Embedded Files
The Voki presentation was designed with my educational business in mind. The goal was to provide a “Welcome to Ms. Cathy’s GED class” brief introduction that could be accessed by a student or prospective student.
Since “keep it simple” is my philosophy, and so mentioned in the narration, I elected a simple background that would allow the character to stand out. Originally, I created an avatar that was more realistic; however, upon completion I realized that this was not a free option. I then chose a character that seemed like the next best option.
The narration on the free version of Voki has a maximum of 60 seconds, so I adjusted my narration accordingly. The narration was created to introduce myself to the viewer, remind them of the four parts to the GED, share my “keep it simple” philosophy, and briefly introduce the viewer to the use of strategy.
The process of creating the Voki speaking avatar was simple and expeditious. Though it would have been helpful to be able to filter the options to reveal only those that are free.
Educators and businesses could utilize Voki as an educational tool. The program has more options for cartoon-type characters, which might limit its usage in either. For example, as an educator of adult students, I would not use a cartoon-type character as this might be construed as demeaning. If I utilize Voki in the future, I will definitely pay to be able to create avatars from their realistic “classic” character library. I will also explore the text-to-voice option.
The process of creating this collaborative project was straightforward and trouble-free. My partner and I utilized a “less is more” design that made effective use of white/negative space and limited text. The backgrounds were kept to a minimum and non-distracting photos were incorporated throughout and appropriately credited.
Text was presented in complimentary fonts throughout the ten slides while text colors were selected in contrast to each slide’s background. The choice of red text was made to present a warning message (do not drink bathtub water). Bullet points, bold fonts, and lines were also utilized in the design process to effectively communicate the message and to guide the viewer.
The video was chosen from a credible source, and it enhanced the "countdown to hurricane" theme. A link to additional hurricane preparedness was placed atop a satellite image of a hurricane as the background. No other text was needed for this slide.
Overall, I am pleased that the project effectively and simplistically presented an overview of how to prepare for a hurricane. The project has value from an educational, business, or personal standpoint. It clearly presents the message in a thoughtful design that carefully eliminates cognitive overload. It also provides a link to a credible source for additional information on hurricane preparedness.
In reflecting upon the creation of this Prezi presentation, I found it to be much more challenging than anticipated. I am experienced with PowerPoint and other similar applications and incorrectly assumed that I could dive right in. It took quite a while for me to adjust to the concept of using frames and zoom instead of slides.
Once I recognized that the learning curve was longer than expected, I elected to present a brief overview of the scientific method. I found a template that was organized in a way that would guide the viewer through an overview of each step. Images from iStock created a simple visual representation for each step and were similar in style which maintained visual cohesiveness throughout the presentation.
The font style was easy to read, and I elected to stay within the selection of the theme colors, making sure to use contrasting font colors against each background. The text sizes of titles were larger and bold, whereas the fonts used for the body were smaller and not in bold. I also utilized italics sparingly for emphasis. The two videos were chosen based on their correlation to the topic and short length so as not to add to cognitive overload or viewer boredom.
Adding images, videos, changing fonts, and moving items was not an issue. The biggest challenge for me was to get used to the frames and how they operated. Determining how and when to zoom in/out was time consuming. I would definitely consider using Prezi in the future but would need more practice with the frames in order to present a more polished presentation.
Crosslin Cathy Prezi works cited.docxWorks cited accompaniment to Prezi presentation
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