Make it so

"Here's a Power User column for teachers. Want to involve your students more in a presentation? Set up "triggers" for them to click as they go through the show. Triggers (related to animations) lets you add surprise to your slides while inviting your viewer to take part and have fun."

Labels: Animation, General, Graphics, Instructional, Presentation, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

By Cliff Atkinson

"But what might not be evident in the simplicity of this slide is what happens when the audience experiences it along with your verbal explanation. Because the slide design is simple, the audience can quickly scan the headline and visual and understand the idea. Then their attention turns to the place you want it. — to you, the words you're saying, and the way the information relates to them. Instead of making everything explicit and obvious on the slides, you can leave the slides open to interpretation so the audience is dependent on you, and you on them.

What (the experts are) saying, basically, is that slides filled with bullet points create obstacles between presenters and audiences. You might want to be natural and relaxed when you present, but people say that bullet points make the atmosphere formal and stiff. You might aim to be clear and concise, but people often walk away from these presentations feeling confused and unclear. And you might intend to display the best of your critical thinking on a screen, but people say that bullet points "dumb down" the important discourse that needs to happen for our society to function well.

Somewhere in our collective presentation experience, we're not connecting the dots between presenters and audiences by using the conventional bullet points approach. This issue is of rising concern not only to individuals and audiences - even the major players of large organizations are taking notice of the problem. It seems that in every location where people meet, from small meeting rooms to board rooms to conference halls, people want a change."

Labels: Customize, General, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

A type change

Labels: Customize, Fonts, General, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

Copy/Paste formatting in Word, PowerPoint or Excel

Labels: Formats, General, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

Imbedded videos

"Use this to insert YouTube videos into a PowerPoint slide. All you need to do is to provide the YouTube video URL that appears in the browser address bar, the rest is taken care of by the YTV Wizard.

Note: YouTube videos are streamed so a live internet connection is required to playback the video during the slideshow. Use the free FlashBack add-in to play/rewind the YouTube video automatically."

Labels: Addin, General, Graphics, Presentation, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

Send outline to PowerPoint

For Microsoft Office 2007+

Word 2007+ doesn't allow you to publish to PowerPoint 2007 by default.

Here's the solution:

After you are done in Word 2007+, save it as a Word document.

Now open PowerPoint 2007+.

Click on the Office Button at the top left hand corner.

Click Open.

Under Files of type, select All Outlines.

Now select the Word document and click Open.

Alternately,

In Word 2007+, right click on the ribbon.

Select Customize Quick Access Toolbar.

Under "Choose commands from:", select Commands not in the ribbon.

Look for "Send to Microsoft Office PowerPoint".

Click OK.

The command will then be added onto the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT).

Labels: General, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

Presentation alternative

Labels: General, Presentation, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips

Animate charts

This tutorial is an example of making PowerPoint do things that can't normally be done. In this case, we will tweak some chart animations that don't exist under normal circumstances.

1. Create a chart with data,
   
2. Ungroup the chart into individual pieces,
   
3. Insert pictures that relate to the data,
   
4. Do some grouping + animation.

Labels: Animation, General, Presentation, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

Stop the breakout

A User can exit out of a show accidentally/intentionally by pressing the ESC key. This add-in disables the functionality of the ESC key.

Note: If the show is set to run in Kiosk mode, disabling the ESC key will provide no way of getting out of a slide show, hence please ensure that you have provided an escape route (e.g an invisible shape set to End show) to exit the show.

Labels: General, Performance, Presentation, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

Realign a bunch

Labels: General, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials, VBA

Ideas and tutorials

• a search engine for educational Web sites only, a place where educators can find information without searching the entire Internet;
  
• original content, including lesson plans, practical information for educators, information on how to integrate technology in the classroom, and articles written by education experts;
  
• site reviews;
  
• daily features and columns;
  
• teacher and principal profiles;
  
• Wire Side Chats with the important names in education;
  
• employment listings.

Labels: General, Instructional, Performance, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

Interactive Color Wheel

Labels: Color, Customize, Formats, General, Reference, Shortcuts, Tips, Tutorials

A few good ones