word & mail merge: magic in the classroom penny pearson, otan ppearson@otan.us

Word & Mail Merge: Magic in the Classroom

Penny Pearson, OTANppearson@otan.us

OUTLINE

Mail Merge in Word 3 parts: Main document, data source,

results Personalize communication with students Merge to: letters, name badges,

certificates, labels, email… Practice!

Data – topsPRO, spreadsheets, tables Data for a certificate or other

correspondence Data should be in the smallest pieces possible

(i.e. First Name and Last Name, not Name (which is both)

Exporting to Excel Choosing options in topsPRO or your attendance

system (work with your office staff) Considerations – frequency, purpose

Create your own Data source in Excel Create your own Data source in a Word Table

Payment Points Monitor Report (topsPRO)

Choose class, one, some or all

Step 1

Step 2: click the “print” icon

Select “.xls” file – then print

Saving on the desktop makes it easier to find your spreadsheet!

Save to your desktop

And voila!

Now, one more thing…

Add a new column – ‘split’ data

Right-Click on heading “Gender” choose “Insert”

Adding a new column continued

A new empty column is inserted.

Highlight Name column (to be split)

Choose Data and Text to Columns

Click next…

Click “Comma”

Names will be separate in the preview

And click “Next.”

And click “Finish”

If you didn’t add a new column…

Change the column headers to FirstName and LastnameTaa-Daa!

MAIL MERGE

Personalize communication with students

3 parts: Main document, data source, results

Results are: letters, name badges, certificates, labels, email…

Demo Time!Slides are marked for Word 2007

or Word 2003.

CREATE YOUR MAIN DOCUMENT

Click the Office Button and choose

“New”

Choose the template category

Select the document

Word 2007

CREATE YOUR MAIN DOCUMENT

Click “File” on the menu

bar, then “new”

From the task pane on

the right, choose

“Templates on Office Online”

Search for an

appropriate template.

Select it for download.*

* Note: Be sure you choose documents for Word 2003.

Word 2003

CUSTOMIZE YOUR DOCUMENTAdd ‘static’ informatio

n (it doesn’t change)

LINK YOUR DOCUMENT TO YOUR DATA

Click on Mailings tab

Click “Select Recipients,

then Choose “use existing

List”

Navigate to your

exported Excel File

Word

2007

START THE MAIL MERGE WIZARD

Click Tools>Letter

s & Mailings>Ma

il Merge

The wizard will walk you

through step-by-step

Word 2003

SELECTING THE DATA SOURCE

1Click

Browse

2Find your

data source 3

Select your data

source4

Select sheet

Word 2003

SELECT DATA CONTINUED

5Confirm

your data list and Click OK

Click “Next: Write Your Letter” in the Mail Merge Wizard (task pane on the

right)

EMBED PERSONALIZED FIELDSWord 2007

SELECT “NAME OF AWARDEE”

Be sure your cursor is where you want

your data to appear!

EMBED PERSONALIZED FIELDS (DATA)

Select the text you wish to change. Choose “More items”

from the Mail

Merge Wizard

Select the field name you want and click “Insert”

Repeat these two steps for each

field you want to insert into your

document.

Word

2007

ADD YOUR FIELD NAMES

Click “Insert Merge Field” drop down

Click FirstName (or any other field you want to appear in

this spot)

Word 2007

CONTINUE INSERTING FIELDS

When you complete the merge, each field will

display the data in your Excel worksheet. Don’t

forget spaces and punctuation!

PREVIEW YOUR DOCUMENT

Use the navigation buttons to

preview all your recipients.

Word 2007

PREVIEW YOUR DOCUMENT

Use the Wizard to

scroll through all your

documents.

Review your document to make sure everything is

correct. Next is to actually merge the document into individual certificates.

In the Mail Merge Wizard, click the next step “Complete the

Merge”

Word 2003

READY TO MERGE!

Click on “Finish &

Merge” in the ribbon

Choose “Edit Individual Documents” to get a

separate file of each of your records. You can add

special information to a certificate that was not in

your data document.

Word 2007

READY TO MERGE!

Choose “Edit individual letters”

Choose your merge options.

Click OK.

Word 2003

MERGE OPTIONS

Choose your merge options.

Click OK.

MAGIC!

Each certificate is a separate page. You can

add text – such as a special message – to any page. You can save all 81 certificates as ONE

Word document. You can easily return and print

out just one page if necessary.

OTHER NOTES

When you re-open your main document (certificate) Word

gives you a warning. It is simply telling you that it is linked to a

data source. Be sure to say “Yes” to open the document.

You can always CHANGE the data source once the file is open.

(See slide “Link your document to your data”)

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Brainstorm with your neighbor on how you could use this at your school.

The resource CD contains files you can use. Data files (Excel) Main documents (cards, certificate)

Explore using built-in Word templates The resource files also include links to Mail

merge tutorials online. Practice, practice, practice!

SO, HOW ARE YOU DOING?

TIME TO PRACTICE!

Use the files provided on your resource CD

Create your own document if you prefer.

Complete one final document to prove you can do it!

MAIL MERGE IS MAGIC!

Thank you for coming today! Please fill out an evaluation and give

them to the room monitor. Please contact me if you have

questions: Penny Pearson, ppearson@otan.us