by Leroy McLean, contributor

Vol. 12:12

I can recall wanting to get some information for school and my only option was to visit a public library. Oh, there was always another option, to visit my only 'rich' friend and use his Encyclopaedia collection. Now, looking back I can surely say how things have changed. Computers have surely allowed the mass to be able to access the same information as others.

While you can get most information from the Internet, this however takes a considerable amount of time. A good solution for a lot of people is using an off-line encyclopaedia like Microsoft Encarta. I have been using Encarta for many years now, and find that it is very helpful in providing updated information.

With Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2007, your teenager will find easy-to-access information and tools to help with the toughest aspects of Math, English, Literature, Geography, Science, Art and Music. There is also a section with safe, age-appropriate information for seven-to-12 year olds called Encarta Kids.

This Encarta is just an excellent resource centre for your kids, and provides a wealth of information at their finger tips. The application has the ability to access the Internet and update its content database, thus providing you with the latest articles.

Microsoft Student comes with an invaluable tool for math and science homework. This powerful easy-to-use software has mouse-over tool tips that pop up with quick explanations of each button's function. Students can input specific homework problems from simple arithmetic to calculus.

Here are some additional features:

A full-featured 2D and 3D graphing calculator.

This powerful tool functions more efficiently than many stand-alone calculators costing up to $100. Work can be saved to finish later, added to Word or Power Point documents, or shared with study groups.

Equation Library

Equation Library contains more than 125 interactive common math equations and formulas. Students can type in live inputs and the Library will provide the missing variable and in some cases even graph the equation.

Best of all, you will be getting the Encarta with all the up-to-date information. This would include 66,000 articles written by experts in virtually every field. Over 3,000 music and sound clips. The fun in learning continues with Microsoft Student with Encarta 2007.

Send your comments or suggestions to:

thestartech@yahoo.com. You can also write to StarTech c/o The Gleaner Company, 7 North Street, Kingston