App of the Week
A slick presentation tool for students and teachers
Prezi.com has quickly become the go to service to revive boring PowerPoint presentations. According to their site, "Prezi is a virtual whiteboard that transforms presentations from monologues into conversations: enabling people to see, understand, and remember ideas."
I've found Prezi lives up to that promise. Instead of presenting in a 2D linear format it uses an infinite 3D space. It enables teachers to present the "big picture" and still allows them to zoom in on the details. Transitions to each point move gracefully across the screen. Students can easily follow along on a main screen or they can participate on their iPads by navigating to your link. Prezi has been one of my main tools for student engagement.
The easiest way to understand Prezi is to visit their site. Sign up and create your first Prezi from a template. Templates are a great way to wrap your head around the full power of a virtual whiteboard. Once you create your masterpiece you can embed it on your website or share it on social networks. With apps for the iPad, Mac, and Windows you can present anywhere.