Skills Update B

This week is full of slideshow fun! I explored and entered into the world of Google Slides...which I consequently have found to mimic Microsoft Power Point quite closely! The basic functions are all the same: pick a template, pick a design, add slides, delete slides, add transitions, and similar font options and tools.

I did find great solace in the Google Slides Cheat Sheet. Google really does make things simplistic and when confused they will guide you every step of the way. ...still lost? Well, Google it! Someone is bound to provide you with more information or a video tutorial.

The cheat sheet teaches users the very basics:

1. How to add and edit content in your slides
2. How to add and organize slides
3. How to work with different copies and versions of your presentation
4. How to share and collaborate with others

For an even more advanced approach - I began researching on other ways to use Google Slides. I wanted it to become more than just an application used for note-taking within my classroom. On YouTube I came across a video that instructed you on how to make an interactive presentation. This intrigued me greatly! I want students to utilize Google Slides just as much as I do!

This video instructed me on how to find an image and insert it onto a slide without ever leaving the actual slide show. Utilizing polylines (located in shapes) you can create a transparent button, if you will, onto your image. He also showed how to add text boxes and connect them to the images by using the arrow tools. After that he showed how to insert videos and how to duplicate slides. It was also very cool to learn how to link slides to each other.  I then got the idea of linking those transparent shapes to outside links as well. So, for instance, he showed the diagram of a tree. Maybe you could have students identify the "roots" of the tree and then link it to a reputable website that gave expository information concerning the roots of a tree. 

Due to the "share" option in Google Slides you could then have students work collaboratively to create a slide show about the tree, for instance, to create a research project concerning the parts of the tree. You could put them into groups of three in which one would be in charge of the crown, one in charge of the trunk, and one in charge of the roots. They could communicate and work together all at once in the classroom or later at home. Google Slides definitely just "one upped" Microsoft Power Point for me this week!  Collaboration and communication are the very reasons I love Google apps, tools, and add-ons. There is a level of responsibility put upon the student and I will easily be able to identify if the each group member did their part.  However, I don't teach science...so it's not going to be trees! What could I do? How about a character map? Typically, I create groups of four in my classes - students could work together labeling and identifying major characters within a novel. They could then link them to one another's slide and to outside sources.  

I'm excited to get started on this assignment for next year!!!