The advantages of a presentation tool are easily and immediately achieved. Word processed documents and computer-generated graphs look better. Students feel good about well presented work and this can assist motivation. We make considerable use of wordprocessing software which encourages our students to work through the drafting, editing and reviewing processes. We are now starting to use PowerPoint in the lower year levels as a tool for encouraging students to make oral presentations.
Spreadsheets are important to the science, geography and mathematics classes.
Our teachers are enthusiastic about teaching algebra with a spreadsheet, where students develop a better comprehension of algebraic manipulations because they can see it happening. The value of these tremendous editing and number crunching tools is that they enable the class to spend more time on the educationally critical components of analysis and interpretation that were so often skimmed over. The ability to easily change parameters and ask 'What if' questions heightens a student's understanding. New avenues for enquiry are often revealed with students capable and willing to conduct further investigation and processing. Cognitive Tool Most of the examples given so far could be achieved without a personal mobile computer.