meets standard number six because I will be able to assess their learning progress and growth while they are learning to use a new and exciting program. It also meets standard eight because Prezi allows students and teachers to form connections with proper information and use of the features Prezi has to offer.   ISTE Standards:  Prezi has the ability to meet at least the first three ISTE standards. The creation of a Prezi for a class project will most certainly inspire student learning and creativity. It is asking them to step outside of their box and make connections on their own instead of simply listing facts that someone has already discovered. It is asking them to dig deeper and challenge themselves through creating a new presentation and delivering it in front of their peers. This project will give them tools they can use in their future, while leaving them with a creation they can be proud of after all their hard work. Cite and evaluate educational research related to the tech use (261) Hamm, Patricia H., Ph.D. (2006). Teaching and Persuasive Communication: Class Presentation Skills.The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning. Brown University. Retrieved from http://brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/docs/persuasive.pdf I had a hard time finding articles about Prezi because everyone seems to want to make a Prezi about Prezi. Dumb. This article was written pre-Prezi, which I actually found intriguing because Prezi solves much of the setbacks that this article talks about with presentations. The main downfall of most presentation visuals is the fact that presenters try to cram as much information as they can into one slide. This article states that it is best to keep each slide simple and only introduce one idea at a time. With Prezi, you can focus on one idea at a time. It is designed to enhance ideas, and, although the design of Prezi is complex, it is meant to simplify learning. Less text is needed on the pathway, and, therefore, teachers are required to interact with the students more, rather than simply read from an overhead or a Power Point. One thing the article said that made me think was that visual aids can give a speaker a false sense of master on his or her topic. I don't think this is true with Prezi. Prezi requires much more interaction on the speakers part, unless he or she misuses it and inserts an ungodly amount of text. This would defeat the purpose of Prezi. So, in a sense, I think Prezi requires a bit more effort on the teachers part, but it is beneficial for the teacher and the students.