Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 in the Classroom

About This Course

What teacher couldn't use help motivating students and keeping their interest? In this course, you'll learn how to create captivating lessons and attention-grabbing classroom presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint 2010.

First, you'll cover the basics of this MS Office program including creating slides, using templates, inserting text, changing background colors, creating WordArt titles, using SmartArt graphics, and adding slide transitions. Then you'll develop advanced skills such as inserting graphics, sound, video, custom animations, timed transitions, and hyperlinks.

You'll get step-by-step instructions for creating several different types of classroom presentations, including lectures and interactive narrations for your students' independent use at computer stations. You'll also see how PowerPoint helps you address different learning styles, making it much easier to reach every student. And you'll discover how to upload your presentation to a Web server, email a slide show, broadcast a presentation in real time, and take your PowerPoint shows on the road.

By the time you're done, you'll be an expert at using PowerPoint to add appeal to any lesson—and you'll even find out how you can help your students develop their own PowerPoint skills!

About The Instructor

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Tracy Loffer.

Tracy Loffer holds a Master's degree in Education in Curriculum and Instruction. She has been involved in education for twenty years, as a music educator and technology trainer of students and teachers. She has also worked in the private sector as a trainer of domestic and international technology franchisees as well as a writer and developmental editor of educational technology materials using Office and Publisher.

Syllabus

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week 1

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Do you have students in your classroom with different learning styles? In our first lesson, we'll explore the ways that Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 can help you teach all kinds of students. We'll view two different types of PowerPoint presentations that you can use in a classroom setting, and we'll also look at some helpful PowerPoint templates and slide layouts.

Friday - Lesson 02

In this lesson, you'll learn about the File Tab, the Ribbon, Tabs, and Task Groups in PowerPoint, and what all of them do. You'll have an opportunity to explore different functions in the Task Groups using a presentation template. We'll also work with the Clipboard, Font, and Drawing groups. You'll create some basic slides and learn about different slide views. In addition, we'll explore objects on slides and how to move, resize, and delete them. This will give you a great foundation for beginning your own presentations.

Week 2

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Today, you'll explore how to add, format, and manipulate text in PowerPoint. You'll insert text boxes; experiment with different colors, fonts, and styles; and add bullets to important information. In addition, we'll try out WordArt, which will help you add colors, patterns, and fill effects to WordArt titles. To polish up our text, we'll take a look at alignments, colors, and placements, and we'll finish with a Spelling and Grammar Check.

Friday - Lesson 04

Have you heard of JPEGs, GIFs, and BMPs, and wondered what these letters mean? Well, wonder no more! In this lesson, you'll learn the origins and purposes of different graphic formats. You'll look at the Picture Tools and practice applying effects to pictures. Finally, we'll explore sources of clip art, and you'll see how to use options on the Insert tab to add images from scanners and digital devices. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to add all kinds of images to your presentations!

Week 3

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Do you enjoy drawing shapes and experimenting with fill colors? Can you think of some ways you could use shapes in a PowerPoint presentation to teach concepts in class? Today, we'll continue our exploration of the Drawing group. We'll look at Shapes, Shape Fill, Outline, line and arrow styles, SmartArt, and 3-D effects. You'll have fun rotating, flipping, and distributing objects on your slides.

Friday - Lesson 06

You might think of PowerPoint as a great way to make visual presentations in your classroom, but you can do a lot with audio, too! Today, you'll discover how to locate, save, and insert sound files from the Internet. And wouldn't it be great to customize a presentation with your own voice? You'll also learn how to record and add your own sounds and narration to a PowerPoint presentation.

Week 4

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Would you like to know how to play a video in a PowerPoint presentation? In this lesson, we'll explore different video formats, as well as sources of videos and motion clips. You'll learn how to insert videos using embed codes, links, and saved video files. We'll explore a variety of play and formatting options you can apply to videos in a slide show. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to add educational clips to your presentations!

Friday - Lesson 08

When you've watched television or listened to the radio, you've probably noticed all the transitions broadcasters use. Transitions help us move seamlessly from one idea to the next. In today's lesson, you'll learn how to make your slide show more interesting and exciting by using the many visual and auditory transitions available in PowerPoint.

Week 5

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Putting objects in motion is one sure way to get your students' attention! Today, you'll discover how animating text and graphics in your PowerPoint shows can help you bring any show to life. You can animate objects in a PowerPoint presentation with a wide variety of motions and sounds. We'll practice animating objects and see which effects work best in your show.

Friday - Lesson 10

Have you ever wanted to create a self-paced presentation to show students at a computer station? In today's lesson, you'll create an interactive slide show that allows your students to explore information at their own pace. You'll also learn how to design a home slide with hyperlinks to as many individual slides as you need.

Week 6

Wednesday - Lesson 11

If you've ever given a speech, you know how helpful speaking notes are. Did you know that you can add notes to a PowerPoint presentation to help you give a talk that goes with it? You'll learn how to do that today, and you'll also create handouts to go with your slide show. In addition, we'll practice using the Rehearse Timings and Record Slide Show options to set up a show to automatically advance. You'll see how all these tools can make presenting your shows a snap!

Friday - Lesson 12

In our final lesson, you'll see how PowerPoint's Package Presentation for CD feature allows you to take your slide show wherever you want! You'll also learn how to email a presentation, create a video of your slide show, discover how to upload a slide show to a Web server, and broadcast a slide show in real time. Get ready to share your presentations just about anywhere!

Requirements

You will need Microsoft Windows Vista, XP, or Windows 7, and Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 or Microsoft PowerPoint Home and Student 2010 or Professional Edition or the Home and Business Edition 2010 (all are acceptable). A free 60-day trial version of Office 2010 may be available at http://www2.buyoffice.microsoft.com/usa/?torb=4&WT.mc_id=ODC_ENUS_GenTry_Control. Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins. You will also need Internet access, email, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader). Note: This course is not suitable for Macintosh users or for users of older versions of Microsoft PowerPoint.