Here's how I added the audio to my PPT flashcards.

First:
You need a microphone for the computer - obviously. I got mine free after a $2 instant rebate from OfficeMax or Office Depot a few years ago. Sometimes they have awesome rebate deals.

Second:
Familiarize yourself with the "Sound Recorder" program that comes with most Microsoft software. When the program is opened, it basically looks like a small grey box with "stop" "play" "pause" "record" buttons on it and a small screen showing the wave frequencies in green. Pretty cool!

Third:
Record your voice and edit it to be only one or two seconds long. There is a simple way to edit audio clips. On the "Sound Recorder" drop-down "edit" menu, you have the options to "delete before cursor position" or "delete after cursor position" and that's how I cut out extra noises that show up before or after I make the recording. You can tell where your voice begins and ends by scrolling and watching the green squiggle lines. Sometimes I recorded myself saying the word or phrase twice in one audio clip. I found that I usually said the second word a bit faster and could cut out the first half of the clip. Save your audio clip and move onto the next one.

Forth: Decide which method to use: "Slide Transition" or "Custom Animation."

If you want animated text or pictures on your slide, add audio to the animation effect using the "Custom Animation" method. Otherwise, add audio using the "Slide Transition" method.

The difference between animating a slide and slide transition:
If you sat down on a couch and flipped through a photo album you would likely turn the pages by slowly lifting the upper right corner and exposing the next page. That is like a slide transition. PowerPoint has different slide transition speeds and options available like "uncover" "wipe" "fade to black" etc... you can also add sound to the slide transition.

Animating is different because instead of turning the page (transitioning) the entire slide all at once you have the option to animate separate parts of your slide individually. The custom animation menu distinguishes the separate parts of your slide as "title," "text 1," "text 2," "image 1," "image 2," etc.

If you want animation in a slide (ie: text flying in after the slide opens) use the "Custom Animation" method. You can also add sounds to animation effect.

If you want a sound to appear with a simple slide transition, then use the "Slide Transition" method.

The "Slide Transtion" Method

a - Open MS PPT and put it in the "slide sorter view." (that is when you can see all your slides at once.)

b - Highlight and right click a slide.

c - Select "slide transition"

d - On the "sound" drop down menu select "Other sound..." which is all the way at the bottom of the list.

e - This will open your Documents. Select the sound file to add to the slide.

f- Click "apply" **Warning: Do NOT click on "apply to all."

g- Click on the little icon next to the seconds display to preview how it will look and sound.

That should do it! :-)

Note: I discovered that audio on both the slide transition AND the animated effect messed up the timing of the slide and would sound odd. So if I had audio with the animation, I removed sound from the slide transition.

The "Custom Animation" Method:

a - Go to regular "slide view" (This is when one slide is viewed at a time instead of all the slides viewed at once.)

b- Select a slide and then click on Slide Show drop-down menu to select "Custom Animation." (Note: If this option is not available then you may still be in the "slide sorter view.")

c- Under "check to animate slide objects" section ensure that only the "Title 1" box is checked.

d- In addition to checking the box, you need to then click on the text "Title 1" so that it is highlighted (otherwise the next option won't be available.)

e- Make sure you are still on the "Order & Timing" tab, select the "Start animation" radio button to show "Automatically 00:00 seconds after previous event."

f- Now click on the "Effects" tab

g- Ensure the text "Title 1" is still checked AND highlighted

h- Under the "Entry animation and sound" section select your preferred effect and sound. Under the [sound] drop-down menu...scroll to add another sound like we did in the other method."

i- Select the "all at once" option under the "Introduce Text" drop-down menu.

Whew! If you would like for me to add audio to your slides, just contact me. If allowed, I'd like to offer people to join my Yahoo group "FreeFlashcardExchange."

:-)

By the way, I discovered a WONDERFUL teaching moment when my son wanted to record his voice like mommy was doing. He is more attentive to the slide when it is his voice.