‘TOOLS FOR LEARNING’

DISEDIAKAN OLEH: ZUHAINI BINTI ZULKEFLI

UNIT: KPLI – PRA SEKOLAH

 ‘Tools for Learning’

There are many “Top tools for learning in the internet. Nowadays people can use many
methods to find or search any information that they needs. They also can find their connection
or any virtual friend in the internet. This is one of tools of learning that can be use. All this
method is really important in learning session about internet and communication method that
people use recently.

1) Microsoft PowerPoint

i) Definition

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program by Microsoft. It is part of the

Microsoft Office suite, and runs for operating system. PowerPoint is used by
business people, educators, students, and trainers. From Microsoft Office 2003 to
2008 for Mac, Microsoft revised the branding to emphasize PowerPoint's place
within the office suite, calling it Microsoft Office PowerPoint instead of just Microsoft
PowerPoint. The current versions are Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 for Windows and
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2008 for Mac.

ii) History

The original version of this program was created by Dennis Austin and
Thomas Rudkin of Forethought, Inc. originally designed for the Macintosh
computer, the initial release was called "Presenter". In 1987, it was renamed to
"PowerPoint" due to problems with trademarks, the idea for the name coming
from Robert Gaskins. In August of the same year, Forethought was bought by
Microsoft for $14 million USD ($26.8 million in present-day terms), and became
Microsoft's Graphics Business Unit, which continued to further develop the
software.

PowerPoint changed significantly with PowerPoint 97. Prior to PowerPoint

97, presentations were linear, always proceeding from one slide to the next.
PowerPoint 97 incorporated the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) language,
 underlying all macro generation in Office 97, which allowed users to invoke pre-
defined transitions and effects in a non-linear movie-like style without having to
learn programming.

PowerPoint 2000 introduced a clipboard that could hold multiple objects

at once. Another noticeable change was that the Office Assistant, whose
frequent unsolicited appearances in PowerPoint 97 (as an animated paperclip)
had annoyed many users, was changed to be less intrusive.

iii) Features and functions

PowerPoint presentations consist of a number of individual pages or

"slides". The "slide" analogy is a reference to the slide projector, a device that
can be seen as obsolete, within the context of widespread use of PowerPoint and
other presentation software. Slides may contain text, graphics, movies, and other
objects, which may be arranged freely on the slide. PowerPoint, however,
facilitates the use of a consistent style in a presentation using a template or
"Slide Master".

The presentation can be printed, displayed live on a computer, or

navigated through at the command of the presenter. For larger audiences the
computer display is often projected using a video projector. Slides can also form
the basis of webcasts.

PowerPoint provides three types of movements:

1. Entrance, emphasis, and exit of elements on a slide itself are controlled by

what PowerPoint calls Custom Animations.
2. Transitions, on the other hand are movements between slides. These can be
animated in a variety of ways.
3. Custom animation can be used to create small story boards by animating
pictures to enter, exit or move.

The binary format specification has been available from Microsoft on request,
but since February 2008 the .ppt format specification can be freely downloaded.
 In Microsoft Office 2007 the binary file formats were replaced as the
default format by the new XML based Office Open XML formats, which are
published as an open standard. Nevertheless, they are not complete as there are
binary blobs inside of the XML files, and several pieces of behavior are not
specified but refer to the observed behavior of specific versions of Microsoft
product.

PowerPoint 2010 has changed from its predecessor. Screen Capturing

has been introduced, allowing you to take a screen capture and add it onto your
document. Also, you can now remove background images and you can add
special effects, such as 'Pencil effects' onto pictures. Plus, new transitions are
available. However, the ability to apply text effects directly onto existing text,
seen in Microsoft Word is not available; a separate WordArt text box is required.

2) Google Calendar

i) Definition

Google Calendar is a free time-management web application offered by Google.

It became available on April 13, 2006, and exited the beta stage in July 2009. Users are
required to have a Google Account in order to use the software. On March 4, 2009,
Google Calendar began offering offline support. On May 13, 2009, Google Calendar
began offering to-do lists.

Because Google Calendar is a web-based application, it runs on virtually any

operating system, provided that the OS has a browser which supports the required web
technologies. Since it uses recent browser features, browser compatibility includes
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8; Mozilla Firefox 2.0; Opera 9.5; Google Chrome;
and Safari 2.0.3.

Google Calendar supports exporting calendar data through a permanent HTTP

URL containing iCalendar data, either at a public or "private" (hard to guess) address.
This bears resemblance to the Webcal "protocol". Public calendars were searchable until
February 2009. The data can be integrated with, among many others, Novell Evolution,
and Windows Calendar in Windows Vista (using the subscribe feature). The web link for
the location of the calendar can be found in Google Calendar Settings in the Private
Address section.

Google Calendar also supports CalDAV using iCal 3.x.

ii) Features and Functions

a) Interface

The interface of Google Calendar, designed by Kevin Fox (who also designed
Gmail and the second version of Google Reader), is similar to desktop
calendar applications such as Microsoft Outlook or iCal on Mac OS X. The
Ajax-driven interface enables users to view, add and drag-and-drop events
from one date to another without reloading the page. It supports view modes
such as weekly, monthly, and agenda. Users can "quick add" calendar events
by typing standard English phrases. Users can also set the number of days
to show in their custom view mode.

b) Content Access

Events are stored online, meaning that the calendar can be viewed from any
location that has Internet access. In the case of a user experiencing a hard
drive failure, it also means that no data is lost. The application can import
Microsoft Outlook calendar files (.csv) and iCalendar files (.ics, the de facto
open calendaring file format), although at this stage only when the fields are
all in U.S. format. Multiple calendars can be added and shared, allowing
various levels of permissions for the users. This enables collaboration and
sharing of schedules between groups. General calendars available for
importing into one's account include those containing national holidays of
various countries.

c) Sharing Calendars

Google Calendar allows multiple calendars to be created and shown in the

same view. Each can be shared, either read-only or with full edit control, and
either with specified people or with everyone (public calendars).
 d) Device synchronization

Currently, Google Calendar can be synchronized with mobile devices (e.g.,

BlackBerry, Palm, iPhone, Pocket PC) or with PC applications (e.g., Microsoft
Outlook) via third party software, and natively with Apple's iCal (workarounds
required for iCal 3.x, full functionality with iCal 4.x). Google Calendar is
natively supported on Android -based mobile phones such as the T-Mobile
G1 and the Motorola CLIQ and on webOS-based mobile phones such as the
Palm Pre and Palm Pixi. Event reminders can be sent via email, as well as
via SMS to mobile phones in over 80 countries and regions.

e) Google Calendar is integrated with various other Google services:

a. Gmail, Google's webmail service. When an e-mail that contains
trigger words (such as "meeting", or dates and times) arrives, an "add
to calendar" button is automatically displayed alongside it.
b. iGoogle, the user-designed Google homepage, in which users can
choose and organize content in the form of "gadgets". The calendar is
shown as a module on your homepage. This "gadget" offers options
to edit how the time is displayed, which day the week starts on, and a
link to "Add Event".
c. Google Desktop, Google's desktop search software for Windows or
Mac OS X. The mini-calendar gadget allows you view your agenda
without having to open your browser. You can place it on your
desktop or leave it docked in the sidebar.

As in other cloud computing applications, changes to Google Calendar are

immediately visible to all users. This allows new features to be added without user
action, but also makes it possible for new bugs to be rolled out to the entire user
population, without users being able to refuse the update. An update to add the Smart
Rescheduler feature caused problems such as automatic invitations to nonexistent users
 being generated for events that were edited in secondary calendars. Despite negative
user feedback, Google chose not to roll back the update, concentrating instead on
providing a fix.

3) Blog

i) Definition

Blog (a portmanteau of the term "web log") is a type of website or part of

a website. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of
commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also
be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others

function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images,
and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The
ability of readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part
of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (Art
blog), photographs (photo blog), videos (Video blogging), music (MP3 blog), and
audio (podcasting). Micro blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very
short posts.

As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more

than 112,000,000 blogs.

ii) History

The term weblog was coined by Jorn Barger on 17 December 1997. The
short form, ‘blog’ was coined by Peter Merholz, who jokingly broke the word
weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com in April or
May 1999. Shortly thereafter, Evan Williams at Pyra Labs used blog as both a
noun and verb (to blog, meaning to edit one's weblog or to post to one's weblog)
 and devised the term blogger in connection with Pyra Labs' Blogger product,
leading to the popularization of the terms.

iii) Types of Blogs

There are many different types of blogs, differing not only in the type of
content, but also in the way that content is delivered or written.

a) Personal Blogs

The personal blog, an ongoing diary or commentary by an individual,

is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take
pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read. Blogs often
become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to
reflect on life, or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality.

b) Corporate and Organizational Blogs

A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business

purposes. Blogs used internally to enhance the communication and
culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public
relations purposes are called corporate blogs. Similar blogs for clubs
and societies are called club blogs, group blogs, or by similar names;
typical use is to inform members and other interested parties of club
and member activities.

c) By Genre

Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs,

travel blogs (also known as travelogs), house blogs, fashion blogs,
project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs,
quizzing blogs and legal blogs (often referred to as a blawgs) or
dream logs. Two common types of genre blogs are art blogs and
music blogs.

d) By Media Type
 A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is
called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a
sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. Blogs with
shorter posts and mixed media types are called tumblelogs. Blogs that
are written on typewriters and then scanned are called typecast or
typecast blogs; see typecasting (blogging).

e) By Device

Blogs can also be defined by which type of device is used to compose

it. A blog written by a mobile device like a mobile phone or PDA could
be called a moblog. One early blog was Wearable Wireless Webcam,
an online shared diary of a person's personal life combining text,
video, and pictures transmitted live from a wearable computer and
EyeTap device to a web site.

4) iMovie

i) Definition

iMovie is a proprietary video editing software application which allows

Mac and iPhone 4 users to edit their own home movies. It was originally released
by Apple in 1999 as a Mac OS 8 application bundled with the first FireWire-
enabled consumer Apple model – iMac DV. Since version 3, iMovie has been a
Mac OS X only application bundled in the iLife suite of Macintosh applications.

iMovie imports video footage to the Mac using either the FireWire interface on
most MiniDV format digital video cameras, the USB port, or by importing the files
from a hard drive. From there, the user can edit the video clips, add titles, and
add music. Effects include basic color correction and video enhancement tools,
and transitions such as fade-in, fade-out, and slides.
ii) Features of iMovie

a) iMovie HD 5

iMovie HD includes support for HDV (720p and 1080i) and integration with
the rest of the iLife suite, with toolbox buttons allowing the importing of
images from iPhoto, music from iTunes and the setting of chapter markers
ready for exporting to iDVD. iMovie HD 5, imports mjpeg files as dv by
default, which introduces noise; mjpeg files are cryptically lumped with "isight"
files in this version.

Another new feature is the 'Magic iMovie', which attempts to automate the
whole process of video editing, by allowing a common transition to be added
between scenes, a music track to be synchronised with the video and a DVD
to be created with the accompanying iDVD software.

b) iMovie HD 6

iMovie 6 was released in January 2006 as part of the iLife '06 suite and in
iLife '08 as a substitution for iMovie '08 (due to the new version's
incompatibility with older Power PC Macintosh computers). It is integrated
with iPhoto, iTunes, iDVD, GarageBand and iWeb. New features include:

• Themes. Designed for ease of use, themes allow the user to drop
movie clips or photos into professionally-designed backdrops. Each
theme includes full-motion graphic bumpers and transitions.
• Real-time effects. iMovie takes advantage of the computer's graphic
processing unit to perform some effects without rendering.
• Real-time titling
 • Enhanced audio tools and effects
• Multiple open projects
• Video podcasts and blogs (using integration with iWeb)
• Refined look based on iTunes 5 and 6.

c) iMovie ‘08

iMovie '08 (Version 7.0) was released in August 2007 as a part of the iLife '08
suite. iMovie '08 was a complete redesign and rewrite of iMovie.

New features added include:

• Much better HD output, and more formats to convert to.

• A completely redesigned interface with an iPhoto style library. This is
limited however by an undocumented restriction on supported codecs.
iPhoto uses the QuickTime library and can create thumbnails for all
QuickTime supported formats, but most of these cannot be used by
iMovie '08. Indeed, even some of the very few formats that iMovie '08 is
able to import will not be recognized when they are added to an iPhoto
library. Motion JPEG encoded AVI files do appear to be recognized, this
is the most common format used by digital cameras. The tile based
editing interface was also promoted as something unique and
groundbreaking, even though it is functionally identical to the interface of
the Toaster Flyer non-linear digital editing systems released for Amiga
computers by NewTek, Inc. in 1993.
• A new feature called skimming for quickly previewing video in the library
at a user controlled speed.
• A feature that allows one to highlight parts of video clips just like
highlighting text.
• The ability to add more than two layers of background sound, including
multiple music, narration and sound effects; previous versions only had
two spare audio tracks.
 • More exportation formats with support for iPhone size video and many
other sizes.
• The ability to export directly to YouTube.
• Support for non-tape based HD such as DVD camcorders HDD
camcorders, & AVCHD.

According to Apple's system requirements iMovie '08 requires at least a PowerPC G5 1.9 GHz
or an Intel Processor. G4s are not supported, though Apple sold its last G4-based Computers
(iBook G4) 14 months before the release of iLife '08. However, a system hack enables iMovie
7.1 or higher to run on a PowerPC G4.