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Using Merge for language instruction
Suppose you have a list of words you'd like your students to learn and want to introduce them in a PowerPoint presentation.
For example, you'd like a series of slides like:
In English, we say: [the word in English]
In French, we say: [the word in French]
We've created a simple set of examples for you to try in LanguageExample.zip, an 18kb ZIP file that contains:
- LanguageExample.PPT (the PowerPoint "merge template" file for the exercise)
- LanguageExample.XLS (an Excel file containing sample vocabulary in English, French (forgive me any horrible errors, then tell me about them so I can fix them), Spanish and "romanized" Japanese.)
- LanguageExampleMerged.PPT (the result of merging the template PPT file and the sample data).
Suggestion: right-click the link above and use your brower's Save target (or similar) command to save the file to a convenient location on your computer. Then use WinZIP or some other utility to open it. If you have WIndows XP, it should open automatically when you double-click the saved file.
Open LanguageExample and follow the instructions on the comment included in it.
But wait - Momentito! - Chotto matte kudasai! - there's more
You might even want to add more languages. Our example shows English, French and Spanish, all merged into one set of slides. You could remove any of them if you like. Or add Japanese (we've given some examples in the data file but deliberately left them out of the template so you can practice.) Or add another language to the template and data file if you like. Couldn't be simpler.
Merging text is just a starting point. Have a look at the instructions here on the site to learn how you can merge pictures or even sounds into your slides. Imagine being able to click on a button and hear a native speaker pronounce the words your students are learning. You supply the native speaker and the sound files, Merge can handle the rest automatically.
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