BPT stands for Basic Productivity Tools. It is software support tools such a word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation programs. Examples of BPTs are Microsoft word, Microsoft excel, and Powerpoint. Unlike instructional software that is content based on various subjects and offer feedback on improving, BPTs improves productivity, appearance, accuracy, and support for interaction and collaboration. It is not computer based learning but rather it allows students to measure their own calculations and to be creative. Students can use word processing to write, edit, and illustrate stories. Spreadsheets support asking "what-if" questions by automatically allowing recalculation when changes are made in worksheet. Presentations allow for students to be creative when presentation is well designed. All of these tools are necessary and is geared towards steps of higher thinking and is applicable in the workforce.
Trends in BPTs such webbased collaboration tools allows access to online tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Google Docs is a site that allows for easy storage and sorting documents. Open source productvity software whose source code is made available in the public domain and that permits users to use, change and improve the software and to redistribute it in a modified or unmodified form. An example of this is Koffice. Word processing seems to improve writing and attitude towards writing only if students have enough time to learn word processing procedures before study begins. For spreadsheets, students fear of mathematics must be addressed by allowing students to become familiar with the software. Presentations slides makes people focus on the slides rather than the message so it would be important that we learn different ways to implement this style of teaching by perhaps showing a few slides at a time or having slides showing only images. These are positive issues that can worked out.
Trends in BPTs such webbased collaboration tools allows access to online tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. Google Docs is a site that allows for easy storage and sorting documents. Open source productvity software whose source code is made available in the public domain and that permits users to use, change and improve the software and to redistribute it in a modified or unmodified form. An example of this is Koffice. Word processing seems to improve writing and attitude towards writing only if students have enough time to learn word processing procedures before study begins. For spreadsheets, students fear of mathematics must be addressed by allowing students to become familiar with the software. Presentations slides makes people focus on the slides rather than the message so it would be important that we learn different ways to implement this style of teaching by perhaps showing a few slides at a time or having slides showing only images. These are positive issues that can worked out.