UNHCE Information Technology & Distance Education Blog: March 2005 Archives
March 22, 2005
GetNetWise is a free site which offers information on the following topics:
- Keeping Children Safe Online
- Stopping unwanted Email & spam
- Protecting your computer from hackers & viruses
- Keeping your personal info private
This month they also feature an article on spyware.
To access this site, go to: http://www.getnetwise.com/
March 14, 2005
When you need to illustrate a point that words alone can't convey, pictures and tables can be a perfect complement to your document. However, pictures and tables can't always speak on their own; sometimes you'll need to discuss and refer to them within your document's text as well. When you use graphic objects to support your document text, it's a good idea to number them so they're easier to refer to as you write. You can easily number your document's graphic objects using Word's Captions feature. To apply a caption to a graphic object, first select the object to which you'd like to add the caption. Next, choose Insert | Reference | Caption from the menu bar to open the Caption dialog box. Choose an appropriate label option from the Label dropdown list. (Note: As an alternative, you can click New Label to create a new label option. You can also modify your caption's numbering scheme by clicking Numbering and modifying the settings in the Caption Numbering dialog box.) Click OK when you're ready to apply the caption.
As an alternative, you can automatically add numbered captions to each graphic object you insert in your document. To do so, choose Insert | Reference | Caption from the menu bar to open the Caption dialog box. Click the AutoCaption button and, in the AutoCaption dialog box, select the check boxes for the object types to which you'd like to add captions. Using the settings in the Options panel, specify the label, position, and numbering you'd like to use, as applicable, and then click OK to close the AutoCaption dialog box. The next time you insert an object that you've configured to use captions, Word automatically adds one according to your specifications. This feature remains as you set it until you make changes.
Purdue has a web site with Free tips for various applications we use. Topics include:
The Office Suite (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word), along with Acrobat, clip art, Browsers (Both Explorer and Netscape), and information on palm pilots.
To access this site, go to: http://sharepoint.agriculture.purdue.edu/agit/instructional_tools.aspx
March 10, 2005
Due to funding issues, the Land Grant Training Alliance website will no longer be available after May 1, 2005.
This site contains links to a variety of University and Extension-sponsored training opportunities. In addition, it contains tutorials on a variety of topics. Some of these tutorials might be helpful in assisting you to make technology work better for you. Although many tutorials are not in the most-current version of the software, most of the information is applicable.
Of particular interest are:
March 9, 2005
Source: WordTips by DCI
If you want to insert a curved line in your Word document, you can do
so by following these steps:
1. Make sure the Drawing toolbar is displayed.
2. Click on AutoShapes. Word displays a menu of different shape
categories.
3. Click on the Lines option. Word displays a palette of different
types of lines you can insert.
4. Click on the Curve option. (It is the one at the bottom left
corner of the palette.)
5. Click at the point in your document where you want the curve to
begin.
6. Click at each point where you want the line to curve.
7. When you reach the place where you want the curve to end,
double-click.
To get exactly the curve you want may take a bit of practice on your
part. Once a curve is placed in your document, it is treated the same
as any other graphic image.
Source: WordTips by DCI
If you place an object--such as a text box--at the left side of a
page, and then wrap text around that object, you can create some
interesting layouts. You can also be faced with a great deal of
frustration because normal text wraps very nicely around the object,
but some text doesn't behave like you would expect.
For instance, if you have paragraphs formatted with hanging indents,
those paragraphs won't display properly to the right of the object.
The reason for this is quite simple, really. When you place the object
in the document, Word doesn't change the margins for the page. Thus,
if you have an object that is one inch wide, and the hanging indent is
only one-half inch, then the half-inch point actually is in the middle
of the object. Word, seeing that the hang distance is to the left of
where the text wraps, ignores it completely; it does not treat the
text as if the left margin were to the right of the object.
So how do you get the text to actually indent properly when wrapping
at the right of an object? There is no easy or completely satisfactory
way to do it. One approach is to adjust the margins for the page so
that they go to the right of the text box. When you push the margins
over, Word handles hanging indents properly for the page. Of course,
changing the margins isn't terribly helpful for the parts of your
document below the text box, where you would want the margins to again
revert farther to the left.
Another approach is to place another text box on the page, this one to
the right of the object around which you were wrapping. You can then
place your text in the text box, and the hanging indents work fine.
The drawback here, of course, is that if your text runs longer than
what will fit in the text box, you need to somehow transition back to
"regular" text that isn't in the text box--not the easiest of
transitions to make.
Another solution, if you use styles, is to create special styles that
you use the hanging indent paragraphs that are beside wrapped objects.
For instance, if the wrapped object is a "placeholder" for a
letterhead, it is two inches wide, and it runs down the full left side
of the first page, then you could create hanging indent styles that
add two inches to the left indent of the paragraph. Apply the style to
the paragraphs, and the hanging will appear to be proper in relation
to the object being wrapped.
Source: WordTips by DCI
Fields are a great boon for developing interactive documents. One
common use of fields is to create cross-references to other parts of a
document. When inserting a cross-reference field, you may have some
type of special identifying text that you need to always follow the
field. To keep the field and the identifying text together, you
separate the two by a non-breaking space.
Non-breaking spaces are used to control how Word automatically wraps
text at the end of a line. The non-breaking space ensures that the
text before the space and the text after the space are always on the
same line. In the case of fields, however, this doesn't seem to work.
Instead, Word blithely wraps text right at the non-breaking space.
This is frustrating, but it appears to be the way that Word is
designed. For some reason, the field before the non-breaking space is
not viewed as "text," so Word ignores the non-breaking space. The only
way around this is to create your document as you normally would (with
the cross-references), and then look through the document to find any
instances where the cross-reference is on one line and the identifying
text on the next. You can then insert a line break character just
before the field so that it is forced to the next line.
The drawback to this, obviously, is that if you edit your document or
if the cross-references change, you'll need to go through and remove
the line breaks to make sure that the text wrapping still makes sense.
Source: WordTips by DCI
Smart Tags were developed by Microsoft as a way for companies or
individuals to mark certain words so they lead to additional
information. For instance, a person's name or a company name or some
other proper noun could become a Smart Tag. If so, it appears
on-screen with a wavy purple underline that indicates the word (or
phrase) can be clicked for more information. In some ways, a Smart Tag
is similar to a hyperlink.
You can turn off Smart Tags, so they are not saved with a document, by
following these steps:
1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options
dialog box.
2. Display the Save tab.
3. Clear the Embed Smart Tags check box.
4. Click OK.
Now you can save your document as you normally would. The setting is
stored with the document, and Smart Tags won't be saved with this
particular document unless you go back and explicitly change the
setting.
If you want the saving of Smart Tags turned off for all your
documents, you need to open the templates you use to create documents,
and then perform the steps just listed. For instance, load the
Normal.dot template and perform the four steps. Save the template, and
then the setting will be turned off for any future documents you
create that are based on Normal.dot. Existing documents, even though
they may be based on Normal.dot, will need to be individually changed.
If you prefer, you can create a small macro that will turn the option
off for you:
Sub OptSmartTagsOff()
ActiveDocument.EmbedSmartTags = False
End Sub
Source: WordTips by DCI
Special fields have a great number of uses in Word. You already know
that you can use fields to insert everything from the date and time to
summary information for a document. There may be times, however, when
you don't want to use a field for information.
As an example, let's say that you have a template that includes a
field for today's date in it. When you create a document based on the
template, today's date appears in the document. You make changes to
the document, and then save it to disk. When you later open the
document, instead of the original date, it contains the date of when
you opened the file.
To get around this, you need to change the field contents to plain
text before you save the file. In this instance, you would follow
these steps:
1. Create your new document based on the template. Today's date
should appear, as normal.
2. Select the date in the document.
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+F9. This converts the field to actual text.
Thus, the date is switched from a field to real text for the
date.
4. Make any other changes necessary in the document.
5. Save the document as normal.
That's it. The next time you open the document, the date remains
unchanged. You can also use this technique with any other field to
convert it to text.
Source: WordTips by DCI
There are certain paragraphs that naturally belong with another
paragraph. For instance, section headings belong with the paragraphs
that follow them; a signature line belongs with the explanation line
that may be after it; a figure belongs with the caption that may
follow it. Word makes it easy to keep certain paragraph pairings
together. To format paragraphs so they stay together, use the
following steps:
1. Position the insertion point in the first paragraph of the pair
you want to keep together.
2. Select the Paragraph option from the Format menu. You will see
the Paragraph dialog box.
3. Click on the Line and Page Breaks tab.
4. Make sure the Keep with Next check box is selected.
5. Click on OK.
Source: WordTips by DCI
For some types of documents you may not want your paragraphs to
smoothly flow from one page to the next. Instead, you may want to make
sure that any given paragraph appears all on one page or another. I
require this type of formatting quite often in letters, legal
documents, and proposals.
Word includes a formatting feature that allows you to ensure that
paragraphs stay together without a page break in the middle of them.
You apply this format characteristic by following these steps:
1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs you want affected by the
formatting change. (If you want the change to a single paragraph
only, you can simply make sure the insertion point is within
that paragraph.)
2. Choose Paragraph from the Format menu. Word displays the
Paragraph dialog box.
3. Make sure the Line and Page Breaks tab is selected.
4. Make sure the Keep Lines Together check box is selected.
5. Click on OK.
When you turn on page numbering in Word, by default it inserts page numbers on all pages of a document.
If you prefer to have your default set to starting page numbers after page one, go here for instructions on how to make that change:
http://wordtips.vitalnews.com/Pages/T1641_Turning_Off_Default_First_Page_Numbering.html
You likely have more than a few sites saved to your Favorites
list that, no matter how long you spent searching, you'd never be
able to find again. To keep your Favorites saved for all of
eternity, it's a good idea to back up your Favorites list to a
disk. This way, you can carry them with you as you change or
upgrade computers or as a backup means of preservation should you
ever need it.
To do so, insert a disk into your floppy drive. Next,
double-click on My Computer and select your C drive. Navigate to
your username folder in the Documents And Settings folder, and
then right-click on your Favorites folder. Select Send To from
the shortcut menu and choose the drive you want to copy to
(usually your A drive for a floppy disk). A copy of your
Favorites is then saved to that location, which you can now take
with you wherever you go, or store away in case of a PC meltdown.
From Element K Journals Newsletter
You can include text boxes shaped like text bubbles in your Word
documents. To do so, click the Drawing button on the Standard
toolbar to display the Drawing toolbar (if it isn't displayed
already) at the bottom of the application window. On the Drawing
toolbar, click the AutoShapes button, and then choose Callouts
from the resulting pop-up menu. The Callouts submenu contains a
collection of callouts, including text bubbles. Choose one you
like, and then click in the document area to insert it (or click
and drag to size it yourself). When you do, Word places the
insertion point inside your text bubble. You can type and format
its text just as you would in a regular text box.
If you create a text bubble and decide later that you'd like to
change it to a different AutoShape, select the AutoShape and
click the Draw button on the Drawing toolbar. Choose Change
AutoShape from the resulting submenu, then simply choose a new
AutoShape from one of the resulting submenus.
From Element K Journals Newsletter
One addition to Windows XP that you can probably live without is
the highlighting of newly added programs in your extended Start
menu. When new software is added to your PC, the new program
appears in a different color on the All Programs list,
immediately drawing your attention to it whenever you access the
All Programs list.
To remove the menu highlighting, right-click on the Start button
and choose Properties. On the Start Menu property sheet, click
the Customize button, and then select the Advanced tab. Deselect
the Highlight Newly Installed Programs check box, and then click OK.
From Element K Journals Newsletter
If you're new to Windows XP, you might be surprised to see that
your favorite and often-used desktop icons are no-shows in the
new version of the operating system. If you'd like to return
these icons to your desktop, doing so is a breeze.
All you need to do is right-click on the desktop and then choose
Properties. Select the Desktop tab and then click the Customize
Desktop button. In the Desktop Icons panel, select the check box
that corresponds to an icon you'd like returned to the desktop.
You can choose to return the My Documents, My Computer, My
Network Places, or Internet Explorer icons. Finally, click OK.
From Element K Journals Newsletter
In MS Word, you can split the document window without leaving the
comfort of your keyboard! Here's the new method. Press
[Alt][Ctrl]S ([command][option]S in v. X) to create a movable
horizontal line. Use the up and down arrow keys to move the line,
and press [Enter] when you've got it in the right place (not
available in v. X). The screen splits, and you can continue
editing your document. To remove the split, press [Alt][Shift]C
([command][option]S in v. X).
Adapted from Element K Journals Newsletter
March 7, 2005
In addition to training listings for the next 2 months, and links to sources of that training, this update contains information on:
- The NewlyRevised Training Resources Guide
- A FREEBY for March
- Free Videoconferencing in-service – Advanced techniques
Read on!
March 2005 ITDE Training News
Updated Training Resources Guide!
The UNHCE Computer Training Resources Guide has been revised. There are new sections, including information on discounts and more sources of free or reduced-price training for UNHCE employees.
To view this newly-updated guide, please go to: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/indextrg.htm
March Freebie
Element K offers free weekly tips in a variety of subjects, including: Corel WordPerfect, Windows, Photoshop, PageMaker, and the entire Office suite (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.)
For a complete listing of their offerings, or to subscribe to one of these weekly newsletters, go to:
http://www.elementkjournals.com/tips.asp
A NEW training offering on Videoconferencing is available to UNHCE staff
Dave Foote will be offering an in-service entitled Videoconferencing 201: Enhancing Your Videoconference with Tools and Teaching Techniques. It is open to UNHCE staff.
This training will be offered on March 17, with an April 20 repeat of the session.
To sign up for one of these sessions, please access our in-service signup calendar.
The following training opportunities are available in the next two months.
I. UNH CIS
Sign up early for CIS classes. Not only are the most popular classes oversubscribed early; CIS has begun to cancel classes which are under enrolled two weeks prior to the class date.
Vendor-based Training - CIS has arranged with outside vendors to offer classes on a variety of topics for a nominal fee. The cost is typically $99 for a full day or two half-day sessions, or $198 for 2 days or 4 half-day sessions. That is less than half the cost of the training offered to the public.
Classes in the following topics will be offered in the next two months.
- The class in Access on March 17 th has been canceled. They will be offering Access training – level one in June.
- Adobe Acrobat
- Dreamweaver - Level one, with Level two to follow in May
- Excel – Two levels
- PhotoShop – Levels One and Two.
Note: In May they will be adding a class entitled PhotoShop CS: Photoprinting & Color.
All Microsoft Office applications are taught using Office 2003. Dreamweaver is version MX 2004.
For further information, an outline of each course, or to register, please consult their web site at: http://www.cistrainingcenter.unh.edu/
II. UNH Division of ContinuingEducation (DCE) is offering in-service training opportunities in the following topics in the next two months.
- Adobe PageMaker
- Adobe PhotoShop
- Dreamweaver
- PowerPoint
Note that all UNH status employees are eligible for a tuition waiver on credit classes, and to a reduction (50% discount) on non-credit classes offered through the university system, which includes DCE. See the Human Resources website at: http://www.usnhhr.unh.edu/benefits/tuition-waiver.html for more information.
For further information on DCE classes, consult their web site at: http://www.learn.unh.edu/pcw/index.php
III. TheState of New Hampshire offers classes “at cost” to all UNH employees. This is at considerable savings from what one would pay with an outside vendor.
The state is offering classes in the following topics during the next 2 months.
- Access* - various levels & special topics
- Adobe Acrobat
- Dreamweaver – Two levels
- Excel* - various levels & special topics
- PageMaker - Two levels
- PowerPoint*
- Intro to Windows
- Word
* Note: In addition to general training in these areas, special topics are also offered using these applications.
Please consult their website for further information on the above listings.
To consult their website, go to: http://www.nh.gov/hr/docs/ Then scroll down to the section on training and select the term for which you’d like information. (Note – The URL for the specific calendar changes each semester. If you bookmarked their site, you may want to replace it with the new URL listed above. Then follow the directions for scrolling to the appropriate term’s document.)
Note – The state also offers a multitude of courses in other areas such as Effective management, strategic planning, supervisory techniques (certificate program), communication and writing skills, conflict resolution, grant writing, learning styles, and Myers-Briggs, to name a few.
IV. College for Lifelong Learning will be offering the following classes during the next two months.
Seacoast Region – In-services in the following topics are being offered in the Seacoast region in the next two months.
- Access (multiple levels)
- Excel (multiple levels)
In addition, they offer formal credit courses in computer topics which begin in January.
North Country Region
No current listings.
They offer formal credit courses in computer topics, such as Software tools. This semester began in January, but check out their listings for future semesters.
Merrimack Valley Region
No current listings.
They offer formal credit courses in computer topics, such as Software tools. This semester began in January, but check out their listings for future semesters.
The Connecticut Valley Region offersformal credit courses which began in January. Topics include Software Tools and Introduction to Computers. Check out their listings for future semesters.
For further information and to register, consult their website at: http://www.cll. edu / .
CBT and Training Resources Guide
Training Resource Listings
- Training Resources Guide. The UNHCE Training Resources Guide just underwent a major revision. Several new listings are already available. New sections include online tutorials and discounts available to UNH employees.
This guide contains information on training resources available in applications utilized by employees of UNHCE, including Microsoft Office, Adobe products (Acrobat, PageMaker, PhotoShop), as well as operating systems, and applications used by smaller audiences, such as PictureTel, DreamWeaver, Blue Ribbon YOUTH enrollment, or WordPerfect. To access this guide, go to: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/indextrg.htm
- Computer Based Training (CBT) - Included in this guide is a listing of Extension or University-owned Computer-based Training CD-ROMs (CBT), which can be used for FREE. UNHCE has a library of CBT (Training CD-ROMs) available from the ITDE office. The CDs are free to UNHCE staff, and can be borrowed for up to 2 weeks. CIS also has free CBT available to be used on campus.
This CBT can be used interactively, and allows you to receive information on just the topics where you desire training. For instance, you can select a topic such as “Creating/modifying headers and footers” in Word. It will show you how to do that step-by-step. You can repeat any sections as needed, and skip to other sections.
For further information on our CBT and a listing of the offerings, go to: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/trcdtoc.pdf
- New online tutorial section offered by ITDE
New tutorials are available on our ITDE website. You can view step-by-step demos showing techniques for accomplishing a variety of computer-related processes.
Topics include using various applications as well as general and Windows topics. Each demo is accompanied by documentation, so you can print out directions to do them on your own.
To access this new area, go to: http://cecf1.unh.edu/tutorials/index.cfm
To access the complete, Training Resources Guide, go to: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/indextrg.htm
March 4, 2005
New York, NY, March 2, 2005 -- A large, rich treasury of images from the collections of The New York Public Library will be accessible free of charge over the Internet starting tomorrow via NYPL Digital Gallery, according to Dr. Paul LeClerc, President of the Library. "By opening the doors of our acclaimed collections to users over the Internet, we are plunging fully into an exciting new era of Library service," said Dr. LeClerc. "These visual materials, many of which are unique to the Library, will be available to anyone in the world with an Internet connection at any time, free of charge. We see new possibilities for exciting intellectual discoveries and accomplishments by scholars, researchers, and artists from remote locations who will be able to easily use our materials."NYPL Digital Gallery is accessible at digitalgallery.nypl.org.
March 2, 2005
The Training Resources Guide, which lists a variety of technical training opportunities for UNHCE employees, has been updated.
The updated guide includes new and updated listings. It also has information on free training opportunities, along with information on educational or UNH discounts and inexpensive sources of training.
To view this newly-updated guide, please go to: http://ceinfo.unh.edu/Intranet/ITDE/trg/indextrg.htm