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-236220-838835Help with Microsoft? PowerPoint? AssignmentsIntroductionMicrosoft? PowerPoint? software is used widely in business and education to create visual presentations to accompany live speaking. Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Using Microsoft PowerPointCreating Your Best Work in Microsoft PowerPointDetails You Should KnowSubmitting Your Microsoft PowerPoint FileUsing Microsoft PowerPointMicrosoft PowerPoint software is widely used in business and education to create slides to accompany live presentations. Microsoft PowerPoint files contain slides that are presented sequentially, most often by means of a computer running the software connected to a projector. Microsoft PowerPoint is the software used to create slides, organize them into a slideshow, and present them.When used in a live presentation, the presenter uses the mouse button, the space bar, or the arrow keys to advance to the next slide. To help make the slides more interesting, Microsoft PowerPoint provides several visual styles and themes so that all slides can have a similar look.Each theme or style accommodates several slide types in the form of empty slide templates, which may then be populated with content. Among the many templates are title slides, bullet-point slides, slides with spaces for images, and so on.In addition, the creator can control transitions between slides and other simple animations, such as having bullet points appear one at a time instead of all at once.Space is provided in the presentation file—not visible to viewers—where presentation or speaker notes can be stored for the presenter to refer to as he or she is presenting. Because online campus students cannot usually give their presentations to the class, speaker notes are often required as part of online students’ submissions in lieu of actually giving the presentation. (See Creating Your Best Work in Microsoft PowerPoint below.)Additional media, such as images, sounds, and video clips, may also be inserted into slides as part of the presentation.Audio files can be inserted with presentations, and slide transitions can be timed to the audio file to make it independent of a live presenter.Microsoft PowerPoint Software Tips and TricksAs you work with Microsoft PowerPoint to build your slideshow, review your work regularly to make sure it looks and works like you intend it to. Become familiar with the PowerPoint Show mode and use it to view your presentation file often to see what it will look like to viewers.Save your work often—every 5 minutes or so. If a file becomes corrupted, or if your computer crashes, you will only have the last 5 minutes of work to re-create.Take advantage of the built-in templates and styles provided by Microsoft to make your presentation look professional.Be consistent in the use of slide transitions and other animation features in Microsoft PowerPoint. Inconsistency in transitions and the display of information can distract from the content of your slides.Help with Microsoft PowerPoint You may get additional help using Microsoft PowerPoint by clicking the Help tab or Question Mark button located in the upper left corner of the Microsoft PowerPoint window (Microsoft Windows?) or pull down the Help menu and select PowerPoint Help (Apple? Macintosh?). Creating Your Best Work in Microsoft PowerPointSimply placing content into a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation does not guarantee quality. Like any form of communication media, presentations can be of high or low quality depending on knowledgeable use of the software and its purpose. The tips and suggestions in this section will help you create a high-quality presentation. These are provided as a guide to help create your best work, rather than as an inflexible set of rules.Before You Use Microsoft PowerPointTo save time and to ensure the highest quality presentation, organize your work in an outline before building your presentation. In your outline, decide in advance how you will divide your content into slides to convey your message, as well as what other text will appear on each slide. The outline view in Microsoft Word can be used for this purpose. Use level 1 of the outline for the slides, level 2 for bullet points and other content on the slides, and levels 3 and beyond for information that is subsidiary to the bullet points. This outline can then be saved and imported directly into Microsoft PowerPoint, giving you a head start on building your presentation.Best Use of Microsoft PowerPointMicrosoft PowerPoint users often forget that they, the presenters, are the most important part of their presentations, and that the slides are only there to support them as presenters. This is true, even if you are submitting the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation file as an assignment without the benefit of actually presenting it to a live audience.With this in mind, here are some tips that will improve your presentations:Be concise. Paragraphs and complete sentences that end in periods are not appropriate in slides—although they are appropriate in speaker notes (see below).Be bold. Use large font sizes. To help you keep text concise, never use a font size smaller than 36 points on a slide (30 points if space is constrained).Avoid long texts. Do not display long texts on a slide. If an on-screen text is so long that it requires you to impose on other screen elements—such as margins and titles—or to use a font size smaller than 30 points to get it to fit, it is too long. Cut it down or deliver it in a handout instead.Limit the number of bullets. A slide should not contain more than nine bullet points—although fewer than five is fine.Avoid decorative images. Avoid using graphic images for decorative purposes—which can distract your audience and detract from your message. Instead, only use graphics that support or enhance your message. Be consistent. Be consistent in the use of fonts, colors, and other screen elements. Use only one font (typeface) throughout your presentation, although it is okay to use one font type for titles and another for the body text. Use the same color scheme throughout your presentation. Place other screen elements (titles, margins, dividers, page numbers, footers, and so on) in the same places and in the same styles on every slide. Consistency of style helps the reader follow your message without distraction.Speaker NotesBecause online campus students will not have opportunities to present using their Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, they are often asked to provide extensive or detailed speaker notes. (Some colleges require speaker notes from local campus students, as well.) Speaker notes should accompany each slide in your presentation and be written or pasted into the speaker notes section for that slide.For University assignment requirements, the speaker notes should contain more than brief notes you might jot down for yourself when presenting. They do not need to contain your complete presentation as you would deliver it, but they should be complete enough for any person to read your speaker notes, look at your slides, and understand your presentation completely.Speaker notes should be written as complete sentences with proper punctuation and organized into paragraphs. This is different from writing a paper in that the slides provide the major organization structure and the speaker notes are written in a conversational tone to support the slide.APA References and SourcesTwo kinds of information go into Microsoft PowerPoint presentations: content directly related to the presentation itself and incidentals used to construct the presentation file, such as pictures or sound effects. Unless you created them yourself, both kinds need to be cited in your presentation, usually on a slide dedicated to that purpose near the end of your presentation. Both should use APA formatting, although APA formatting is most vital for the content-oriented citation. Example:Incidentals should be cited on your references slide by numbering them where they are used and on the citation page, or by briefly referencing them in the citation (“The picture of ducks on slide 12:”) followed by as much descriptive citation as you can find.Please use the University Library as your preferred source for incidental materials and avoid the use of copyrighted materials.Details You Should KnowSupported File FormatsMicrosoft PowerPoint files end with .ppt (for the 2003 version and earlier) or .pptx (for the 2007 version and later). Unless stated otherwise, all submissions should be saved and submitted in the older 2003 .ppt version format. If you are using Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 or later, you may need to use the Save As… function to save your presentation in the older format.For information about file size restrictions and ways to reduce the size of submissions, please click the Question Mark icon in the lower right corner in Blackboard, navigate to the University of Phoenix Knowledgebase, and search for the keywords file size limit.Reducing the Size of Microsoft PowerPoint Files As with all files submitted in course forums, the file size should be smaller than 10 MB. If the file is too large, there may be several ways you can reduce the size, mostly in the media that has been added to the Microsoft PowerPoint file. As a general rule, video requires hundreds of times the space needed for audio, audio requires hundreds of times the space needed for images, and images can require hundreds of times the space needed for text. If you have an oversized Microsoft PowerPoint file, consider reducing the size of the video first, the audio second, and pictures third. To reduce the size of your file, ensure you:Remove unnecessary media: Consider removing video, audio, or images that are not directly related to the content of your presentation, such as decorative pictures or transition sounds.Reduce the size of video clips: You can reduce the size of video by shortening its length or leaving it out altogether. If you have access to video editing software, you can also reduce the size of video by using higher compression, lower frame rates, and reduced resolution. Reduce the size of audio clips: First, consider whether you can shorten the audio’s length or leave it out altogether. If you have audio editing software, you can also reduce the size of an audio file by reducing its bit rate or by increasing compression. Highly compressed audio can sound tinny (like you are listening over a telephone), but that level of compression is often adequate for most purposes. Reduce image resolution: You can reduce the size of most images by making sure they have only as much resolution as they need to have. Most screens are capable of displaying 1440 by 900 pixels or less, and if you have images with a higher resolution than that, it is wasted resolution. Use a graphics program, such as Microsoft Paint, to reduce the resolution of large images. Submitting Your Microsoft PowerPoint FileWhere to Upload Files to the FacilitatorUnless directed otherwise by your instructor, submit your presentation file by attaching it to the assignment section of your classroom. If you submit a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on behalf of a team, include the names of all team members somewhere in your submission, as directed.ResubmissionsSometimes the wrong version of a file is accidentally submitted to the facilitator or a mistake is discovered after you have already submitted the file. Ask your facilitator if he or she allows for resubmissions in some circumstances. If you can resubmit, let your facilitator know which file is the final version to be graded. ................
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