Prezi NEXT

Most of us know what Prezi is; the company describes themselves as "a visual storytelling software alternative to traditional slide-based presentation formats. Prezi presentations feature map-like, schematic overview that lets users pan among topics at will, zoom in on desired details, and pull back to reveal context."

I use Prezi because it's extremely easy and makes me look like I'm A-MAZ-ING at technology to people that don't know a thing about Prezi. :) At "Meet the Parent Night" I always use a Prezi to talk about myself and the year. Every year, it never fails, at least two parents ask me to teach them PowerPoint because they loved my presentation. I guess most people assume that any presentation given is done through PowerPoint.

So that brings us to Prezi Next - "our newest and most powerful presentation platform yet. We took the best storytelling elements of Prezi, made it easier to use, and added new features such as live analytics, private presenter notes, and customizable designer templates." For those of you that are techy (because I have no idea what this next sentence means) "Prezi Classic uses Flash-based technology, Prezi Next runs on HTML5 for the best experiences across all your devices."

So what's important for you to know:

When CREATING:

1. New templates have been created that are inspired by user feedback and "industry use cases"; still easily customizable and "visually pop."
2. Prezi Next has a new editor with enhanced toolbars/editing features, similar to the transformation tool in Prezi Classic.
3. "Planet" and "Stack" structures are options with Prezi Next, both have customizable covers. "Planets have subtopics that orbit the main idea and are best used to separate related content. Use planets to break your main idea into subtopics or add depth to your presentation"
   
   
   
   "Stacks contain pages of content that display separately and in order. This means you can stack multiple layers of content within one subtopic and reveal it to your audience step by step.
   
   
   
   I see benefits in both structures here as I enjoy hiding some of my content when I'm using a presentation to keep the audience focused on the content I'm currently discussing instead of the content that's coming up. Oooh, I also love the shock value that showing something new on the screen all-the-sudden gravitates attention back to me too!
4. The Zooming feature reveals your content within levels of topic and subtopic structures. This items confused me a tad as I'm used to Prezi zooming in on the area I'm discussing...but what this is saying is that the content can actually CHANGE when you zoom in! And, as you already know, I like to hide things to pull people back in.
   
   
5. The left side bar has changed in Prezi Next as well. The display allows you to add new topics/subtopics or drag and drop the thumbnails to easily change their position. From what I remember, I could drag/drop with Prezi Classic but I don't remember being able to add new topics/subtopics.
6. The Animations sidebar are easier to access; adding transitions between content makes presentations even more appealing. Fade-out animations are available now too!

When PRESENTING:

1. Prezi Next is promoting "Conversational Presenting" saying that you can "build a conversation with your audience and seamlessly navigate from Point A to Point B." I'm not sure how this is different than Prezi Classic and no information was given over how this is different.
2. If your Prezi plan includes the desktop app then you can add notes as the presenter with the ability to review them while presenting. You also get a sneak-peak reminder of what the next slide is. This feature is the main reason a co-worker of mine using PowerPoint so I know she'll be excited for this feature!
   
   
3. Smart zoom is now available and let's you focus your audience on one portion of the content on the page you're discussing. I could see myself using this if I lose my students attention and need to bring them back in; remember that anytime the screen changes it will bring their attention back in.
   
   

When ANALYZING:

1. Premium Users can track data in real time to see how long a presentation was opened for and who opened the presentation. You can even look at data to see what parts of the presentation the audience interacted with the most.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

1. To my memory, Prezi Classic allows you to send links for others to view, export the presentation to PDF, or download the presentation to view without needing the internet to view it. Prezi Next is promoting this as well.
2. Prezi Next has an enhanced collaboration element similar to Google Slides but only with the Business plan. Contributors (up to ten users) can work together in real time and the progress automatically saves.
3. Prezi Next is linked with Prezi Viewer (like Prezi Classic), so it can be viewed in the mobile app.

All in all...I'm a tad excited for the Next version. I always like new design templates and REALLY am looking forward to the collaboration element. Unfortunately, the collaboration element is only with the Premium Plan

Do you use an online presentation tool? I'd enjoy hearing what you use and what you like about their services!!

Source:
Prezi Classic, meet Prezi Next. Prezi Classic Support. (n.d.). Retrieved June 28, 2017, from https://prezi.com/support/article/steps/classic-meet-next/