Why Prezi? Real-Teacher Resoning

While Prezi has an incredibly complex, and not entirely intuitive interface, it is the only software available that allows students to have the "feel" of exploration in a new place. What matters most about a digital field trip is not that it's easy and intuitive for the teacher to make, what matters most is that it's easy and intuitive for students to explore!

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Logging in and Starting a Prezi

This tutorial will start you where everyone should start: the beginning! This takes you from typing "prezi.com" into the address bar all the way through selecting and starting your first ever Prezi. If you're a Prezi expert, you will not need to watch this tutorial. If you Prezi'd once in high school, you might need a refresher.

Background Image and Style

I would recommend making these decisions FIRST, and then sticking with them, because based on the topic shape and color, the way that text and images fit and managing positive and negative space.

Inserting Features

There are a few features that all Prezis will need. Text, titles, images, are going to be givens in your digital field trip, so it's important that you know how to use them.  There are also certain limitations to background images, and it's important to know them before you start.

Inserting Features - Advanced

Prezi also allows you to embed YouTube videos, and other files. This tutorial will show you how, and use preview to show how those will work when students interact with them.

Adding Topics / Subtopics

Topics and subtopics are Prezi's party piece. They give students the feeling that each place they click is it's own little rabbit hole, and there's no way of knowing how deep it goes until you click. This feature allows students to click on a street, not knowing if that street will lead them to a babbling brook or a museum. Watch the tutorial to the right to see how to make your Prezi "explorable."

Modifying the Path

While Prezi's are explorable, and you can click anywhere at any time, there is also a set path, for if the software is used for a structured presentation. In the tutorial to the right, you'll learn how to build and modify that path.

Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks are Prezi's Achilles' Heel. There is no way to make a pretty hyperlink in Prezi, you just have to paste the long-form link in and accept the ugliness. The best you can do is make a solid-colored shape, and "hide" the hyperlink by making it the same color.

Sharing, Collaborating, & Presenting

Like Slides, Prezi is very "light" for users. It's hosted online, and all the resources live there so there's no downloading or uploading once the initial Prezi is done. It works as well on phones as it does on Chromebooks.