Hey ya’ll!
This blog post will be forever growing! I’ll add when I find something new or think of something that might help you, so check back often. We have been a Google Drive district since before it was popular. Our technology department pushed for it, and with much resistance (because I’m a PPT girl) I didn’t jump on the band wagon at first. BUT… eventually I got a job working at the technology department, so – there’s that! I had no choice!
In all honestly, though – I think there’s a place for everything. I still create in PPT, because I think it has more to offer and for me, it’s easier. But I also use slides all the time! I love the interaction for students, and I love that I don’t have to save anything. The sharing capabilities are absolutely amazing as well! There’s so much to love about Google, so this post will show you some of those things!
Edit in Presentation Mode Google Slides tips and Add Ons (extension)
YA’LL – Game changer! So I just found this one. You can now edit in presentation mode, which means that the screen is bigger! This is perfect if you are presenting on your whiteboard and you want students to manipulate things. Check out the video to see it in action!
- Click on the extension icon
- Search Fullscreen Interactive Google Slides
- Install
- Go to slideshow
- Click on the extension icon and select fullscreen
- Your google slide is now larger and can be edited in presentation mode
- Press escape to stop presenting!
Here’s a link to the 180 graphing in first grade blog post that uses this extension!
Convert PPT to Google Slides
If you create a ppt or purchase a ppt from someone, you can still use it as a slideshow. Here’s how: (check out the video if you are a visual learner)
- open up google drive
- go to settings (the gear) and check off the box that says covert uploaded files
- now go to the folder that the ppt is in
- drag into google drive
- it will convert it for you
- double click to open and start working on it
Assigning just a few pages from larger slideshow
If you have purchased a year-long bundle, you might want to break that up into pieces and only assign a little bit at a time. Here’s an easy way to do this:
- Open up the Google Slides
- Select the pages you want to use
- Go to file
- Make a copy
- Click select slides
- It will make a new slideshow with just those slides
- Rename
Want slides to be random?
Want some more Google Slides Tips and Add Ons? So, I found this cool add-on that will randomize your slides when you select it. Here’s how you can get it:
- Open up a google slide
- Go to Add-ons
- Click on Manage Add-ons
- Search for Slides Toolbox and install
- Now go back to your google slideshow
- Click on add-ons again and click slides toolbox
- Click on page tools
- Select slide order
- Shuffle Slides
- You can do this multiple times for them to be truly shuffled
This helps when you are assigning the slides multiple times. If you purchased Digital Google Slides task cards, this add-on is perfect for those! Love this and use it ALL THE TIME!
Hiding Slides
Are there some slides that don’t fit your class needs at this time? Here’s an easy way to hide those slides until you are ready for them to see them. This only works in presentation mode (at this time) meaning that this is more for things you are presenting as a whole class activity.
- Open up the Google Slides
- Find the slide you don’t want students to work on YET
- Right Click
- Select skip slide
- Slide will turn grey and students will not see it as you are presenting the information
More to come!
I’d love to hear if you’ve used any of these tips or if there’s something else you’d like to know. I surely don’t mind creating quick videos to show you how – so let me know if there’s something else you’d like to know. I surely don’t claim to know it all, but like I said, we’ve been a google district for a long time. 🙂
Sincerely,
Shanon Juneau
