TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION II

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this report is to explore the use of basic set of software applications which

commonly includes word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software .Such software

application that is being used in schools is Microsoft Office (such as Microsoft Office Home and

Student suite) which is generally integrated into mainstream educational program. However,

recently produced software such as [Link] and others (SoftMaker Office, StarOffice,

Wordperfect Office) are now personally and preferably being used by the students. These suites

or the application packages together are not completely analogous, so we, the researchers will

limit this report on the following areas: Word processors (such as Microsoft Office against

OpenOfiice’s Writer), Spreadsheet (such as Excel against OpenOffice’s Calc) and presentation

software such as Microsoft PowerPoint against Impress.

This report will begin by illustrating the qualities and characteristics of the two most

prominent software being used, an in-depth analysis of the software_______________

Furthermore, referring to relevant research literature and reviews online, this study addresses

these software characteristics which make its implementation in secondary and higher education

visible and promising. The benefits and the limitations from the use of this software are also

addressed in order for the conclusions to be drawn at the end of this report.
TECHNICAL QUALITY

USABILITY, TRAINING AND SUPPORT

Microsoft Office institutes a polished and relative familiar user interface. However, other

software such as [Link], among many others, had taken a lot of pages from Microsoft’s

book: in most ways the interfaces are nearly identical, down to the formula syntax being used in

the Spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice’s Calc). However, users who have learned to

manipulate this are by rote may need to be trained in this new software, although the concepts

are all the same.

More advanced features tend to differ amongst packages. The template documents are

substantially different because Microsoft Office provides free or pre-package layouts upon

installation, Therefore, users who used to using pre-packaged layouts for documents or charts

may need to make some adjustments. Also, Microsoft Office being a mature, stable and known

for its simplicity and documentation is hard to compete with.

Furthermore, there is more support for Microsoft Office than any user can possibly use.

There are dozens of books available in bookstores worldwide. Also, information regarding the

software are available as official support from Microsoft itself, sanctioned support from people

who have earned Microsoft licenses, professional call centers, and a Web full of sites that

contain tips and guides for modifying, configuring, and using Microsoft Office Software.

In comparison with other educational package suite such as [Link], the support

is more community-driven, and generally free, with a documentation project and discussion
forums led by volunteers. Although, it is easier to find Microsoft Office Training and support, it

is likely to cost more than other packages.

With regards to school’s resources, when a school buy or receive a free version of

Microsoft Office, they may only install it on a specified number of computers within the school.

Unlike, OpenOffice which has much looser licensing requirements, schools are able to install

unlimited copies in the school. Therefore, the cost is cheaper using the open-source option than

the Microsoft Office.

SHARING DOCUMENTS

In general, both Microsoft Office and OpenOffice can create files that can be read by

almost all users. In the case of Microsoft Office, this is because Microsoft has established “de

facto” formats such as .doc for Word documents and .xls for Excel. OpenOffice, on the other

hand, uses open standards for its native files, but can both read and write files in Microsoft's

formats. OpenOffice has invested a lot of effort in ensuring that Writer and Calc users can share

documents with Microsoft users and has succeeded in all but a few specific cases, like Excel

pivot tables. OpenOffice users can choose to automatically save out files in Microsoft formats by

default.

SECURITY

With regards to security, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice and other suites are all reasonably

secure as long as the user follow standard procedures such as installing updates and patches as

soon as they are released, maintain firewalls, antivirus, and antispyware. However, while open-
source tools let other users know about possible security issues, for instance, allowing users to

protect themselves and hackers to potentially exploit issues. On the other hand, Microsoft keeps

any issues “close to the vest”, thus possibly preventing hackers from finding out about them, but

forestalling users' ability to take precautionary steps.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TWO SUITES

WORD PROCESSORS

MICROSOFT WORD VERSUS OPENOFFICE’S WRITER

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

1. Grammar checking. Word's grammar checker, finds our mistakes in writing. Writer

does not come with a grammar checker, though a plug-in, LanguageTool, is available.

LanguageTool, an independent open-source project, but its usefulness does not come

close to approaching the resources built into Word.

2. Advanced Features. According to [Link] (website that provides expert tech

produc reviews, tips and advice), Word supports online collaboration, Smart Tags, highly

flexible outlining, smart table formatting, and a research task pane. Writer does not.

PCMag also reports that Word is better than Writer at finding (and replacing) special

characters, like dashes. It is important to remember the potential for downside in Word's

(and Excel's and PowerPoint's) features. Sometimes, if the user is not aware or does not

use this feature, edits and personal data can be made available to other users whom

documents are being shared.

3. Animated Text. Word can create animated text. Writer cannot.

in support for exporting documents as PDF (Acrobat format), a useful resource. In the

current release of Word, users need a third-party application like Adobe Acrobat or the

open-source PDFCreator.

5. Simplicity. Both Word and Writer offers all the basic and mid-level functions in an

environment which feels familiar but simplified. On the other, some users feel that Word

is overly complex and vice versa.

6. Writer Macros. According to [Link], Writer has it's own macro and scripting

feature that organizes the user’s macros efficiently.

7. Usability of Find-and-Replace. According to [Link], “Advanced find-and-replace

operations (such as those involving fonts and attributes like italics) are easier to manage

in Writer than in Word's confusing Find dialog.”

8. File Size. Writer's native format generally creates smaller files than Microsoft Word's.

SPREADSHEET

MICROSOFT EXCEL VERSUS OPENOFFICE’S CALC

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

1. Support of Excel Macros and Pivot Tables. As with Word users, Excel users often

make extensive use of macros. Calc does not support Excel macros. A similar situation

applies to Excel's use of Pivot Tables; there is no support for Excel Pivot Tables in Calc.

Calc offers its own pivot-table-like feature called Data Pilot, as well as its own macro
 functionality, but Excel users will not be able to port this kind of data into Calc or open

the data created in Calc.

2. Support of Excel Charts and Graphs. There are reports online that Calc has trouble

translating some Excel-generated charts and graphs.

3. Creating PDFs. Calc, like Writer, has native support for exporting documents as PDF

(Acrobat format).

4. Interface Details. [Link] found , “Calc's menus and dialogs easier to navigate than

the corresponding dialogs in Excel.”

PRESENTATION

MICROSOFT POWERPOINT VERSUS OPENOFFICE’S IMPRESS

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

1. AUTOSUMMARIZE FEATURE. Microsoft Office 2007 version of PowerPoint is

different in several ways from earlier versions. The Autosummarize feature in Microsoft

Word is no longer part of the default interface, so users can no longer easily create a slide

show from the outline headings in a text document. Microsoft TechNet explains that

Autosummarize was removed because it was a "low use feature." For us, students who

were used to its simplicity prefer using that feature which OpenOffice retains as an

abstract feature.

2. WIZARD. Microsoft Office 2007 version of PowerPoint no longer starts with a

wizard. The removal might be justified on the grounds that, these days, everybody knows
 how to create a slide show. Still, Impress’s opening wizard continues to be handy way of

setting up a slide show's basic design, whatever level of expertise the user have.

3. BACKGROUND THEMES. Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 departs from earlier versions'

tradition of choosing a background at the start. Instead, it opens on a plain white slide,

leaving the user the option of choosing another background from the Design tab. This

change will encourage users to focus more on content than design. Sometimes noticeably

sedate backgrounds installed with PowerPoint were used as it is. In comparison, Impress

remains unchanged. However, Impress continues to come with few amateurish

backgrounds, while PowerPoint includes more than enough backgrounds with the

installation and includes a link to search for more templates online. The convenience of

this selection alone is enough to give PowerPoint the edge.

4. WINDOW LAYOUT EDITING. Like the rest of Microsoft Office 2007, PowerPoint

uses combination menus and toolbars, instead of the traditional menus that Impress still

uses. Unlike Microsoft Word's chaotically arranged menus and toolbars, PowerPoint's are

well-organized but not that different from Impress. However, Impress’s panes can be

detached to become floating windows that users can move as needed on the screen. Add

this convenience to the tabs to change the view in the central pane, and Impress's design

makes features more accessible than PowerPoint's.

5. AVAILABLE SLIDE LAYOUT AND TRANSITIONS. PowerPoint's slide transitions

are arranged visually into categories, as opposed to Impress's alphabetical list. Impress

offers more slide layouts than PowerPoint's, and although several of Impress's are
 covered by one of PowerPoint's, it is still more convenient for thinking about selection of

material.

6. DRAWING TOOLS, GRAPHS AND CHARTS. Both programs give professional-

looking, easily editable charts, with the only difference being the default color schemes

for the graphs.

7. TABLES. PowerPoint has had a table tool since its release while Impress, however, still

lacks one, although, like PowerPoint, it can import a spreadsheet or a text file to achieve

the same effect.

8. SLIDES AND MOVIES. Both software supports different types of sound and movie

formats. However, Impress continues to lag because of its inability to control the playing

of sound across a series of slides, or to record a narration directly from the program.

9. SLIDE SHOWS. In either Impress or PowerPoint, users can rehearse timings for a

finished slide show or create multiple custom shows that consist of selected slides.

However, each has features that the other lacks. PowerPoint, for instance, offers a choice

of resolutions at which to play a show, while Impress has options such as using the

mouse as a pointer and using the [Link] Navigator as an aid for jumping

between separated slides.

• Microsoft Word contains an electronic spell checker. The student writer has immediate

feedback about misspelled words. However, Student must discern which of the computer-

generated spellings is correct for the context. Teachers no longer have to red-ink spelling

errors. They can focus on the few exceptions the spellchecker does not catch.

• Teachers and students gain a sense of security about losing assignments. When the

student saves his or her work, she avoids the possibility of the assignment being lost or

misplaced. If an assignment is ever misplaced, a replacement can be easily printed.

Materials created by Microsoft Word look more polished and professional.

• Teachers benefit by receiving a readable copy that is easy to grade. Students with poor

handwriting can increase their scores with better looking papers.

• There is a sense of mobility because work done on a Microsoft Word and saved on the

Internet is highly portable and accessible from any computer with Internet access.

• Microsoft Office allows sharing of materials easily among writers. Teachers can

exchange lesson plans, worksheets, or other materials and modify them to fit their needs.

It also allows students to share ideas and products among themselves.

• Basically, Microsoft Word saves time. It helps teachers use preparation time more

efficiently by letting them modify materials instead of creating new ones. Writers can

also make corrections to word processing documents more quickly than they could on a

typewriter or by hand.
ADVANTAGES OF USING MICROSOFT POWERPOINT IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

• Microsoft PowerPoint is used in creating interactive presentations containing and

incorporating text, art, animation, audio and video elements.

• Microsoft PowerPoint is a well-known, versatile, and easy to use tool that is a part of

Microsoft Office package.

• PowerPoint presentation can be saved on a class website or emailed to students.

Therefore, can help learners construct absorb new knowledge.

• PowerPoint captures the students’ attention and helps keep them interested

• It enables students and teachers to construct creative presentations for their projects and

assignments

• Students will be utilizing a useful and marketable technology skill.

• It allows teachers to:

o Present information and instruction to the entire class

o PowerPoint allows modification and can be used over and over again. Educators

can easily update or rearrange elements of a presentation.

o Create tutorials, reviews, or quizzes for individual students

ADVANTAGES OF USING MICROSOFT EXCEL IN SECONDARY EDUCATION

• Enables teacher and students to tinker with values of variables, constants, and step size

and to explore the “what if?” type of questions in the problem solving process.

• Can enhance the user’s view into the development and use of algorithms and modeling

for the solution of mathematical problems.

• Frees students from being hampered by laborious manipulation of numbers and allows

them to concentrate on the mathematical problem itself.

• Permits the in-depth exploration of meaningful mathematical application without concern

for the possible complex calculations. Allows the students to see development of

calculations on the screen as they are generated. Permits students to change one variable

at a time to see what effects that change has on the overall pattern of those calculations.

• Displays information in a graphical yet readable format and formats data in organized

patterns.

• Aside from the fact that it saves time, it forces students and teachers to focus on

important details. Students at all grade levels are engaged by learning through the use of

computers.

• Using Microsoft Excel as a teaching tool allows teachers to introduce and reinforce

concepts where students can actually “see” them illustrated as opposed to only reading
 about them. The use of spreadsheets also allows students to examine real-world

situations such as housing and mortgage costs, and making predictions about stock

market trends (Bulion, 2001).

• Students in secondary school can also use spreadsheets to perform higher-order

mathematical calculations and analyses. By using a spreadsheet, students can concentrate

on mathematical reasoning without worrying about performing cumbersome calculations

(Ozgun-Koca, 2000).
TERMS:

INTERFACE - A boundary across which two independent systems meet and act on or

communicate with each other. In computer technology, there are several types of

interfaces.

* user interface - the keyboard, mouse, menus of a computer system. The user interface

allows the user to communicate with the operating system. Also see GUI.

* software interface - the languages and codes that the applications use to communicate

with each other and with the hardware.

MACROS - A symbol, name, or key that represents a list of commands, actions, or keystrokes.

Many programs allow you to create macros so that you can enter a single character or

word to perform a whole series of actions. Macros are like simple programs or batch

files. Some applications support sophisticated macros that even allow you to use

variables and flow control structures such as loops.

PDF - Short for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF

captures formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing applications,

making it possible to send formatted documents and have them appear on the recipient's

monitor or printer as they were intended. To view a file in PDF format, you need Adobe

Reader, a free application distributed by Adobe Systems.

Bulion, L. (2001) EXCEL-lent middle school math lessons. Technology in the

Classroom. Retrieved February 4, 2004, from [Link]

[Link]/a_tech/tech/[Link].

Information on features of PowerPoint in Microsoft taken from Microsoft TechNet:

Resources for IT Professionals Online Home Page: [Link]

us/[Link]

Information on Microsoft Office suite taken from Microsoft Office Online Home Page:

[Link]

Information on OpenOffice productivity suite taken from [Link] website:

[Link]

List and Information regarding suites are taken from the Wikipedia Website:

[Link]

Ozgun-Koca, S. A. (2000) Using spreadsheets in mathematics education. ERIC

Clearinghouse for Science Mathematics and Environmental Education. Retrieved February 4,

2004, from [Link]

Reviews were taken from PCMag Website:

Terms and Definitions are taken from Webopedia Wbsite: [Link]