 SOFTWARE TIP: Free Word Processing Software If Microsoft Word or Corel WordPerfect are not within your budget, you may want to consider using the simple word processing program that came with your operating system. Not only is this software free, but it is often easier for beginners to use. Windows 3.1 comes with an simple word processing program called Write. It can be found in the Accessories group. In Windows 95+ this software is called WordPad. Software called SimpleText comes with the Macintosh OS. New computers also often come with basic software such as Microsoft Works or Claris/Apple Works.
Technology Boot Camp - This is an incredible resource that has been created for teachers. Here you can learn all of the basics of technology, from basic word processing to creating and working with multimedia presentations. The sessions are organized in a very logical and clear manner and there are awesome online resources linked to these pages. This is a site that everyone can benefit from browsing. When you check it out, be sure to take a look at some of the extra resources they have listed at the bottom of the sessions. For example, in the basic word processing session, if you click on the link for ClarisWorks word processing directions based on teacher competencies, you will get an easy to follow introduction to ClarisWorks 5.0 with excellent screen captures and very clear explanations. In session #5, Beyond Word Basics, the link, ClarisWorks 5.0 Word Processing Basic Reference Guide will give you more tips for using the more advanced word processing tools such as shortcut icons and inserting files. At the end of this webpage is a practice page. This is a short paragraph based on text taken from the X-files. You are asked to copy and paste the document along with the mistakes into ClarisWorks 5.0 and then follow the instructions to edit all of the mistakes. The website also provides a corrected copy so that you can compare your story to it. The vocabulary in this paragraph is quite high as this site was intended for teachers. However, you could create a similar lesson yourself using an appropriate reading level and incorporating the ideas presented here. Although this site was set up as a continuous 15-step project, you can use one, any or all of the sessions as you choose. I feel that this is a great site for anyone from beginners to advanced computer users, and although it is based on Mac Claris/AppleWorks, I, as a PC user, found a lot of useful information that I have used on my PC version of ClarisWorks.  Holiday Central - Here’s a holiday website that is worth taking time out of your busy holiday schedule to check out. On this site there is a wealth of information on almost every holiday. The address we have listed is for the homepage which links to any holiday information you require. On this site you can access songs in either WAV, MP3 or MIDI files. You can also access sound clips from movies and television shows. There are also free graphics in both JPEG and GIF formats. On the Christmas page alone you can find 35 traditional and modern Christmas stories and poems. There are also quizzes, games, Christmas alphabets and advent calendars available. Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Years are also included in Christmas Central. There are free electronic greeting cards for every occasion and a holiday index that is updated regularly. There is so much available on this site that I can’t possibly list it all, so the next time you’re surfing the web, make sure you stop at http://rats2u.com/ to see this for yourself. |
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