Convert PowerPoint to web-friendly formats

Placing PowerPoint files directly in your ANGEL course without preparing them for the web is simple, but can cause some problems. There is no guarantee that all of your students will use or have Powerpoint so it's best to provide for those who do, and don't. For those who don't have Powerpoint it can be very frustrating to not have access to course content. More importantly, the large file size often associated with PowerPoint files can also create a barrier to accessing the content for users with dial-up Internet connections. To avoid these, as well as other difficulties, we recommend providing your PowerPoint content in a more web-friendly format. Several techniques for preparing your PowerPoint content in alternative formats are listed below.

Note: Microsoft provides a free PowerPoint viewer that allows students without PowerPoint to view .ppt files. If it's necessary to have your learners view an acutal PowerPoint file, this would be a good alternative for those who can't purchase the full software package.

Save series of images (Powerpoint and Winzip or equivalent compression utility required) - This is a straight-forward technique that will have you save a series of images from Powerpoint and upload them to ANGEL. The result is a simple directory of images that learners can see in ANGEL.
Why would I want to use this method? Your learners will be able to easily view images within ANGEL without special software. This is a simple way to create a directory full of images without uploading each image individually. This is also an easy method of storing images in ANGEL.

Open your .PPT file in Powerpoint.
In the menu at the top, click File > Save As > and under "Save As Type" pick *.gif or *.jpg. These are two web-friendly image file formats.
Click Save and Powerpoint will create a folder and save all your images in it. The folder will be named the same as the originating powerpoint file. Ok! You are done with the first part!

Zipping up your folder

Now that we have exported a folder full of images, we need to get them up on Angel. The best way to do this is to zip your images into a zip file and upload them into Angel as a File Item in the Add Content menu.
Open Winzip and then open the folder containing your slide images. Try to open these windows so they are not overlapping, but rather next to each other on your computer screen.
Select all the slide images you wish to put in a zip file. Once selected, drag those files onto your Winzip window.
Upon dragging those files onto your Winzip window, a dialogue box will come up called "Add". There are a bunch of options in this box but all you really need to do is give this new zip file a name. Under "Add to Archive" there is a window with the path to your images folder. At the END of this path, after the last forward slash, add a name for your zip file. This name can be anything you choose.
Once you have typed in this name, click the "Add" button, and your zip file will be created. Close your Winzip window and you're done zipping your file!

Uploading a zip file to ANGEL

Ok, we're ready to upload your zip file of images. Go into your ANGEL course under the Lessons tab and click "Add Content".
In the Create an Item section, choose "File". This is because we are about to add a file - your zip file!
Click the "Browse" button and locate your zipped file of images. Feel free to give the file a name in the "Title" box, and you can leave "File Type" selection alone. When you are done these operations, click "OK".
Your file will upload and you will get a message saying "File Upload Successful". One last operation to perform: Click the "Extract Files" button above the "OK" button. This will allow students to view the contents of your zip file without the need to download it. When you click this you will be shown what's called a "Directory Listing" and this is exactly what your learners will see when they click on your uploaded file.
Congrats, you have uploaded a zipped directory of images exported from powerpoint!

Export a text file outline of your slideshow - Not interested in doing images of your slideshow? Just want to make your slideshow a text file that is super easy for your learners to view? This is probably the lowest-fat (or carb) way to get your powerpoint slides into ANGEL (or on the web for that matter). Follow along to use this helpful (and easy) technique.
Why would I want to use this method? The file output method described below is nearly universal - anyone with word processing sofware can open and read a Rich Text file. This is a quick way to provide your slideshow to a colleague or learner who doesn't have Powerpoint. Another great use here is you can copy the text from the Rich Text File you create and paste it into an ANGEL page - no file uploading necessary and in this sense, makes the page easy to update and edit from within ANGEL.

Open your .PPT file in Powerpoint.
In the menu at the top, click File > Save As > and under "Save As Type" pick "Outline/RTF". Click "Save" one you have made this selection.
Congratulations, you now have a text-file outline of your powerpoint presentation. There are a couple ways to go about getting this into ANGEL. You can use the above section on "Uploading a zip file to ANGEL" to upload your outline document. Remember, there's no need to zip it up, all you need to do is follow the instructions on using "Add Content" to upload this file. Read on to see an additional technique for getting this outline into ANGEL...

Copy and paste your outline into ANGEL

If you have ever used the HTML editor in ANGEL then you know that formatting text like you would in a Word Processor is possible. This technique will have you copy and paste your outline into the ANGEL HTML editor. Go into your ANGEL course under the Lessons Tab and click "Add Content".
On the Add Content page, click "Add a Page".
On the New Page, page under the Page Text heading there is a large field to enter text, then two small links under it. Click the link that says "HTML Editor"
Locate the outline document you exported from Powerpoint and open it in your computer's default word processor by double-clicking it.
Once the document is open, select all the text you wish to copy and then copy it.
Go back to your HTML Editor window and Paste the copied text into this window.
Once you have copied this text click "Accept Changes" at the bottom of the HTML Editor window. The window will close out, and make sure to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "OK">
Congratulations, you have copied and pasted your exported powerpoint outline into an ANGEL page!

Save your Powerpoint file as an HTML slideshow - This is another quick and easy way to export your powerpoint to a web-friendly format.
Why would I want to use this method? This is another web-friendly approach to putting your documents on line. As with any file you present to your learners, you need to make sure that they can read it. HTML is the document format that browsers use and is therefore one of the most compatible and easy to open. This method focuses on using a document format intended for browsers to read easily, not word processors. If your learners just need to view a page, and not download or edit it, this is an effective method to use. (Non IE browser may experience warning messages when viewing a slideshow)

Open your PPT and click "File > Save as Web Page"
Pick a location to save the files to and click "Save". This will create a HTML file and a companion folder. If you double-click the HTML file it will bring up a web-ready version of your slideshow.

Zipping up your folder

At this point, you can leave your HTML file alone. However, we will need to zip up that companion folder. Follow the process described above entitled "Zipping up your folder", this is under technique 1 at the top of the page.

Uploading the HTML file and zipped folder to ANGEL

Within your course click "Add Content" in Lessons or a Module Folder.
Click "File" and when prompted, browse for a file to upload then hit "OK". This will upload your HTML file.
Now, we need to upload that folder that PowerPoint gave us too. Zip this folder using WinZip.
Return to ANGEL and locate the webpage file you just uploaded and click on it. On this page will be a "Utilities" link - click this link.
On the subsequent page click "Associated File Manager". In the Associated File Manager, Click "Add Content" then "Upload Files" and add your ZIP file.
On the subsequent page, click "Extract its contents". Next you will be asked to delete the ZIP file after unzipping, click "OK".
Now, hit "Exit" and "Cancel" and you will return to your uploaded file item page and your slideshow is up.

Save as PDF (Requires Adobe Acrobat Distiller)
If you have Acrobat distiller you can save your powerpoint as a pdf file. This is a secure, printer friendly format that can be password protected against editing.
Why would I want to use this method? If your course is using Adobe Acrobat PDF files, then this might be a logical route for other files you present in class, namely PowerPoint. It's a good idea to keep the number of file formats used in a course to a minimum when possible. Aside from this advice, PDF format is a secure and printer friendly format that is widely used and regarded as one of the best digital document formats. Reasons for this include the ability to zoom in on text, a fairly easy to install plugin, and numerous tools to highlight and mark notes within the document body.
Note: There are many products available that allow you to create PDFs, the steps required to create PDFs with these other programs will be very similar to those described here.

Open your .PPT file in Powerpoint.
In the menu at the top, click File > Print > and a dialogue box will come up. Within this dialogue you will need to select "Acrobat PDF Writer" from the dropdown menu next to "Printer Name".
Once you have made the printer selection, click "OK". You will now be prompted as to where you would like to save your PDF file. Pick a location and click "Save".
The process may take a minute to complete but once you're done, you'll have a printable pdf of your Powerpoint file!

Save as SWF (Requires Macromedia FlashPaper)

With FlashPaper you can easily create compact, web-friendly Flash files or secure, printer friendly PDF files.
Why would I want to use this method? Flash is a very easy to install plugin that has a huge variety of uses like video, audio, interactivity, animation, and games. Adding to the list of uses is a document format that is somewhat like Acrobat PDF but much more simple. If you are using flash elsewhere in your course, you may consider offering some of your documents in the same format so your learners won't need to download two different plugins.

Open your .PPT file in Powerpoint.
In the menu at the top, click FlashPaper > Convert to Macromedia Flash (.swf)
You will now be prompted as to where you would like to save your SWF file. Pick a location and click "Save".
The process may take a minute to complete but once you're done, you'll have a compressed swf of your Powerpoint file!