Vista, Word 2007 tutorials

The ribbon: understanding it is vital to using Word 2007... See below for explanation

Some of the people I work with are finding it tough to get used to working with Word 2007. If you are similarly challenged, here are some tutorials you might find useful...

If even finding Word is challenging enough, it might be worth starting here, with the basics of Vista 2007.

Two things to start with
There are two important things you need to do to get started. One is to get the hang of using the ribbon.

You use the ribbon to navigate your different tools -- it replaces the drop-down menus you were used to. You need to click the tabs to access the different groups of tools: in the image (above) we're currently in the home tab (red arrow); you need to click the other tabs (black arrows) to access other tools.

The second important thing is to realise that some of the things you want (like "save as") are hidden behind that button, "A" in the image below. Click that, and you do get a drop-down menu ("B"). That's got to be the FAQ I answer most often...

The button: Ah-hah! So that's where it's hidden!

If you'd rather have a text-based tutorial than video, here's one on getting started with Word 2007.

Look on Google and you'll find lots more tutorials...

Somewhere else worth going -- rather than Google -- when you are trying to get your head round technology is YouTube, where you'll find some great tutorials. Here's a very simple one on using the Word 2007 ribbon...

And TeacherTube is another place I'd go... Lots of Word 2007 video tutorials there too.

Go get yourself used to it
Word 2007 is not really that complicated, or so very different -- once you get used to it.

I'd suggest that getting the hang of Word 2007 is a bit like driving a new car, or using a new digital camera: you've got to make just a little bit of effort yourself to get used to it. Get your head round "the ribbon", and you're away...

Finding technology tutorials
How did I find all of these things? See the first comment (below) for some search tips.

Series of online articles on reading

Reading: what kind of help and motivation should you provide?

Over on TeachingEnglish.org.uk, Dave Willis has started a four-part series on reading, the first being Reading for information: Motivating learners to read efficiently.

Among other things I liked in the first article of the series was the idea that we should we should provide "a context and a reason for reading", though if -- as suggested -- we're reading to answer the questions generated by discussion, I think some at least should be student-generated questions.

If some of the students' questions don't then get answered by your text, then go webquest (even if "only" for homework!)

The rest of the series:

>> Part 2 Form focus and recycling: getting grammar
>> Part 3 Techniques for priming and recycling
>> Part 4 Techniques for form focus after reading

Creative writing with flowers

Say it with flowers...

Here's a creative writing exercise I liked, by Mario Rinvolucri, which I found in the latest issue of Humanising Language Teaching, online at hltmag.co.uk.

Suggested procedure:

• Bring a vase and 5 flowers into class
• Ask for a student volunteer to arrange the flowers in the vase
• Then say: "These flowers are a family. Please write three paragraphs about the family".

Unless you have a super creative class, used to such exercises, you might want to have a pre-writing stage in which, either whole class or in pairs/threes, you get the students to talk about the family first. If they bounce ideas off each other, the writing will be easier.

Don't forget to take a photo of the flowers, as they won't last as long as your text!

Summer camp flowers
The flowers in the photo, above, were cut out from egg cartons and painted. If you were on a summer camp, you could get your learners to each make their own flower, and start from there...

Blogging flowers
If you have a class blog, I'd suggest that this is the sort of activity you want to post on it. It's fun, it's creative, and it's more motivating knowing that the work is going to be posted somewhere, and kept...

Celta Session, April 7

Hi and welcome if you've come to today's session...

You have 15 minutes to do 3 of the 5 tasks below.

When you've done them, with your partners decide whether or not you think they are good tasks for the language classroom.

Use the "comments" to record what you think.

Task #1: Creating an animation

Go to www.dfilm.com, create an animation and email it to me.

Don't forget to add a comment (below) on what you think of this activity for use with language learners.

Task #2: A six-word biography

With a partner, create a six-word biography of a famous person.

Example: So much talent, all blown away (Ronaldinho)

Click "comments" (below) and add it to those already there.

Don't forget that you should create a second comment to record what you think of the task.

Task #3: A photo and text

One of the images we produced (text in comments, below)

Take a photograph of an object belonging to your partner (watch, photo in a wallet, piece of jewelry, etc).

Open a Word document, save it in "My documents" and then write about your partner's object: why is it of value to him/her?

Task #4: A blogging project

We're going to use the "comments" to this post (below) to brainstorm a list of the 25 greatest rock albums of all time. With a partner, agree on one that should be on the list, name it in the comments, and add up to 25 words justifying your choice.

If you disagree with an album someone else has suggested, say so (in a separate comment).

Don't forget that you should also create a comment to record what you think of the task.

Task #5: Podcasting

With your two partners, take the following roles: (1) interviewer, the Director of Studies (DoS) in a language school; (2) candidate, a newly qualified teacher looking for a job; and (3) observer.

Interviewer, you have 1 min to decide what questions you are going to ask.

Role-play the interview (max. 2 mins).

Observer: advise the candidate what s/he should have said...

Role-play it again, with exactly the same questions from the interviewer, and the candidate following the observer's advice.

Note that we are going to record the interview and post it on the Internet.

And here's one that we created: