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Welcome. In this video we will go over basic computer applications that will help you complete your assignments.
Some of the functions of this video include pause, play and rewind. You can turn the captions and table of contents on or off
by clicking on the CC or closed captioning button or the button that looks like a piece of paper.
Microsoft office is a suite of software that helps you create documents that include essays, presentations, charts, flyers and more!
The two programs that we will discuss here are Microsoft Word and Microsoft PowerPoint.
What is Microsoft Word? Microsoft Word lets you create documents like essays.
This is one of the most important applications you will use in your education.
In order to create a document, go to the start menu, and open Microsoft Word.
If you do not see it immediately on the start menu, go to Programs, Microsoft Office and then Microsoft Word.
As soon as you create the document, name it.
To do that, go to File, Save as, give your file a name, choose the location where you would like to save it and click on save.
From now on, you can just click on the Save button at the top of the page. Make sure you save often to avoid losing work.
To change the style of the letters, known as the FONT, go to the top of the page.
To change it, select the font style you want. Many times, instructors ask that your paper be in the Times New Roman font.
You can also change the size of the font. To do that, go to the top of the page where you see the #11, click on that and choose the size.
The most common font size is 12. It is best to change these settings before you begin to type.
If you want to change the font style and/or size within your document, highlight the section you want to change and change it.
Many assignments also require that the margins, or edges of the document, be 1-inch around.
To change the margins, click on the Page Layout tab, click on Margins and select the option that shows 1 inch all around.
Microsoft Word has a built in dictionary that lets you know when a word is misspelled or if it’s grammatically incorrect.
Words that are misspelled are underlined in red. Words or sentences that have grammatical errors are underlined in green.
In this example you can see the misspelled word underlined in red.
To correct it, you can right click on the word and pick the correct word from the list. You will do the same for grammatical errors.
Remember, software programs are NOT perfect! Always ask a friend and/or a school peer to read your papers for you.
You can also create lists by using Bullets, which can be numbers, letters or symbols. To create a list, start by choosing a bullet style.
From the Home tab, go to the section with the bullets.
The first section is for symbols, the second section is for numbers and the third section lets you choose from bullet templates.
In this example I will choose a number to create a numbered list. Once you choose a style, click on it to begin the list.
An indented #1 will show up. Type what you want to say and hit enter/return to make a #2.
If you want to make a sub-bullet hit return or enter and then hit the tab button on your
keyboard, which is on the left side, to create a bullet related to the first one.
To get back to numbered bullet, hit return twice.
Keeping your files organized is important. You will have a much easier time finding them when you need them.
A good way to organize is to create a folder. You can name your folder anything you’d like.
You can name it English Class 2012, MATH 105, etc.
To create a folder, go to the area where you want to create your folder. This could be on the computer desktop, in the documents folder, etc.
To access the documents folder go to Start, and click on Documents. Older computers might say My Documents.
In this example, we will create a folder in the Documents folder. There are 2 ways of doing it here.
At the top of the page, click on New Folder. A new folder will appear.
Name the folder. You can also right click on your mouse and a menu will appear.
Go to New, then folder and name your new folder.
Now when you type a paper, you can go to file, save as, go to the Documents section and find the folder you just created.
You can also create a folder on your computer desktop, which is the main section on your computer screen, for easier access.
To do that, right-click anywhere on the screen. Go to New and then Folder. A new folder will appear.
Go ahead and name it. This will be named Ameritas Classes.
If you decide to change the folder name, right- click on the folder and click on rename.
Type in the new name of your folder.
You can change the placement of folders to organize them.
To do that click and hold down the left side of your mouse and move it.
Keep folders in any order you want. You can also create a folder within a folder.
For example, let's say I wanted to create a folder for each semester. Double-click on the folder to open it.
Click on New Folder at the top and then name your folder.
Click on New Folder again to create another folder.
Go ahead and name the folder.
You can create folders almost anywhere on your computer. Choose locations that are easy for you to remember.
Good locations for assignments are Documents and Desktop. For images, save them to Pictures.
Let's save this document in a folder we created.
Go to File, Save As and select the location where you want to save it.
We will save this document to the folder we created on the desktop. Click on Desktop. Look for the folder we created titled Ameritas Classes.
Pick the folder where you will save this document. Let's save it in English 101.
Make sure you name your file. This one is titled Paper1. Once you name it, click on save.
If you go back to the Ameritas Classes folder on the desktop, you will see the document "Paper1" in the English 101 folder.
Microsoft PowerPoint is a program that lets you create slide show presentations, from simple to elaborate.
You can add images, sound, videos and more.
To open PowerPoint go to start, Programs, Microsoft Office, PowerPoint.
To create a presentation first, choose your design.
To choose a design click on the Design tab and roll your mouse over the different designs until you find one you like and select it.
To add a new slide go back to the home tab, click on the arrow that says New Slide and choose the type of slide you want.
For example, if you want to compare 2 things, use the Comparison slide.
To add an image, click on the Insert tab at the top.
You can add images saved on your computer, general art that is available in PowerPoint (clip art) and a screenshot of an image.
In this example, we will add an image saved on the computer. It is the same process to add audio and video.
If you need additional assistance click on the blue question mark help button, located on the top right.
A window will pop up letting you search for answers. All Microsoft Office programs have this option.