Prezi Presentation: Teaching & Learning Tool of the 21st Century (2/2)

Prezi Presentation: Teaching & Learning Tool of the 21st Century

The evolution of social media has continuously changed the way health care influences society today.  Credible health care associations such as American Nurses Association (ANA) now acknowledged social media as an acceptable and viable communication tool (Larson, 2011). Social media improve generation of ideas, knowledge dissemination, and professional dialogue among nurses. It serves as a platform for advancing the nursing practice, for sharing knowledge, and for bringing nurses globally together (Schmitt and Kezia, 2012). New and innovative social media tools continue to develop today. Though a lot, social media tools can be categorize depending upon its use and purpose.

To better understand and apply social media properly in the nursing education and practice, let us first take a look at various popular social media tools use today based on their purpose.   

Social Networking (created for the purpose of linking and connecting people) 

• Twitter: form of microblogging, in which it allows real-time, instant connection to other users. It can use to disseminate information, collect data, and share information. Popular for its chat and for tracking trends or hashtags.   
• Facebook: users can stay connected in real-time with other users (i.e. friends, family, coworkers, and professionals).
• Google Plus: contain different tools such as Circles, Messenger, and Hangouts. Use for instant message, video chat, and updating social activities.
• LinkedIn: a professional network that allows users to display resume, curriculum vitae, and other professional profiles.

 Audio Visual (contain applications that allow to share presentations and videos) 

• Prezi: a free presentation development in which users can upload, store, and share their presentation in a concept map format.  
• YouTube: users can share videos publicly, privately, or with assigned users.
• Slideshare: users can upload PowerPoint and other presentations with or without audio.
• SlideRocket: presentation creation software for storage and publication. Contain options such as polling and tracking.
• iTunes: can create, upload, and share podcasts with the public. Users can search or subscribe to specific podcasts for free. 

Collaboration/ Research/ Literature (contain tools that help users store, sort, and find credible information to be used for their work or projects) 

• Skype: tool that allows voice and video chat online, individual and conference call, screen share, and file transfer.  
• Google Docs: users can create, save, share, and collaborate to others presentations, spreadsheets, and other documents.
• Scribd: allow users to read, print, share, download, and send documents to various formats (i.e. mobile).

With all of the social media tools mentioned above, Prezi is the tool that I believe serve as the most beneficial and valuable learning tools in today’s nursing curriculum. Prezi can easily be applied to any teaching environment. It can be accessed and created from almost anywhere as long as there is internet connectivity (PR Newswire, 2013). In addition, what’s unique with this tool is that user can change a PowerPoint into a Prezi format relatively easy. Thus, Prezi’s versatility, easy accessibility, fun, and interactive storytelling approach is what makes this social media tool very effective in the nursing classroom.

References

Larson, J. (2011). New principles guide nurses in using social media. Nursezone. Retrieved from http://www.nursezone.com

PR Newswire. (2013). Prezi makes your ideas matter with Opscode. PR Newswire. Retrieved from http://www.prnewswire.com

Schmitt, T. L., & Kezia, L. (2012). Social media use among nurses. Dermatology Nurses' Association, 4(3), 181-187. doi: 10.1097/JDN.0b013e31825627f4