Launching PowerPoint
There are a couple of ways to “launch” PowerPoint.
The Quick Way:
On most computers in our district when you fire up your computer and log into the network, there is a “Microsoft Office Toolbar” that automatically pops up at the top right of the screen. In this tool bar are buttons that will launch the many different Microsoft programs that area available. All of the littles squares are “buttons.” (Remember that buttons only need one click, and icons need two!) To launch PowerPoint click on the orange button that looks like this .
The Fail Proof Way:
Another way to launch PowerPoint is by click on the “Start” button in the bottom left of your screen. The click on “Programs” then click on “PowerPoint.” See the figure below.
When you open up PowerPoint the first screen you will see is the one below.
What are all of these choices?
AutoContent Wizard
Use this option to create a presentation that has sample content included. You will choose from a list of various presentation types, then select the type that most closely matches the intent of your presentation. You will edit the sample content to meet your needs.
Template
Use this option to create a presentation that has a particular background and format. No sample content is included. You will choose from a series of templates formatted for text only, text and graphics, text boxes, bulleted points, etc.
Blank Presentation
Use this option to create a presentation completely from scratch. You will see a blank slide on your screen and will construct your slide from that point.
Open an Existing Presentation
Use this option to load a presentation that has been previously created and saved.
Working with a Sample Slide Show
We will begin by working on a sample slide show that has already been built. This slide show is actually a template that students could use for a project on endangered species.
- On the PowerPoint Startup Options screen, click on the radio button for Template, then click OK.
Click on the tab entitled Classroom Activities, then locate a document called Endangered Species Slides.
- Click on the document called Endangered Species slides, then click the OK button.
- Your screen will now display the first slide of the Endangered Species slide show and the PowerPoint tools and toolbars.
- The PowerPoint screen components are detailed in a diagram on the following page.
PowerPoint Screen Components
View Buttons
The five View Buttons let you see your slides in a variety of formats. Each button performs a different function.
Slide View
Your current view should be Slide View. Note now that button is slightly depressed when compared to the other buttons. This view provides the easiest access to design your presentation one slide at a time. Click on the down arrow at the bottom of the scroll bar to advance to the next slide.
Outline View
Click the Outline View button to switch to Outline View. This view displays only the text from your individual slides, not the graphic elements. This view can be used to compose, add, or edit the text on a slide. Note that a thumbnail of the currently selected slide is displayed on the screen.
Slide Sorter View
Click the Slide Sorter View button to switch to Slide Sorter View. This view shows a thumbnail of each slide in your presentation. This view is used to rearrange the order of your slides, locate a specific slide, or check other details of your presentation. If you want to work on a specific slide, (#4 for example) double click on the fourth slide in Slide Sorter View and that slide will appear on your screen in Slide View.
Notes Page View
Click the Notes Page View button to switch to Notes Page View. This view displays a miniature of your slide and any notes that you have typed to accompany that slide. Many speakers use the notes page to list important points to be stressed during a presentation. Typically, the notes page is for the speaker only.
Slide Show View
Click the Slide Show View button to switch to Slide Show View. This view shows your slide show full screen. To advance to the next slide, click the left mouse button. If you wish to stop a slide show in the middle, simply press the ESC key.
It is important to note that the slide show begins playing from whichever slide was selected last. For instance, if you are in Slide Sorter View and you click on slide 3, then click the Slide Show View button, the slide show will begin from the third slide, not the first slide.
Take a few minutes to practice moving from one view to another using the View Buttons.
Go to Slide View, then use the scroll bars to move from slide to slide while still in Slide View.
Viewing Your Presentation
Click the Slide Sorter View button (page 4) to switch to sorter view.
Click on the first slide in your presentation to make it the selected slide. If you forget this step, the slide show would begin with slide 5 since that was the last slide we worked on.
Click the View Slide Show button (page 4) to see your presentation. Each time you click the left mouse button, the show will advance to the next slide.
If you click the left mouse button after the last slide, you will return to slide sorter view.
If you want to stop showing slides in the middle of a presentation, tap the [ESC] key.
Adding Transitions to Your Presentation
Transitions are used to change from one slide to another. Your current presentation has no transitions, the screen merely cuts from one slide to the next. Transitions help make the change of slides more interesting. Too many different transitions can detract from the content of your presentation.
- Click on Slide Sorter button to switch to that view.
- Click on slide 1 to make it the active slide.
Click on the list arrow next to No Transition to display the available transitions. That screen is shown below.
- Select Box Out as the transition for slide 1.
- Click on slide 2 to make it the active slide, then set Box Out as the transition.
- Set Box Out as the transition for slides 3, 4, and 5.
- Click on slide 1 to make it the active slide, then click the View Slide Show button. This will show you how transitions impact your presentation.
Using Text Effects
Text effects can help you focus the audiences’ attention on the specific point you are addressing. The Roswell presentation has 4 slides that contain bulleted points as part of the content. You want the audience to focus on each point at your command, instead of reading the other points that are displayed. Text effects allow you to keep that kind of control over your presentation.
- Click on the Slide Sorter button to return to that view.
- Click on slide 2 to make it the active slide (slide 1 has no bulleted points).
Click on the list arrow next to No Effect to see the list of text effects. That screen is shown below.
- Select Fly From Right as the text effect for slide 2.
- Click on slide 3 to make it the active slide. Select Fly From Right as the text effect.
- Select Fly From Right for slides 4 and 5.
- Click on slide 1 to make it the active slide, then click the View Slide Show button to see how text effects impact your presentation. Remember to click the left mouse button each time you are ready to go on in your presentation. Take a few minutes to experiment with transitions and text effects in your presentation.
Changing the Order of Slides in Your Presentation
As you develop a presentation, you may decide to change the order of your slides. It is not necessary to delete and recreate slides, you can merely drag and drop the slides into the desired location.
- Switch to Slide Sorter View by clicking the Slide Sorter button.
- In the Roswell presentation, we want to switch slides 3 and 4. Click on slide 4 and hold down the left mouse button. Drag the slide toward slide 3 until you see a thin black line appear between slides 2 and 3. Release the mouse button, and slide 4 will become the third slide.
Create A New Presentation
If time permits, create a slide presentation for use in your classroom. Use different backgrounds and clip art to familiarize yourself with the artwork that is available.
Below is a short list of ideas for PowerPoint presentations in your classroom.
- Classroom policies and procedures
- Grading procedures for your class
- An overview of course content
- Key points for a lecture (instead of notes on the chalkboard)
- Open House presentation for parents
- Samples of student work or projects during conferences
- Homework assignments for the week
- A slide show to prepare students for a field trip
- A series of story starters for a writing assignment
- Use scanned pictures, digital camera pictures to create a class presentation
To Create a New Presentation
When you first open PowerPoint this is the screen that you will see.
To use a “wizard” to guide you, then choose this option and click “OK.”
To use a previously designed “template” then choose “design template” and click “OK.”
To use a “blank presentation” then choose this option and click “OK.”
Choosing a “Design”
When you choose “design template” you will see the screen below.
Choose the design that you would like to use. Notice that you get a small “preview” of the design if you just simply click once on the name of the design. Once you have selected the design that you would like to use then click “OK.”
Once you click “OK” then you will see the screen below.
It is now time to choose the “layout” of your “new slide.”
You need to decide what kind of information that you would like to include in your new slide. Do you want just a list of information? Do you want some information and a clip art picture? Do you want a title, a clip art picture and a graph? When you decide on which layout to use, click once on the style and then click “OK.”
In the screen below I have chose to have the layout to be simply two tiles. To change the names of the tiles I would simply click on one of the titles and change it to what I would want. I could change the font, its size and shape, just like I would normally do in Microsoft Word.
To Add a New Slide
To add a new slide to your presentation click on the “insert” menu, then click on “new slide.” When you do this you will be asked to choose the “layout” of your new slide just as you were earlier.
To Add Text, Clip Art, or Pictures
In order to add text, clip art, or pictures to your presentation, you must first insert a “text box.”
To Insert a Text Box
In order to insert a text box, click on this button located in the bottom toolbar in the screen. Point your cursor into the document where you would like the upper left hand corner of the box to start, click and hold, drag down and to your right and you will see a box appear. When you have the box the correct size then let go of the mouse button. You will notice that the text box has a shaded line around the edge of the box and it has “handles.”What are “handles?”
When you insert a text box, it immediately would like you to insert text. It is “highlighted” with little box “handles” around the outside edge. Below you will see some handles.
You can use these handles to resize your text box. If you choose the corner handles then this will resize your text box diagonally. If you choose the handles on the top and bottom in the middle, then this will resize your text box vertically. And the other two will change your text box horizontally.
How do I change the outline of my text box?
When you have a text box selected, do a “right click” on the outside edge of the text box. A small menu will appear, and choose “format text box.”
When you choose “format text box,” you will get this dialog box.
You can see that the “fill” color is set to white. This color can be changed to another color, or you can choose that it have no “fill” color and that it will essentially be see through.
The color of the “line” (this is the outside edge) is black. This can be changed to another color or turned off so that there is no line. You can make the thickness of the line larger or smaller by choosing from the pull down menu of “weight.” The style of your line can also be changed by choosing from the pull down menu of “style.” Below is an example of a text box that is “filled” with red, and the outside border is thicker and a different style.
Note: When you insert text into a text box you can change the font and the size just like you would normally do in normal word processing. The easiest way to do this is by using the “standard” toolbar.
Inserting WordArt
(You do not need to insert a text box to insert WordArt)
To insert WordArt click on the “WordArt” button in the “drawing” toolbar. The following menu will pop up.
When you make a selection on the style that you would like to insert, the following menu will appear.
Type the text that you would like, choose the font, and its size. You may want to make it “bold” or “italicized” by turning on those buttons. When you are finished click “OK.”
Understanding the WordArt Toolbar
With “WordArt” it has its own toolbar. After you insert the WordArt if you click on it, the toolbar should automatically appear. If it does not, then do the following:
1)Click on “View.”
2)Click on “toolbars”
3)Click on “WordArt”
This should make the WordArt toolbar appear. It looks like the figure below.
If you click on the first button this will allow you to change the style of the WordArt.
If you click on the button this will allow you to change the text to say something else.
If you click on the button this will allow you to change the style of the text as well.
If you click on the button this will allow you to change the “fill” color and the outside edge color of the WordArt.
If you click on the button this will allow you to change the “direction” of the text. You will get choices like the ones below.
If you click on the button this will allow you to “free rotate” your text around in a circle.
If you click on the button this will allow you to place the WordArt so that it is in front of or behind text, or to allow text to wrap around the WordArt.
The next button, will allow you to change the “height” of your text so it is all caps, or not.
The next button, will allow you to change the “direction” of your text. You can make it vertical or horizontal. Remember is you would like it to be something else than horizontal or vertical than you will have to use the “free rotate” button .
The button will allow you to change the “justification” of your text. And the will adjust the tightness of your text.
To Insert Clip Art
To insert clip art place your cursor where you would like to insert the clip art and choose “insert” from the menu bar, choose “picture,” then choose “clip art.” (See the picture below)
When you do this the following dialog box should appear.
When you find a clip art picture that you will like to insert then do a “left click” on and a small menu will appear. If you choose the top button on the menu, then this will insert the clip art picture exactly where you had the cursor. See the figure below to see how to do this.