Post # 2

As a student, I have used Microsoft Word to write formal papers, type up homework, and to make up tables and charts. It is one of the programs that I most frequently use when I am on a computer. Microsoft Word has made my academic career so much easier because it allows me to edit things much more quickly than with pen and paper. I have seen my teachers use Microsoft Word to present documents to the class. They also use it to give me written instructions on an assignment.

In chapter 9 of the text, it spoke about word processing. It had some useful ideas about it and reasons to incorporate it into a classroom setting. For example, studies have shown that using a word processor has made it easier for people with learning disabilities to be able to write. Typing can help their coordination that might not be there with the traditional pen and pencil. This fact would be very helpful when trying to teach someone with a learning disorder such as dyslexia.

Word processor also allows things to be edited faster than with regular paper and pencil by using the cut and paste method. You can also insert new lines with the click of a button while with handwritten works, you have to recopy everything onto a new sheet of paper if you make a mistake. Word processor allows for a margin of error and it is less stressful to have to go back and edit. This part of the chapter I felt applied to me in a lot of ways. When I am writing a draft, it very often changes from what I originally planned on writing on. I often think of something and write it, and then end up reordering my ideas. Using a word processor such as Microsoft Word has made my writing much easier because I can erase anything I mess up with a click of a button.

Another thing that the word processor helps to incorporate into papers and reports is the use of detailed graphics. You can insert graphs, clip art, and tables. All of these things look neat and presentable when they are computerized as opposed to the usual sloppy mess of their hand drawn counterparts.

The chapter also specifically mentioned that spell checker can be ineffective. I have learned this through my own experience because when I have gone back and proofread, the spell checker has changed some of the words that I intended to be there to something that I did not want. It can sometimes read a sentence wrong and then it's whole purpose of being a useful tool is defeated. If I was teaching and my students needed to use word processor for a report, I would probably have the spelling and grammar checking tool turned off.

In this class, I want to be able to learn to incorporate Microsoft Word as a teaching tool for my future students. I hope that I can find innovative ways to teach them how to first use Word and then how to complete assignments on there. What I have learned so far is how to make documents look aesthetically pleasing. I have also learned what powerpoint slides should and should not look like to make them easier for students' to learn from.