Module 4: Software Proficiency

ESSENTIAL SKILLS IN WORD PROCESSING
(Using Word and Google Docs)

• Word Tutorial
  1. Basics of the Word Interface
  2. Basic Formatting with the Paragraph Unit
  3. Advanced Formatting
  4. Intensive Graphics Workshop
• Jump to another topic in module 4.

WORD TUTORIAL

Download ARTICLEREVIEW.DOCX to use throughout this section.

Document views

1. Common view modes
   
   • In the lower right-hand portion of the Word screen, select one of the following buttons:
     • draft: This mode is like typing on a continuous white board. (Select this from the view menu.)
     • page layout: In this mode, text is displayed on simulated pieces of paper.
     • Web: Displays text and graphics as they will appear on a Web page.
     • outline: Allows text to be organized into an outline, and then expanded to view text in each outline level.
   • OR select the various views from the view menu.
2. Zoom control
   
   • Select view--zoom from the menus, or press the zoom control on the standard toolbar to change the appearance on the screen. Note:
     • You can save a different zoom level in the normal and page layout modes.
     • Zoom affects how the document looks on the screen, NOT how it will print out.
     • In the zoom control, you can select a preset percentage or you can type in one of your choice followed by enter.

Preparing a document with templates
In Google Docs, select file -- new -- from a template from the menus.

1. Select file -- new from the menus.
2. From the pane that appears on the right, choose "on my computer" (or "templates on Office online) under the templates section. Then select the tab that corresponds with the type of document you want to prepare: letters & faxes, memos, other documents (such as resumes), reports.

Basic Formatting with the Paragraph Unit
(Tutorial Part 2)

Download ANNUITY1.DOCX to use in the beginning of this section.

Navigating/highlighting with the keyboard

• Basic keys
  • Home/end (Move to beginning/end of current line.)
  • Arrow keys (Move a letter at a time.)
• Shift key
  • Shift-home/end (Highlight from cursor to beginning/end of line.)
  • Shift-arrow keys (Extend cursor to highlight text.)
• Control key
  • Control-home/end (Quickly move to beginning/end of document.)
  • Control-left/right arrow keys (Move a word at a time.)
  • Control-up/down arrow keys (Move a paragraph at a time.)

Navigating/highlighting with the mouse

• Click within word:
  • 1 click: move insertion point
  • 2 clicks: select word
  • 3 clicks: select paragraph
• Click in left margin next to text:
  • 1 click: select line
  • 2 clicks: select paragraph
  • 3 clicks: select all
• Shift-click (Allows you to highlight vast amounts of text without needing to continually hold down the left mouse button.)
• Control-click (Highlight an entire sentence.)

Creating paragraphs in Word

• To show paragraph marks, select the home tab, then select the paragraph display tool from the paragraph group.)
• Enter (Creates a new paragraph unit by placing a paragraph mark.)
• Shift-enter (Forces a line break within the same paragraph.)
• Importance of paragraph mark: The power of using Word is contained within the paragraph unit. Word wrap occurs within a paragraph, allowing the user to change margins as desired. Plus, paragraphs allow for fast and powerful formatting and editing.

Formatting paragraphs
In Google Docs, select format -- align and indent -- indentation options" from the menus.

1. Highlight paragraph(s) to be effected, right-click, and select paragraph.
2. Select format--paragraph from the menus.
3. Choose from the following options in the indents and spacing tab:
   • align (right, left, center, justified)
   • indent/special (first line indented, hanging)
   • space before/space after (Enter spacing in points.)
   • line spacing (single, 1.5, double, or exactly X points)
   • In Google Docs, select format -- line and paragraph spacing from the menus.
4. Choose from the following options in the line and page break tab:
   • widow/orphan (Prevents one line from appearing on a page.)
   • keep lines together (Page break will not occur within this paragraph.)
   • keep with next (Page break will not occur within these two paragraphs.)

Format font

1. Highlight text to be affected.
2. Open the format paragraph dialog OR right-click and select format--font.
3. Choose from the following options:
   • font name (Times New Roman or Arial are most popular.)
   • style (regular, bold, italic, bold italic)
   • size (points)
   • underline
   • color
   • effects
   • default button (can affect normal.dot or wizard, depending on where you are)

When making handouts for students, use large fonts with plenty of spacing on the page to enable all students to read the material easily.

Repeat a format

• To quickly repeat the last format you effected:
  1. Navigate to new text/paragraph to be effected.
  2. Press control-Y OR select edit--repeat from the menus.
     • Note: Be careful! This procedure repeats the very last thing that you did.

Format painter

1. Highlight a paragraph whose formatting you would like to copy.
2. Select the format painter tool from the toolbar. Cursor changes to a paintbrush. (Double-click the tool to paint the format on several paragraphs.)
3. Highlight another paragraph on which to "paint" the copied format.
4. Release the mouse button to paint the format onto the new paragraph.
5. If you double-clicked the tool to start, highlight additional paragraphs on which to paint the new format. Click the tool again to turn it off.)

Format bullets
In Google Docs, select format bullets and numbering -- numbering -- [select style] from the menus.

1. Select text to convert to bullets, right-click, and select bullets.)
2. Special options:
   • bullets: You can press the customize button and select a special bullet character. Changing font size changes the size of the bullet.
   • numbered: Select restart numbering OR continue numbering from previous list.
3. You can select multilevel list from the home tab, paragraph group. Use tab and shift-tab to promote/demote text and change the level of bullets.

Set margins on the page

1. Select the page layout tab, then select margins from the page setup group.
2. Set the margins (top, bottom, left, right).
3. Set paper size and orientation.

Download MATHTEST1.DOCX. Using the multilevel list tool and format paragraph, format this document into a student-friendly test. Add a place for a student to write his/her name. Use multilevel bullets to format text into a multiple choice test. Use format--paragraph to space out questions and responses to meet up with UDL recommendations.

Advanced Formatting
(Tutorial Part 3)

Download GAGNE.DOCX to use in the next section.

Setting header and footer

1. Select the insert tab, then select header or footer in the header and footer group.
2. Press the switch between header/footer button to toggle between header and footer.
   • Important: DO NOT navigate around the page arbitrarily. Use this button.
3. If you have divided your document into sections, press the show next and show previous buttons to navigate to the header/footer in different sections.
4. Type header/footer as desired.
   • ways to format: format font, tabs, BIU buttons, left/center buttons
5. Select page number or other options as desired by pressing the appropriate buttons.
6. Press the close button on the floating toolbar to exit header/footer.

Download NEWSTORY.DOCX to use in the next section.

Creating columns

1. Select all of the text that will be affected.
2. Select the page layout tab, then select columns in the page setup group.
3. Choose how many columns you desire. Word automatically adjusts margins as needed.
4. Specify if you desire a line drawn between columns.
5. Press OK to accept changes.
   • Note: On the page, text will automatically wrap and fill columns. If you desire to start a new column at a particular location, do the following:
     1. Place the cursor at the desired location to begin the new column.
     2. Select insert--break from the menus, and specify column break.
6. To add a title that flows across columns (like a newspaper headline):
   1. Select the text to be formatted as a title.
   2. Select format--columns from the menus.
   3. Specify 1 column.
   4. Now, center and format the text as desired.
   • Note: When you divide a document into multiple sections, notice that the Word status bar on the bottom of the page now reflects what section you are in in addition to page number. Also, when you divide a document into sections, you can specify formatting for individual sections. For example, you could specify different page margins, header/footer, and page numbering conventions within the same document, with each section having its own unique format.

Download CLASSLIST.DOCX to use in the next section.

Working with tables
Select the insert tab, then select table from the tables group.

1. To sort data within a table
   1. Highlight ALL data to be sorted.
   2. Select table--sort from the menus.
   3. Complete the following fields:
      • Sort by: (Select appropriate field/paragraph.)
      • Type: (Select type of data -- text/number/date.)
      • Ascending/descending (Alphabetical/numerical or reverse order.)
   4. To sort by additional columns (e.g., sort by last name and then by first name), complete the similar information in the "then by" fields.

Download REFERENCES.DOCX to use in the next section.

Sorting text (outside of a table)

1. Highlight paragraphs to be sorted.
2. Select the home tab, then select sort in the paragraph group.
3. Complete the following fields:
   • Sort by: (Select appropriate field/paragraph.)
   • Type: (Select type of data -- text/number/date.)
   • Ascending/descending (Alphabetical/numerical or reverse order.)

Download Word Paper Example.docx. Using the formatting tools we have considered, use the text provided to create an APA-formatted research paper.

Intensive Graphics Workshop
(Tutorial Part 4)

In this section, start with a blank document in Word. As we learn about graphics, you will create a poster announcing a Halloween or Easter party for your students.

Working with boxes and borders

1. Select the page layout tab, then select page borders in the page background group.
2. Select options from the following tabs:
   • borders tab (affects outside of box):
     • Select type of box.
     • Select styles (line type, line width, and line color).
   • shading tab (affects inside of box):
     • Select fill (affects shading that will fill the box).
     • Select patterns.
       • Select color: If you have selected a pattern, this color will affect the pattern.
   • page border tab (affects entire page):
     • Selections are the same as in the borders tab, except that these selections are applied as a border around the entire page.
     • artwork: This is an additional option, not available in the borders tab. This option allows you to specify a graphic to form a border around the entire page. If you divide your document into sections, you can specify a different border (or no border) for various sections.

Download one or more of the following picture to use in the next section:

When designing a handout, use plenty of "white space." Don't overcrowd or try to fit too much on the page. Limit the amount of distraction that may negatively impact some learners.

Inserting graphics into a document

1. Select the insert tab, then select clipart or picture from the illustrations group.
2. Select from the following options:
   1. clip art
      • Select from a category of graphics OR enter a word or phrase to search.
      • Press the insert clip button to insert the graphic into the document.
   2. from file
      • Navigate to the graphic you want to download. (For example, you might save graphics you locate on the Web in the TEMP folder on the desktop.)
      • Press the insert button to insert the graphic into the document.

IMPORTANT: When you insert a graphic into Word, it is automatically formatted as "in line with text" (which means that the graphic is treated as if it were text on the page. You cannot work with a graphic formatted this way!!! The first thing you have to do after inserting a graphic into Word is change the text wrapping to anything other than "in line with text" (e.g., square, tight, etc.).

Working with graphics

1. Moving a graphic
   1. Highlight the graphic by clicking on it. When the graphic is selected, its handles will be visible.
   2. Move the mouse pointer over the graphic. The pointer becomes a cross-shaped cursor.
   3. Press and hold the left mouse button and drag the graphic to the desired new location.
   4. Release the mouse button to complete the action.
2. Rotating a graphic
   1. Highlight the graphic by clicking on it. When the graphic is selected, its handles will be visible.
   2. Place the pointer around the round green handle located above the graphic.
   3. Press and hold the left mouse button and rotate the graphic to the desired new orientation.
3. Resizing a graphic
   1. Highlight the graphic by clicking on it.
   2. Resize the graphic by grabbing one of its handles. Choose:
      • Grab one of the four corner handles (resizes the graphic proportionately).
      • Grab one of the side handles (resizes and stretches/distorts image).
4. Formatting a graphic
   
   1. Right-click the graphic, then select options.
   2. Enter the format picture menu by using any one of the following methods:
      • Select format--picture from the menus.
      • OR right-click and select format picture from the pop-up menu.
      • OR double-click graphic.
   3. Select from the following options to format the graphic:
      • picture tab
        • color (auto, grayscale, black and white, washout)
        • brightness (Move slider to adjust.)
        • contrast (Move slider to adjust.)
      • size tab
        • Resize the graphic by specifying a size (actual size in inches) or a scale (percentage size compared to original graphic).
        • Press reset to restore the graphic to its original size.
      • layout tab
        • Select a wrapping style by right-clicking the graphic, and select text wrapping.
          • in line with text (Graphic acts like another letter/character on the screen.)
          • square/tight (Text wraps around graphic.)
          • behind/in front of text (Graphic treated as if it existed in a different layer. Independent of text placement.)
          • from advanced tab: top and bottom (Moving graphic repels text over or beneath.)
      • colors and lines tab (rudimentary graphics editing)
        • fill (Allows a color to be added to the graphic. Check semi-transparent to lighten the color.)
        • line (Allows a border to be placed around the graphic.)
   4. Creating a background washout graphic
      
      1. Insert a graphic.
      2. Resize the graphic to fill most of the page without distorting it.
      3. From the picture tools: format tab that appears when you highlight a graphic, select recolor from the adjust group. Washout is found under the color modes.
      4. Right-click the graphic, and select text wrapping -- behind text.

HINT: When resizing a graphic, be careful not to distort the graphic! Sometimes you can only resize a graphic so large before it starts to pixelate, and it distorts and becomes unusable.

Download the following document and experiement with resizing graphics: GRAPHICS EXAMPLES.DOCX (375 Kb)

When working with text over background graphics, ensure that there is sufficient visual contrast between the text and the background. Otherwise, some learners may not be able to read the text.

Troubleshooting with graphics and text on the same page

• NOTE: Graphics and text are treated separately by Word. If you type text on a page and create a background graphic (resize to fill page, watermark, send to back), you may encounter the following problems:
  • problem: Inserting a graphic bumps existing text out of the way. OR as you type, a graphic is bumped out of the way to make room for the text.
    • solution: Right-click the graphic, then select text wrapping.
      • in line with text (Graphic acts like another character on the page.)
      • tight/square (Text wraps around graphic.)
      • behind text (Graphic is placed behind text, and text and graphic function as independent items on the page.)
  • problem: As you type, text disappears behind a graphic.
    • solution: Right-click on the graphic and select send to back.
  • problem: One graphic is covering another graphic.
    • solution: Right-click the graphic, then select bring to front.)

JUMP TO A TOPIC IN MODULE 4:

Exploring office productivity suites.

Presentation software fluency using Word.

Presentation software fluency using PowerPoint.

Spreadsheet fluency using Excel.

Module 1.

Topics.

TED 121

Dr. Steve