Google Slides, like PowerPoint, is a way to create backgrounds and layouts for your Boom Cards. Google Slides is easily accessible and free, making it a great option for anyone looking to start making Decks. It has a few disadvantages as well, which will be discussed in the article as they are encountered.
Setting up the Google Slides Document
Before starting to work on your Slides, make sure that your Google Slides document is set up with the following resolution:
This is a custom size setting. To change this setting of your Google Slides document, navigate to File > Page Setup in the top left corner of the screen.
You can use various resolutions, but 7x5 is our recommended aspect ratio. Unlike PowerPoint, we cannot edit the resolution of the images that are downloaded in Google Slides. Because of that, it is recommended that you work with a larger slide size such as 14x10 or 21x15 so that your slides look better when they are downloaded as images.
Once you have done this, you're ready to start creating your Slides. If you have already created your document, changing the size of the pages might move some of the images and text on your slides. Double-check everything if you resize a preexisting document.
Exporting your Slides
To convert Google Slides to Boom Cards, choose "Download as JPEG image" or "Download as a PNG image." This will download the current slide you are viewing. You must download each slide as an image individually from Google Slides, which is a downside when creating Decks with a lot of Cards.
Once the files are saved to your computer, open the Boom Deck you want to work on in your Studio.
Uploading your Images to Boom and Creating a Playable Card
In this example, I will be using a brand new deck with all of the default settings.
To upload a slide, select a card in your deck and click "background image."
In the pop-up menu that appears, select "Upload" and find the images you downloaded from Google Slides on your computer.
Once the file is uploaded, select it from the list of images in your Boom Library. You will then see your slide as the background of your Boom Card. Now, all we need to do is set it up to accept an answer. In this example, we will be creating a simple multiple-choice question. I have placed four empty text boxes over the buttons from the background image.
Then, I selected each of the text boxes and marked them as Correct or Wrong in the "Answer Options" panel. In this question, the answer is "Yellow," so I have marked that text box as Correct and the rest as Wrong. In the end, the card looked like this:
Now we are going to test the card to make sure it works as intended. In the preview, I selected the "Yellow" button and the answer is marked as correct and the Deck Player proceeds to the next Card. If any of the other options are selected, the Card will be marked as Wrong.
Repeat this process as necessary for the rest of the cards in your deck.
Creating REATING A DRAG AND DROP CARD FROM GOOGLE SLIDES
In the previous example, there was no need to consider Drag and Drop objects because the question only required a background. In this example, we will create a Card with Draggable objects and Drop Zones using a background that I created in Google Slides. I have already uploaded the background image and placed an empty text box that will act as the Drop Zone for the Card.
For this example, we will use image elements as the Draggable objects. I have created five colored circles using Google Slides' "Shapes" tool and saved them each individually. You could also use a program like Microsoft Paint for colored Shapes like these ones. With the Shapes placed and the Correct Draggable matched with the Drop Zone, the Card looked like this. When played, the green circle is accepted as the correct answer and the rest are marked as Wrong.
For a walkthrough from a fellow Boom Card author, check out Mary Howard's YouTube tutorial: How to Create BOOM Cards.