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 Creating a Document in Microsoft Word

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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDkxAOahS0c

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I used Screencast-o-Matic to create this tutorial. Screencast-o-Matic can be accessed at
http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/.

  
This tutorial was created for upper elementary students who are beginning to use
Microsoft Word for written assignments. However, middle school students, high school
students, teachers, and other staff members who are not familiar with the program could also
benefit from the tutorial.


  

 


The purpose of the tutorial is to teach viewers the basic steps in using Microsoft Office
Word to create a word processing document. This tutorial is meant to be an introductory lesson
to help viewers begin using the program.


   


The tutorial begins with a short introduction that includes the title and author of the
Screencast as well as the purpose of the tutorial. Next, the tutorial shows the steps involved in
locating and opening Microsoft Office Word from the desktop of the computer. Once the
program is open, I explain how to format a document using the options for font type, font size,
line spacing, and margins. Then, I demonstrate how to enter text and use the alignment options
to center text and align text along the left margin. I also explain how to use the ³Enter´ key to
move the cursor to the next line and the ³Tab´ key to indent a paragraph. Next, I show how to
use the Office button to access the options for printing, saving, and closing a document. The
tutorial ends with a very brief summary in which I remind the viewer of the tabs and Office
button that are used when creating a document in Microsoft Word.

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I think that a Screencast tutorial is a great way to help students, school staff members,
and parents learn how to use a computer program or Web 2.0 tool. Because the viewer can see
exactly what is happening on the computer screen as the process is occurring, the chances of the
viewer misunderstanding the process are minimized. Also, the tutorial can be viewed over and
over again if the viewer experiences problems with the process or just needs to have the
directions presented more than once. Viewers should feel more confident in their abilities to
perform the particular skill after watching the tutorial.
Teachers could create tutorials for students that are focused on computer skills that the
students must use for class assignments. The teachers could benefit from having tutorials
available that are focused on computer applications that they are required to use for online grade
books, creating teacher web pages, completing computerized inventories, and other
administrative tasks. Teachers often have difficulty remembering how to perform certain
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computer skills that are only required once or twice a year, and the Screencast tutorials could be
a reference for them to use when they need a refresher lesson. The school media specialist or
technology specialist could create Screencast tutorials to introduce teachers and other staff
members to computer applications that can be useful in the educational setting.
Screencast tutorials could be used to teach parents how to use various computer
applications that contain information pertaining to their children¶s education. For example, a
tutorial could be created to help parents learn to access an online grade book to view their
children¶s grades, assignments, behavior reports, and other posted information. Another tutorial
could focus on how parents can access the online CRCT practice tests.
Another use of a Screencast tutorial is the demonstration of a particular academic skill,
such as a math calculation. Teachers could use a computer program or web-based application to
show how a certain type of problem is worked. Students could refer to the tutorial when they
experience difficulty completing homework outside the classroom or when they are studying for
a test. The tutorial would provide instruction using visual and verbal components.
Teachers could give students assignments to create their own Screencast tutorials. This
would allow the teachers to determine how well students understand the process or skill that is
demonstrated in the tutorial. This would be a good performance-based assessment that could be
graded using a rubric. This assignment would require students to perform several different skills
such as knowing the particular process being demonstrated in the tutorial, planning the tutorial,
creating a script for the tutorial, using good oral expression skills to narrate it, and following
directions to assemble the final product.