Your students may be able to fumble around on the ribbon in Excel 2007 and find how to insert a column into a spreadsheet, or maybe even a formula.  But do they know what to do with these skills?  Could they use them to create a document that would be useful to them personally or professionally?

 

Course Technology has an answer to these questions: Microsoft Office 2007 In a Flash.  In a Flash is a CD containing 16 videos, approximately 10 minutes each in length, that demonstrate how to use various aspects of Word 2007, Excel 2007, PowerPoint 2007, and Access 2007.  They cover not only HOW to perform the skills within the applications, but also WHY students would need to know them, and what they might use them for.  By the time students have watched the entire set of videos for an application they will have gained a basic understanding of how to use the software to complete projects such as a personal budget in Excel or a presentation in PowerPoint. 

 

The first lesson for each application gives a basic explanation of how the application works, introduces the project that will be worked on throughout the entire set of videos for that application, and provides examples of how the software is used in various professions. Ken Baldauf, an experienced instructor and Course Technology author, speaks to students in an accessible, engaging manner as he walks through video demonstrations within the actual software.  Let Ken take care of the basics so you can move on to teach what you want!

 

For a full table of contents and to check out a sample video, visit www.course.com/inaflash .  The full CD will be available at the end of December (ISBN: 1-60334-011-4).  Contact your Cengage Learning sales representative for additional information.

 

 

Meredith Falb

Technology Marketing Specialist, Course Technology

 

Jennifer Hankin and I represented Course Technology at the BATEC (Boston Area Advanced Technological Education Connections) Technology Industry Summit on October at the Raytheon's Global Headquarters in Waltham, MA.

 

This day brought together area educators and industry professionals to collaborate, identify common ground and definitions for student achievement, and establish a continuum of IT curricula among institutions. Participants included faculty members from Bunker Hill CC, Middlesex CC, Roxbury CC, UMass Boston, N. Essex CC, Upward Bound, BostonPublic Schools, and local employers, including: Raytheon, Partners Healthcare, Fidelity and others. 

 

The Boston Area Advanced Technological Education Connections (BATEC) is a National Science Foundation funded project to develop and promote a coordinated, self-sustaining, regional education and workforce development system for IT. More information can be found at http://www.batec.org.

 

BATEC director Deborah Boisvert has participated in our Think Forward initiative through presentations in Boston and across the country to share the work of BATEC with our Course Technolgoy customers. We intend to continue to be involved in the work of this organization to insure that our products help to bring about the best possible learning outcomes.

 

Marie Lee

Executive Editor of New Perspectives, Computer Science, and Programming

 

Let me tell you about the EDUCAUSE trade show that we attended in Seattle, WA in late October.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show, it attracted 4,300 educators and administrators from across the globe who are in need of technology solutions either for their campus as a whole or for IT-specific classrooms.  We saw lots of faculty who are already familiar with the Course Technology brand stop by our both, but also lots of new faces.  Some new folks stopped by to see demonstrations of SAM, CaseGrader, the Guided Tours or even just the course.com website to help them determine who their sales rep was.  We were raffling off an iPod so that, in and of itself, drew people in!  Other corporate booths included Blackboard, Dell, Microsoft, Apple, Angel, Turning Technologies, Quizdom and so many more.  This was the first time Course Technology attended the show and we learned a lot!

 

For more information about EDUCAUSE, visit http://www.educause.edu .

 

 

Kristin Taggart

Technology Marketing Manager, Course Technology

Welcome to the Course Technology Blog!

 

This time last year, we were all eagerly awaiting the release of Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows Vista.  What was it going to mean for your classes, department, and schools? How were we going to effectively prepare materials for you and your students to learn this brand new software?

 

The release of a new software and a new operating system were not only going to mean changes for our products, but changes to the way that you were going to be teaching the new software.  A year later, I’m happy to say that our books have hit the shelves and students across the country are learning to navigate the new user-interface, among many cool new features.

 

The past year has brought a lot of changes, and as we come upon the anniversary release of the software, the Course Technology blog has undergone some recent changes. We have updated the design, and blog posts will come from across the Course Technology team, providing you with many different angles to keep you abreast of the on-goings not only behind the scenes here in Boston, but also the latest industry and technology news, gadgets, and more.

 

We look forward to your comments, suggestions, and ideas on our blog posts or Course Technology in general.

 

Happy Reading!

 

Cheryl Costantini

Executive Director of Marketing, Course Technology

 

Can you feel the excitement in the air?

It's official--Microsoft has simultaneously released Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 to the public. Both of these products released to business customers in late November, but now consumers worldwide are able to purchase the software that promises to increase productivity and change the way people use computers.

 From the Microsoft Corporation:

“Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 will transform the way people work and play,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “Personal computers have become a key part of the daily lives of almost a billion people worldwide. Millions of consumers had a hand in helping us design, test and create the most exciting versions of Windows and Office we’ve ever released. Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 squarely address the needs and aspirations of people around the globe.”

Want to get your own sneak peak of these great new products?

Visit http://www.course.com/office/guidedtours.cfm to view sample movies from A Guided Tour of Windows Vista and A Guided Tour of Microsoft Office 2007.

Microsoft Office features a new Open XML file format that moves away from the proprietary file format of previous Office versions. The new Office XML file format allows for Microsoft documents to be portable among other applications and external sources. 

The Office XML format uses ZIP compression technology to reduce files sizes, in some cases up to 75%.  It also provides enhanced security and improves the ability to open damaged or corrupted files. This new file format is used in Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft Excel 2007, and Microsoft PowerPoint 2007. 

While there are great benefits to the new file format, it may pose an issue for people using previous versions of Microsoft Office who need to exchange documents with Microsoft Office 2007 users.  To address this problem, Microsoft has developed a special Compatibility Pack that allows users of other Office versions to open, edit, and save documents in the Office XML format.  This free Compatibility Pack can be downloaded from Microsoft Office Online. The link can be found at the bottom of the post.

Those planning to upgrade to Microsoft Office 2007 still can save files in the older Office file formats (.doc, .ppt or .xls).  This allows Office 2007 users to exchange files with users of older Office versions.

By introducing the Office XML format, Microsoft Office now allows for easier exchange of information and ideas across a variety of platforms, a benefit to all computer users.

Read more about the Compatibility Pack and how to download it here.