superdumb supervillain: Microsoft Student
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Monday, February 18, 2008

Microsoft Student

***WINNER PICKED 3/10 WITH RANDOM.ORG***
CONGRATULATIONS to both winners:
ANNETTE
(We're homeschoolers and I think the MS Learner feature would be particularly useful.)
and
MICHELE
(Ooh, love that it has all that reference material included!)



One of the first programs I ever used on my own computer was Encarta. It was 1992 and I had a Mac Quadra. The internet was still pretty hard to navigate but the program unleashed its amazing powers, suddenly rendering all my previous encyclopedia-based research slow and tedious. I wished I'd had it while I was in high school and earlier. It would have revolutionized my pre-college report writing…

Well, it's even better now. The latest version of Microsoft Student includes Encarta Premium 2008, which blows the version I remember right out of the water. It comes complete with a wide range of reference tools, including a dynamic atlas, dictionary, thesaurus, and language translation dictionaries. It also features Encarta Kids - a separate encyclopedia geared to young learners ages 7 to 12!



Microsoft Student also has the amazing MS Math, which features a large collection of tools, tutorials, and instructions designed to help students learn mathematical concepts while quickly solving math problems. If I'd had this, perhaps I would have gotten further than Geometry in high school.



MS Learning Essentials includes templates for reports and presentations, plus step-by-step writing tips, brainstorming tools and even guidelines for organizing college applications! Plus, there are foreign language translators that will also work with your current MS Office applications to help your budding linguist study. The only component of Microsoft Student I would raise my eyebrows at is the library of book summaries of over 1000 of the most commonly-studied works of literature… and that's only my mommy sense bristling at potential laziness. I can't say I wouldn't have loved to have a digital Cliff's Notes-style archive at my disposal once or twice…



Currently, Microsoft Student is only available for PC, but a Mac version will be available sometime in the near future. Hopefully before my kids need it!

To enter and win a full download of Microsoft Student software (a $50 value!), please comment on this post with your favorite feature! Keep in mind this software is currently PC only– check the system requirements.

Entries will be accepted through March 9th and I'll pick the two winners using Random.org.

Make sure you leave an email address in your comment or that you have one accessible on your blog so you can be contacted if you win! If I can't find your email, I will have to pick a new winner. Only one entry/comment per person, please.

If you prefer not to leave your email, you can also check for your name at Prizey.Fetch, a new site that compiles winners in one convenient place:



***Enter my other current giveaways here.***

114 comments:

  1. Hello! I love it! The various languages that it tutors to is a feature I really like. Please enter me in your fabulous giveaway drawing~
    Thanks,Cindi
    jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

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  2. What a great product! I would love to see the Encarta Kids section!

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  3. My favorite is the Encarta Kids section...it would be SO perfect for school projects and make the research super quick...a great resource!! Thanks..
    stbaisch[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  4. We're homeschoolers and I think the MS Learner feature would be particularly useful. Thanks for entering me! frontzfamily at gmail dot com

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  5. We would love all of the features! But the language translation would be particularly fantastic as we are trying to teach our 5 yr old Spanish, so that he can communicate with his Spanish speaking relatives!
    Thanks!
    dansan826 at yahoo.com

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  6. i love how it has a separate encyclopedia geared to young learners ages 7 to 12! being a
    4th grade teacher it is hard to find research my little ones can understand!! thanks so much!!

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  7. It would be awesome to have a dctionary and thesaurus at your fingertips.

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  8. I like the Microsoft Math Tutor. I bet there is lots I could learn in my spare time!

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  9. I like the MS math feature because the importance of math in education is priceless. thanks for the great giveaway!

    hellomary018ATyahooDOTcom

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  10. love the ms math. i'm in college now and taking calc 3 so taht would help. i'm also taking latin and the language translation would help a lot.
    bwalleshauser@yahoo.com

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  11. Great giveaway. Thanks for all your information and great links to other helpful, needed and informative sites.

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  12. I love the math part. Very helpful!!

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  13. My husband and I were just talking about how we missed having an up-to-date encyclopedia. Somehow, our 1941 Britannica doesn't always make the cut. But it is a mighty fine read. :)

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  14. I would love this. I like the Encarta Kids part of it.

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  15. I would love this for my nephew who is having trouble in school.

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  16. I would love this for my 2 daughters, especially my oldest who struggles. I think my favorite feature is the languages because both my kids learn spanish in school & anything extra would be great!

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  17. Ooh, love that it has all that reference material included!

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  18. MS Math sounds fantastic for math challenged me...I took some advanced math in college...but I remember alomst none of it, so I'm helpless when it comes to helping with math homework!

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  19. I like the Dictionary, Thesaurus, Worldwide Maps, and Interactive Atlas. This would come in so handy on many occasions!
    THANKS

    royaldixie@charter.net

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  20. Sweet!

    aztekh[at]gmail.com

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  21. I believe my daughter would love the math feature. And I know it would solve some of our more lively discussions over some of her homewore :)

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  22. I would love to have this!! Forget the kids. I'm sure my daughter will benefit from this too but I could really use some help in the writing department.

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  23. I like the templates for reporting feature. Thanks for hosting a great giveaway.

    taowyn (at) gmail (dot) com

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  24. Man, I could have used those math helps when I was in school!

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  25. I love that it has a section for aid with mathematical concepts. Thank You for giveaway.

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  26. The feature that most excites / intrigues / and makes me happy in general is the MS Math. I am not a mathematical minded person so it is something I struggle with and have trouble helping my daughter with. Maybe this will be the key that unlocks the magic of math for me!

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  27. Sounds interesting, especially with the languages learning part.

    Mary_Freebies == internationalfreebies AT gmail.com

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  28. Thanks for dropping by my site and commenting. And good luck in the giveaway! Hope to see you drop by again soon!

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  29. Oh, this would be so cool! The MS learning essentials is my favorite feature, but with 5 kids all doing projects, I'm sure we would use all of it.

    I would LOVE to win this.

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  30. Looks awesome! We homeschool, so this would be great to have.
    Rebecca
    elireeves(at)stny(dot)rr(dot)com

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  31. Would love this - love the dynamic atlas, my little one loves to look at maps already

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  32. I think the math feature would be very helpful!

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  33. since I homeschool my seven kids, the MS Math sounds great! pleae enter me, thanks!

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  34. The MS Math Features sounds really helpful -- wish they'd had this when I was a kid!

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  35. I love the dynamic atlas! Great prize - thanks! ~ :)
    jmagloro[at]ywave.com

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  36. My favorite is the Encarta Kids section

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  37. This looks wonderful. Thanks for the great giveaway!

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  38. Math Tutor
    tiny525 AT yahoo.com

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  39. Great giveaway for my 10 year old dd. She would love to have this, and my brain could stop trying to remember algebra :)

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  40. I would LOVE to have this. As a mom of 5, I find my children have such a wide range of strengths and weaknesses in academics that this program seems that it would be an asset to them all. I am particularly interested in the thesaurus/language program as we are a family who tries to incorporate other languages and cultures in our home environment as often as possible. My email can be found on my blog/profile.

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  41. Wow! I didn't know it had improved so much since I had seen the software last. As a grad student on a very tight budget, this is such a fabulous find! Thanks!

    sarendipity@gmail.com

    http://sarasoma.blogspot.com/

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  42. This is a great giveaway!

    Kathy
    jkconley@sofnet.com

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  43. MS Math sounds awesome!!

    shaunwallner@yahoo.com

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  44. fantastic giveaway thank you

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  45. Please consider me for the prize, GLTA!

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  46. You know sadly Id actually use this for myself alot working on papers and other school stuff... (how sad is that! LOL)

    I blogged you too
    http://www.prizeatron.com

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  47. Oi, this would be like so wonderful for me...I speak both German and English and could use help in teaching my 3 kids to learn German.... All I can say.. is "PICK ME!" (please)

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  48. My kids would love this!

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  49. the math tutor is my favorite.

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  50. Wow, this sounds awesome!!

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  51. I like that it has something for younger students as well as older students (I homeschool six kids). I also like the tutorials and templates. :)

    Audra
    adashofsassitude(at)gmail(dot)com

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  52. Oh please enter me in this! I am a senior in college (continuing education student) trying to get through Spanish and Math next semester. I can see such benifit in this program!

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  53. the language feature and the math tutor are fantastic. would love to have it!

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  54. 2 features I love:

    encarta kids
    Math tutor,

    great giveaway, thanks!

    http://mommysweeps.blogspot.com/

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  55. pick me please :-)

    ginnyswe at gmail . com

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  56. Thsi would be a super gift to enhance my two teens learning and would help us adults too. Thank you for providing this wonderful tool.

    panadero@peoplepc.com

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  57. My fifth grade son is a total tech nut. He would love this.

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  58. I love the report templates - I think presentation is very important. Thanks!

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  59. encarta kids is a really neat feature

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  60. I think the MS Learner feature would be particularly useful.

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  61. the microsoft math tutor is great

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  62. The encyclopedia section is invaluable!

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  63. As a teacher I know I can use many facets of this software

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  64. I'd use the atlas and encyclopedia for my classes

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  65. This would be a great help to my kids in their school work.

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  66. I LOVE MICROSOFT WOULD LOVE TO WIN THANKS

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  67. I like the dictionary and encyclopedia features.

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  68. I cant wait for my kids to use the Encarta Kids

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  69. altcupid@hotmail.com

    this looks really useful!

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  70. This is a great software package. My favorite detail is the Math portion - this would be a great asset to my teenage daughter who is preparing to go to college in a couple of years.

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  71. I like how it has the encyclopedia geared to young learners.

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  72. I would love to win this for my sons (and me too, LOL). Encarta would be the beat feature for them although I would love the dictionary/thesaurus features. I've blogged your contest on A Contest Blog at http://acontestblog.com/index.php/2008/superdumb-supervillain-microsoft-student-giveaway/
    Good luck with your contest.

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  73. I love the Encarta Kids feature!!

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  74. Boy my house could surely use this product as both my students need to be doing projects, essays, and book reports. Its hard for them to be in sports and keep up their grades(my son is a 4.5)just the other day he needed to use a software package windows powerpoint but we only had a trial version since vista does not come with very much free software.
    So please sign me up and make me a winner

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  75. MAKE ME A WINNER

    Could really use this for my family


    Thank you...


    camper223@sweeps.ws

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  76. Would love this for my kids...every program sounds fantastic, but they could surely use the MS Math feature.

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  77. I love that this software provides resources for students in one common location.

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  78. I'm a homeschool teacher, so this would be great for school. I like the encyclopedia and dictionary.

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  79. The Microsoft Encarta Kid Edition is my favorite

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  80. The Microsoft Encarta Kid Edition is my favorite

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  81. the math help section, as I can't help my daughter in math most of the time, because I'm pretty bad at it!

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  82. Thank you so much for sharing this product with us. I was not aware of this. I am very curious about the MS Math feature, as my teenagers would greatly benefit from it. All the literature sounds great too.

    I have younger kids as well, so the Encarta for kids is very interesting to me.

    This sounds incredible. I am excited about this great opportunity! Blessings to you.

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  83. MS Math would be really helpful!
    doot65[at]comcast[dot]net
    Elizabeth
    Great giveaway!

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  84. i could really use the templates for reports and presentations, i never know where to start when i'm trying to write a report.

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  85. the thesaurus would come in handy for me, i'm trying to use different words to make me sound smarter, haha!

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  86. I just love the Math feature. Wow!

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  87. Just love the math tudor and the language translator. So much is so useful. thanks. love to win.

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  88. My favorite feature is the MS Math feature. I may have to take a standardized test again in the near future and it would greatly help me prepare for it especially since I could easily review concepts I haven't gone over in a while.
    girlof80s@aol.com

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  89. I really Like encarta.
    wkepner@gmail.com

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  90. The MS Math feature is my favorite because it can quickly solve math problems. I think Math MS would help my daughter learm math faster.

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  91. I like all the templates.

    dolls123 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  92. Have to admire the graphing capabilities -- good pick for an example image... Anything which makes it easier for the youngers to visualize math concepts is going to help later on in life.
    flared[removeThis]z0ne[at]gmail[dot]com

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  93. (I am quite puzzled -- either the moderator/author is masking email addresses in the various entries above, or people just aren't following directions re "how can I let you know you WON something if you don't include your EMAIL address as I requested?")

    Please don't approve this.
    flaredz0[that's a zero-remove this]ne[at]gmail[dot]com

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  94. MS Math would be great for me to help my neighbor's daughter and y neice with their math skills.

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  95. As a first grade teacher, I believe this program would be of great use to my students. The encyclopedia would be a great way for my students to really experience things we talk about for the first time. The MS Math program would also likely be a great tool for our use.

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  96. The math tutorials will be really helpful for my stepdaughter who hates her math teacher and has been struggling in her math class.

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  97. I love the math feature, I stink at math and it would really help!!

    nhkati@comcast.net

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  98. i like the foreign language features

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  99. I'd really Love to win this...

    edurbin@sbcglobal.net

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  100. The foreign language translator would be great.

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  101. My favorite feature is the foreign language translators.

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  102. Encarta kids would sure help with school projects and papers Rosanne
    rosans4@insightbb.com

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