WPS - Quick Guides

Quick Guides are brief tip sheets outlining the basics of using a piece of software or hardware. The are meant to serve as a reminder to those who are learning the technology, not as a substitute for professional development or assistance from your Instructional Technology Specialist.

The Quick Guides are in PDF format and can be opened using the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.

There are Quick Guides for each of the following categories.

Computer Basics	Productivity (Office, Filemaker)
Internet and Email	Other Educational Software
Multimedia (iLife)

Computer Basics	Click to Download
Windows Basics Fundamentals of using a Windows PC.	PDF: 2 pages
Macintosh Basics Fundamentals of using the Macintosh (for Macs running OS X). See also Ken Bogcaz's OS X Intro.	PDF: 2 pages
OS X Intro Handout from Ken Bogcaz's introductory workshop on the current operating system for the Macintosh.	PDF: 5 pages
Macintosh Accessibility Features. How to make settings to improve access for students with disabilities: magnifying the screen, having the computer speak text, others.	PDF: 1 page
Transferring Documents Between PCs and Macs. Considerations for transferring Word, Excel, and AppleWorks files between Windows PCs and Macintoshes.	PDF: 1 page

Internet and Email
iWeb 08. Intuitive and easy-to-use web page builder.	PDF: 1 page
For other guides to using email and creating web pages, see our FirstClass Documents page. The guides are in PDF format.

Productivity (Office & Filemaker)	Click to Download
Excel Basics Spreadsheet basics in Excel.	PDF: 2 pages
Excel Functions. Using functions in the Excel spreadsheet.	PDF: 1 page
Excel: Graphing Data. Generating graphs of data in Excel.	PDF: 1 page
Filemaker Pro: Searching and Sorting. How to perform the two basic database functions.	PDF: 1 Page
PowerPoint. Fundamentals of using the standard presentation program.	PDF: 2 pages
PowerPoint: Adding Photos, Video, and Narration. How to add multimedia elements to a PowerPoint presentation.	PDF: 1 page
Word Basics Basics of word processing in Microsoft Word.	PDF: 2 pages

Multimedia	Click to Download
GarageBand: Add Sound to a Movie. Guide to using GarageBand to add narration, music, or other sound to a video clip.	PDF: 1 page
iDVD. Quick Guide to burning photos and video onto a DVD disk.	PDF: 1 page
iMovie HD Quick Guide. Basice of using iMove to organize and edit video.	PDF: 5 pages
iPhoto. Guide to using this tool for organizing and performing simple edits on photos and other images.	PDF: 2 pages
iPhoto: Importing Photographs. How to import digital images from a camera or disk into iPhoto.	PDF: 1 page
iPhoto: Making a Slideshow Movie. How to create a movie out of a iPhoto slideshow.	PDF: 1 page
Podcasting with GarageBand. How to create a podcast using GarageBand.	PDF: 1 page

Educational Software	Click to Download
AppleWorks Database Searching and Sorting Guide to searching and sorting with a database that has already been created.	PDF: 1 page
Inspiration. Quick guide to the fundamentals of this interactive graphic organizer used in intermediate elementary grades, middle school, and high school.	PDF: 2 pages
KidPix. Quick guide of this graphics and presentation program used in the primary grades.	PDF: 2 pages
Mapmaker's Toolkit. Guide to the easy-to-use software that allows students and teachers to customize and print current and historical maps.	PDF: 2 pages
Proscope. Using the Proscope handheld microscope.	PDF: 1 page
TimeLiner. Quick guide to this timeline creation tool used in intermediate elementary grades, middle school, and high school. See also the Advanced Guide to Timeliner.	PDF: 1 page
Timeliner: Advanced Guide. Covers many of the advanced features of TimeLiner 5.0.	PDF: 3 pages
WeatherNet. Information for teachers on accessing current and past data from the WPS and other school weather stations, lesson plans, and other resources.	PDF: 3 pages

Westford Public Schools • 23 Depot Street • Westford MA 01886 • Tel: (978) 692-5560 • Fax: (978) 392-4497