Prezi is an example of the movement toward cloud computing. The service can be used from any compatible browser and requires no software downloads (although there is a client available for download.) As a busy college librarian, I love the freedom of building my presentation from almost any Internet-capable computer quickly and easily.
My first Prezi was a short lecture on evaluating political advertisements in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission this January. Using the flap over Target Corporation's large donation to a pro-business Political Action Committee as a case study, I made the case that the information literate citizen now must dig deeper to find the complete story about the political ads they see on television and on the Internet.
Reactions to the Prezi software were generally positive. Students seem to like the use of graphics and video in library and information literacy presentations. It doesn't hurt that a lot of our students shop and work at Target - - it's a highly relevant case study for many in our classes.
The Prezi educational license is free to active students and teachers. The "Edu Enjoy" license includes 500 MB of online storage space and the ability to download finished files to allow for offline presentations.
