Leveraging on Microsoft Publisher for Real-World Context of Feature Articles

This month, for CGS ICT e-Tips, we will be taking a look at a much overlooked tool that comes with Microsoft Office - MS Publisher.

MS Publisher is a lightweight alternative to professional layout softwares such as Adobe InDesign. Being intuitive to those who are frequent users of MS Word, it is the perfect option for teachers to use to expose students to creating publications with having to deal with the fuss of having to teach the ins and outs of a publishing software.

This post looks at how MS Publisher is able to enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. To illustrate the features of publisher, an example of how it was used to teach Feature Articles is used.

As per any lesson, students will first learn the fundamentals of a Feature Article using the steps shown above before starting on the creation of their own articles. In this examples, students learnt the structure and the language used in Feature Articles before they crafted their own.

Through this lesson, the above mentioned 21st Century Skills were chosen to give students an idea of how a corporate publishing company functions. With these skills in mind, MS Publisher was chosen to:
(1) allow students to think of the best way to organise the layout of their feature article taking into consideration both visuals and texts;
(2) the ease of using a software so that the main aim, which is writing the article, will not be overshadowed by the technicalities of the software used.

Here are some samples showcasing various groups and how they have used the different features of MS Publisher. The students were given the same time as other classes using the pen-and-paper method, yet, they were still able to complete the writing task, as well as take into consideration audience appeal.

On the whole, MS Publisher gives the students exposure to a real-world context without compromising on the necessary exam skills. If you try this out in your classroom, do let us know how it went!