Hi friends! How was your weekend? I hope enjoyable and relaxing. This week, I’m back chatting about digital products. I’m starting off by sharing the COMPLETE list of design programs that you need for creating your own digital resources. You ready for the list?
Here it is…
- PowerPoint
- Google Slides
You are probably saying, “What? That’s it?” Yep, that’s it. Really. These two programs are all you need for endless, creative possibilities. You can make them as simple or as complex as you like. The best part? Google Slides is completely FREE, and most computers already have PowerPoint on them. If you already have PowerPoint and Google Slides and haven’t gotten acquainted with them, now’s the time. 😊 Let’s get started!
Starting from Scratch
When I sit down to create my digital teaching resources, I always start in PowerPoint. This is where I set up my foundational design. It includes everything except the “interactive” piece. I add those towards the end when I am in Google Slides.
I’m pretty picky about placing elements nicely on my pages so that they are centered and/or symmetrical. I like things to be easy on the eyes and lined up. PowerPoint provides designers with efficient alignment buttons that can help turn a sloppy-looking page into a neat and tidy activity. I just love the alignment setting feature! (Find it in the Format Tab).
Another Cool Feature
The duplicate slide feature is one of my favorites! When you finally have a page the way you like it, and you don’t want to take the time, or frustration 😉, to make another one… duplicate the page. It makes an exact copy. Then, you can simply change the content to make a new slide. For example, you can change the math equation on each duplicate slide for your resource.
Incorporating Design Elements
In recent posts, we have chatted about the basic design elements of digital resources. These included shapes, colors, clipart, fonts, and texts. (Click here for the post) With Powerpoint and Google Slides, you can easily incorporate all of these elements into your resource. There’s so much flexibility to make it your own!
Once I’ve decided on my theme and topic, I start bringing in my shapes, clipart, and text. I make sure to recolor the items so it all blends together nicely. I usually go for bright, fun colors and match them to the clipart I’m using! (Another great feature in PowerPoint) If you want to plan a digital resource yourself, here’s the planner I use to map it out before I begin. Don’t worry, it’s FREE to download 😊)
I also love how easily I can move the objects/shapes/images around the page to exactly where I want them. If you ever want to tweak the digital resource, you can do so at any time. I also like being able to use whichever clipart/image and color I’m feeling at the time. Lately, I’m in total Spring mode 🌸 with Spring-themed math resources for 1st and 2nd grade popping into my head. Last week, I threw together two new digital student resources. Once I created the 2nd grade version, I simply made a copy and quickly transformed it into a 1st grade digital resource. Click here for the 1st grade one & here for the 2nd grade one. Can you see how I made the second one so easily?
Aaaahhhh…. the satisfaction of creating two brand-new digital resources in the blink of an eye. Okay, maybe it took a tiny bit longer than that, but it was so fast to create. Especially the second one!
Sharing Your Digital Resource
Once you’ve designed the bulk of your resource in PowerPoint (everything except for the interactive components like text boxes & moveable pieces), it’s then time to upload it into Google Slides. We bring resources to life with Google Slides. Here is where I usually add text boxes, moveable pieces, and images to my resources to create them.
What this looks like…
If it’s a basic operations resource like addition to 20, I might have a different equation on each slide for students to solve by typing their answer into a text box. In PowerPoint, I’ve already created the design. Now is when it’s time to add my interactive text boxes. I would then go ahead and insert text boxes by placing them where I planned for them to sit on the page. I can always tweak my colors to match the exact one from PowerPoint. Finally, I adjust the font sizes to make sure all possible answers will fit into my text box. You can always change the font color to make it even more fun! Here’s a fun, Summer-themed digital resource I created as a Numbers & Operations Bundle. See how I used the colors in it?
After you’ve added your interactive pieces, the resource is READY TO SHARE with your students. With Google Slides, you can quickly choose who you want to have access to the resource. You can copy your share link based on those settings. You can also share the resource directly to your Google Classroom, if you’d like.
TIP: When sharing, set it up so you’re “making a copy” of the resource before sending, or you will be providing a “force copy” link that directs people to make a copy before using the resource. This protects your original document from being edited by others. 😉
Recommended Gear (Not necessary, but a nice bonus if you want to take it up a notch…😉)
Wireless mouse and keyboard (some nice, affordable options)… These add an extra layer of efficiency, and helps prevent strain in your hands and arms. Click on each image for the linked product.
Here’s a comfy mousepad that I recommend…
A second monitor always comes in handy. You can buy these used really cheap. I got mine from a friend who no longer needed theirs. Sometimes, offices get rid of their old ones. Here’s one that is affordable…
I hope this post helps you think more about creating your own digital teaching products. Comment below if you have any questions. I’d love to help! 😊
Until next week… have a good one!
Jess @Savvy Apple