Microsoft Word Eye-Opener

Well I always thought I was confident in my abilities on Microsoft Word. After reading over the Advanced Tutorial from West Chester University, I am finding that I am not as skilled as I assumed. Word is one of those applications I have used pretty much from day one. In computer class, we were taught how to use Word and ever since then I have used it to write a surplus of papers, along with a variety of different documents. But now, I have to courageously stand up and say, "I know very little about Microsoft Word!"

I decided to read through the whole tutorial and mark the topics that I did not already know or learned something new about. I thought I was doing well but I hit page 9 and Drop Caps and I started marking almost every topic. Most topics, like Drop Caps, I have always seen the icon or menu but never took the time to try what it did. Only some of those topics, again like Drop Caps, I simply needed to read the tutorial and was all set on how to use them. The majority of the topics, I had to find some sort of document on my flash drive and try it out to really get the hang of it.

The one thing I was amazed with was how many times when I discovered something new I could do on Word I thought to myself, "I can use this, this way in the classroom!" So many of these features are applicable to the classroom its a shame I did not know about them earlier. Drop Caps can be used when students are writing narratives and are typing up their final copies to make it more like a book. I can type up poems that the class is studying and add Line Numbers for easier discussion on the poems. Students could get one or two classmates to revise their paper and then Compare Documents to see the differences between them. The Language Tools like Translate Document would be great for converting worksheets and readings into the languages of my ESL students. Being able to use Mail Merge is a life saver for a teacher. Using the Bibliography tool as a student writing a research paper can help make sure APA format is correct. There is just a plethora of ways to make Word a tool used in all aspect of the classroom. 

Reading this tutorial even helped me just as a technology student. I have always had a difficult time with Columns. We have not had a pleasant relationship and there were plenty of times I wanted to throw my computer against the wall because I could not get the columns to format how I wanted. Well now I do not have to worry about wrecking my expensive laptop because I now have a better understanding of how to use this tool. 

I am proud to say now that I have a better understanding of Word. Not only can I use tools I was unfamiliar with before, but I can use the application in different ways to become more effective in the classroom.