Powerpoint Tricks from the East Hampshire RSG

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

We were playing around using the dragndrop macro in powerpoint at the East Hampshire RSG last night. You can download the powerpoint slides we used below - to make them work you will need to set the security settings on your version of powerpoint to medium in order to enable the macro, then close powerpoint and then re-open it. You won't need to do this again. You will then be prompted to enable macros.
Essentially the macro allows you to mimc the effect of an Interactive Whiteboard using powerpoint - mighty useful little trick if you teach in several schools which use various software/only have a projector, as everyone has powerpoint. When you have a presentation in viewing mode you can then single click on objects (wait a second or two the first time you try this, it will be much quicker the next times) and then the object will follow your mouse around until you click again to make it stay.
Why would you do this? Well, download the powerpoint and see the examples we came up with - from maps where you can move an object to 'direct' it according to the children calling out, to weatherforecasts, to noughts and crosses, to snakes and ladders boards like the one above, to number patterns etc. We even made our own xmas tree version in a few minutes.
To make a slide such as our xmas tree, in the already open powerpoint which contains the macro (it works a bit like a yoghurt plant this) you create a new slide. Insert your tree and background and then use autoshapes to insert a little ball decoration. Right click the ball and scroll down to action settings, then select 'dragndrop macro' and click ok. Then cheat and instead of repeating one by one for every object, right click the ball again and hold down CTRL while pressing C (this is a short cut for copy), then click anywhere on the slide, hold down CTRL again and click V. Each time you click V a new little ball will appear with the macro already embedded - you just need to change the colour of the balls by right clicking and then 'format shape' and 'colour'. Finally delete all the other slides and click SAVE AS and rename your very own dragndrop ppt. (That's the yoghurt plant bit, you can't start with a new presentation, you have to start with one that already has the macro in it you see!)

By the way - RSGs are regional Support Groups which are FREE and held across the country. To find out more about where your nearest group is see this link on the NACELL website.
Powerpoint tricks - dragndrop.ppt
Have fun!

[Mark Purves]

I've only just got around to checking this out Jo. Thanks for this. It is really useful as for some reason the interactive part of the Whiteboard never works in one school I teach at. This will be a very useful back up. It can see it being useful for colleagues who have only just got around to feeling at home with powerpoint and don't feel ready to take on the IWB just yet but want to move on from just pics and text in powerpoint. What was the source of the macro out of interest? Are there other ones out there that do other things useful for powerpoint? How do you use motion paths? It's on area I have never used.