Microsoft released details on a number of projects today. One of those is Microsoft Student 2006, a suite that helps parents and students with their homework and assignments. Secondly, MS released Microsft Money 2006. In addition, MS unveiled more details on the November launch of Visual Studio, SQL Server and BizTalk Server, while also previewing the long awaited CRM update.
*Microsoft Money 2006
it looks to me like this will make students DUMB
students must learn how to use standard tools, like normal word processors, google, and so on. a tweaked environment will help them prepare a paper, but will make them dependant on special tools AND will not learn them how to combine common standardized tools themselves.
furthermore, there is no software substiture for parents who do not have enough knowledge to help their children. in fact, such parents should not be necessary – there are teachers who made their profession of educating children. it doesn’t hurt for children to do /some/ effort…
i like the kde approach, were kids are stimulated to use their own brains. and microsoft encyclopedia is a great tools for students, i must say. but a special software *(&*(*& for students, oh noooo….
ok, i regret my earlier comment. there are some very good things to microsoft student 2006. have a look to these screenshots:
http://www.studentpresskit.com/download.html
so basicly from looking at the screenshots linked by evert id say that it looks like they took ms works, added a skinnable (why?) scientific calculator to it and renamed it ms student…
and that drm link goes nowhere, interesting…
..MS Bob…
In terms of demand, and potential for adoption.
None.
This is one of those lame products some corporate types thought it would be useful. It really serves no purpose: for non-technical stuff students can use regular office sw. On the other hand, technical students are exactly those who don’t need childish flashy “scientific” calculator and crap like that. They can use the real SW – I mean, who else will if not students and scientists?
This Student 2006 is on a $20-shareware level – except it sells for more.
Well, at least you changed your tune some.
I don’t see how something like this is bad. The bigger problem I see is education even involving computers in everything, thats a big problem, they have tried to put computers everywhere like they will help. Get rid of them except for actual computer classes.
But they are here, so stuff like this is good. It won’t hurt a kid to have a easy way to learn stuff.
I don’t know what you would call a “normal word processor” best I could think of would be MS Word since has probably close to 98% market share. It’s about as normal as it gets. And far as google, how is knowing how to use google a skill, and any different from using any search thing MS has. It’s just a different Company. If anything teaching kids how to find correct information without using search engines is more important. Teach them how /where to find good information and not some random person website full of BS but pops up on a google search.
I think this sounds like a good idea, and it’s cheap. If a kid is going to sit at their computer looking up stuff, let them get to it easy.
My big fear is the days of real text books and encyclopedias is dying. The best way to learn math or just about anything is a good book with lots of example problems and lots of problems for a person to work out. Plus a book goes anywhere and doesn’t break down or require electricity. I sure hope if I have children when they get to school we have broke the trend of having them sit infront of computers and learning stuff that way. The non-traditional ways of education I was subjected to in the late 80s, 90s screwed up enough of my learning to cause me to have to re-teach myself everything, and that was just things like TIA (think that was it) math, where the idea was kids teach themselves math with very little checks to make sure they really understood it, I can only see things having got worse.
Anyways, I sure hope people don’t rip on MS for this, like come on, put your MS hate to bed. They are just trying to help.
Anyways, I sure hope people don’t rip on MS for this, like come on, put your MS hate to bed. They are just trying to help.
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Heres the problem: the Microsoft name is applied to it so of course its going to be lame, buggy, insecure, etc. Have this come out under a name like Apple iStudent (or any other company) people would praise it for its originality and ability to help struggling students.
So you’ve used it then? Ok then… you read about it on the website? OK then… why are you even commenting about it.
This app puts stuff all into one place. Plus, a lot of students don’t need the full power of MS Office, but still need the compatability, and don’t want to pay the high price (even for the student and teacher version).
Also, it’s not a ‘childish’ and ‘flashy’ scientific calculator. It is a fully functional graphing calculator that does both 3D and 4D (Something you’d need at least a TI-89 for, which is expensive).
I really think that this software would work very well in school libraries.
All in all, $100 for an graphing calc, Encarta Premium, some office functionality, homework help, etc…. not too shabby if it all works as well as advertised.
What would it take to make a “student” version of something like AbiWord or OpenOffice.org? The best part of OSS is that we could reskin some projects and make them much more user friendly… without actually breaking the software! look at those screenshots, even a grandma could like those versions of office programs. of course sally secretary would freek out at those screens.
This is one of the rare cases where the MS programmers make some really cool stuff that “just works” and somehow it actually gets shipped!! personally, I see it as using the Office engine and file types, but not really being office so mom n dad can’t “cheat” anymore. but that’s my tin-foil-hat view. I haven’t seen anything that polished in the kids linus world yet…
Well, first you would have to find people willing to spend the time to re-create something that is already there and relatively cheap. And even then for it to be worthwhile people would want to use it over the MS version which will be on store shelves all over the place.
Also the MS version has the advantage of fully leveraging all the MS office apps, so you know it will “just work”. Also how would OSS people compete with the Encarta information and such in there. Not only would they have to create an app just to create and OSS version of something all-ready out there, and then they would have to keep maintaining it indefinitely.
Someone might try such a thing, but it would probably just end up another “I’m going to make my own just so there is a non MS thing out there doing the same thing just cause I hate MS blah blah type project”
Now If someone wants to come out with a similar project but come up with better ideas for it that would make it different from the MS app, then maybe they would have something. But of course for it to matter at all, it has to come in a version for windows. If it’s just for linux, well, then it’s failed before it starts.
Are students expected to pay for Microsoft Student 2006 (available late 2007)?
What? You expect students will really pay for that?
I expect that parents will buy it for students.
> Also how would OSS people compete with the Encarta information and such in there.
You must be blind to have no idea about Wikipedia, which is all GNU FDL. Encarta is a toy in comparison to it in all aspects.