Tutorials for Microsoft Word and Google Docs

Which word processing application do you use?

Do you use Word, the Microsoft Office word processing application? Have you been using it for a while, but would like to add some new techniques? Or have you been using another word processing application and would like to come up to speed with Word?

Would you like to experiment with an online word processor such as Google Docs?

These are certainly not the only options; however, let’s look at some tutorials for these two for the moment.

Microsoft Word
The versions of Word (designed for Windows) most likely being used now are Word 2003 and Word 2007. For Mac users, it’s Word 2004 and Word 2008.

Word 2003 for Windows
Denise Etheridge’s free tutorial (http://www.baycongroup.com/word.htm) provides a simple introduction to Word 2003. The style is illustrations mingled with text. Topics covered include: introduction (toolbars, highlighting, menu commands, new paragraphs), basic features (delete, insert, bold, underline, italicize, opening files, spell check, fonts and font size, saving files), paragraphs (line spacing, indents, alignment), tabs, bullets, printing, and tables (creating tables, navigating, entering and aligning text, adding rows, resizing columns, sorting, deleting, merging cells, headings).

If you have access to Atomic Learning’s subscription-based tutorial series (http://www.atomiclearning.com), you will find introductory, intermediate, and advanced instruction for using Word 2003. Also available at Atomic Learning’s site are tutorials for mail merge and newsletters. Atomic Learning’s tutorials consist of a series of short video clips and are always well done.

TeacherTube has two videos for Word 2003. Creating and Editing a Word 2003 Macro (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=fed5d5e93a98dc968ac2) demonstrates how to create and edit a macro and how to customize a macro button. Creating Name Badges (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee3ea4f42c748980eda8) is a “silent” video which demonstrates how to create name badges using mail merge (with the help of Excel). YouTube also hosts videos that teach a variety of techniques for Word 2003. To see what’s available on YouTube, simply do a search for Word 2003 at YouTube’s web site.

Word 2007 for Windows
This free tutorial by Denise Etheridge (http://www.baycongroup.com/wlesson0.htm) provides an easy-to-understand introduction to using Word 2007. Topics covered include: introduction (document views, keyboard shortcuts, new paragraph, ribbon, scroll bars, toolbar), basic features (bold, italicize, and underline, clipboard, cut and paste, delete, find and replace, fonts and font size, insert, opening a file, saving a file, spell check), paragraphs and styles (alignment, indent, line spacing, opening a blank document, styles), and bullets, page layouts, printing documents (bullets, page size, margins, page numbers, page breaks, preview and print documents). The style in this Word 2007 tutorial is the same as Etheridge’s Word 2003 tutorial: text and diagrams.

If you have access to Atomic Learning’s tutorial series (http://www.atomiclearning.com), you will find introductory, intermediate, and advanced instruction for using Word 2007. Also available at Atomic Learning’s site are tutorials for mail merge and newsletters. Atomic Learning’s tutorials consist of a series of short video clips and are always well done.

Bullets and More in Word 2007 (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=cb72fd897dacff6e9add) is one of the videos for Word 2007 that are available at TeacherTube. This video for beginners demonstrates selecting words, line spacing, adding bullets, and working with headers and footers. Creating a Basic Table in Word 2007 (http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=3d18fdba8f98bfc6ab42) demonstrates how to create a table when using Word 2007. YouTube also hosts videos that teach a variety of techniques for Word 2007. To see what’s available on YouTube, simply do a search for Word 2007 at YouTube’s web site.

Microsoft Word 2004 for Macintosh
If you already know the basics of using Word 2004, Giles Turnbull provides some techniques that you might want to add to your repertoire: audio notes, scrapbook, and paste options. Ideas for using other Office products are also discussed in 21.5 Things You Can Do with Office 2004 (http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/mac/2004/08/03/ms_office.html).

If you have access to Atomic Learning’s tutorial series (http://www.atomiclearning.com), you will find introductory, intermediate, and advanced instruction for using Word 2004. Atomic Learning’s tutorials consist of a series of short video clips and are always well done.

Microsoft Word 2008 for Macintosh
Mactopia is a Microsoft web site for Macintosh products. At this site (http://www.microsoft.com/mac/help.mspx?product=Word&app=4), you can find instructions for using Word 2008, access to forum discussions, and technical support. Explanations are done with text and diagrams and are easy to follow. In addition to learning how to use Word 2008, you can pick up techniques such as mail merge, adding captions to a picture, creating form documents, and turning off auto features.

This Microsoft site for working with Word 2008 (http://mac.microsoft.com/MacOffice/UARedir.aspx?MODE=pv&CTT=InContent&srcid=b1c44fbb-18bb-4a80-94d9-53a8dea237101033&ep=4&locale=en-US&usid=36579005-ea6f-40cb-b411-8f869ecef292&clr=99-4-0&target=5979c9cb-f1f9-4543-abe1-6ae2172c23151033) has instructions for creating a document by using a template, adding clip art and photos, and adding a cover sheet and a table of contents.

Google Docs
Google provides an online word processor, Google Docs (https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=true&nui=1&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&followup=http%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2F&ltmpl=homepage&rm=false), that is free, easy to use, and can be accessed anytime/anywhere that you have Internet access. In fact, a new feature allows you to work on your Google documents even if you are not online. One of the best features of Google Docs is the ease with which you and others can collaborate on the same document.

Google does a good job of teaching how to use their online word processor, Google Docs. At this site (http://docs.google.com/support/?hl=en) you can take a tour to get an overview of Google documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online or start with the tutorials to learn how to get started (account and settings), work with documents (editing, printing, collaborating, importing and exporting), and more (mobile, offline, RSS feeds, and privacy). Or take your choice of videos created by users at the Google Docs Community (http://www.youtube.com/GoogleDocsCommunity) at YouTube.