When we were told that we were going to be required to use a web 2.0 tool to complete our course project I had already had it in my mind I was going to use a tool that I've worked with this past year. I was introduced to the Prezi Presentation web based software 2 years ago through a colleague, and loved what he had done with it. So I decided to try it out for myself.
Prezi - I will be honest, it does take some getting used to. However, once you get the hang of it you will love the way it presents itself. I like that you can embed videos right onto the canvas, and as the path turns to present it, the video automatically begins to play. The most fun is putting a question on the canvas, and then hiding the answer inside one of the words! The kids seems to LOVE seeing what is going to happen next. The coolest part of this program is that it has a public link, it can be shared around the world. Anyone that has internet access can see your work! It makes it very easy to share with colleagues.
Ahead- This seemed very similar to Prezi. I fooled around with some of the tools and did not find anything so spectacular that it made me want to use it. I think if someone was brand new, they would fare just fine using this program. I am only choosing Prezi over Ahead because I've used it before.
PreZentit - Sounded interesting, but the link would not work. It said they were still coming up with a new version??
Animoto - I love this tool!!! However, I do not love the price tag that comes along with it. The free version only allows 30 second videos, and it doesn't look like music can be added? I don't think I would use it enough for spend $30 a year, plus $2.50 monthly to make it worth my while to do a full length video. Maybe if I did photography on the side, it would be great to use for clients for weddings or engagement photo shoots. Not good for this project, I don't think I can get all the information that needed into a 30 second video.
BrainShark - I like this idea! It would be interesting to see how my students would react if they heard my voice through the speakers. Maybe this is a good idea to use for substitutes if you need the students to really understand a concept and you're worried about how the sub will explain the concept. Don't lie, you know you all worry when there is a sub in your room and you can't be there to monitor everything. We all get like that sometimes!!!
I think I'm going to stick with Prezi, I'm most familiar with it and many of the others seem like regular power point slides. Not too exciting!!!
