Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 in the Classroom

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Lesson 1
Do you have students with different learning styles? In our first lesson, we'll explore the ways that PowerPoint can assist you with these important differences. We'll view two different types of PowerPoint presentations that you can use in a classroom setting. We'll also look at PowerPoint's helpful wizards and colorful templates.

Lesson 2
In this lesson, we'll take a tour of the most commonly used toolbars in PowerPoint: Standard, Formatting, and Drawing. You'll have an opportunity to experiment with the variety of buttons and learn about their many functions. We'll also work with some basic slides and investigate different slide views. This will give you a great foundation for beginning your own presentations.

Lesson 3
Today, you'll learn about adding and manipulating text in PowerPoint. You'll insert text boxes, experiment with different colors, fonts, and styles, and add bullets to important information. And we'll also explore WordArt, which will help you learn how to add colors, patterns, and fill effects to WordArt titles.

Lesson 4
Have you heard about JPEGs, GIFs, and BMPs, and wondered what these letters mean? Well, wonder no more! In this lesson, you'll learn the origins and purposes of different graphic formats. You'll also discover the Drawing toolbar and its many unique and exciting functions. Then we'll explore sources of clipart, and learn how to insert images from scanners and digital cameras.

Lesson 5
Do you enjoy drawing shapes and experimenting with fill colors? Today, we'll continue our exploration of the Drawing toolbar. We'll examine Auto Shapes, line and arrow styles, and shadows and 3-D effects. You'll have fun rotating, flipping, and distributing objects on your slides.

Lesson 6
Curious about sound files? Today, you'll discover a wealth of sound resources on the Internet. Do you like to listen to yourself talk? You'll also learn how to record and add your own sounds and narration to a PowerPoint presentation.

Lesson 7
Would you like to know how a video could be inserted and played in a PowerPoint presentation? In this lesson, we'll explore different video formats and sources of videos and motion clips. You'll learn how to set up a video to either play with a click or to automatically play in a slide show.

Lesson 8
Have you noticed the numerous transitions that you hear or see all the time on radio and television? In today's lesson, you'll learn how to make your slide show more interesting and exciting by using the many visual and auditory transitions available in PowerPoint.

Lesson 9
You can animate objects in a PowerPoint presentation with a wide variety of motion and sounds. Today, you'll discover how to add multimedia effects to text and graphics that are sure to enliven any show!

Lesson 10
Need a self-paced presentation for a computer station? In today's lesson, you'll create an interactive slide show that will allow your students to explore information at their own pace. You'll also learn how to design a home slide with hyperlinks to as many individual slides as you need.

Lesson 11
Did you know that you can add notes to a PowerPoint presentation to assist you as you give a talk that goes with it? You can also make handouts to go with a slide show. Today, you'll find out how these great features work.

Lesson 12
A PowerPoint presentation doesn't have to stay on your home computer. In our final lesson, you'll see how PowerPoint's Pack and Go feature allows you to take your slide show wherever you want! You'll also learn how to e-mail a presentation, and how to save a slide show as a Web page.