This article was updated in October 2023.
Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful slide-based presentation tool that can be used by teachers and students as a way to communicate digitally. This comes as part of the Microsoft Office 365 suite, so if your institution uses it, you may already have access to this powerful tool.
This allows you to create presentations from scratch or, usefully, use templates that allow you to enter the data you need to finish with a professional finish, quickly. Since the software is cloud-based, it can allow you to jump between devices while working on a single project that is also easy to access and share.
Of course, there is very direct competition from Google, which is free. So can Microsoft justify the price of its PowerPoint tool?
Read on to discover everything you need to know about Microsoft PowerPoint for education.
What is Microsoft PowerPoint?
Microsoft PowerPoint is a slide presentation tool; in fact, it was one of the first and remains one of the most famous and used. Aimed primarily at business use, PowerPoint is packed with powerful features.
For schools already using the Microsoft software ecosystem, this is a very easy tool to integrate and allows you to easily share presentations with students, other teachers, and parents. Go beyond the world of Microsoft, however, and that can become more difficult unless you’re using the specific online version of PowerPoint, rather than the full software with more features, but more on that in the cost section below.
Microsoft PowerPoint can be used from scratch, but it also offers an extensive library of templates that allow you to create presentations quickly and easily with a high-quality finish. That means the end result can be more engaging and can require much less time and effort to create, for both teachers and students.
Collaboration, in real time, is also an option in the case of the online version of PowerPoint, making it useful as a place for students to work together even when they are physically distanced.
What’s new in Microsoft PowerPoint?
In recent months, Microsoft has announced a series of updates. This is nothing new, but for education specifically, these are the points that are of interest.
Microsoft had added an improved Teleprompter view in Recording Studio. This includes an auto-scroll feature that allows teachers to easily refer to a script while maintaining eye contact during video recording.
Assignments are a new addition to PowerPoint, allowing teachers to mark up students’ work, assigning them an action to perform on their work.
Reactions are a useful new feature that allows you to react to something without having to type words, letting students know you’ve seen it, without opening up more dialogue or costing you time.
How does Microsoft PowerPoint work?
Microsoft PowerPoint follows the layout you may have experienced before in Word or Excel. It starts with a selection of template options, or a blank start, which takes you into editing mode. You have the slides on the left side of the screen with a larger center portion showing the current slide. Above are the options in word and icon formats.
Editing is very easy, as when you select a section of the slide, that element will be available for customization and help messages will appear. Drag and drop is also an option to move elements or add images to slides, for example.
So the basic use of Microsoft PowerPoint is quite simple, however, there are many options. This might be daunting, except that Microsoft offers a lot of support so you can dive into those options and explore further. The Microsoft 365 Support Center has how-to articles, step-by-step video tutorials, an active community forum, and even a 24/7 live chat support team.
Once you’re happy with your presentation, you can share it using a simple link, or you can present it to the class in the classroom or digitally by simply pressing the play icon. This also allows you to see a screen, behind the scenes if you wish, while students simply view the slides as they appear – ideal if you want to keep notes and answers hidden.
What are the best features of Microsoft PowerPoint?
The ease of use of Microsoft PowerPoint makes it a great tool for education. The ability to drag and drop images, music, videos, files, and more onto the slide and have the software do the work of converting and adjusting it is an often underrated feature.
Collaboration is a great feature that allows students to work together on projects. Since students can see each other’s changes live, they don’t need to be in the same room or communicating to work together effectively. Of course, having a plan for who does what also helps avoid overlaps.
Thanks to the extensive use of Microsoft tools, there is a wide range of devices that PowerPoint will work on, from desktop computers and laptops to tablets and smartphones. It also works well with many projectors and smart boards, making presentations in different locations an easy option, all using digital content stored in the cloud.
Microsoft PowerPoint offers excellent 3D support, making it a useful tool for sharing images, renderings, and more. From physical objects in design or science class to interactive virtual maps, there are many things you can integrate into a Microsoft PowerPoint slide.
How much does Microsoft PowerPoint cost?
Microsoft charges for PowerPoint in a variety of ways, including a free option.
He Office 365 A1 The plan gives you a host of (slightly limited) online versions of the apps, including PowerPoint, to free. This also comes with Outlook, Word, Excel, OneNote, Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams and more.
Take a step towards him Office 365 A3 planin $3.25 per user per month for staff or $2.50 per student, and you get all of the above. You also get access to full desktop applications, as well as additional management and security tools.
go for the top Office 365 A5 plan and it is $8 per user per month for staff and $6 per student. This gives you all of the above plus “best-in-class intelligent security management,” advanced compliance and analytics systems.
Best Microsoft PowerPoint Tips and Tricks
Work together
Create a project on the big screen, as a class, to discover how to use the software and solve any problems as a class.
To collaborate
Set up project groups and have them work collaboratively to see how this tool can work in the cloud to improve teamwork and end results.
Try templates
Encourage students to work with the templates to find ways to express what they need as efficiently as possible.
