MS Word is the most widely used Microsoft Office program and at any given point in time, there are one Billion users who access the Word platform. Over the years Word has evolved since it launched in 1983, from Word 1.0 to Word 16.0 as of April 2022, which includes new updates & suggestions. Word is used to create professional documents for drafting write-ups, curating resumes, editing articles, and formatting text in a manner that is most suitable for corporate workspaces.

A new document on Word is like a blank canvas, which allows you to pour out your thoughts and pen down your ideas in a presentable manner. Right from school & college level to offices & beyond, MS Word is used for various purposes due to its versatility and user-friendly format. The best part about it is that you don’t need to be a pro or expert to figure out how to use this platform.

Let us learn about some of the amazing features and components of MS Word under ‘home’ and ‘insert’ tabs so that you can get started as early as possible.

Home Tab:

As soon as you open a new document, the default setting is on the ‘Home’ Tab. This particular menu comprises various options such as the following;

Format Painter: Use this function to quickly apply the same formatted feature to another text within the document. For example; if a certain word in the document is underlined & bold to draw a greater emphasis to the text, the same feature can be applied to another word you wish to highlight by simply clicking on the Format Painter button.

Bullet Points: There are numerous bullet point options and styles available on MS Word. You can distinctively separate the points in a paragraph by applying the bullet point feature. Besides the usual 1, 2, 3, 4 number bullet points, one can use symbols such as; tick marks, circles, and arrows, to indicate a new point on a different line.

Font Color and Font Style: The standard size of any font in a word document is size 12. This assures easy legibility to the reader, whether the document is in an e-format or printed version. The biggest font size available is 999.9 points, though it’s impractical to use the same on your sheet. Users are even spoilt for choice with the different color options available under the palette.

Border: A border can be added around the text to highlight its importance. The size, color, width, and style of the border can be changed as per preference. Within the same dropdown menu, you can find the ‘draw table’ option. This allows you to insert a table and fill specifics within its cells.

Insert Tab

As the name suggests, an insert tab comprises elements that you can insert within the document. Use this feature to create a more visual impact to support your data.

Shapes: Add shapes such as arrows, boxes, speech bubbles, etc. and then click ‘drag & draw’ to get the shape. Feel free to edit the shape to include different texts within it and even play with colour, fonts, and outline of the shapes.

Add Charts: Large amounts of data from excel can be visually represented in a word document by incorporating a chart. This makes it easier for the audiences in a meeting to quickly comprehend sales data & marketing insights by browsing through the charts. There are line charts, pie charts, bar charts, and funnel charts that enhance the effectiveness of the document.

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Once children enter kindergarten, they are exposed to the outside world and are excited to make new discoveries. Finding new friends and starting to communicate with others comes naturally to kids in a school-like set-up. As proud parents it is a milestone achievement to have your kids learn ABC, then why leave alone coding behind? Well, coding is the new ABC of the Alpha generation (kids born between 2011-2025) thanks to the emerging popularity of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) curriculum which is becoming readily accepted in today’s times. The phrase ‘catch them young’ is literally practiced, thereby making coding advantageous to young minds in the following manner;

1. Coding fosters creativity
2. It forms the foundation for Math activities
3. Children become confident problem solvers
4. Coding improves storytelling skills
5. It builds computer literacy

What is the Matatalab Platform?

Matatalab is a coding platform founded in 2017 by a team of four developers who wanted to combine their passion for coding and present it to the younger generation. Kids get the opportunity to not only learn robotics but also strengthen their logical capabilities. The bots provide hands-on learning such that children can feel & touch various elements while learning and establish a lasting recall.

All About the Matatalab Tale-Bot Pro Kit

The Matatalab Tale-Bot Pro Kit is a Remote Control Interactive Coding Robot Set for Ages 3 – 6 years. It is specially designed for young children to start coding alongside learning ABC. Almost all K-4 schools in technically advanced regions like Dubai in the Middle East, introduce students to coding bots at the preschool level to start with.

Learning by doing is made absolutely fun & engaging as learners enjoy interacting with the cute-looking cartoonish bot whose most attractive feature is its innocent googly eyes. Preschool teachers incorporate basic concepts like; sequencing, conditioning, and debugging into their lesson plan by making use of the Tale-Bot as a teaching aid. To learn more about the Pro Kit and to get your hands on one of them anywhere in the GCC region, feel free to get in touch with our sales team. So how do children go about coding?

Nowadays it is so common to find your toddler being glued to their mobile device or tablet, watching videos and playing games. This habit shouldn’t be encouraged much, as it causes addiction and robs the child away from having a healthy social life. Moreover, spending time staring at the screen damages the eyesight.

Thankfully the Tele-Bot set is thoughtfully curated to encourage screen less gamified experiences to support cross-curricular learning. The bot incorporates easy-to-comprehend command buttons which include arrows in all directions and a play button to navigate its movement. The kit comes along with 10 interesting maps, much like a treasure trove to enthrall kids on an everlasting adventure.

The Bot is enabled by voice commands to enhance exploration and experiences, allowing the device to do the talking and in turn enhance General Knowledge awareness. What more can our mighty little friend do? It can dance, it can draw, and even tell stories. This combines the excitement of art and gamification experiences to track coding & debugging.

Unboxing the Kit – includes the following:

• Tale Bot ProX1
• Accessories X6
• Command Card X32
• Configuration Setting Card X1
• Callout Stickers quick guide X1
• Callout Stickers X1
• Double-sided Interactive Map X5
• User Guide X2
• Paper Craft x3 Washable Markers X2

Item Specifications:

• Product Dimensions: 14.09 x 14.09 x 3.54 inches
• Item Weight: 6.29 pounds Batteries: 2 Lithium Polymer
• Batteries required (included)
• Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars in UAE and across the globe

By investing in Matatalab’s Tale Bot Pro Set you will be stimulating your child’s mind and providing them with a better educational experience.

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Stories whether fictional or real are told through all sorts of mediums be it books, documentaries, films, television, OTT, the internet, and social media. Bedtime stories have a special meaning altogether. Don’t they happily bring in nostalgia of your childhood? Most children are brought up with this tradition of tales being narrated to them at bedtime from a very tiny age. Children and parents alike look forward to this happy ritual at night. It is not just about Dubai, the UAE, the GCC countries and the Middle East, this much-loved practice is seen across all cultures and around the world. This precious activity and the habit of reading to children and eventually making them better readers, has been passed on from generations. Let us understand this in further detail.

Knowing why these are so relevant

Bedtime stories exponentially grow the bond and develop close ties between a parent and a child. During the day the children sporadically get to interact with their parents. There is little time, as parents are away at work or otherwise and kids usually away at nursery or school. The family gets their uninterrupted time together at night, wherein parents can unwind with their children after an arduous day and children can animatedly narrate the happenings of what they undertook in a day and then they both happily indulge in the world of stories joyously snuggled together.

Choosing convenience for you and your child

It is for you and your child to decide and set your night-time routine what best works for you. It may not necessarily be the same in another household. The usual pattern that is generally followed would be, dinner, change into cosy night-suits, brush teeth, get tucked into bed, all set for story time. However, some kids may tend to fall asleep immediately hence the purpose is not met. As per the child and their capacities, parents can tweak around the schedule to enrich this activity. So, it could also mean dinner, then chat and story time and later the child would finish the night chores and be off to bed. It should never seem like it is being imposed on them but it should rather flow naturally.

Picking the right kind of books and the benefits of reading

Babies get attracted to pictures. Initially it is black and white to them and later they begin to recognise colors. The feel of the pages excites them and when you sing their favourite nursery rhyme to them is when they learn words and sounds even better. As the children grow, you can progress to books with more text. Reading boosts your child’s listening skills, introduces new words in their vocabulary and enhances their spellings. It transports them into a wonderful world of imagination. You can read your child’s favourite book to them and slowly and steadily get them to read on their own and thus they will get a grip on the pronunciation and language. Bring them the books of the topics that intrigue them, that they like and stories that are appropriate for their age. Do not burden or bore them with books that may be difficult for them or stories that may not interest them. Ultimately, they should enjoy them and cultivate the habit of reading. As you read more, you will figure out what your child loves the best and they will themselves too discover it and come back with their questions and give you feedback as well.

Be patient with the process and appreciate your children

Children have different capabilities. Some may struggle with it and some may become a pro at it and would love reading for good. Let them take their time. The shortcomings can be worked upon later. It is utmost important to start first. If you still haven’t begun this routine with your child, it is never too late to do so. Do not forget to have fun along the way with your child and build memories for a lifetime. Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. It is a trusted reading programme for children aged 2–13 years and it’s based on solid scientific research. The home is the ideal place to lay the building blocks for long-term reading and academic success. Your child can learn to read right now.

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Whatever career option you opt for, there’s always a need to know MS. Excel. Just like the ABCs in English language, corporate houses expect the candidate to be semi-pro or even advanced pro, at being able to perform basic calculations and make charts on MS. Excel. The function of Ms. Excel is to identify trends and sort data into meaningful categories. Through this Blog, we aim to highlight some of the top reasons for polishing-up on your MS. Excel Skills and practicing them diligently, to achieve success at work & beyond.

Data Management Powerhouse

In large organizations, every function has a mammoth of data which includes numbers, that can run into thousands of pages. It isn’t humanly possible to sort this kind of information manually and manage it on paper. Therefore, to reduce the burden of information overload and to keep errors to the bare minimum, MS. Excel skills come in handy. More than 750 million people worldwide, including the Middle East regions use this platform and testify its usefulness.

Undertake Math Calculations

With the help of formulas in Excel, there are numerous functions that can be performed. Use your sheets for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, at the click of a button. The key to being good at what you do is to remember the formula and then apply it aptly across different scenarios. Here are some important formulas to memorize.

Sum

The “SUM (table range)” function calculates the total figure of the selected range across cells. It basically adds all the digits under the selected cell range, to appear as an answer.

Average

Use the “AVERAGE (data range)” function to calculate the averages of the selected cells. It is nothing but the ratio of summation of data to the number of units on the list. Just type the word AVERAGE and drag the mouse to select the range “AVERAGE (C2, C3, C4).”

Countif

When you need to count a particular sample but with a certain condition, the COUNTIF function is used. Suppose you want to find the count of a row full of numbers, one can use the COUNTIF command as follow-

So only two numbers that are highlighted are greater than or equal to ‘10’

VLOOKUP

As the name suggests, VLOOKUP is when you need to find anything particular in a table or range. For example, finding the salary of a particular employee based on their Employee ID. The formula will look something like this; =VLOOKUP(H2,B3:F25,3,FALSE)

About TestOut LabSim

LabSim is TestOut’s learning platform available in Dubai & GCC regions that deliver certifications and courses with interesting IT Simulations. Learners can access the course material anywhere and at any time they wish to. All they need is internet connectivity and a device that is compatible.

Advanced Excel Training Course

If you wish to give students a superior learning experience, opt for the Advanced Excel Training Course by LabSim. The course uses expert teaching methods and breakthrough technology to engage students with meaningful learning experiences. Some of the key topics covered in the program include;

• Common Office Features
• Simple Data Analysis
• Advanced Formula and Macros
• Excel Basics
• Advanced Workbook Options & Settings
• Advanced Charts & Tables
• Formulas & Functions
• Advanced-Data Formatting

…and much more.

Benefits of Undertaking Advanced Excel Training Course From TestOut LabSim

The TestOut program is not only beneficial for students but also for educators alike. Its multi-dimensional feature works wonderfully as a learning aid to suit the needs of modern-age educators and tech-savvy students. Whether it’s a remote session or an in-class lecture, TestOut exceeds your expectations and offers authentic courseware.

Advantage to Educators

• Robust prep tools for MOS exams
• Customizable exam and reporting
• Adaptable course as per classroom needs
• No extra cost on buying textbook or other resources

Advantages to Students

• Instant feedback
• Study at your own pace
• Works with PC, Mac, Chromebook
• Includes 100% performance-based certification voucher
• Engaging learning style

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Many of us believe that we have “home-schooled” our children through the pandemic. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Home schooling does not only involve sitting through zoom sessions and completing homework but also to actually teach the various subjects taught at school in any place other than a formal institution. Typically, a parent educates the child independently and unrestrictedly at home and does not conform to any requirements of online or offline school.

Home-schooling is a concept that has begun to gain momentum especially in Dubai, UAE since recent times. We, as a society give education great importance in life and want to ensure that our children get the very best. Sometimes, people find that the quality of leanings that is imparted in today’s schools is greatly lacking and is simply an exercise in curriculum completion. Whether the concept is clear or not to the student, is given secondary importance and is often overlooked as it is assumed that assistance in the form of “tuition at home” will be provided. In many cases, some parents feel positive about discontinuing this form of education and continuing the same at home so that their child may receive undivided concentration and they can respond more precisely to their individual strengths and weaknesses. Some parents see better educational opportunities as the child is not disturbed, inhibited or overwhelmed as they may be at a school. Health reasons, special needs as well as frequent travel as a family also are some of the reasons why a parent may prefer to home-school their child.

Switching from a formal educational institute to home-schooling can be a daunting decision. Where should you even start, particularly when it comes to creating an engaging and effective home-school curriculum. The best part of home-schooling is that you can proceed at your own pace and make a tailor-made curriculum to suit your child’s needs and aptitude. Nowadays, mammoth amount of information available on the internet can be used to your advantage to read about reviews as well as talk to other parents who share this journey.

It is of paramount importance that you invest in good quality resources such as books. Getting your child tested or assessed will also help you to determine where you should start. The Reading Eggs website can be of great help here as it has a fun test designed to look like a game board. This website is highly regarded in the Middle East and GCC’s in particular and is encouraged by schools. Children engage through fun activities and tools used by this site which are based on solid scientific research. It includes over 3000 online books with comprehension quizzes at the end. And the best part is that it allows the student to experience learning in their particular type of English (British, American or Australian).

Once you are ready with your assessment results and resources you should go about making a plan about how you are going to proceed. You can follow the recommended home-school curriculum guides, created by highly experienced primary school educators. Reading Eggs has detailed lesson outlines that cover all the essential literacy skills with fun learning games and automated progress reports to give you an insight into how your child is progressing.

Once you are ready with your assessment results and resources you should go about making a plan about how you are going to proceed. You can follow the recommended home-school curriculum guides, created by highly experienced primary school educators. Reading Eggs has detailed lesson outlines that cover all the essential literacy skills with fun learning games and automated progress reports to give you an insight into how your child is progressing. Another important fact to be stated here is that you do not need to be certified or have a formal qualification to home-school your child. You may follow one of various methods to go about this new task that you have undertaken. You may follow the same structured method with textbooks as followed by the schools, or you may prefer the philosophy of unschooling where everyday brings a new journey led by your child’s curiosity, passion and life experiences.

Mainly, always remember why you have undertaken this journey with your child and craft a nurturing home-learning environment.

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