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Educational: 5.0 Overall Design: 4.8
Ease of Use: 5.0
(4.0 = good,
4.5 = very good,
5.0 = excellent)
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Program Description Who Is This Program For
Why We Selected This Program Computer Requirements
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The panic sets in. It is late at night and a persuasive essay is due the first period of the next day. You, as the writer of this great piece of non-fiction, have forgotten the format requirements at school. Microsoft Student has a template explaining each step to creating a persuasive essay. As well, once you have completed your essay, a quick perusal of a “How to” section allows you to verify one last time if you have included all the necessary conventions of a persuasive essay.
The word exhaustive comes to mind when attempting to describe the Microsoft Student 2006 software. Microsoft Student is exhaustive with respect to the breadth of knowledge that it makes available and in the enabling learning tools that are presented. To identify all of the available knowledge and tools would be exhaustive, however, a brief exposure to some of the aspects that we find enabling and appealing to a user will be examined.
Once the program has been easily loaded, the Home page is presented. What is striking about the Home page is its simplicity. This simplicity is deceiving. The content is extensive. To the left is a column that organizes the content of the program according to a list of subjects with familiar names such as English, Math and Science. To the top right is a search bar. The search feature keeps the simplicity alive as it has the look of what a user would find when searching for information using a browser. Lastly, to the top left of the Home page is a toolbar that presents access to other features available to the user. A quick glance under the explore section revealed access to resources such as Discovery channel educational videos.
Beginning the tour with the subjects, a learner is presented with a variety of options within each of the subjects. The majority of the material found within the options of the subjects is tutorials that provide excellent explanations about that particular topic. An example is within the English subject. A quick glance to the content options revealed a style guide. Within this style guide were further guidelines for various writing styles. The text provides detailed yet succinct explanations. In any of the subjects, a learner will find a very comprehensive set of definitions, templates and tutorials that are applicable to the content and conventions that face a middle or high school learner. The subject matter content is beneficial to the learner as it will confirm existing learning and present new opportunities to learn.
Another useful feature of the program is called Learning Essentials. At the bottom of any page are a series of icons from Word to Web browsers to one called Learning Essentials. Within the Learning Essentials section of the program a user will be presented with a series of high quality templates. The templates are tools that assist a learner to organize information for the purpose of evaluation or presentation. Each of the subject areas has a set of templates that enable a learner to input their information into the template. An example is within Math or English, a learner can use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast information. Again taking into account the simplicity and ease of use of the program, when the user clicks on the Venn diagram button they are taken to a template and tutorial within Powerpoint. The template is exceptional as it combines colour and appropriate sizing of the template and words to create a highly visual and easy to use organizational tool. If the user is familiar with the Venn diagram tool, they can begin to enter their information. If they are not as familiar with the benefits of the tool, a tutorial is presented to the user that helps to direct the user through the purpose of the tool and the means to use it.
Microsoft Student has other powerful tools that make it very appealing to any learner. An example is the graphing calculator. This is a tool that will make even the most apprehensive of Math feel somewhat interested in pursuing a mathematical calculation. The calculator has a variety of options for a variety of mathematical concepts. It is very user friendly in that all a user has to do is select the mathematical application, and then begin to input the data and allow the calculator to process the information.
Back to the Top
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Click Images To Enlarge
MS Student Home Page
Homework How To's Guides on Essay Types
Beginning of section on writing a persuasive essay
Graphing Calculator
One of many book summaries
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The product features of Microsoft Student 2006 would appeal to a learner from the middle school age up to an adult. It would appeal to the young learner because they would have had exposure to many of the templates appropriate to organizing ideas and formatting those thoughts into writing projects. As well, the interface is uncluttered and easy to use. The product would appeal to an older learner because of the other product features such as subject tutorials and formulas, and the highly accessible knowledge available through Encarta.
Microsoft Student is a comprehensive learning tool that is nicely packaged in an easy to use format. Firstly it has coverage to most areas of learning. This is witnessed at the main screen interface, as the learner is faced with a choice of exploring subjects from math to music and the arts. With the touch of any of these subjects, the learner is then presented with a collection of knowledge and a variety of tools that allow for complete exploration. An example of knowledge is the easy accessibility to the Encarta program. As well, the tools are extremely relevant to the current curriculum demands on a student. An example is the variety of writing genre formats that allow a learner to simply input their ideas within the already existing framework. It is because of this collection of knowledge and tools that the program presents high value to those who have been in search of a program that has applicability to the current learning experience at school.
Reviewed by Jason Finley, Middle School teacher, Toronto, Ontario
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Pricing and Online Ordering
(or call toll free -1-800-250-9229 )
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Windows™:# Multimedia PC with a Pentium 500 MHz (1 GHz recommended) or higher processor. Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP4, or Windows XP operating system. Learning Essentials requires Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional SP4 or Windows XP and Microsoft Office 2003 or XP. Minimum 256 MB required for Windows 2000 Professional SP4 or Windows XP. Up to 850 MB of available hard-disk space. DVD-ROM drive. Some features require an Internet connection.
or to see other reference software programmes
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary - all ages
Encarta Premium 2006 - ages 10 and up
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