Word
Word allows users to create documents
such as newsletters, assignment information, and parent
letters. Students can use Word to type papers, take
notes, and organize information.
Excel
Excel is a spreadsheet and can be
useful for managing mathematical information, creating
charts and graphs, and keeping track of data. Some
teachers use Excel for lists of parent volunteers and phone numbers
or for keeping track of who has completed assignments.
Students use Excel to graph scientific research
research, create formulas and recording information.
PowerPoint
PowerPoint is an easy to use
presentation software that allows users to create simple
or complex slide shows complete with text, pictures and
even video and links to websites. Teachers use
PowerPoint to present lessons and posting class
objectives and assignments for easy viewing. Students
can present projects and use PowerPoint as a visual aid
for speeches.
Producer
High school project about earthquakes made using Producer
Bring your lessons to life with this
presentation tool. Producer combines audio, video, still
images and PowerPoint into one presentation to create
powerful and engaging learning lessons for students.
Using a microphone (and, if desired, a video camera),
you can record either audio or video with audio and
synchronize it with PowerPoint slides. Producer
presentations can be published on the web.
Publisher
A sample newsletter created in Publisher
Publisher allows teachers and students
to create professional looking materials, such as
flyers, banners, brochures, calendars, certificates, and
greeting cards. Publisher can even be used to create web
based documents and emails.
Access - Designing Databases
Teachers
are realizing the need to look at data in many different
formats. Access allows teachers and administrators to import
and organize data from a variety of sources into a
relational database. Organizing and managing data into forms
and tables for management, querying and reporting help
educators realize the power of collecting and using data
effectively. To effectively use Access, it is important to
understand the role of a database and its design. Tables,
queries, forms, and reports are linked or “related” to each
other making data easily and efficiently accessed.
Designing a database is the foundation for understanding how
to analyze data.
Access - Analyzing Data
Pre-requisite: a basic understanding of designing Access
databases.
Access can
manage and analyze large amounts of data with very little
effort. Queries that compare student data stored in multiple
tables can focus instruction for each student. Query reports
are easily analyzed using pivot tables and charts. For
example, imagine you have collected data in your Access
database from a Web-based survey and now you want to
tabulate the results. You have also given a quiz and you
want to summarize the grades that are contained in a text
file and then enter them into your grade book. You need to
create a database that will import the students’ answers so
that you can manipulate the data and create the reports. Now
that you have tables and queries, you can format them for
output to a printer. Reports allow you to customize the look
of the data contained in a table or query. The data can be
grouped, sorted, and manipulated to present the data in the
most useful way for those who will be reviewing it.
Outlook
Much of staff communication takes
place through Outlook. Use it to send a quick note to a
colleague, communicate with a parent, organize your
personal calendar, and set up appointments with
colleagues.
Internet Searching Strategies
Find and organize information quickly!
Teachers use the internet to find a variety of
resources, including lesson ideas, background knowledge,
conferences and workshops, and continuing ed. classes.
Students conduct research and locate graphics and visual
aids using the internet.
Finding and Using Research Databases
Links to some
Research Database sites
Elementary Databases:
World Book Online, eLibrary, E Britannica and SIRS
Discoverer can be used online by students and teachers
to access to news files, periodicals, transcripts, maps,
pictures, audio/video files, reference materials,
encyclopedia articles and dictionary entries.
Junior High Databases:
World Geography, eLibrary, E Britannica, SIRS
Researcher and ProQuest can be used online by students
and teachers to access to news files, periodicals,
transcripts, maps, pictures, audio/video files,
reference materials, encyclopedia articles and
dictionary entries.
Senior High:
Masterplots, CQ Press, eLibrary, E Britannica, SIRS
Researcher and ProQuest can be used online by students
and teachers to access to news files, periodicals,
transcripts, maps, pictures, audio/video files,
reference materials, encyclopedia articles and
dictionary entries, social, economic, environmental and
political issues, and controversial subjects, and
analyses and brief plot summaries of works of
literature.
Web Publication
FrontPage XP is a web site creation
tool. Most teachers use their web site to communicate
with their students and parents by posting student work,
grades, classroom assignments and information. Students
use FrontPage to publish their work to a global
audience. Any Office document can be converted to a web
page instantly for publishing on the web.
Graphic Organizers
Kidspiration Demo Site
Inspiration Demo Site
Students and teachers love Inspiration
and Kidspiration as a way of organize information
graphically. Web diagrams and flowcharts can be easily
created and used to meet a variety of instructional
goals.
SharePoint Services (My Site)
My
Site
SharePoint sites provide places to
capture and share ideas, information, communication, and
documents. The sites facilitate team participation in
discussions, shared document collaboration, and surveys.
Site content is accessible from a Web browser.
