Articles about Prezi

If you've got to a technology conference recently, you may have noticed some presenters using a new and cool tool rather than PowerPoint. Instead of slides, these presentations look like a giant landscape with text and images on them that can be easily be accessed by roaming around. For presenters, the downside is the presentation tool attracts as much if not more buzz than their presentations.

So, what is this new and mysterious tool? The answer is Prezi, which can be used to create presentations online, and then, if you want, have them downloaded for off-line use. Curious to learn more about Prezi, I fired off an e-mail to CEO Peter Arvai while attending WordCamp Toronto on Saturday.

1. Why did Adam Somlai-Fischer and Peter Halacsy decide to start Prezi? Adam and Peter working on Prezi in 2007 as they felt slides limited their ability to develop and explain ideas. They were frequent presenters before working with Prezi and thought that Prezi could help them in their work.

2. How is Prezi different from other presentation software and services? Prezi works with a big canvas instead of slides. This allows users to develop their ideas in an uninterrupted way. Presenting with the Prezi canvas offers a new presentation style: you can skip the slide-by-slide approach, show the big picture and then drill down in the topic that interests the audience.

3. Do you see Prezi as a rival to Powerpoint, or complementary? We think slideshows are good for monologues aimed a large crowd (the path walkthrough of a Prezi works like a slideshow). The canvas approach is better for smaller meetings where dialogue, questions and brainstorming plays an important part.

4. What's the target audience? If other words, who are the people out most likely to use Prezi? Prezi is for anyone who'd like to develop their ideas and communicate them on a single surface. We see a lot of users who are used to presenting ideas as part of their everyday work, e.g. marketers, sales people, teachers, students, project managers.

5. Are you surprised by how Prezi has been embraced, particularly in the presentation market? We're very happy and proud of the embrace of Prezi.

6. How is Prezi's freemium business model been embraced. Our model has worked well so far. Its aim is to encourage both users who can and can't afford to pay for services. We have asked our free users to publish their presentations so that they contribute with the content they create.

Prezi is an online Adobe Flash-based presentation program. It differs from traditional presentation programs like Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote in that it is not based on slides. Instead, Prezi presentations exist on a canvas. The presentation is navigated by zooming in and out of different points on the canvas, as needed by the presenter.

There is potential for Prezi use in classrooms to be expanded, but as it is with any new technology, adoption will occur with a few before the majority is typically willing to adopt (Rogers, 2003). Gary Moore spoke of having the courage to try new things in his Blue Ribbon address at the NACTA Conference in Edmonton. The authors of this article have all used Prezi as an instructional tool and are offering advice to instructors who may be interested in mustering up the courage to try Prezi. First, the pros and cons of Prezi will be discussed. Then, suggested guidelines will be presented.

Pros

Prezi allows the creation of linear and nonlinear presentations. Designers have the option of creating a path that creates a linear presentation or can click on different objects in the presentation for a nonlinear presentation. By changing the sizes and positions of objects, designers can visually illustrate the relationship between concepts in the presentation to aid in student understanding of the pieces as well as

the whole. Prezi also offers the ability for students to collaborate in class when using the program online. Up to eight people can edit the Prezi at the same time. For those in larger classes, this could be accomplished by dividing students into groups. This allows for a construction and presentation of students' knowledge, which could appeal to different learning styles. Prezi is made more accessible for students and instructors through its free online format. Students can view the Prezi during and after class by using an online link.

Cons

Many of the negative points of Prezi stem from poor planning and understanding of how to use it effectively and differently than traditional slide-based software. For example, overzealousness in using the zooming features can create visual discomfort for viewers. Another possible downside of the program is designing it essentially as a PowerPoint without applying any of the added design benefits; this could result in a resemblance to an over-animated slideshow. Also, text-heavy presentations are not best displayed in Prezi. While you can print a PDF of a Prezi, because of the non-linear nature of most Prezi presentations these PDFs do not make good handouts or notes to provide to students. Because Prezi is still being developed and is free, occasionally designers may encounter glitches; however, they are few and far between.

Suggested Guidelines

Get creative. Prezi removes many of the restrictions that traditional presentation programs foster. How ideas are displayed and what visual components are included in the presentation are largely up to the presenter. As such, it is necessary to understand how the information can be displayed to optimize learning of the content. Be prepared to think outside the constraints of slideshows.

Customize. While there are presets available, there is also the ability to customize the presentation. For most people, customization means changing the colors of different elements, changing font faces, and the ability to add in a logo. For those with knowledge of Web coding (CSS), there is the ability to write code to further customize the presentation.

Illustrate relationships. By being able to alter the location and size of different elements in Prezi, relationships are more easily displayed than they would be in traditional slideshows. Because nonlinear relationships are more common than linear relationships, Prezi has an advantage over other programs.

Use movement correctly. The ability to move about the canvas is Prezi's strength and weakness. While the approach can create interest and facilitate learning, it can also be used excessively or ineffectively. Think about movement when you are implementing. Think about how it can best be used to facilitate understanding of the material.

Involve students. Students have the ability to be collaborators in Prezi. This process can get students more engaged in actively constructing knowledge. Another means of getting students involved is to allow them to navigate the Prezi on their own. Because there is the option to deviate from the path on Prezi, students can navigate the Prezi to look at information in a manner that best suits their learning needs.

Avoid text-heavy presentations. Prezi is a visual medium. While text can be displayed, Prezi is not the most conducive environment for displaying lengthy text.

Use it purposefully. Prezi should not be used simply because for its novelty factor. While this will initially garner student interest, novelty will wear off and student interest will fade. The authors of this paper have noticed this in their classrooms. Prezi has specific abilities. By using Prezi with these abilities in mind, instructors can be better able to garner student engagement.

Conclusions

The decision to use Prezi is the decision of the instructor. Be mindful of its capabilities and its limitations before implementing it into courses. It has a place in education, but it will not become the dominant presentation medium

An Introduction to 3D in Flash

By Chris Florio.

Article Description
One of the main reasons that the Flash platform has remained as popular as it has for so long is that Flash has continuously evolved to meet the demands of its audience. In the first of a series of articles on using 3D in Flash applications, Chris Florio, contributor to ActionScript 3.0 for Flash Professional CS5 Classroom in a Book, shows how to use 3D features (and limitations) that currently exist in Flash Professional CS5 and in Flash Player 10 using both the Flash interface and ActionScript.
As users have grown more sophisticated, bandwidth has increased and technology gotten more advanced, Flash has grown from a program for creating vector animations for the browser into a powerful tool for developing applications for multiple platforms that can include all types of graphics, animation, video and sound, all controlled by ActionScript 3.0, a very powerful object-oriented programming language. Lately, Flash has also added the third dimension to its capabilities. This article will introduce the 3D features (and limitations) that currently exist in Flash Professional CS5 and in Flash Player 10 using both the Flash interface and ActionScript. In future articles, we will look at ways of expanding Flashs 3D capabilities using third-party 3D engines, and then finally we will look at the very exciting new features coming in the 3D engine code-named MoleHill that will be available in a coming version of the Flash Player. You can see a preview of MoleHill on Adobe Labs. Although individual developers have found ways to create (or simulate) 3D capabilities in Flash projects for a long time, Flash Professional CS4 was the first version of the program to integrate the third dimension. As of Flash CS4, all movie clips can be manipulated in three dimensions using the tools in the Flash interface or by using ActionScript. In addition to an objects x or horizontal property and y or vertical property, you can now manipulate an objects z property to create the illusion of depth. You can a lso rotate objects in three dimensions. The objects that are used are still two-dimensional objects but they can now be manipulated in 3D space. As of this writing, to use true 3D objects in Flash you will need to use a third-party 3D engine, which is something we will cover in a future article. First we will look at the ways 3D manipulation is accomplished in the Flash IDE and then we look at creating 3D animation using ActionScript. We will also look at an ActionScript technique for overcoming one of the main limitations of 3D in Flash. You can download the examples.zipfile that accompanies this article if you wish to follow along in Flash CS5.

Working with the 3D Tools in the Flash Interface

By default, all visual objects that are placed on the Flash stage are treated as 2D objects, and it is not until their z axis is manipulated that Flash considers them 3D objects. There are two tools in the Flash tool palette that let you control an object in 3D space: the 3D translation tool and the 3D rotation tool (see Figure 1).

Figure 1 NOTE From the examples folder, you can open up the 3D_example_start.fla if you would like to follow along for the next section, or you can create a new ActionScript 3.0 file in Flash CS5 or CS4 and work with your own movieclip symbol. If you are using the example file, open it in Flash CS5. In this file, you will find a movieclip named star in the library. Drag an instance of this onto the Flash stage (see Figure 2).

Figure 2 From the toolbar, select the 3D Rotation Tool and select the star instance onstage (see Figure 3). Notice that a set of lines and circles appears over the movieclip. Selecting and moving the red line allows you to rotate the star on the x axis. The green line allows rotation on the y axis, and the blue circle allows rotation of the z axis. The orange circle is for free rotation on all three axes.

Figure 3 Now select the 3D Translation tool. The same color coding (red-green-blue representing x-y-z, respectively) allows you to move the star on all three axes (see Figure 4). With the star still selected, if you make the Properties Inspector visible (Window > Properties), you will see that you can also set the x, y, and z properties of the star numerically using the 3D position and view settings.

Figure 4

Below the x, y, and z properties, you will see controls for perspective angle and vanishing point settings that affect all 3D objects in the scene (see Figure 5). Try experimenting with these settings and notice the results. Add a few more instances of the star to the stage and manipulate these 3D properties.

Figure 5 You will find that motion tweening works the same for 3D properties as for all 2D properties, and you can use the timeline or the motion editing to do many types of animation in 3D space with any movie clip.