Century 21 Plus: Computer Applications with Document Formatting

From the Publisher

"These lessons are real-life situations and right to the point. Every example that I saw related to the business world or even the college-bound student. The materials that the student is asked to work on are relevant topics and, most important, are cross curricular. Students can also use this material in other classes for reference. I see this text being used more on the high school level as well as for adult education. Great examples and practice are used and once again this text will be the leader in Computer Applications!"

"Objectives are clear and attainable. Realistic exercises for topics that the user can see how they will be used in the future. Illustrations point out key ideas. New ideas and topics are thoroughly explained and defined. Specific instructions set up the different document types. Extra topics, such as superscript, are touched on where needed and seen in the documents. Parts of new documents such as email, bound reports, etc., are explained and illustrated prior to the activities that have students set these up on their own. The first 28 chapters do a nice job of teaching the features of Word that are most commonly used no matter what type of document is being done. Lesson build on those that are covered earlier (learning modified block letters after mastering block letters). Ample techniques allow for enhancing previously covered documents such as adding clip art to files. Design is attractive. New layout, as in color sample of PowerPoint, is very easy for the user to follow. Critical thinking and Internet Activities allow for expansion of the projects. Simulations at the end of units can allow users to reflect on the relevance of the topics."

"The sample pages are great. I like the color schemes. It makes the book pleasant to look at and easy to read. Also it will help the teacher make sure students are on the correct page. The pages are well formatted. The copy layout makes the pages easy to read and not too "busy." I like the fact that students have the "Conditioning Practice" and other drills designed to enhance keying skill. In our state (NC), Middle Grades Teachers have limited time to teach the keyboard and drill students enough to ensure mastery. These drills will help students refine their skills without taking the time to introduce the keyboard, etc. I like the emphasis on communication and math skills. Adding math exercises was a good idea for this edition. I like the idea of the Critical Thinking/Decision Making & Communicating Your Perspective features. Introducing the features/functions of the software one item at a time is good. It is a good idea to give students practices with each feature/function. The way the features/functions are introduced will help the teacher by-pass features/functions that they know students already know and move on to the application of those features/functions. The Teacher's Edition appears to be very helpful. The Simulation is a great idea! In addition to the practice students receive after learning a new function/feature, I think it is an excellent idea to give students the opportunity to incorporate their new learning with realistic assignments."