Presentation Packages – SS2 Data Processing Lesson Note (Second Term)

A presentation package is a computer program that lets users display information on slides. A slide is a single page of a presentation created in software such as Microsoft PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress. Several slides, enhanced with animation and sound, make up a slide show. The slides are shown one at a time until all have been displayed.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define a presentation package, a slide and a slide show;
• list examples of presentation packages;
• state the main features of a presentation package;
• identify the features of the Microsoft PowerPoint environment;
• name the four types of animation effect and apply them to slide content.

What are examples of presentation packages?

1. Microsoft PowerPoint
2. OpenOffice Impress
3. Macromedia Flash
4. Corel Presentation
5. Softmaker Presentation

What are the features of a presentation package?

A typical presentation package has the following features:

1. Creation of slides: With a presentation package like Microsoft PowerPoint, users can create as many slides as they want, depending on the amount of information required for display.
2. Insertion of pictures: With computer-generated slides, users can add pictures, both from those embedded in slides and from external sources.
3. Insertion of video or audio content: This is one of the features that make presentation packages different from manual presentations. Users can add any kind of video or audio content to enhance their presentation.
4. Animation: This is an important distinguishing feature of presentation packages. It allows users to apply motion effects to the content of the presentation. Text and graphics move in and out with transitions during the presentation, which makes it more dynamic and memorable.
5. Slide shows: These consist of several slides of information that have been enhanced with animations, transitions, videos and audio effects, and are presented to an audience in a prearranged sequence.
6. Creating graphics: Users can create or add graphic shapes, lines and drawings to their presentation.
7. Creating organisational charts and other charts: Presentation packages make it easy for users to create or add charts such as diagrams, graphs and tables to their presentations.

What are the features of the Microsoft PowerPoint environment?

All Microsoft Office Windows packages have similar environments, with similar tools and icons that serve the same purposes, for example Save, Open, Print, Minimise, Maximise and Close. The following features are peculiar to Microsoft PowerPoint:

1. Menu options: These are the different tools or icons available under each of the main menus in PowerPoint.
2. Slide: This is the page or platform on which presentations are created.
3. Status bar: This is a long horizontal bar that extends from one end of the bottom section of the PowerPoint window to the other. It shows the number of slides in the presentation and which slide is currently active. It also serves as a quick shortcut to the slide show, slide sorter and zoom commands.
4. Placeholders: These are boxes with dotted borders within the slide layout. They are the places where the content of the presentation is inserted.
5. Notes: This lets users type personal notes or information about each slide.
6. Title bar:

   This is a coloured, wide horizontal bar located at the top in the centre of the PowerPoint window. It displays the title of the named active document. Otherwise, by default, the title appears as Presentation 1, 2, 3, etc., depending on the number of presentations created.

   On the right side of the title bar are three system buttons, used to minimise, restore, maximise or close PowerPoint. On the left side are buttons such as the Quick Access toolbar and the ribbon, which serve different functions. There is also a small picture called the system icon, which identifies the application and holds a list of actions that can close, minimise, maximise, move or restore the application.

How do you animate content in PowerPoint?

Animation involves applying motion effects to the content of a presentation to make it more interesting.

Types of animation effect

1. Entrance: This determines what kind of effect a text or image has when it first appears on the slide.
2. Emphasis: This is used to draw the viewer’s attention to a particular text or object.
3. Exit: This determines the effect a text or image has when it leaves the slide.
4. Motion paths: This determines the path or pattern a text or an image follows when in motion.

Steps to animate content

1. Highlight or select the title of the presentation, for example “How to Stay Healthy”.
2. Click on the Animations menu.
3. Click on Custom Animation. This displays a custom animation window.
4. Click on the Add Effect drop-down arrow.
5. Select Entrance and click on Blinds.
6. Highlight or select the text in the left column of the presentation.
7. Click on the Add Effect drop-down arrow.
8. Select Entrance and click on Checkerboard.
9. Click on Add Effect again.
10. Select Emphasis and click on Change Font Size.
11. Click on the picture.
12. Click on the Add Effect drop-down arrow.
13. Select Entrance and click on Diamond.

Evaluation

1. Define a presentation package and a slide.
2. List five examples of presentation packages.
3. State three features of a presentation package.
4. What is the function of the status bar in PowerPoint?
5. Name the four types of animation effect and explain what each one does.

Assignment

1. Explain what a placeholder is and where it is found in a PowerPoint slide.
2. Describe what is displayed on the title bar of the PowerPoint window.
3. List the steps to apply an Entrance effect to the title of a presentation.