I'd like to suggest that everyone check out the keyboard shortcut features under Tools > Customize, Keyboard tab. Try for Writer and for Calc. Just select the Navigate item in the left hand side and scroll through all the possibilities.
You don't need to change the keyboard shortcuts. Just check out all the possibilities.
I'm going to be going over the 3.1 features in the next few blogs. Here are a few that are just nice -- not groundbreaking but very nice, convenient changes that making interacting and collaborating easier. The third just makes slight annoyances go away a little more easily.
Replying to Notes
In 3.0 the notes are new and improved by being in boxes off to the side. Now you can click and hold down on the black arrow, and reply to them, too. The reply shows up immediately below the original in a contrasting color. (You need to be a different user, under Tools > Options > OpenOffice.org > User Data for this option to be available.)
Easier Accept/Reject of Changes
It's also easier now in Writer to accept or reject a change when you're tracking changes. Just right-click (as I like to say, when in doubt, right-click).
Remove Hyperlink
You could always remove a hyperlink by selecting the text and choosing Format > Default Formatting, or right-clicking on the selected link and choosing Default Formatting. However, this makes it more obvious. Right-click without selecting and you get Remove Hyperlink as an option, as well as Copy Hyperlink.
I love the callouts in OpenOffice.org. I also love that they're available in Draw, Impress, Writer, and Calc.
To get started, just choose View > Toolbars > Drawing. If there isn't a checkmark next to the Drawing option, select it.
Now look for the Drawing toolbar. It usually appears at the bottom of your work area.
Adding a Graphic
You can choose Insert > Picture > From File to add a graphic if you know where it is. Or just choose Tools > Gallery to turn on the picture gallery, and drag in a graphic from there. Click here to learn more about using the Gallery, including adding graphics to it.
Adding a Callout
You can choose Insert > Picture > From File to add a graphic if you know where it is. Or just choose Tools > Gallery to turn on the picture gallery, and drag a graphic into your document.
1. Be sure you've got the Drawing toolbar on, according to the instructions at the top of this blog.
2. Find the Callouts icon.
3. Click and hold down on the black triangle to the right of the Callouts icon.
4. Click on the tool you want. Move your mouse into the drawing area.
5. Click and hold down, drag your mouse down and to the right (or up and to the left) and you'll see the callout being drawn.
6. Release the mouse, the callout you drew appears.
7. Select a different fill color for the callout.
8. Select different line width, style, and color for the callout.
9. Double-click in the graphic; the cursor will appear.
10. Type the callout.
11. If the text is too big, click the callout border, find a handle, and drag the handle to resize the callout.
12. Double-click in the callout to select the text so you can change the font, then select a font from the dropdown window.
13. Drag the point of the callout to where it needs to be; it will change sides if necessary. Alternately, drag the callout to a different position in relation to the graphic.
And you're done!
From Draw or Impress: Exporting the Graphic to Reuse Later (for Use in the Gallery, on a Web Page Like This Blog, or Any Other Reason)
You can copy and paste to Writer or Calc. However, if you want to add your graphic with callout to the Gallery, put it in a web page, or anything else more reusable, do this.
Select everything you want to export. You can select everything manually, press Ctrl A, or just draw a box with your mouse (not the box tool) completely around the items to select.
Choose File > Export.
Specify the location to export to and name the file. Select the format, not HTML but JPG, PNG, or something similar.
Click Save.
If a message prompts you to make some choices, either click OK accepting the options, or make your choices. For instance, with JPG, the highest number is the best quality.
For one of the exercises in my training materials, I put together an exercise using the random number function. It's a times table document that regenerates itself every time you open it.
Click this image to see a larger version. The first number in each multiplication is fixed, and the second is random.
Here's the file if you just want to download it.
I did it by entering 1 - 12 in three columns. I just typed 1 in the top cell, then dragged the small lower-right-corner of the cell down to create a series of 1-12. 
I did the same with the x for the multiplication sign.
And I put this formula in each cell where I wanted a random number between 1 and 12 to come up.
=RANDBETWEEN(1;12)
The document regenerates with different multiplication questions in different order each time you open it, so students can't remember which answers were where. Print the document to PDF if you want to preserve it in a particular way.
I've created another version here, a random number between 1 and 25, multiplied by another random number between 1 and 25.
For other ideas, see Plugged In Home School for a tip on making a word find puzzle.
