Category: Online Class

Classroom, ed2go, Online Class

Looking for an online class to take this summer?

Kathy

We have a whole slew of classes at your fingertips that start monthly….management, business, Microsoft Office, Quickbooks, witing, communications, investing, and more. Here are some links to just a few of our online courses.

Interested in something else? Let me know and I’ll find a class that suits your needs.

Kathy Van Pelt, Educator

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Classroom, Microsoft Outlook, Online Class

Need a little help with Microsoft Outlook?

Kathy

Maybe it’s time to take an Outlook class. 2EducateYou offers an Outlook 2010 class and an Outlook 2007 class. Both of these six-week, non-credit, online classes start the third Wednesday of each month. Here’s a little info about each of the classes:

Microsoft Outlook 2010

Are you overwhelmed by emails, meetings, and to-do lists? Harness the power of Microsoft Outlook 2010, and you’ll instantly enhance your efficiency and productivity.

In this course, you’ll learn your way around the new ribbon-based interface and get up and running quickly. Then you’ll focus on the core skills you really need in order to work smarter and faster.

First, you’ll learn how to manage the flood of emails you receive, creating folders and archives so you can always find what you need. Then you’ll discover how to keep track of your contacts and how to use Outlook’s Calendar and Alert features. You’ll also find out how to customize Outlook so it perfectly meets your needs, and you’ll discover how to automate your work with rules.

As a bonus, you’ll get insider tips that will make you the Outlook guru in your office. For example, did you know that you can create, send, and receive email messages without ever touching the mouse? You’ll find out how, and learn lots of other tricks for getting the most out of Outlook’s versatile tools.

Whether you’re new to Outlook or you’ve been using it for years, you’re sure to learn something useful in every lesson. In just a few weeks, you’ll be a skilled and confident user of this time-saving tool—and you’ll never have to worry about missing a meeting, losing an email, or forgetting an important task again!

A free 60-day trial version of Office 2010 may be available at http://www2.buyoffice.microsoft.com/usa/?torb=4&WT.mc_id=ODC_ENUS_GenTry_Control. Both the Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010 and the Microsoft Office Professional 2010 editions include Outlook 2010.

Microsoft Outlook 2007

Want to learn Microsoft Outlook 2007 fast? Want to become a confident and productive user of this powerful program without having to memorize a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo? In this course, you’ll see what’s new in Outlook 2007 and get up and running quickly with the most important aspects of the program, from basic e-mailing to automating your work with rules. You’ll learn security basics and how to perform maintenance tasks, like backing up your data. You’ll even create a Google Gmail account for class assignments and personal use. You’ll also interact with other students and an instructor whose Outlook books, articles, and online courses have helped thousands of people like you learn the essentials of earlier editions of Outlook. Whether you’re new to Outlook or you’ve been using it for years, you’re sure to learn something useful in every lesson.

Enroll today in Office 2010 or Outlook 2007

Kathy

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Classroom, Mac, Microsoft Excel, Online Class, Windows

Converting Text to Columns in Excel

Kathy

Today, I taught myself how to separate text in an Excel column into two columns with the Text To Columns function. This can be a huge time-saver when you have a lot of data to convert.

I have a spreadsheet with student info…name, email address, etc. The first and last names were in one column separated with a comma. Well, I needed the names in separate columns, and discovered the Text to Columns function. Now, I would like to share it with you.

It’s a good idea to create empty columns for your converted data to the right of the column holding the text you’d like to convert or split (first and last names for me). Then select the column you’d like to split and click Text to Columns on the Data tab on the Ribbon.

Text to Columns command on the Data tab in Excel
Text to Columns command on the Data tab in Excel

When you click the Text to Columns command, the Convert Text to Column Wizard dialog box appears with a two choices…Delimited or Fixed width. Use Delimited if the text in the column is separated with a comma, tab, semicolon, or a space; and choose Fixed if the text is aligned in columns with spaces between each field.

In the next step of the Wizard, you’ll choose the column format, like Text or General; and the destination column for your output. If you don’t choose a destination, the converted text will replace the original text in the column you selected earlier and flow into the column or columns to the right when you click Finish. It’s so easy and it works with Microsoft Excel 2007 or 2010 (Windows) and Excel 2011 (Mac). So cool!

I need to use this function two times a year; so if I forget it, I’ll refer to this blog post to refresh my memory. And,you can do the same.

I hope you found this Excel tip helpful. Post a comment if you have an Excel question for me!

Kathy

Microsoft Excel Online Classes Start Monthly

 

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Apple, Digital Photographer, Mac, Online Class, PhotoShop, Windows

New PhotoShop Online Classes

Kathy

I am pleased to announce three recently-released Online Instructor-Led Courses offered this month. Each six-week course is facilitated by an instructor and is the perfect way to enhance a skill or learn a new one. I have learned SO much from the many online courses I’ve taken, and I think you will too!

The August session begins Wednesday, August 15. To enroll, visit my Online Instruction Center at https://2educateyou.com/online-classes/, search for the course you want to take, and follow the enrollment instructions.

Featured Classes:

Introduction to Photoshop CS6

Intro to PhotoShop CS6 image

This hands-on, project-oriented course is filled with easy-to-follow, detailed step-by-step instructions that teach you about editing photos and creating basic paintings. Discover how to improve photographs by removing flaws, correcting for poor exposure, or adding new elements using the newest techniques Photoshop CS6 can offer. You’ll even learn how much fun it can be to paint again, without the mess of cleaning up. And, best of all, you need no prior artistic ability or Photoshop experience to take this course.

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Photoshop CS6 for the Digital Photographer

Photoshop CS6 for the Digital Photographer image

In this course, you’ll master techniques to make the most of your digital images and add a professional polish to your work. This course offers simple, step-by-step instructions for correcting flaws, enhancing the final product, adding text, and preparing images for email and the Web. Designed for those with no image-editing experience, this class will take you from novice to accomplished photo editor.

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Intermediate Photoshop CS6

Intermediate PhotoshopExtend your Photoshop knowledge and learn how to enhance graphics by using layers, layer masks, and other advanced photo-editing features. You’ll learn non-destructive editing techniques that let you easily re-edit and change projects long after they were originally created. You’ll see how to use Smart Objects, so that even if you crop or resize an image, you’ll be able to get it back to its original size months afterwards. This course will teach you the building blocks you need to unleash your creativity!

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Microsoft Excel, Online Class, PowerPoint

Formatting Numbers with the General Format in Excel

Kathy

 

Have you ever typed a number in a cell, and the number appeared as a date? To Excel, dates are numbers. Luckily, it’s easy to fix by selecting the desired cells and choosing the correct format from the Home tab on the Ribbon or from the Format Cells dialog box.

Notice in the example below that cells cells B2 through F2 are formatted as dates. You can verify the formatting of a cell by clicking the cell and looking at the Number Format box in the Number group on the Home tab in Excel. In the example, find the word Date in the Number Format box.

Cells B2 through F2 formatted with the Date format in Excel

To change the format of the numbers (yes, dates are numbers to Excel), select cells B2 through F2; click the down arrow in the Number Format box and choose the desired format. To choose a number without any special formatting (no dollar sign or decimal places, for example), choose General as shown in the example below.

Choosing General Number Format in Excel

After formatting the numbers with the General format, your numbers will look like this:

Numbers formatted with the General format in Excel

Notice that the newly formatted numbers in cells B2 through F2 are right-aligned in each cell. Right alignment is the default format for numbers. Numbers formatted with the General format have no decimal places, commas, or dollar sign.

Have an MS Office question? Post it at my 2educateyou website or Facebook page. And I have a PowerPoint Facebook page devoted just to PowerPoint!

From Formatting Numbers with the General Format in Excel page.

Applies to Excel/PowerPoint 2007 and 2010

Kathy

 

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Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Online Class, PowerPoint, Windows, Windows 7

Remove files from the Recent List in Office 2010 Applications

Kathy

 

One enhancement Microsoft made in Office 2010 is the ability to remove individual files from the Recent Presentations list on the File menu. To remove a file from the list:

  1. Click the File tab then click Recent from the menu.
  2. Right-click the file you’d like to remove from the list and choose Remove from List as shown in the example below:

Remove File from Recent List - PowerPoint 2010
Remove File from Recent List - PowerPoint 2010

It’s as easy as that! Removing a file from the list deletes the pointer to the file, not the actual file.

Unfortunately, this option is not available in Office 2007. You can, however, remove all the files from the list in Office 2007 (and 2010) applications. Here’s how to do it in PowerPoint 2007/2010:

  1. Click the PowerPoint 2007 Office button or PowerPoint 2010 File tab.
  2. Click the PowerPoint Options button (PP 2007) or the Option button (PP 2010)
  3. Click the Advanced link and scroll to the Displaysection.

    Changing the number of Recent Documents - PowerPoint 2010
  4. Use the Show this number of Recent Documents spin arrows (up and down arrows) to change the value. The default value for PP 2007 is 17 documents, and 25 documents for PP 2010.
  5. Click OK when you’re done.

If you have questions, please leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

Kathy
Computer Applications Instructor
PowerPoint 2010 online class
PowerPoint 2007 online class
PowerPoint 2010 one-day workshop
Office 2011 for the Mac

 

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Classroom, Online Class, Uncategorized

Project Management Applications

Kathy

Project Management Applications

Increase your value to your employer by discovering and mastering essential quantitative and qualitative project management applications.

A successful project begins with process definition, data collection, and the scoping of project requirements. Every project ends with a motivated project team able to accomplish objectives on time and within budget. Winning projects rely on accurate cost and time estimates, identification of the critical path, and use of tracking and control tools.

In this course, an experienced Project Management Professional will teach you the same powerful tools and techniques that experienced project management professionals rely on every day.

You’ll increase the probability of project success by mastering the tricks of the trade: Earned Value Performance Measurement, Gantt Charts, Network Scheduling, Work Breakdown Structure, and Cost-Volume Analysis.

You’ll become proficient at recruiting project team members and empowering them to succeed. You’ll understand the stages of team development, and you’ll gain skills in developing and motivating team leaders. You’ll learn how to understand and relate to an organizational culture and the differing characteristics of its work groups.

You’ll also learn about project software, statistics, change management, processes, and estimating. And you’ll gain valuable experience with project planning, control and data analysis tools.

The course also includes essential information that will help you prepare for the Project Management Professional (PMP®) and the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM®) exams offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI®). Certification Magazine recently identified PMP® Certification as “the highest-paying certification” of the year.

PMBOK® Guide, PMI®, PMP®, CAPM®, and the PMI R.E.P. logo are either marks or registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

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Instructional Videos, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Online Class, PowerPoint

Create a SmartArt Graphic in PowerPoint 2010 or 2007

Kathy

SmartArt Graphics

This feature allows you to use shape, color, pictures, and text to make a point visually in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2010 (and 2007).

One way to work with this feature is to use the SmartArt button on the Insert tab. Another way is to use the Insert SmartArt Graphics button on a Title and Content slide layout in PowerPoint.

If you have existing text that you’d like to convert to SmartArt, select the text, and then click the Convert to SmartArt button in the Paragraph group on the Home tab.

There are over 80 SmartArt graphics to choose from in the SmartArt Gallery! The categories include List, Process, Cycle, Hierarchy, Relationship, Matrix, Pyramid, Picture, and Office.com.

Here’s a short video I created showing you two ways to create a SmartArt graphic in PowerPoint 2010:

Please post your questions or comments below.

Thanks!

Kathy
PowerPoint 2010
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PowerPoint 2007
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