This latest version of the scanning shapes template offers these significant improvements:

1. The template supports a 2 switch scan. The left mouse click advances the scan sequence, and the right click makes the selection. RJ Cooper's Switch Hopper, or the Don Johnston Switch Interface would work fine.
2. The template provides text-to-speech support using Microsoft Agent technology. The Agents are cartoon characters that can speak text, gesture, move around, and even respond to voice commands (if you install the enormous support file for voice commands.) I have never tried the voice command feature, but I believe that it consumes more resources than it is worth. You will first need to install the Agent software on your computer that fortunately is free from Microsoft. Click here to find out how to download and install the Agent software.
3. Full support for building multiple choice, and fill-in-the-blank tests. (See the Multiple Choice Test Page)
4. Also new is the alternative UserForm based approach where the Visual Basic Controls are contained in a separate form that hovers over the slideshow. While this form is visible it takes control over the slideshow until it is closed. An AutoShape must be located on the first slide that has its Action Setting set to have a macro called "loadScanShapesWithAgentForm" to run on a mouse click. When the "loadScanShapesWithAgentForm" macro runs the form that contains scan controls and the scan button appears in the upper left-hand corner of the slideshow. The usual controls can be changed to suit your user, but the changes will be lost when the slideshow is ended or the form is closed. Once the setup is satisfactory, click the "Hide Scan Controls" button. Position your mouse cursor over the scan button and leave it there. Left mouse clicks will start and stop the scan. If you are using this template under Windows, if the mouse cursor disappear after a change of slides, you can regain control by using the arrow or tab keys to move the focus to the "Close Me" button and then by pressing the "Enter" or "Return" key. Once the scan form is closed PowerPoint regains control.
5. The UserForm also supports keyboard input. If the user checks the Use Keyboard Input option in the UserForm, three text boxes appear. The Yellow one accepts character input where digits 1 through 9 and letters A through F will directly activate the Mouse Click Action Setting of the scan shape whose creation order corresponds with the digit. The yellow box can also facilitate a 2 switch scan by entering the letter 'l' to highlight the next scan shape, and the letter 'p' to activate the highlighted scan shape.

The first thing you will notice is the extra options on the setup slide, particularly to select the 2 switch scan option, and the Microsoft Agent option. Furthermore, if you click the Show button you will reveal the selected scan shapes. The Hide button conceals them.

If you check the Agent option, you will encounter a second setup slide that lets you select one of the four Agent characters, set its size, position, and the font size of the speech bubble. You can also turn on a narrate slide show feature which will cause the Agent to read the text contents of rounded rectangle AutoShapes that you put in the slides of your slideshow as soon as the slide opens.

By selecting the Agent you automatically enable text-to-speech auditory cueing and messaging. Text added to scan shapes becomes the auditory cue, the message, or both. The first line of text is the cue, the second line becomes the message, and if there is only one line of text, it becomes both cue and message.

Note: The best thing to do with the following link is to right click on it and select the "Save Target to Disk" option for viewing with PowerPoint. If you have Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office products, and you just click on the link the slideshow may load, but it may cause an error. If that happens, just click the "end" option.

Here's the new template:

Scanning Shapes Version 3 for PowerPoint with 2 Switch Scan and Agent Technology (with Setup Slide)

Scanning Shapes Version 3 for PowerPoint with 2 Switch Scan and Agent Technology (with User Form)

I have revised the multiple-choice test to support the Agent technology. In this example the Agent reads the questions, the answers and the choices the test taker makes. Here's the Scanning Shapes Version 3 revision of the multiple-choice test:

Version 3 Multiple Choice Test PowerPoint Example

Here's how: Adding a New Character to scanShapes3b.ppt

Hide the narration text by setting the rounded rectangle and the text color to match the background. This will also work for hiding auditory cues and messages. If setting the text color doesn't achieve the invisibility you desire, try making the font as small as possible instead.

Use the sizing and positioning parameters on the Agent set up slide to position the Agent and its speech bubble so as to not cover up too much of your presentation.

If you are using the Narrate Slides option it is advisable to only link to other PowerPoint presentations that are also scanning shapes based presentations. The narration and scanning features will interfere with the normal PowerPoint Custom Animations processes.