Introduction to I.T. Skills and Microsoft Office

XP Edition
Steve Rickaby
ISBN-13: 9781844808366
eISBN-13: 9781844808366
ISBN: 184480836X
eISBN: 184480836X
MARC Record [.mrc format]

Introductory IT Skills is designed to help learners pace their learning and allows flexibility in how they achieve their qualification. It is packed with interesting and engaging activities. The modules are covered in 30 digestible steps which take about half an hour each. Learners can do as many or as few steps at a time as they like. At the end of the book, learners will be confident and competent computer and office applications users and gain a qualification which employers recognize. No previous knowledge is required. The book has many features to make understanding and passing the ECDL easy. Learners can read through cover-to-cover, or select and focus on specific modules or applications.

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Chapter Abstracts

• Ch. 1 Getting Started
  Chapter One covers useful terms and a little history; different types of computers; the various parts of a computer and computer performance
• Ch. 2 About computers and programs
  Chapter Two covers what happens inside a computer; types of memory and storage; getting information in and out and Software - how it's developed and what it does
• Ch. 3 Computer communications
  Chapter Three covers how computers communicate; the benefits of computer-to-computer communication; the Internet, internets and extranets and the World Wide Web
• Ch. 4 Computers in daily life
  Chapter Four covers where and how computers are used; the upsides and downsides of 'computers for all'; using the Internet for buying and selling and working safely with computers
• Ch. 5 Using and protecting data
  Chapter Five covers looking after your data, viruses and how to avoid them, how laws protect personal data and software and data copyright
• Ch. 6 Hands-on
  Chapter Six covers starting up and shutting down your computer, learning to use the mouse, launching, quitting and aborting programs, customising your working environment, getting help, installing and uninstalling programs and getting out of trouble
• Ch. 7 Using windows and files
  Chapter Seven covers how computers store information, working with the desktop, working with windows and files, backing up your work, deleting and recovering files, searching for files and saving space
• Ch. 8 Making your computer secure
  Chapter Eight covers more about viruses and other malware, hackers and how to avoid them, enabling your computer's firewall and using a virus scanning program
• Ch. 9 Printing
  Chapter Nine covers setting a default printer, printing a file, managing printing jobs, sharing a printer and installing a new printer
• Ch. 10 Getting started with Word
  Chapter Ten covers creating, opening and saving documents, using Word for writing and editing, getting help, customising Word and setting macro security levels
• Ch. 11 Laying out text
  Chapter Eleven covers controlling the appearance of text, laying out text in paragraphs, creating attractive lists and laying out pages
• Ch. 12 Adding tables and illustrations
  Chapter Twelve covers using tables and charts, importing illustrations, using clip art, using predefined diagrams and drawing your own diagrams
• Ch. 13 Creating mailshots
  Chapter Thirteen covers mail merge basics, using the Mail Merge wizard to create letters, using the Mail Merge wizard to create labels and using the Mail Merge toolbar
• Ch. 14 Getting it right on paper
  Chapter Fourteen covers checking spelling and grammar, refining your work on the page, sorting out pagination problems and 'Goodbye to Word'
• Ch. 15 Getting started with Excel
  Chapter Fifteen covers introduction to spreadsheets, Excel's basic user controls, creating, opening and saving workbooks, working with worksheets, customising Excel and getting help
• Ch. 16 Working with spreadsheet data
  Chapter Sixteen covers entering data into Excel, editing data in cells, searching for and replacing data, moving and copying data between cells and worksheets and sorting data
• Ch. 17 Using spreadsheet formulae
  Chapter Seventeen covers using functions in Excel, creating formulae, how Excel processes formulae, relative and absolute cell references, mixed cell references, Excel error messages and conditional functions-making decisions
• Ch. 18 Improving a sheet's appearance
  Chapter Eighteen covers choosing and using cell data display formats, defining your own display formats, setting text formats and options, using borders to create forms within worksheets, concealing data from display and protecting formulae from accidental change
• Ch. 19 Working with charts and graphs
  Chapter Nineteen covers the difference between charts and graphs, how to create a simple pie chart, how to create different types of chart, adding legends to your chart, editing charts and graphs, copying and moving charts and graphs and adding a linked chart to a Word document
• Ch. 20 Preparing and printing data
  Chapter Twenty covers checking the maths in your worksheet, checking your spelling, setting the area to be printed, adding headers and footers, setting the page breaks, setting printing options, printing a worksheet or workbook and saving a workbook in an alternative file format
• Ch. 21 Database basics
  Chapter Twenty One covers what is a database?, the purpose and advantages of relational databases, how databases are organised, the purpose of primary keys and getting to grips with Access
• Ch. 22 Creating a database
  Chapter Twenty Two covers designing a database, creating the database and its tables, creating the relationships between tables and refining your design
• Ch. 23 Entering and retrieving information
  Chapter Twenty Three covers getting data into your database, forms - how to create and use them, sorting data and finding data, filters and queries
• Ch. 24 Formatting and printing data
  Chapter Twenty Four covers using reports to put your data on the page, creating reports with the AutoReport tool, creating reports with the Report Wizard, editing reports in Design view and printing your data
• Ch. 25 Designing a presentation
  Chapter Twenty Five covers designing visual aids, what PowerPoint can do, creating a simple presentation, using background images, using automatic numbering for slides, dates, using PowerPoint's views and toolbars and getting help
• Ch. 26 Enhancing your slides
  Chapter Twenty Six covers entering and editing text on slides, adding illustrations to your slides, adding charts or graphs to your slides and adding diagrams to your slides
• Ch. 27 Finalising and presentation
  Chapter Twenty Seven covers controlling the display of bullet points-adding animation, controlling the display of slides-adding transitions, adding speaker's notes, checking spelling, printing slides, handouts, and speaker's notes and producing and delivering your presentation
• Ch. 28 Using the Internet
  Chapter Twenty Eight covers more about the Internet-protocols and why they matter, how Internet addresses are constructed, how security works on the Web and hands-on with Internet Explorer - using the Web
• Ch. 29 Using the World Wide Web
  Chapter Twenty Nine covers using an on-line form, using an on-line shopping site, finding information on the Web-search engines, keeping track of Web sites-bookmarks, using Web content in other programs, printing Web pages and content and a final note of caution - phishing
• Ch. 30 Using and managing e-mail
  Chapter Thirty covers e-mail basics, getting started with Outlook, using e-mail attachments, organising your mail, using the Address Book, printing messages and getting help in Outlook