Tutorials in a Wink

“Wink is a Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screenshots, add explanations boxes, buttons, titles etc and generate a highly effective tutorial for your users.”

• Freeware: Distributed as freeware for business or personal use. However if you want to redistribute Wink, you need to get permission from the author.
• Cross-Platform: Available for all flavours of Windows and various versions of Linux (x86 only).
• Audio: Record voice as you create the tutorial for explaining better.
• Input formats: Capture screenshots from your PC, or use images in BMP/JPG/PNG/TIFF/GIF formats.
• Output formats: Macromedia Flash, Standalone EXE, PDF, PostScript, HTML or any of the above image formats. Use Flash/html for the web, EXE for distributing to PC users and PDF for printable manuals.
• Multilingual support: Works in English, French, German, Italian, Danish, Spanish, Serbian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese and Simplified/Traditional Chinese.
• Smart Capture Tools: Capture screenshots automatically as you use your PC, based on mouse and keyboard input (great time saver and generates professional captures).
• Performance/Quality: Creates highly compressed Flash presentations (few kbs to few hundreds of kbs, much smaller than competing commercial products) ideal for using on the web.

Touch typing practice online

Touch typing is what we now usually just call ‘keyboarding’ and involves being able to type comfortably without hunting for each key.  It takes practice.

MakeUseOf has a post on Keybr which lets you practice your typing skills, improve your speed — even switch keyboards (from standard American to Dvorak, for example).

• No registration or sign up is required.
• See typing charts: typing speed, number of errors, top speed, average speed, etc.
• Supported keyboard layouts: US, US (Dvorak), and UK.
• Supported languages: English, German, French, Spanish, and Russian.

CNet online courses

CNet has a long list of online courses and tutorials, many of them available for free.

Good information from a respected source.

CNet has all sorts of advice and help

CNet Tips and Tricks covers all kinds of tech help:  computers, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players, converting VHS tapes to DVDs, using Microsoft Office, ringtones for your phone, saving the battery on your laptop, setting up and securing your home network, gadgets for your car, home theater advice… tips, tutorials, more.
Good information from a respected source.

YouTube video embedded in PowerPoint video tutorial

This video tutorial shows how to embed a YouTube Video into PowerPoint 2007.  Required: You MUST have a live internet connection for the video to play within your PowerPoint 2007 presentation.

YouTube video into a PowerPoint tutorial video

Daily Cup of Tech offers a YouTube video tutorial on how to put a YouTube video into a PowerPoint presentation.

This video tutorial uses VideoDownloader and SUPER to embed YouTube video into PowerPoint when you are offline during the presentation.  These programs are NOT currently allowed on Library computers due to campus restrictions.

Office 2007 tutorials

Access Librarian Joni Stine recommends the Office 2007 tutorials at Microsoft Online.