Karen McCall, M.Ed.
A writing Aid [using the ADP guidelines] is a computer and adaptive technology such as a screen magnification or screen reading program.
Task
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Description
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Start Menu – what is it and how to use it [Windows Key or Control + Esc]
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Start Menu – Programs – how to use this
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Start Menu – Settings – how to use this
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Start Menu – Find – how to use this
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Start Menu – Documents – how to use this
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Desktop – what is it and how to use it [Windows Key + M]
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Taskbar – what is it and how to use it [Alt + Tab]
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How to use Desktop shortcut keys [Control + Alt + ?]
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How to assign Desktop shortcut keys
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Alternative keystrokes for Left Mouse Click [Enter] and Right Mouse Click] [Shift + F10]
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What is the Control Panel [Windows Key, S for Settings, C for Control Panel]
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Control Panel – Accessibility Options – Display – High Contrast
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Control Panel – Display – Appearance – modify anything not quite “visible” for you
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Control Panel – Display – Effects – Large Icons
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Font Smoothing in your magnification program – especially if you are using High Contrast Black Settings, you need to change the way your computer shows you white text on black
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What else can I change in the Control Panel
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What should I not touch in the Control Panel
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My Computer – what is it and how to use it
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Create a Folder on the hard drive
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Create a Folder on the floppy disk
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The difference between having focus on a file or a Folder [Alt + F for File Menu, Open or Save As dialog box]
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Delete a Folder – what NOT to Delete [Delete Key]
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Windows Explorer – what it is and how to use it [Windows Key + E]
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Shutdown the computer properly [Windows Key, U for Shutdown, Enter, S for Shutdown or R for Restart]
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Task
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Description
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How to change the reading speed/rate if your magnification program has speech
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How to change the pitch
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How to change the voice selection
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How to change the magnification setting
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Using a scroll tool if available
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How to change the cursor size and colour
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How to change the general colours in the magnification program
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Basic reading keys for navigating through either standard documents or Internet based documents
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How to edit and make changes to the pronunciation dictionary if available
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How to work in and save default settings files
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How to launch your screen magnification if it accidentally gets turned off
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Basic understanding of what else can be changed even if you do not have the need to do so now
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How to get screen magnification related Help – using the Help files
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Generally, if you are going to be working in MS-Word or Corel WordPerfect, have your training begin in this word processor. Although it is true that if you know how to use simple things like NotePad or WordPad, you can transfer the skills to a more powerful word processor; if you are going to work in Word, then why not learn in Word? Again, you have control over your own training and learning how to use MS-Word or Corel WordPerfect to create, save and open documents is a basic need.
Task
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Description
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How to launch the word processor from the Desktop [Control + Alt + ?]
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How to create a New Document [Control + N for New]
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Entering text into your new document
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Moving through text character by character [Left or Right Arrow]
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Moving through text word by word [Control + Left or Right Arrow]
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Moving through text line by line [Up or Down Arrow]
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Moving through text paragraph by paragraph [Control + Up or Down Arrow]
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Moving through text sentence by sentence [if available with your screen magnification]
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Moving through text screen by screen [page Up or Page Down]
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Moving to the top of a document [Control + Home]
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Moving to the end of a document [Control + End]
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Moving to the beginning of a line [Home]
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Moving to the end of a line [End]
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Select a character [Shift + Left Arrow or Shift + Right Arrow]
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Select a word [place cursor at beginning of a word, then Shift +Control + Right Arrow]
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Select a line [Home to get to beginning of line, then Shift + End]
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Select a paragraph [place cursor at beginning of paragraph, then Shift + Control + Down Arrow]
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Select entire document [Control + A for All]
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Copy text [Select text then, Control + C for Copy]
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Cut text [Select text then, Control + X for Cut]
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Paste Text [Select text then, Control + V for Paste]
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Inserting the Cut or Copied text somewhere else in a document
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Delete a character [Delete Key or Backspace Key]
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Delete a word [Control + Delete or Control + Backspace]
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Undo Delete [Control + Z]
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Repeat Typing [Control + Y]
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Save a document [Alt + F for File, A for Save As …]
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Save a document you have been working on [Control + S]
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Print a document [Control + P]
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Print Current Page in document [radio button in Print dialog box]
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Print Selected Pages [radio button in Print dialog box]
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Print in either Portrait or Landscape format [Properties in Print dialog box]
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Go to a page in a document [Control + G, enter page #, press Enter, then Esc to get rid of the Go To dialog box]
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How to Spell Check text
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How to use the Thesaurus
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Centre text [Control + E]
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Left align text [Control + L]
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Right align text [Control + R]
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Full justification [Control + J] – note that unless you absolutely feel the need for full justification it is not used normally in a word processed document
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Bold text [Control + B, this is a toggle]
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Italicize text [Control + I, this is a toggle]
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Underline text [Control + U, this is a toggle] – again, in word processed documents, normally bold will do, don’t combine these effects or it gets messy looking!
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Change Font and Font Size
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Find and Replace text
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Find and Replace formatting codes [can be done in both Word and WordPerfect]
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Delete a file from My Documents [for the new computer user, this is a safer way to Delete documents from your hard drive – you only see the documents in the My documents Folder – only Delete documents in this Folder]
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Open a document you have already created [Control + O]
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Open a file on a floppy disk
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Using the word processor help files
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Closing a document [Control + F4]
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Closing the word processor [Alt + F4]
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Other tutorials that are available - how much, which ones are free and where can I buy them?
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There is a wonderful book called “The PC is Not a Typewriter” which explains some important changes in the way documents are now formatted for the electronic age. The basics are
This should give you the basics for creating documents and editing text. You can access the Help files in your word processor and this should also be covered in your training. Be sure to ask for training materials and places to find material already created. This can include Internet resources or publications you can buy to supplement your training and move you into more functions of your word processor.