PowerPoint.PowerPoint, CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). , 2006, Microsoft Corporation (company) Microsoft Corporation - The biggest supplier of operating systems and other software for IBM PC compatibles. Software products include MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Windows NT, Microsoft Access, LAN Manager, MS Client, SQL Server, Open Data Base Connectivity (ODBC), MS Mail, , $399. For a demo demo - /de'moh/ 1. A demonstration of a product, often of an early version or prototype. A demo is a far more effective way of inducing bugs to manifest themselves than any number of test runs, especially when important people are watching. 2. demo version. 3. of this product, use the "Product Preview/Demo" link to the left of the review. Primary use: Presentations Pricing: Low Rating: Moderate Training Media Review asked a panel of training and education professionals to rate the authoring tools they have used regularly. This review summarizes the comments of the 21 panelists who have used PowerPoint extensively for instructional purposes. Best uses PowerPoint is regarded as the standard for creating presentations, especially for classroom training. Many reviewers commented on the ability to easily add audio, video, graphics, and animation to PowerPoint presentations. One noted that PowerPoint works best for: * Lecturing. The trainer provides most of the information, even when asking questions. PowerPoint is not made for receiving feedback. * Condensing con·dense v. con·densed, con·dens·ing, con·dens·es v.tr. 1. To reduce the volume or compass of. 2. To make more concise; abridge or shorten. 3. Physics a. information. It it is a good visual tool to complement a lecture by summarizing what is being said. * Expanding information. PowerPoint allows the user to write information about each slide, thus adding more information when needed. Many reviewers indicated that PowerPoint encourages one-way delivery, with little or no user interaction. They also cautioned that without sound instructional design Instructional design is the practice of arranging media (communication technology) and content to help learners and teachers transfer knowledge most effectively. The process consists broadly of determining the current state of learner understanding, defining the end goal of , PowerPoint can easily become "a bunch of hierarchical, de-contextualized bullets." Other panelists were even more critical. In one reviewer's estimation estimation In mathematics, use of a function or formula to derive a solution or make a prediction. Unlike approximation, it has precise connotations. In statistics, for example, it connotes the careful selection and testing of a function called an estimator. , PowerPoint is "badly deployed." The reviewer re·view·er n. One who reviews, especially one who writes critical reviews, as for a newspaper or magazine. reviewer Noun a person who writes reviews of books, films, etc. Noun 1. stated that it is important for instructional designers to "break out of linear thinking mode. Creative use of hyperlinks can produce simulations with branching decision-making." Some reviewers pointed out that instructional designers can use Visual Basic or Flash to integrate interactivity or enable playback online. Overall, reviewers generally agreed that the top five tasks PowerPoint can be used for are as follows: 1. Presentation of classroom training 2. Creation of course notes 3. Capture of knowledge from subject matter experts 4. Storyboard A sequence of images and annotations for a cartoon, animation or video. Storyboards are previews of the final version and typically contain mockups rather than final art and images. Before computers, storyboards were drawn with pen and ink on lightweight cardboard. course content 5. Prototype course content The consensus still seems to be that PowerPoint is a useful tool for instructional designers, whether it's used for developing classroom presentations or as a basis for developing online learning, through storyboarding, prototyping, or Flash delivery. Limits and drawbacks Most reviewers said that PowerPoint is less well suited for interactions, branching, and exporting to HTML HTML in full HyperText Markup Language Markup language derived from SGML that is used to prepare hypertext documents. Relatively easy for nonprogrammers to master, HTML is the language used for documents on the World Wide Web. . One reviewer thought that PowerPoint is "not ever effective as stand-alone source of content" because "without a voiceover or detailed notes, the content is not as clear as the author intends." The majority of reviewers agreed that Microsoft Word A full-featured word processing program for Windows and the Macintosh from Microsoft. Included in the Microsoft application suite, it is a sophisticated program with rudimentary desktop publishing capabilities that has become the most widely used word processing application on the market. is better suited to create course handouts and manuals. Furthermore, online learning and web page development should be left to Dreamweaver because PowerPoint's "save to HTML" feature does not create clean HTML code and therefore is not compatible with all web browsers The following is a list of web browsers. Historical Historically important browsers In order of release:
Ratings PowerPoint's average overall rating was 3.40, just short of Very good, indicating a substantial degree of satisfaction with the tool. (In the ratings box below, the overall rating is rounded to the nearest point on our half-point scale.) Over half of the panel rated PowerPoint, which could mean that users are not likely to rate a tool low that they use quite often. Documentation and Help/Support received the lowest ratings mostly because the large amount of documentation isn't very useful and support is scarce. Ease of use and Value for the money received the highest ratings. Ease of use can be attributed to the fact that, as one reviewer noted, PowerPoint is part of Microsoft Office Microsoft's primary desktop applications for Windows and Mac. Depending on the package, it includes some combination of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook along with various Internet and other utilities. , the most widely used office productivity software. Because Microsoft Office users do not have to buy PowerPoint as a stand-alone instructional tool, it is not surprising they would rate Value for the money highly. Please note that price above, $399, is for the entire Office package, not just PowerPoint. Review by Deanne Dalrymple Product Ratings PowerPoint Interface *** 1/2 Ease of use *** 1/2 Ease of installation *** 1/2 Documentation *** Value for the money *** 1/2 Overall rating *** 1/2 |
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