Click on Start | Programs | Microsoft PowerPoint.

• Never used PowerPoint? Try AutoContent Wizard.
• The Design Template option provides you with the same choices of formats listed by the AutoContent Wizard.

• Comfortable with PowerPoint or already know the structure and content of your presentation? Choose Blank Presentation from the list of options.

  Let's begin by either:

• Clicking on Design Template | OK | Presentations tab | Generic | Next in PowerPoint 2000, or clicking on General Templates (under New from template) | Presentations tab | Generic | OK in PowerPoint XP.

• Click just after the word "General" to select that Text Object.
• Edit General to state the Presentation Title: Welcome to Your Class Name.
• Click just after the words "This is the subtitle."
• Edit "This is the subtitle" to read Your Name.

Note: If your Office Assistant is turned on, a light bulb may be displayed at any time. Click on the light bulb to view suggested fixes.

• On the Menu bar, select View | Header and Footer.
• Check Date and time and Update Automatically (or not).
• Check Slide number.
• Check Footer and type the name of your school.
• Check Don't show on title slide.
• Click the Apply to All button.

Note: A current date for your last modification can tell everyone that your information is recent and up-to-date or assembled in haste. An old date can say that you have been prepared for some time, or your information is dated.

Some important terms:

• Outline pane - contains the text of all the slides in an Outline format
• Slide pane - displays one slide at a time in the order they appear in the presentation
• Notes pane - contains notes for the speaker

Would you like to include your job title with your name?

• Click at the end of your name and press Enter. Type your job title and click away.

• Click on the text to select that Text Object.
• Highlight the text you want to change.
• Click on the drop-down next to the font size number and select a different size.
• Click on the drop-down next to style and select a different font style.

Click and drag the border of your selected Text Object to reposition text. To resize the Text Object, click and drag the handles on the border.

Note: Name should be smaller than title unless you are famous and all information should be readable from anywhere in the room.

To the left of the slide is an outline of the entire presentation. You can edit the text directly from this outline if you prefer. Clicking on any topic on the left will take you directly to that slide.

• Click on the Introduction slide in the Outline view.
• Edit the two bullets to state the purpose of your presentation and to identify yourself as the teacher.
• Click on Topics of Discussion slide in the Outline view.
• Enter the title, "Agenda."
• Click on the first bullet and list topics to be covered. Pressing Enter after a topic places a bullet in front of each item you add to the slide. Edit this list to fit your class.
  1. Attendance Policies
  2. Grading Policies
  3. Anecdote About a Day in Class Name
  4. Frequently Asked Questions
  5. Great Resources
  

Note: Each bulleted point should be a springboard for you to share more information. Keep your points short.

Below the slide where you see Click to add notes, you may enter notes to refresh your memory about anecdotes you would like to share with this slide.

Note: If you fit everything on the slide, no one would be able to read it and you wouldn't be necessary.

On the Agenda slide, you may replace the bullets with numbers by selecting all of the bulleted text and clicking on the Numbering button on the toolbar.

Another way to change bullet style is to highlight the bullets, right-click on them and select Bullets and Numbering. Click on the style of your choice and click on OK.

Note: Avoid the default bullet style and add interest to your slides with little arrow and checkmarks!

• Select a Text Object and highlight a word.
• Right-click on the word and select Font.
• You may change the color here to emphasize a word or phrase.

Note: Avoid the flat look of a slide Title. Choose Bold and Shadow from this dialog box. Looks better to me!

• Go to Topic One in the outline. Title this page according to the topics you generated on the previous slide. Just glance back up in the Outline view.
• Add several points under this topic.
• Select Insert | Picture | Clip Art and look for an appropriate picture. Click on a picture and then click the Insert Picture button.
• The graphic will appear in the middle of the slide. Click on the graphic and point at a corner to get a double-slanted arrow. Click and drag the corner to resize it. Click on the picture and drag it to where you want it.

Note: You may also Insert | Picture | From a file, such as a jpeg picture from the digital camera or Autoshapes, Organizational Chart, WordArt, or Word Table, to name a few.

Display the slide to which you want to add music:

• Click on Insert | Movies and Sounds.
• Choose Sound from Gallery, locate the folder that contains the sound and then double-click the sound you want, or Sound from File and locate a file you have previously saved on your computer.
• A sound icon appears on the slide and if you want the sound to play automatically when you go to the slide, click Yes. If you want the sound to play only when you click on the sound icon during a slide show, click No.

Display the slide to which you want to add video:

• Click on Insert | Movies and Sounds.
• Choose Movie from Gallery or Movie from File and locate the file.
• Click Yes to play the movie automatically or No if you want to mandate clicking on the icon to play the sound.

PowerPoint has five views that can be used to display slides. Click on one of the buttons in the lower-left corner of the PowerPoint window.

[Normal | Outline | Slide | Slide Sorter | Slide Show]

• Normal view - displays a presentation in a tri-pane window.
• Outline view - expands the Outline pane so that the text of the presentation can be easily edited.
• Slide view - expands the slide pane.
• Slide Sorter view - displays miniature slides that allow the order of slides in a presentation to be modified. Slide transitions and animations can be added in this view.
• Slide Show view - displays the current slide in full-screen size as it appears during a presentation.

Click on the Slide Sorter view.

Note: This view can help you perform a visual assessment of your progress as well as help refresh your memory about how you have organized your graphics throughout your presentation.

In Slide Sorter view select the desired slide or slides and then select the transition from the Slide Transition Effects collapsible list on the Toolbar.

Note: All slides in a presentation usually have the same transition and this can be selected quickly by first executing the Select All command.

In Slide Sorter view select the desired slide or slides and then select the animation from the Preset Animation collapsible list on the Toolbar.

Note: Too much variety here means things are flying in from every direction and can be very distracting.

• Click on the beginning slide in the Outline view and then click on Slide view in the buttons in the lower left.
• Click to advance the slides. Press the Esc key to stop your slide show and return to Normal view.

• Click Format | Slide Color Scheme in PowerPoint 2000 or in PowerPoint XP, click Format | Slide Design and select Color Schemes from the design view on the right.
• Click first color scheme in the second row.
• Click Apply to All.

Note: Use a background color that matches the lighting in the room where you plan to present, i.e., dark blue for a darkened room and a lighter for a lighted room.

• Click on Format | Apply Design Template.
• Double-click Blends.pot.
• Save your presentation.
   
• If you are using XP, click on Format | Slide Design.
• In the Slide Design toolbar on the right, select the design style you would like to use.
• Click on the dropdown arrow, and select Apply to All Slides.

• In the Menu bar select View | Master | Slide Master.
• Make changes here and they will appear on all slides.
• Click Close.

• Click on Slide Sorter View.
• Click on a slide and from the Menu bar select Insert New Slide.
• If you need to delete a slide, click on a slide and select Edit | Delete Slide.

Now, add a Great Resources slide with a list of favorite web links:

• DZFX - http://www.dzfx.com
• Yahooligans - http://www.yahoo.com
• Ask Jeeves for Kids - http://www.ajkids.com

Note: Using live links will allow you to visit a web site during your presentation if you have an Internet connection. However, you are at the mercy of the web; consider caching your sites before presentation.

Note: It is also a good idea to insert a blank slide at the beginning of your presentation if you plan on including a lot of graphics. By including a blank slide, you reduce the file size significantly because the blank slide is a far less complex preview image. Click here for more details

• Select File | Print.
• In the Print what box, click Handouts.
• In Slides per page, type 4.
• Click Horizontal or Vertical to specify the order you want the slides printed.
• You may choose Landscape or Portrait under Notes, Handouts and Outline.
• Click OK.

• Select Slide Show | View Show.
• Right-click on a slide and select Pointer Options | Pen.
• Click and drag to encircle words you want to highlight.
• Right-click on the slide and select Pointer Options | Arrow to return to the mouse pointer.

Note: Remember, to end the show, press the Escape key.