CHAPTER ONE: WORD PROCESSING

Concept of word processing

Word processing is an art of creating, editing, formatting, saving and printing of text-based documents. The
documents processed can be letters, memos, reports, manuals, books and almost all documents required for
different uses.
Word processing is done through a computer in which an application program or software known as word
processor has been installed. A word processor is an application software for manipulating electronic text-
based documents.
There are different examples of word processors such as WordPerfect, WordStar, Microsoft Word (MS
word), Google Docs, Open Office writer, and Write Pro.

Features of all electronic word processors

a) Creating and editing features;
b) Formatting features;
c) Spelling and grammar check features;
d) Word wrap;
e) Mail merge; and
f) What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) features.
Importance of using a word processor
a) Easily correct mistakes in a document;
b) Store document electronically for future use;
c) Create good quality documents since it has many formatting features such as borders, text layout,
bullet styles, line and paragraph spacing, indentation shading, bold underline, etc;
d) Automatically check spelling since it is full of useful tools such as a grammar checker available to
improve the quality of user’s work;
e) Use a plenty of good quality document templates available online; and
f) Import data from a data file and use it to create mail merge.

Working with MS Word program and files

Starting MS Word program- There are different ways of starting MS Word 2016 program on a computer.

 Click the Start button. or press the Windows key on your keyboard to display the Start menu.
 In the list of applications, find Word and click it. The startup screen appears and Word starts. Tip:
The first time you start Word, the Microsoft Software License Agreement might appear

Parts of MS Word window

MS Word window has several parts, including Title bar, Menu Bar, Ruler, Working area and Status bar.
Figure below show different parts of MS Word 2016.

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Title bar - displays the program name and the name of the current document you are working on.
Menu bar - has different tabs including File, Home, Insert, Design, Layout, References, Mailing, Review,
and View. Each tab has a ribbon that displays a list of commands in groups. For example, a ribbon for Home
tab contains command groups such as Clipboard and Font.

 Note: This combination of icons and tabs, which is known as the Ribbon interface, also appears in
other programs like MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, MS Outlook, and MS Access.

File tab - appears at the left topmost corner of all tabs. When open, it displays the menu for actions such as
Info, New, Open, Save, Save As, Print, Share, Export, Close, Account, and Options.

Home tab - displays a ribbon with different groups of commands such as Clipboard, Font, Paragraph, Style,
and Editing.

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Insert tab - displays a ribbon with various groups of commands such as Pages, Tables, Illustrations, Add-
ins, Media, Links, Comments, Header & Footer, Text, and Symbols.

Design tab - displays a ribbon with Document Formatting and Page Background.

Layout tab - displays a ribbon with options for page setup, paragraph setup and word arrangement.

Reference tab- displays a ribbon with groups of commands such as table of contents, footnotes, citation and
bibliography, captions, index, and table of authorities.

Mailings tab - displays a ribbon with different groups of commands that include create, start mail merge,
write & insert fields, preview results, and finish.

Review tab- displays a ribbon with groups of command that include proofread, accessibility, language,
comments, tracking, changes, compare and protect documents.

View tab- shows different groups of options for document view such as show, zoom, window, and macros.

Ruler- displays the left and right margins, tab settings, and indentation.

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Working area- looks like a white paper on which a text can be written. The blinking vertical line in the
upper left corner of the sheet area is called Insertion Point. Also contains vertical and horizontal scroll bars.
These bars represent the current relative location of an insertion point in the document.

Status bar appears at the bottom of the screen and provides information such as current page, current
section, total number of pages, total number of words, the language used, current line number, and current
column number. The status bar contains commands that show how the document can be viewed and
zoomed. In MS Word, you can display your document in one of the following views: Read Mode, Print
Layout, or Web Layout.

 Read Mode: Read Mode view formats your screen to make reading your document more
comfortable.
 Print Layout: The Print Layout view shows how the document will look like when printed.
 Web Layout: Web Layout view enables you to view your document, as it would appear in a browser
such as Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.

Closing MS Word program

When you have completed working with MS Word program, you will be required to close the program. In
most cases, you would save your work before closing.

Creating MS Word file

Inserting a text
When entering a text, you must first position the insertion point where you want to insert the text, either to
the left or right of an existing character. Text is inserted into the MS Word document in various ways such
as:
(a) Typing via a keyboard;
(b) Copying/cutting a text from other documents and pasting on it;
(c) Scanning printed documents and using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software to convert the
scanned documents into text characters;
(d) Using voice recognition software to convert spoken words into text characters and vice versa; or
(e) Importing files such as tables, pictures, and databases from storage media or other sources.
In order to create a new document, do the following:
(i) Click File tab: Backstage view will appear.
(ii) Click New tab: will display different templates.
(iii) Click Blank Document, the blank document will appear.

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Navigating a document using a keyboard
The easiest way to move the insertion point by short distances is to use the arrow keys. You can also use
additional keys to move the insertion point by longer distances.

Saving MS Word document

Saving MS Word document for the first time After you have typed your text, you should store it in your
computer for future use. Steps to save the typed document for the first time include the following:
(i) From File menu tab, Click Save As, a Save As window will appear.
(ii) Select the location by clicking Browse and choose the location (for example, Documents).
(iii) Write the file name
(iv) Choose file format like Word document (.docx), Plain Text (.txt) or RichText Format (.rtf).
(v) Click Save.
Saving changes while working on an MS Word document to avoid loss of content in case of problems like
power failure. In this case, you may use a shortcut for Save, or Click File menu then click Save command, or
press Ctrl+S.

Opening a document stored in a computer

When a document is saved in a computer, it can be opened at any time when it is needed as MS Word
program allows a user to open an existing document. To open an already saved document, do the following:
(i) Click File tab,
(ii) Click Open: the open dialog box will appear, giving you the option to choose the file from the
location where it is stored.
(iii) Choose the file,
(iv) Click Open: The file will be opened.
Alternatively, you can use the shortcut for opening (Ctrl + O);

Typing text

When typing, once the cursor reaches the end of the current line it automatically jumps to the next line. If
one word does not fit in current line it automatically wraps at the beginning of next line. This is referred to
as word wrap

Saving file

1. On the file menu, click the “save as” command.

2. Select the storage location from the “save in” list box
3. Type a name of the file in the “file name” box then click “Ok”

The key difference between Save and Save As is that Save allows you to update a previously saved file with
new content, whereas Save As allows you to save a new file or an existing file to a new place with the same
or different name.

EDITING AND FORMATTING A DOCUMENT

Making changes or modifying an existing document is called editing, some editing operations includes:

Editing an MS Word document

Editing may involve adding or removing a text, or moving a text from one place to another. This section
covers some basic tasks done during editing such as selecting, deleting, copying, moving a text, undoing
and redoing changes.

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  Selecting a text
Before making any change or editing a text, you must first select the text that you want to edit. You
can use the mouse or the keyboard to select the text.
To select a text, do the following:
 To select a word, double-click anywhere in the word.
 To select a sentence, hold the Ctrl key and click anywhere in the sentence.
 To select a paragraph, triple-click anywhere in the paragraph.
 To select the entire document, press Ctrl+A.
 To select adjacent words, lines, or paragraphs, drag the mouse pointer over the text; or click at
the beginning of the text, and then hold the Shift key and click at the end of the text.
 To select non-adjacent words, lines, or paragraphs, make the first selection, and then hold down
the Ctrl key and make the second selection.
NOTE: To deselect the text, click anywhere in the document.
 Deleting a text in MS Word document
Remove the text or the object that has been mistakenly written. This is done by the use of backspace
key and the delete key on the keyboard. The delete key removes characters to the right of the
insertion point, while the backspace key removes characters to the left of the insertion point.
 Copying and moving a text
Used to duplicate a text in another location, or you may want to remove a text from its original
location and place it in a new location. Copy (Ctrl+C) is a command used to create a duplicate of a
text, while Cut (Ctrl+V) is a command for moving a text.
NOTE: The cut or copied text is stored on the Clipboard. The Clipboard is a temporary storage area.
Every time a new text or any other object is copied or cut, the clipboard content is replaced with the
new one.

 Undo and Redo command

Make mistakes when entering a text in the word processor. Whenever you make a mistake, you can
easily reverse it with the Undo command. After you have undone one or more actions, the Redo
command becomes active and allows you to restore the undone actions.

Deleting text

To delete a character, a word or a block of text

 Highlight the text to be deleted

 Press the “delete” key or the “backspace” key.

The Backspace key erases the text to the left of the insertion point one character at a time. The Delete key
erases the text to the right of the insertion point.

Find and replace

Find and replace is used to locate a word or a phrase and replace it with another: To” find and replace” a
word of phrase.

 On the edit menu , click find or replace

 On the “find what” box , type the word or phrase to find
 Click the “replace” icon in the replace box, type the word or phrase to replace the target word or
phrase.

Spelling and grammar checker

Spelling and grammar checker automatically locates misspelled words and grammatical mistakes. To spell
check a document
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  On tools menu bar click spelling and grammar or press F7
 In the spelling and grammar dialog bar. Misspelled words are shown in red while grammatically
incorrect phrases are in green.
 From the suggestion list, select the correct spelling and grammar.
 Click change (all) button. To ignore, click the ignore (all) button.

LIMITATION OF SPELL CHECKER

 Names of people and places are not usually included.

 The same two words in a row may not be detected
 If a word is spelt incorrectly but used in the wrong context it will not be detected
 Quality of dictionaries can vary

By default, Word automatically checks your document for spelling and grammar errors, so you may not
even need to run a separate spelling and grammar check. These errors are indicated by colored wavy lines.

1. The red line indicates a misspelled word.

2. The green line indicates a grammatical error.
3. The blue line indicates a contextual spelling error. This feature is turned off by default.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus allows the user to automatically find words or phrases with similar meaning (synonyms) or
opposite meaning (antonyms) to the one selected.

To use the thesaurus

 Highlight text
 On tools menu, point language then click thesaurus.
 Select a synonym or an antonym

Autocorrect and auto text

Auto correct and auto text are used to automatically correct a commonly misspelled word and insert a
predefined text when creating a document. To create an autocorrect or auto text

 On the insert menu, point to Auto text, and then click auto text command.
 Click the autocorrect or auto text tab and type the autocorrect or auto text.
 Click to apply and close the dialog box.

Undo and redo - Undo reverses the most recently command while redo reverts back to the cancelled action.

 Click on the edit menu, click undo or redo. Alternatively, press ctrl + Z to undo or ctrl + y to redo.

FORMATING A DOCUMENT

Formatting refers to enhancing the appearance of a document. You format text, paragraphs, pages, or the
entire document.

Text formatting - We format text by applying different font types, style, size, color and another attributes.

Text font - To format text font

o Highlight the text to be formatted

o On the format menu, click font

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 o In the font dialog box, select the font, style , size and color

Apply other font attributes then click OK

Font dialog box

Note: A faster way of applying font formats is by using the formatting tool bar.

Case

The cases applied to text are: lower case, upper case, Sentence case, title case and toggle case. The use of
case in these sentences is deliberate

To change case

 Highlight the text

 On the format menu , click change case

In the change case dialog box, select case then click Ok

Superscript and subscript

o Superscript appears just above the rest of characters as in cm 2 superscript

o Subscript appears just below other characters as in H02 subscript

To make text superscript or subscript

o Highlight characters
o On the format menu click font
o On the font dialog box check superscript or subscript

Paragraph of formatting

A paragraph is a separate block of text dealing with a single theme and starting on a new line or
what. Some of the formatting features you can apply into a paragraph Include alignment , setting tabs and
indents , drop cap, bullets and numbering , line , spacing , inserting column and page breaks.
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Alignment is the arrangement of text relative to the left margin, centre of the page or the right margin. The
five major alignment options available are the left, center, right, justified and force justified. To align text

o Highlight the text

o On the format menu click paragraph.
o In the dialog box, select the alignment option then click OK

Note: You can apply alignment by simply clicking any of the five alignment buttons on the formatting
toolbar.

Line spacing - You can set the space between line, paragraphs or blocks of text To space line

o Highlight the lines of text

o On the format menu, click paragraphs dialog box.
o In the paragraph dialog box, select the line spacing option from the line spacing list box then click
the Ok button

Setting tabs and indents

Tab refers to definite cursor stop when the tab key is pressed. Indenting is moving a sentences or block of
text away from the margin using the tab key.

To set tabs and indents

 On the format menu click tabs

 In the tab dialog box , set the tab stop, alignment and leading then click Ok
 Press the tab key to increase or the space bar to decrease the indent. Alternatively click the
Increase/Decrease indent buttons on the formatting tool bar.

Paragraph dialog box

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DROP CAP

A drop cap is a large character in a paragraph that occupies more than one line down.

To create a dropped cap

 Highlight the paragraph you want to begin with drop cap

 On the format menu, click drop cap
 Click dropped or In margin
 Specify the number of lines & other options then click Ok

BULLETS AND NUMBERING

Bullets and numbers are used to create ordered lists. To add bullets or numbers.

1. Highlight the text.

2. On the format menu, click bullets and Numbering.
3. In the dialog box displayed, click Bullets or Numbered
4. Click bullet or numbering thumbnail you want to apply.

INSERTING COLUMNS

Columns subdivided a page into several vertical sections To set columns

1. Highlight the text

2. On the format menu , click columns
3. In the columns dialog box enter the number of columns , set the column width then click Ok

PAGE AND COLUMN BREAKS

Page, section and column breaks are used to force the cursor to move to a new page section or Column even
before the end of the current. To insert a break.

1. Position the insertion pointer where you back want to create a break
2. On the Insert menu, click Break
3. In the Break dialog box ,set the break type the Ok

FORMATTING THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT

Page setup - Page setup options let you define the paper size, margins and operations. To set up a page

1. On the file menu , click page setup

2. In the page setup dialog box

Click any of the following.

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  Margins tab to set up page margins
 Paper tab to specify the paper type and orientation
 Layout tab to specify the page content layout relative to the margins

3. Click OK to apply the settings

PAGE NUMBERING

Page numbers are used to organize a large document for case of reference. To insert page numbers

1. On the insert menu , click page numbers

2. In the position box, specify whether to place the page numbers at the top of page (header) or at the
bottom of the page (footer)
3. In the alignment box – specify whether to align page numbers to the left, center or right of the page
4. If you don’t want a number on the first page, clear the show number on the first page check the box
then click Ok.

Note: click on the format button to specify other page number options such as numbering type and font.

HEADER AND FOOTER

Header are lines of text that appear at the top margin every page or selected pages while footer appear at the
bottom margin

1. On the view menu, click Header and Footer

2. To create a header, enter text or graphical object in the header area.
3. To create footer , click inside the footer area and enter the text or graphical object
4. Click CLOSE on the Header and footer tool bar

FOOT NOTES AND END NOTES

Footnotes and endnotes are used in large documents to explain, comment or provide reference for text in a
document. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page while endnotes appear at the end of a section or a
document. To insert footnote or endnote.

1. On the insert menu, point to reference and then click Footnote. A dialog box is displayed.
2. In the location section , click footnotes or endnotes and specify the location of the footnote or
endnote
3. In the format section, specify the number type start and continuity.
4. Click Insert.

CREATING AND MANIPULATING TABLES

A table is made up of rows and column of cells. It is used to organize and present information in rows and
columns

Creating a table

To create a table

1. Click where you want to insert the table

2. From the table menu , point to Insert and then click table
3. In the dialog box , set the number of column and rows
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 4. Specify the auto format option if needed to be

EDITING AND FORMATING A TABLE

To delete rows or columns

1. Select the row

2. On the table menu, point to Delete then click Row/column

To insert rows or columns

1. Click the insertion pointer where you want to insert the rows/column
2. On the table menu , point to Insert then click Rows/ column

To merge cells

1. Highlight the cells

2. On the table menu, click Merge cells.

To split cells

1. Highlight the cells to split

2. On table menu, click split cell
3. Enter number of rows or columns

Performing calculations in a table

To calculate numerical values in a table, use cell references. A cell is a cross- section of rows and
column. Column is represented by letter, A, B, C. While rows are represented by 1, 2, 3…… as shown
below:

To perform calculations in a table

1. Place the insertion pointer to where you want the result to be displayed
2. On the table menu, click formula
3. Type a formula in the formula box e.g. = SUM (A1 . E1)
4. Click Ok

Note: You can select a formula from past function list and use ABOVE and LEFT instead of typing a
formula and using cell references respectively

PRINTING A DOCUMENT

Word processing is not complete without producing a hard copy. To print a document

1. Preview it by clicking “print preview” on the file menu

2. Click print from the file menu
3. Select the printer range, number of copies and other options then the dialog box

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Trouble shooting printing related problems

Some of the printing problems you may encounter are

 Lack of two- way communication due to pear installation of the printer software (drives) if the
printer is off or not connected
 Paper jams due to use of poor quality of paper or paper folds
 Poor quality print due to poor quality ink or toner used.

Read the manual that comes with the printer to resolve printing problems\

DUPLEX PRINTING - This is the process of printing on both sides of the paper.

TYPES OF DUPLEX PRINTING

1) Automatic Duplex Printing

2) Manually Duplex Printing

AUTOMATIC DUPLEX PRINTING - This is the automatic printing on both side of the paper

 Click the Microsoft office button

 Click print properties and then
 Click duplex printing , or two – sided printing
 Click OK.

MANUAL DUPLEX PRINTING

Manually printing on both side of the paper

PROCEDURES

Odd and even pages

 Click the Microsoft office button and then click print

 On the option select odd page
 Click ok
 After the odd pages are printed , flip the stack of pages over and

Then in the print list, select even pages

 Click ok

Using advanced Features of a word processor

Inserting graphical objects

You can insert a graphical object such as a picture a clip art or drawing onto your document.

To insert an object

1. On the insert menu, point to picture

2. Click on the following options

 Click Art
 From file

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  From scanner or camera
 Organization chart , Auto shape , WordArt or chart

3. Depending on the option selected insert or import the object

Using styles

A style is a predefined set of formats that can be applied to a block of text together at once.

To create a style

1. Highlight the text you want to see to create a style

2. Apply various formats to the text.
3. Click the style box in the formatting bar and type a name for the style
4. Press enter to apply the style name

Note: You can apply an existing style e.g. Headline1, to highlighted text

Generating a table of contents and indexes

A table of contents (TOC) is a list of topics in a document and the pages they appear. It is placed in the first
pages of the document. On the other hand, an index is a list of term used in the document and the pages they
appear. It is placed at the back pages.

In order to generate a TOC, you must first mark entries by defining style

To generate a table of content

1. Turn to the page you want to insert the table of contents

2. On the insert menu to reference and then click Index and tables
3. Click the table of contents tab
4. Set the TOC entriesthen click Ok

SORTING AND FILTERING

Sorting is a process of arranging items / data in a given order.

SORTING ORDER

a) Ascending order

- Is the process of arranging data / item from the lowest to the highest.

E.g. A-Z OR 0, 1, 2, 3………

b) Descending order

- Is the process of sorting data / items from the highest to the lowest.

E.g.: Z-A OR ………3, 2, 1, 0

SORT THE CONTENTS OF A TABLE

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1) In print layout view (Print layout views a view of a document / other object as it will appear when you
print it. For example: Items such as header, foot roles, columns and text boxes appear in their actual
positions). Move the pointer over the table until the table move handle appear
2) Click the table move handle to select the table that you want to sort
3) Under table tools. On the layout tab , in the data group click sort
4) In t the sort dialog box select the option that you want

SORT A SINGLE COLUMN IN A TABLE

1) Select a column that you want to sort

2) Under table tools, on the layout tab, in the data group click sort,
3) Under my list has, click header row or no header row.
4) Click option
5) Under the sort option , select the sort column check box
6) Click OK

MS – WORD CHART

Define: Is a graphical representation of the table data / items

TYPES OF CHART

i) Bar chart
ii) Pie chart
iii) Line chart
iv) Column chart
v) Area chart

STEPS / PROCEDURES

i) Open Ms – word office

ii) Go to insert tab
iii) Select chart under illustrations group
iv) In a new dialog box type of chart
v) Then click OK
vi) Enter data from the imported Ms – excel window
vii) Then close Ms – excel window

To generate an index you mark the index entries by providing the name of the main entry and the cross –
reference in your document.

To generate an index

1. Mark the index entries in your document a special XE tag is add to the text.
2. Turn to the page you want to insert the index
3. On insert menu , point to reference then click Index and Tables
4. Click the Index tab
5. Set the index properties then click Ok

Password protecting a document

To protect a document from unauthorized access or modification use a password. Since password is case
sensitive avoid mixed case, preferably use lower case.

To create a password.

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 1. On the tools menu, click options and then click the security tab
2. Type in a password in the password to open box or the password to modify box
3. Set other security options then click Ok.

Generating merged documents

Mail merging is the process of generating personalized letters, labels or envelopes by merging two files, a
main document e.g. Letter envelopes or mailing label with a data sources or addressing book. The three
main steps of creating a merged document are:

1. Create a main document e.g. A formula letter

2. Create or get the data source i.e. the address book
3. Marge the two files to a new document , printer or e-mail

To create a merged documents

1. On the Tools menu , point to letters and mailings then click Mail merge Wizard
2. From the mail merge panel displayed , select the type of document to work on e.g. letters
3. Click Next at the bottom of the panel to proceed
4. The will take you through the six steps of creating a merged document

Note: To create a merged document using another revision of word, read it’s on line help.

CHAPTER TWO: SPREADSHEET

Concept of spreadsheet
Spreadsheet is a file that is used to record and manipulate data in columns and rows. There are two types of
spreadsheets, manual spreadsheet and electronic spreadsheet.
 A manual spreadsheet is a piece of paper created on a ledger paper, while an electronic spreadsheet
is a computer application that displays series of columns and rows.
Examples of spreadsheet are ledger books in accounting and bookkeeping, as well as attendance registers in
schools.
Examples of spreadsheet programs that exist in the market to date are MS Excel (Microsoft Office), Apache
OpenOffice Calc (Apache OpenOffice), Apple iWork (iWork Suite), Quattro Pro (WordPerfect Office) and
Google sheets (Google Suite).
The working area of a spreadsheet contains grids of columns and rows that form a worksheet. Columns are
labelled with letters, while rows are labelled with numbers. Usually, several worksheets form a workbook,
which is kept as a file.
MS Excel 2016 worksheet possesses 16384 columns and 1048576 rows. The intersection of a column and a
row is called a cell. The cell name is identified by coordinates starting with column letter followed by row
number, like B5 and D12.
The following are some of the advantages of a spreadsheet program:
(i) It provides features that can be used to automatically update a document when numerical figures in
the cells are altered.
(ii) It always produces correct results, provided that correct formulae are used.
(iii) It produces neat work in a variety of good quality formats.
(iv) It contains tools that provide additional support such as spell checking and punctuations.

16 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

 (v) It can easily convert data into other forms of visualisation such as graphs and charts.
(vi) It offers powerful features to organise, manipulate, manage, verify and transfer data, such as
uploading a file into a database system.

Applications of the spreadsheet:

i. Spreadsheet is used in decision making. This is because it presents the convenient method of quick
investigation of data.
ii. Spreadsheet is also used for records keeping. Eg. Student’s records
iii. Prepare budgets
iv. Plan different activities
v. Create charts for data presentation
vi. Prepare financial statements
vii. Prepare statistical data.

Uses of a spreadsheet program

Spreadsheet program is a tool that helps to manipulate data. It is widely applied in industries and commerce
to predict performance, compute tax, prepare payroll, generate charts, and compute revenue in businesses. In
schools, the spreadsheet program can help in lessons preparation and performing administrative work such
as preparing school budget, calendar, attendance register, and analysing examination results.

Spreadsheet terminologies
Electronic spreadsheet is a computer application software that displays a series of columns and rows, and is
used to manipulate data, especially numerical data.
 Cell is the intersection of a column and a row forming a box into which a user can enter data.
 Active cell is the selected cell.
 Worksheet is the data file created in a spreadsheet program. It is the working area in a spreadsheet.
 Workbook is a data file that contains one or more worksheets created together in a spreadsheet
program.

Features of electronic spreadsheets

All electronic spreadsheet programs have some common features, including the following:
(i) Ability to perform automatic re-calculation of values when changes of value occur in related cells.
(ii) Ability to allow a user to work on multiple worksheets simultaneously.
(iii) A large working area which enables a user to continue working without having to add new pages.
(iv) Availability of formatting and editing features which make the worksheet look neat.
(v) Availability of different functions which simplify calculation tasks.
(vi) Availability of some features which are also available in other applications such as Word Processor,
PowerPoint and Database Management System (DBMS).
(vii) Ability to utilise computer storage space, enabling a user to store his/her work in a storage media for
future access or use.

Starting and ending a spreadsheet program

Starting MS Excel
Creating a workbook
When MS Excel program is started, a blank workbook is created. The default title of the workbook is
Book1. A workbook is a file that consists of worksheets. Usually, the default name of the first worksheet in
a workbook is Sheet1.

17 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

Parts of a spreadsheet program

Descriptions of parts of a spreadsheet program

 Active cell -The cell you are currently working on.
 Column headings - The letters which appear along the top of a worksheet window. Columns are
listed alphabetically from A to XFD with a total of 16384 columns in MS Excel 2016.
 Formula bar - The bar that displays the contents of an active cell. It is located immediately below
the Menu ribbon. As you type or edit data in an active cell, the changes appear in the formula bar.
 Name box - The box that displays the address of an active cell.
 Row headings - The numbers which appear along the left side of a worksheet window. Rows are
numbered consecutively from 1 to 1048576.
 Select all button - A button that you click to select all contents of a spreadsheet. It is located at the
intersection of column and row headings.
 Sheet tabs - Tabs which display the names of sheets. They are located at the bottom of a workbook.
 Task pane - The pane that provides access to frequently used tasks. When you start MS Excel, the
Getting Started task pane appears. The Task pane disappears once you open a workbook. There are
several task specific panes available in MS Excel.
 Tab scrolling - buttons Series of buttons that you can click to move between worksheets in the
workbook.
The MS Excel 2016 worksheet has a menu bar with several tabs which display ribbons that contain different
commands. The following are description of different menu tabs:

Insert tab
Insert tab displays a ribbon that contains commands to allow a user to insert Tables, Illustrations, Add-ins,
Charts, Sparklines, Filters, Links, Text, and Symbols.

Page Layout tab

Page Layout tab provides a ribbon with tools for formatting a page. These tools include Themes, Page Setup,
Scale to Fit, Sheet Options, and Arrange.

18 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

Review tab
Review tab contains a ribbon with tools for Proofing, Language, Comments, and Changes.

Formula tab
Formula tab provides a ribbon with various formats of formula such as Function Library, Defined Names,
Formula Auditing, and Calculation.

Data tab
Data tab contains a ribbon with tools such as Get External Data, Connections, Sort and Filter, Data Tools,
Forecast, and Outline.

Working area
The spreadsheet working area consists of grids of columns and rows. The point of intersection between a
column and a row is called a cell. A cell can be identified using a cell name, which consists of column letter
and row number. Technically, a cell name is called a cell address. Examples of cell names are B4, D25
Selecting cell, column and row, use a mouse pointer to click cell, row and column.

Entering data
Data is entered into the worksheet by moving the cursor to the appropriate position on the screen, clicking
the left mouse button to select that cell, and then typing the information required. The characters you type
will appear in the active cell and on the formula bar.
When you have finished typing data into a cell you should signal the end of that data in one of the following
ways:

 Press the Enter key (the cell below becomes the active cell)
 Press one of the arrow keys (the active cell move one place in the direction of the arrow
 Click on the Enter box (marked by a green tick) on the formula bar (the original cell is still the active
cell).
The are two basic types of information that can be entered into a worksheet: Constants and formulae.
The constants are of three types: numeric values, text values, and date and time value. Two special types of
constants, called logical values and error values, are also recognized by Excel but are not discussed in this
document.
Numeric value include only the digits 0-9 and some special characters such as + - E e () . , % /
A numeric cell entry can maintain precision up to 15 digits. If you enter a number that is too long, Excel
converts it to scientific notation. For example, if you type 12345678901234567, it will be stored as
12345678901234500, and displayed as 1.23457E16. sometimes, although the number is stored correctly in
the cell, the cell is not wide enough to display it properly. In those cases, Excel might show a rounded
number or even a string of # signs –just increase the width of the column

19 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

A text entry can contain up to 32,767 characters (only 1024 will display in the cell but all will shown on the
formula bar). If the text you enter will not fit in the particular width of your cell, Excel lets it overlap the
adjacent cell unless that cell already contains an entry, in which case the extra text can be thought of as
being tucked behind the adjacent cell.
Creating a simple worksheet
Instructions are given for creating the worksheet shown below. The first stage is to get the correct values in
the cells. Later you can make the worksheet more attractive by the use of bold text, different alignment and
color.

Adding or removing rows

When working on a spreadsheet, you may need to add or remove rows in the worksheet.
 Adding a row
To add a row in a data table, follow these steps:
(i) Select the range of cells to which you want to insert a row,
(ii) Right click, then click Insert,
(iii) Select Shift cells down
(iv) Click OK.
To add a row in a worksheet, follow these steps:
(i) Select the number of rows you want to insert,
(ii) Right click, then Click Insert.
 Removing a row
The following steps will help you to remove a row in a worksheet:
(i) Select a row you want to remove,
(ii) Right click, then click Delete.
The following steps will help you to remove a row in a data table:
(i) Select the number of rows you want to remove,
(i) Right click,
20 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 (ii) Click Delete,
(iii) Choose Delete option,
(iv) Click OK.

Entering and editing data

 Entering data in a worksheet
A worksheet accepts different types of data such as text, numbers, date, currency, fraction, accounts,
scientific, time, formula, and symbols.
 Entering numerical data
There are different ways of entering data into a worksheet. You can enter data either
columnwise or rowwise.

 Entering numbers with leading zeros

Steps:
(i) Select the cells into which you want to enter numbers containing leading zeros e.g.,
00055,
(ii) Right click the selected cells: a drop-down menu will appear.
(iii) Click on Format cells to open the format cell window,
(iv) Click Number tab,
(v) Select Text category.
(vi) Click OK.
(vii) Type the numbers with leading zeros in the cells

Amending data
If you are in the process of entering data in a cell and you notice that you have made a mistake, it is easy to
correct it. Press the Backspace ( ) key to delete a character to the left of the cursor or the Delete key to
delete a character to the right of the cursor.
If you want to edit the contents of a cell you dealt with earlier, you should double-click in that cell and make
the alternations either in the cell itself or on the formula bar.
If you want to clear a cell of its contents (formula and data), formats, comments or all three you can selects
that cell with a single click of the left mouse button, select clear from the Edit menu and then click on
contents F formats, Co comments, or All.
There are a couple of quick ways of clearing the contents of a cell. The first is to use the right mouse button
to click in the cell and then select clear contents from the menu that appears. The second is to select the cell
by clicking the left mouse button and the press the Delete key on the keyboard.
Do not confuse using the Delete key with selecting Delete from the Edit menu. That command carries out
the more drastic action of removing the entire cell from the worksheet and shifting the surrounding cell to
fill in the resulting space.

Ranges
In Excel, any rectangular area of cells is known as a range. The range is defined by the top-left and bottom –
right corner cell references separated by a colon (:).
So, B4:D7 represents the range of cells cornered by B4 and D7.
Copying and pasting
The text in cell E5:E8 (in other words E5, E6 and E8) is the same as in the range B5:B8 so you can copy
that.
1) Point to cell B5 and hold down the mouse button
21 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 2) Keeping the button held down, drag the pointer to B8 and then release the mouse button. The range
B5:B8 will be highlighted.
3) Click on the copy button on the toolbar (or selected Copy from the Edit menu).
4) Click in E5 (where you want the copy to be place).
5) Click the Paste button on he toolbar (or select Paste from the Edit menu).
In addition, there is a smart tag (the Past Options one) near the bottom right-hand corner of the pasted data.
A smart tag can be:

 gnored –it will disappear when you carry out some other action
 Removed –by pressing the Esc key
 Used – point to it and click on the down arrow to display several options; select one and press the
Enter key
For now, just ignore the Paste Options smart tag and finish the process of entering the data.
1. Click in any cell to remove the highlighting
2. Press the Esc key to remove the flashing dotted line (marquee) round the cells you copied.
Note: selecting non-contiguous ranges
If you need to select cell that are not contiguous, (ie, ranges that are not necessarily next to each other),
proceed as follows.
1. Select the first area of cells
2. Hold down the Ctrl key while selecting the other areas.

Adjusting the width of columns

If the Twiga secondary school text is too wide for columns B try widening those column.
1. Move the cursor to the division between the areas containing the column names. Note how the shape
of the cursor has changed to a vertical black line with arrows pointing right and left.
2. Double –click the left mouse button.
The column will be widened (if necessary) automatically. If you wish to have control over the sizing of the
column, it can be done manually.
1. Move the cursor to the division between the areas containing the column names
2. Hold down the left-hand mouse button and drag that column divider the required distance to the right
3. Release the mouse button.
4. Repeat the process if you want to make fine adjustments.

Entering currency values

If you have column containing amounts of money. You do not have to type the ₤ sign, instead you can
enter the numbers and format the cells as currency later.
Formatting the cells
1. Highlight the cells ie F5 to F7 (Point to F5, press the mouse button; while keeping the button held
down, drag the pointer to F7; release the button.)
2. Point to the highlighted area and click the right mouse button.
3. Choose Format Cells window, click on the Number tab (unless it is already selected.)
4. In the Format cells window, click on the Number tab (unless it already selected).
5. In the category: box select Currency by clicking on it.
6. Make sure that Decimal places: is set to 2; symbol: show ₤ and that the first option in the Negative
numbers: box is highlighted. Sample: shows you what the result of the formatting will be (₤0.50).
22 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 7. Click on Ok.
Alternatively, you could have formatted the cell first and then entered the values.
If you begin a numerical entry with a ₤ sign, Excel assigns currency format to that cell. Similarly. If you
end a numerical entry with a % sign, Excel assigns Percentage format to that cell.

Formatting a cell before entering a value

Now try formatting a cell before entering its value.

1. Click in F4
2. Click on the Bold and Align Right buttons. The cell will not look any different until you enter a
value
3. Type Costs
4. And press the Enter key.

The text should be in a bold front and right-aligned in the cell.

Formatting text

You have entered all the data you need but you might like to make the worksheet easier to read by
formatting some of the text.

First make the word Allocation bold.

1. Click in B4.
2. Click on the Bold button on the toolbar.

Next apply a bold font to Adult in C4 and child in D4 and center the text in the cells as follows:

1. Highlight cells C4:D4

2. On the toolbar, click on the Bold, italic and Center button. If you can’t remember which those are,
try pointing to each button in turn –a small pointer message will appear showing its name.

Next apply a bold italic font to Adult in C4 and Child in D4 and center the text in the cells as follows

1. Highlight cells C4:D4

2. On the toolbar, click on the Bold, Italic and Center buttons. If you can’t remember which
those are, try pointing to each button in turn

Using different sizes and colors

The charity Barbecue heading of this worksheet can be made more interesting by changing its size and
colour.

1. Click in B2.
2. Click on the down-arrow of the Font Size button
3. Select another size, for example, 12.

Your text in B2 will increase in size.

4. Click on the down-arrow of the Font color button.

5. Select a suitable colour for your text.

It is possible to colour the background of cells and to centre a heading across a range of cells.
23 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 1. Highlight the cells B2:F2
2. Click on the down-arrow of the Fill color button.
3. Select a suitable colour for your background. Be sure to make it different from the colour of your
text or you will not be able to see the heading!
4. Make sure that the range B2:F2 is still selected and click on the Merge and center button. Your
heading will be centered in that range of cells.
5. Click in any cell away from the heading.

5.10 Naming a sheet

The information on sheet 1 might refer to Twiga Secondary School to be held in Term II. It would make
sense to name the sheet accordingly.

1. Right –click on the tab sheet 1

2. Select Rename from the menu that appears
3. Type

Term II

And press the Enter key (or click in a cell).

Adding a border

Sometimes a worksheet can be made more attractive by adding borders around cells.

1. Select the rectangle of cells starting with B2 in the top left-hand corner across to F7 in the bottom
right-hand corner.
2. Click on the down-arrow to the right of the Borders button on the toolbar
3. Click on the second example in the third row (All Borders). This shows borders around all the cells.
4. Click on a cell not currently selected (to remove the highlighting).

Another way of adding borders is to select Cells from the Format menu and click on the Border tab. First
select a style for a line, then apply it by clicking the presets, preview diagram or buttons on that Border tab
in the Format cells window. This approach gives you more options.

If you would prefer to draw the border around cells yourself, click on the down-arrow to the right of the
Borders button on the toolbar and select Draw Borders. On the Borders toolbar that appears, select a
colour and style for the line, and choose to draw either a grid or just a border. Then, just draw on your
worksheet. An eraser is also available.

Inserting and deleting rows and columns

Extra rows and columns can be inserted whenever you wish. As an example, insert a row between rows 4
and 5.

1. Click, with the right mouse button, on the row name 5.

2. Select Insert (and ignore the Insert Options smart tag).

Try inserting an extra column before column A

1. Click, with the right mouse button, on the column name A.

2. Select Insert

24 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

To delete a row or column, right-click on its name and select Delete from the menu which appears.

Spell-checking

Excel allows to check the spelling of your work. You have probably already used this technique in word.

1. Select a cell near the top of your worksheet

2. Click on the spelling button on the toolbar (or select Spelling from the Tools menu)

If a spelling mistake is found (or something that Excel thinks is a mistake but isn’t), you will be given the
opportunity to correct or ignore it.

Excel will object to Twiga Secondary School. If you wish, change it to Twiga Secondary School by
editing the text in the Not in Dictionary: box and clicking on the change All button.

When the end of the sheets is reached, the checking can be continued from the beginning of the sheet down
to the cell you selected.

Saving your workbook

Your workbook can now be stored in a file on a floppy disk (the A: drive)flash, CD or on the Networked PC
service (the J: drive).
1. From the File menu select Save As (or Save)
A Save As window appears.

Choose a name for your file

1. In the file name: box, type a suitable name (such as Twiga Secondary School) for your file.Later,
Excel will add the .xis extension automatically.
Excel file names can have up to 218 characters including alphanumeric characters, spaces and the special
characters except for ⁄, \ , > ,< ,* , ? ," ,│, ; and : Remember that Excel does not distinguish between upper
and lower case letters.

Decide which drive to use

If you are using the Networked PC service, Excel will offer to save your file one your J: drive
If you want to save the file to another drive (such as A:)
25 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 1. Click on the down arrow to the right of the Save in: box.
2. Select the drive of your choice Flash disk (F)
Note: On the Networked PC service, a quicker way of selecting the A: drive is to click the Flash Disk icon
at the left –hand edge of the Save As window.

Decide which folder to use

If you want to choose a folder in which to save your file.

1. Double-click on a folder already displayed in the list box or click the Up One Level button (to
move up one folder level) and navigate until you can select the folder you want.
On your own PC, you can click on the History button (at the left-hand edge of the Save As window) to see
documents and folders you have worked with recently.

Different file format

It is possible to save the file in a different file format by changing the setting in the Save as type: box.

Finally
1. Click on the Save button
After you save the file, the workbook window remains open and Excel displays the new name in the title
bar.
Note: Once a file has been saved for the first time, subsequent changes can be saved by selecting Save from
the File menu, or by clicking the Save button on the standard toolbar.

Closing your workbook

You can close you workbook at any time
1. From the File menu, select Close
If you have made any changes to the workbook since it was last saved, you will be asked whether you wish
to save those changes.
2. Click Yes to keep the changes or No to discard them (and leave the workbook as it was when you
last saved it).
Note: To open the workbook later, select Open from the File menu, navigate to the location of the file,
select it and click OK. You can have several workbooks open at the same time.

Data validation
MS Excel 2016 allows you to define the range of data to be entered into a cell. It also allows you to prevent
entry of invalid data into a cell.
 Applying data validation
Apply the validation criteria to restrict marks of student in the range of 0 to 100. Steps:
(i) Select cells B4:B8,
(ii) On the Data tab, click Data Validation.
(iii) From the drop-down menu, choose Data validation.
(iv) If there are blank cells in the column, remove the check mark from “ignore blank”. Otherwise,
unintended numbers will be allowed.
26 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 (v) In the Data Validation box, choose Whole number to allow the function to check the value
being entered. On the Data option, choose between.
(vi) Enter 0 on the Minimum text box and 100 on the Maximum text box,
(vii) then press OK.

Editing data in a worksheet

The worksheet and its content can be edited; you can change the label, date, formula or function. A label
refers to a text written in a worksheet. To edit the label, you simply select the cell containing the label and
make the changes you want. This can also be done for date, formula, and function.
Mostly, these actions take place in a formula bar. A worksheet also allows you to apply editing commands
for deleting, copying, moving, and pasting, as well as adding new sheets to a workbook file or deleting
worksheets you no longer need.

Making selection in a worksheet

 Selecting a cell
The cell reference at which the data is to be edited must be active. To select a cell, put a cursor on a
cell and click it.
 Selecting a column
To select a column, put a cursor on top of the column to be selected, and click.
 Selecting a row
To select a row, put a cursor on a row number, and click.
 Selecting a range of cells
To select a range of cells, click and move your cursor to cover the cells of interest and then release
your mouse.

Deleting data in a worksheet

 Deleting data in cells or worksheet
(i) Select the cell or the data you want to delete,
(ii) Press Delete button on a keyboard.
 Deleting a worksheet
(i) Right click on the name of the worksheet you want to delete,
(ii) Click Delete on the menu.

Formatting data in a worksheet

To format is to change the appearance of data in a cell. MS Excel formatting options enable you to change
the layout and appearance of the cells in a worksheet. There are several formatting features in MS Excel
program such as data wrap, cells merge, changing position of contents, and adding cell borders.

Calculations
You can now try doing some simple calculations using a worksheet that was prepared earlier.
If you are not using the ITS Networked PC service, you may like to get a copy of this file from the ITS Web
pages before working through the rest of the document.
 The file is called Twiga Secondary School.xls and can be found in the information /Guides section
of the ITS website.
Opening a worksheet
1. From the File menu select Open

27 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

 2. Change the Look in: setting to work file on ‘Dudley’(T:).
3. In the box of folders, double-click on its, and then on Excel.
4. Click on Twiga Secondary.xls.
5. Click on Open

Entering formulae
All formulae begin with an equals (=) sign. If you forget to type the =, the rest of the line could be entered
into the cell as a piece of text. Formula can contain values, cell addresses, mathematical operators and
functions.
Some of the mathematical operator that can be used are:

They are listed here in decreasing order of priority starting with Percent, which has the highest priority
(done first), and ending with comparison, which has the lowest (done last). If a formula contains operators
with the same priority, they are evaluated form left to right.
If you want to alter the order of evaluation, use parentheses (brackets) to group expressions. Any parts of a
formula that are in parentheses are done first. For example:
7 + 3/2 will be evaluated as 8.5 (not 5.0)
(7 + 3)/2 will be evaluated as 5.0

Entering a formula for total per person

In this case is the marks of maths, Geog, Chem and Biology
1. Click in G5
2. Type = C5 + D5 + E5 + F5 or = SUM (C5:F5)
Note that you have entered the cell references in the formula, not the values in the cells since those particular
values might be changed later.
3. Press the Enter key.
Have a critical look at the value now displayed in G5. Make sure that it is correct. If it isn’t click in G5 and
look at the formula displayed on the formula bar. If you find an error in your typing, correct it.
Next copy the formula to cells G6-G13,This will display the total marks for each student of form 1 in Tanga
secondary for the four (4) subjects
Entering a formula for Average now calculate the average marks for each student in form 1 for the
four subject
1. Click in H5

28 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

 2. Type = (C5 + D5 + E5)/4 or type = G5/4 or
Type = AVERAGE (C5:F5)
3. Press the Enter key. The average marks will be displayed.

Copying a formula to another cell

A formula can be copied to another cell in the same way as text or numbers. In this case from h5-h13

Cell references
A cell reference refers to a cell or a range of cells on a worksheet and can be used in a formula so that
Microsoft Office Excel can find the values or data that you want that formula to calculate. There are three
types of cell references namely relative, absolute and mixed cell references.
a) Relative references is when you copy a formula across multiple cells, and then the cells change
based on the relative position of columns and rows. For example, if you copy the formula =A2+B2
from row 2 to row 3, the formula will become =A3+B3
b) Absolute references is when you do not want a cell reference to change when copying or filling
cells. It is designated in the formula by the addition of a dollar sign ($). Example $A$2
c) Mixed cell reference occurs when a dollar sign is typed in front of either the letter or the number of
the cell references, e.g., $A5 and B$3.

Sorting
If you have a rectangular block of data surrounded by blank cells, then Excel recognizes this as a list. Data
in a list can be sorted alphabetically numerically or chronologically. Excel rearranges the rows according to
the contents of one or more columns.
If you select a single cell in the list, Excel will automatically select the whole list for you. If there are labels
in the first now, excel excludes them from the sort. Alternatively, you can select the area of data that is to be
sorted. Be careful though, sorting data selected by you does not move any non selected data in adjacent
columns or rows.
On the summer worksheet of the Charity_Barbecue workbook, you have a list in cells B13:E19. (If you
added extra people, the range will be different) it can easily be sorted by surname.
1. Click on the summer tab.
2. Click on any name in the Party column

3. Click the sort Ascending button on the toolbar.

The list will be sorted in ascending order by name.

4. Immediately click the Undo button if you want to restore the list to its original order.

The sort Descending button can be used to sort a list in descending order.
If you wish to sort by more than one column, select Sort from the Data menu.

Printing
There are various stages to getting your information printed

Page Setup
1. From the File menu, select Page Setup.

29 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

By changing the options in the Page Setup window, you can control the appearance of your printed sheets.
This includes choice of margins, headers/footers, page orientation (portrait/landscape), scaling, and precisely
what will be printed (grid lines for example).
2. Click on OK in the Page Setup window.

Print preview
1. From the File menu, select Print Preview (or click on the Print Preview button on the toolbar)
In this mode you can, if you wish, view the next/previous page, zoom, use a magnifying glass, adjust
margins, and change the page breaks.
2. Click the close button to return to your worksheet.
Dotted lines will now be displayed on your worksheet indicating page boundaries.

Selecting a printer and printing your work

1. From the File menu, select Print.
2. If you are working on the Networked PC service, by default, the printout should be directed to the
printer in the room in which you are working. Check that this is the case.
If you want a different printer.
3. Click on the beside the Printer Name: box
4. Select the printer you want to use.
You can specify what is to be printed, which pages are to be printed and (To print your work, click on OK)

GRAPHS AND CHARTS

Data may be presented in graph or charts as well. From the table below

30 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

To change the colour, click on the bar you want to change the colour. If you want to change that chart type,
click on the on the chart and insert, select the type of chart.

PAGE PROPERTIES AND PRINTING

1) PAGE SETUP
It may include
(a) Header footer setup
(b) Selecting a printer
(c) Paper layout (page layout)
Procedures
From the menu bar, click file then select page set up.

i. Page tab
 On the page tab you may choose either portrait or landscape for the page layout.
 Select the page size as A4
ii. Header/footer
 Click header/footer tab
 Click custom header
 There are three sections here, you, may type your header in any section depending on what
type of the paper do you want your footer/header to appear. But in most cases the left
section is preferred for header.
 After typing your header click OK.
 Then click on custom footer.
The footer may be either in the center section or right section
31 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
  Click on the center section
 Click the button shown as # the word and page will disappear in the centre section also, data and
time may be set in the footer right section. After completion of footer and header setup click OK>

PAGE PREVIEW.
From the Menu bar click File.
Then select print preview.
Note: Your page may default to two pages while the document is for one page only.

Procedures:
Click page break preview
Click OK to the window appearing.
If the document is making up two pages, there must be dotted separating those pages. Place your cursor on
the dotted line and drug it to the right until you meet the solid line

WORKING WITH MS EXCEL WHILE YOU ARE IN MS WORK

Select ms excel form tools bar , work with your data

THE FOLLOWING IS SUMMARY OF PROCUREMENT

To shift/Return to Ms Excel Double click the Table.

EXERCISE
From the given data below,
1. Find, total, Average, and Grades
2. Draw bar graph, pie chart
3. Save file name with your name
4. Put the file in folder, save in desk top an my document

Formulating the formula

Note =, the number of opening brackets must be the same as closing brackets
Example, a student whose average is equal, or greater than 80, is placed in A grade, average equal or greater
than 70 is grade B, average equal or greater than 50 is in C grade, otherwise F grade.

FORMULA
=IF(F2>=80,”A”,IF(F2>=60,”B”,IF(F2>=50,”C”,”F”)))

32 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

EXERCISE
Banda Enterprises had the following data.

FORMULA:
Discount=Basic price * Discount
Basic Price
VAT=Sale Price* VAT

33 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

Selling price*VAT
Selling Price = Sale Price + VAT

Question
1.Present your information in Chart form (column chart)
2.Cut the graph and copy it on the separate worksheet and rename worksheet as chart
3.Create header and footer
4."Excel test"as header (left section)
5."You name,Data and time as footer(left section)
6.Save the work in your name and put it in the folder "on the desktop (My work)

1CHART
Answer 2

Practical work:
Manipulation:
This includes
I. Mathematical operation (+, -, x, and ÷)
II. Sum
III.Average
IV.Count
V. Minimum
VI.Maximum
VIII.Logical formulae etc

When using function, remember the following

 Use an equal sign to begin a formula

 Specify the faction name
 Enclose arguments within parentheses
 Use a comma to separate the arguments

SUM
The sum function is used to calculate the sums. For example
=SUM(2, 13, 10, 65)
In this function: The equal sign begins the function SUM is the name of the function 2, 3, 10 and 65 are the
arguments. Parentheses enclose the arguments Comma separates each of the arguments

34 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

The other way of using sum function:
=SUM (A1:A5)

AVERAGE
Average function is used to calculate an average from a series of numbers.

Min(Minimum)
You can use Min function to find the lowest number in a series of numbers

Max (Maximum)
You can use Min function to find the highest number in a series of numbers

Count
The count function is used to get the number of entries in a number field that’s in a range.

If (logical functions)
This is conditional formula in a logical manner (true or false). You can use “if” function to group or grade
the marks/scores/data in a series of numbers.
Example 1

Example 1
The following are the form three students score in monthly test.

Represent these marks using:

(a) Column –chart
(b) Line chart
(c) Pie chart

Column chart

35 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

 Line chart

Pie-chart

36 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

 TYPE OF ERROR
TYPE OF ERROR MEANING DETAIL
#N/A Not available Can’t find the value you’re looking for
#VALUE! Invalid value Wrong arguments in the formula
We remove references that are part of the Excel
#REF! No references
formula
#NAME? Can’t find the name Excel formula typing error
#DIV/O! Divided by zero The denominator is zero.
######### Can’t display value Can’t display cell content
#NULL! Empty value Can’t determine a range of formula
#NUM! Invalid number Invalid numeric values

CHAPTER THREE COMPUTER NETWORKS AND COMMUNICATION

Concept of computer networking
A computer network is a connection of two or more computers for the purpose of sharing resources. It can
also be defined as a collection of computers hardware and other devices interconnected by communication
media that allow sharing of resources.
The shared resources include printers, scanners, storage devices, and files. Thus, a computer network refers
to two or more devices, such as a desktop computer, printers and/or server linked together for the purpose of
sharing resources.

Classification of computer networks

Computer networks can be classified based on the structure and relationship between network
components, size of network (geographical coverage), as well as mode of connectivity.
1. Network structure and relationship
(i) Peer-to-peer network - is one in which two or more computers share files and access devices such
as printers without requiring a separate server computer or a server software.
(ii) Client-server network is the network with a central computer that hosts or controls the shared
resources; this central computer is called a server. The server is any computer dedicated to provide
services to other computers. The other computers that receive services from the server are known as
clients.

Network size or geographical coverage

(i) Personal Area Network (PAN) - is a type of computer network that connects personal devices such
as smartphone, tablet, and laptop. It connects an individual premise or private area, and its purpose is
to enable an individual to share resources among personal devices. PAN can cover about 10 meters.
(ii) Local Area Network (LAN) - is a computer network that covers a small area such as a room, home,
school, or office building. It is useful for sharing resources like files, printers, scanners, games, and
other applications.
(iii) Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) - is a computer network that covers the whole town, city, or a
region. An example of MAN is cable TV in a city.
(iv) Wide Area Network (WAN) - is a computer network that is not restricted to a specific
geographical area like a school compus or a city. It covers a large area such as a whole country, a
continent, and beyond. For example, the Internet.

37 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

Advantages and disadvantages of networks covering different geographical areas
Advantages of PAN
(a) Data sharing: Enables easy and quick sharing of data between personal devices.
(b) Inexpensive: It has low installation cost.
(c) Security: It is more secure compared to other types of computer networks as it covers a personal
area.

Disadvantages of PAN
(a) Coverage: It is restricted to a personal premise, usually about 10 meters range.
(b) Data sharing limitation: It is not fit for sharing data in longer distances.
(c) Technologies: Uses short-range communication technologies such as Bluetooth and USB cable.
Thus, a user device cannot connect to a remote site.

Advantages of LAN
(a) Increased productivity: Sharing resources such as hard drives, DVD drives, and printers can easily
increase productivity.
(b) Cost reduction: Sharing of resources such as software and hardware reduce running costs.
(c) Improved security: Data stored in a local server have higher chances of being secure and can easily
be accessed by all the LAN users.
Disadvantage of LAN
(a) It covers a limited area: LAN is restricted in size. It covers a small area like a single office, a
building, or a group of nearby buildings.
(b) Its maintenance is demanding: It requires a LAN administrator and technicians to always maintain or
troubleshoot a network, software installation, program faults, and/or hardware failures.
(c) High setup cost: The initial installation costs can be high.

Advantages of MAN
(a) Less expensive: It is less expensive to attach a MAN to a WAN than attaching a LAN to a WAN.
(b) Speed: It has higher speed than WAN.
(c) Connection: It is easy to connect related LANs to form a MAN.
(d) Security: It is more secure than WAN.
(e) Sending local email: It sends local email faster than WAN.

Disadvantages of MAN
(a) Difficult to manage: As a network grows bigger, it becomes difficult to manage.
(b) Maintenance: Technical people are required to set up and maintain it.
(c) More wires and other connectivity media are required: Additional cables or other media are required
to connect two or more LANs to form a MAN.

Advantages of WAN
(a) Area of coverage: It covers a geographical area of large proportion.
(b) File and data updates: Users can get file updates and data from servers in a wider area.
(c) Centralised data: Sharing of data across the respective networks cover a wider area.

Disadvantages of WAN
(a) Security: Since WAN has a variety of technologies, it faces more security issues compared to LAN
and MAN. This can open the security gap which paves the way to malicious attacks and theft.
(b) Troubleshooting: Troubleshooting issues such as pinpointing the cause of problem are difficult to
handle in a WAN due to its broad geographical coverage.
38 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 (c) Installation cost: It is very complex and expensive to install a WAN since it requires many resources
such as routers, switches and security solutions.

Mode of connectivity
Based on the modes of connectivity, a computer network can be wired or wireless. Wired networks use
cables as network media for data transmission, while wireless networks transmit signals without any
physical wire.

Network devices and accessories

(i) Network Interface Card - is an electronic card that enables a computer to connect to a network.
NIC is sometimes called Ethernet card or network adapter.
(ii) Network switch - is a hardware device that filters and forwards network traffic. A switch connects
devices together on a computer network.
(iii) Network router - is an electronic device that connects at least two networks and forwards
communication traffic between them. Routers are fundamental to the operation of the Internet and
complex networks.
(iv) Network cables - are networking hardware used to connect one network device to other network
devices. Different types of network cables like coaxial cables, optical fibre cables, and twisted pair
cables are used depending on the network’s topology, protocol, and size.
A. Twisted pair cables - also known as ethernet cables, are insulated cables twisted together. These
cables are used in telephone lines and LANs. There are two types of twisted pair cables:
(a) Unshielded Twisted Pairs (UTP) cable is a cable comprised of only wires and insulated.
(b) Shielded Twisted Pairs (STP) cable is a cable braided with wire mesh that encases each pair of
insulated wires.
Advantages of twisted pair cables
 They are easy to use and maintain.
 They are cheap.
Disadvantages of twisted pair cables
 They are affected by Electromagnetic Induction, which cause interference.
 They are suitable for use only in short distances.
B. Fibre Optic Cables - are made up of very thin strands of glass or plastic. One cable may contain
two strands or several hundreds of strands. Fibre optic cable transmits data signals as light.
Advantages of fibre optic cable
 It is the faster transmission media.
 It supports higher bandwidth.
 It is not affected by attenuation and electromagnetic interference.
 It is used in transmitting signals in longer distances.
Disadvantages of fibre optic cable
 It is most expensive because it requires expensive equipment.
 It is very difficult to install.
C. Coaxial cables - are commonly used by cable TV, telephone companies, and computer networks
for transmitting data.
Advantages of coaxial cable
 It is not easily affected by attenuation and electromagnetic interference.
 It can be used to transmit data in longer distances than twisted pair cable.
 It supports transfer of high bandwidth signal compared to twisted pair cable.
 It is faster than twisted pair cable.
Disadvantages of coaxial cable
 It is more expensive than twisted pair cable.
 It is not so safe because it can be taped by breaking the cable and inserting the T-joint in
between.

39 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

Software for communication and computer networking
Network software is set of programs that perform logical networking by specifying protocols for sharing
data. Without these software, the network cannot transfer information.
Example of best network management tools are datadog network performance monitor, NinjaOne, Zabbix,
Nagios XI and Logic Monitor

Importance of computer networks

 Communication
(a) The use of e-mail, teleconferences, video conferences, newsgroups, and social media are commonly
facilitated by the presence of computer networks.
(b) Computer networks enable easy and smooth resource sharing. Example of resource sharing include
the use of network printers, chatting, and access to audio or video.
 Entertainment
(a) Webcasting enables information such as radio and TV programme from one computer to be accessed
by many other computers at once.
(b) Video and audio contents can be easily accessed from a particular station or server.
 Business
(a) Computer networks enable digital financial transactions. For example, the use of ATM cards to
withdraw money from any Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) anywhere, and the use of mobile
services such as T-Pesa, M-Pesa, TigoPesa, Airtel Money, and EasyPesa, are facilitated by computer
networks.
(b) International trade: Commodities can be advertised and ordered online; transactions are made
through computer networks without a buyer going physically to sellers.
 Health and education
(a) In research, computer networks help much in sharing resources like online journals and publications.
(b) In health, computer networks are used for supporting health management systems, telemedicine, and
online care provision. Also, they are used to search for causes and treatments of diseases from
various medical resources available on the Internet.
(c) E-learning uses computer networks for online classes, enabling classrooms without walls. E-learning
enables people to learn anytime and anywhere.

Computer network topologies

A topology is a layout or design of the connected devices. Network topology may be physical or logical.
Physical topology refers to the visible design of the network including devices, while logical topology
refers to how data are actually transferred in a network. This notes will only discuss the physical topology.
There are six common physical network topologies namely: -
1) Bus topology - consists of a single cable known as a trunk or backbone or segment that connects all
the computers and other devices in the network. Each system is directly attached to a common
communication channel.
Advantages of Bus topology
(a) It is easy to connect a computer and other
peripheral devices to a linear bus.
(b) It is cheaper compared to other physical
topologies.
(c) It uses less amount of cables compared to
other physical topologies.
(d) It does not need a central device such as a
hub, switch, or router.
Disadvantages of Bus topology
(a) A break in the main cable shuts down the entire network.
40 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 (b) It requires terminators at both ends of the cable; thus, it increases implementation and
maintenance cost.
(c) It is difficult to identify the problem if the entire network shuts down.
2) Star topology - consists of all nodes (computers, printers, and other shared peripheral devices)
connected to the central hub or switch.
Advantages of Star topology
(a) Adding or removing a node does not affect
the network
(b) It is easy to detect faults and to remove
parts.
(c) It is easy to design and install.
Disadvantages of Star topology
(a) The failure of the hub or concentrator
affects the entire network.
(b) It needs a lot of cables; hence it becomes more expensive than linear bus topologies.
3) Ring topology - each node is connected to form a single, closed data path. Data from one node are
passed along to the next node at which they are examined, and if that node is not the intended
destination, then they are transmitted to the next node until the destination is reached.
Advantages of Ring topology
(a) Each node gets to send the data when it
receives an empty token. This helps to reduce
chances of collision.
(b) When the load on the network increases,
its performance is better than that of a bus
topology.
(c) Additional components do not affect the
performance of a network.
Disadvantages of Ring topology
(a) Each data must pass through all the computers between a source and a destination. This makes it
slower than a star topology.
(b) The entire network will be affected if one computer shuts down.
(c) It is expensive compared to star and bus topologies because it involves the installation of Multi-
station Access Unit (MAU) and network cards which are expensive as compared to Ethernet cards
and hubs.
4) Mesh topology - involves the concept of routes. Unlike other topologies, messages sent on a mesh
network can take any of several possible paths from a source to a destination.
Advantages of Mesh topology
(a) It provides redundant paths between devices.
(b) The network can be expanded without
disruption to existing users.
Disadvantages of Mesh topology
(a) It requires more cables than other LAN
topologies.
(b) It is difficult to install and maintain because it
involves many nodes and cables.
5) Tree topology or extended star topology - integrates multiple star topologies together onto a bus.
In its simplest form, only a switch or a hub connects directly to the tree bus and each hub functions
as the “root” of a tree of devices.
Advantages of Tree topology
(a) It makes point-to-point wiring for individual
segments possible.
(b) It is supported by several hardware and
software vendors.
Disadvantages of Tree topology
(a) Overall length of each segment is limited by
the type of cabling used.
41 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 (b) If the backbone line breaks, the entire
segment goes down.
(c) It is more difficult to configure and wire than
other topologies.
6) Hybrid topology - is the combination of more than one topology, mainly star and bus topologies.
This bus or star hybrid approach supports future expandability of the network.

Topologies are an important part of network design theory. You can probably build a computer network at
home, school or small business without understanding the difference between a bus design and a star design,
but becoming familiar with the standard topologies gives you a better understanding of other important
networking concepts like broadcasts, switches, bridges, and routers.
Network topology refers to the physical configuration of a set of interconnected computing devices The
following are the key factors you should pay attention to when choosing a network topology.

1. Budget
If a topology is unaffordable, it’s off the table no matter how perfectly suited it might be for your situation.
On pricing matters, bus and ring topologies are quite cost-effective while star, mesh, tree and hybrid
topologies are expensive.

2. Hardware Resources
Certain network topologies work best with certain hardware. And vise-versa. So before you make a decision
on the topology to adopt, perform an inventory of your current hardware. For instance, you may have
hardware limitations such as the length of the network cable. Bus and star topologies perform pretty well in
this regard.

3. Ease of Implementation
In this case, the bus and star topologies score pretty well. The mesh, tree and hybrid, on the other hand, are
complex and difficult for a layman to install or understand.

4. Size of Network
How many devices are going to be on your network? How geographically dispersed are they? How far from
the ‘center’ is the furthest device? The tree topology works well with large networks. The bus topology is
best suited for small organizations.

5. Reliability
When it comes to reliability, network topologies aren’t created equal. If you are looking for high reliability
because you are in an industry where even brief downtime and delays are frowned upon (e.g. banking), then
network reliability is a fundamental consideration. Choose the topology that delivers the highest reliability.

Ring topology performs pretty well under heavy loads but is prone to a single point of failure. Star topology
doesn’t depend on any node but the network will collapse if the hub fails. Mesh and hybrid topologies score
highest on the reliability front.
42 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
6. Future Expansion
If you expect your organization to grow in size in the medium to long-term, opt for a network topology
that’s readily scalable. Identify the topology that’s easy to add new nodes to, without negatively affecting
network performance or the user experience of other devices on the network.

The tree topology is perhaps the most compatible with future expansion requirements as it’s fairly easy to
extend or shrink the network. The bus topology is also easy to expand but only to a certain extent which is
why it would only work for small networks.

CHAPTER FOUR: THE INTERNET

Concept of Internet
The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks. It is a huge network that links together millions
of smaller networks. Telephone lines and cables connect networks all over the world to form the Internet.
The history of Internet originates from the invention of the telegraph, telephone, radio, and computer. These
technologies set the stage for this invention and an environment whereby the connection may be in a wired
or wireless medium. A computer connected to the Internet is said to be online.

Internet terminologies
 Internet Protocol or Transfer Communication Protocol (IP/TCP) address - is an address used
to uniquely identify a computer and other devices on a network. An IP address is a numerical label
assigned to each device (for example, computer, router, modem, and printer) in a computer network.
It is normally a number that has four parts in the form W.X.Y.Z. Examples of IP addresses are
1.1.1.1, 10.50.100.254, 172.128.10.1, 10.0.0.20, and 192.168.5.250. The highest number in each
part of an IP address is 255.
 Media Access Control (MAC) address is a unique combination of numbers and letters which is
given to a network adapter. Every NIC in the world has a unique MAC address. A MAC address is
given to a network adapter when it is manufactured. It is coded onto the NIC of your computer.
When communicating, the IP addresses and MAC addresses work together. e.g. 01:10:11:02:36:84
 Uniform Resource Locator (URL) - is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a
computer network. An example of URL is https://www.tie.go.tz. URL contains four parts: an
internet protocol, domain name, pathname, and file name.

 Protocol is a set of rules that govern communication between computers on a network. In order for
two or more computers to talk to each other, they must be speaking the same language.
 Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is a language used to create web pages. A markup
language facilitates creation of documents in which the structure and contents are clearly
distinguishable.
 World Wide Web (WWW) is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the
Internet. The documents are formatted using a markup language called HTML that supports links to
other documents, as well as graphics, audio, and video files.
 Web page is the hypertext document that can be accessed over the World Wide Web through web
browsers. It is written in a markup language called HTML. It contains text, pictures, audio, video,
and hyperlinks.
 Website is a collection of related web pages that have the same theme and are connected together
using hyperlinks. The opening page of either personal, commercial, or an institutional website is
called a Home Page.
43 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
  Web server is a computer that stores web related files. These computers have high processing
power and storage capacity. The main goal of web servers is to provide access to information and
other resources to users on the Internet.
 Hyperlink is a link between two web resources. When clicked, an hyperlink takes you to another
resource on the web.
 Hypertext is a text that contains hyperlinks. The hyperlinks are used as references to other
documents and media in the web server.
 Web browser is an application software that locates and displays World Wide Web documents. It
retrieves information from a web server and displays it on your computer screen. Examples of web
browsers are Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Google Chrome.

Internet Service Provider

These companies are known as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offers Internet access and other related
services to its customers. Examples of ISPs in Tanzania are TTCL, Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo, Zantel,
Simbanet, and Smile.

Modem
A modem is a communication or network device that performs two key processes namely modulation and
demodulation.
o modulation process, the modem converts digital signals to analogy signals for transporting over a
telephone line. By
o demodulation process, the modem converts analogy signals from the telephone lines to digital
signals.
The term modem is a blended word formed by two words, modulation (Mo) and demodulation (Dem). In a
computer, information is stored in digital form. However, information is transmitted over telephone lines as
analogy waves.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a protocol that governs the process of transmitting information on
the Web. HTTP basically publishes and retrieves HTML pages on the World Wide Web. The information
that is transferred using HTTP can be a plain text, an audio, a video, an image, or a hypertext.

A Brief History of the Internet

The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in the early 1960s. These individuals saw
great potential value in allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific
and military fields.
The Advanced Research Project Agency Network (ARPAnet) is considered the grandfather of the modern
Internet. ARPAnet was designed by the United States Department of Defence during the Cold War II as
means to connect computers between universities. The first two universities to connect their computers
under ARPAnet were University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and Stanford University. The
connection allowed universities to exchange top secret military information and share access to the country’s
most powerful computer systems.
The following are some of the major events that took place in the history of the Internet:
(a) 1969: ARPANET connected computers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA),
Stanford University, University of California Santa Barbara (SB), and University of Utah: 4 nodes
were connected.
(b) 1971: 15 nodes (23 hosts) on ARPANET.
 E-mail invented: a program to send messages across a distributed network.
(c) 1973: First international connections to the ARPANET: University College of London (England) and
Royal Radar Establishment (Norway).

44 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

 (d)
1977: E-mail took off; Internet became a reality; number of hosts broke to 100.
(e)
1984: Number of hosts broke to 1,000.
(f)
1987: Number of hosts broke to 28,000.
(g)
1989: Number of hosts broke to 100,000.
(h)
The web exploded
o1994 – 3.2 million hosts and 3,000 o 1997 – The web browser wars
websites. o 1998 – Google was launched
o 1994 – Yahoo! Launched. o 2001 – 110 million hosts and 30 million
o 1995 – 6.4 million hosts and 25,000 websites
websites o 2006 – YouTube was launched
o 1997 – 19.5 million hosts and 1.2 million o 2015 – Microsoft Edge was launched
websites
Search Engines
A search engine is a software that is used to search for resources on the Web based on the keywords that
you designate as search terms. It is a software designed to seek information from the World Wide Web and
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) servers.
The search results are generally presented in a list of results, often referred to as search engine result pages.
Examples of search engines (a) Google (www.google.com) (b) Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) (c) Bing
(www.bing.com) (d) Msn (www.msn.com) .

Application of Internet
The Internet provides several services such as e-mail, e-learning, e-commerce, newsgroups, online forums,
video and teleconferencing, and social media.

Electronic mail
Electronic mail (e-mail) is an electronic communication between different people using computers or other
ICT devices such as mobile phones. Communication through e-mail requires a person to register (sign up)
on an electronic program.
In an e-mail account, a person can create, save, and receive information electronically. An example of e-mail
address is director [email protected].

Accessing e-mail services

To access e-mail services, you must have an e-mail account, which is associated with an e-mail address.
There are two types of e-mail addresses:
o Commercial e-mail addresses.
Most commercial e-mail addresses are personal e-mails. These are free e-mail addresses that are
created on commercial websites such as Yahoo, Google and Hotmail
Eg. [email protected] , [email protected], [email protected]
o Organisational e-mail addresses.
These are e-mail addresses created by a particular organisation to facilitate communication by its
staff. The following are examples of organisational e-mail addresses:
 [email protected] (from Tanzania Institute of Education - TIE),
 [email protected] (from the University of Dodoma - UDOM),
 [email protected] (from Burhani School)
PRATICAL HOW TO USER EMAIL (COMPUTER ROOM)
Advantages of e-mail services
(a) Easy to use: It is very easy to send e-mails and manage your contacts.
(b) Tool for interaction: You can send e-mail messages instantly to any person in the world.
(c) Cost effective: Though you pay for internet connection, the benefits beat the cost.

45 Mr George F2 ICS Notes

 (d) Reliable: It is reliable because you are, often, assured that the e-mail will be delivered to the
recipient address.
(e) Message length: It is easier to send much longer messages with e-mail than with Short Message
Service (SMS).
(f) Attachment: It allows a user to send different attachments such as text, picture, and video.
(g) Easy to reference: It is easy to make reference to the previous e-mail.
(h) Wide access: With the increased availability of Internet on mobile phones, e-mail is becoming
accessible to most parts of the country and the world.
(i) Neatness: Using e-mail allows to format the message based on your own preferences.

Disadvantages of e-mail services

(a) Lack of personal touch: Some things, like expression of emotion are best left untyped.
(b) Literacy: It needs a user to be computer literate.
(c) Size of attachment: The attachments can only be sent in limited size.
(d) Spam: An e-mail can be abused to send unwanted messages or advertisements. These messages are
called spams. It wastes time to remove spam messages from your e-mail.
(e) Viruses: Viruses are computer programs that can seriously affect your computer system. If you want to
be comfortable using e-mail, you need to know how to deal with these threats.
(f) Hacking: Before an e-mail is delivered to the receiver, it passes through many servers located on
different parts of the world. As such, it might be read by a hacker before reaching the intended receiver.

Electronic Learning (e-Learning)

E-learning refers to using electronic technologies to present and access educational materials outside a
physical classroom. Delivering educational contents through a DVD, CD-ROM, mobile phones, online
classes, video tape, radio, or over a television channel is an example of e-Learning.
E-learning can take a form of distance education, which enables students to learn at their own pace, time,
and convenience using Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle. Distance education can be
facilitated by computers or mobile devices connected to the Internet.

Advantages of e-Learning
(a) You can have your own learning schedule and your own pace.
(b) You can learn at your place without going to the physical school or class.
(c) It saves cost of transport for both learners and education providers.
(d) It can be used to support blended learning i.e., combining face to face and online learning.
(e) Environment-friendly, it does not contribute to the pollution brought about by paper production.

Disadvantages of e-Learning
(a) It minimises social interaction between students and teachers.
(b) Internet connection may be required to access some resources, and Internet can be expensive.
(c) It requires self-motivation as unmotivated student may waste time on other entertaining sites.
(d) Cheating is unavoidable.
(e) Focuses more on theory by spend most of your time listening to podcasts, watching videos, and
looking at slide presentations.

Electronic Commerce
E-commerce is a term used to describe a business or commercial transaction that involves the transfer of
business information across the Internet.
E-commerce allows consumers to electronically exchange goods and services with no barriers of time or
distance. Examples of e-commerce fora in the world are such as Jumia, Kupatana, Amazon, KiKUU, eBay,
BE FORWARD, and Alibaba online shopping. Some of the common applications of e-commerce are
described in subsequent sections.
46 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
Advantages of e-Commerce (d) Save Times for Customers.
(e) The flexibility of the Business.
(a) Global Reach Audience. (f) Business Automation.
(b) Faster Buying and Selling. (g) Ability to Handle Multiple Purchases.
(c) Lower Costs of Maintaining Store.
Disadvantages of e-Commerce
(d) Long Delivery Period.
(a) Lack of Personal Touch. (e) Customers’ Concern About Privacy.
(b) Fraud and Fake Orders. (f) Lack of Store Engagement with Customers.
(c) Security Issues. (g) Uncertainty about the product quality.
 Online Marketing
Online marketing is the strategic use of digital networks and electronic devices to promote your
business. Main tools on online marketing including:
 Search Engine Optimization,  Email Marketing,
 Pay-per-Click,  Mobile Marketing,
 Social Media Marketing,  Marketing Analytics
 Content Marketing,  Affiliate Marketing.
 Online Auctions
An online auction is an auction that takes place via the internet, allowing users to sell or bid for
products and services online. Online auctions allow sellers to reach larger audiences, in different
locations and geographical areas.
 Finance
One application of e-commerce in finance is Electronic Banking (e-banking). Customers can check
balances of their savings and loan accounts, transfer money, and pay their bills through e-banking.
Examples of e-banking services are such as CRDB SimBanking, NMB Mkononi, and NBC
Kiganjani. These e-banking services are also complemented by widerspread mobile money services
such as Airtel Money, M-Pesa, Tigo-Pesa, T-Pesa, Halotel Money, and EasyPesa.
 Manufacturing
E-commerce is used in the supply chain operations of companies. Some companies form an
electronic exchange by providing both bought and sold goods, trade market information, and run
back-office information such as inventory control. This speeds up the flow of raw material and
finished goods.
Online forums - These are online services where people contribute to written discussion about a particular
subject. Examples of online forums include Google Answers, Quora, and Slide Share. Online forums can be
used for both academic and social purposes.
Video and teleconferencing - Video and teleconferencing enables conversation between people separated
by physical barriers through a web-based system that facilitates things such as family interaction, business
meetings, and learning activities. Examples of video conferencing tools are Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco
WebEx, and Skype.
Social media -These are applications that facilitate instant social sharing of ideas and information. Users
engage with social media through web-based software accessible via devices such as computers,
smartphones, and tablets. Social media allow user generated contents and personalised profiles. Examples of
social media are Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram, and Twitter.

Advantages of using the Internet

(a) Source of information: Internet helps searching different new information for learning, business,
leisure, etc.
(b) Source of entertainment: Among other things, through the use of Internet, you can download and
play online games as well as watch and listen to online music and video.
(c) Online shopping: Internet enables shopping online as there are many online stores and sites in and
outside the country that can be accessed for this purpose.
47 Mr George F2 ICS Notes
 (d) Communication: The Internet gives you a chance to widen communication and relationship through
e-mails, chat rooms, and messaging tools such as Skype, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook.
(e) Promoting business: The Internet offers best and cheapest way to promote businesses or products
through platforms such as Instagram, individual websites, and organizational websites.
(f) Online learning: The internet has enabled learning from wherever you are due to online classrooms
and via platforms such as Zoom, Google meet and Microsoft teams, a well as Virtual labs such as
iLab and Phet simulations.
(g) Telemedicine: Internet enables medical professionals to care for patients remotely from wherever
they are in the world. This includes offering specialized services such as heart surgery.
(h) E-services: Internet enables government and private institutions to provide various services
electronically. Such services include payment of utility bills, application for business licenses,
payment of tuition fees, and purchasing tickets.

Negative effects of the Internet

(a) Internet addiction: Internet can make some people so much addicted to it that they are online all the
time, mainly on social media. This can disturb a person’s way of living, professional and learning
activities, thus reducing their productivity and efficiency.
(b) Cybercrime: Internet is open to everyone. Some people may use it to perform online crimes
(Cybercrimes). This involves illegal practices such as hacking systems, cracking programs, spreading
computer viruses, or even intercepting credit card or bank details for theft purpose.

Measures to deter negative effects of using the Internet

(a) Use of antivirus. (f) Keep up-to-date on major security
(b) Use of strong passwords. breaches.
(c) Keeping your software updated. (g) Having in place policies and acts to
(d) Managing your social media settings. reduce the negative effects of Internet
(e) Provide awareness to children about safe e.g., the Tanzania Cybercrimes Act 2015.
use of the Internet.

48 Mr George F2 ICS Notes