Advance Your Slides

Innovator,  podcaster, and author, Kasey Bell of Shake Up Learning, gives big props to Google Slides as the Swiss Army knife of the Google Suite - we think she is spot on! Google slides is so much more than a presentation tool and in today’s episode we are going to focus on creating and publishing with some of the built in - but lesser known features of slides and will get into some templates and add-ons and then finish up with some  interesting ways to Tech it Up it up a notch while using Google Slides.

We hope after today's episode, you will be saying- I didn't know Google Slides did that!

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Lesser known features of Google Slides:

-​We are not locked into the default page size and orientation of Google Slides.  Users can change the size and orientation of Slides. From the File menu, scroll down to Page Set Up  and you will find several options for changing the look of your Slides.  

-Have you ever completed a slide deck and then changed your mind about font, color, or images?  Imagine changing your entire slide deck without visiting every single Slide! It is time to become familiar with the Slides Master! From the Slides menu, select Edit Master.  Now you have access to edit the Slides template for color, font, and formatting to create consistency across all Slides. Great for branding and template creation.

-Encourage students to use the Themes included in Slides to keep them focused on the content of their presentation rather than the design of every single Slide.  A Theme will help keep the Slide deck consistent.  If you are ready to use something other than the Themes included in Slides, visit Slides Carnival.  Search from a multitude of themes, download for free, then import into Slides for a fresh look. 

- Use the Explore Tool in Slides to choose pre-designed layouts, search the Web and your Drive for content and images to use in Slides without ever leaving the Slide.  It is even possible to site the source of an image with Explore.  A hyperlink to the image location will be attached when placed into the Slide.


-Format Images without a fancy photo editor! With Slides it is possible to Crop, Recolor, & Resize images without leaving the Slides App.  Select an image, then from the Format Menu, choose either Format Options or Image options to alter the selected image.   Bonus - once you have formatted the image, you can export it as a Single Slide with your choice of a   JPG, PNG, or SVG file.  

 - Be sure to take advantage of Accessibility Options found in the Tools menu for screen readers and magnifiers.  Learners of all ages can benefit from these options.  Forgot your reading glasses at home?  Google Slides has you covered!



Present & Publish (AKA "How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint!")

-Create a more engaging back-channel experience by using the Audience Tools included with Slides.  Instead of clicking the Present button, choose the drop down arrow to the right of the Present button and select "Presenter View."   In this mode, the presenter can view the Slides and any notes which may have been prepared in advance.  The audience will see the Slides as well as a URL that can be used to ask questions of the presenter.  At any time, the presenter can view the questions or even make them available to the audience.  

-Google Slides provides more presenting options than the NEXT Button! Consider downloading the Slide deck as a PDF to create an e-book or catalog.   From the File menu, select Download As, then decide what format you need:  JPEG, PNG, PDF, PPT, SVG.  It is even possible to automatically advance your Slides then share the entire presentation by embedding it in your website or by sharing the link.   From File menu, select Publish to the Web. Add timings and decide to share by using an embed code or a link.  


Tech it Up a Notch with Add Ons and Extensions

 -Create interactive slides for users with the Pear Deck add on for Slides. Participants join your presentation from their screen using the URL joinpd.com then enter a code generated by PearDeck.  The presenter controls the pace of a presentation with the click of a mouse.  As he presenter advances Slides, the participant Slides advance as well.  Depending on the interactive Slides selected by the presenter, participants can experience quick polls, short answer questions, likert scales, etc.  Be sure to add the Pear Deck Power Up Extension in Chrome on the presenter's Chrome browser for the best experience.

 -Add a pre-recorded Screencastify video to your Google Slides using the Screencastify for Slides Add On.   
 - Search hundreds of copyright free icons from the sidebar of Google Slides after installing the Icons for Slides Add On.  Change the icon color to match the Slide theme. 


​Why use Slides? 
Keeping the 4Cs in mind - what are some interesting ways folks can use Slides beyond the basics of the typical slide presentation?

Communication:
Interactive presentations
Pre-Writing activities - Caption This or 10 minute Writes
Math Process Folio
Portfolio Template
    E-Books

Collaboration
Collaborative Notes
Small Group Research
Brainstorming
Note Cards

Critical Thinking
Choose Your Own Adventures - from Alice Keeler
Stop Motion Video (like the flipbooks of our youth)
Red Ball Challenge
Gif Makers
Sequencing Activities - Science Fair

Creativity
Magnetic Poetry
Storyboarding
Games (Gameboards, Templates, Jeopardy)


This wraps up episode 4 where we shared ways for creating, presenting and publishing Google Slides. Thanks for listening and be sure to subscribe to the podcast and encourage your friends to subscribe as well!


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