The document discusses authorSTREAM, a website that allows users to upload PowerPoint presentations and make them available online. It describes the uploading process, which involves registering for a free account, selecting the PowerPoint file, adding a title and category, and uploading. Once uploaded, the presentation is converted to a Flash format and the user receives a URL. Uploaded presentations can be shared by embedding the code, emailing links, or copying the URL. The document provides tips for formatting PowerPoints to best preserve quality when uploaded online.

1. Put your PowerPoints Online with authorSTREAM
Beth Bogage, San Diego Community College District
Kristi Reyes and Elizabeth Dinamarca Clarke, MiraCosta College
Because PowerPoint files tend to be large in size (especially if they contain image and
audio files), it’s a great idea to put your presentations online, so you don’t have to worry
about emailing large files or saving them and transferring them.
From a teaching perspective, putting your presentations (grammar, vocabulary, etc.)
online is a great way to make them available to your students. Not all students have the
PowerPoint program, but computers they use away from school likely do have Internet
access. You can also showcase student presentations by putting them on the Internet.
authorSTREAM is an Internet Web site that allows you to upload your PowerPoint
presentations to the Web. And the great thing is that if you choose to add sound to your
presentations via PowerPoint’s narration feature, the narration will be preserved online.
Instructions:
1) Go to: www.authorstream.com
2) Register on the website. It’s quick, easy, and free to do so. After you register, you
will receive an email message confirming your account, and asking you to activate it.
Follow the instructions to activate your account.
3) Go back to the site and sign in. Click on “Upload PowerPoint.” The site will prompt
you through a very simple process of attaching your PowerPoint file, naming it, and
uploading it:
1 Beth Bogage, SDCCD, Eli Clarke & Kristi Reyes, MiraCosta College CATESOL State Conference 2009

2. a: Click Upload PowerPoint
B: Click From Desktop and navigate
to the folder where your PowerPoint is
saved. Click Open to choose the file.
C: Add a title.
D: Choose a category
(Education).
E: Make your PowerPoint
public or private. Check the box
to allow other to download it.
F: Click Upload.
2 Beth Bogage, SDCCD, Eli Clarke & Kristi Reyes, MiraCosta College CATESOL State Conference 2009

3. 4) After your presentation is successfully uploaded, the site will convert the file to a
Flash animation. Then, two things will happen: first, you will get a message with the
URL of your presentation. However, if the site is slow to upload and convert your
PowerPoint, you will see a message that the file is in conversion. Just be patient;
sometimes big files take time to upload or the site is busy. Second, you will also receive
an email message confirming that your presentation was uploaded and providing you
with the URL.
*After your PowerPoint is uploaded to authorSTREAM, you can login to your account.
All of your uploaded files can be found under the
heading "Your Stuff." Click Your Presentations to
see a list of all your presentations.
NOTE: If you have any problems, you can email
authorSTREAM tech support. Their team typically
responds to any problems promptly.
(go to: http://www.authorstream.com/Contactus).
Considerations/Tips:
Sometimes when you upload a PowerPoint using authorSTREAM, the formatting
of your original PowerPoint may not be perfectly preserved. The following tips
help to make your online PowerPoint the most readable:
a) Use basic fonts. If you use a number of different fonts, or if you use
some that are obscure, AuthorSTREAM has difficulty converting the font
formatting. Some good fonts to use are the following:
-Times New Roman, Arial, Comic Sans, Maiandra GD
b) Avoid using underlining and italics; these features are both commonly
used to illustrate or highlight grammar structures, but again,
AuthorSTREAM has difficulty converting this formatting to online
presentation.
c) Avoid using too much custom animation; AuthorSTREAM can preserve
the movement of text and pictures that are created through the “custom
animation” feature of PowerPoint. However, if your presentation has too
much animation, it doesn’t translate well online. In addition, sometimes
the narration doesn’t match up well with the movement of the text and
graphics.
Keep your PowerPoints simple if you plan to upload them to the Internet using
authorSTREAM.
3 Beth Bogage, SDCCD, Eli Clarke & Kristi Reyes, MiraCosta College CATESOL State Conference 2009

4. Sharing the Uploaded PowerPoints:
1. Embed or post on a blog or website:
Go to "Your Stuff" and click on "Your Presentations." You will see the files that you
have uploaded. Next to the presentation that you want to embed, find the Embed
box. In the box, select and copy the embed code. Paste the code in a blog post.
Select and then copy
[Ctrl] + [C] the embed
code.
2. Share by email:
Again, next to the presentation that you want to share, find and click the “Share" link.
presentation.” In the pop-out box, enter the email address(es) and a message
(optional). Click “Send.”
Type in email
address(es) and
then click Send.
share
4 Beth Bogage, SDCCD, Eli Clarke & Kristi Reyes, MiraCosta College CATESOL State Conference 2009

5. elsewhere:
3. Post the URL on a website or elsewhere:
Click the URL tab. Select and copy the URL. Paste it as a hyperlink.
Select and then copy
[Ctrl] + [C] the URL.
Commenting:
If you have chosen to
make an uploaded
PowerPoint public,
anyone who views it
can add comments.
Comments will be
emailed to you at the
address you used to
register for the
account.
Viewers online can post comments
about your Presentation
Final Note:
Once you start using
authorSTREAM, you will
want to put all your
PowerPoint slideshows
online. To facilitate this
process, you can upload
multiple presentations at
once. To select multiple
files, simply hold down
the Ctrl key and click on Hold down Ctrl key to
the files you want to select multiple files;
upload. Open.
then click Open.
5 Beth Bogage, SDCCD, Eli Clarke & Kristi Reyes, MiraCosta College CATESOL State Conference 2009