In January 2015 the Heights Libraries Training Department will begin teaching Microsoft Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher) classes. Microsoft Office 2010 classes will no longer be taught at the library. Out with the old, in with the new!
Here are some things that are new and different in Microsoft Office 2013:
Appearance – Office 2013 is has a new, modern look called “Metro”. The new appearance, designed to mimic the Windows 8 start screen is minimalist, flat and stark. The idea is that the new look will help you focus on your work rather than being distracted by the objects decorating your screen.
You may also notice that Office 2013 features animations that will be most apparent when you are typing or moving your cursor on the screen. The animations make letters and the cursor appear as if they’re sliding across the page. Fortunately, if you don’t love the new cursor animations, the feature can be disabled.
Touchscreen Capability – Office 2013 has been designed with features that will allow touchscreen use on tablets and other mobile devices. Every app in the Microsoft Office suite now allows users to scroll, zoom and pan using gestures. Ribbon-hiding capabilities, touch mode, enlarging icons in the interface, and creating space between icons to make them easier to tap are other new touchscreen features.
OneDrive – OneDrive provides users with file storage in the the cloud. Files stored in the cloud are accesible from any computer, smartphone or tablet connected to the internet. Office 2013 allows users to save documents to OneDrive, enabling access to files across multiple devices.
Program Start Screens – When a program is opened in Microsoft Office 2013 a color coded (green for Excel, blue for Word etc…) start screen opens. The desktop screen displays options to open a new blank document, templates, recently worked on documents or Open Other Documents to search for a document on disk or in a OneDrive folder.
Improved Save As and Open Functions – No more browsing and scrolling in dialog boxes. The Save As and Open functions in Office 2013 allow users to open or save files from frequently used locations on the computer or directly to OneDrive.
I feel as though this post barely scratches the surface. As you begin working in the Office 2013 programs you will notice many more new and different features. To learn more about Office 2013, come take a class with us!
Class registration begins two weeks before the class date and is required for all computer classes. To register call 216-932-3600 or visit us online at http://events.heightslibrary.org/computer-classes/
