TECHNOLOGY TASK #6

WINDOWS Shortcuts

November 1-5

 

Probably the most often heard lament today is “I don’t have TIME to do that!”  We all probably think we are the only ones feeling that way, when actually there are very few good teachers who feel like there is time to spare.

 

What can we do to squeeze a few extra minutes out of the day?  If you spend very much time at a computer, you know how frustrating (and time consuming) it is to reach back and forth between the mouse and the keyboard every few seconds.  There actually is a keyboard shortcut for practically anything you would do with the mouse; however, this week’s tech task involves knowing and using only the ones that will be the most helpful to you.  

 

The key to making these shortcuts valuable to you is to USE them so that they become second nature.  Until you use them enough to remember them, you might need a cheatsheet (which is the Wizard level this week).

 

General Shortcut Key Info

Most shortcut keys are located on the top row of keys (AKA the Function Row), and the bottom row of keys (the row with the space bar).

 

The bottom row is made up of four shortcut keys, three on the left side of the space bar and four on the right side of the spacebar:

       Left side:           Ctrl = Control key

                               FW = Flying Windows key (AKA Windows Logo key)

                               Alt = Alternate key

       Right side:         same as left side, in reverse order, except

                               RtClick key = Between the FW key and the Ctrl key.

The Ctrl, FW, and Alt keys are collaborator keys; they almost always are used in conjunction with another key.

 

The top row is made up of the Esc (Escape) key, twelve function keys (F1 – F12), and three keys (Print Screen, Scroll Lock, and Pause Break) to the extreme right.

 

The ESC key will let you escape out of a drop-down menu showing on the screen. 

The Function Keys do different things, depending upon what program is open; however, F1 is universally the HELP key.

 

 

BEGINNER LEVEL – must know shortcuts [Stop by the Training Lab to demonstrate that you know AT LEAST five of these.]

 

Beginner Level shortcuts are the top 10 shortcuts that you won’t be able to do without, once you get used to using them!  (      = personal favorites..)

 


From the beginning:  One of the most useful keys on the keyboard is the FW key: Flying Windows (or Windows Logo) key.  It is found between the Ctrl and Alt keys on either side of the spacebar. 

 

  1. FW key:  If you press the FW key by itself, the Start Menu pops up from the Start button.  (Ctrl + ESC does the same thing.)
    You may then use the cursor control keys (the up, down, left, right keys between the alpha keyboard and the numeric keyboard).  Anytime you see a dark arrow to the right of the Start Menu choice, it means that there is another layer of menu choices.  Press the right cursor control key to have it drop down.  Many people find this method useful if they have trouble with getting the mouse to stay on track as they go across the menus.

    Hit the ESC key to remove each level of drop-down menus.   Try it!

  2. FW + e:  Press the FW key and the letter e at the same time, and Windows Explorer (or My Computer) opens.  This is a real time-saver.   

  3. <backspace>: 
    1. With Windows Explorer still open, double-click your F: drive and if you have any folders in there, double-click one of them, too.  You are now several layers deep into My Computer.  Hit the <backspace> key, and you will pop one layer back out toward the surface.  Each time you tap <backspace>, you will back up one more layer, until you are at the top level of My Computer, which is the Desktop.
    2. The <backspace> key works in a similar way in Internet Explorer.  After you have visited several webpages, each time you click <backspace>, it will return to previously visited webpages.  This is much quicker than stopping to grab the mouse, point to the Back button, and clicking.   (Holding down the ALT key while clicking the left or right cursor control keys does the same thing.)  Try it! 

  4. FW + m:  Open Internet Explorer, WORD, Windows Explorer (see #2), and eGrades so that they are all open at the same time.  Your taskbar at the bottom of your screen should show all four programs.  If you press the FW key and the letter m, it will minimize all open programs at once so that you are back to the desktop and can easily do something else…  J  This shortcut is one that I use DAILY!  (FW + d    does the same thing.)

  5. shift + FW + m:  If open programs are minimized, pressing all three of these keys will restore all four of them to open status.

  6. ALT / TAB:  With all four programs open, hold down the ALT key and keep it down while you tap the TAB key.  A box will open in the center of your screen, and all open programs will be in there.  One will have a box around it.  Each time you click the TAB key while the ALT key is down, the highlight moves to another program.  If you let up on the ALT key, the program that had the highlight around it will be the one on top ready to use.

  7. Alt + F4:  This key sequence will close open programs, one at a time.  If a file needs to be saved first, it will ask before closing.  With all four of the programs open from #4 above, hold down the Alt key and tap the F4 key.  Keep the Alt key down and tap the F4 key until all programs are closed and you are back at the desktop.  (Again, this is 100 times faster than grabbing the mouse and clicking the red X in the upper right corner, and 1000 times faster than clicking File, Close, File, Exit as many people do.)

  8. FW + f:  Press the FW key and the letter f at the same time to open the Find box.  If you can’t find a document or file, try pressing this key combination.  On the left side of the box that opens, click on “documents” or “files and folders.”  If you click the documents link, it will also ask you when you last modified the file, but you may click Don’t remember if you don’t have a clue.  This will search drives for lost files and documents, and can be very helpful.  (At the desktop, pressing the F3 key should also open the Find box.)

  9. F5:  This function key refreshes the screen, which is sometime necessary when you make classroom webpage changes that do not show up, etc.

10.       F1:  The F1 key is universally the HELP key…  If you are at the desktop and press the F1 key, it opens Windows Help;  if you are in a program like WORD, it opens the help area of the program so that you can type in what you need help with.  (In WORD it will open the office assistant.)  Side note:  if the paperclip drives you crazy, right-click it and select “Choose Assistant.”  Other choices include a cat, a dog, a wizard, etc.  You may also right-click the assistant, select “Options” and remove the checkmark in front of “Use the Office Assistant” if you do not want it to appear automatically when you might need help…

 

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL  - Even more valuable shortcuts.  [Stop by the lab to demonstrate that you know at least seven of these, in addition to the Beginner Level.]

 

In addition to the shortcuts for the Beginner Level, know and use the following excellent shortcuts.  These shortcuts are particularly helpful with Microsoft WORD, Excel, and Powerpoint; however, most of them work in many other programs.

 

Open a WORD document from your F: drive, or open a new WORD document and type in at least five sentences to work with.

 

  1. Ctrl + a:  Selects all text.
  2. Ctrl + b:  Makes selected text bold.
  3. Ctrl + i:  Makes selected text italics.
  4. Ctrl + u: Makes selected text underlined.
  5. Ctrl + c:  Copies selected text to the clipboard.  This leaves the text where it is, but also puts a copy of it on the clipboard, where it can be pasted anywhere else (even in another program).
  6. Ctrl + x:  Cuts the selected text to the clipboard.  This removes the text from where it is and puts it on the clipboard, where it can be pasted somewhere else.
  7. Ctrl + v:  This combination Pastes what is on the clipboard to another spot, either in the same document, another document, or in another program.  Think of the V standing for Velcro, since you are sticking the selected text to a new spot.
  8. Ctrl + p: Brings up the Print box to print the file.
  9. Ctrl + s:  Saves!  If it hasn’t been saved before, it brings up the Save As box so that you can name the file and select the drive.
  10.  F4:  Repeats the last action performed.  (Try it..)
  11.  F7: Spellcheck.
  12.  Ctrl + z:  Maybe the most valuable of all:  UNDO the last action performed. For more than one action back, continue tapping the z.

    For the Geek in all of us:
  13.   PrintScrn:  Takes a snapshot of the entire screen and puts it on the clipboard.  Try it and then open Start / Programs / Accessories / Paint.  Paste the clipboard contents (remember Ctrl + v).  From Paint, you can crop part of the picture out if you want to. 
  14.  Alt + PrintScrn:  This combination takes a snapshot of what is in the foreground of the screen, not the things like the taskbar at the bottom or any other open programs peeking from behind the top program.

WIZARD LEVEL – Creating a cheatsheet to tape to your monitor or computer area (to use until the shortcuts become second nature).

 

Note:  you don’t have to follow these instructions, but do try to create a cheatsheet that is more manageable than the entire 8.5”x11” page!

 

  1. Open WORD. 
  2. Click File / Page Setup, and on the Margins tab, change the left margin to .5 and the right margin to 5.
  3. Make a title (SHORTCUTS) and center it.  (Ctrl + e will center the line.)
  4. Hit <enter> twice and left align  (Ctrl + l will left align.  Ctrl + r will right align.)
  5. Type in the keyboard shortcut and a one or two word description of what it will accomplish.
  6. Select at least 15 of the 27 shortcuts discussed in this Tech Task to put on your cheatsheet. 
  7. When you have them all listed, hit <enter> a time or two to get a blank line below the last item. 
  8. Highlight everything. (Remember Ctrl + a.) Click Format / Borders and shading and select either a box or shadow border.  You may change the thickness of the border by selecting something like the 2 ½ pt. choice in the Width box.  The Apply to area should say Paragraph.  Click OK.
  9. Print it out and bring it to the Training Lab and we will laminate it so that it will work better in your computer area.

 

These are just a FEW of the many shortcuts available to make your computer time easier and more productive.  You’ll just have to use them to remember them!