Prezi & Simplebooklets

WOW! It has been way too long since I last posted. IT IS SPRING BREAK for me!!!! While I would love to be spending my time in the Florida sun, the weather has not cooperated with this plan so instead I am using Spring Break as an opportunity to catch up on my blogging.
Here are two great resources that you can use in your classroom or office.
How many of you have ever given a project and asked your students to make a PowerPoint Presentation? While I SUPER LOVE PowerPoint, sometimes it does get a little boring seeing the same old same old all the time. That is why I love Prezi.com.

I love the way that Prezi zooms in and out. Here is a Prezi I recently created for a presentation in my Advanced Counseling Methods class on the subject of Family Systems Theory.

http://prezi.com/2hec9_qtlfbs/family-systems/?kw=view-2hec9_qtlfbs&rc=ref-23143655. Overall, prezi is pretty simple to use though it does take sometime to get used to all the different tools and options. As with any good Powerpoint presentation, it is best to have a idea of what you want to include on your prezi before you begin to create it.
Here is youtube video that shows the basics of prezi.

Another tool that can be used is simplebooklet.com. It is a virual flip book. This can be used to have students design their own childrens' book, explain how photosynthesis takes place, a brochure on a recently read book, basically anything that you would ask your students to do on a PowerPoint. Educators can sign up for an account upgrade for $10 a year which allows a teacher 30 student accounts and a separate gallery to view student produced work that is also ad free. This is not necessary since each simplebooklet can be shared. I would suggest having student send you the url and keep track of them in a excel spreadsheet. Like prezi, the tools can be a little tricky to get used to especially when you are accustomed to using Microsoft based programs.
Here is another tutorial that you can watch that will help you get started with simplebooklets.