Evaluating Web Presentation Tools

For my web-based presentation program reviews, I explored Prezi and VCASMO. I was able to experiment with each website program and discovered the benefits of using an online format for presenting. Both programs required use of a computer and access to the Internet.

Prezi

I began by exploring Prezi. This program is designed to create presentations that can include pictures, text, Power Point slide shows, and videos (including YouTube videos). It was extremely user friendly due to the fact that multiple tutorials were available for viewing. Prezi presentations can be embedded into a website or blog for anyone to view.

The best part of the Prezi presentation tool is the visual appeal of the design compared to the other presentation websites I visited. The design is contemporary, and although it appears modern and a bit random, presentations can be created is a sequential manner. There is a perfect combination of visual stimulation and anchored information. Because of this, the presentation is novel and somewhat unpredictable; it is very interesting for the audience to view.

Prezi is free after signing up with a user name. The free membership includes storage space for presentations and basic presentation tools. The membership can be upgraded for a fee, which includes tech support and a desktop version of the program (upgrades can be tried free for a month).

Prezi can be accessed from any Internet connection. All that is needed is an email account to set up a user name. There are privacy settings that allow the creator to either share the presentation publicly, or to keep the presentation private. Setting the presentation publicly will be helpful when sharing my presentation will fellow classmates. Prezi would also work well in my middle school science class, where students who miss the presentation or want to watch it again can do so from anywhere online. In addition, other Prezi account users have the option of editing a presentation when the creator chooses the appropriate settings. This option would be perfect for group projects in my classroom.

Bottom line: Prezi is versatile and easy to use. I would definitely recommend this for any class presentation.

VCASMO

VCASMO is an online presentation program that supports the upload of multi-media such as videos, pictures, Power Point slides, and audio. As I began to explore VCASMO, I found it was not so user friendly due to the fact that there was no program tutorial. The lack of direction made the initial discovery of the program difficult and time consuming to figure out. After digging deeper, I found that the format of the program allows the creator to place videos and slides side-by-side; combining different types of media into one space. Presentations can also be embedded into a website or blog. If the program is viewed from the VCASMO website, visitors can make comments about the presentation. I thought this was a helpful option.

This website program would be best suited for those who want to give their video presentation or PowerPoint presentation a little oomph. It is very basic as far as options for creating and sharing go. It lacks the bells and whistles that other programs include. Part of this is because the design and format of the website appear dated.

VCASMO is free to sign up, but many of the questions I had about the program could not be answered before I signed up. Once I signed up I found that with an annual subscription users can gain more storage space, friend grouping, and guaranteed faster video streaming. VCASMO is easily accessible from any computer with Internet. On the down side, reliability may be an issue; I could not figure out a way to download presentations for use independent from the Internet.

Bottom Line: I would not recommend this presentation tool for our class presentations.