How to Use Prezi. Pedagogy: Prezi vs. PowerPoint

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1 How to Use Prezi Prezi is a zooming presentation tool. Instead of grouping content in terms of bulleted slides, Prezi arranges the content contextually on a canvas so that you can emphasize the big picture view, showing the major points, or zoom into a detail view, in which details related to a specific main topic are visible. 1 The relationship between main topic and details is established spatially by the movement out or in. The details can be arranged in layers, each with a smaller font, so that you can dig down during your presentation if appropriate. A major advantage of prezis is that they do not need to be linear. Although you may want to establish a path through at least part of a prezi, you are not limited to this path. If you get a question during or following the presentation, you are free to move around the canvas and zoom in and out at any time. Pedagogy: Prezi vs. PowerPoint The obvious question is whether Prezi is more effective than PowerPoint, and if so, when. From my brief experience using prezis, here are what I see as their strengths and weaknesses when compared with PowerPoints. Strengths: Prezis allow you to move easily back and forth between main topics and details o I like the ability to zoom out and see all the major ideas, or zoom in and see the details Prezis work well if the presentation is nonlinear or if questions are important o It is easier to jump back and forth among topics in a prezi than in a PowerPoint Prezis are attention-getters. o They are more attractive visually and more dynamic than PowerPoint presentations. o Keeping a class s attention is important Weaknesses: PowerPoints are somewhat easier to put together o Let s face it we have done a lot of PowerPoints. We are accustomed to the PowerPoint format, so they are easier to develop.. Prezis must be developed online o The free version of Prezi uses an online editor o Prezis can be saved to your desktop, but must be edited online. Prezi is a new company o It is getting a lot of attention, but its long-term viability is not guaranteed 1 Ethan Watrall. Challenging the Presentation Paradigm: Prezi. Presentation/22646/. 19-Aug-2009 Prezi Instructions 1 15-Jul-10

2 Downloading Images We will use several images in this lesson, which are stored at the URL below: Go to this URL, click on each file name, and save it to a folder or on the computer s desktop. Signing Up for a Prezi Account The free version of Prezi requires that the prezis be developed online before downloading them to your computer. If you do not have a Prezi account, the information in Appendix A will help you sign up for one. Creating a Prezi When you sign on to Prezi, you will be on your My page, which will hold the online versions of your presentations. Click on New prezi. We are going to develop a Prezi on the 20 th -century composer, John Cage, similar to the one I showed in the introduction. In the next window, fill in John Cage as the title of the prezi and enter a brief description (optional). Click on New prezi. Prezi Instructions 2 15-Jul-10

3 The Prezi Editor You now will see the Prezi editor. In the upper left is the Bubble Menu. The default mode in which Prezi begins is the Edit mode (the Write Bubble), in which you add text to the canvas and move items around. Defining a Color Scheme It is a good idea to define a color scheme for the prezi when you start. You can change it later if you want. Click on the Colors bubble in the Bubble Menu. Let s start with the Clean Whitepaper color scheme. Prezi Instructions 3 15-Jul-10

4 Returning to Edit Mode (Write Button) Click on the edge of the Write button. This will put you in the Edit mode and display the entire Bubble Menu. Moving the Canvas Click anywhere on the canvas away from the text Double click anywhere & add an idea. If you hold the left mouse button down and move the mouse, you will see that the canvas moves around. As your prezi grows, we will move the canvas around to find blank areas for new items. Zooming In and Out On the right of the Prezi window, you will see the Zoom controls. Clicking on the (+) sign zooms in. Clicking on the (-) sign zooms out. Give it a try. Keyboard shortcut: To zoom in and out, hold down z on the keyboard and move the mouse up and down without pressing a mouse button. Prezi Instructions 4 15-Jul-10

5 Write: Adding Text Double-click on the text to get started. You will see the text surrounded by a rectangle with two tabs in the corners. 1. Select the text and replace it with John Cage. 2. Select centered text in the upper left tab. 3. Select the blue Title format in the lower right tab. Use the arrows on the right side of the text box to pull the box in so it fits the text. Click on the canvas away from the text box or click on OK to close the text box. The Zebra Tool Click on the John Cage text you just entered. You will see the Zebra Tool superimposed on the text. The Zebra Tool allows you to manipulate the size and position of items on the Prezi canvas. Prezi Instructions 5 15-Jul-10

6 Moving Items on the Canvas For example, click on the center section of the Zebra Tool and hold the left mouse button down. Move the text around the canvas by moving the mouse. Making an Item Larger or Smaller Click the section of the Zebra Tool defined by the three circles, and hold the left mouse button down. Expand and contract the size of the text by moving the mouse. Use the Zebra Tool to make the text somewhat larger. Rotating an Item Click the outer section of the Zebra Tool defined by the lines. Use the tool to rotate the text. The rotate feature is heavily used by many Prezi authors, for example the prezi at the URL below. A common complaint about prezis is that the constant swirling motion makes the viewer feel seasick. I would recommend staying away from rotation unless it serves a purpose. Personally I never use the rotation tool. NOTE: If you hold the Shift key down, Prezi will rotate items in increments. This is helpful if you need to straighten an item that you inadvertently have rotated. The Undo Option If you want to undo an action, for example the rotations you just did, click on Undo. Prezi Instructions 6 15-Jul-10

7 Saving a Prezi As long as you are working online, a prezi is saved automatically. The last time it was saved is noted in the top right menu tab. You can do a manual save at any time by clicking on this tab. Insert: Adding a Picture Let s add Cage s picture under his name in the title as shown below. Click on Insert in on the Bubble Menu. The Bubble Menu will swing around showing the Insert Bubble more clearly. Click on the smaller Load File bubble. Select the image that you downloaded, which is named John Cage Prezi Instructions 7 15-Jul-10

8 After a moment, the picture layer will appear in the center of the canvas, probably superimposed on the John Cage text layer. Adjusting the Relative Position of Layers We would like to move the picture layer behind the text layer so that the text is visible. Click on the image, so that the Zebra Tool appears. Click on the Plus sign on the outer rim of the Zebra Tool. In the menu that appears, click on Send Backward. This will change the position of the picture layer so that it is behind the text layer. Note that you also could have clicked on the text layer and brought it forward. Click on the text layer to display its Zebra tool. Click on the center of the Zebra tool and, holding down the left mouse button, drag the text so that it is centered over the picture. Prezi Instructions 8 15-Jul-10

9 Changing the Size of an Item Suppose that Cage s picture it was too large, so that we need to shrink it to look like the picture at the top of the previous page. Click somewhere on the bottom or top of the picture away from the text layer, so that the picture will be selected. You should see the Zebra tool over the picture. Click on the inner rim of the Zebra tool defined by the circles. Holding down the left mouse button, change the size of the picture until you are satisfied. Frame: Adding a Hidden Frame Frames are a useful tool in Prezi because they define an area that will be displayed together at once. I almost always enclose multiple items that I want to be displayed together (for example the John Cage image and text) within a frame, frequently a hidden frame. Click on the edge of the large Write bubble that is in the corner of the screen diagonally to the left from the Insert bubble. This will display the entire Bubble menu. Click on the Frame Bubble and then on the small Hidden Frame Bubble Click somewhere on the canvas around the John Cage picture and text. Holding down the left mouse button, draw a rectangle around the two. This rectangle shows the position of the hidden frame. (The rectangle will not be visible when you are viewing the finished prezi.) Prezi Instructions 9 15-Jul-10

10 If you need to move the frame around to position it correctly, click on the edge of the Write Bubble to display the entire Bubble menu. Click on the border of the frame to display the frame s Zebra tool and move the frame around Moving the Canvas (Review) Earlier we saw how to slide the canvas around. With the full Bubble menu displayed, so that you are in Edit mode (Write bubble), click anywhere on the blank canvas and move the mouse, holding its button down. Move the canvas so that the title and picture are at the bottom of the screen. You may need to zoom in or out. Presentation Strategy: Getting the Audience s Attention The blank Prezi canvas has forced me to think more about the strategy of the presentation. As we build the presentation in this lesson, I will try to explain the strategy that I have chosen. It is useful at the beginning of a presentation to try to get the audience involved. We will start the presentation on John Cage with a video of David Tudor performing Cage s most famous (some would say infamous ) work, 4 33, in which Tudor simply sits at the piano doing nothing other than opening and closing the keyboard cover at the beginning of each movement. We then ask the question Is this music? that serves as a springboard for the remainder of the presentation. The prezi will be set up to show the video first, followed by the question. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

11 Adding More to the Prezi If you are not in Edit mode, click on the Write Bubble to bring you there. Double-click somewhere near the top of the screen to open up a blank text box. Choose the blue Title style. Type 4 33 into the box. Use the Zebra Tool for the 4 33 text to enlarge it to a size similar to that shown here. Embedding a YouTube Video One of the really convenient aspects of Prezi is the ease of embedding YouTube videos. Double-click below 4 33 on the canvas and enter the URL below into the text box Prezi Instructions Jul-10

12 When you click on the canvas away from the text box, it will become an embedded video. You probably will need to click on the video layer and use the Zebra tool to position it as shown at the right. If you click on the play button at the bottom of the video, it will play within its window. Zooming In and Out (Review) At this point, we need to add some text in a small font below the video layer. Click on the zoom-in button (+) on the right to zoom in on the canvas, enlarging the video layer. Enter the text Is this music? as shown at the right. Use the Zebra tool to resize the text as shown. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

13 Go to the Frame bubble, and add a circular frame surrounding the group. Click on the border of the circular frame to select it. Click on the plus sign in the Zebra tool to bring up the menu and then click several times on Send Backward to position the circular frame behind the text and video. Using the Shapes Marker Click on the following bubbles in succession Insert Bubble Shapes Bubble Marker Bubble Use the marker to surround Is this music? with a blue line. Return to the Edit mode (Write bubble) Prezi Instructions Jul-10

14 Review: Adding More Hidden Frames Go to the Frames bubble We want to add two hidden frames at this point. The first hidden frame will surround 4 33 and the video, so that they will be visible together. The second hidden frame will surround 4 33, the video, and Is this music? This frame will display the key question of the presentation along with the video. Add these two hidden frames. Moving a Group of Items Together After you have put together a group of items (e.g., the video, text, and circular frame above), you may want to move them around as a group. With the Write bubble active, hold the shift key down on the keyboard and sweep the cursor over the group. You will see the group surrounded by a rectangle, with one Zebra tool for the group. Click on the zoom-out button (-) to see a larger portion of the canvas. Move the 4 33 group around, if necessary, so that the canvas looks something like the picture at the right. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

15 Path: Adding a Path You can organize your prezi by putting in a path, which defines the sequence in which you will view portions of the canvas during your presentation. The path generally starts at the title. Zoom in or out on the canvas and move the canvas around so that the title and the 4 33 portions both are visible. Click on the Path Bubble and then the smaller Add Path Bubble. Move the mouse until the cursor is positioned on the hidden frame surrounding the title. When the cursor is over the frame it will turn a darker shade of blue. Click on the border of the hidden frame around the title. You will see a small circle with the number 1 in the center of the frame. This is the first step in the path. We now want to show the video that will start the presentation, followed by the question that is meant to involve the audience. Move the mouse cursor up so that it is positioned on the border of the smaller of the two hidden frames, which surrounds 4 33 and the video. Click the left button of the mouse again to position the second step in the path. The step will appear in the center of the frame. Repeat this process for the border of the larger hidden frame, which will establish the 3 rd step of the path. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

16 Altering a Path If you make a mistake or change your mind about steps of a path, it is easy to make a change. A. Removing a Step If you need to remove a step, grab it with the mouse and pull the step out on the blank canvas so that it is not close to any item. When you release the mouse button, the step will be removed. B. Adding a Step You will notice a blue circle on the line midway between each of the steps, for example between steps #1 and #2 in the left-side picture below. Suppose that you want to add the circular frame as a step in the path. If you grab the blue circle with the mouse and drop it on the border of the circular frame, you will add the frame to the path. Show: Viewing a Presentation Now that we have established a path through the first part of the presentation, it is a good idea to review what it will look like. Go back to Edit mode and select the Show Bubble on the Bubble Menu. The Bubble Menu will disappear after a few seconds. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

17 Click on the Previous Step control and hold down the mouse button. After a second or two, the First Step control will appear. Slide the mouse up to this control and release the mouse button. This will send you to the first step of the presentation. Click on the Next Step control to move from one step on the path to the next. What to Do When You Are Finished Viewing Move the cursor to the upper left corner of the Prezi screen and the Bubble Menu will appear. Click on the portion of the Write Bubble that is visible. Keyboard shortcut: You can toggle to the Edit mode by pressing the space bar once. Presentation Strategy: Cage s Early Career Having challenged the audience to think about whether 4 33 is music, we then say that John Cage thought so and Let s see why, as a transition to a history of his development as a composer. The first section of the presentation deals with his early career, using YouTube videos of performances of his early compositions for percussion instruments. We will group these together in a circular frame. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

18 Review As practice, add a section on Cage s early career as described on this page. There are two lines of text positioned to the left of the 4 33 group. John Cage thought so. Let s see why. Keeping Text the Same Size One of the challenges in Prezi is keeping text in different text boxes the same size. For example, the two lines of text in the bullets above are of the same importance, so they should be the same size. A good way to ensure that two text boxes are the same size is to duplicate one of them and then replace the text in the duplicate. Enter John Cage thought so. in a text box and then click on it to display its Zebra tool. Click on the Plus sign to display the menu and then select Duplicate. You will see a new Zebra tool that is attached to the new duplicate text box. Drag it down and drop it somewhere below. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

19 Replace the duplicated text with Let s see why. Review (Continued) In the Early Career group The two pictures on the left are Schoenberg.jpg and Steinway.jpg. The two items on the right are YouTube videos with the following URLs o Top right: o Bottom right: The rectangles are hidden frames The light gray circle is a circular frame Clockwise from the upper left, the text in each frame is o Studied with Schoenberg in the early 1930s o In 1935, began composing for percussion instruments. o Turns piano into a percussion instrument. o This led to the prepared piano. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

20 Presentation Strategy: Establishing Context by Zooming One of Prezi s strengths is the ability to establish context by zooming in on detail. We want to explain one of Cage s early inspirations the prepared piano. A good way to do this is to show a picture of a grand piano, then zoom in on the strings and soundboard, and then zoom in again showing how a piano is prepared. Adding a Frame to Focus in on Detail Zoom in on the canvas and add a smaller hidden frame over the strings and soundboard of the piano picture. We will use this frame to focus inside the piano s case. Adding a Picture as Detail Zoom in on the canvas until the lower left corner of the Steinway picture fills most of the screen. Insert the image PreparedPiano.jpg roughly at the position shown at the right. Zoom back out when you are done. Notice that the prepared piano picture is quite small and not very noticeable. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

21 Extending the Path Select the Path Bubble. Click on the following to add them to the path: Step #4: John Cage thought so. Step #5: Let s see why. Step #6: Border of the circular frame. You will see the path extended with point #6 in the center of the circular frame. The path marker always is placed in the center of an item to which it is pointing. Continue the creation of the path: #7: Click on the border of the frame around the Schoenberg text and picture #8: Click on the border of the frame around the top video and text If you find that clicking on an item (e.g., the Schoenberg frame) does not drop a step in place, it is likely that the circular frame layer is on top of it. Either send the circular frame backward or temporarily drag it out of the way while you add path steps to the lower objects. You can move the circular frame back after the steps are there. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

22 Continue the creation of the path. #9: Click on the border of the frame around the piano and associated text. #10: Click on the border of the small frame inside the piano #11: Click on the small picture you placed in the corner of the piano picture. #12: Click on the border of the frame around the lower video and text. When you have done the above select the Show Bubble and try the path to see how it works. Presentation Strategy: Using the Prezi Flow The next section of the presentation deals with an important period in Cage s life in which he breaks away from conventional methods of composition and begins to use randomness as a compositional method. We will use a sequence of hidden frames in this section so that the prezi s path flows from one development to the next. Hopefully, this will help give the audience a feel for the logic of the development of Cage s ideas. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

23 The Infinite Space of Sounds This is a complex section with several hidden frames. We will construct it a piece at a time and surround it with a circular frame. First the main idea of the section. Add a title, The Infinite Space of Sounds and smaller text below the title, Around 1950, Cage had an important experience. Put a hidden frame around this text as shown at the right. Adding an Arrow You will see an arrow below the text described above. Add the arrow using the Insert Bubble and Shapes Bubble. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

24 Below the arrow, we will add the picture of the anechoic chamber and three sentences, which we want to show one after the other in the presentation. Insert the picture and add the text Anechoic chamber in a large font. Surround them with a hidden frame so they will be displayed together. Add the text There is no such thing as silence. in a smaller font. Group it with Anechoic chamber with a second hidden frame. A few lines below There is no such thing as silence add Only intended and unintended sounds in the same small font. Group these two sentences with a third hidden frame. Put two more sentences to the left. Group them with two frames as shown here. Our path will display the top sentence first and then both sentences together. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

25 Add the following two sections with hidden frames as shown When you are done surround the items with a circular frame and position them as shown in the picture on page 21 Prezi Instructions Jul-10

26 Extending the Path We now will extend the path to move from one idea to the next. Select the Path Bubble and click on each frame in succession, starting with the large circular frame. Try it when you are done. #13: Border of circular frame #14: Border of hidden frame around text Infinite space.. #15: Border of hidden frame around anechoic chamber picture and text #16: Border of hidden frame around text Anechoic chamber and There is no... #17: Border of hidden frame around There is no... and Only intended.... Prezi Instructions Jul-10

27 #18: Border of hidden frame around Cage decided.... #19: Border of hidden frame around both sentences #20: Border of hidden frame around text and question mark #21: Border of hidden frame around I Ching and text Finally, #22 would be the border of the frame surrounding the Williams Mix information. Presentation Strategy: Nonlinear Support of a Discussion One of Prezi s strengths is that a prezi does not need to be linear. You do not need to include a path, but instead can simply focus in on items when appropriate during a discussion. The final portion of our John Cage prezi will cover the final stage of Cage s development as a composer, when he and his co-workers were making experimental music, as it came to be called. We will not use a path in this section, but instead simply will add a few lines of text and some video that we might expect to use during the course of the discussion. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

28 The Final Portion We will set up the last section of the canvas as a nonlinear section containing information that might be needed in the course of a class discussion. We won t add steps to these items, the thought being that we will focus on them as needed during the class discussion A. B. The image at the top is Projection_2.gif The green picture below the score is a YouTube C. video: D, The picture is a YouTube video: E The picture is a YouTube video. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

29 Adding a Hyperlink Move the canvas up to the 4 33 area. Let s add a link to an article on the web about this piece. In Edit mode, enter the URL as text. Exit the prezi and then Open it again. You will find that the text has become a hyperlink. Presentation Strategy: An Overview at the End One of the attractive features of a prezi is the ability to zoom out at the end, showing the main ideas of the presentation in a large font. It is a good time to review what we have talked about and to ask for questions. If appropriate during the question and answer period, it is easy to zoom back in on a particular section. Final Extension of the Path Add one more hidden frame that encompasses the four main themes of the presentation: 4 33 Early Career Infinite Space of Sounds Experimental Music LCD projectors generally have a 4:3 aspect radio, like non-hd television sets. When you are adding the final hidden frame it is convenient to give the frame a 4:3 ratio so you will be sure it will fit on the final screen To give a hidden frame a 4:3 aspect ration, hold the shift key down when drawing the frame. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

30 Add two more steps to the path: #23: Click on the border of the hidden frame surrounding the Experimental Music title and sentence below it. #24: Click on the border of the large frame encompassing the four themes of the presentation. I like to use the final large hidden frame because it allows me to pull back and view all the main themes of the presentation at the end. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

31 A Few Miscellaneous Questions A. Is a Path Necessary? No, a path is not necessary on a prezi. You can lay out a canvas and click on various portions when they are of interest. This is a useful tool for discussions, for example. You can create a prezi with topics that may come up in a class discussion and then click on them as needed. B. Are the Hidden Frames Necessary? No, but they help isolate items. For example, it is not necessary to put a hidden frame around text you can simply make the text a step in the path. I have found, though, that without the frame, the prezi does not always focus all the way in on the text. You sometimes will see other stuff that is positioned on the canvas near the text. Unless an item is isolated on the canvas, I generally put a hidden frame around it and make the frame a step in the path. C. Can I Save My Prezi to My Local Computer? Yes. When you Open a prezi, you will have the option of downloading it. I usually download a prezi and copy the folder this creates to a thumb drive. You cannot edit a downloaded prezi on your local computer. If you need to change it, you will need to go back to the online version. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

32 D. What is the Best Strategy for Starting a Prezi? The best strategy is to start! When I was first doing prezis, I was somewhat paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and indecision about how I would put the prezi together. I hae learned just to start adding ideas to the prezi and arrange (or re-arrange) it as my ideas developed. I usually start by putting the title in the center of the screen using a large font, like we did for the John Cage prezi. After that it is a matter of getting ideas (or images associated with ideas) on the screen. As I add topics on the screen, two things are important: Position: I usually position ideas around the title. Size: Remember that a prezi strategy is to use larger sizes for main ideas and smaller sizes for details. If I am putting in detail, I will zoom in on the screen, so the detail will be small relative to the title and main ideas It is important not to worry too much about the final arrangement of topics on the prezi while you are developing it. You can always change things as your ideas solidify! E. Can I Change Fonts and Colors? Yes, with limitations. If you click on the Colors Bubble. you will see nine Style Bubbles labeled Original Style, Clean Whitepaper, etc. We have been developing our prezi using the Clean Whitepaper option. You can change style by clicking on one of the other Style Bubbles, for example Ideas Outline. Our prezi in the Ideas Outline style looks like the picture at the right. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

33 F. How Can I Make a Prezi Available Online for a Class? The easiest way to do this is to create a Group for your class and then invite the group to see your prezi. A group only needs to be created once. You can use mywofford to get a list of addresses for members of your class. 1. Open your prezi and click on Get link. 2. Copy the link displayed in the window that appears. 3. Go to the Faculty tab in mywofford and click on the Mail icon for the class in the Faculty Dashboard channel. 4. Paste the prezi link into the message that is generated. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

34 G. Can I Save a Copy of a Prezi in PDF Form to Distribute to Students? Not with the free educational version. This probably is unnecessary since you can share the prezi with the class. Why print it when you can share it? H. Where Can I Go to Learn More About Prezi When you go to the Prezi web site, look for the Learn tab in the upper left corner. I. Where Can I Find Some Example Prezis? When you go to the Prezi web site, look for the Showcase tab in the upper left corner. Prezi Instructions Jul-10

35 Appendix A: Signing Up for a Prezi Account Prezi is hosted in the cloud, so you will need to sign up. Go to in a web browser and Sign Up Now. On the next page, click on Go in the Student/Teacher Licenses section. Click on Get in the Edu Enjoy section. The only thing we lose in the free version is the ability to compose the presentations on your computer without being online. Not much of a loss. You will be asked to supply your address and some other account information. Prezi Instructions Jul-10