Microsoft Word Tips

 To create a document:

Select File>New or click .

To open a previously created document:

Select File>Open or click  and browse to the file you want to open. Select it and click "open".

To format a document:

- From an open Word document, select File>Page setup.

- You can set margins, paper size, paper source, and layout. Specify the desired settings and click OK.

To format font:

- Select desired text (highlight it).

- Select Format>Font.

- Select Font tab, choose desired effects and click OK. (For size, the larger the number, the bigger your letters/font will be.)

Another way to format font:

- Click the little arrow beside "Times New Roman" or whatever your default font is. Choose another font style.

- Click the little arrow next to the "12" or whatever your default size is. Choose another size.

- Click the font color button to change font color.

To make font bold:

Click the  tab.

To make font italicized:

Click the  tab.

To make font underlined:

Click the  tab.

To format spacing:

Select desired text.

Select Format>Font.

Select Character Spacing tab and click the arrows to set values for scale, spacing, position, etc. Click OK.

Some other buttons and what they do:

 Cut – removes selected text or images.         

 Copy – copies selected text or images.         

 Paste – pastes selected text or images into a new document or new place within your document.

 Bullets – creates a bulleted list.

 Numbers – creates a numbered list.

  Undo – Undoes your last action (or several actions).

 Spellcheck – Checks spelling and grammar and offers correction tips.

To select alignment:

Choose the button for left align , center align , right align , or justified .

To insert a page break:

Click and hold down your control key, press enter.

To change background color:

- Select Format>Background.

- Select a color from the color palette and click OK. (You may also choose patterns by doing these steps and choosing "fill effects".

To create a table:

- Place cursor where you want the table to go.

- Select Table>Insert Table, and select how many rows and columns you want. You may also choose the column width. OR, you may simply click and drag until you have as many columns and rows as you want.

- Use your tab key or arrow keys to move from one cell to the other to enter data.

To insert graphics:

- Place cursor where you want the graphic to go.

- Select Insert>Picture>Clipart. A clipart box will pop up.

- Choose a picture that you want to insert and click the top option (piece of paper with an arrow on it). Just choose it ONCE. Then look at your document to see that your picture has been added.

Extra tip:

In the clipart box, choose "clips online" at the top. This takes you to Microsoft's clipart gallery and you can search for what you want and follow the steps above to insert it.

To insert links:

- Select Insert>Hyperlink or choose the Hyperlink button.

- In the Link to File or URL field, type the URL name and click OK.

To set tabs:

- Select Format>Tabs.

- Enter the desired tab settings in the Tab stop position field and click Set. Repeat for additional tab settings.

- Click OK. Tab settings are applied to document or selected text.

To use headers or footers:

Select View>Header and Footer. Click icons to format header and footer as desired.

To insert page numbers:

Select Insert>Page Numbers, specify preferences, click OK.

To save a file:

Select File>Save or click .

Extra tip:  Save and save often!

To save a file with a new name:

Select File>Save As, and give the file a NEW name. This leaves the old file intact.

To print:

Select File>Print, or , and choose the printer you want to print to.

Some keyboard shortcuts:

Save                 ctrl-S

Close                ctrl-W

Print                 ctrl-P

Find                  ctrl-F

Replace            Ctrl-H

Cut                   ctrl-X

Copy                 Ctrl-C

Paste                Ctrl-V

Undo                 Ctrl-Z

Other tips:

- Change the percentage to view your document in different sizes.

- Use Print Preview (File>Print Preview) to see how your document will look when it prints.

- Try out Insert>Picture>WordArt.

- Red squiggly lines mean you may have a spelling error.

- Green squiggly lines mean you may have a grammatical error.

Microsoft PowerPoint Tips

To create a new presentation:

- Open PowerPoint, select Blank Presentation, and click OK.

- From the New Slide window, select a layout and click OK.

- To insert new text, click on existing text and just type what you want. Click outside of text box to apply. To insert a new text box, click Insert>Text Box.

- To add a slide select Insert>New Slide, or click the new slide button .

To create a presentation from a template:

Open PowerPoint. Select Design Template and click OK.

To format slides:

Select Format and specify preferences.

Tips:

- You can move text boxes simply by clicking and dragging them. You can resize in the same way.

- You can use all the tips from Word to format font and to add graphics in PowerPoint.

- You can click on the slides in the left view pane and drag and drop them to rearrange the order of your slides.

- You can also insert charts and graphs from Excel into PowerPoint and Word documents.

Views in PowerPoint:

(note – to change views simply click on View and choose the view you want)

Normal View – current slide is in frame on right, list of slides is in frame on left.

Slide Sorter View – Many slides show up at once. You can easily change their order in this view. Double click the thumbnail for the full view. To delete a slide in this view, simply click the slide and press your Delete key.

Notes Page View – Use this view to add speaker notes to your slides.

Slide Show View – Actually watching the presentation slide by slide.

To Set Slide Show Transitions:

- Select Slide Show>Slide Transition, and select the desired effects.

- Click Apply (current slide) or Apply to All (entire presentation).

To view the slide show:

Choose View>Slide Show, or choose the slide show tool

To print notes pages:

- Click File

- Click Print

- Under Print What, choose Notes Pages. If you want more slides per page, choose Handouts. This will give you six slides per page.

Microsoft Excel Tips

To create a new workbook:

- Select File>New or click .

- Choose a template.

To select rows and columns:

Click on the row or column heading and drag until desired area is selected.

To insert rows and columns:

Insert>Column or Row.

To delete cells, rows, columns:

Select cells, rows, or columns and click Edit>Delete or press your delete key.

To edit cell contents:

Double click the cell, make changes, press Enter.

To change column width:

Click and drag the border on the right side of column heading.

To change row height:

Click and drag on the border below the row heading.

To move sheets within workbook:

Click and drag the sheet tab at the bottom of the screen.

To create a chart using chart wizard:

- Select the cells to graph.

- Select Insert>Chart, OR click the Chart Wizard icon

- Follow the instructions in the Wizard.

To create a formula:

-          Click the cell in which to enter formula.

-          Press =.

-          Enter formula using operators as described below and click the green check mark or hit Enter key.

: (colon)            Reference a range of cells.

,                       Combines multiple references.

%                     Percent

^                       Exponentiation

* and /               Multiplication and division

+ and -              Addition and subtraction

&                      Connects two strings of text

To copy a formula:

Select the cell with the formula you want to copy. Hold down Ctrl. When you see the arrow appear, drag it to the destination cell.

Formatting Cells:

All of the tips that worked in Word will work in Excel to change font style, color, size, etc. You may also add backgrounds in the same way.

Extra tip:

- Be careful to enter both labels and numbers when necessary.

- For quick, simple addition, use the Autosum button  after you have highlighted the cells you want summed.

Sample worksheet:

Basic Computer Use

 Parts of the Computer

 Monitor

Mouse

Keyboard

CPU or Tower

Speakers

Headphones

Modem

Printer

Disk Drives

Microphone

Input/Output Devices

Input devices allow you to put information into your computer. The keyboard, mouse, microphone, and scanner are input devices.

Output devices allow you to take information out of your computer. The monitor, speakers, and printer are output devices.

Floppy disks and CDs can be input or output devices.

Mouse Tips

Left click is what you usually use. Click once on links. Click twice on icons (pictures on your desktop or in other programs).

Right click offers a menu with other choices like cut, copy, and paste. Right clicking in a browser window will let you set a picture as your background, add to favorites, and do other things.

Windows Tips

All active windows show up in the task bar at the bottom of your screen. You can click from one to the other to pull a particular window to the top.

TIP:  If your window disappears, check at the bottom of your screen and see if it's listed there!

Bars

Title Bar – the blue bar at the top of any program you use. It tells the name of the document or web page you are viewing.

Menu Bars – usually just underneath the title bar. The menu bar lists various menus you can use. If you click on a word, a drop-down menu will appear. In Word, some things on the menu bar are File, Edit, View, Insert, Format, etc. In IE, some items on the menu bar are File, Edit, View, Favorites, Tools, etc.

Toolbars – these contain tools you can use in a program. In Word, the toolbar has icons for open, save, print, spellcheck, font, etc. In IE, the toolbar has icons for back, forward, home, favorites, etc.

TIP:  You can change toolbars in programs by clicking on View>Toolbars, and choosing the toolbars you want to show up. If you lose a toolbar, follow those steps and make sure the toolbar has a checkmark beside it.

Scrollbars – Scrollbars appear on the right hand side (and sometimes bottom) of your screen. You can click the tab or the arrows and move up and down within a document or website. You can also move from one side to the other.

Task bar – The task bar is the long blue bar at the bottom of your screen. It shows the programs that are currently running and documents or web sites that are open. Note:  You can move the task bar to the side or top of your screen by clicking and dragging it.

System Tray (Systray) – small row of icons in the lower right portion of your screen. These icons show what programs are currently running. Some of them include your clock, virus scan, speaker, and others. You can click on any of these icons to open the program or right click on the icons to open the properties and make changes to them or turn them off. Be careful not to turn off things you're unsure of here.

Start Menu - All versions of Windows have a start button on the bottom left. Click Start and you get a list of things on your computer, depending on what version of Windows you have. If you click "All programs" you get a list of every program on your computer. You can click on any program name to run that program.

Shut Down – To shut down properly, exit all programs. Then click Start>Turn off Computer. Or, if you have WINXP, just press your power button on the CPU one time and wait for it to automatically go through the shutdown process. Always shut down the right way. Don't just turn off the computer.

Desktop Icons:

My Documents – stores and manages documents. Most things you do in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will be saved here unless you specify something different.

My Network Places – Displays computers that are found on your network. TIP:  Do NOT bother things that are on the network at school unless you have permission from your teacher.

Recycle Bin – Stores things you have deleted until you permanently remove them from your computer.

TIP: To empty the recycle bin, right click and empty recycle bin. Caution:  Once you empty this, you cannot get these things back without a lot of trouble!

Internet Explorer – Runs and displays information and web sites on the Internet.

NOTE: You may have other icons for other programs. You can delete extra icons by right clicking and choosing delete. This will only delete the icon, not the program itself. If you accidentally delete an icon, you can get it back by dragging it out of the recycle bin. If you want to create an icon from scratch, go to Start>All Programs> choose the program icon and right click, then right click and choose Send to Desktop.

Control Panel

(These tips are for WINXP. They may vary slightly on your machine.)

- Accessibility option – customizes accessibility features

- Add hardware – installs, removes, and troubleshoots hardware

- Add or remove programs – installs and removes programs and components

- Date & Time – Sets date, time, and time zone.

- Display – Customizes your desktop display and screen saver.

- Folder options – Customizes display of files & folders.

- NOTE: There are other options here, but do not use them unless you are sure of what you're doing. The one you will want to play with most is Display.

- Special Tip:  Learn how to use folders. Practice making them and saving into them. This is a good organization tool and makes it easier to find things on your computer. Think of them in the same way as you think of folders in a file cabinet.

Folders

- Copy files/folders – Open folder. Select item. Edit:  Copy. Open folder. Edit:  Paste.

Note:  You can copy things from disk to hard drive, or from CD to hard drive, or any other combination of one drive to another.

- Create folder – File>New>Folder>Type name>Enter

- Delete file/folder – Select files/folders>Delete>Yes (NOTE: Be SURE you want to really delete it before you click yes.)

- Move files/folders – Select files/folders>Click and drag the file/folder to destination.

- Open files/folders – Double click My Computer>Double click Drive>Double click file/folder

- Rename files/folders – click file/folder>Click name of file/folder>Type name of file/folder>Enter 

Drives

A:  Floppy disk drive

C:  Hard drive (inside the CPU)

D:  CD drive

Note: You may have other drives or your drives may vary from these.

Disks

Insert disks with the metal part first. The round circle in the middle should be on the bottom. Do not touch the inside of the disk.

- Copy disk – Insert source disk in drive. Double click My Computer. Right click drive. Copy disk. Start. OK. Insert desgination disk in drive when asked. OK. Close.

- Format disk – Insert disk in drive. Double click My Computer. Right click drive. Format. Select capacity and format type. Start. OK. NOTE:  Formatting will erase anything that is on the disk.

Accessories

(Most computers have these programs.)

Notepad – Very basic text editor. Used to create simple documents and edit web pages. Use WordPad for files that need formatting.

Paint – Create pictures and graphic objects (lines, circles, drawings, etc.). Diagrams can be placed in other programs.

WordPad – Very simple word processor. Aimed at quick production of memos, business letters, and other simple documents. Saves documents as text, Unicode, Word 6 or RTF (rich text format).

Internet Tips

(Note: All tips are given for Internet Explorer browser.)

Browser buttons – row of buttons at the top of your browser screen.

Back – Takes you back to a prior site or web page.

Forward – Takes you forward (if you have clicked on your back button).

Stop – Stops a web page from loading.

Refresh – Reloads a web page.

Home – Takes you back to your home page (the page that shows up when your browser first opens).

Favorites – A list of sites you have bookmarked or saved so that you can visit them again.

Address bar or URL:  Lists the address of the current web page (think of this as a street address).

URLs:  URLs have different parts. They start with http (hyper text transfer protocol). Then they have a ://. Then they have www (world wide web). Then they have a company or site name. Then they have an extension like .com or .org. Note:  Some URLs will vary. Be careful when typing a URL in the address bar. It must be exactly right (and cannot include spaces) or it will not work.

URL Extensions:

.com     Commercial business

.edu      Educational institution

.gov      Government agency

.mil       Military agency

.net       Miscellaneous

.org       Non-profit organization

Note: Countries also have their own codes that may or may not be used, such as .us for U.S. and .ca for Canada.

How to set your homepage – Click Tools>Internet Options>Type in the URL of the page you want as your homepage>Apply>OK.

How to check your history – Click the arrow in the address bar on your browser window. A list of previously visited sites will drop down.

How to clear history – Click Tools>Internet Options>Clear History>Yes>OK.

How to clear cookies (cookies are temporary files that are saved on your computer. You should clear them once a week) – Click Tools>Internet Options>Delete Cookies>OK>OK.

To change text size in IE:

Click View>Text Size>Choose the size you want.

To change toolbar options:

Click View>Toolbars>Customize. Then choose the things you want to include or remove from your toolbar. You can also lock the toolbars so that it isn't as easy to make changes.

Note:  You can put your cursor at the bottom of your toolbar and drag it up so make your toolbar fit in a smaller space. Or you can click and drag it down to give it more room. You can also click on the little dividers within the toolbar and slide them from side to side to make sections larger or smaller.

To save favorites:

Favorites are websites you like to visit over and over. You can save them so it's easier to find them.

Once you find a site you like, make sure it shows in your browser window and follow these steps:

Click Favorites>Add to Favorites>OK

If you save a lot of favorites, start using folders so that you can organize them. For example, you might put homework sites in one folder and favorite video game sites in another folder.

To access your favorites, click on the star/favorites button in the toolbar. A list of your favorites will show up on the left side of the screen. Just click on the title you want and it will go directly to the site.

Web Page Advertisements

Many web pages have pop-up ads or boxes on the web sites that look like part of the web site. Do NOT click on these ads or download things they suggest. Just X the ad boxes or ignore ads that are actually a part of a web page.

Directories and Search Engines:

A good directory for students is Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com).

A good directory for adults is Google (http://www.google.com). Be sure you notice the different types of Google searches, like the Image search function.

There are MANY directories and search engines you can use. Once you search for a topic, read the descriptions of the sites suggested before you click on them.

Search by keyword. Type a particular word in the search box. Be sure to spell it correctly. Sometimes you can type more than one word and get better results.

Search by directory. Click on a topic that you want to search in. Then click on another topic. Think of this as following a path until you reach your destination.

Evaluating Web Sites

Not everything on the Internet is true. When you view a site, ask yourself the following questions:

Can I find out who made this site?

What makes the author an authority on the subject?

When was the site last updated?

Can I email the author?

Does the site contain facts or opinions?

Safety

Passwords: If you think you can't remember your password, write it down, but keep that paper safe. Do NOT give your password out to anyone except your parents.

Personal Information:  Do not give out personal information, including name, address, phone number, name of your school, name of your ball team, or anything else that someone could use to find you.

Chatting:  It's okay to chat as long as you don't give out personal information. If anyone EVER makes you feel uncomfortable, exit the program and tell an adult right away. There are various chat programs, including MSN, AIM, Yahoo, and ICQ.

Email:  If you don't recognize the address of the sender, don't open it. Do NOT download anything without a teacher's or parent's permission.

Email is not private. Anyone can read email that is sent from or to you, so never say anything in an email that you wouldn't write on a postcard that anyone could read.

If you get something in email that you want to keep, save it to disk or print it out. Delete emails and keep your account clean.

Follow directions in your email program and save often-used addressed into your address book. Then when you want to email someone, just click on the address in the address book.

Note: You can attach Word files, pictures, and other files and send them via email. The directions vary from one email program to another. Look for an Attach button and follow the directions from there. You will have to browse to find the file you want to attach. Then send the email.

Inappropriate websites: There are a lot of websites with bad pictures or language. If you accidentally click on one, exit immediately and tell your teacher or parent what happened. Do NOT stay on a website that has things that make you uncomfortable or that your parents or teachers would not approve of.

Netiquette

- Use lower case or caps and lower case when typing. If you type in all capital letters, you are shouting.

- Be polite. If you harass someone or do something wrong, it can be traced back to you. That also means if someone does something bad to YOU, they can be traced. Every computer has an IP number (like an address). These can be used to find people.

- Use acronyms and emoticons to make your writing more fun.

Acronyms:

BRB – Be right back

G2G – Got to go

LOL – Laugh out loud

TY – Thank you

BTW – By the way

IMHO – In my humble opinion

CUL8R – See you later

Emoticons:

(if you can't see these, tilt your head to the left)

:o)        Smile

:o(        Frown

;-)         Wink

>^..^<    Cat

^5         High Five

Nethics

All words and pictures on the Internet are owned by someone. Even if you CAN copy and save things to your own computer, you shouldn't do that unless the author has given you permission. Many authors will give permission if you email them. If you just take things, you are stealing, and there are laws against that, even on the Internet.

Kidpix Tips

The Wacky Pencil draws lines. The Options bar offers line widths, styles and patterns.

The Line tool draws straight lines.

The Rectangle tool draws rectangles in a variety of patterns selected from the Options bar.

The Oval tool draws ovals in a variety of patterns selected from the Options Bar.

HAVE FUN with the Wacky Brush! Experiment with both sets of tool options.

The Electric Mixer mixes up your drawing in lots of crazy ways.

Paint Can fills the selected area with the chosen color or pattern from the Options bar.

Erasers remove all or part of the drawing in fun ways.

Text places letters, numbers and symbols at any place on the screen. You can change fonts and colors!

Stamps place pictures on your slide. There are many sets of stamps on the Options bar. Click on the desired stamp, then click on the screen to place it. To select a different set of stamps, go to the GOODIES menu and drag down to "Pick a stamp set."

The Moving Van moves a selected section of the drawing from one spot to another.

The Undo Guy may be your best friend. He helps get rid of whatever it was you didn't want to do!

To select a color, simply click on the color you would like to use.

Note:  There are a lot of options under the Goodies tab. You can choose backgrounds, color-mes, and other things. Experiment and play around.

You can also play with moopies, slide shows, stampimator, and other parts of Kidpix.

Kidspiration and Inspiration tips

Kidspiration and Inspiration are mind mapping software tools to help you plan projects.

The toolbar looks like this in Picture View:

You can add pictures and words around a central theme.

You can also change from normal view to writing view.

NOTE: If you lose the symbol palette, click on View>Symbol palette, and it will bring the symbol palette back up.

There are many pre-made templates in Inspiration and Kidspiration. Click File>Template to explore these and use them.

Inspiration is very similar to Kidspiration.

Inspiration's diagram toolbar looks like this:

To add items, click the rapidfire button. Then type your new item label and hit enter. You can do this for as many items as you want.

To move items, simply click and drag them.

To change an item from a shape to a picture, click the item, and select a picture from the palette.

You can also change from normal view to outline view.

Drawing Tools

Kidspiration, Inspiration, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint all include drawing tools.

In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, click Insert>Picture>Autoshape.

You can click and drag to draw a shape. You can fill the shapes with colors or patterns. You can also insert text boxes over pictures or shapes and type in them.

A special drawing toolbar will appear at the bottom of your screen. Use these options to format your shapes or pictures.

Resizing pictures and shapes – click on the corner of the picture and drag it out or push it in to make it larger or smaller. If you click on the side you will change the picture's size, but not proportionally.