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Google Slides

So often, people think of presentation slides as just that: a visual aid for delivering a presentation in front of an audience.

But these slide apps (like Google Slides and PowerPoint in Office 365) really are powerful tools for delivering interactive user experiences. They can also create visually stimulating products to deliver a message and valuable content.

By thinking outside the box with Google Slides, PowerPoint, and other similar tools, teachers can create unique learning experiences for students. Or students can create them to share with other students.

We originally curated 8 interactive Google Slides activities in this post but have found so many amazing ideas since then we knew we need to update!

Below you will find our original 8 ideas plus 22 (yes 22!) brilliant ideas contributed by the Ditch That Textbook community on Twitter in a recent #Ditchbook chat.

Here are 30 interactive Google Slides activities that use the unique features of online slide apps to create engaging learning experiences:

1. Create a PDF ebook

PDF files are about as universal as it gets. You can open them on almost any Internet-ready device. They're read-only, so publishing a PDF is a good way to distribute information to be consumed by reading. Google Slides is a great, simple PDF ebook creation tool. Create a slide presentation, change it to the dimensions you prefer, add content and finalize by going to File > Download as ... > PDF Document.

I created a PDF ebook to help you create PDF ebooks. (I hope that's not as ridiculous as it looked as I typed it.) Click here to check out a post all about it. Or, take a look at the original Google Slides file where I created it. (Feel free to make a copy by going to File > Make a copy ... but please don't click "Share" and ask for edit access.)

ANOTHER FREE EBOOK -- I wrote an ebook called "101 Practical Ways to Ditch That Textbook" as a gift to my readers. I created it using Google Slides, just like the ebooks I describe above. "101 Practical Ways" is a huge compilation of tools and tips, backed up with screenshots, icons, links and more. Click here if you'd like to get it!

2. Create an interactive "slide deck book".

This idea is inspired by Matt Macfarlane, a middle school history teacher from California. In true "Ditch That Textbook" fashion, he has turned from traditional textbooks to creating his own. He finds engaging content on the web and collects it in his "slide deck books." His students access them online and can click links to get more information. He gives students an "anyone with link can view" link so they're read-only.

3. Play a "Jeopardy!" game.

Jeopardy on a PowerPoint presentation has been a staple in many classes. It's also possible to create via Google Slides. We created this template that you can copy into your own Google Drive to customize with your own questions and answers. Keep track of the score on a whiteboard/chalkboard, on paper or through some other means.

(Note: When a question is answered, it doesn't disappear from the board. You might want to display the game on a whiteboard instead of a projector screen. When a question is selected, draw an X through it with a dry erase marker.)

4. Create another game-show-style review game.

Google Slides can be used to create lots of different games. I used Google Slides in this file to create a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" game. It was a simple one that can be played just by clicking through the slides. To create more complex games, you can create links to different slides in the presentation. (That's how the Jeopardy! game was created.)

5. Animate a concept.

Creating a stop-motion animation can be done relatively easily in Google Slides. This gives students the ability to animate and turn abstract ideas into tangible, engaging visuals. Create the first slide of the animation. Then make a duplicate of that slide. Make some small changes and then duplicate that most recent slide. Continue to make changes and duplicate until the animation is complete. Here is a link to a great stop motion science example (pictured below) showing how an electrical impulse in the body gets a muscle to contract, created by a student in Chris Baker's science class.

6. Create an "online course".

In a traditional online course, students can jump from section to section at will and progress through the pages of that chapter. There may be assessments to take as well. You can create that same experience in Google Slides. Create a slide presentation with sections of slides for each module in the course. The first slide can have links to the different modules of the course. You can even create questions on the slides for self-assessment or a link to a Google Forms quiz for a more formal assessment. See an example of an "online course" template here. (Make sure you click the "present" button if you want to "take" the course.")

7. Assess with self-grading quizzes.

Self-grading quizzes give students immediate feedback. They also let students practice as much as they'd like without depending on the teacher. You can create self-paced assessments that provide answer feedback with Google Slides. For each standard four-question multiple-choice question, you'll need five slides:

A question slide

A feedback slide for answer A

A feedback slide for answer B

A feedback slide for answer C

A feedback slide for answer D

On the question slide, for each possible answer, create a link to the feedback slide. Then, on each feedback slide, create a link to go on to the next question.

Want to see an example? Click here to see my quick one-question self-grading quiz.

8. Write a Choose Your Own Adventure story.

As a child, I loved these books, where your decisions affected the outcome for the character in the story. Google Slides lets you create similar experiences. They can be stories where the student can choose the path for the character. Students can create them, or teachers can create them for students. They can even be tied to any kind of class content. Tie the choices to answers for a question. (i.e. The character goes left if the student thinks the answer is 4.4 and goes right if the student thinks the answer is 7.2.)

I created a quick example of an impromptu, decide-on-a-whim vacation trip story where you decide for the main character. Click here to see that file (and feel free to make a copy and change the text for yourself!).

Here's another example, created by a student of Mandi Tolen's. Mandi's students tied storytelling to math problems using Google Forms. The same concept could easily be applied to a Google Slide presentation.

Get the tools, the practical ideas, and the inspiration to transform the way you use technology in the classroom!

Lesson ideas and downloadable templates

A companion webpage full of FREE resources (click here to access NOW)

Brand new PIRATE engagement hooks

Encouragement and motivation to start

Interactive Google Slides activities shared by the #Ditchbook community!

9. Create a narrated storybook.

Resources:

11. Brainstorm with digital sticky notes.

Resources:

15. Use Screencastify to create annotated movie or book reviews.

16. Make interactive Google Slides games.

A2 I've used slides lately to:
- make interactive games
- flashcards of facts (thanks to the slide randomizer tool idea I heard this week on the #gttribe podcast)
- introduce the concept of #hyperdocs for interactive lessons #ditchbook
- Julie P. Jones, PhD (@JuliePJones) September 27, 2019

17. Student reflections newsletter.

19. Have fun with magnetic poetry.

A2: Do I have to pick just one? I guess my favorite use would have to be either magnetic poetry or Caption That. Helps get the creative juices flowing! #ditchbook #shakeuplearning
- Angie Smith (@smittygetstechy) September 27, 2019

A2: So many ways to use Slides with students! A few of my favorites are for posters, linking between slides, and designing various other projects! Then, of course, all done with collaboration! #ditchbook
- Evan Mosier (@emosier3) September 27, 2019

A2 I live to give them thinking questions where we can collaborate to get an answer, I love creating differentiated lessons and allowing students to work on what they need. I LOVE creating comic books and putting them in iBooks #ditchbook
- Mandi Tolen (@MandiTolenEDU) September 27, 2019

Resources:

29. Get up and moving with a digital gallery walk.

Resource: How to Create Digital Interactive Notebooks in Google Slides

Have you (or your students) ever used slide tools to do more than give presentations in front of an audience? How? Which of these are your most likely to use?

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©2023 Ditch That Textbook by Matt Miller.

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30 interactive Google Slides activities for classroom excitement

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Google Slides isn't just for delivering presentations to an audience. Here are 30 activities that bring interactive learning to students.So often, people

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YouTube provides access to more learning tools

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YouTube provides access to more learning tools

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Google and YouTube have launched new resource pages to help teachers and families continue to educate students while they're home from school due to the novel coronavirus.

Google's page, called Teach From Home, offers recommendations on how teachers can teach remotely using Google products. Right now, the page features ideas like doing a video call with a class using Hangouts or creating an online quiz using Google Forms. The page will "continue to evolve," according to Google. There's also a " Teach from Home toolkit," which has resources about how to teach remotely organized into a series of slides.

Teach from Home is currently only available in English, but the downloadable toolkits are available in Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Polish, and Google says more languages are "coming soon."

YouTube's Learn@Home highlights educational YouTube channels

YouTube's resource, Learn@Home, highlights educational YouTube channels that students can watch at home. The page categorizes the channels that are recommended for families with kids 13 and older, for families with kids five and older, and for families with preschoolers. YouTube is partnering with Khan Academy and other education-focused creators on the effort, and some channels highlighted include CrashCourse, Discovery Education, Cool School, PBS Kids, and Sesame Street. Learn@Home is available now in English, and will be available in Italian, French, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, and more "in the coming days," according to YouTube.

Google is also launching a $10 million Distance Learning Fund as part of the company's $50 million contribution made through its philanthropic arm, Google.org, to COVID-19 response efforts. Google.org will first give a $1 million grant from the fund to Khan Academy to help it "provide remote learning opportunities to students affected by COVID-19 related school closures."

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Google and YouTube launch new resources to help teachers and families educate students at home

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Google and YouTube have launched new resource pages to help teachers and families continue to educate students while they're home from school due to the novel coronavirus. Google's page, called Teach From Home, offers recommendations on how teachers can teach remotely using Google products.

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Unique Learning System- Special Needs/Modified Curriculum

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What is Hyperbole? | Educational Rap for Language Arts Students

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Lessons are recorded, then links sent to students.

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While Boardmaker provides a ton of great support and resources for speech-language pathologists, my favorite is definitely the Boardmaker Online tool. This tool contains a HUGE database of their symbols that you can use to create therapy materials. They have been primarily developed for use in Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) devices and systems so the library is incredibly robust. You can use their online tool by starting with a template or creating your own resources from a blank canvas. This is great for creating resources and visuals for all purposes and you'll see that the online tool has a great library of materials and boards that have already been created, too!

The SLP Solution membership uses Boardmaker symbols (with permission) in a lot of our therapy kits, AAC board, and other products. We love having a consistent look and feel between images so that everything is in the same style. And the Boardmaker symbols and images are incredibly clear. The PCS symbol library even includes sign language illustrations which helps when you're working with children who use American Sign Language but who need visual supports, as well. Yay for total communication!

In addition to the Boardmaker Online tool, they also have a wealth of other products and resources. One of their newer additions is the "Activities-to-Go" section. This section includes some great, free downloads that are based around specific themes. Choose a theme like people, space, inventions, birthdays, etc. and you'll find a simple book, an AAC board, and many activities that can be used in therapy to target vocabulary, following directions, and more! And each theme contains activities at three different levels so you can match your activities to the age and ability level of your clients.

For example, working on a community helpers unit? Check out the resources in the Boardmaker Activity-to-Go for teaching vocabulary and helping your AAC users communicate those words:

Who is it For?

This service is for speech-language professionals who work with children of all ages who need visual aids, AAC, or other materials with graphics.

What Is It?

An on online tool with symbol library for creating AAC boards, visual aids, therapy materials, and more!

Pre-made therapy materials, visual aids, and activities created using the Boardmaker BCS symbol library

Other great products for AAC and visual supports

Topics Covered:

Quality:

The resources and materials are of very high quality. The symbol library has very high-quality images that are very professional. And the physical materials are of a great quality, too.
Price:
Boardmaker has been gracious enough to grant all of the members at The SLP Solution 5% off purchases! To claim your 5% discount, become a member!
How to Purchase:
You can purchase from their website at https://www.goboardmaker.com
How is it Delivered?
You will have instant access to online tools and digital resources. For physical products, you can get free shipping over $50.

Refund Policy:

According to their website...

"All our products and services are backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you are not entirely satisfied with the product you receive from us, you may return it in a salable condition within 30 days from the time of purchase for a prompt refund of the purchase price. Salable items are those for which there is no alteration from the product's original condition. We do not accept returns on Software or Downloads."

Tobii Dynavox has a customer service telephone number so it's easy to get a hold of someone when you need them. You can also email them or submit a contact form on their website. They are incredibly responsive and have tech support in North America, Europe, and UK.

Tobii Dynavox on Facebook: 3.8/5 Stars

Boardmaker on Facebook: 16,000 Fans

SLP Solution Members' Ratings:
Want to know what the members of The SLP Solution think of Boardmaker? Join the membership to view members' reviews and ratings inside. Plus, get 5% off your purchases!
Click Here to Join The SLP Solution
Free Trial: Boardmaker Online comes with a free 30-day trial
5% Off For SLP Solution Members:
Members of The SLP Solution get 5% off all purchases through Boardmaker! To get your 5%, join the membership below and go to the "discounts" section of our membership site for the promo code:
Click Here to Join The SLP Solution

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Review: Boardmaker Software and Pre-Made Activities - The SLP Solution

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Review: Boardmaker Software and Pre-Made Activities What is Boardmaker? The Boardmaker brand has a lot of amazing tools and resources that will help you quickly and easily create customized therapy materials and AAC materials. Their huge library of images are easy for children to understand and will allow you to create just about anything your ...

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Ranked #1 by K-5 Teachers*

Reading A-Z Ranked #1 by Teachers

Already being used in nearly half of the school districts in the U.S. and Canada and 155+ countries worldwide, discover how Reading A-Z's affordable, easy-to-use teacher resources fill the teaching gaps left by many reading education programs.

"I absolutely love Reading A-Z! I can't see being without it now that I've used it."
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Prairieland Elementary School - Normal, IL
More Testimonials

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Ranked #1 by K-5 Teachers* Already being used in nearly half of the school districts in the U.S. and Canada and 155+ countries worldwide, discover how Reading A-Z's affordable, easy-to-use teacher resources fill the teaching gaps left by many reading education programs. "I absolutely love Reading A-Z!

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Save valuable time and find already created activities, from the Boardmaker Community and Premium Activities, to meet all your students' individual needs.

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Zooms- Makes Chances for Online Learning

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Zooms- Makes Chances for Online Learning

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Editor's note: This post was last updated in April 2022 announcing the status of Zoom's 40-minute meeting lift program for education accounts.
April 25, 2022

This program is definitively concluding on June 30, 2022, as most students have returned to in-person instruction. Starting on July 1, 2022, impacted Zoom Meeting accounts will automatically revert to the Zoom Meetings Basic plan. Users can meet as often as needed for up to 40 minutes with no limit to the number of hosted meetings. See our for more details.

December 8, 2021

In support of primary and secondary education (K-12) and due to the ongoing pandemic, Zoom will continue to lift the 40-minute time limit on existing accounts through June 30, 2022.

November 11, 2021

Zoom is no longer accepting new requests for the lift of the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts globally.

March 31, 2020

will be automatically turned on by default. This security feature is one of the best ways to control who's entering your Zoom virtual classroom by giving you the option to admit participants individually or all at once. Visit our Waiting Room on by default: Starting today, the Waiting Room feature support page for more information on adjusting your Waiting Room settings, or check out our blog on best practices for securing your virtual classroom.

March 29, 2020

Zoom has lifted the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts for K-12 schools in Australia, India, and New Zealand.

We've also put together this security resource for educators teaching over Zoom - Blog: Best Practices for Securing Your Virtual Classroom.

March 26, 2020

We've lifted the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts for K-12 schools in Israel.

We're also lifting the minutes limit for K-12 schools in Hong Kong SAR. Hong Kong SAR schools must request access through their support website only.

March 25, 2020

Zoom hardware partner Logitech is providing free equipment bundles for K-12 educators. Get more details in the Logitech blog post, or access the application request form.

March 23, 2020

Zoom has lifted the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts for K-12 schools in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

March 20, 2020
Resources for parents
Some programs that can help keep your at-home kids learning in a structured environment:

March 16, 2020

We've also lifted the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts for K-12 schools in the United Arab Emirates.

March 13, 2020

We've proactively lifted the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts for schools in Belgium, Czech Republic, Greece, Norway, Portugal, and Switzerland.

March 13, 2020

As of this morning, we have two new offers for schools:
1. Zoom is proactively lifting the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts for nearly 60,000 K-12 schools in the U.S.
If your school has already been pre-approved and your Zoom Basic account is linked to your school email address, you'll get a notification the next time you log into Zoom. If you did not receive a notification, you can request to have the time limit lifted for your school .
2. We've partnered with Clever to make Zoom accessible to the 8,000 Clever districts who may be experiencing school closures.
Clever is the most widely used single sign-on portal in K-12 districts, making it easy for schools to roll out Zoom quickly. Zoom accounts set up through Clever will include:

Unlimited teacher accounts

No time limit on virtual class sessions

Single sign-on via the Clever Portal

Support for PCs, Macs, Chromebooks, iPads, Android phones & iPhones

Zoom is making all of these features available at no charge through July 1, 2020, for Clever districts.

Here are some additional online resources for educators:

Outschool, a marketplace for live online classes, has made available Free Remote Teacher Training Webinars demonstrating how to get started teaching online in a live video chat classroom for learners ages 3 to 18. These webinars are led by Outschool's experienced K-12 teachers who have transitioned from in-person to online teaching. Educators can sign up and find available times/dates here.

Instructional platform Nearpod is temporarily offering to using free online learning access to schools impacted by closures. Access includes live weekly webinars , a guide coronavirus Nearpod for distance learning, and lessons on the to keep students, teachers, and parents informed.

March 12, 2020

Zoom is temporarily lifting the 40-minute meeting limit on free Basic accounts for seven additional countries during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective immediately, K-12 schools in the following countries can request the 40-minute time limit be lifted for free Basic Zoom accounts:

Zoom has already removed the 40-minute limit on free Basic accounts for schools in Japan and Italy , and have lifted the limit by request for K-12 schools in the United States.

Additional resources

Here are some additional online resources to help you most effectively use Zoom for virtual education:

Live Zoom training daily: These include sessions specifically highlighting Zoom Meetings for Education (Students & Educators), focusing on using Zoom Meetings as your classroom setting. Zoom Webinar training is also available.

Recorded Zoom training: Watch previously recorded sessions on demand and at your convenience. Several are in German, Japanese, and Korean, in addition to English.

Tips for instructors: Check out this Twitter thread from USC Ph.D. student and online instructor Alana Kennedy on some of the most useful features and best practices for teaching over Zoom.

March 6, 2020

Zoom has a wealth of experience helping educational institutions optimize the Zoom platform for It's our goal to make Zoom easy to use and accessible for everyone, and we're committed to streamlining the experience for our educational users amid the global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. virtual classrooms and online learning.

Zoom's teams are working to provide teachers, administrators, and students around the world with the resources they need to quickly spin up virtual classrooms, participate in online classes, and continue their studies online. It's our intention that everyone, from seasoned Zoom users to those who've never interacted with our product, can easily download the client, start and schedule meetings, set students up with Zoom, and start using Zoom for virtual instruction with ease.

This post is designed to help our education users:

Sign up for a Zoom account

Pick the best account option

Understand best practices for using Zoom in education

Help for schools

To ensure all of our K-12 districts and other institutions can most effectively leverage Zoom for virtual education during this time, Zoom is:

Temporarily removing the 40-minute limit on free Basic accounts for schools in Japan and Italy, and by request for K-12 schools in the United States

Providing multi-language resources specifically designed for principals, vice principals, teachers, students, and parents to set up and use Zoom

Expanding live trainings, webinars, and recorded offerings to share best practices for using the platform

How to enable your free Zoom account

To have the 40-minute time limit temporarily removed for your organization's free Basic accounts:

1. Have your administrators, staff, and teachers sign up for a free Zoom account .

2. Have a member of your school fill out this form to request the temporary removal.

3. Upon verification, all free Basic accounts using your school's email domain will have the time restriction lifted.

Now teachers will be able to log in, schedule their classes, and send out invites to students. Students are not required to have a Zoom account and can join classes using the links sent from the teacher. For the best experience, we do recommend every user download the Zoom application on their preferred Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, or Android device.

We have numerous short videos on support.zoom.us to help you get started.

Zoom account features & benefits

Zoom offers robust collaboration and engagement tools as part of its standard free license, including the ability to connect using VoIP or via traditional phone when internet is not available. Administrators, teachers, parents, and students also have access to:

For organizations requiring a more robust feature set and administrative control, Zoom's Education plan provides the above capabilities and more at a low cost, including:

Unlimited meetings for up to to 300 participants

Single sign-on (SSO)

LTI integration to support most LMS platforms

Enhanced user management to add, delete, and assign add-on features

Advanced admin controls for enabling/disabling recording, chat, and notifications

500 MB of cloud recording

Cloud recording transcription

Usage reports to track participation

Need help deciding whether a Basic or Education plan is right for you? Connect with a Zoom education specialist for assistance.

Resources for Zoom's education users

Here are some guides to help school administrators, staff, teachers, students, and parents leverage Zoom for virtual learning:

We're also providing multi-language resources specifically designed for principals, vice principals, teachers, students, and parents to set up and use Zoom.

Additional measures

Zoom is also proactively monitoring our global infrastructure to ensure reliability and uptime for your online learning programs. Our proven infrastructure regularly supports over 8 billion meeting minutes a month, and we are confident that our architecture can handle spiking levels of activity and support educational institutions around the world during this time.

If you have issues accessing your unlimited Basic account or questions about using the Zoom platform, email support@zoom.us .

Update May 12, 2020: We have adjusted Hong Kong's designation to "Hong Kong SAR" in this blog post to align with the naming convention adopted by many of our tech industry peers.

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Editor's note: This post was last updated in April 2022 announcing the status of Zoom's 40-minute meeting lift program for education accounts. This program is definitively concluding on June 30, 2022, as most students have returned to in-person instruction. Starting on July 1, 2022, impacted Zoom Meeting accounts will automatically revert to the Zoom Meetings Basic plan.