INSERT DATE & TIME IN A WORD DOCUMENT

Want to save time creating documents... Did you know that you don’t have to type the date and/or time each time you create a new document. Next time you create a document, try INSERTING the date and time vs. typing it. Just select "Insert" then "Date and Time" where you want this information to be in your current document. When the "Date and Time" dialog box appears, just choose/highlight the date or time format you want, then press "OK". NOTE: Another option when you do this – is note on the right column there is an action box which gives you the option of "UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY". If you choose this option (which means checking it off) every time you open and resave the document, the date and/or time are automatically changed to the current date and/or time – so be careful where and when you use this.

Comparing two WORD documents side-by-side

If you have ever had two somewhat similar documents that you need to compare and merge the differences - here is how to do that easily... Since Microsoft Word 2003, all newer programs (Word 2001, 2007 & 2010) have a built-in document comparison tool where you can view two documents side-by-side.

1. Open both documents in Microsoft Word 2003, 2007 or 2010.
2. Focus on one document. Click on the Window menu bar option.
3. Click on Compare Side by Side With. If you only have two documents open, this menu item will mention the second document's filename. If not, a dialog box will appear allowing you to choose the document to compare.
4. The two documents will appear side-by-side. As you scroll through one document, the other will scroll as well.
5. A Compare Side floating toolbar will appear. If you don't want one document to scroll while the other scrolls, click the left button (it looks like two documents side-by-side with an up and down arrow).
6. View/edit your document as needed.
7. When done, click on Close Side by Side

Laughter Yoga - Wednesday, March 30th 12N-1pm

For those of you who may have missed the newspaper article on Friday, March 25th in our local paper ~ Sharon Hicks will be discussing and giving a free demonstration on “Laughter Yoga” at Mohave Community College on:

Wednesday, March 30^th12N-1pm

in the Auditorium at Mohave Community College

Lake Havasu City Campus -Room #600

Sharon has enjoyed the benefits of Laughter Yoga not only personally but seen the tremendous results when working with Autistic children, including her grandson and they have also had great results with students of all ages and those in nursing homes. The health benefits are undisputed so stop by and see what it is all about…

If you are looking for a way to reduce stress, blood pressure, anger, anxiety or improve blood circulation, heart rate, creativity and strengthen your immune system… Their motto:

Building Healthier, Happier Communities Through Laughter and Play

Check out their website: http://www.laughteyoga.org/

If you have questions, please feel free to email Sharon directly at:

shicks@sasktel.net

Word Processing "Keyboard Shortcuts"

These are some of my favorite keyboard shortcuts when I'm working in MS Word - Word Processing - they can really help to save time…

• Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V = Cut, Copy and Paste respectively. These work in virtually every Windows program. Learn them, use them, save LOTS of time and mousing around in the Edit menu.
• Ctril+A=Select All, which highlights you entire document-whether 1 page or 1,000 pages so you can make changes quickly and easily to your entire document
• Ctrl+B = Apply Bold. Highlight text then click Ctrl+B...and it’s bold.
• Ctrl+I = Apply Italic. Same idea as adding bold, except it adds italic instead.
• Ctrl+Y = Repeat the last action. Say you just added a row to a table. Click Ctrl+Y and add another one. Keep doing it and add a whole bunch of them.
• Ctrl+spacebar = remove all local formatting. If text looks weird, it could be because you may have inadvertently added something. It's also good consistency. You can make sure that the only formatting you're applying is the stuff you've set up in your styles.
• Shift+F3 = Toggles case. If you know people who type in all upper case - Yikes-how aggravating!!! So just use Shift+F3 to switch case from UPPER, lower, and Initial Caps.
• Ctrl+Home, Ctrl+End = Move to the top and bottom of a document, respectively.
• F8 + arrow keys = Select text. Sometimes selecting large bodies of text with the mouse is a big pain. Use F8 in conjunction with the arrow keys or Page Up and Page Down keys to select it more easily.

Remember if you have favorites that you use all the time, let us know what they are so we can share them with your fellow students... in the meantime - enjoy!!

How to add “attachments” to your email message…

Once you are in your email account and into the section where you can write/compose a new email message:

Be sure to fill in the names whom it is going to in the BCC (to protect everyone’s privacy) - also be sure to fill in a subject and then write your message

Now – click the “attachment” option which usually has a paperclip icon beside it (it might also say Add attachment, insert attachment or insert file/photo”

With many programs you will now see a BROWSE button which allows you to open the Document, Picture, Video or Music files so that you can find what it is you want to attach

Once you have found the correct folder and then found the correct “file” highlight/left click on the file name – with most services if you left click the file twice it will insert/add it to your email message. Remember if you have several files in one folder, you can use the CTRL or SHFT keys to add multiple files.

If you want to send a different file from a different folder or section, just repeat the steps above.

Once you have attached all the files you want, you will send the email message the same as you always do. If you want to be sure what your recipients will see, simply send a copy to yourself as well…

Notes:

Most services allow you to add attachments up to 25GB, although this varies depending on the email provider :

IN AOL – the ATTACH FILE button is in the bottom left corner of the email message

IN YAHOO: When you choose the file you want to attach it appears in the file field, when you are finished, select the 'Attach Files' button and you will receive a message that you have successfully attached your files.

IN HOTMAIL: In newer versions it will ask you if you want to save the attachments as online documents/photos – you can say yes or no (when you say yes they will be saved in your online/cloud documents/photo folders)

IN GMAIL: Click the "Send" command once you have added as many attachments as you desire and they will be added to your message

Microsoft Help And How To Links

Not sure how to use your windows operating system to it’s full potential, how to do system maintenance & when, to better your computers performance, and other great tips, then take some time and visit Microsoft’s Help and How to for your specific Operating System.

Just click on the link for your operating system & begin learning…

Windows 7 www.windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/help

Windows XP www.windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/help/windows-xp

Windows Vista www.windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/help

CHANGE YOUR SCREEN DISPLAY SETTINGS

You can access your Display settings by right-clicking anywhere on the Desktop and then choosing Properties in Windows XP (Windows Vista OR Windows 7 – choose Personalize or Customize)

OR

You can always do it the long/old way and go to your control panel (on your start menu), then to Appearance – Themes and the Display icons.

When you access the Display Properties Dialog Box – there will be multiple choices and the newer your operating system the more choices you will have, such as: Themes, Desktop, Screen Saver, Appearance and Settings and within each of these categories the newer your operating systems the more design & other choices you will have...

Themes
This allows you to choose a theme which will apply to all your Windows screen,the icons, sounds and colors – such as jungle, underwater & many more.

Desktop
This will allow you to choose different desktop background “wallpaper” images, from samples which are inlcuded or you can use the BROWSE button to find a photo you have saved in you’re My Picture Folder… Remember – if you find a photo in an email or on the internet that you want for your background, when your cursor is on the image, right click on the image and choose Set as Desktop Background.

Screen Saver
Screen Savers are the “motion” choices we use when our computer is idle – many different ones are built in, or you can use the photos in you’re my Picture Folder or when you are on vacation you can purchase “screen savers” to remind you of your trip… This is also where we can change our Power settings for the monitor, noting how long it should stay on when we leave our computer alone..

Appearance
This choice allows us to change the style and colors and size of fonts for our Windows and buttons. Just click on the drop-down arrow buttons to choose different settings; the font size option is great if text is too small – just change it to large fonts or extra large fonts.. The advanced tab allows us to change size & colors for all our screen items including borders, icons and the menus.

Settings
This choice allows us to change screen resolution and color quality – remember the resolution determines the number of pixels used to make up the display. The higher the setting, the more detailed your display and the higher resolution gives you a larger screen area to work with, but if you find text and icons are now too small you may need to increase font size and use larger icons to compensate. You can only go up to the highest resolution that your monitor can support. Experiment to find a resolution you are comfortable with – many opt for the highest setting.

When you set a high resolution, increasing the DPI (dots per inch) setting – it makes all screen items including text appear larger.

Classes March & April 2011

This week, Spring Break is in full swing and the entire staff at Mohave Community College is enjoying a little time off, but Monday-March 21st the college reopens and we have lots of “for fun” classes scheduled..

When you aren’t taking classes at MCC, there is always something going on in Havasu and more often than not, there is so much going on you can’t do everything you’d like to…So check out these websites…

www.golakehavasu.com

www.bullheadchamber.com/forms/CalendarofEvents2010-2011.pdf

Computer class sizes tend to be a little smaller this time of year, so lots of extra personal attentiont – so call today and join us to make full use of your computer, digital camera and all those wonderful photos you are taking…Call Registration Monday and sign up 928-453-1139 or 855-7812…And remember to ask about our 25% off senior discount!!! If you aren't sure what class might be right for you just contact me and we'll make sure you choose the right class cherie_houston@hotmail.com


SOCIAL NETWORKING-FACEBOOK & BLOGGING LSC080-122: Two 4 hr. classes on Mar 22 & 25: Tuesday & Friday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm

LAPTOP BASICS LSC100-122: One 4 hr. class on March 23, Wednesday morning, 8:30am-12:20pm

DIGITAL CAMERA BASICS LSC100A-222: Two 4 hr. classes on Mar 24 & 25: Thursday & Friday mornings, 8:30m-12:20pm

COMPUTERS BASICS LSC062-123: Two 4 hr. classes on Mar 28 & 30: Monday & Wednesday morning, 8:30am-12:20pm

FIND & ORGANIZE WHAT’S ON YOUR PC WITH WINDOWS EXPLORER LSC062-126: Two 4 hr. classes on March 28 & 30, Monday & Wednesday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm

HOW TO BUY & SELL ONLINE LSC101-122 : Two 4 hr. classes on March 29 & 31, Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm

INTERNET & IT’S MANY USES LSC071-123, Two 4 hr. classes Apr. 4 & 6, Monday & Wednesday mornings8:30am-12:20pm

POWER POINT SLIDE SHOWS LSC069D-121: Two 4 hr. classes on April 4 & 11, Tuesday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm

CREATE GREAT LOOKING DOCUMENTS USING MS WORD: LSC068-123: Two 4 hr. classes on April 5 & 12, Tuesday mornings, 8:30am-12:20pm

EXCEL LIST AND DATA MANAGEMENT LSC069-122: Two 4 hr. classes on April 5 & 12, Tuesday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm

CREATE A BOOK WITH DIGITAL PHOTOS LSC100A-225: Two 4 hr. classes on Wednesday afternoons, April 6 & 13, 1pm- 4:50pm

MOVIE MAKER LSC100A- 227: Two 4 hr. classes on April 7 & 14, Thursday afternoons, 1pm-4:50pm

PICASA PHOTO EDITING LSC100A-123: Two 4 hr. classes on April 11 & 13, Monday & Wednesday morning, 8:30am-12:20pm

The History of St. Patricks Day

Today is March 17th and for many that means “wearing green” and celebrating the Irish St. Patrick… So Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all...

Some say that everyone is at least a little Irish on St. Patrick’s day..

St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish holiday celebrated all around the globe to honor the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick. St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated each year on March 17. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Thirty-four million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people

So we hope you enjoy your day and thought you might enjoy a few websites that explain better than we can the history of the holiday…

http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/historyofpatrick.htm

http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day

http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day

http://www.alphabet-soup.net/hol/sphist.html

What is the ESC Key and why is it used?

The ESC Key (normally in the upper left hand corner of a standard QWERTY keyboard and on many laptops) is a Microsoft Windows shortcut in dialog boxes for these actions:

• No
• Quit
• Exit
• Cancel
• Abort

The ESC Key is also a common shortcut key for the Stop button in many Internet web browsers

Should you upgrade to Windows 7?

So many of you ask – should you upgrade to Windows 7 Operating System (which came out in October 2009) from your current Windows XP or Windows Vista??

If your system is running perfectly well and you are happy with it – I wouldn't be in a hurry to make the change - but now that Windows 7 has been out for a while many would say "absolutely-upgrade"; it’s a personal choice.

Remember, if you purchase new application software - always check the back of the packaging to determine what the minimum operating system requirements are, because you might find that it will only run on Windows 7, so that will help to force your hand…

Before you do anything, go to the following link at Microsoft that will help you evaluate your current hardware and whether or not it is capable of making the upgrade. The most common change needed is having to increase the Random Access Memory (RAM)…This advisor link will walk you thru making your decision…

http://www.intowindows.com/download-windows-7-upgrade-advisor-check-if-your-pc-can-run-windows-7/

If and when you plan to upgrade – there are a few things you will want to have on hand first…

· An external hard disk. You'll need to move your files off of your PC before you install Windows 7. To make this easier, we recommend a free download called Windows Easy Transfer, which will require an external hard disk. They're readily available at electronics and office supply stores, and they provide an easy way to add additional storage space to your computer.

· The original installation discs or setup files for the programs that you want to use with Windows 7. You'll need to reinstall your programs by hand after installing Windows 7. When you run Windows Easy Transfer you will get a report that lists the programs that you are currently using with Windows XP or Vista

Most of Arizona doesn't change our clocks this weekendOUR CLOCKS THIS WEEKEND

Before you call family elsewhere in the country this Sunday March 13th 7th, remember the time difference between them and those of us here in Arizona is probably different than it was on Saturday...

This weekend on Sunday morning, March 13th at 2am, Daylight Savings Time will end and most states in the US will revert back to Daylight Savings Time - so before they go to bed Saturday evening, March 12th, 2011, most people in this country will set their clocks, watches and other time pieces AHEAD 1 HOUR.

Most computers and cable boxes will make this change automatically without our help..

Several states, including most of us here in Arizona (except some Indian Reservations), Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa have chosen not to observe Daylight Saving Time so they, like us, do not change their clocks at anytime during the year.

Want to know when clocks change in other parts of the world - check out this website...

http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst/2011.html

Greetings from MCC Hodel Library

Hello again from Hodel Library at MCC Lake Havasu Campus!

We were happy to have so many folks from Spring Frenzy come over to sign-up for free library cards and we’re looking forward to meeting more of you. We can show you how to look at Consumer Reports on your computer. We have access to a wonderful database called NoveList where you can read book reviews, get ideas for books you might enjoy based on the authors you like, and look at book club discussion ideas. Currently, we also have access to a trial version of A to Z World Travel which is an in-depth and easy to use database about things you should know before you vacation in different countries.

The best part? It’s all free! For more information, call or email us at the Library..
Thanks, Wendi Birkhead, Campus Librarian

Wendi Birkhead, MLS
Campus Librarian, Hodel Library - Lake Havasu City Campus
Mohave Community College, 1977 W. Acoma Blvd, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
Tel 928-453-5809 - Toll Free: 1.866.664.2832
wbirkhead@mohave.edu
www.mohave.edu/library

Converting File Formats - Music & Videos

Making sure files are in the correct format is very important when we are “inserting” them into projects such as videos and music into PowerPoint Presentations, MovieMaker, PicasaMovies and others..

That includes when you want to download a YouTube video for use in either a MovieMaker project or PowerPoint.

This free software/tool does everything you need and much more and also has great additional conversions for all types of applications and is one of my personal favorites… It is a great program “free” to convert music, videos (even YouTube Videos) and much more for use in numerous applications including Movie Maker, PowerPoint presentations etc…

Remember with many of the free & other programs, it is advisable to use the smallest files possible, such as MP3 for music vs. mp4 and this software helps you with all those conversions..

Download from www.dvdvideosoft.com

1. Chooser to install all programs – FREE STUDIO 5.0.4
2. This way you can then do various types of conversions for all types of projects
3. Once installed it will put a great shortcut on your desktop-called Free Studio Manager. This is the complete interface for the suite of programs that are available from dvdvideosoft.com.

Note for Power Point Users: While it is faster to simply link to a YouTube video that will play in your PowerPoint presentation, the down side of this is that you must have a live & fast internet connection for the YouTube video to play.

Here is a link to a youtube video that walks you thru inserting the link directly into the PowerPoint if you have a good internet connection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RApFAXMtero

When you are unsure about the internet connection where you are going to do your presentation with, you can embed the YouTube video right into your PowerPoint presentation. No internet connection needed.

And also refer to updates & video tutorials which are referenced on our class blog to make this easier.. Using this and other programs simply takes a little practice – so play & enjoy…

Google Docs - Part 2 of 2

For anyone who is using Google Doc's - Google has a great new software plug-in “Cloud Connect” that easily will move any and all of our Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint files to Google Docs.

Cloud Connect, was released by Google on Thursday Feb 24^th, 2011 and it will allow users to save our files to save their files to "the cloud," which in this case is on Googles servers.

That means that once our files are saved in Google Docs, we can then edit files in Microsoft Office and sync them up to the clouds. This will also mean that it will be much easier if and when we want to collaborate on documents and will eliminate the confusion as to which version of a document is the most recent one.

"For example, you can edit a Word document's Opening Page of Grandma’s Life Story from Lake Havasu, AZ, while your sister in Quincy, MA is adding the family tree and your brother in Weymouth, MA is making other revisions.. This way, instead of having to send emails with tons of attachments, your whole family or group can work together."

And the great news is that Google will save every revision of any document users of Cloud Connect make, whether those edits take place in Office or Google Docs. And files can be shared in a view-only form via Google Docs as well with each document getting a unique Web address (just in case you don’t want someone make changes).

Cloud Connect is free and works with Office 2003, 2007 and 2010 on Windows PCs. Cloud Connect, however, won't work with Mac versions of Office. Sorry – it’s not available for Mac Users yet, but Google indicates it’s working on it, so no doubt it will be in the near future….

Check it out for yourself…

http://tools.google.com/dlpage/cloudconnect

What are Google Docs - Part 1 of 2

Have you tried Google Doc’s yet? Check it out - if you have Internet access, you can use the various aspects of Google Docs, which include Documents (Word Processing); Spreadsheets; Presentations, Drawings and Forms..

Google Docs is great for:

• anyone who travels so you can access your documents anytime anywhere


• groups who want to collaborate on various projects


• those who only use word processing software once in a while and don’t want to buy and download software on their computer...

Why Google Doc's is becoming so popular:

• You store your documents online, so you can access your documents from any computer


• No need to transfer documents to flash or portable drives or "synch" anything


• Works great with all Microsoft Office products, such as Word, Excel & PowerPoint, as well as OpenOffice, so you can upload or download your files.


• You can export documents as PDF files, so if you have Office 97-2003, this is a great/free way to convert documents to PDFs without having to upgrade to Office 2007 or 2010, or use other plug-ins


• Easy to collaborate on projects-you can make a document public or show it to others by sending a link. If you want to allow others to work on the document, you can send out an email to others notifying them that they can access the document.

Use your existing email account to sign into & set-up a Google Account-this video on YouTube explains just how to do that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJpkRbNto7E

Google's How To Videos

One of my favorite Boston based tech support people, Kevin Bachleder, recently shared with us a wonderful website that we should all add to our favorites/bookmarks…

http://www.teachparentstech.org/

This great website, provided by GOOGLE, shares with us their new 54 how-to videos tutorials produced and hosted by their Google employees. Each of the video tutorials runs for just under a minute on a wide variety of topics to help us better understand some of the new (and old) computer technology..

These video tutorials are a wonderful way to reinforce the “how to steps” on a variety of topics that we ask others to help us with each and every day… They cover such basics as "how to attach a file to an email" or "how to copy and paste" through to "how to find cheap flights."

So, like our other favorite Google website: http://www.allmyfaves.com/

This new one is a great addition to our favorites/bookmarks..

And if you’d like to read a little more about the new Google video help site, read the article in December 2010 PC Magazine:

www.pcworld.com/article/213621/send_your_parents_a_care_package_of_howto_videos.html