Category: Word processing

Tech Tip #102: Doc Saved Over? Try This

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each Tuesday, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Q: My youngers often save a blank document over their MS Word file. How? Instead of ‘file>open’, they use the menu command ‘file>save-as’ and then they lose all their work. Is there any way to retrieve the file?

A: Absolutely, though it doesn’t work all the time. Bring the student’s file folder in Windows Explorer. Right click on the file name for the lost Word file and select ‘Restore previous version’. Select the latest version that’s not today.

Every time I do this, I’m a hero for ten minutes.

(more…)

Tech Tip #98: Speed up MS Office with Quick Access Toolbar

2 Comments

Q: I tend to do the same actions over and over on my MS Office software. How do I create a customized tool bar with my favorite tools?

A: This one is going to improve the quality of your life immediately. It’s so simple, you’ll wish you’d known it months ago.

First, you need Office 2007 or later because earlier versions don’t include the Quick Access toolbar. It looks like this:

(more…)

Tech Tip #81: I Have Office 2010; Everyone Else Has 2003–They Can’t Read My Stuff

2 Comments

As a working technology teacher, I get hundreds of questions from parents about their home computers, how to do stuff, how to solve problems. Each week, I’ll share one of those with you. They’re always brief and always focused. Enjoy!

Q: My school updated to Office 2010 and many parents are still on 2003. What can I do so they can read my stuff?

A: When you save the doc, go to File-save as, and select file type 97-2003

(more…)

Tech Tip #79: Saving Your File so Everyone Can Read it

1 Comment

Q: I need to make my Word document readable by colleagues that don’t have MS Word. What do I do?

A: MS Office 2007 and 2010 makes that easy. (more…)

Tech Tip #73: Alt+??? Brings up which Menu Command?

1 Comment

Q: I always forget the keyboard shortcuts for the menu commands. Can you give me a list?

A: I’ll do one better. MS Office 07 and 10 makes that easy. Just push the Alt key and it tells you what number or letter is associated with which menu command. (more…)

Tech Tip #72: How to Move Pics Around in Documents

Q: I put a picture in my document, but it won’t move. How do I fix that?

A: Word’s default for putting a picture on a page is ‘inline’–it treats it as text. Like words on a document, it can’t be easily moved.

Here’s how to fix that:

(more…)

Tech Tip #64: Reset Default Font

Q: If you’re like me, you don’t like MS Office 2007 or 2010’s default font of Calibri, size 11 with a double space between paragraphs. Here’s how you fix that:

Type a couple of paragraphs in any document
Highlight what you typed and right click
Select font
Change the font to what you prefer. In my case, it’s TNR 12
Click the Default button on the lower left and approve that this is, in fact, how you’d like a future documents to be formatted when opening a new document. If it asks whether you want this for future documents, say Yes.
Now right click again and select Paragraph
Make sure Line Spacing is single (or double if you’re following MLS)
Go to Spacing and make sure both Before and After show 0 pts.
Click Default

That’s it. The next time you open a document in MS Word, it will open with this revised formatting.

Questions you want answered? Leave a comment here and I’ll answer it within the next thirty days.

(more…)

Tech Tip #63: Don’t Like Double Space Between Paragraphs?

Q: Word 2010 comes with a double space between paragraphs as the default, but I don’t like that. I’ve tried to reset it to single space, but it doesn’t fix it. What do I do?

A: I don’t like it either. What was Bill Gates thinking? Don’t as many people start a paragraph with a tab indent as a double space between paragraphs? Now I have to fix that every time I open a Word doc. Here’s how to do it (in Word 2010):

Go to Page Layout
Go to Paragraph, Spacing
Make sure ‘after’ is set to 0–not 10.

To make this the default:

(more…)

Tech Tip #62: Email from Word (Or PowerPoint or Excel)

Q: I was helping one of the faculty at my school. She couldn’t print a document (server problems) so I suggested she email it to herself at home and print it there. She started going online to her Yahoo account and I stopped her. Click the email tool on the Word toolbar. She was so excited–an epiphany! What fun to share that with her. She was so happy about it, I’m going to email it to all the teachers in the school (I’m the tech teacher). (more…)

Tech Tip #50: The Easiest Way to Outline

Q: My fifth graders are learning outlining in the classroom. Is there an easy way to tie that into technology?

A: Outlining can’t be easier than doing it in Word. Here’s what you do:

Select the Numbered List or the Bullet List in MS Word. MS Word 2010 even lets you select the style up front. MS Word 2003–it’s a bit more complicated
Your first bullet or number appears on the screen. Type your item
Push enter to add another number or bullet
To create a subpoint, push tab after you’ve pushed enter to start the next bullet/number
To push a subpoint up a level, push Shift+tab after you’ve pushed enter for the next bullet/number

That’s it–three keys:

(more…)