Microsoft will offer an updated version of its "Student" software that includes a few new features as well as the encyclopedia Encarta Premium 2007. Microsoft said that the new package addresses a recent Microsoft survey that found that 90% of teachers believe that access technology improves homework results, but 71% are concerned that "students are not finding what they need on the Internet."
As a more "technology-based" resource - in contrast to a search-engine based research on the Internet - Microsoft says that its Student with Encarta software provides "integrated tools and trusted information" that can be used from middle-school through entry-level college.
Besides the addition of Encarta, Student has received some enhancements with new math tools and tutorials as well as a "Step-by-Step Equation Solver", a new graphing calculator that can visualize and animate graphs in 2D and 3D; The language portion includes translation dictionaries, verb conjugations and links to Web sites that help with a variety of languages, including French, German and Spanish. A section with templates, tutorials and toolbars for students' homework assignments complements the software.
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