1. How to Use PowerPoint
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2. PowerPoint is a computer program that is used to give presentations.
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PowerPoint is a computer program that is used to give presentations.

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You are actually looking at PowerPoint right now. We use PowerPoint to make presentations to show you in this class.

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PowerPoint uses slides to organize information. When you open a new PowerPoint you can create slides for your topic.

5. Now let’s use our laptops to create a PowerPoint as an example
Now let’s use our laptops to create a PowerPoint as an example. On your laptop, open up PowerPoint now. Once it opens, Go to the File Menu and Click “New.”
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6. You will now see a bunch of different styles for what your PowerPoint could look like. It could be a blank white presentation or it could have lots of different colors. Go ahead and take 30 seconds to pick the style you want. Give me a “thumbs up” once you have chosen your style.

7. Once you have picked your style, you will see the opening slide for your PowerPoint. It will say “Click to Add Title” above and “Click to Add Your Subtitle” below. Your Title will be the name of your topic such as “Jupiter” or “The 2008 Presidential Election.” The subtitle is like a sentence describing it. For instance it could be: Jupiter: Our Solar System’s Biggest Planet.

8. Go ahead and add in your title and see if you can think of a good subtitle as well. I can help you with this. If you can’t think of a subtitle now, you can add it later…

9. Now before we go any further, let’s make sure to save our work
Now before we go any further, let’s make sure to save our work. You don’t want to lose the work you are creating. Everyone go to the file menu now and then go down to “Save As.” Then Save your file with the name of your topic and once you are finished, give me a thumbs up.

10. Next, we are going to add the next slide
Next, we are going to add the next slide. In a second, I will ask you to go to the menu bar and click on “Next Slide.” When you do, you will see a bunch of options for types of slides.

11. Later, you can pick any slide you like but let’s start with the most common slide. Pick the one that says “Title and Caption.” It should be about 4 rows down in the middle. Let me know if you are having trouble finding it…

12. This allows you to create a slide to tell your viewer some information about your topic. Let’s use the example of Basketball. Your slide header might say the 1986 NBA Championship. Then the bullet points might have more specific information. Like this:

13. Here’s an example of what it might look like
Here’s an example of what it might look like. Take a couple minutes and see if you can create a slide for your topic with a title and three pieces of information.

14. Now you can also add photos or clip art to your PowerPoint to make it more interesting. For instance, if you click the “Insert” Menu all the way at the top bar, you can click on the little duck that says Icons.

15. Go ahead and pick an Icon to add to your PowerPoint slide
Go ahead and pick an Icon to add to your PowerPoint slide. Let me know if you need help…

16. Now you can also add a photo to your presentation
Now you can also add a photo to your presentation. Add a new slide and chose a style. Then go up to the insert menu and click on “pictures.” You can then add any photo to your slide. You can either add one from your computer or you could go on the Internet and download a picture to add.

17. Take a few minutes and find a picture and add it to the PowerPoint.
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18. When you click from one slide to the next slide, you can add a cool looking “transition.” For instance, you might have noticed that each time we click a slide in this PowerPoint, some bars come up.

19. Go ahead and use the Transitions menu to add a cool transition to your PowerPoint. Let me know if you can’t find it.
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20. You can also highlight a picture or words in your PowerPoint to make it do something interesting. Like this… If I hit return now a picture will float in...
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21. Click on the photo you added and go up to the Animations menu
Click on the photo you added and go up to the Animations menu. Then choose an animation for your picture. You should see a little 1 appear next to it. When you give your presentation, it will be animated.

22. Later, we will talk about Smart Art and some other PowerPoint features
Later, we will talk about Smart Art and some other PowerPoint features. But now you know enough to get started! Let’s create some outstanding PowerPoints.