Up until now, the Office division at Redmond seemed like it was more interested in refining and polishing the productivity suite, instead of adding new applications and features.
But it now appears that Microsoft is not done, when it comes to developing new solutions for its popular suite of productivity applications. A breezy new service has been discovered, one that goes by the name of Office Mix, and this is actually a new tool for the classroom.
The
official website bills this as a service that turns PowerPoint presentations into interactive online lessons that can then be shared with anyone. The FAQ section describes it best:
“MIX allows you to turn your PowerPoints into interactive online lessons or presentations. We install an add-in that gives you the ability to record audio, video, and handwriting, and insert interactive elements like quizzes and CK12 exercises.
There’s even a screen capture tool so you can record anything on your PC. Once your presentation is ready just click “Create MIX.” We work our magic to mix in xml for an interactive document complete with analytics, and place it in the cloud.”
Essentially, it is a way for educators to distribute and then interact with their presentations.
These new type of presentations can be shared with students, and once they have the links, they can watch it on any and all sorts of devices — as long as they have a web browser installed. Educators can then find out who watched the presentation, and check the progress of students, all online.
This new tool is clearly designed for the educations sector, but something similar could also be developed for business use later down the line. The potential is there.
Those of you interested can sign up on the site above and get on the waiting list for Office Mix when it becomes available. Which should, in all probability, be very soon now.
