Microsoft Office 2013 Insights

I began using Microsoft Office 2013 yesterday.  My experience validates what I have been reading - meaning the most significant change is the link for using cloud computing.  When you open an application, such as Word or Excel, you are prompted to sign into SkyDrive. Once you have signed into SkyDrive, all of the cloud files are available, just like those on the hard drive.

The startup menu looks more like Word or Excel for the Mac - which by the way looks more like other Apple Pages and Numbers.  In other words, you have colorful full size templates and links to recent files from which to choose.

Other notable differences include new icons for the Office apps.  Outlook was significantly easier to set up, even though I use an Microsoft Exchange server.  Outlook finally got some much needed attention.  It has a cleaner look.  

Kingsoft Office - Another Free Office Suite Software for the PC

Kingsoft Office 2012 is free office suite software for the PC.  It features word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.  What is a bit surprising is that it also includes clipart and templates.  The download file size for the free version is only 82 MB. It features a standard menu (as opposed to a ribbon menu) with features that are very similar to Microsoft Office (see screenshot below).  A nice feature is that users can save the files as Microsoft Office file extensions by default. 

There is a mobile version of the software for the Android.

Users can upgrade to the standard or professional versions for either $49.95 or $69.95.

iPad and iWorks

At the onset, I thought that the iPad was a "piece of cake."  I found that I have a lot to learn (and that is a GOOD thing).  I decided to download QuickOffice and Keynote for the iPad.  QuickOffice works with Dropbox, where I have over 2 GB cloud storage space and I am using less than 13%.  Dropbox is an app on all of my devices - desktops, iPhone, iPad, and laptops. QuickOffice does the essentials of creating/editing of word processing and spreadsheet software. 

Keynote gives me two choices for saving files - a folder on my iPad and iWorks.  I was not familiar with iWorks (still in beta).  iWorks provides 1 GB of storage space - free.  I can choose to share a file with a user's email address, but I do not see a way to share a folder, like I do with Dropbox.

Free Office Suite Alternatives to Microsoft Office

There are two free alternative for Microsoft Office - OpenOffice.org and IBM Lotus Symphony. Both suites can be downloaded to your personal computer for use.

OpenOffice.org (http://www.openoffice.org/)%20) %20is a comprehensive open source office suite that contains:

• Word processing
• Spreadsheet
• Presentation software
• Graphics software
• Database

OpenOffice.org will open Microsoft 2007 Word, Excel, and Access database files.  It is compatible with Windows 7 operating system.

IBM Lotus Symphony (http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.nsf/home )  is open source office suite.  It includes word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software.  It will also open Microsoft Office 2007 Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.  The web site does not indicate that Lotus Symphony is compatible with Windows 7 operating system. 

The bottom line is that there are free office suite alternatives. They may not allow all of the capabilities of Microsoft Office, but are surely good enough for 99% of most users computing needs.

Screen Capture and Video Software - Snag-it, Jing, and OneNote

A colleague mentioned that she was going to visit a nursing program that is using Jing and Snag-it software.  Jing and Snag-it are developed by TechSmith, the same company that produces Camtasia.  Jing is free. With the really scarce resources for many of us, free software is good.

Snag-it (http://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.asp ) is used for screen capture.  The software is available for a 30-day free trial.  It is much better than the Print Screen function that we all have with our computer keyboards because you can choose exactly what you want to capture.  I use Microsoft OneNote (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote/default.aspx ) software, which is similar.  OneNote is available for a 60-day trial. The reason that I like it better, is that the software runs in the background, so all I have to do is to tap the Window+S keys to do a screen capture.  I also like the way that OneNote keeps automatic notes about the screen captures, for example, the day, time, and source (if it is a URL) of the capture.  OneNote allows me to store the screen captures in a workbook.  Those features are really helpful when designing online course content.

Jing (http://www.jingproject.com/) provides the ability to record video of on-screen action and it also can be used for screen capture.  The free version of the software is available for both the PC and the Mac.  It includes tutorials and is easy to use.  The on-screen action video is very helpful for that "teaching moment" assistance.  As an example, a couple of years ago I was running into roadblock using a software to access my web site.  One of our fantastic support people in the GCSU Web Enhanced Resource (WER) group figured out a work around. He created a short video of the on-screen action and emailed it to me. 

If you need a way to capture a part of a computer screen or capture screen action, consider trying Snag-it, OneNote, and/or Jing. All are very easy to use.

Computer and Office Software Competencies

Nursing computer competencies is a topic that comes up over and over in the literature and in faculty discussions.  Yesterday, I read an article by Elder and Koehn (2009) that describes my experience with nursing students' computer and office competencies.  The researchers surveyed 90 first and second semester nursing students and 19 RN-BSN students to identify self-perception of computer skills and compared the results to computer assessment skills outcomes.  The study results indicated that while students self-assessed themselves to be experts in specific skill areas, such as word processing, in actuality, they lacked many of the skills necessary for college work.

Marc Prensky (http://www.marcprensky.com/)  is known for his work about Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants (http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf ).  Essentially, Digital Natives grew up with technology, whereas, Digital Immigrants, like myself, adopted technology.  The potential misconception that instructors make is that Digital Natives are technology experts.  I suggest that "you never miss what you never had" and that many Digital Natives have knowledge gaps related to computers in general and office software in particular.

Examples of word processing and spreadsheet software knowledge gaps include competencies for:

• Word Processing
• Using word wrap
• Creating tables
• Using spellcheck, thesauras, and word count functions
• Using endnotes, footnotes, and personal reference management functions
• Using the outline function
• Creating headers and footers
• Creating a hanging indent
• Inserting page numbers
• Saving files into other file formats
• Using search and replace
• Spreadsheet
• Using formulas with spreadsheet software
• Formatting spreadsheet software to function as a database
• Importing and exporting in comma in other file formats such as a CSV (comma separated value)
• Using filters
• Using search and replace
• Using conditional formatting

I read a posting on the nursing informatics listserv about a free online resource sponsored by the Goodwill Community Foundation International, which provides free online learning resources.  The link is at
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/default3d.aspx

Registration is free!  The site provides educational resources for computer basics, office software, and exploring life (see screenshot below). I especially like the fact the the OpenOffice software is included.  I use OpenOffice to create all of the HTML (hypertext markup language) files for Blackboard learning management system courses, because it creates "clean code" and is very user friendly. 

I plan to explore the learning resources on the GCF site over the next few weeks.  Please feel free to comment on this topic.

Elder, B. L., & Koehn, M. L. (2009). Assessment tool for nursing student computer competencies. Nursing Education Perspectives, 30(3), 148-152.