Prezi, the cloud-based zooming presentation tool, which competes with Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote, is the latest technology company to join President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative to help the U.S. education system move forward into a more technology-centred world. Prezi’s commitment will provide $100 million in Edu Pro licenses to hundreds of thousands of high schools and educators.
ConnectED hopes to transform American education by connecting students to next-generation broadband and wireless technology, and putting educational technology into classrooms and into the hands of teachers across the United States.
Following a call to action by President Barack Obama, private companies have donated millions worth of software and software licenses to bring more technology to classrooms. Earlier this month, the White House unveiled $750 million in donations from leading technology companies Apple and Microsoft to provide tablets and software, and from AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon to deliver wireless services to schools.
Prezi wants to enable teachers to help their students explore subjects, see how ideas are related, and collaborate with each other with its software suite, which has always catered well to educators.
“Better education is our best chance to improve the world. Through the President’s ConnectED initiative, we’re making sure that more schools have access to the innovative tools that will inspire an expanding mind. Prezi, in particular, will help teachers convey ideas and enable students to understand and retain concepts. We are extremely excited to participate in the initiative and grateful to the nearly 40 million people in our Prezi community who have made it possible” - commented Peter Arvai, co-founder and CEO of Prezi.
The recently pledged commitments by tech companies such as Prezi bring the total ConnectED investment to more than $1 billion. Prezi is the first European company to partner with the White House on the initiative, committing $100 million in Edu Pro licenses to high schools and educators for creative projects all across America.
