During my exploration of Web 2.o Presentation Tools, I could not help comparing to PowerPoint because it is what I have used for over ten years. However, I do experience trouble when trying to share my presentation, which is when these new tools came handy. I decided to look into Prezi, 280 Slides, and Glogster.
One of my primary concerns was the ease of use. I cannot imagine using a software that is difficult to maneuver while I am trying to produce a quality presentation for a grade. In addition, if I would need to present it to a crowd of people I would need to feel comfortable about the software because public speaking is stressful enough. Prezi required some getting use to; especially the way slides moved from one to another, it made me dizzy. It was defiantly a different and innovative approach to a presentation. The special features included zooming in and out along with the transition between slides in form of a web. Prezi did offer tutorial videos and templates, which made the process easier to adjust to. Furthermore, there was a free version, available which like the other tools I looked at allowed me to share the presentation online. Therefore, if I put all of my presentation there I can access them anytime, anywhere.
280 Slides is very similar to Powerpoint, which was a plus compares to Prezi. However, it did not have many theme choices, but since powerpoint presentation can be converted to 280 Slides the themes can be imported. This tool is basically powerpoint online, the online component being the special feature. Once completed the presentation can be published online through SlideShare.
Glogster is an online interactive poster, where the creator can easily show of their creativity by displaying information in form of font, movie clips, pictures, links and clipart. Glogster is a main menu to other destinations. Even though the software is totally different than Powerpoint it was much easier to use than Prezi. The glog can be viewed online without the view logging in and creating accounts. In addition, as an educator I found the feature of being able to create student accounts that I would have access to their pages to be very beneficial. When trying out this web tool, I created a page, which provided students with instructions and resources for a project. Our school website does not allow me to just place links anywhere on the page and as easily.
In conclusion, all three web tools are free for basic use, and they are great means of sharing presentations with multi-media capabilities. Both Prezi and Glogster are different than Powerpoint, therefore, they give a bit of spice to a presentation. In my opinion Glogster is more user friendly. When using presentation tools in the classroom, because most of my students are not familiar with powerpoint basics I can easily introduce different tools to them and they can decide what they prefer.
References:
Cool Tools for School (2011). Web 2.0 Tools. Retrieved from
http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Presentation+Tools
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