March 2007
Newsletter No.37
Last Paper Newsletter
The first Lifeline newsletter was sent out in June 1998 and mentioned the imminent arrival of Windows 98. Things have moved on considerably in the intervening years and the latest move is to online software which makes the operating system in use of secondary importance.
Our last newsletter mentioned 'Just 2 Easy' - an online document processor - and an email has been sent to all Lifeline members informing them that we are providing a year's subscription as part of the membership.
This newsletter is being published online as a j2e file simultaneously with this paper version. With 'Just 2 Easy' making it so quick and easy to create an online file it makes sense to move to online publishing. You can find the online version of this newsletter at www.j2e.com/lex/news/news36. We will also be posting latest software and hardware news on the news page.
Why online?
A recent newspaper report stated that it is now cheaper to access the internet with a broadband connection than through the more traditional dial-up connection. All schools should have broadband connections by April of this year. It therefore makes sense to consider the advantages and possibilities of online software and applications.
Many online applications use Java - a programming language that runs on almost all computers - usually in an internet browser. By using Java it means that, other than updating Java, no software has to be installed on the computer and no updates have to be installed. This is obviously easier and cheaper then upgrading software on each machine.
You can check whether you have the latest version of Java at: www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp
Because documents are stored online they are accessible from any computer, in school, at home, anywhere there is a computer with internet access.
The first Lifeline newsletter was sent out in June 1998 and mentioned the imminent arrival of Windows 98. Things have moved on considerably in the intervening years and the latest move is to online software which makes the operating system in use of secondary importance.
Our last newsletter mentioned 'Just 2 Easy' - an online document processor - and an email has been sent to all Lifeline members informing them that we are providing a year's subscription as part of the membership.
This newsletter is being published online as a j2e file simultaneously with this paper version. With 'Just 2 Easy' making it so quick and easy to create an online file it makes sense to move to online publishing. You can find the online version of this newsletter at www.j2e.com/lex/news/news36. We will also be posting latest software and hardware news on the news page.
Why online?
A recent newspaper report stated that it is now cheaper to access the internet with a broadband connection than through the more traditional dial-up connection. All schools should have broadband connections by April of this year. It therefore makes sense to consider the advantages and possibilities of online software and applications.
Many online applications use Java - a programming language that runs on almost all computers - usually in an internet browser. By using Java it means that, other than updating Java, no software has to be installed on the computer and no updates have to be installed. This is obviously easier and cheaper then upgrading software on each machine.
You can check whether you have the latest version of Java at: www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp
Because documents are stored online they are accessible from any computer, in school, at home, anywhere there is a computer with internet access.
Documents
Just 2 Easy
You should have received an email with details regarding your j2e subscription for 2007. If you have not received the email, require help with setting up your account, or would like some training on using j2e then please contact Jan on 01202 657252 or email office@lexiconlifeline.co.uk.
j2e has been specifically designed for educational use and is registered with Curriculum Online. Individuals can currently open an account free of charge (www.j2e.com).
We would be delighted if you would send us the URLs of any excellent or original work done by pupils or staff that you would like to share with others. We will be happy to include them on the news page.
thinkfree.com
ThinkFree is an online office suite containing a wordprocessor, spreadsheet and presentation package. The wordprocessor files can be saved as Microsoft Word documents, XML and PDF (Adobe Acrobat). Spreadsheet files can be saved as Excel workbooks, XML, CSV and PDF. Presentation files can be saved as Powerpoint files and PDF.
ThinkFree is much slower to work with than j2e and it is not so straightforward to publish files on the web but it does provide a complete office suite and it is currently free to register.
Google Docs
Google Docs can be found at docs.google.com. It contains a wordprocessor and a spreadsheet. Whereas ThinkFree looks and feels like Microsoft Office, Google Docs has a completely different style. It is however very easy to use and provides the capability to collaborate on documents and to publish them very simply.
Files can be saved in a variety of formats including Microsoft Office (Word and Excel), Open Office and PDF. Disappointingly the spreadsheet does not include any graphing capability.
Just 2 Easy
You should have received an email with details regarding your j2e subscription for 2007. If you have not received the email, require help with setting up your account, or would like some training on using j2e then please contact Jan on 01202 657252 or email office@lexiconlifeline.co.uk.
j2e has been specifically designed for educational use and is registered with Curriculum Online. Individuals can currently open an account free of charge (www.j2e.com).
We would be delighted if you would send us the URLs of any excellent or original work done by pupils or staff that you would like to share with others. We will be happy to include them on the news page.
thinkfree.com
ThinkFree is an online office suite containing a wordprocessor, spreadsheet and presentation package. The wordprocessor files can be saved as Microsoft Word documents, XML and PDF (Adobe Acrobat). Spreadsheet files can be saved as Excel workbooks, XML, CSV and PDF. Presentation files can be saved as Powerpoint files and PDF.
ThinkFree is much slower to work with than j2e and it is not so straightforward to publish files on the web but it does provide a complete office suite and it is currently free to register.
Google Docs
Google Docs can be found at docs.google.com. It contains a wordprocessor and a spreadsheet. Whereas ThinkFree looks and feels like Microsoft Office, Google Docs has a completely different style. It is however very easy to use and provides the capability to collaborate on documents and to publish them very simply.
Files can be saved in a variety of formats including Microsoft Office (Word and Excel), Open Office and PDF. Disappointingly the spreadsheet does not include any graphing capability.
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