Typing reports on your home computer (Do's & Don'ts)

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Each year we run into many problems with kids typing their book reports and term papers on their home computers and then they are unable to print them here at school. In fact, this is so common I've decided to write this post in an effort to educate folks on what to do and what not to do.

STOP using Microsoft Works...(or at least save the document differently)

Many home computers come with Microsoft Works. This is an old consumer-grade program that ships with many computers as a cheap alternative to Microsoft Office. We do not advocate running out and spending a lot of money on MS Office, instead you have a couple choices. The first one is to use Microsoft Works, but to either print the document at home...or be sure to SAVE the document in MS Word format (.doc) or in plain text format (.rtf or .txt). You do this by selecting "file type" when using "Save As". The second (and preferred) alternative is to use OpenOffice. OpenOffice is free and open source....so you can download it and install it on your computer with absolutley "no worries". We use OpenOffice here at school. Simply go to http://www.openoffice.org....select "download OpenOffice" and then download the version for your version of Windows (XP or Vista). If you do not have a connection to the internet or if you have a very slow connection (dial-up)....simply send in a blank CD or $2 to cover the cost of a CD and I'll be happy to burn a copy for you.

STOP using floppy disks! (pretty please?)

Most new computers do not have floppy disk drives anymore. When your child brings in a report on a floppy disk....we usually have no way to read it as we don't have floppy drives in our computers. Floppy disks are no longer commonly used....they have been replaced with USB flash drives or thumbdrives. These can be purchased from us for $15 or you can buy them at any store like Walmart, Target, Staples...etc. They range in price from as low as $10 to as much as $60-$70 depending on the size you buy. Flash drives hold the equivalent of hundreds of floppy disks and are much easier to use. The images below show what the look like and how they insert into your computer (front or back....or side of laptop)