I know, I know…a couple weeks ago I said I had written my last chapter about PowerPoint.  Well, a good friend of mine, @jenemitchell, CEO of Ed to the Max, brought to my attention one more tool that should not be kept a secret:  the translator built within Microsoft.  While I am not fluent in any other languages (I struggle with English too at times), the translator seems to work quite well.

With PowerPoint open, you can first select the Review tab, then choose Translate.  If the Translate option is grayed out, you will have to download it from the Windows store.  Utilize the Search Feature within PowerPoint and it will give you the information you need.

A window will pop up on the right side of your screen.

1. Choose the languages you wish to transfer from and to
2. Type in your message
3. Select Insert

Your translated message is placed into your presentation.

More Good News…It’s Not Just for PowerPoint!

The translator works across many Microsoft programs.  Below is an example from using it with Outlook.

It translates an email you received to a different language within Outlook itself.

Here it translated an email I received to Spanish right within Outlook.

When writing an email, after selecting Translate from the Review tab, I was prompted and then taken online to use the translator there.

From here I was able to copy/paste the text I needed into my email.

As summer approaches all teachers fear the amount of regression students will make while away.  The lack of practice and the lack of time most families have to work with children compounds the problem.  Even those who find the time have trouble knowing what to work on with their children.

Here is something that may help (at least a little) those younger students just learning their sight words.  I have a playlist on YouTube that goes through all 600 words on the Fry List.  They are broken down into 24 videos with 25 words each.  The videos are nothing fancy…it will show a word for 3 seconds, then the word changes color and it is said.  The child’s goal is to say the word before the video does.  If not, they at least hear it correctly and can repeat it.  Each video lasts about 3.5 minutes.

I created some index cards that can be printed out.  Each index card has a QR code that will link to one of the Fry List videos.  You can download that file here:  Fry List Video QR Codes.

There is also a QR code that links to the playlist so all videos can be gone through one at a time.

These cards would also be great to use in a station for your students.  It is differentiated in the fact that they can choose which list to watch.  The words generally become more difficult as you move forward.

In my final installment for PowerPoint, I want to take some time to share some tips for creating a good, quality presentation.  There are some simple tips that you can follow that will transform your regular presentation into something people will stand up and take notice of.

Less is More

When creating your slides, be careful you are not including too much information onto each slide.  Less is definitely more when presenting to a group.  Putting too much information on one page just confuses the audience and makes it extremely difficult for them to follow.  Only include bullet points, not the entire idea.  If you have to include a lot of information, spread it out over multiple pages.  Keep the slides clean and easy to follow.

Color and Contrast are Key

We have to keep in mind that many people in this world are colorblind.  Be sure to include a great contrast in colors when putting your presentation together.  Even if someone is colorblind, the great contrast can help them in reading the material.

You don’t have to be a designer to choose good color combinations…Powerpoint already does it for you.  Just choose from the templates and color palettes they have available under the Design tab.

Font…It’s Kind of a Big Deal

When choosing your font, look for something that is easy to read. The harder the font is to read, the more effort goes into trying to decipher it rather than reading for understanding.  Make sure it is simple and large enough to be read easily.

Try to keep from having your text constantly moving with different animations.  You want the audience focused on the content, not whether the font will be swirling, dancing, etc.  Keep it simple.

That being said, having your text appear at different times is great for keeping the audience on task and with you.  A simple “appear” action is all you need.  Timing can be everything.

Final thought for text/font: replace a long hyperlink with text that relates to the site or location in which you are sending them.  It will have a more meaningful effect on the audience to understand what the link is for.

The Accessibility Checker- It’s a Real Thing

Something I ran across recently, thanks to the Microsoft Educator Community, is the accessibility checker option that is available in most of the Microsoft Suite.  The accessibility checker will look over you entire works and let you know of any possible issues your audience may have when viewing your presentation.  The checker warns of an issue and offers a solution.  It looks for many things.  You still have the option to change your slides or leave them, but it is a good way to have another set of eyes on your presentation.

To access this option, select the Review tab > Check Accessibility.  A window will display on the right and walk you through the suggestions.

In last week’s PPT post about Recording in PowerPoint, I mentioned that I was going to do a few weeks highlighting some great tools within PowerPoint itself.  This isn’t the “Old PowerPoint”.  This week I am talking about some of the insert image options.

Online Pictures

You could always insert images, but Microsoft has made it easier to search for, and insert, images straight from within the program.  Select the Insert tab and then choose Online Pictures.

A new window opens.  You can choose from some categories to click on or you can search for a keyword to find images online through Bing.  I really like that by default it searches for images with a Creative Commons license.  We are showing our students that copyright is important and helping them to follow infringement rules.  You can see below I searched for “dog”.  Many options display.

There are other filters you can utilize as well.  You can narrow your search by choosing a certain Size, Type, Color, and/or Layout.  It is useful to filter the type if you are looking for a specific type of image, such as clipart.

Photo Album

Another favorite of mine that has been around for a while but it seems not many know about is the ability to add a large number of images to a presentation at one time.  It is a great option for when you are creating a slideshow that you want running to highlight images from your classroom activities.  Start by selecting the Insert > Photo Album > New Photo Album option.  Keep in mind, you MUST have your images saved first in a folder location that is accessible from the device you are using.

Your new window will open to guide you through the album upload.  Choose to insert your album from File/Disk.

Browse to where you have the images saved.  Open the folder, select all the images, and click Insert.

Your images will all be listed on the pop up window now.  There are some options to consider in this window before moving on.

• Under Picture Options, you can choose to place captions below the pictures.  You can also turn all pictures to black and white.
• Under Album Layout, you can choose how many pictures you want on the slide and what the slide template will look like.  You can also choose what type of frame you would like showing around each picture.

Once you have those decisions made, select the Create button at the bottom right of the window.

Now all of your images will appear on slides the way you commanded them to.  My image below shows my PPT file with one image on each slide.  It creates a title page automatically which you can edit or remove.  The background is also black on all slides.  You can change this in the Design tab to change to whatever you feel looks best.

If you need to edit the entire album, you can return by selecting Insert > Photo Album > Edit Photo Album.  Make changes to the entire album at one time.

PowerPoint tends to get a bad rap.  It is “old technology” that has been around forever.  Why use it when there is something new out there?

Most people don’t realize that it isn’t the same old PowerPoint anymore.  Microsoft is constantly making updates. There are a ton of options available to you.  I am going to spend a couple weeks highlighting some of my favorite tools and add-ins within PowerPoint.

The first AMAZING add-in are the recording options you can utilize from the Recording Tab.  I am just going to focus on the Record Slide Show option in this post.

Side note…if you don’t see the Recording tab when you open PowerPoint, you will probably need to add it.  Choose the File tab and select Options from the menu.

When the Options window opens:

1. Select Customize Ribbon
2. Choose Recording from the Main Tabs options.
3. Select OK

Now that the Recording Tab is visible you will be able to select Record Slide Show as I mentioned above.  A new screen will open that allows you to record audio and video on each slide.

1. Your options to Start and Stop Recording are located in the upper-left of the screen.  You can replay to see if it is up to your standards and then move on.  You have the ability to record continuously from slide to slide without stopping, but I suggest creating a recording for each slide. That way if you mess up you are only re-recording the one slide.
2. Your Drawing Tools are located along the bottom.  You can use these tools while you are recording to support what you are talking about and keep students focused on the task at hand.
3. Options to turn your microphone and webcam on/off are located in the bottom-right.  You can turn your webcam on so that it will record you and put the video in the corner of your screen.  There are times it pays to have your students see you while you talk.
4. If you want to make Notes for when you record, you can access them in the top-middle of the screen.
5. Make a mistake? Use the Clear option to remove a previous recording and start again.
6. The Settings option in the upper-right allow you to set the microphone and other peripherals.

When you have your presentation the way you want it, you can finalize the project Save as Show, which keeps it as a PowerPoint file but will open up and start playing immediately for those who open the file.  Another option you have is to Export to Video.  It will give you a video file you can upload or email.