My Microsoft experiences

Over the years, I've danced the dance with many Microsoft applications, some more successfully than others. The most frequently used has to be Word, due to the need to produce assignments for  university over the years. Initially, I just used the basic features such as underline, centre text, and insert picture, but as my confidence grew, I began to explore many other features. I mastered the art of inserting charts, hyperlinks, and other visual elements, and began to produce pieces of work which looked far more professional than my initial efforts.

The latest gadget I've discovered on Word is the referencing tool, and I have to say that this will become my new best friend. The ease with which I will be able to properly reference my writing is a revelation, and will save me countless hours. You can find a guide here.

I have also used Excel to complete specific modules during my degree, in particular the Accounting modules and some of the ICT assignments. My experience with Excel is by no means extensive, but I am able to produce and manipulate basic spreadsheets to a reasonable standard.

  The other applications I have used regularly are Powerpoint and Publisher. Powerpoint has long been the go-to application for presentations, and I used it frequently during my degree. Training to become a teacher, and understanding the importance of engaging the students has made me reassess my relationship with Powerpoint. I think I now need to try and take it to the next level, and start learning how to make my presentations more interactive and innovative. There has already been some useful tools and tips from Mandy on how to do this, which I hope to be able to incorporate into my lesson planning.

Publisher creates flyers, leaflets, and other such documents from preloaded templates, which can then be adapted and personalised to suit the user. I used this in my last job to produce staff booklets for the internal training course I was delivering, but I would not say I was proficient, merely competent.

The view from behind a coffee cup

Sunday morning, and time to reflect on the first two weeks of the course. The timetable is packed with lectures, assignment deadlines and teaching placements, and I am frantically reassessing my definition of a full time course, having being lulled into a false sense of security by three years of full time undergraduate study - a completely different beast! The expectations are higher, but so are the rewards.

The ICT classes with Mandy have introduced me to a number of short cuts and tools which will take hours off such tasks as referencing and creating visual aids for the classroom. The Harvard referencing button in Word - where have you been all my life? All those hours I spent sobbing into my keyboard.........

I've started putting my lesson together for the micro teach session this weekend. The subject is a simple one, but the time available to deliver and prior knowledge of my fellow students has narrowed down a huge subject area for me, and allowed me to select something which I feel can be delivered and understood successfully in the time slot. I am looking forward to the other sessions enormously - the diversity of subject expertise and personalities in the class is staggering, and should make for some very interesting lessons.