Introduction
Creating presentations still makes up a large part of lesson preparation for many teachers and can be a time-consuming task. It's understandable then that every day, there are queries on social media asking about the best online tools for making AI-assisted presentations.
Using AI presentation websites
The choice of AI presentation tools is expanding, with new tools like Tome, Gamma and Visme offering quick solutions.
Advantage:
One-step content creation: These tools provide both the content and the design of presentations quickly and effectively.
Disadvantages:
Cost: Not all are free, and some place a cap on the monthly number of presentations.
Integration: Learning how to use them can be a challenge. You have to:
Sign up and get used to a new system.
Remember where and what topics you've saved on the new system.
Transitioning: For long-time PowerPoint users, adopting a new platform can be daunting and compatibility issues might arise when trying to merge or use these with existing PowerPoint presentations.
Durability: There's the risk of lost work if subscriptions lapse or platforms shut down.
Bilingual Limitations: Many tools don’t support dual-language content, limiting their appeal to foreign language teachers.
To avoid these problems, I'll be introducing how to use the free version of ChatGPT for content creation, and how this can be effortlessly transformed into a PowerPoint presentation.
Next, I'll be examining the AI features within Canvas as it offers a free premium account for verified teachers and given its widespread use, it's likely a platform many teachers already recognise.
And, as a small extra, I'll show some of the offerings of the new and currently free image tool, Dall-e 3, for creating illustrations for your slides.
Creating the content
First, we need to produce our content. You can use ChatGPT or Bing Chat, which offers the benefit of web access.
Below are some prompts to craft engaging starter activities:
Interesting facts
"Give me 3 fun or interesting facts about pets in Germany. Give me the German version and an English translation underneath."
News overview (use in Bing chat)
Give me 3 interesting pieces of news from France from this week that would interest 14-year-olds. Give me a short title in French and a summary of the news story in English.
Flashcards
Create a vocabulary list on the topic of clothing in Spanish. Write the Spanish word with an article and I would like the Spanish word and then the English translation on the next line.
There are many more prompt examples in my prompt library.
Creating the outline
In ChatGPT, click the copy icon to copy its output.
Paste the copied content into a Word document.
If you notice formatting symbols, like ** indicating bold text, manually copy the text from ChatGPT:
Highlight the desired text using your mouse.
Right-click and choose "Copy" from the dropdown.
Don't worry about the background colour or font style.
In Word, navigate to the "View" tab and choose "Outline".
Press "ctrl+A" to select all the text.
Change the selected "Body text" to "Level 1".
This will make every word appear as a title on a separate PowerPoint slide. If this isn't your intention:
Highlight sections of text you want as the body of your slides.
Set these sections to "Level 2".
To quickly format multiple sections:
Highlight a text that is set to "Level 2".
Use "shift+ctrl+c" to copy the format.
Highlight the next section of the text.
Apply the format using "shift+ctrl+v".
After adjusting your formats, save the Word document.
Make sure you close the document after saving it.
Creating a PowerPoint presentation
Here's a clearer step-by-step version:
Launch PowerPoint.
In the "Home" tab, find and click the dropdown arrow beneath "New Slide".
Choose "Slides from Outline".
Locate and select your saved outline document. PowerPoint will then integrate the content from the Word document into your presentation, distinguishing between titles and body text.
At this point, your presentation will appear quite basic. To improve its appearance:
Navigate to the "Design" tab.
Select one of the available templates to apply a cohesive design.
For a more tailored design , use the "Designer" feature. This can be accessed from either the "Design" or the "Home" tab.
The "Designer" will analyze the content of your slides (even if in different languages).
It will suggest matching stock images and designs that complement your content.
Creating a Canva presentation
Canva is a versatile presentation website that have fully embraced AI and, even better, offers it all for free to teachers. If you haven't got an account yet, you can sign up here.
Using Canva's AI-Powered Features:
Content Generation:
Canva has its own AI text generator. This tool lets you create both the content and design of your presentation simultaneously.
Navigate to the Canva home screen.
Enter your requirements in the search bar, like "A presentation about pets in Germany" or "A vocabulary presentation in Spanish and English on clothing items".
Design Variations:
Canva will create multiple presentations in diverse styles based on your topic, complete with text and images. You can edit these to your liking.
Automatic Translations:
Click on the "Apps" icon located on the left.
Search for "Translate".
Use this feature to automatically translate your slides. You can opt to translate the entire presentation or specific slides. The translated slides can be appended after the original English version.
Presentation & Download:
You can present directly from Canva.
Alternatively, download your work as a PowerPoint or PDF file by selecting "Share".
For More Customised Content:
If you prefer greater control over content creation, consider using ChatGPT.
Once you've generated your content, go to Canva and choose "Documents", followed by "Docs to Decks".
Here, you'll find guidelines on formatting your document to achieve your desired slide layout. The most straightforward method involves highlighting all the text and using 'ctrl+alt+1' for headings and 'ctrl+alt+2' for body text. To see the transformation, click "Convert".
Stock Images:
Canva's image library means you're never short of visual elements to improve your slides.
Creating images
A few weeks ago, Dall-e 3, the newest version of OpenAI's image generator, was made available to the public and the quality of the images has been mind-blowing and are in many respects even better than what the premium service of Midjourney can offer.
How to create images with DALL-E 3
Creating images with DALL-E 3 is a simple process. If you are using the Microsoft Bing Image Creator, you can access it through the Chat experience on bing.com. Once you have accessed the Chat experience, select the “Most Creative” mode to create images through DALL-E 3. You can also directly access it on the image creator website which allows you to see your previous creations.
If you are subscribing to ChatGPT Plus, you can also generate images directly in the chat.
To generate an image, simply give a text prompt like "Create a watercolour of the Eiffel Tower", but the more detailed your prompt, the better the output: "Create a vibrant and detailed image of a French outdoor market. The scene should depict a diverse group of individuals of different ages and backgrounds, engaging in the act of buying and selling vegetables. Emphasize a range of colourful vegetables such as leeks, zucchini, bell peppers, and aubergines."
Generating images yourself means that you are fully in control of what you want to display and you can create the most crazy and original pictures that can be a starting point for discussion and description.
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