Evaluating Educational Technology - Essay Example

Benefits and Evaluation of Microsoft PowerPoint Introduction Microsoft PowerPoint is considered to bea platform for presenting ones work with graphics, tables etc. It is a software that gives everything needed to give the presentations a professional look. It offers features ranging from word processing, drawing, tables, multi-media files; all these features are easy enough to be implemented by an amateur computer user (Wolfe). The Web has made life very convenient and fast-paced for all as it promotes the idea of offering increasing number of services online. 2. Overview The world was living with the idea of demonstrating lectures transparencies in the classrooms, or writing the lectures on the blackboards. With the advent of computer technology, all the fields and professions of the world could not help but join the race of technology. The field of education was no different; new software came in the market for presenting ones work with the help of computers. Microsoft PowerPoint has been one of such remarkable breakthroughs. Not only in the classrooms, it has made a prominent place for itself at workplaces, public seminars, conferences etc. Another revolutionary invention of our times is the Web. The World Wide Web is a world of immense information. It is one of the inventions that is used for numerous purposes by different people for example; some people use it to increase their knowledge about a particular subject and some people might use it to communicate with another end of the world. The number of websites on the web keep on increasing every week and new ideas emerging every now and then to get things only a click away from the user. One of the most popular usage of the web is e-business; ranging from shopping online to booking flights online for your next vacation. 3. Effectiveness of PowerPoint in a Classroom As stated earlier, this software has given a new dimension to the mode of teaching. It has been so effective in classrooms that some educational institutes make it mandatory for the teachers to present their lectures on Microsoft PowerPoint. This is also possible because Microsoft PowerPoint is an easy software to comprehend and thus implement ones desired features. It is a great tool for visual communication with the students, with a rich display of images, audio and animation. These multi-media options make the lecture interesting and interactive for the students. Due to the high quality of the display; the lecture can be easily visible throughout the class as compared to a lecture transparency. Active learning techniques can be incorporated to enhance the interest and participation of the students (Lecture at Miami Dade College). Some key features and benefits of using PowerPoint in a classroom are as follows: 3.1 Highlight Pen: This feature is enabled when the presentation is in slideshow mode. It is a helpful tool for the instructor to direct the attention of the students to a specific point or object on the screen (Lecture at Miami Dade College). Fig.1: Three choices of highlighting an object or text The red ink is the felt tip pen, black is the ball point pen and the yellow one is the highlighter. The colors of all of these pointers can also be changed. 3.2 Animation: Microsoft PowerPoint provides animation tools to animate the text and objects in the presentation. This helps in capturing the interest of the students in the class lecture since animated objects are always better than stagnant diagrams (Lecture at Miami Dade College). 3.3 Tables and Charts: Tables and charts can be easily inserted in the presentations with respect to the desired data. 3.4 Print out feature: There are several types of printouts available in this software. The slides can be printed just as they are visible in the slideshow, whereas handouts for audience, outlines and speakers notes can also be printed out (Wolfe). 4. Software Evaluation 4.1 Ease of use Microsoft PowerPoint is a very easy software and does not even take time for a new user to understand and implement it. It offers built-in design templates and clip-art to help one give a professional but interesting look to the presentation. Animating the presentation is also very easy and quick (Wolfe). 4.2 Quality of Software It is a reliable software with least amount of defects since no software in the world is bug-free. It does not work best when data worksheets are imported in it. The display is of high quality and audible quality is also good. The ‘Help’ feature of this software is comprehensive and easy to browse. 5. World Wide Web Internet can be termed as the largest carrier of information and content. It has provided the world with innovative modes of communication from one end of the globe to the other and also given a new dimension to the world of business and services (Newman). 5.1 Benefits of the Web The major benefits of the web are: The user can get access to immense amount of information and increase his knowledge. Communication is possible from one end of the world to the other with convenience and fast pace. Online shopping has provided new opportunities for business owners and service providers for example; shopping at amazon.com or booking a flight from an airlines. The element of entertainment cannot be ignored, as there is a huge database of multi-media present on the internet. Social networking is the invention of the 21st century and most of the internet users are their members. 5.2 Booking a flight online An efficient service that is offered on the web nowadays is the facility to book airline tickets on the web. All established and big airlines offer this service which makes it very easy for their customers to plan their itinerary, instead of consulting a travel agent. They can easily find the availability of the seats and their respective price. At times, this process is so detailed that the online booking service gives the customers the option of choosing their favorite meal for the flight. They can also enter special notes for the airlines incase of any specific need. Fig.2: Emirates Airlines Website This figure above is the Emirates Airlines website; it is a well designed website and has the online booking option at the right side of the page. The content of the website is organized in frames which makes it easy to grasp the information. The color scheme of the website is very soft, therefore gives a soothing effect rather than bright and loud. References Miami Dade College, “PowerPoint: Different Strokes for Different Folks”, 11th Dec 2009, www.mdc.edu/CTD/springbreak/Differentstrokes.ppt, Newman, G., R., Clarke, R., V., (2003), Superhighway robbery: Preventing E-commerce Crime, Willan Publishing, USA, http://books.google.com.sa/books?id=YSL_oq2AB10C&printsec=frontcover&dq=fraud+prevention+techniques+for+credit+card+fraud+2004&source=gbs_similarbooks_s&cad=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false Wolfe, V., F., “What is PowerPoint”, 10th Dec 2009, http://homepage.cs.uri.edu/tutorials/csc101/powerpoint/power.html Read More