Notes

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7/20/2016 First Notes : Learning Penn Foster site and life skills

Graduation goal : Oct. 16th 2017 (just over one year)

Time management:

Do you like working on your own?

YES

Do you have pretty good organizational skills?

NO

Can you stay on task without reminders?

YES

Can you set and achieve goals?

YES

Remind your friends and family how important completing

your diploma is to you and that you may need some space and/or

some extra help with chores and so on while you're completing

your studies. If you're still having trouble,

• Remember why you entered the program and do your best

to stay focused on your goals.

• Find times and places conducive to studying, which may

mean staying up late, getting up early, or even leaving the

house to visit a library or the home of an understanding

friend.

• Take advantage of the Penn Foster Student Community to

connect to students just like you who may be in similar

situations and have similar concerns.

When family and friends see that you’re serious about your goals,

they'll likely give you the time and space that you need, and they

may even become a willing part of your support network.

• Create more structure. Use a calendar to block off time every

week when you will study.

• Log in every day. This will help you stay focused on your

course work.

• Look ahead. Identify future lessons or assignments that may

take more time. Plan accordingly.

• Where are some places that you can study quietly without interruption?

• When can you carve out time to study each month? Each week?

• Are there ways to sneak time into your schedule in 5–10 minute increments?

• Online learning has a lot of benefits but also takes organization and time management.

• It's good to understand your specific learning style (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic) so that you can

use the right study tools and strategies.

• Strong time management skills include knowing how to manage interruptions, prioritize work, set

schedules/deadlines, and find time for studying in daily life.

• If you get behind in your work, make a plan to get back on track and reach out to your instructor for

help right away.

• Make sure you have a study space at home or at another quiet location, like a school

or library.

• Set or update your program goals to add your desired program end date and assign your lesson

exam dates.

Accessing help:

Check help and support section first

Here can find a link to contact instructor

Resources section has valuable links and information.

Netiquette and digital foot print :

A: Netiquette refers to the correct or appropriate

way that people should communicate on the

Internet.

: A digital footprint is the data (e.g., videos,

photos, words) that is left behind when people

use online websites. Once something is online, it

could be there forever!

Think before you post a comment or write an

email, and always be respectful. Keep your

personal details, like your full name, address,

phone number, user names, and passwords,

private.

LIFE SKILLS:

Remember, SMART goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time Oriented

Before the interview, create a list of questions that you want to ask. Here are some suggestions:

How did you decide on your career?

What was your education/training path?

Are there any skills needed that you weren't trained for?

What do you do in a typical workday?

What do you like/ dislike about your career?

What advice would you give to someone beginning a career like yours?

Do you have any suggestions for resources or other individuals that I could speak with?

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Computer :

A computer is a tool for storing, organizing, and communicating information.

While different computers often have similar parts to input, store, and

display information, there can also be differences between models and

devices (between laptops and desktops, for example).

System Unit—Contains

the computer's central processing unit (CPU), the computer's "brain."

Performs processes, runs programs, and stores information. The hard

drive contains all the computer's programs, memory, and space for users

to add content.*

In addition to hardware, computers have software, programs and operating systems that tell the hardware what to do

Formatting Text

Suppose you want to place your job title in your signature in italics and the title of your company in bold.

Select (highlight) the section you want to format.

Click the right mouse (or touch pad) button to display the formatting, or "Mini toolbar" menu, and select "B" for "bold."

Now select the title of the company, display the toolbar and select "I" for "italics."

From here, you can also change the text font or size, add bullets, underline, and

Adding Hyperlinks

Suppose

you want to add your company's website to your email signature, the

place where you have your name and contact information.

Move your cursor to where you want the hyperlink to appear.

Type the name of the site. Be sure to include the "www." and the ".com."

Hit the "Enter"

key. Word automatically formats the site as a hyperlink, indicated by

the blue underlined text. (To remove a hyperlink, just right click your

mouse and select "Remove hyperlink" from the Mini menu.)

Adding Images

Suppose you want to add your company's logo, as well.

Move your cursor to where you want the image to appear.

From the Insert menu on the ribbon on top of the page, click "Pictures."

Find and click the image on your computer and select "Insert." Reposition or resize the image by selecting and dragging, as needed.

Cut and Paste

Suppose you want to move the second paragraph before the first.

Select (highlight) the section you want to move.

Click the right mouse (or touch pad) button to display the menu and select "Cut" (or press the Ctrl key and X). Your selection disappears but is stored electronically in a temporary Clipboard.

Place your cursor at the location where you want to move the information.

Right click again and select "Paste." (or Ctrl key and V).

Copy and Paste

Process is similar to cut and paste. Use it when you want a block of text to appear in more than one place. Just select "Copy" (or Ctrl key and C).

Find and Replace

Find and Replace tools are real time savers.

Click on Find in the toolbar

The software looks through your document for the word(s) that you enter in the "Find what" field.

Use Replace to find a word in your document and change it to something else.

You can change every occurrence of the word(s) by selecting "Replace All" or only the ones you select to change or just one by selecting "Replace."

Spell Checker

One of the most widely used editing tools is the spell checker. The

spell checker checks the spelling of each word against the program's

internal dictionary. When it finds a word that's not in the dictionary,

it flags it for review.

You can then choose to:

Replace it by correcting it yourself

Replace it with a suggested word that you select from a displayed list

Ignore the word if it's spelled correctly

Add the word to the dictionary. Some names or technical terms may not be in the software's dictionary.

Remember: Spell checker won't check the usage of the word, so it's up to you to make sure you use the exact words you want!

In

addition to editing and formatting, it’s critical to make sure that you

know how to save and retrieve documents. The way that you save a

document and the format that you save it in depends on how you plan to use or share the document. Most of the time, you’ll use simple “Save” or “Save As” commands to store your work.

Saving a File in Word

Click the File tab and click Save.

(Alternatively, you may be able to click the Save icon, which looks

like a floppy disk, in the Quick Access toolbar.) This saves the file in

the current version of Word you are working in and in the file's

current location.

Note: If this is the first time you're saving the document, you'll be asked where to place the file.

Or

Click the File tab and click Save As

Click Computer to save this file to your computer.

Browse to a folder where you want to save your document or save the document to your desktop and move it to a folder at a later time.

To create a new folder, right click and select New and Folder.

In the File name: box, type the File Name. Type the file name

When you think of the Internet, what you’re probably thinking of is the World Wide Web, often called the Web or WWW. Access to the Web is offered by an ISP (Internet Service Provider) such as Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, and Cox. To open a website, you need to use a Web browser. A browser is a software program that acts as a go-between between the user (you) and the Web

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computer/ internet cont.

a URL is known as a uniform Resource Locator

Advice:

Descriptive subject headers are important. The subject header "Where Can I Find Movie Information?" is much better than "HELP!"

Be brief and to the point, while still being polite.

Always re-read your outgoing messages one last time to correct any spelling and grammatical errors you may have made.

Be careful what you write. People often forward email messages to other people.

Use work email appropriately. Most employers have the technical capability of reading your incoming and outgoing messages; use it appropriately.

Save emoticons for informal messages.

Advice:

Have at least two web browsers installed on your computer. If you have trouble accessing a website with one, it may work with another.

Always shut down properly.

Make sure to close all active programs and save your work. Use your

computer's official "shut down" process; don't just click the power

button or you may risk losing data on your hard drive.

Save work frequently.

You've heard this before, but it's worth saying again. You don't want

to be awake at 3 a.m. redoing an assignment that was already completed.

Review these key points:

It's

important to have a basic understanding of computer and software

technology so you'll be well prepared for the workforce and your Penn

Foster studies.

Word

processing software is an example of productivity software, helping

users simplify the tasks involved with writing and editing documents.

Word processing software has similar tools and features to quickly and easily create, edit, and save documents.

Even

though processes takes place in seconds, there's a lot going on behind

the scenes when it comes to entering Internet searches and sending and

receiving emails.

Information

on the web may not be accurate, so use evaluation criteria to judge the

quality of online resources before using them for academic purposes.

When

it comes to sending and using email, be sure to use descriptive

subjects, re-read outgoing messages, use work email appropriately, and

save emoticons for informal messages.

When

it comes to minimizing computer problems, be sure to have multiple

browsers installed, always shut-down properly, use "Autosave" features.

Developing

good financial habits (budgeting, using credit wisely) will help you

better manage your finances so you can stay in school and reach your

future goals.

Many

traits and personal skills (responsibility, resourcefulness, and

positive thinking) can have a direct impact on your goals and career

aspirations.

Strong

professional relationships develop when there's tolerance, empathy,

respect, trust, collaboration, and rapport between co-workers.

When

communicating with others, you must take into account the message

sender, receiver (audience), and the way the message is communicated.

Strong

research skills (using the Internet, formulating strong research

questions, choosing resources) will prove to be valuable to you as a

student and on the job.

Having

a basic understanding of how computers and computer programs work will

give you an advantage in your career and help you troubleshoot problems

as they arise.