How to Create an Interactive PowerPoint using TurningPoint By Emily Higgins

What? TurningPoint is a software technology that allows users to create interactive PowerPoint presentations. These PowerPoints can be used with clickers so that learners can submit answers or responses during the presentation. What you’ll need: o TurningPoint software o Clickers o Receiver Example clicker

What? Clickers are similar to TV remotes in that they send out a signal that your computer picks up and translates into a response on the PowerPoint. Your computer will have a receiver that plugs into a USB drive. This is what allows your computer to pick up the signals from the clickers. Example clickerExample receiver

Why? By using an interactive PowerPoint, you can… Conduct instant formative evaluation. Give your students a chance to interact with the lesson. Keep students engaged. Conduct an anonymous poll. Save students’ responses to evaluate progress.

To download TurningPoint: Go to and click on Downloads. *Note: You do not have to have a set of clickers to download the software or to practice making interactive PowerPoints.

To download TurningPoint: Depending on your computer, click on Office 2003, 2007, bit OR Office bit OR Microsoft Office 2004 *Note: TurningPoint will not work with any other version of Office on Mac.

To download TurningPoint: Complete the download registration page and click Submit (note: you do not have to check the boxes at the end if you do not want to receive updates).

To download TurningPoint: Click on the link to start download. Click on “Save File” on the pop-up.

To download TurningPoint: When the download is complete, double-click on the file to open it. Follow the instructions to complete the download.

To create a basic slide… 1.Open TurningPoint. (This should also open PowerPoint, and there should be a TurningPoint toolbar at the top of the PowerPoint screen.) 2.Click on “Insert Slide”. 3.Choose a slide type. For this instruction, choose “Generic Slides”. 4.Choose the number of answers you want to have. For this instruction, choose 4. **To practice with a pre-made PowerPoint, go to acher+Resources

The slide that appears should look something like this…

1.Click on the text that says, “Please make your selection…” to type in the question. 2.Click on each of the choices to change the possible answers. (1. Amphibian, 2. Fish, 3. Mammal, 4. Bird)

To mark right and wrong answers… Right click on the answer and choose “Set as Correct” or “Set as Incorrect”. Do this for each answer.

To prepare the PowerPoint for a presentation…. 1.Plug in the Turning Point receiver. This is what allows your computer to recognize incoming signals from the clickers. 2.Click “Tools” on the TurningPoint toolbar. 3.Select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.

Under “Response Device”, look at the channel number.

Make sure that the clicker is set to the same channel number (in this case, 41). 1.Turn on the clicker by pressing the “Menu” button. 2.Press the “YES” button to scroll down to “Presentation.” 3.Press “Menu” to select “Presentation”. 4.Check the channel number (this also puts the clicker on presentation mode).

4.Press “Menu” to go to the original screen. 5.Press “YES” to scroll down to “Change Channel”. 6.Press “Enter ↵ ” to select. The clicker will show the screen on the right.

7.Enter in the channel number on the keypad (41). 8.Press “Enter ↵ ”. (You must have the receiver plugged in – see slide 13.) 9.Once the channel has been changed, press “Menu” to go back to the home screen.

If the receiver is not plugged in… the clicker will search for a receiver and show the screen on the right, which says, “No Receiver on Channel 41 within Range!”.

If the receiver is not plugged in (cont.)… 1.Plug in the receiver. 2.The clicker will have automatically changed screens to ask if you want to change the channel. 3.Press “Yes” and repeat steps 7-9.

On the “TurningPoint” toolbar, choose… “Response Devices” to use the PowerPoint with the clicker, OR “Simulated Data” to use the PowerPoint without the clickers (the program creates random data). Use this setting if you do not have clickers available. To start the slideshow, click the slideshow button at the bottom left-hand corner or go to “Slideshow” (at the top) and choose “Play from Start” or “Play from Current Slide.”

During the slideshow… There will be a TurningPoint toolbar at the top of the screen. When you get to a slide with a polling question, wait until there are enough responses (there is a counter in the upper right- hand corner). Then, press the space bar to show the answers from the poll. Repolling a question means that the answers are erased and the learners can resubmit answers. To repoll a question during the slideshow, click on the symbol.

To reset the answers on the slideshow… 1.Choose “Reset” from the “TurningPoint” toolbar. 2.Click on “Session” to reset the entire PowerPoint. You will be asked if you want to save the current answers. 3.Click on “Current Slide” to reset the slide in the current view.

Congratulations! You have now created an interactive PowerPoint using TurningPoint! For more information, visit the following sites… To practice using a pre-made PowerPoint, click on the following link…