Digitizing Your PDD

Introduction to Microsoft Word

The Professional Development Dossier will be primarily composed of Word documents. ( Strand A: Instruction, I. Context , II. Introduction, IV. Analysis of Student Achievement, and V. Resources. Strand B: Student Learning, I. and III. Examples of Work and Description. Strand C:Professional Learning, I. Examining and Implementing Change, II. Collaboration) Each of the above mentioned areas of the PDD requires the use of Microsoft Word. Several sections require descriptions with a 350 to 1000 word maximum limit. For these reasons, a thorough command of the basics of the program is required.

Microsoft Word is an essential tool for the creation of documents. Thus, it is important to become familiar with the various facets of this software. Because Word is a fairly simple program to use for completing basic tasks, this tutorial will focus on those tasks so you can complete your PDD in record time!

Opening Microsoft Word :

To run Word on your computer go to: “Start” >> “Programs” >> ”Microsoft Office” >> “Microsoft Office Word 2003.” If there is an icon of Microsoft Word available on your desktop (shaped like a square with a “W” in the middle), you can open the program by double-clicking it, as well.

Making a New Blank Document :

When Word is opened, a new blank document should automatically open. If not, then you can begin a new blank document in a variety of ways.

First, find the “New Blank Document” icon, which looks like a blank sheet of paper, located underneath the menu bar in Word.

This is called the “standard toolbar.” Click on the icon to bring up a new blank document.

Now, you may type anywhere on the page. Just left click on the mouse and you will be able to type where you have placed the cursor.

Opening a Document :

To open to view, edit, or print a document, you must first open that file in Word.

You can open a file by clicking on the “Open” folder icon (with a picture of a folder) located in the standard toolbar. Or, you can use the menu bar and navigate to File >> Open

(shortcut: Ctrl + 0)

Saving a Document :

When you are working with any sort of media in any software, you should be sure to save your work often.

To save a new, unsaved document, you can click on the Save icon, shaped like a disk located on the standard toolbar. Or, you can go to the menu bar and select File >> save (shortcut: Ctrl + S).

A dialogue box should appear, offering you a number of options. To save the document in the desired location on your computer, locate and select the folder on your computer. Give your document a name in the file name text box, making sure it is one you can remember. It is good practice not to use spaces or special characters in file names.

The Standard Toolbar :

Word allows all toolbars to be customized; you may not find all the options listed here. Use the following as a guide to the Standard Toolbar.

The following describe the function of each of the icons on the toolbar above from left to right. (By holding your cursor over each icon, you can learn the name of each one.)

New Blank document :

To begin a new document, click on the New Blank Document icon, shaped like a blank sheet of paper.

Open :

Clicking on this icon opens a previously saved document.

Save :

Clicking on the Save icon saves your current document. If you are saving a document for the first time, you may click on this button. If you want to save a new file from a pre-existing document, then you must go to the menu bar and select “File” >> “Save As” and give the file a new name. Remember to always save often!

E-mail:

You may e-mail your document using this icon.

Print :

Clicking on the Print icon automatically prints the document currently active in Word. If you wish to change settings or explore options, go to the menu bar and select “File” >> “Print”.

Print Preview :

To view you document before you print, you can click on this icon.

Spelling and Grammar :

Clicking this icon begins a review of your document in search of spelling and grammatical errors that may need to be corrected.

Research:

To research a word, place your cursor over the word or highlight it and click on the “Research” symbol. A dialogue box will appear on the right side of your screen. Beside your word selection will be a green arrow. Click on the green arrow. You will be supplied with detailed information on the word you selected.

Cut :

If you highlight the text you want to remove, you can simply click on “cut” and it will be moved to the Clipboard to be pasted to a new location.

Copy :

Highlight (select) a selection and click on copy. The information can then be pasted elsewhere in the document, or into a completely separate program or document.

Paste :

Clicking on the Paste button inserts the text that has been most recently added to the Clipboard (the text would have been added there by Cutting or Copying). With Paste, you can either insert the copied text into a document or replace selected text.

Undo Typing :

The Undo Typing button goes back and removes the last addition or change made to your document.

Insert Hyperlink :

You may find that you would like to make links to a particular web site, web page, or some other kind of online file in your word document. Using the Insert Hyperlink button, you can turn selected text into hyperlinks. When the icon is clicked, a window will appear that will allow you to insert the URL (web address) of the web page you want to link to. You can type in the URL yourself or insert a pre-existing book mark. Once the link is inserted, the link in your Word document can be clicked and the web page will open up in a web browser.

The Formatting Toolbar :

Word allows all toolbars to be customized, so you may not find all options listed here. There are several buttons that may or may not appear immediately in your version of Word. Use the following graphic as a guide to the Formatting Toolbar. (If you are not currently viewing a toolbar similar to the one below, go to View >> Toolbars >> Formatting.) This toolbar contains a variety of options that you may want to utilize to give your PDD a professional look.

Style :

Styles in Word are used to quickly format portions of text. For example, you could use the “ Normal” or “Default Paragraph Font” for the body text in a document. There are also three preset styles made for headings.

Font :

Font is a simple but important factor in Word documents. The choice of font (the style of the text itself) can influence the way others view documents, either on the screen or in print. For example, Arial font looks better on screen, while Times New Roman is clearer in print. To apply a font to text, select desired text with your cursor, and choose a font from the font drop down menu. Keep this in mind as you decide whether to submit your PDD electronically or not. Just select “Format” >> “Font”.

Font Size :

You may encounter times in which you need to display some text larger or smaller that the other text. Selecting desired text with the cursor and choosing a font size from the drop down menu changes the size of text.

Bold :

Places the text in bold print.

Italic :

Places the text in italics.

Underline :

Underlines the text .

Align Left :

Aligns the selection to the left of the screen or paper

Center :

Aligns the selection to the center of the screen or paper

Align Right :

Aligns the selection to the right of the screen or paper

Justify :

Aligns the selection to both the left and right of the screen or paper

Line Spacing :

Adjusts the line spacing (single-spaced, double-spaced, etc.) Be sure to select the text first.

Numbering :

Create a numbered list. Just select the list and click on “Numbering”

Bullets :

Create an unordered, bulleted list. Select the list and click on “Bullets”.

Decrease Indent :

Decreases the indentation of the current selection (to the left), but not beyond the margin

Increase Indent :

Increases the indentation of the current selection (to the right)

Outside Border :

Places a border around the current selection; click the drop-down for a wide selection of bordering options.

Highlight :

Highlight the current selection; the default color is yellow.

Font Color :

Change the font color; the default (automatic) color is black.

More Formatting :

Besides the toolbars, Word provides a great deal of ways to customize and format your text and documents.

Paragraph Spacing :

To access the Paragraph formatting options, navigate to the menu bar, and select “Format” >> “Paragraph,” or right-click within a paragraph.

A window will appear with options for modifying spacing and indenting. Here, you can choose to make the text in your document single or double spaced, as well as edit the margins for the document.

Headers and Footers :

Headers and footers are important aspects of a Word document if you wish to include information such as page numbers and headings on every page. (These might be a nice addition to your PDD!) To access the header and footer options, go to the menu bar and select “View” >> “Header and Footer.”

A dotted-line box called “Header” will automatically appear, as well as a sub-menu for formatting header and footer properties. The cursor will already be placed in the Header box. If you scroll down on your current page opened in Word, you will see a dotted-line box called “Footer.” To add text in the Header or the Footer, simply click the cursor inside either one of the boxes, and type the text you want.

You will find a separate toolbar to edit the header and footer. To add page numbers to your document, click your cursor inside of the footer box. Then, click on the icon shaped like a sheet of paper with “#” inside. The page number will then be inserted and applied to all of the pages in your document.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PDD!