PowerPoint Blog
Labels: education, equations, mathtype, powerpoint
Design Science announced the new 6.5 release of MathType for Windows -- starting from this release, Design Science is positioning MathType as a universal editor for mathematical notation. There are no new PowerPoint specific features, but here's a list of the updates, provided by Bob Mathews of Design Science:
Equations Everywhere and Anywhere: Up until now, MathType has been thought of mostly as a tool that works with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. But it has always been much more than that. You can label graphs with equations, create equation images for websites, blogs, wikis, export equations to TeX or MathML, and much more. See Works With .. to see our MathType Interoperability Registry which lists the many, many applications and websites MathType works with. More info here...
Enter equations in TeX/LaTeX directly in Word: If you know the TeX typesetting language, you can type it directly into your Word document. When you are done, the TeX code will be converted to a MathType equation. [Bob's note: This isn't automatic. You can either click an icon on the toolbar or Ribbon, or use the Alt+\ keystroke.] The TeX Toggle keyboard shortcut allows you to toggle between TeX and MathType views of the equation.
New keyboard shortcuts in Word to open equations for editing: Many of our customers like to use the keyboard. Now you can open an equation next to the insertion point using a keyboard shortcut. Together with our new TeX Toggle feature, you can now enter and edit equations completely from the keyboard without leaving Word.
New translators for Maple, Mathematica, Physics Forum and more: As part of our "Equations Everywhere and Anywhere" effort, we have added new translators for many applications and websites.
MathML Import: Now you can import mathematics defined using MathML from the many applications that produce it. MathML code can be either in the new MathML Clipboard Format that is supported by a growing number of mathematical and scientific applications or plain text such as from an XML editor, for example. The MathML can be imported via cut and paste or drag and drop.
Thank you so much, Bob!
Categories: education, equations, mathtype, powerpoint
Labels: education, interviews, powerpoint 
Jefferson West is a co-founder and the CEO of Studeous. Jeff is responsible for the marketing, public relations, and strategy at Studeous. Often traveling between schools and the company headquarters in Austin, Texas; Jeff is frequently in discussions with teachers, administrators, and students to get timely feedback from the people who use Studeous.
Geetesh: Tell us more about Studeous, and how this evolved.
Jefferson: Currently, teachers and administrators would agree that many Learning Management Systems are behind the technology curve. These systems, though often poorly designed, are somehow extremely over-priced. Schools all over are having to dish out large sums of money in an attempt to keep up with technology and connect their schools on the internet. Unfortunately, these solutions are not working. They are too complicated and confusing for the teachers to effectively use and thus provide little academic benefit to the students.
Enter Studeous, a simple, easy to use, and most importantly, free way for teachers to organize their courses online. We make it so simple for teachers and students to stay connected long after the bell rings. Studeous is a hosted solution, so teachers don’t have to worry about buying their own servers and there is no download. If a teacher wants great e-learning tools—he/she has them in a heartbeat. And, it requires no training.
This solves the teacher and students pain, but how does this “connect a school”? And why is this good for institutions? Administrators get free access to Studeous as well. We have three levels---Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Bronze is free and allows administrators to moderate the content in their school’s Studeous portal. They can edit bad content, suspend students from using Studeous, post announcements on the home page, etc. Administrators then have the option to upgrade to Silver or Gold for a small fraction of the cost of standard LMSes. With Silver and Gold they can do even more useful things like send out mass messages to all teachers or all students. They also have the option to brand their school’s portal to the school colors.
The ease of use ensures that the average teacher will be able to use great e-learning tools and the advanced administrator controls starting at just $649 per school per year, ensures that virtually every school will be able to afford it. With this, we hope to make e-learning a commodity.
We have essentially created a web-based LMS that requires no training, no sales force, and minimal marketing--allowing us to put up to 100% of sales revenue back into the product itself, unlike the other enterprise e-learning companies. This allows us to continue to make Studeous better and better. Which is great for the teachers, administrators, and students of Studeous.
Geetesh: What types of files can teachers and students share with each other on Studeous? Also, is there anything I can do with PowerPoint files?
Jefferson: Teachers can share any files. We give teachers the ability to upload files to their class pages that can be downloaded by students. And we let students send teachers files by putting them in the Studeous “Dropbox.” PowerPoint files can be easily shared with Studeous. A great feature for students is our “Study Groups” feature that gives students a space to collaborate and exchange files so they are not emailing them back and forth all the time. This is a great time saver. They even get their own personal “Locker” (for students) and “Desk” (for teachers) that lets them upload personal files to store on Studeous. Say good-bye to the thumb drive! These files can be made private for personal use or public for sharing. Studeous is everything you need in one place.
Geetesh: What’s your revenue model? And will Studeous always be a free product?
Jefferson: Studeous makes money by selling administrator controls to school administrators which allows them to moderate content and communicate with their teachers and students. This is our only source of revenue now, as we are more concerned with getting users on Studeous, then with making money. But, down the road, we have devised many unique and effective ways to monetize Studeous, without just advertising.
With that in mind, Studeous will always be free. Free for teachers, free for students, and free for administrators (with the option of upgrading for a cost).
Categories: education, interviews, powerpoint
Labels: delivery, education, interviews, powerpoint 
Lee Potts has been blogging about visual communications and presentation-related issues since 2002. His current project, Breaking Murphy's Law (tagline: because when you're presenting, someone's always watching), launched in June. He serves on the steering committee of InfoComm's Presentation's Council and he was recently elected to the Health and Science Communications Association (HeSCA) Board of Directors.
Geetesh: Tell us more about yourself, and how you created the Breaking Murphy’s Law blog.
Lee: Most of my career has involved, in one way or another, helping people to do presentations. As a graphic designer, a AV tech or a tactical consultant I've worked on everything from basic one-on-one pitches to trade shows to large sales training meetings. Right now, I work for a major pharmaceutical company helping research teams to present their findings at FDA Advisory Committee meetings. These meetings represent one of the final, critical milestones in the drug approval process and they are very exciting to be part of because the stakes are so high.
When I started thinking about what would eventually become Breaking Murphy's Law, I knew that although I really wanted to get back into blogging, I didn't want to have another blog that was basically just a collection of annotated links to other websites.
It occurred to me that some of the most interesting moments in my career happened when things were going very wrong. Along the same lines, many of my best work memories involve hanging out during down time with the other meeting and staging professionals listening to their stories about when things went very wrong for them. I think that everyone would agree that there's something fascinating about the subject. These stories can provide a certain level of vicarious knowledge. They are an entertaining way to gain some experience without actually screwing up yourself. A trick, tip or technique learned while listening to these stories might be crucial to saving a meeting or even a career.
I created Breaking Murphy's Law hoping it would eventually grow into an ongoing conversation, a large-scale sharing of stories about what can go wrong when you're a presenter or when you're supporting someone else’s presentation. A place where everyone, whether you're an experienced professional or newbie, can learn how to break Murphy’s Law before Murphy’s Law breaks you.
Geetesh: What are the favorite topics you have covered in the blog? Give us a few thoughts and links.
Lee: Well, in Jedi Knights With Frickin' Laser Pointers we covered presenters with poor pointer control. The world's worst wet T-shirt contest deals with a last minute beverage and business presentation collision. Sticky Situation tells about the time we had problems with the AV tech's most basic of tools -- gaffer tape. The hotel had just put down new carpets that had been heavily treated with stain repellent. Who knew it would also repel tape adhesive. None of the cables we taped down stayed down. Needless to say, some of the meeting attendees took an unplanned trip without ever leaving the venue.
I try to stay away from stories that are mainly about bad presentation and PowerPoint skills. There are so many other really good blogs already covering that. However, I am interested in stories from all the different areas of expertise that go into making a presentation possible, including administrative support, meeting planners, AV techs, venue staff and, of course, the presenters themselves. And in nod to blogging tradition, I try to publish a weekly list of things I stumbled across online that my readers might be interested in that they might have missed. The most recent example is here.
I'd like to take this opportunity to ask your readers to submit any stories or anecdotes they have about presentation problems they experienced or witnessed. Stories about presentation disasters narrowly averted are also encouraged. You can take full credit for the story or remain safely anonymous, whichever you prefer. You can use the form on this page to submit your story. Please take a few minutes and add to the collective wisdom and experience of the presentation professional community.
Categories: delivery, education, interviews, powerpoint
Labels: case_studies, education, powerpoint
Mike Pearce teaches social studies at Ellison High School in the Killeen Independent School District in Texas, USA. But Mike is not just another teacher -- he uses PowerPoint presentations to deliver a successful teaching system that has shown a phenomenal improvement in the results and passing rates.
Read more here...
Categories: case_studies, education, powerpoint
Labels: case_studies, education, powerpoint
Mike Pearce says the best history teachers in today's schools will tell stories, make students relate to the people and events and use technology in order to do both. Starting in 2001, when he was teaching eighth grade, Pearce began integrating his own lesson plans into a PowerPoint system. "It hits every learning style. We live in an electronic age and kids are now very impressed by instruction that is more contemporary," he said.
Read more on the Killeen Daily Herald site...
Categories: case_studies, education, powerpoint
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