WORKING WITH POWERPOINT 2007

The PowerPoint program is a PRESENTATION creation program, which operates in TWO BASIC MODES: EDIT, and SHOW:

In the EDIT mode, the program allows the user to put together a series of images, text, sound, and video, in an appropriate form for later display to an audience during a SHOW. During editing, the user can perform TEST RUNS, to verify how the show will appear to the audiences. During the show, the program will take over the whole screen, and display and animate the images prepared by the presenter, until the last slide. PowerPoint also allows the user to SAVE the product as an EDITING (PPTX) file, or a file that will open directly as a SHOW (PPSX).

The following is a basic description of the editing of a show.

1.- Start the MS PowerPoint 2007 program in your computer. An initial page will appear, displaying the common basic controls at the top, and a couple of "helpful" text insertion rectangles on the work area, suggesting the addition of descriptive text for the beginning of the presentation. The boxes can be used to enter a description of your topic (replace "Click to add title"), and your name and date (replace "Click to add subtitle", or add a new textbox). To add a new textbox, or WordArt label, you can use the INSERT > TEXT BOX / WORD ART options.

2.- Once a first-page presentation is completed, we can request and edit a second (and more) pages/slides, by using the INSERT > NEW SLIDE, or DUPLICATE SLIDE (if we want to repeat parts of the current page). The new slides will also have text box addition suggestions that could be used, or eliminated. To eliminate suggested textboxes, you can click on their edge (fine point until a double-two-way-arrows pointer is displayed), and then pressing the DELETE KEY. A gallery of existing slides in sequence can be requested by using the VIEW > SLIDE SORTER, or the VIEW > NORMAL options.

There are MANY tools in MS PowerPoint that provide useful, powerful formatting and editing features for your pages. Please take time to explore these by selecting the various options available through the pull-down menus and auxiliary windows available.

In particular, call the HELP > MICROSOFT-POWERPOINT-HELP option, to experience the available in-program assistance in answering your various questions possible in each of the many topics included.

3.- For the purpose of the class exercise, we will be placing an academically meaningful image on a page, and then inserting descriptive text labels, which will appear gradually during the presentation (lesson), by clicking on the mouse, or hand-held presentation clicking device (sold at the electronics section of most major retail stores).

TO INSERT AN IMAGE: To insert images, we can use the INSERT > PICTURE and choose one of the possible sources (Clip art, from File, etc.) We can also copy and paste the image from an external source, e.g. the Internet, by mid-sizing the PowerPoint and Browser windows, and then dragging it from the external source into the work area.

TO INSERT A LABEL: Use the corresponding (Text box, WordArt) buttons in the DRAWING TOOLBAR, or use the INSERT > TEXT BOX option.

TO ANIMATE AN OBJECT (IMAGE, TEXT LABEL): Use the ANIMATION > CUSTOM ANIMATION option, which will open an auxiliary window on the right side of the work area. The auxiliary window will offer various choices to animate the selected item, by clicking on them. Every time we add an animation effect, a new entry will add to the bottom of a list in the Custom Animation window. These effects will play in the TOP-TO-BOTTOM sequence shown, when the SHOW is run. TO CHANGE THE ORDER OF ANIMATIONS, click and drag each entry in the list to the desired order place.

To add a SOUND-EFFECT to an animation action, point and right-mouse-click (or touch the inside-right button) of the entry, to obtain a list that includes the EFFECT OPTIONS... choice. A new window will appear where a stock sound clip, or a special sound form a file (OTHER SOUNDS..) can be chosen.

For the class project, we will use various FLY IN options, so as to get a useful, time-controlled sequence of labels that can help explain GRADUALLY the elements of a composite image, using mouse-click actions. The class example uses a computer motherboard and its parts, but any object of a lesson, such as threes, animals, organizations, or coordinated text can be similarly brought in through a lesson, through animation.

TO RUN AND VIEW THE SHOW: Can use the SLIDE SHOW > FROM BEGINNING option.