Using+PowerPoint

One of the neat things I've learned how to do with PowerPoint is right-click and go to "pointer options"; you can turn the pointer into a "ball-point pen" (black marks), a "felt-tip pen" (red marks), or highlighter (thick transparent yellow marks) and circle, fill in the blank, underline, highlight, or otherwise emphasize anything on the screen. Have a page set up in a clever fashion, and connect the dots to make a shape. Kids enjoy regressing once in a while.

One of the things I learned back in the old overhead projector days was to leave blanks in the presentation, and have the class fill it in. It's a simple way to get and keep them involved. With PowerPoint, I can either write in the word or phrase I'm missing with the felt-tip pointer option (see above) or have the next slide be a duplicate with the blank filled in.

I have a wireless mouse and I go stand up front beside the screen (the computer running the Ppt. show is at the back of the room) and left-click or roll the mouse's thumbwheel to advance the show. It's better than talking at the back of their heads.