Technology Tip Number 50 Circles and Squares in Word
Did you know there is a drawing toolbar in Microsoft Word?  Here's where to find it and how to use it. Normally the drawing toolbar will be located across the bottom of the window and it will look something like this: If it's not there, you can bring it up by going to "View" on the menu bar, then "Toolbars" and then "Drawing" Here's what some of the buttons do: Using these drawing tools try making something like this: Here are some hints: When you click on the shape and start to draw it a box will appear that say's "Draw Here."  Don't draw in that box.  For some reason working with multiple shapes always seems to go easier when you don't draw in the "Draw Here" box. If you hold the SHIFT key down while you draw an oval or rectangle you'll automatically get a circle or square. If you need to move the circle on top of the square right click on the square, select "Order" from the menu that appears and then select "Send to Back"
PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Try making your own original drawing using the drawing tools in Word TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you'd like to learn more about the drawing tools in Microsoft Word try searching the internet for: Microsoft Word Tutorials Drawing tools +word

Technology Tip Number 49 What's so Suite about Office?
What is the Microsoft Office Suite: Microsoft Office is by far the most widely recognized software in the world.  In many schools and businesses it is the software that is used every day.  Here is a quick rundown of the common programs that make up the Microsoft Office Suite: Microsoft Word:- Word processing software.  Microsoft Excel:- Spreadsheet Software Microsoft PowerPoint:- Presentation Software Microsoft Access:-Database Software Microsoft Publisher:- Graphic Design Software Microsoft FrontPage- Webpage Editing Software that has been replaced by Microsoft Expression       Teachers might need a much more in-depth version of this list.  Try going to the official Microsoft Office Online Website for free tutorials and more information about their latest updates. As you may or may not know, Microsoft is the really big software company that Bill Gates started.  If you’d like to read about the brief though extremely successful history of Microsoft Office Software try this link.
PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Check to see which of these programs you have available on your computer today.  See if you can figure out which version of the software you have. TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you'd like to learn more about the Microsoft Office Suite of programs try searching the internet for: Microsoft Office Tutorials Word, Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Publisher, Access Office Suite

Technology Tip Number 48 Edit undo, Undo, UNDOOO!
Have you ever made a mistake?  I mean a mistake on the computer.  You know, pasted the wrong picture into a Word document or messed up a table or a text box.  The programmers of the Microsoft software (Word, Outlook, Excel, Publisher, etc.) knew we would make mistakes so they programmed in a couple of ways to “undo” them.  Here are a few ways to undo your next mistake: OPTION #1:  On the menu bar select “Edit” and then “Undo.”  This willeliminate the last action you took in the program.  For example, if you just typed the wrong word “Edit” & “Undo” will make the word go away. OPTION #2:  On the tool bar you can use this button to undo something you just did:    If you decide that you want the mistake back you can use this button to bring it back:   OPTION #3:  There's also a keyboard shortcut to undo something you just did.  Try using CTRL + Z to undo and CTRL + Y to bring something back that you undid. If you just made lots of mistakes and want to go back and eliminate a lot of them try clicking the triangle next to the undo button to see a list of the most recent actions you have taken.
PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Try undoing something in a Microsoft program today. TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you're feeling the need to learn more about undoing actions in Microsoft programs try searching the internet for: Microsoft Tutorials +undo Edit Undo

Technology Tip Number 47 A to Z in Excel
Today’s Technology Tip is a practical use for Excel that any teacher could appreciate:  How to alphabetize a list of names in excel. Even if you have a list of names in Word or another Microsoft program you might be able to copy and paste them into excel and then follow these directions to alphabetize them. 1)     Highlight all the data you want to alphabetize.  Don’t forget all the attached cells.  For example if you have an address list and only highlight the names and not the addresses the names will be alphabetized and the addresses won’t move.  In the example below I have correctly highlighted the data on my Gilligan’s Island address list: Notice that I did highlight the top row (the Header Row).  The computer might recognize it as a Header Row or it might not.  In step three we’ll have a chance to tell the computer that the top row is a Header Row and shouldn’t be alphabetized. 2)      Next, go to “Data” on the menu bar and select “Sort” from the list:  3)      In the next window we want to make sure the computer knows that the top row is a Header Row and doesn’t need to be alphabetized with the other rows.  If your top row isn’t a Header Row select “No Header Row”  Then we want to select the column heading to sort by.  In this example we want to sort by “LastName” in “Ascending” order: 4)      Just click “OK” and your list should be automatically sorted for you. Of course you could sort by any heading.  For example if your holiday card list was really long and you could qualify for bulk rate postage (more than 500 pieces I believe) you would want to sort your addresses by Zip Code for the post office. You could also use this same process to sort any list.  For example you could sort a list of students and their SAT scores from highest to lowest (Descending). Featured YouTube Video Excel Tips 18 - Quickly Sort Data Alphabetically and Numerically in Excel 2007
PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Open up a blank excel document, create a short list of names and try sorting them alphabetically using the above procedure. TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you're feeling the need to learn more about Microsoft Excel try searching the internet for: Microsoft Excel Tutorials Sort  +Excel Alphabetize +Excel

Technology Tip Number 46 Try Using Some Shortcuts
Today's technology tip is all about using shortcuts on your computer.  First, what do we mean by shortcuts.  You may have noticed them on your desktop and in folders.  You might click on them to start programs and open files.  They are icons that have a little arrow symbol in the lower left hand corner like the desktop shortcut to the 180 Technology Tips website on the right. The purpose of a shortcut it to literally give you a shortcut to something on the computer.  For example a desktop shortcut to the 180 Technology Tips website can be used to take you directly to a website without having to open Internet Explorer (or whatever web browser you use).  Just double click on the shortcut and off you go.  Here's how to  make a shortcut to a website: Go to the website you want to make a shortcut to.  Right Click somewhere on the website and select "Make a Shortcut" from the menu that appears: The next box that appears will inform you that a shortcut icon to this website will be placed on your desktop. Besides making desktop shortcuts to your favorite websites you can also make shortcuts to folders and programs on your computer.  Find a program or folder you'd like to have a desktop shortcut for.  Right click on that file or program icon and select "Create Shortcut" from the menu that appears.  You can place the shortcut anyplace you want it, in a folder or on the desktop.  For example, you could make a desktop shortcut to your "My Documents" folder:\ Please note than in many network environments you may not be able to make any changes to your desktop.  In most schools this option has been blocked for both students and staff.  But you can still make shortcuts in your folders.
PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Try making a shortcut to the 180 Technology Tips website sometime this morning. TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you'd like to learn more about making and using shortcuts try searching the internet for: How Microsoft Shortcuts Work Desktop Shortcuts Make a shortcut

Technology Tip Number 45 Email That Word Document
Did you know you can send a Word document as an email.  That’s right, not just as an attachment but as an email.  Here’s how to do it. 1)     Make your word document and save it. 2)      Go to the “File” on the menu bar and select “send to” and the “Mail Recipient” 3)     Above your word document you should now see an email tool bar that is full of icons that you are used to seeing in Outlook.  Just fill it out as you would to send any email. 4)     When you are done filling in the TO: line and the SUBJECT: line click  to send your email. Note that your word document will be turned into an email automatically.  The recipients will not need to open it as an attachment or anything.  The size of the file will also be smaller which will help those who have full mailboxes.
PRACTICE ACTIVITY:   Try typing your next email in Microsoft Word and then sending it using the directions above. TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you'd like to learn some more about sending email using Word try searching the internet for: Using Word for Email Microsoft Word Tutorials Email and Microsoft Word

Technology Tip Number 44 It Can Even Predict the Weather
You may not know this but one of the inventors of the first electronic computer was a physicist with a passion for predicting the weather.  He figured that if he could just build an electronic calculator that was powerful enough he could use all the existing weather data and some special formulas to predict the weather.  It is therefore no irony at all that today we have quite a few super computers, all around the world, using electronic weather models to predict the weather. But how do you find the best and most accurate weather for our area? You could start with the National Weather Service: Weather.gov/ Then there's a lot of commercial weather sites you could check out like these:  Weather.com Weatherstreet.com Wunderground.com Accuweather.com Lifehacker.com claims that these are the five best weather websites. Maybe you should check them out too? Outside the United States you could try the World Meteorological Organization And if that's not enough there's all those news websites that also offer weather forecasts. As for which site is the most accurate, that will come down to old  fashioned trial and error on your part.  You'll have to check out some of these sites and see which ones you like.  Some things to look for:  easy to follow layout, easy to use, and accuracy.
PRACTICE ACTIVITY:   Check the weather online today and see which website is actually the most accurate. TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you'd like to do some more research online about the weather try searching for: Weather online History of weather predictions Weather models Spaghetti models