Using Lynda.com

I watched segments 2,3,5,7, and 9 from chapter 7 (Working with Tables) of Word 2010 Essential Training. I found that navigating Lynda.com is quite simple and user-friendly. Everything is labeled clearly and in a logical order, making it easy to find what you're looking for. The instructional videos open in a new window, so it's easy to return back to the course you were looking at. The presenter had a distinct voice which you can clearly understand. She took her time to point out and explain the smaller things that a beginner may not be aware of. The order of the presentation was consistent and easy to follow. I encountered no problems while using Lynda.com.

In comparison, I found that this tutorial was easier than learning in a class as a group. You can watch the videos at any time, so they are easily accessible. Some people may feel embarrassed to speak up or ask a question during class. In the tutorial, you can just pause or rewind until you feel comfortable with your understanding of the information. Everything is nicely labeled, and so if you have just a simple question regarding something specific, you can do a search and easily find it. Now, on the other hand, some people may learn differently than others. They may need person-to-person interaction in order to fully comprehend. It may also be more convenient to have a person you can ask immediately during class, rather than trying to "google" or search for the answer.

Two things that Lynda.com helped me to understand about MS Word were being able to convert text to a table and vice versa, and sorting table data. I haven't given Word much credit in the past; I don't realize just how intelligent it really is. I never knew I could use tabs to sort data and then convert it to a table, just like that. Then, once I have created the table, I can sort the information in alphabetical order by the headers, and Word will recognize the difference between text or numbers within that information. Later, if I decide I don't want it in table form, I can easily revert it to text form.