Short Write No. 2:
Getting the Most Out of Your Word Processor

Click here for a printable pdf version of this page.

Purpose:

The main purpose of this short write is to introduce you to a useful online software tutorial site (free!) and to take you through a series of lessons to help you learn to get the most out of your word processor. A second purpose is to give you additional practice with MLA style with respect to paper formatting. A third purpose is to provide you the opportunity to engage in brief narrative-expressive writing. Finally, you will learn you to append files to one another and send a file as an e-mail attachment.

Resources:

Go to GCF Global Learning at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/ and click on Become a Member. Membership is free and doesn’t involve any advertising or spamming.

After you’ve activated your membership, sign in. Then proceed to the GCF Tutorials, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials. There you will see many different program tutorials. Assuming you are using Word 2003, please click on that, under the Office 2003 heading (note: if you are using Open Office or an earlier version of Word, choose the tutorial accordingly; the instructions here, however, will apply only to Word 2003, so modify as necessary).

Formatted Paper Example, providing details regarding formatting an MLA-style paper, including title and page numbering systems.

Instructions:

First, download this letter, which you will need for Modules 1-6. (To download, select the word letter and right click. Select Save Target As… and then save it to a useful space on your hard drive, such as your desktop.)

You are probably already familiar with most of the basics of your word processor. If not, feel free to begin at Module 1. Otherwise, the following modules contain information that is necessary for your success in writing for this class.

1. Module 5: AutoCorrect and Find and Replace, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=834.

2. Module 6: Spell and Grammar Check, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=835

3. Module 7: Align Text, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=836 (Note: for this and subsequent modules, you will be asked to download a cover letter, which you can also get here.)

4. Module 8: Set Line and Paragraph Spacing, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=837

5. Module 9: Margins, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=838

6. Module 10: Indent Text, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=839

7. Module 11: Using the Ruler, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=840

8. Module 12: Formatting Text, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=841 (note: this module asks you to convert the cover letter from Arial to Times New Roman or a font of your choice; please stick with Times New Roman)

9. Module 13: Bulleted and Numbered Lists, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=842

10. Module 14: Insert Symbols, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=843. When you complete this module, download (right-click and click save target as....) this file on Working with Symbols and Formatting and complete the exercises on that page. Be sure to save a copy of the completed version, because you will need to insert it into the final assignment later.

11. Module 15: Headers and Footers, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=844. At the end of this module, it asks you to “Open your document” and manipulate a header. Do not do this. Apply the lesson to the final exercise below, instead.

12. Module 16: Formatting, at http://www.gcflearnfree.org/Tutorials/Module.aspx?tutorialID=48&moduleID=845. This also asks you to “Open your document.” Work with the final exercise below, instead.

13. So That’s How! Great Word Features, at http://office.microsoft.com/training/training.aspx?AssetID=RC010524811033. This is a separate tutorial, at the MS-Office website, that goes over a few of the handier word processing hints.

Final Exercise:

From what you have learned from the tutorials above, write a one-page paper discussing the most useful or interesting features you learned about. This paper will be in the narrative-expressive format. If you make reference to any sources you used, including the tutorial, be sure to include a Works Cited page.

Here’s what your paper should include (drawn from the tutorials):

MLA-style title (name, class,date, etc.) and header (your last name and page number: remember, this header should be ½ from the top of the page).

Margins set to 1” all around; text beginning 1” from top (i.e., ½” below the header)

The title of the paper centered, using the appropriate centering tool (i.e., not just tabbed or spaced in so that it “looks about right”). Give this paper the title of “Short Write No. 2.”

New paragraphs indented ½” as set on your horizontal ruler or using a body text indent style

An ending sentence that indicates your total word count for the paper.

What to Turn In:

The Final Exercise, entitled Short Write No. 2, with the letter, the cover letter, and the Working with Symbols and Formatting documents, as manipulated in the exercises above, should be appended to one another as follows: at the end of your Final Exercise (Short Write No. 2), Insert/File… and insert the Letter.doc you worked on. Then Insert/File . . . CoverLetter.doc. Finally, Insert/File…Working_With_Symbols_and_Formatting.doc. Make sure each of these is on its own separate page (use the Insert/Break…Page Break feature – or just hit ctrl-Enter). Now you should have one document that is four pages long. Give it the file name YourLastName_SW2.doc (for example, Smith_SW2.doc). Send this to me as an e-mail attachment no later than 5 pm, Thursday, Oct. 6. Remember to send it to biancom@q7.com. I will send you a message in return letting you know that I received the assignment successfully.

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