Clevertouch & interactive screensMedium2 min read

Importing a PowerPoint or PDF and annotating over it

Please note: this is independent guidance. Vision Tech is not affiliated with Clevertouch. Menus and features differ between models and software versions, so check your screen's own manual or on-screen help, and speak to your school IT team or supplier before changing admin-locked settings, updating firmware or doing a factory reset.

Many teachers already have slides and worksheets. Instead of rewriting them, you can bring them onto the interactive screen and write on top. The exact steps depend on the software, so these instructions are general.

Option 1: import into the whiteboard app

Put your file on a USB stick or in cloud storage you can reach from the screen.
Open the whiteboard app and look for an Open, Import or Insert option in the menu.
Choose your PowerPoint or PDF file.
Wait while it loads. Large files can take a minute.

Many versions turn each slide or page into a whiteboard page that you can write on. Complex animations and fonts may change or be lost, so check every slide before the lesson.

Option 2: open the file in a viewer and annotate over it

If importing does not work well, open the file in an app or viewer on the screen, then use the annotation tool from the side toolbar. On many Clevertouch screens this lets you write over whatever is displayed, even if it is not a whiteboard file. You can usually save a screenshot of the result.

Option 3: present from a laptop

Connect your laptop, show your slides, and use the screen's annotation tool to write over them. This keeps your original formatting.

Tips

Save the PDF version of your slides if the PowerPoint looks wrong.
Keep a copy of the original file in case you need to start again.
Save your annotated version with a new name, such as the date.
Check embedded videos before the lesson, as they may not play.

Problems with importing

A file will not open: try the PDF version.
Slides look different: check fonts and spacing, or present from a laptop instead.
It is slow: reduce the file size or split a long document.

When to get more help

Ask IT if files will not import at all, the app crashes while loading, or you need to know what file types your screen supports. Tell them the file type and its size.

Did this help? If you are still stuck, email Vision Tech and tell us what you can see on the screen. Menus and button names can differ slightly between versions and makes. If something does not match, stop and ask rather than guess.