Working Within a PowerPoint Presentation

1. Once you have selected the appropriate format, template, or look for your presentation, you will need to add the necessary information and special effects to make your presentation the teaching tool it was meant to be. This window represents the working area of the PowerPoint presentation program. An explanation of its features follows.

2. The main menu bar is similar to other menus in Windows applications, as far as the basic menus are concerned, i.e. File, Edit, View, Window, Help, etc. The special functions will be explained below and should be explored on your own to familiarize yourself. (NOTE: Remember the UNDO function located in the Edit menu. It will fix anything [almost] that wasn't what you wanted to do.)

• File - The basic menu for performing functions with the presentation as a whole (i.e. new, open, close, save, save as, print, exit, etc.).
  
• Edit - The basic menu for most general editing functions within a presentation or slide (i.e. cut, paste, copy, duplicate slide, delete slide, find, replace, search, object linking, etc.).
  
• View - This menu allows you to select the view you need for the particular work you are doing at any point during creation of your presentation (i.e. slide, outline, slide sorter, notes pages, slide show, 'master' views, revealing toolbars/rulers/guides, and the zoom view).
  
• Insert - This menu allows you to insert special information (i.e. new slide, date, time, page number, other slides from other presentations, etc.) and all the special features that make PowerPoint so versatile (i.e. clip art, pictures, tables, charts, objects, etc.).
  
• Format - This menu offers the basic formatting features for text, slide features (i.e. background, color, design, template, colors and lines, etc.) as well as things such as changing case of text, alignment and bullets.
  
• Tools - This menu gives you the tools to customize your presentation by selecting transitions from slide to slide, building slides point by point, hiding certain slides for selected audiences, customizing the toolbar displays, and selecting options for things like Spell Check, showing New Slide dialog, etc.
  
• Draw - The Draw menu offers the numerous functions necessary to manipulate the drawings, clip art and graphic objects which PowerPoint can accommodate. Draw allows you to group and ungroup figures, send to the back or bring forward figures, flip, rotate and scale figures among other options.
  
• Window - This is a standard Windows menu which offers options to rearrange the working area of the application (i.e. split screen with another application/drawing/object etc.).
  
• Help - Another standard Windows menu to access the multitude of Help options. (See Section 5 - Powerpoint Help.)

3. Standard Tool Bar Buttons. Each button represents a PowerPoint menu command. They represent short cuts to using the drop down menu commands for clicking & dragging the mouse. As stated above, learning the button functions will save you considerable time and effort when working within the PowerPoint screens.

For a description/explanation of each button, use the mouse arrow and point to each one to reveal a Help Pointer that names the button/feature plus a description at the bottom left of the screen. (See Section 5 - Powerpoint Help.)

4. Standard Drawing Toolbar. Each button represents a PowerPoint drawing tool for drawing shapes, curves and lines, coloring shapes and lines, creating shadow effects, etc. As stated above, learning the button functions will save you considerable time and effort when working within the PowerPoint screens.

Introduction

Starting and Exiting Powerpoint

Creating a New Presentation

Working Within a Powerpoint Presentation

Viewing a Powerpoint Presentation

Powerpoint Help

Standard Windows Operating Examples