Word Processing Essay, Research Paper

Word Processing

For those who may be a small unsure as to precisely what word processing entails, the reply can be put in a

nutshell & # 8211 ; the most basic word processor is a typewriter. So what is all the dither about?

A word processor performs all the maps of a typewriter, but besides does a great trade more. A word processor

may be an office machine in its ain right with a big scope of particular installations, but often ( and surely for

the state of affairss covered by this book ) it will be an ordinary micro operated with a work processing plan and

about basically provided with a pressman. The major difference between the word processor and the typewriter is

that the former has a significant memory and the ability to expose it, so that text which is keyed in ( typed ) can be

seen before being printed. The text can be corrected on the screen, centred, and words or paragraphs inserted or

deleted, etc. Then the text can be printed off as many times as coveted, or one transcript can be printed and so

subsequent alterations made before more transcripts are run off.

What can the word processor do for kids? When kids write by manus they frequently do a unsmooth lineation foremost,

which is so modified and corrected ; the alterations affecting words, lines or larger points of text. Adults frequently go

through the same procedure, bring forthing a unsmooth bill of exchange, redacting it and so composing it out once more.

A word processing plan for a micro is provided on tape and loaded from the cassette recording equipment in the usual

manner. ( in some versions the word processing plan is available as a particular ROM & # 8211 ; a bit which has to be fitted

inside the computing machine ; usage of a disc thrust can besides be really advantageous ) . When the plan is loaded, text can be

keyed in through the keyboard ( i.e. typed in ) and the lines of print appear on the screen as if they were being

typed on paper. He difference is that they can be easy altered every bit shortly as they have been keyed in. Correctionss

are made foremost, normally to modify single letters or words ( corrections to the unsmooth bill of exchange ) . This can be printed off

for consideration or it may merely be called up on the screen once more. At this point significant alterations may be made,

such as redacting any line of text. ( If a word is deleted, the remainder of the line moves up to make full the spread ; if a word or

letters are to the inserted, the line moves along automatically to make the excess infinite. ) Whole lines can be

inserted or deleted. In some cases whole paragraphs can be moved from one location in the text to another.

Spelling and punctuation can be modified before finalising.

Childs can come to tie in originative authorship with the usage of pencils or pens and all the physical troubles of

composing with these. They should therefore start word processing early. Even so, troubles may happen because of

strangeness with the keyboard and limited velocity utilizing two fingers, so that originative encephalons are slowed down

ab initio every bit much by the machine as they may be with a pencil. Some troubles may be reduced by rehearsing on

typewriters before coming to the micro, and aged typewriters will frequently be loaned to schools by parents.

With a word processor any kid will be able to bring forth a clear, clean text with no grounds of crossings out, bad

spelling or bad script & # 8211 ; one transcript for their originative authorship book, one for the wall and one to take place to

their parents. The visual aspect of the concluding merchandise will be every bit good for all kids. Frank Smith in

Understanding Reading writes: & # 8216 ; Word processors give immature authors control over contrary thoughts and over

proficient jobs like spelling and redacting. They can acquire on with the of import facet of composing & # 8211 ; bring forthing

something interesting. & # 8217 ;

The word processing plan should be selected to accommodate the age of the kids and three plans of the many

good 1s available are mentioned here & # 8211 ; Primary Pen, Wordwise and View. Primary Pen has advantages for the

really immature. Letterss on the screen appear as dual tallness and they are green on a black background to do

them peculiarly legible. There is infinite for merely 30 three characters in a line and seven lines on the screen,

although lines can be moved by scrolling, i.e. the lines of text axial rotation up or down. This limited format is first-class for

really immature kids. Printing on a pressman gives twenty one lines per page, but many of the advantages of word

processing at this age can be obtained without utilizing a pressman.

Wordwise is suited for older kids and has been used in a undertaking by North East London Polytechnic

measuring word processing in the primary school. In a portion of the undertaking with 40 eight 4th twelvemonth primary

school kids the decisions reached were:

Consequences of the undertaking have been really encouraging so far. There has been a really high degree of enthusiasm shown

by the students who remained motivated throughout. A survey of the texts produced and of the procedures which were

involved has given us some assurance in stating that word processors are good deserving looking at in footings of the

linguistic communication humanistic disciplines course of study. The instructors involved in the undertaking have later introduced word processing as

a constituent of their linguistic communication policy.

View, another word processing plan, is supplied in the signifier of a plug-in ROM & # 8211 ; to be inserted inside the instance

of the BBC Micro. This has the advantage that the plan does non hold to be loaded each clip it is to be used,

and that about the full RAM memory is available. In one manner View will give an 80 column show as is

necessary for A4 size paper. But the screen will besides scroll horizontally so that 132 characters are possible. Position

has a full scope of installations and truly operates like an office word processor, although to accomplish this a disc thrust

is required, every bit good as a pressman!

The BBC Micro and others with typewriter keyboards are peculiarly suited to word processing. For the Spectrum

the improved version of the keyboard is preferred or the purchase from a trader one of the more standard

keyboards which are available as supernumeraries.

Other word processing type plans have a peculiar capable orientation. In one the plan assists the

readying of the front page of a newspaper & # 8211 ; one of the kids can so besides take on the function of editor! In

another the plan provides a page model looking like a Prestel page ( see Viewdata on page 106 ) with the

installation for presenting both text and artworks in coloring material.

Word processing should be of peculiar involvement in the hove. The handiness of low priced dependable pressmans giving

sensible quality print means that the domestic micro can be used for missive authorship, histories, reference lists, etc. ,

by parents, while at the same clip enabling kids to develop their originative authorship accomplishments in a state of affairs where

( unlike school ) the micro can be made available to the single kid for drawn-out periods.

Databases and information retrieval

Like word processing, databases and information retrieval are footings which ought to be clearly understood, but

possibly are non. Thus a database is a aggregation of information ( here data = information and base = a aggregation )

and information retrieval means acquiring information out of a database. Computer footings are like sailing footings & # 8211 ;

think of bow and after part for forepart and back & # 8211 ; and utilize vague words to depict simple things.

The word database is frequently taken to connote that the information is held on a computing machine, but this demand non be so. Angstrom

telephone directory is a database. So is an encyclopedia or a dictionary ; a list of dad groups and their hits or of

association football nines and their lucifer tonss ; a library, of class, is a really of import database. A computing machine database may

be really big, so that it needs a large, mainframe computing machine or it may be really little dwelling possibly of merely half a

twelve statements. But if it is held on a computing machine and used for information retrieval, it must be arranged in a

logical manner.

A simple signifier of database might include the first name, family name, sex and age of each kid in the category, together

with street figure, street name and location name of their place references. The information has to be collected

in a antecedently defined format and so keyed into the computing machine: since there are seven points of information about

each kid, a category of 20 five kids would intend identifying in 7*25=175 separate points of information. Having

built up the database and got it into the computing machine what could one make with it?

The information retrieval plan will enable inquiries to be asked and lists produced. Questions may be of the

individual capable type like:

List the kids populating in a peculiar street.

List references of all misss called Jane.

Or of the multi-subject type:

List all male childs called Chris life in a peculiar ( named ) location.

The information retrieval plan can besides be used to screen out information from the database in a peculiar signifier.

For case, in the illustration given above it would be possible to pull out the figure of kids of each age ( in

months ) e.g. two aged 72 months ; one aged 73 months ; four aged 74 months, etc. , and so acquire the computing machine to

bring forth a graph demoing the figure of kids in each age group.

A database plan really suited for this type of work in the primary school is Factfile and this can be used with

Picfile for bring forthing graphs, pie charts, etc.

Inputting information is really simple every bit long as attention is taken to find exactly what information is to travel in

and the precise definition of each point of information.

A whole scope of educational points come up if kids devise the input signifiers in the schoolroom. How do you set

index & # 8211 ; M/F, m/f, boy/girl? What if the house does non hold a figure? What precisely is meant by location?

Databases and information retrieval are being used as a powerful educational tool in schools. In one state

primary school the whole of the parish registry of about a hundred old ages ago has been put on file. All kinds of

exciting work is taking topographic point as he information comes out. What did the people do? Is that the same house they

lived in a hundred old ages ago? How has the small town altered?

In another school the 9 to11 twelvemonth olds built up a database on school repasts. With the full cooperation of the staff

they had 287 signifiers each with up to seventy five points of information! The 19,000 points of information were keyed

in by the kids in two hebdomads, with minimum break to the normal modus operandi ; the operation was so popular it

was carried on through forenoon and tiffin interruptions. All kinds of information came out of the database. Favourite

repasts, favorite nutrients, penchants for different posings, comparings with nutrition based on the MEP Diet

plan.

Databases of this size are apt to necessitate a phonograph record based system and a pressman and to be basically a school undertaking.

The instruction al value is significant and databases and information retrieval can cover a broad scope of topics.

These are the precursors to the databases used in existent life by say the National Health Service, or any big

commercial administration.

What of information retrieval for the place? Small databases can be built up by kids or their parents for place

made quizzes. A quiz on Canis familiariss might hold the undermentioned kinds of inquiries:

Which of the undermentioned Canis familiaris has the thickest coat?

1 Greyhound

2 Old English Sheepdog

3 Airedale

4 Alsatian.

Which of the undermentioned Canis familiaris has the longest tail?

Which of the undermentioned Canis familiaris has the biggest paws?

Quizs like this are really much enjoyed by kids ; the computing machine counts up the mark and may supply some

signifier of graphical presentation to increase the enjoyment, but their greatest value is in leting kids to larn

by making their ain quizzes. They will derive experience in seting thoughts into a inquiry and reply signifier and

larning how to develop clear categorizations. When the quiz has been built up it can be saved to tape and used

once more at will. No pressman is needed for a simple plan like this.

A plan like Tree of Knowledge may be used in place or school to construct up a different type of database, where

the input information is held in the signifier of a tree. This is constructing up an information tree, and involves logical

believing to invent inquiries to demo the differences between the suites ( or any other kind of information which

has been put in ) . The tree database can so be accessed like any other database to recover and analyze

information, but one of its challenging instruction Al uses is to utilize a discrepancy of the plan, which lets the computing machine

inquire the inquiries. This it does in random order, e.g. Make you cook in it? Do you kip in it? Your conjecture is? , etc.

With a just sum of information in the tree the replies get more and more hard and give rise to much

speculation and treatment.

Databases in the place besides have a serious usage for all age groups, including parents. Address lists with separate

classs for abroad and place Christmas cards. Birthday lists selected by months or hebdomads to supply a timely

reminder. And many other things. Players in your football squad, where they have come from, which place they

drama, ends scored, etc. Each individual concerned, kid or parent, can hold their ain personal database on their

ain personal cassette, so that merely they will be able to acquire at it!