ust as the home computer and the Internet have forever altered the way we live our lives, word processing has forever altered the way we write. The tedium of typing and re-typing a term paper on a typewriter until it was finally perfect is now a thing of the past. Even elementary school students can turn out a beautiful, sophisticated document. Regardless of how long and how often you use a word processor, the odds are that you have just scratched the surface when it comes to exploring all of the possibilities of this powerful tool.

 

For purposes of this assignment, start with a blank document (not a template) and make your banner. Go to INSERT>Text Box, place it at the top of the document across the entire width, and then type in the name of your newsletter. There are several different ways to make a banner, but for this document, the text box will give you more flexibility. You can experiment with your font size and style, the colors of both print and background, and graphics.

 

Once you have your banner, go to FORMAT>columns and click on two. You will then be ready to write your document into the columns. Use the text box required by the assignment to offset text and make it stand out rather than using text boxes to outline columns. Columns look nice when they end at the same place with text, so experiment with the placement of your graphics within the columns.

 

If you are experienced with all of the conventions required for this newsletter, go through the tutorials and experiment with new ones. Try Drop Caps, wrapping your words around the graphics in a new way, or any of the many possibilities that word processing allows you. This should be a learning experience, so don’t be afraid to try new things!

 

I look forward to seeing your newsletters. We’ll have a chance to share them when you are done. If you need help, be sure to let me know.