REQUIRED: COMPATIBLE FILE FORMATS
You will be required to use Word’s reviewing tools to complete many graded tasks, and these tools are not available in any other word processing program. If you don’t have Word on your home computer, you will have to use it on a computer lab on campus or elsewhere.

When the calendar entry asks you to post your work as an attached file, please create and save the file using Microsoft Word. (See this page for instructions on how to name your files.) When you save files in Word, the application automatically adds the extension .doc or .docx so that other computers know what type of file it is and will open it in Word. If you use a word processing application that automatically appends a different extension, then you are not using Microsoft Word.

Still using the old Word?
If you download a Word file that ends in .docx and you are unable to open it, that means you’re using an older version of Word (2003 for Windows or 2004 for Macs). In that case you should download a converter so that you can open your classmates’ drafts and other files.

If you have a Mac, go to this page:
http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx

In the upper right corner, under Popular Downloads, you’ll see a link in the upper right corner to: Open XML File Format Converter for Mac 1.0.2. Download and install the file.

If you have Windows, go to this page:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx

Scroll down to the Popular Downloads section and follow the link to: Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats. Download and install the file.

You can open .docx files using a free Google Docs account, but the comment bubble feature won’t work there. Open the file in Google Docs, save a copy in the old version of Word, and then open it on your computer.
Go to: http://docs.google.com

Note: If you have Apple’s word processor, Pages, you may give it a try but it may not have all the features you need. Other applications can open Word documents but can’t be used to view or insert comment bubbles and therefore won’t be suitable for many class activities.