Fordham University will be switching from Microsoft Office 2003 to 2007 over the next few months.  For more details about when computers in the labs will be upgraded and how to get a copy for your home/office computer, see the previous blog entry.

So what’s new in MS Office 2007?

The biggest change that you will notice as soon as you open a MS Office 2007 product is “The Ribbon”.  Instead of having choices that open up a drop-down menu, the new interface organizes tabs into “Tasks” that will display options on the ribbon.

Mini Tool bar

When text is selected the mini text toolbar will appear allowing you to edit such things as the font size or color without having to make a selection from the Home tab.  Right clicking will also open the floating mini toolbar.  For those of you who find the tool bar distracting and would like to turn off that feature, simply click on the Office button and select “Word Options”.  On the “Popular” menu, you can check or uncheck the box for “Show Mini Toolbar on Selection”.

Live Preview

This is another new feature in Office 2007 products.  When you mouse-over any formatting option, you will see a live preview without actually applying the new format.  For example, if you highlight a portion of text and scroll through the font choices, you will see how your selected text looks with that font applied to it.  This lets you quickly view different options without having to actually change the text.

File format issues

There are several things to keep in mind when saving documents in Office 2007 products.  If you save a document in the 2007 file format and send it to someone who has Office 2003, they will be unable to open the document unless they download the Compatibility Pack from Microsoft (see below).  To save a file in the 97 – 2003 format, select “Save As” from the Office button and choose that format from the selections offered.  For people who want to save the majority of their files in this format, it is possible to set the default for saving documents as a 97 – 2003 file.  To do this, click the Office button and select “Word Options” at the bottom.  Select the “Save” menu and choose the desired file format from the drop down menu.

What is compatibility mode?

Compatibility mode will allow you to open, edit, and save documents in the 2003 format, however; in doing so you will lose the ability to use the new features available in MS Office 2007 such as SmartArt.  It is also possible to convert a 2003 to a 2007 file format.  To do this, simply click the Office Button and select “Convert”.  To read more about compatibility mode in MS Office 2007 products, visit the Microsoft TechNet Website.

Can I still use shortcut keys?

Yes, to view the shortcut keys, press the “ALT” key at any time to display the shortcut keys next to their corresponding functions.  For example if you press the “ALT” key, the H that appears shows you that you can press “ALT + H” to move to the Home tab.  The shortcut keys can be toggled on and off at anytime by pressing the “ALT” key.

In the next several weeks, we will take a close look at Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007 by sharing tips, tutorials, and resources.  In the meantime, for more information:

Comparison of MS Office 2003 and 2007 via CNET (21 slides with text)
What’s New in Office 2007 via Microsoft
Sign up to receive MS Office tips daily, weekly, or monthly in a newsletter (via email)

Overview of MS Office 2007 via CNET (3:07)

DOWNLOADS:

Compatibility pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats:  If you are still using MS Office 2003 and receive a file in the 2007 format, this download will allow you to open, edit, and save the file (via Microsoft).  Please note, you need to make sure you have downloaded all critical updates first.

Microsoft Mac Downloads

Download classic menu and toolbar for MS Office 2007 (fee download)

Media Credit
Microsoft by Kristen Treglia
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Have you ever scribbled a note to yourself on a convenient piece of paper, and then lost it?  Or maybe you’ve taken a picture of something you wanted to remember with your cell phone, but it got accidentally deleted? Well, Evernote is a free application that can help you keep notes and ideas easily accessible and organized on your phone, computer and/or web:

Links:

Evernote
Evernote downloads for your phone, desktop, and other devices
Short Video tutorials, overviews, and ideas
“Evernote + Twitter = Instant Memories”
Evernote blog

Most people don’t give much thought to what browser they use to surf the internet; in fact they might not even realize how many different kinds there are to choose from.

Why should you make the switch from using Internet Explorer to another browser such as Firefox?  There are several good reasons:  security, customization, and speed.  Firefox is not only a more secure browser and faster than Internet Explorer, but it also allows you to customize your browser experience with add-ons to make your browsing experience easy and save you time.

The following are the Firefox add-ons I use at work and why I like them.  You can also download them all from the Firefox Collection that I created.

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Delicious Bookmarks integrates delicious into the browser.  For all readers who are new to social bookmarking or have not yet signed up for a Delicious account, take a look at my previous post on “What’s so Delicious About Social Bookmarking?” for more information and resources on using Delicious.

Twitterfox: I primarily use Twitter to keep in touch and share resources with other educators.  At work I use Twitterfox and Twhirl to keep up with the latest tweets (at home I prefer to use Tweetdeck). I’m planning a future blog post on the benefits of educators using Twitter, but in the meantime if you are interested in learning more then take a look at the Twitter tab on my Pageflake for some helpful links.  If you are a Twitterer, please feel free to follow me (kris10_), I primarily tweet about education, technology, and math.

Download Statusbar: Instead of getting an annoying little pop-up every time you download something from the web, you’ll see a notification on the status bar of your browser.  There are also many other features available to customize your downloads.

Session Manager: I like this add-on because it’s an easy way to restore previous browsing sessions.  This is especially helpful after a crash occurs when I’ve got multiple tabs open!

Multirow Bookmarks Toolbar: I’m a big fan of being organized and this add-on lets me further customize the bookmarks toolbar so that I can not only use folders to organize my bookmarks by groups, but I can also add multiple rows.

Evernote Web Clipper: Now that Evernote has a mobile app for blackberry, I’ve installed the add-on for Firefox.  Evernote is a neat way of saving and organizing notes and features synchronization between web, desktop, and mobile platforms.  You can also send tweets directly into Evernote!

Coral IE Tab: While most web pages that are created now are compatible with various browsers, sometimes websites need to be viewed in Internet Explorer.  This add-on is a great way of viewing a page in Internet Explorer in a tab which avoids having to open up a new window.

Colorzilla: This handy add-on lets you get a color reading from anywhere inside the browser.  If you are into graphic design or frequently use products like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, this add-on can save you valuable time when you need to match a particular color on a website.

FireFTP: If you are looking for a free and secure FTP client, this is an easy and intuitive option.

FoxyMeter: An unobtrusive way to keep track of the number of web pages you surf.

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Additional Ways to customize Firefox:

Browse for Firefox add-ons by catagory or collection.  There is even a collection add-on that will notify you when there are updates made to the collection.  In addition to add-ons, you can further customize your Firefox browser by changing the theme, which is the way the buttons, icons, and browser looks.   Personas are a new Firefox feature that adds an image to the top and bottom (status bar) of the browser.

Links to other Browsers:

Google Chrome
Safari
Camino
Opera (Windows) (Mac)
Opera Mini for mobile devices
Introduction to Opera Unite (an introduction to the alpha release that turns any computer into both a client and a server)
Fennec for Windows mobile devices
Flock

Browser Reviews:

Firefox 3 (CNETeditor’s choice)
Chrome
Safari 4
Opera
Flock 2.5
Links to more browser reviews
About “The browser wars”, reviews, and download links

Additional Links of Interest:

How to clear your browser’s cache and surf securely

Photo Credit:
Browser by technovore
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

As we all know, it’s important to avoid infringing on copyrighted material.  So, how can you find excellent quality images to use in presentations or on blogs without having to pay expensive royalty fees to use licensed material?  The simple answer is to use the Creative Commons on Flickr.   There are literally millions of excellent photos that have various types of creative common licenses that allow you to use them without having to spend money or sacrifice quality!!

How does creative commons work on flickr?

There are several different types of licenses to choose from, you should search for a photo with the license that best fits how you will be using it.  Here is a brief description of the different types:

Attribution: Others can copy/distribute/display/perform copyrighted and derivative works based upon it but only if credit is given.
Noncommercial: Others can copy/distribute/display/perform copyrighted and derivative works but for noncommercial purposes only

No Derivative Works: Others can copy/distribute/display/perform only verbatim copies of the work, not derivative works based upon it.

Share alike: Others can distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs the work.

If you’d like to see more information about the various licenses and how they work on Flickr, check out this blog entry “Complete Guide to Finding and Using Incredible Flickr Images“.

If you have not signed up for an account, and plan on using Flickr images in the future, it might be worth it for you to take a minute or two to create a free yahoo account (Flickr’s parent company).  One of the many reasons why you would want to have your own Flickr account is because you can conveniently keep track of images that you would like to use.  When I am searching for images on Flickr I quite often find other photos that I would like to bookmark for later– since I have an account I can do this quite easily by marking it as a “favorite”.  Take a look at the Newbie’s Guide to Flickr for the basics of uploading photos on Flickr or view a presentation that includes a step by step guide to signing up for a free account.

If you’ve already signed up for an account or would like to see what else you can do with Flickr, check out Mashable’s FLICKR TOOLBOX: 100+ Tools For Flickr Addicts or Digital Inspiration’s Flickr Guide for some great ideas.

Photo Credit
Creative Commons:  flickr by technovore via Flickr
Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

Additional Links of Interest:

100 Amazing Flickr Collections for Architecture Buffs
Step by step instructions on downloading Creative Commons images on flickr
10 Ways to Find Great Photos on Flickr
Teaching with Flickr Wiki

Some Useful Sets and Collections on Flickr:
Brooklyn Museum
Library of Congress
New York Public Library
Powerhouse Museum
Smithsonian

Save All: Quick shortcut to save all documents
1.  Hold the Shift key down
2.  Select “File”
3.  Click on “Save All”
Note, you must hold the shift key down before you click on “File”.  Also remember, you should check to make sure you have the correct location and name of the document before saving.

Cycle through documents quickly:

Press “Ctrl” + “F6” to jump from one document to the next
“Ctrl” + “Shift” + “F6” will jump you backwards.

Split screen view of multiple documents:

From the “Window” menu

Click on “Arrange All” to see/work with multiple documents on the screen at the same time
Click on “Compare Side by Side with” to view/work with two documents side by side

More Word Tips:
http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/
http://www.microsystems.com/resources/word-tips-and-tricks.php
http://girishk.com/2009/03/02/top-50-microsoft-word-tips/

Q: When you are adding text to Powerpoint or Keynote presentations, how do you know whether it’s the right size? Will the people at the back of the room be able to read it?

A: Fortunately, there’s a simple rule of thumb. Measure your monitor diagonally. Take the number of inches, and then step back that many feet from the screen. Can you still read the text? If not, make it larger until you can.

Bonus Tip: If you don’t have ruler handy, most Fordham PCs have 17″ monitors, and most Fordham Macs have 24″ monitors.

Over the Summer, Fordham will be upgrading to Blackboard Learning System 8.0. you can get a leg up on the new system–including the enhanced grade book–by taking a look at the Faculty Release Notes: https://behind.blackboard.com/s/sysadminas/refcenter/docs/details.BbDocumentID=3226&pid=100&rid=5759&dt=

A common misconception we encounter in the FTC is that one needs Acrobat Professional to comment on or review a PDF. That is simply not the case. If someone sends you a PDF that has been properly review-enabled, you can add your comments and edits using any recent version (7 or of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

One of our most frequently asked questions in the FTC is “how can I save a YouTube video,” for offline use, to insert into a presentation, or just to save for later in case it gets taken down. The answer, as long as you feel you have rights to save the video, either explicitly or through Fair Use, is http://vixy.net. Just paste the url of a YouTube (or Google Videos, or other video service) video into the input box on vixy.net, and in a few minutes you’ll have a downloadable video to take with you, in the file format of your choice.

One of the issues we see frequently in the FTC is with instructors who can’t see files their students have added to the digital dropbox. When the student logs in, the file is there. When the instructor logs in, it isn’t. The problem is students not understanding how the dropbox works. One of the dropbox’s functions is to allow students to submit datestamped files to instructors, but it also allows students to store files for their own use for the duration of the semester. Sometimes, students don’t realize there are two buttons on the dropbox page, and just click the “Add” button. The “Add” button, though, just uploads the file. It doesn’t actually send the file to the instructor’s dropbox. To do that, they need to use the “Send” button, and it’s worth reminding them of that from time to time.