Google’s Presentation App - Lesson Planet

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Google’s Presentation App © Lesson Planet 2014 www.LessonPlanet.com

Transcript of Google’s Presentation App - Lesson Planet

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Google’s Presentation App

© Lesson Planet 2014 www.LessonPlanet.com

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Introduction

Google’s free Presentation app is a simple tool designed to allow you and your stu-dents the ability to visually communicate your ideas.

Many states are shifting toward standards that specifically call out the need to inte-grate technology to both provide critical analysis and production of media. Goo-gle’s presentation tool can help meet such expectations.

This course is intended as an introduction to this topic, and will cover the following:• Presentation app basics• Menu tools• Formatting• Collaborating• Tips

It is recommended for this course that you have a free Google account already set up. Your school or district may already have one ready for you. If not, visit

https://accounts.google.com and sign up for a new account.

You will also need access to a laptop of desktop computer that is connected to the Internet in order the make the most of this training.

The Google Drive mobile app for smart-phones and tablets does not allow crea-tion of Google presentations at this time, but those devices can be used to view al-ready existing work.

Read this guide to become confident and proficient with Google’s Presentation app.

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Google Presentation App Basics

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The Google Presentation app is an easy way to communicate visually.

This chapter will cover the essentials:• Creating a presentation

• Adding new slides• Basic formatting• Rearranging slides

Creating a Presentation

Find out how to create, format, and arrange slides in your Google Presen-tation.

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1. Log in to Google and select Drive from your apps menu in the top-right corner

2. Next, select the word Create on the left

3. Choose Presentation4. Select a theme or press Cancel (you

can change this later)5. Click where it says Untitled presenta-

tion in the top-left corner and add a ti-tle

6. Select OK

Take a look at the general layout of the app.

The menu and related tools are along the top. Each screen, called a slide, is located in the center. There is a thumbnail repre-sentation of each slide along the left.

To begin working with a slide, click inside the area labeled Click to add title and Click to add subtitle.

Adding New SlidesAdd a second slide by select-ing the plus symbol in the upper-left corner.

Select the small triangle to the right of the plus symbol to view other choices that will be covered in the chapter titled Format-ting.

Basic FormattingFirst, each slide has a background color, which is set to white when you first create a presentation.

You can change this by choosing Back-ground or Theme.

Theme applies changes to all the slides in a presentation, and Background can be used to customize individual slides after the theme is in place.

• Choose Theme in the menu options and notice the set of slide designs

• You will likely want to stick with a simple design, like those to-ward the top of the list

• Click once to choose the theme and then select OK to return to creating the presen-tation

• At this point, you can add some content and then a new slide

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• Build a few slides using just text as your content

Rearranging SlidesAt some point, you will find that you want to change the order in which your slides appear.

1. To do this, first locate the thumbnail images of each slide on the left side of the screen2. Next, click and hold down the thumb-nail of the slide you want to move3. As you slide it up or down the col-umn on the left, notice the solid back line that appears—this is your guide to where this slide will be placed4. Once you have moved the slide to its new location, release the mouse

This process makes it easy to put your content in the best place possible without having to delete a slide and recreate it.

As you slide [the thumbnail] up and down, notice the solid black line that appears—this is your guide to where the slide will be placed.

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Menu Tools within the Presentation App

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The Presentation app has some very help-ful features, and these choices within the menu can make it easier to create and then share the work with others.

This chapter will take a look at items lo-cated in the menu that are both unique and notable, including:• File• Edit• Arrange• Tools

It may seem like the Presentation app is just a watered down version of Microsoft’s PowerPoint. However, while there are many similarities, there are some differ-ences worth noting.

Examining the File MenuDownload AsStart by selecting the File menu and find Download As...; this feature allows you to

export any Google presentation as a Pow-erPoint presentation, a PDF file, or several other options that can be helpful when col-laborating with others.

Publish to the WebThe next feature in the File menu is Publish to the Web. This is a great tool for quickly and easily sharing your work with others by making a webpage version of your pres-entation.

This may sound a bit technical, but it is very easy to do. See the Collaborating with the Presentation App chapter for more in-formation on how this feature works.

Edit MenuThe Web ClipboardThere is really only one unique feature to look at in this menu: the Web clipboard.

This tool is extremely useful since any text, drawing, table, or other item you select

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can be stored in the Web clipboard and accessed within any Google app on any computer.

Note that whatever is saved to the Web clipboard will be auto-matically deleted by Google if you don’t use it for 30 days.

How to Use the Web ClipboardLet’s say you have created text that you may need to use for a presentation, and a few weeks later you need the same text. You could retype that information, locate, open, then copy that text. Or, you could simply go to the Edit menu, select Web clipboard, and have that same information available to you immediately in any Google app.

1. Click on your text or image to highlight the information you want to clip

2. Select the Edit menu3. Drag your mouse down to Web clipboard4. Select Copy to web clipboard

Note that whatever is saved to the Web clipboard will be automatically deleted by Google if you don’t use it for 30 days.

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5. Create a new slide or file, or open an existing file in your Drive

6. Choose Edit and select Web clipboard7. Locate the text previously saved, and

place it into your file

As long as you use your information by the 30th day after you’ve created it, it will con-tinue to be available for you to use in any of the Google apps.

Arrange MenuSelect Arrange from the menu bar and no-tice the words Order, Center on page, and Rotate. This section will focus on the Or-der option.

OrderImagine you want to make a graphic that uses a shape and needs some text within it.

1. First, use the text tool to drag over an area where you want to add some words

2. Next, use the shape tool to create your shape, perhaps a triangle

3. You now have a bit of a dilemma—the text is hidden behind the shape

4. This is where the Order option under the Arrange menu choice comes to the rescue

5. First, select the text6. Next, choose the Arrange menu7. Choose Order8. Select Bring to Front

The text should now be in front of the trian-gle. You can move it wherever it needs to go.

Tools MenuWithin tools, you have access to the spell-ing tool and other options, but the tool most worth highlighting here is Research.

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The Research tool is great to use if you are looking for back-ground information or images to support your presentation

• Use the Research tool by highlighting a word, choosing Tools, and selecting Research

• Notice the area on the right of the screen—the term selected is being searched by Google

• When the search is complete, thumbnail images and links to webpages on this topic will appear, offering a great way to quickly access information about your topic

• You can view the presentation and information side by side• To view more details, select the thumbnail images and links

to go to a new webpage

Begin using the tools within these menus to help you become more effective in the classroom when you are using the Goo-gle Presentation app.

When the search is complete, thumbnail images and links to webpages on this topic will appear [to the right].

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Formatting3

Have you ever seen a presentation that was just bad? Maybe it had a distracting background, or too much text, or odd items on the screen—all these things can create a less-than-effective presentation.

Proper use of the formatting options within the Presentation app will make it easier for your students to focus on the content be-ing shared.

This chapter will cover the formatting tools, including:• Background• Layout• Theme• Text Boxes• Transitions• Inserting Media

Formatting ToolsThemeStart your formatting with Theme, since whatever you choose will be in place for

additional slides you create for this presen-tation.

Notice the set of designs is roughly in or-der from simple to more complex as you move down the list of options.

Using a more simplistic theme, such as those along the top row, can help keep the focus on words, images, and other content you place in the presentation.

Select a Theme and then click OK.

Notice that all the slides you previously cre-ated all have the same theme applied to them.

BackgroundThe background tool is intended to allow you to create a different background for an individual slide.

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Select Background in the toolbar to ex-plore this option.

• Select the box next to Color to change the background color of the slide

• Or, you can select the words Choose im-age to select a photo to serve as a back-ground

• The other options in this menu are re-lated to Reset; this allows you to return your design back to the theme you select

Click Done when finished. You can also se-lect Apply to all if you want your choices to be applied to every slide.

LayoutLayout offers a way to change the areas in which the presentation’s content appears.

Select this option from the toolbar to re-veal options that can alter the layout: • Title and Body• Title and Two Columns• Title Only

• Caption• Blank

Note that selecting the very small white tri-angle in the red box also shows these op-tions.

Text Boxes for When You Want a Cus-tom LayoutThis would be a great time to look at some of the more detailed tools that allow for customizing the presentation.

The toolbar offers a way to create a text box so that you can add text into areas of a slide that aren’t covered by the layout op-tions.

First, select the text tool and notice that the cursor turns into a crosshair. Click and drag to create a text box of your desired size.

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Notice the text tools that display automati-cally; line color, font, font size, line spac-ing, and more can be adjusted here.

TransitionsTransitions, while fun, can sometimes cause unnecessary trouble. Try to keep transitions to a minimum, and try to stick with just one transition, maybe two, for your presentation.

Inserting MediaThis allows you to add images, links, vid-eos, word art, lines, shapes, tables, and animation.

Some of these items can be added using the Insert option in the menu.

Use the Image option to place a picture into the presentation.

Notice there are several options here, in-cluding:

• Upload an image • Take a snapshot using your computer’s

camera• Use one of the more advanced features

listed in the insert image options

For this example presentation, select Up-load.

Next, select Choose an Image to Upload, locate the image you want, and wait for the upload to complete.

Once the upload is done, the image should show up on your slide. You can reposition it by clicking in the middle of the image and dragging it to the desired location, and you can resize it by clicking and dragging the blue squares on the corners and sides of the image.

If you haven’t done so already, create a sample presentation and begin incorporat-ing and becoming comfortable with the tools covered in this chapter.

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Collaborating with Presentations4

The Google Presentation app is built with collaboration in mind. This chapter will highlight the ways this app can be used to work with parents, students, and col-leagues. The chapter covers the following:

• Publishing work online• Inviting others to collaborate• Revision history• E-mailing collaborators

Publishing Work OnlineBefore you get started with publishing work online, check with your school or dis-trict policies about publishing anything to the Web.

Why publish a presentation online?Among several reasons, publishing work online allows others to access a presenta-tion anytime and anywhere. Parents, stu-dents, and others can review your presen-tation or your students’ presentations.

Getting Started: Publishing OnlineSelect the File menu and choose Publish to the Web.

Next, you will see a new window labeled Publish to the Web and the option to “Re-quire viewers to sign in with their account.”

If you select this, and if your Google ac-count was provided to you by your organi-zation, you are limiting your viewers to those individuals who have an account given to them by your school or district.

This is one way to help restrict access to the document. While it doesn’t make it completely invisible to everyone on the Internet, it does make your presentation less visible. This option only makes sense if the presentation is for internal use.

Select Start Publishing and then select OK when prompted with “Are you sure you want to publish this document?”

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Stop PublishingThe next window that appears is an important one. Notice the Stop Publishing options.

At any point in the future, you can open this file, select File, choose Publish to the Web, and then select Stop Publishing. This action will make the webpage address inactive, and oth-ers will no longer be able to view your file as a webpage.

Options and Final StepsKeep moving down the list and review the options to share a link, change the presentation size, select how quickly to auto-matically advance each slide, and other choices you may wish to explore.

At any point in the future, you can open this file, select File, choose Publish to the Web, and then select Stop Publishing. This action will make the webpage address inactive.

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You can copy the link from this section to share your presentation.

Highlight and copy this link and paste it in an e-mail, or use any of the other means of sharing listed toward the bottom of the win-dow. Test out your link to see what the fin-ished product looks like. Make sure that you are not signed into your Google ac-count, that way you’ll see what the rest of the world sees.

Select Close when you are finished.

You just created a webpage. The Google Presentation you published to the Web is a copy of the original document.

Again, check with your school or district policy for publishing work, and always make sure to get both administrative and parental consent before publishing any file that contains student information.

Inviting Others to CollaborateThe Presentation app also has a way to in-vite others to work on your file.

Sharing Your File1. Locate and select the Share button in

the upper-right corner of the screen2. Next, enter the e-mail address of the

person you want to invite to work on the presentation

3. Select how much control you want that person to have; choices include Can Edit, Can Comment, or Can View

4. Click Send

The Presentation app will send an e-mail message inviting the people listed to ac-cess the presentation.

You can work with a colleague this way, or have students share with you so you can access their work and grade it. Students can also share with one another to collabo-rate on projects.

Revision HistoryWhen working with others, it can be useful to review the additions and changes made.

How to Check Revision History1. Select File2. Choose See revision history3. Notice the far right of the screen is

now labeled Revision history; all changes are listed here chronologically

4. Click any change to see what the pres-entation looked like at that stage in or-

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der to track, for example, who contrib-uted which elements of a project

E-mailing CollaboratorsWhen you use this feature, you send e-mail notifications to those who are shared on the file.

To do this, select File and choose Email Collaborators.

You can add information in the messages section and choose to exclude shared peo-ple from the message/from receiving the message.

Try inviting a colleague to work with you on a Google presentation to begin applying what you have just learned.

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Presentation Tips5

Have you ever sat through a presentation that you don’t remember? Maybe there were too many slides or too many distrac-tions on the screen. Or maybe there was a mismatch between what was on the screen and what was being discussed.

It is likely that most everyone has had a similar experience. This chapter will sug-gest some tips to help make your Google

presentations effective and enjoyable for all of your viewers.

You want your audience to notice the con-tent of a presentation, so this chapter will focus on tips for making focused presenta-tions. We will cover the following ideas:• Simple text and graphics• Solid color background• Minimal transitions

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Simple Text and GraphicsKeeping the text and graphics simple is a key part of an effective presentation. You want to display just the essence of what it takes to convey the main idea.

When planning, get right to the point with just a few words or bullet points on each slide. Full paragraphs on a slide make it dif-ficult to stay focused on the speaker, and trying to read tiny words from the back of the room can be very frustrating.

To avoid this situation, take your main idea for each slide and see if you can distill it into a single word or phrase, a few bullet points, a single image, or a chart.

The more you include, the less likely it is that your viewers are going to be able to focus on the main idea.

BackgroundsThe idea of a colorful and engaging presen-tation that inspires students and catches their attention is an attractive one. How-ever, those two goals (colorful and engag-ing) are not the same thing.

Often, people choose way too much color, which results in a distracting presentation.

Notice that within the themes, the back-grounds get progressively more colorful

and complex. For best results, it is recom-mended to use only the first row of de-signs, with the simple dark and dark gradi-ent options.

Simply put, backgrounds like Steps or Western call attention to themselves and detract from the text or graphics on the screen.

TransitionsTransitions are lots of fun. It is fun, for ex-ample, to make a graphic spin. What isn’t so fun is distracted students who pay at-tention only to the spinning graphic, rather than the content of the slide.

Consider options like Fade In, which pro-vide subtle transitions between slides and within slides. You can keep the focus on the main idea you want to convey on each slide by using minimal transitions.

In addition, keeping a presentation simple also means less time spent trying to get the right graphic to spin just how you want it to. Instead, you can spend your time fo-cusing on the content.

Keep in mind that there are always excep-tions to the rules, but using these tips as a foundation will help you make more effec-tive presentations.

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Classroom Application

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Now that you know more about using the Presentation app, it’s time to apply your knowledge by using it in your classroom. This chapter will provide some ideas.

Student ExpectationsCome up with a set of student expecta-tions as a class and have students create presentations using images that represent the dos and don’ts. They can share that presentation with parents using the online feature.

Back-to-School PresentationTurn your vision, curriculum, and policies into a presentation that helps convey your message. Have a parent that couldn’t make it to Back-to-School Night? Easily share the presentation through e-mail, or create an online link.

“All About Me” PresentationHave your students introduce themselves to you and the class. They can include a

selfie, other pictures, their hobbies, and their favorite activities.

Student ReportsPupils can research any topic, write up a report, and support the project with a pres-entation.

Vocabulary AcquisitionPair each new vocabulary word with a sup-porting image and sentence. Class mem-bers can learn new words one slide at a time.

Concept SlidesBuild background knowledge for English learners through concept slides that have supporting images.

Key Concepts in ReadingUse presentations to support key con-cepts in reading. Both informational texts and works of literature can be supported with images and key points.

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Introduce YourselfCreate a presentation about you to introduce yourself to your students and their parents. You can include all of your favor-ites and include images and text.

Learn About New CulturesMake a presentation that includes information about and im-ages of geography, customs, foods, and more, for a certain re-gion or culture.

Introduce a New TopicHighlight key concepts of a new unit of study with a slide show.

Quizzes and Test PrepMake a presentation of review questions and answers. Put the question on one slide, and the answer on the following slide. Use it to play a game with your class or simply move through the review.

Math ConceptsIntroduce or reinforce math concepts with examples and mod-els using shapes or text.

Make up a presentation of review questions and put answers on the following slides. You can play a game with your class or simply move through the review.

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Appendix

Introduction

Google Account

https://accounts.google.com

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Credits

Rich Dixon (author)• Director of Professional Learning - Lesson Planet

• MA- TESOL

• Multiple Subject Teaching Credential

• CLAD Certification

Jennifer Gibson (author)• Director of Content & Learning - Lesson Planet

• MA- Teaching and Technology

• Multiple Subject Teaching Credential

Adapted to eBook by:

Noel Woodward (editor)• M. Education

• Single Subject Teaching Credential

Karen Amling (editor)

Based on the original EdTech Professional Development video course: http://www.lessonplanet.com/professional-development/courses/googles-presentation-app

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