The eighth grade computer curriculum consists of work with the following programs:
(Current area of study is highlighted in yellow)
(This highlighted color means we have completed our study of this application.)
 

Microsoft Word - Students will begin the year using Word to review skills they have learned in past years.  New skills, tips, and tricks will also be covered.  Writing projects from English class as well as other classes will be used to integrate skills on the word processor.

Inspiration - Using Inspiration, students can create a picture of their ideas or concepts in the form of a diagram or "bubble."  It also provides an integrated outlining environment to help students develop their ideas into organized written documents.

Microsoft PowerPoint - PowerPoint helps students create, edit, and manipulate professional-looking slides, transparencies, or onscreen presentations.  The presentations students create can include text, drawing objects, clip art, pictures, tables, charts, sound, and video clips.  The main reason we cover PowerPoint is for presentation purposes.  Students need to learn how to create a presentation for a targeted/ specific audience and then present it effectively.

Microsoft Publisher - Publisher is a desktop publishing program that allows you to create calendars, invitations, brochures, and much more.  Publisher provides a variety of tools including clip art, font styles, and decorative borders.  Using these tools, students will be able to create professional-looking publications quickly and easily. 

Microsoft Excel - Excel is an electronic spreadsheet application designed to replace the tedious work of using pencils, paper, and calculators.  A spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns containing numbers, text, and formulas.  The spreadsheet is used to gather, organize, and summarize text and numeric data.  The spreadsheet is also used to perform calculations.

Microsoft Access - Access is a database program.  A database is a collection of related information organized for rapid search and retrieval.  Databases can contain all types of data from address lists to schedules.  Access enables you to organize and manipulate the data in many ways.

• All typing speeds are adjusted words per minute.
• Typing speeds only count on tests timed by Mr. C for 1-3 minutes.
  **Typing speeds account for a minimal fraction of the nine weeks grade.

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