How to...

How to Get Started, or Get Help, with Office 2007

Microsoft has released an unprecedented number of free tools to help users learn the new Office 2007 interface and get up to speed with the new versions of old familiar programs like Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  Today I would like to present links to these materials for those in need (and we all will be, sooner or later).

Free Training.  Access to the excellent Microsoft eLearning series is being made available for a limited time.  By registering, you can gain 90-days of access to a course on the new Office interface. Click here to access the gateway page.  You may also download a free e-book from this site titled First Look 2007 Microsoft Office System in PDF format.

More Free Training.  The new Office Online web site (which ought to be on one of the startup tabs of everyone's browser) has a "Help and How-to" tab. 

Click it to gain access to a variety of training resources.  For example, there are free courses on basic training for the ribbon, basic training for efficiency tools (mainly Outlook 2007), basic training for graphics (mostly having to do with PowerPoint), and basic training for information analysis (mostly Excel).

Microsoft also publishes a series of self-paced training courses that use Flash, audio, text, and interactive elements to teach all the basics, and some of the more advanced features, of the Office 2007 programs.  Click here to access the gateway page. 

A full range of audio/text/interactive online lessons can be found by clicking here.  They are organized by product.  For example, clicking on the Outlook 2007 link will give you free access to 10 different focused Outlook lessons, ranging in length from 20 to 55 minutes estimated completion time.  Click here for an overview of how these lessons work.

Microsoft Webcasts.  There are Microsoft live and on-demand webcasts available on a wide-variety of Office topics.  Click here for the Office System webcast gateway page, then click the product in which you are interested, and select the webcast to view.  Clicking the "View All On-Demand Webcasts" link at the bottom of the short list of on-demand webcasts will bring up a very long list of past webcasts.

Getting Started Add-ins.  If you would like your training to be available from within the new programs themselves, download and install a "Get Started" tab for Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, or Word 2007.  After installing you will find new "Get Started" tabs in these programs:

The Get Started toolbar is a set of links ready at hand to a full range of Microsoft training materials.

My favorite is the first, the interactive guide.  The interactive guide allows you to point to a Word, Excel or PowerPoint command in the old 2003 menu system, and then shows you where it has moved on the new ribbon system.  (Be patient as you watch the demos).  You will find yourself saying "Where did the #@!%& merge and center command go?...Oh, that's where," sorts of things all the time.

The "Discuss" link on the Get Started toolbar will link you with a knowledgeable community of users who have faced the same problems you are facing.  You can ask questions and get answers relatively quickly.

The Crabby Office Lady.  For several years now Microsoft has published columns from the Crabby Office Lady.  She is the in-house Microsoft Office expert who shoots from the hip, talks straight, and brooks no whining.  In addition to a huge backlog of articles, Crabby has videos and an RSS feed to keep you in the know.

Office RSS Feeds.  To access a list of RSS feeds dedicated to Help and How-to with Office products, click here.  Once subscribed (there is no cost, of course) you will receive in your new Outlook 2007 (or IE7, or preferred news reader) in-box news of new training materials as they are published by Microsoft.  If you are new to RSS, click here.

Newsletters.  Even good old-fashioned electronic newsletters contain lots of Office training information.  Subscribe here.

Blogs.  Finally, for those of you who just can't get enough Office training, there are the Microsoft blogs, especially the Inside Office blog, which is updated every week or so.

Podcasts.  There are lots of podcasts to listen to with tips and tricks on the new Office programs.  Click here to access them.

What's that, not an Office 2007 user yet?  Then you will need the Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel and PowerPoint to open the new file formats as your students submit them to you.  If you wish to purchase the new Office system for home use, Palomar has contracted for work-at-home rights through our Microsoft Campus agreement via the FCCC.  Click here to purchase Office 2007 Enterprise edition for only $45 plus tax.  (Click on the "learn more..." link in the Buy Microsoft box.  You will see it.  You must complete your order by sending in an order form with proof of Palomar employment.  It's a somewhat confusing web site, but just be patient.)

Return to the How do I Index    |    Return to the AT Home Page