Hyperlinks in Powerpoint

• Aims and Objectives• What are Hyperlinks?• The pedagogical reasons for using Hyperlinks• Creating Hyperlinks to a Place in the Same Document• Creating Hyperlinks to a Web Page• Creating Hyperlinks to another File• Using Action Buttons• Accessibility Issues• Assessment of Learning• Reflective Practice• Put into Practice• Summary

Aims and Objectives

The Aims of this learning module are to• Explain the term ‘hyperlink’• Explain the pedagogical reasons for using them• Demonstrate how to create hyperlinks• Consider accessibility issues

By the end of the module you will be able to• State what is meant by hyperlinks• Provide two pedagogical reasons for using hyperlinks• Be able to create hyperlinks in a learning resource of your own• Adapt a resource with hyperlinks for a learner with one type of

learning difficulty or disability

What are Hyperlinks?Hyperlinks let you turn a linear sequence of slides into an interactive learning resource that encourages active learning. Hyperlinks allow you to make a connection from one slide to another or to a web page or another file.

Hyperlinks can be text, pictures, shapes or a ready made buttons called action buttons. Below are two commonly used action buttons and a text hyperlink all of which will all take you back to the first slide. Hyperlinks only become active when you run the presentation.

You can recognise when text is a hyperlink because it will appear in a different colour from the text that surrounds it, it will be underlined and when the mouse pointer travels over it, a hand shape will appear. Move the mouse pointer over the hyperlinks below before selecting one:

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The pedagogical reasons for using Hyperlinks

• They allow the learner to become actively involved in their learning experience.

• They allow learning resources to be differentiated. Additional pages can be linked in to add extension activities for stronger learners or for the weaker learners pages can be linked that provide additional examples or advice.

• They allow the tutor to bring relevant examples to enhance a presentation – for example from a web site or a video clip etc.

Creating Hyperlinks to a Page in the Same Document

• Highlight the word or words that you wish to act as the hyperlink

• Select Insert/Hyperlink [or right click and select hyperlink]

• Select the Place in this Document button

• Select the slide from the list of all the slides in the presentation.

• Select OK

Note: test your hyperlink in slideshow mode and don’t forget to hyperlink back if necessary.

Creating Hyperlinks to a Web Page• Highlight the word or words that

you wish to act as the hyperlink

• Select Insert/Hyperlink [or right click and select hyperlink]

• Select the Existing File or Web Page button

• Enter the URL address e.g. http://portsmouth-learning.net

• Select Ok

Note: test your hyperlink in slideshow mode

Creating Hyperlinks to another File• Highlight the word or words that you wish to

act as the hyperlink

• Select Insert/Hyperlink [or right click and select hyperlink]

• Select the Existing File or Web Page button

• Find the file you wish to link to. Any type of file can be linked e.g. a Word document, a spreadsheet, a photograph, a movie file etc.

• Select the filename.

• Click on OK

Note: test your hyperlink in slideshow mode and don’t forget to hyperlink back if necessary.

Using Action Buttons• Action buttons can be used

instead of text to link to other places

• Select Slide Show/Action Buttons and then the button you’d like to use. Hovering the mouse over the buttons will tell you what the button represents

• Your pointer will become a cross +, click and drag the button to the required size

Using Action Buttons continued

A dialogue box will appear.

Click the option Hyperlink to, you will then be able to select the place you want to link to.

In this way slides can be grouped to allow additional pieces of learning for only those learners who want to access it.

Accessibility Issues• To highlight the text that is to become the hyperlink either:

– use the mouse and click and drag or – press down the Shift key and then use the arrow keys, this is useful for motor

impaired learners.

• When in slide show mode the Tab key can be used to move from one hyperlink to the next on a page and the required link selected using the Enter key. This could be useful for learners with visual or motor impairment.

• Learners with visual impairment who use text-to-speech software have the hyperlinks read out to them. This means that the text you use for your hyperlinks, needs to be meaningful in order for the learner to decide if it is a link they wish to follow. Always use a text description rather than the URL address itself.

See the Techdis website or the AbilityNet website for more accessibility information.

Assessment of Learning

What is a hyperlink?

Give two pedagogical reasons for using hyperlinks:

Reflective Practice• Consider how you might use hyperlinks with the learners

you teach.

• Consider how their use might enhance the learning experience.

Note your thoughts in the interactive text box below:

Put into Practice• Take one of your ideas for the use of hyperlinks with

your learners and produce the resource.

• Use it with your learners

• Evaluate its effectiveness

• Make changes if applicable

• Add to the resource bank at Portsmouth’s Learning website

Select the Contributions tab and complete the form provided

Summary

Within this module you have:

1. Learnt what is meant by the term ‘hyperlink’

2. Explored the pedagogical reasons for using them

3. Learnt how to create hyperlinks

4. Considered accessibility issues

End