Documents

Electronic documents

Electronic documents are documents that you create and store on your computer.

To be able to create and read documents on your computer you will need software on your computer, there are several types of documents you can create including:

• word documents, useful for letters, essay and story writing
• number documents, useful for keeping track of expenses (also known as spreadsheets)
• presentations.

There is a lot of software to choose from, before you buy make sure the software is compatible with your computer and operating system.

Benefits

• It's easy to make changes or update documents.
• You can share your documents with other people by attaching it to an e-mail.
• If you need a paper copy, it can be printed off your computer.

Free electronic documents

Google docs allows you to create electronic documents without having to buy any software.

All documents that you create are stored in Google not on your computer.  This means that you can access your documents wherever you have an Internet connection, you do not have to be on your home computer.

Try Google documents*.

* Hampshire County Council is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Word documents

Word software lets you quickly create documents such as notes, letters, recipes, short stories etc.

You will be presented with a blank page where you simply start typing.  Once you've typed in your words you can then:

• save the document and store it on your computer
• print the document
• email the document to others
• change the document at any time.

Depending on what software you use, you will also have lots of formatting and layout options and the ability to add tables and pictures.

Set up a Google account * (see Google help for guidance and assistance)*.

* Hampshire County Council is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Number documents

The software that you use to create documents containing mainly numbers is usually referred to as a spreadsheet.

Spreadsheets are useful for keeping accounts such as your household expenses and for quickly creating graphs.

The advantage of creating spreadsheets is that you can

• use the spreadsheet to carry out calculations
• save and print or e-mail the spreadsheet to others
• you can quickly change and experiment with numbers without having to re-do all the calculations.

When you create a new spreadsheet you will be presented with a page covered in a grid which is made from columns and rows. Each square on the grid is known as a cell. Information is typed into the cells of a spreadsheet as shown in the example on the right.

What are rows, columns & cells?

Column

A column is the vertical space going up and down the window. Letters are used to label each column. Column C is highlighted in the screenshot below.

Row

A row is the horizontal space going across the window. Numbers are used to label each row. Row 4 is highlighted in the screenshot below.

Cell

A cell is the space where a row and column meet.

Each cell is labelled according to it's column letter and row number. The cell highlighted in the screenshot below is B6.

Each cell can contain the following types of data:

• text
• numbers
• formulas (mathematical equations that do all the work).

Set up a google account* and find out how to create spreadsheets*.

* Hampshire County Council is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Presentations

Electronic presentations replace the use of older visual aid technology, such as pamphlets, handouts, chalkboards, flip charts, posters, slides and overhead transparencies.

A presentation consists of a number of individual pages or "slides". Slides can contain text, graphics, movies and other objects, which can be arranged freely on the slide.

The presentation can be printed or displayed live on a computer or for larger audiences the computer display is often projected using a video projector.

Set up a Google account and find out how to create Google presentations.

* Hampshire County Council is not responsible for the content of external websites.