Welcome to Keyboarding!

Welcome to Keyboarding, Spring 2010!

Our Class Blog is the place where you can get additional help on each week's assignments.  This issue is a little long, but there is valuable information in it about our class.  Please read the Blog carefully and respond when appropriate.  Bonus points are available almost every week. So make sure you get all the points you can!  


About the Course 

Keyboarding provides students the opportunity to master the touch-method key stroking skill for entering alphabetic, numeric, and symbolic information on a keyboard and a ten-key pad. Emphasis is placed on developing proper speed and accuracy techniques. Students will format documents such as letters, memorandums, reports, announcements, and tables for personal, educational, and business uses.


This course is designed to be a one-semester, .5 credit course.  You will receive 1/2 Carnegie unit for successful completion of the class. The course contents support the MS Framework for Business and Technology.

In your online class, you will complete work with MS Word and MicroType Software (v. 4)   You should have received a disk with the MicroType 4.2 software.  PLEASE WAIT FOR COMPLETE DIRECTIONS BEFORE YOU INSTALL THE SOFTWARE.  If you have not received your disk, please contact your MVPS Site Coordinator at your school.  We will discuss this software and the installation in more detail later. 


For now, just browse the course pages to get familiar with the assignment locations; explore the tabs on the content page, such as Discussions, Dropbox, Quizzes, Grades, etc. You will use these tabs to "turn in" your work and see the grades that are posted.   


Go to the ORIENTATION tab under content and complete the entire section.  Update your profile and add a picture also; the first day of class is a GREAT time to do this!  Plus you will get bonus points for all orientation work.

Assignments

Assignments will be posted on the "News" page every Tuesday and are to be completed by Monday of the following week. Other notes may also be posted there for your review.Check the "News" frequently! That is your source for important information. Also, check your grades on the "Grades Tab" every week--work not completed results in a "0" on the grade tab. Work may be turned in late, but your grades may reflect a lower score.

I also send frequent pages and emails to you.  Make it a daily habit to check the "NEWS", the "Pages", and your "EMAILS".  If you hear a beep when you are signed in to your course, click the little green page button located in the upper right corner of your screen.  It is real-time paging and you can also page others.  Respond as required to each item.  Failure to do this will reflect in your grade. 

SPECIAL NOTE:  You are required to have a flash (aka thumb) drive or external hard drive to use as backup for your files. "My computer crashed" is not a valid excuse for not turning in work. Back-up files every time you complete an assignment!  Then if you move to another computer or want to work from home, you will have your files. 

BLOG NOTES:  Other assignments will be posted here on our class Blog. It is your responsibility to check the blog frequently and follow the assignment directions. These assignments will be part of your class grade. Bookmark (or add as a favorite) this BLOG so you can get back to it easily.

Your first assignment from this blog is to join this BLOG as a follower.  You can use your email address as your identification.  Then add a comment (go to bottom of this BLOG page) that includes your first name and what you expect to learn in this class. (If you have any difficulty doing this, please email or call me right away!)

Other Notes

We have a special Discussion Board on our Class Page--check out Mrs. McKee's Chalk Board.  Here you will find our weekly assignments, all our class email in one location, and a place to ask other students for help. Bonus points will be awarded on some of your posts. Just check it every time you log in so you don't miss anything.

We also have a class "Chat" button on your course page.   I will schedule chats from  time-to-time to allow you to make comments and ask questions in an interactive mode with me and your other classmates.  Sometimes these chats will be given Bonus points, depending upon the quality of your participation.


Another cool feature is our "OnLine Rooms" where we can hold a real-time class session.  Our first OnLine Room meeting is January 7, 2010 at 7:00 pm Central Time.  The online meeting will last about 1 hour.  You can ask questions and meet your other classmates during this time.  Just remember, the session is recorded so practice good online manners.

I Like to Talk on the Phone! You can expect a phone call from me this week to confirm your enrollment in the class. I also like to talk with your parents from time-to-time just to give them a progress report. Your site coordinator also receives frequent calls from me. As for any problems that you encounter such as log-in, course questions, software issues, etc., you may contact me by phone or text at 601-810-4923 or email (dannie.mckee@gmail.com). My office hours are posted on the "News" page. Don't hesitate to ask for help; your success is my success!


I’m pleased to have you in Web Design 1.  Let’s talk about what you should do every day when you come to class

1. If your Pager is sounding OR the green light is on, click on the pager and read your messages.
2. Check your class and personal email.  Respond to each of them in a professional manner.
3. Read my comments on your discussions, the dropbox, and quizzes.
4. Review your lessons for the week.  (The class calendar for the first 9 weeks is on the Course Home Page.)
5.  Next, start reading your lessons from the Content tab and completing the assignments.  They are due each Monday before 8 pm central time.  (Zeros will be posted for all incomplete work.)

Miscellaneous Notes
It’s very important that you stay on track.  There is almost no way you can complete the course if you fall behind.  The class is over in only 18 weeks.  So you have to work hard every day in class.  I expect you to stay focused and complete the material as assigned.  It’s really hard to skip around the course.  The sequence listed is the sequence you should follow. .  I also check your discussions, email and dropbox feedback to see that it's current.  And don’t take tests before your read the Content and complete your lessonsThat’s setting yourself up to fail!  And I want you to have a great grade in the class.

I can and do watch your work and course page.  And remember I am watching those posts because I want you to learn business communicating skills.  I can also see how much time you spend on the content portion of your lessons.  I KNOW you have to spend several minutes reading each lesson carefully before you ever turn in your work.  So in the future, I expect to see positive progress.

What’s the pay-off?  You  learn to stay organized, set goals, and interact online in a professional way.  AND you can earn ½ credit for successfully completing Keyboarding.

SO, it's time for you to get started.  Go to our Class Page and start Keyboarding!

HOW TO: Install MicroType 4.2 and Create Folders

To get started with the MicroType 4.2 software, read through all these instructions first. Print this Guide OR Keep the file open and switch between this Guide and your MicroType 4.2 Installation Screen. Next open your MicroType 4 QuickStart Guide to page 9. Then follow these steps.

INSTALL MICROTYPE 4.2 According to QuickStart Guide Page 9

• Create a Sytem Restore Point BEFORE you install MicroType 4.2.
  
• Review system requirements for Single User / Site Workstation on Page 8 of MicroType 4.2 Quick Start Guide.
  
• Follow Section 3 Installation Procedures for Single User on Page 9 of Quick Start Guide.
  
• Install all the software, including the movies, if your system has adequate space.
• DO NOT CHECK DISTANCE LEARNING OPTION WHEN ASKED.
  
• DO NOT INSTALL ANY TEXTBOOKS.
  
• Restart your computer after you install the software.
  

Store your software in a safe place. The Software must be returned at the end of the semester to your site coordinator in order to have your grade placed on your transcript.


CREATE AN ACCOUNT

After MicroType 4.2 is installed, you must create an account. Here are the steps to create your account. (You may also view these steps on pp 21 and 22 of the MicroType 4.2 Quick Start Guide.)


Locate and Click on the MicroType 4 Icon on your Desktop.

Click on the Thomson-Southwest Icon

Create a New User

Create Your Account (Your Last Name, Your First Name, Password (school)

Skills Analysis (CLICK NO)

Main Screen.  Now your software is ready. Take a minute to look at the different topics available. And when you sign in to your account, always turn on your speakers. There are short introductions to each module.

OTHER NOTES:

• This software is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.
  
• If someone else has access to your computer and wants to learn to type, have them sign in as "Guest" so their files are not included in yours.

How to Turn in Assignments to Your Dropbox

1. After you complete EACH lesson, take a screen shot of your completed work.  (Press the print screen key--you may have to press FN+Print Screen, depending upon your keyboard layout.  Nothing will happen when you press Print Screen.) 
2. Create a new MS Word Document.
3. Change the page orientation (layout) to Landscape.
4. Paste the screen shot on the page.  (Ctrl+V) OR (Edit, paste)
5. Save your work as xxdropbox (replace xx with your initials and replace dropbox with the dropbox number.) Example dm1_02   (File names cannot contain periods or certain other special characters.)
6. Upload your MSWord document to the correct dropbox.
7. Back up your work on your Thumbdrive on a daily basis.

Create a Class Folder

To make a folder on your hard drive.

1. 
   
   
   Right-click on the Start button, select "Explore" from the pop-up menu.
   
   
   
   
2. 
   
   
   Notice the window has two parts: left and right.
   
   
   
3. 
   
   
   Click once on the C: drive (shown on the left side of window).
   
   
   
4. 
   
   
   Move your mouse (do not hold down a button) over to the white area of the right panel.
   
   
   
5. 
   
   
   Right mouse-click in white area
   
   
   
   
6. 
   
   
   Now, click "New," "Folder."
   
   
   
   
7. 
   
   
   Type XXKeyboarding, which is the name of the folder--replace XX with your initials. (Be sure not to hit any other buttons—just type the name.)  You can also right click on the folder and name it.
   
   
   
   
8. 
   
   
   Hit Enter once.
   
   
   
   
   

You just created one folder named XXKeyboarding.

To create a folder inside of another folder.

1. Double-click the Keyboarding folder.
2. Right mouse-click in the white area in right panel of window.
3. Click "New," "Folder."
4. Type the name of the folder. (Be sure not to hit any other buttons—just type the name.)
5. Hit Enter once.
6. Repeat as necessary to create the following folders inside the XXKeyboarding folder:

• Lessons
• Class Notes
• Letters
• Emails
• Reports

Back up your folders daily on your Thumb Drive. Your thumb drive can also be used in other computers. (My computer crashed is not an excuse for incomplete work!)


Use these folders to keep your work organized.  You need to spend time keyboarding--not searching for lost files!