What's In A Name?

A rose is a rose...

Word students link to several sites to find the meaning of their name. Then use the clip art gallery in Word to find a picture that represents the meaning. Some very interesting result!

Try the Custom Search below to find out what your name means...it's my first attempt on creating a custom search in Google, so cut me a bit of slack please!

Go ahead! Type your first name in the Search Box...then click on the Meaning or Definition tab for further refinement to your search.

Do you know what your name means now?!

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transl8n plz? 404!

AutoCorrect Options in Word…neither Word (nor Webster) can recognize and correct ALL of your typed words! The abbreviations used in text messaging, chatting, instant messaging, and social networking have created a unique style of communicating in our culture! 

WordWow for the week

Visit Lingo2Word and click on Translate to Text Message and type a message...in Plain English please! Click Go!  Copy this text message and paste into Word.

In Word, select the Office Button – Word Options – AutoCorrect Options and add the texting abbreviations to the AutoCorrect list replacing them with correctly spelled word(s).  Close Options.

Now retype the original message, in Text Lingo, and let Word fix it!  Cool, huh?

Key Tip Badges

Put that mouse away!  We're going to work in Microsoft Word today using only the keyboard!

I warned them.  When we saw the skimmed-over chart in our textbook about Key Tip Badges, I warned them.  "One of these days, we're going to put the mouse away and use just the keyboard..."

Not sure if my students believed me, but I was true to my word.  I let a week go by as we finished up some other files.  Then I walked in one day, told students to open Word then put that mouse up on top of their tower.  They giggled, a few nervously.  But they knew what was coming as they rather hesitantly relinquished their mouse...and it was a cool lesson! 

Key Tip Badges are triggered by pressing the Alt Key.

First we typed our school, Maplewood.  Then pressed the Alt Key.  Then we typed the letter H (Home Tab) badges.  That triggered a whole new (humungus) set of Badges.  Then we pressed SL (Select) and A (All).

Phew!  That took a bit of sweat just to get this far!  But our text is now selected.

Time to format! First let's change the font size (Alt-H-FS-48-Enter)
      - then change the font (Alt-H-FF-Arrow Down-Enter on desired font)
      - then change the font color (Alt-H-FC-Arrow Down-Enter on desired color)
      - and finally change the font shade (Alt-H-I-Arrow Down-Enter on desired shade).

Phew, a-gain!  We laughed, we screeched, we had to repeat keystrokes, we helped each other.

And we learned that if ever our mouse ran away, we could rely on Key Tip Badges...

Word Processing Apps

Microsoft Office may rule but it isn't the only game around.  There are plenty of options for the average user for using word processing applications or even the full suite at little or no cost to the end user. 

"What?  Little or no cost?, " you say?

Yes. Little or no cost at all to you.  But think.  Do you really need, at home, a full-blown integrated suite of applications?  Do you really need mail-merge?  Or research formatting? 

Check out some of these options...try them!  One of more of them may fit your needs!

• Commercial software: Oracle Open Office, Word Perfect, Atlantis Word Processor, Polaris Doc Master
  
• Free/Open Source software (FOSS): Lotus Symphony, TED Notepad, SoftMaker, Kingsoft Writer, Bean
  
• Online Word Processors (Cloud): Open Office, Adobe Buzzword, Google Docs, Zoho Writer