Thing 17: Prezi and Slideshare

Thing 17 is back!  After a delay from the 23 for Professional Development leadership, Thing 17 has returned.  Presentations are the topic of the day.  Both featured resources, Prezi and Slideshare, provide alternative ways to share information.  Although these resources are simple in concept and are easy to learn, creating sample content for them took far longer than I had anticipated.  Nevertheless, I successfully explored both resources through creative presentations.
 Prezi:

I had a chance to briefly play around with Prezi last spring, after another student asked if anyone had used it.  At the time, I thought the software was neat, but I did not think it was suitable for the last presentation I had to do.   I enjoyed the chance to take a deeper look at Prezi. 

My first instinct for using Prezi was to create a map of the library.  The academic library I work in has a somewhat unusual shape.  In addition, the building it is in connects to other campus buildings, but in such a way that the transition is almost imperceptible.  Prezi would allow us to address both problems, through the zoom features and the nonlinear layout.  Prezi picks up where Google Maps leaves off.

Prezi likewise could be easily used for introducing people to a new website, new software, or a particular resource.  A full-page screenshot could be used as the background and the zoom-in function could be used to explain key features of each section or tool.  Prezi would allow the user to see details without losing the wider context.

In a public library, Prezi could also be used to provide instructions on a crafting program, particularly if the project included repetitive steps.  A finished project, such as a knitted or crocheted scarf, could be shown in the background.  Zooming in on a particular section could let users read and see how to do each step.


Slideshare:

Slideshare allows users to upload their presentations with one click.  Users can then easily share their presentation with others.  Slideshare is surprisingly more social than I had expected; it integrates with Facebook and includes easy links to Twitter and other social networks for posting notices about new presentations.  The presenter reaches far more people than he or she would in a face-to-face presentation alone.  Unless users upgrade to the Pro version, the presentations automatically become public. 



The public feature makes Slideshare a treasure trove for anyone interested in learning.  I have seen slideshare used for many academic library presentations, conference presentations, and classes, but the possibilities are wide open. 

Although it is apparently possible to add sound to a Slideshare presentation, the focus is on visual content.  For this reason, I believe that users must carefully choose what to upload.  Best practices for real-time presentations emphasize that slides be highly visual and be used as a complement to the presentation, rather than as the main conveyor of information.  In contrast, Slideshare (usually) relies on the slides to convey the entire message.  A presentation that works well in person will likely not convey enough information in Slideshare, or at least not without substantial revisions.  Slideshare should be used with care.

I believe Slideshare would be useful for sharing stories, such as in a presentation to the library trustees or the college administration.  The presenter could focus on particular people, showing how each of them used the library.  Because I have not given a presentation in a while, I decided to post something a bit different.  I wrote a brief children's story, illustrated it using imaging software, and posted it.  Editing the images required a lot of time, but uploading the presentation to Slideshare was refreshingly easy.

 Thank you for reading about Prezi and Slideshare!