Use Google Slides to Interact with Students
“Don’t use Google Slides to give information, use it to GET information.”
While I do use Google Slides to share information with students, my favorite use for Google Slides is collaboration. I have been using Google Slides in conjunction with Google Hangouts with my students. Setting up a Google Slides, I edit the slide layout to have slides for me to share a question or some information and then I create a student slide to allow students to respond. I change the background color of the student slides and insert a spot for students to type their name.

Google Slides Ask Template
Insert Comments
One of the first things I do when using Google Slides for an interactive Google Hangout experience is ask students to insert a comment on the first slide. Use the keyboard shortcut Control Alt M to insert and Control Enter to save the comment. Students can also right click to insert a comment. During the interactive experience I ask students to insert comments on each others slides and I insert comments on student slides.
Hangouts or Not
This template can be used with Google Hangout… or not. Anytime you want student interactivity something like this can be useful. Project the Google Slides template during a class discussion, allowing students to respond first digitally and providing a record of some of the discussion points.
Just needed to clarify a few things, Alice.
1) Do you ask students to comment whilst you are presenting or after. If they comment during the presentation, do you respond to the comments. This sounds like the kind of interaction I would be interested in but intimidated by!
2) Same for the students. I can imagine you commenting during the drafting process but do you want peers to comment on the work of others at the same time or during the presentation.
Cheers for this idea, btw.
Gerald
The purpose is to be interactive. This is for when you’re discussing and interacting synchronously. You could probably use it asynchronously also.
I love your site! Our middle school is going one to one with iPads next year. I am excited and trying to already us google classroom and all that comes with it:slides, docs, etc. it seems like most of your instructions are for using a desktop. I try it on the iPad and get a little lost? I guess I’m wondering if your students are using computers or iPads. Would there be different steps/instructions I can find for the iPads?
Thanks!!!
Roxie
Yes, Roxie. I am a laptop/Chromebook user. I taught at a 1:1 pad school but my personal device is a Mac and an Acer R 13
I’ve just discovered your AMAZING site (currently reading your book!!) and I’ve got a question about this resource– when would you use the slide discussion vs. the slide ask and respond resource? Both are fantastic, just curious as to which scenarios you’d choose one over the other. Thanks again!
Honestly I use “neither” and “both.” Ha, I keep making them over from scratch each time. Point is to use Slides when you’re having a discussion, it’s a game changer.