Digital Storytelling - Week Four

Week four of Digital Storytelling has been an exciting one. I took my 6 best pictures from my Photo Blog site (Posterous) and used a new program called Prezi to create a very different kind of presentation. Prezi gives you an infinite workspace for brainstorming ideas and images that can be turned into a presentation. The presentation is not a linear Slideshow but lets you create paths between ideas and images. Add some zoom effects and one has a dynamic presentation that will run itself with the autoplay option. I think Prezi has great potential for team collaboration on just about anything. If you haven't seen Prezi then picture Inspiration only recorded with incredible transitions.

6 Great Pictures on Prezi

Click the Autoplay option in the lower right corner to let Prezi run with the transitions.


This week I concluded the final chapters of Garr Reynolds' Presentation Zen. I recommend this book for anyone that is about to create a presentation. The emphasis is not only on the design of effective slides but also on the delivery. Reynolds provides great insight and examples of powerful presentations and the book has transformed how I think and even feel about making a presentation. Read Presentation Zen and come-out from behind the lectern and connect with your audience!

Another class reading is from Bernajean Porter's DigiTales which provides a nuts and bolts approach to putting together a digital story. The latest chapter delves into creating a digital storytelling toolkit for either Mac or Windows users and the categories of hardware and software one will need. I have 'Mac Envy' after seeing all of the video and audio software that comes with the Apple computers. But, I do have Adobe Premiere Pro and hopefully one day I will become proficient enough with it to create professional AV presentations.

Finally, I am working on creating my first Pecha Kucha using presentation ideas from last week. I am working through the second draft of my storyboard and will soon commit to a presentation that delivers 20 slides with only 20 seconds per slide. Rather than planning on speed talking or jamming each slide with a jillion bits of information - I am going to simplify to amplify my main points and ideas. I will be applying what I learned from the Presentation Zen readings in terms of design and delivery.