Getting Interactive With New Features in Google Slides

@joe_edtech / @LisaBerghoff

Let's face it. I'm sold on Google. I'm Google Certified. Google Apps is my GoTo product in nearly every situation. I even suggested once that my work title be changed to "The Great Googley Moogly!" Copyright laws and a sense of responsibility prevented that from happening. 

However, I know that there are a lot of people out there who resisted adopting Google Slides initially because it was clunky and a little cartoonish. In the last few months, Google has added three features to Google slides that just might have its doubters taking a second look.

1. Presentation Templates

You never need to start a presentation from scratch. If you go to slides.google.com, or "File - New - From template," you can choose from a selection of professionally designed slide templates. All of the templates come with a variety of slide types and suggestions for presenting data.

Each of the templates has a variety of different slides that can be customized with pictures, colors, themes, etc.

Google Slide Template "Your big idea"

2. Embedded Q & A Feature

Every once in a while, Google has to retire a tool that has reached its end of life - usually because it simply isn't being used by very many people. One such tool, and one that I really liked, was called Moderator. Using Moderator, teachers or presenters could provide a space for students or audience members to ask questions during a presentation. All of the members of the class could see the questions and vote on their favorites. The more votes a question got, the more it moved to the top of the list of questions to be addressed by the "moderator" at the end of the presentation. The idea was that we usually have a limited amount of time to ask questions at the end of presentation. A tool like "Moderator" ensures that the most important questions- the ones most people in the audience want answered - are asked first.

While "Moderator" is gone, its best features are now a part of Google Slides! When you go to present, you can turn on the new Q&A Feature:

The Q&A Feature isn't complicated, but it is probably easier if you see what it looks like before you use it. So, I made a very short demo video below:

3. Virtual Laser Pointer

It's always good to be able to focus your audience on a single bullet point or statistic in your presentation. If you have a laser pointer, that's fantastic - but the FAA may want a word with you. If you don't have a laser pointer, you can use the new built-in pointer in Google Slides. When you are presenting, you can choose to turn your "laser pointer" on and it will create a highlighted trail as you move your mouse across the screen. 

For those of you hockey enthusiasts out there, the NHL tried something similar with the puck on TV broadcasts a few years ago. This seems a little more useful.

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