Using the ActivPen

  • To select an object: Left-click - Tap the pen nib quickly on the Activboard
  • To show the ‘Object Edit Menu’: Right-click - Hover the pen over the Activboard, less than 5mm away from the board and press the button.
  • To move objects around the page: Click and drag - Click on the object you want to move, hold the pen nib down on the board and then move the pen.
  • Double clicking on the ‘Object Browser’ allows you to show/hide an object. Double-click - Two quick taps with the Activpen’s nib performs the same action as double-clicking with a mouse.

Calibrating the ActivBoard

On the computer:

  • Click on the ‘Activmanager’ icon in the menu bar.
  • Select ‘Calibrate’.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions.

On the Activboard:

  • Hover the pen over the lit flame in the top left hand corner of the board, don’t push the pen.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions

The ActivInspire Interface

You can choose to view ActivInspire with a primary or studio skin, this option can be changed in the ‘Dashboard‘ under ‘Configure’.
The toolbox: pinning, hiding, rolling up or rolling in
When it is opened the toolbox windows can be viewed in a number of ways- try these:
  • Click on ‘Pin Toolbox’ to unpin/pin
  • Click on the ‘Main Menu’
  • Select ‘View’.
  • Click here to hide the ‘Menu Bar’ that appears at the top of the screen.
  • Roll up the ‘Main Toolbox’.
  • Click on ‘Toolbox Options’.
  • Select ‘Dock top’.
  • Select ‘Roll In’ to hide the shortcut bar

The Pen Tool Workshop

  • Click on the ‘Main Menu’ button
  • Select ‘File’ > New Flipchart, or,
  • Select ‘Open’ and navigate to the flipchart you wish to open.
  • Make sure the ‘Pen’ tool is selected and choose a suitable line thickness. Write on the flipchart.
  • Right click on any colour in the colour pallet and choose the ‘Colour Picker’. Use the ‘Colour Picker’ to select the background colour. Now use the ‘Pen’ to write on the flipchart with the background colour.
  • Select ‘Fill’.
  • Choose an alternative colour in the colour palette.
  • Click on the flipchart to fill it with the new colour. The magic writing appears!

Manipulating Objects

Hover the pen over each icon to view the titles of each option in the manipulation toolbar

  • Type/click on an existing word in the flipchart
  • Make the writing smaller with the ‘Size Object (Maintain Aspect)’ handle
  • Make the text fainter with the ‘Translucency Slider’
  • Move the word with the ‘Freely Move Object’ marquee handle
  • Select another word.
  • Click on the ‘Rotate Object’ to realign the word
  • Move the object by click directly on the object or,
  • Move an object using ‘Freely Move Object’.

Grouping Objects

Hover the pen over each icon to view the titles of each option in the manipulation toolbar

  • Click and drag over two words to select them both. Choose the ‘Toggle Grouped’ marque handle to group them as one object.
  • Then click on either words to select them.
  • You can move them together as a group.
  • Click on ‘Toggle Grouped’ again to ungroup the words. Select one of the words.
  • Now use ‘Toggle Grouped’ again.
  • Each letter is now an individual object

Eraser, Undo, Redo & Delete

  • To undo an action, click ‘Undo’ button in the toolbox
  • To redo an action, click ‘Redo’ button in the toolbox
  • You can delete an object several ways:
  • With the object selected, click on the ‘Flipchart bin’/ click on the Delete button in the toolbox/click on the delete option in the object manipulation toolbar/use the eraser tool to erase
  • Objects created with the ‘Pen’ tool are called annotations. You can use the ‘Eraser’ to delete annotations. Select the ‘Eraser’, or you can click on the ‘Clear Annotations’ tool in the toolbox/menu

Saving a Flipchart

  • Click on the ‘Main Menu’.
  • Select ‘File’.
  • Select ‘Save As . . .’ and give the new flipchart a suitable name.
  • Click on ‘Save’
  • Be sure to save your flipcharts in some sort of ordered system
  • Save all powerpoint files, pic files etc. used in a flipchart in the same location

‘10 STEPS TO GET TO KNOW 07′

STEP 1

Using the Microsoft online conversion tutorials: Migrating from 2003 to 2007

Copy and Paste the required url below in the Internet Explorer address bar. Dont use Firefox as Firefox wont read links created by Microsoft!

Microsoft Word:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT100766331033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA100744321033

Microsoft Powerpoint:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493271033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101490761033

Microsoft Excel:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493291033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101491511033

Microsoft Access:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT102389151033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA102388991033

STEP 2

The tutorial title page loads. Now Add this link to your favourites: Favourites menu > Add to Favourites (the site doesnt respond well to the Back button)

Click Start, and the tutorial window loads the old Word 2003 interface. If you undertake the specific task like you normally would - eg Edit > Copy, the window changes to a Word 2007 window and a little video shows you the steps, highlighting the key strokes with an orange box

The tutorial caters for different learning styles too! You can choose not to watch the video, but instead, however the mouse over the last step of an action and a little dialogue window will pop-up to tell you the steps in words

Note: to return to the 2003 tutorial, just click anywhere inside the 2007 interface after it has shown you what to do. Remember its not an application, just an interactive tutorial. If you want to practice on the real thing, open the Word 2007 application: Start> All programs > Microsoft Office.

STEP 3

Use the tutorial to find out how to do the following basic tasks in 2007:

Save As

Print

Insert picture

Format columns

Insert table and format it

STEP 4

Use the tutorial to do several tasks that are specific to what you might normally do with Word 2003 until you familiarise yourself with where things are in Word 2007

STEP 5

Discovering Word 2007: a guided journey

You will have noticed some key differences between the 2003 and 2007 versions

The main difference is the Ribbon at the top of the window - everything that used to be located in Pull-down Menus is located in Command Sets within the Ribbon. These sets have additional Tabs/Buttons/menus within them. Everything is much more graphic and easy to see.

Lets Get Started

Open Microsoft Word 2007 (the application): Start> All programs > Microsoft Office

Keep the tutorial in Explorer running in the background in case you wish to refer to it later

1. Open a new document that includes the following (you can copy and paste some from somewhere):

- two or three short paragraphs of text spaced under:

- one main heading, and

- two sub headings

2. Click on HOME menu. Each of the Home Command Sets expand to reveal more options than are visible (bottom left of window - click on arrow). Play with the first set

3. Position your cursor next to a heading on your page. Click on the Style Command Set and hover the pointer over one of the heading Styles: the heading on your page previews the style result. Once you find one you like, click on the Style button to cahnge the text on the page. scroll through body text options etc and experiment

4. Click on the INSERT menu. Position cursor on next line. Click on the Table button and drag out how many rows and cells you wish to include. The Insert Table option in the pop-up window allows you more options than are displayed

5. Click on the DESIGN menu and with the table selected hover over any of the many table styles to find one you like. Click to change. Play with the Table Style Options button and the Draw Borders etc to see what these tools do

6. Go back to INSERT menu and click Picture. Locate a picture file and insert it. Play with the Picture options: Picture Shape, Picture Border, Picture Effects and the Editing options: Brightness, Contrast, Recolour. Also check out Arrange and Size buttons.

7. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Smart Art button. Select from the many options in the pop-up window and then customise these in the Design menu: with the smart art selected (make sure you’re in the Design menu), try Change Colours, Quick Styles, Change Layout etc.

8. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Chart button. Select a chart style. An Excel pop up spreadsheet opens: enter data, add data or columns or rows and see how the chart changes. To edit data after you have inserted a formatted chart, go to Design button > Click Edit Data and the Excel spreadsheet opens

9. Go back to INSERT menu and click the Links button. Click Hyperlink. Copy the url of my Blog page and click back on the hyperlink pop-up window. Paste in the Address bar bottom of the window. Click OK. The Hyperlink is now a clickable url link on your Word page. To use a title rather than a long url, copy the url of the page - so copy my blog url again. In the hyperlink pop-up window, type Di’s Blog in the ‘text to display’ box and paste the url in the ‘Address’ bar. Click ok. Now when you click on ‘Di’s Blog’, on the Word doc, the blog will load in the browser

10. Now, on your own play with the Page Layout menu, to see where things are located and then go back to anything else that you noticed along the way

For those who prefer more detail, Microsoft has a great online tutorial with written notes. Click on the link below to go there (it works with any browser):

Microsoft Get Familiar with Word


Help Migrating

I am hearing pleas for help from many staff members about the switch to Office 2007, especially Word which everyone uses. Andrew has sourced a great online tutorial from Microsoft that shows you, very simply how to do in the 2007 version, what you used to do in the 2003 version. if you bookmark this it can be a quick and easy way to work out how to do what you need to do.

However you cant see the sites in Firefox (for some reason?) so open Internet Explorer and:

copy and paste the following urls for the application you need help with in the browser window.

Once the site loads, Bookmark the site to make it easier to access next time.

Here are the links to the various office tutorial sites are below:

Microsoft Word:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT100766331033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA100744321033

Microsoft Powerpoint:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493271033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101490761033

Microsoft Excel:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT101493291033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA101491511033

Microsoft Access:

http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/asstvid.aspx?assetid=XT102389151033&vwidth=1044&vheight=788&type=flash&CTT=11&Origin=HA102388991033

How to use them: its simple really!

After hitting Start, the tutorial window loads the good old Word 2003 interface. If you undertake the specific task like you normally would - eg Edit > Copy, the window changes to a Word 2007 window and a little video shows you the steps, highlighting the key strokes with an orange box.

The tutorial caters for different learning styles too! You can choose not to watch the video, but instead, however the mouse over the last step of an action and a little dialogue window will pop-up to tell you the steps in words.

For those who prefer more detail, Microsoft has a great online tutorial with written notes. Click on the link below to go there (it works with any browser):

Microsoft Get Familiar with Word

Keep an eye on Andrew Greenlees great blog which I’ve told you about before - its got links to Microsoft Reference guides too.

Good luck!

I will be running an after-school workshop using this tutorial on my return from camp, in week 3. An email accompanying this link will provide details.

Here are some helpful links to online tutorials. Click on the links, find the one that works for you and work at your own pace through each topic.

1. Here is a link to a good basic tutorial on using Microsoft Outlook: Millpen College Using Microsoft Outlook

2. Here is another site that attempts to make learning fun! You may prefer its step-by-step instructions:

ACTEN Media Microsoft Outlook Tutorial

3. Plant Administrations Outlook Tutorials provide quite detailed step-by-step workshops on each topic. These are downloadable PDF files that you can print and use while offline.

4. Microsoft Outlook’s own Help website

Audacity provides a quick tutorial on the basic features in its Welcome Screen. if this has been disabled, you can find it under the Help menu. launch Audacity > go to Help menu > Show Welcome Message

Click on the blue links: Play Back; Record; Edit Sound; Export Sound & Burn to a CD to see whats possible. Follow the onscreen instructions