I'm the sort of person who likes to learn new tips and tricks for using my word processor. As both a writer and a teacher, I spend a lot of time in front of the computer, so I find macros, shortcuts, and templates an invaluable resource for saving time and increasing efficiency. As a writing teacher, I like to pass along word processing strategies to students (like, for example, how to turn off the "smart quotes" or turning off those annoying auto-underlined hyperlinks in Word) so they can create professionally formatted manuscripts.

So I frequently visit webpages like Office's download page or the wonderful resources at Word Tips. I read books on MS Office (like Word Hacks or Windows XP Annoyances and I surf any number of Office-related weblogs (see The Office Zealot or The Office Weblog for good ones) and I even subscribe to newsletters (like The Office Letter and The Editorium). I install add-in programs like the wonderful WordToys macro set. All of these things help improve my efficiency, make me more comfortable using Office, working on edits, and helping others with the software. And some of these things are even fun.

Today The Office Letter included a neat link that I felt other teachers might benefit from: Internet4Classrooms. This site has an informative page on "Using Excel in the Classroom" -- something that's always been a weakness of mine, because I always opt to use Word whenever I can. Sure, most teachers are familiar with using Excel to track grades, but unless they're teachers of math or accounting, they probably don't use it for anything else. The Internet4Classrooms page on Excel has an EXCELLENT guide on how to make "concept maps" and flow charts in Excel (along with samples you can download and edit), something that has always baffled me in Word. If you ever use diagrams in your handouts, it's worth a look-see.

There's plenty of software for teachers available on the internet, but I like to find programs that enhance what I already use...for free.

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