Adding placeholder text to a Word document or PowerPoint presentation is as easy as =RAND()
Sometimes, you might need to add placeholder text to try and replicate a problem or demonstrate a solution. Sure, you can copy/paste a chunk of text from an online site, but that might take multiple steps and minutes to accomplish and the text may contain inappropriate verbiage or incompatible formatting. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint have a built-in text generator that can accomplish this task in one easy step!
Simply type =RAND() on a new Word document or inside a PowerPoint text box then press Enter. A new multi-paragraph chunk of text appears that you can use to demonstrate a process, test a theory or show a solution.
=RAND() automatically generates five paragraphs of text that contain three sentences each. If you wish to change how much text is generated, add numbers to the formula =RAND(x,y) where X is the number of paragraphs and Y is the number of sentences in each paragraph.
Ideas for implementation:
- Demonstrating how to format text in front of a classroom of students.
- Showing how to insert an image in Word and have text flow around the image.
- Explaining how to place text into columns.
Learn More:
Check out this video to learn more: How to Generate Random Text
Contributor: Diana McGhee
A veteran educator, Diana is currently the Director of Technology and Information for the Fort Thomas Independent Schools, a high-performing school district in Kentucky. She began her teaching career in 1985 and has basically grown up with technology
Follow Diana on Twitter: @dmmcghee
