Presentations and Dizzying Prezis

I can recall learning how to create my first powerpoint presentation. It wasn't in public school, but probably my first year of college at the community college (on the same campus where I currently teach). Now, it seems I can whip up a power point at the drop of the hat. At that time, it was encouraged to create a "flashy" power point that utilized transitions, animations, sounds and other bells and whistles that I later learned were actually distracting. Now, students can create power points in the first grade. It is something they have done time and time again. When they reach me in high school, power point is something they are sick of or a comfortable friend with whom they don't want to part.
  One my duties as an English teacher at my school is to oversee and mentor students completing their "Graduation Projects". This is a project implemented into their English IV course where students must research a topic, write an extensive paper about their research, create and complete a related product and finally present their experience to a panel of community judges. They are required to have some sort of digital presentation. They always choose power point. Though teachers like myself have shown them alternative slide programs, they have declined. There is a comfort in the power point. While recently practicing speeches, I told my students to use the power point as digital index cards and then take it away once they felt confident. This would help them avoid reading from the slides.
  Reading from the Slides: This must be the biggest problem I have with Power Point. Placing too much information on slides as well, is laborious for the audience. Overall, I think that Power Point is a great way to keep your points organized but I feel that it is too heavily relied on. It is overused.
   Prezi: I haven't fallen in love yet. It is often difficult to navigate, dizzying and overwhelming. Some of my younger students enjoy this tool, mostly freshmen. As one author stated, it is more appropriate for some presentations than others. This is the key to all of this. Finding the tool that is most appropriate for the topic and content. And like everything else we have discussed, sometimes it is used well and other times not so much.