To our classmates:
Evaluating software has been a fun but time consuming project plus there is so much software out there to choose from. We have tried to evaluate a variety of programs in enough detail so that you would know whether or not the program would work in your classroom. Keali and I have come to the conclusion that before you even look for software, you should decide what you need the software for - drill and practice, as a tool for writing, to aid in making presentations, to look up information, because whatever your need is, there is more than likely software that fits that need. There are many websites, which evaluate software and you should browse through those sites before deciding to purchase anything. Some companies allow you to download a free trial of a program before you buy. Other teachers can be a good source of information when looking for a program. Also, I was able to check out software to preview from our local library. When you have finally decided on a particular program, shop around!! Prices for the same piece of software can vary from site to site and store to store and be sure to check out the shipping costs.
2.
List of websites where software can be bought
3.
Evaluations of software
http://www.ucc.uconn.edu/~wwwpcse/wcool2.html
http://www.connsensebulletin.com/software.html
http://www.iste.org/resources/curriculum/k-12/index.cfm
http://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/MMStocs/MMSprodtoc.html
http://www.thereviewzone.com/reviews-index.html
2.
List of good Websites, which sell software.
ebay.com
half.com
academicsuperstore.com
ccvsoftware
k12software
surpluscdrom.com
kidsclick.com
nothingbutsoftware.com
amazon.com
cdromhouse.com
Before
you buy the software make sure you check out the shipping cost, especially on
ebay. One person had a number of
software programs for a .99 cents, but the shipping cost was $15.00- yikes.
Software Evaluations
Perspective: cognitive psychology
Stance: transformational
Aspect: semantic, syntactic,
pragmatic
Type: tool and tutorial
Ages: 6 to adult
Price: Amazon.com $14.99 new,
and $9.99 used. (1 disk)
Sprysoft.com
$12.80 (1 disk)
This
program allows the writer to create a number of different activities and
projects. The user can choose
between a blank page to a writing tutorial to a template which can be
manipulated.
Listed
below are all the functions of the program. The program is similar to using a Microsoft word program,
with many added features. The main
buttons are verbalized.
To
begin, the user must pick an area from below.
1.
Blank page
2. Greeting
card
3.
Project ideas:
(the projects come with a template to work with)- award certificate, award
ribbons, business cards, flyer/permission slip/ field trip, flyer: (lost pet,
public service etc), business letterhead, adventure newsletter, club
newsletter, neighborhood newsletter, school newsletter, science fiction
newsletter, tabloid gossip, personal notebook, paper petition, poster for a
ball game, beware of dog sign, garage sale sign
4.Banners
5.
Writing ideas (these
ideas give a written tutorial about the genre and a template to work with)- edit a story, change
point of view, make it rhyme, create silly poem, spice up a story, translate
this, a writing puzzle, write a dialog, write an editorial, write a fairy tale,
write an interview, write a journal, letter of apology, letter of thanks, meet
the authors, obituary, report, script for a: play, radio show, sportscast, TV
commercial, short story, brainstorm sloppy copies, write song, speech,
adventure, cliffhanger story, fantasy, mystery, science fiction story, tall
tale
Blank,
Power users- using page links, Power users- using internet links, Power users-
adding HTML tags, Power users- using word wray, Sample A story web, Sample
story web, Sample fun web links, Sample nature quiz, Sample explore the Amazon
After
picking an area or activity, these are the options to change the activities:
Letters-change the way they
look
Letter
size, style, color, background color
page
alignment
line
spacing
special
word effects (sparkle, shimmer, blink, fade)
quick
styles (big first letter, number list)
Page-tools that change the
way the page looks
Start
new page
Tall
or wide
Pages
numbers
Margins
Columns
View
(zoom in or out)
Spell
checker
Picture-tools for adding
pictures to your writing
Picture
picker
Border
picker
Texture picker (background)
Paint-
draw or change a picture
Word
art-changes words that have different shapes, patterns and shadows
Wrap
around pictures-loosely or tightly, place picture on every page
Personal
note: I really enjoyed this
software, there seemed like endless ways this software could be used in
writing, projects and presentations.
This software could be used with 6- to adults, but after seeing
Kidspiration (see Kidspiration evaluation) I think it would be better for upper
elementary. The graphics and clip
art isn’t as nearly as impressive as Kidspiration and the writing ideas seemed
to be maybe 2nd or 3rd grade on up.
Inspiration
software
Perspective: linguistic, psycholinguistic, cognitive
psychology, sociolinguistic
Stance: transformational,
aesthetic
Aspects
of literacy:
graphophonemic, semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, affective, automaticity
Type: tool, problem based
Price: k12software.com $65.00
academicsuperstore.com $55.95
“Students build graphic
organizers by combining pictures, text and spoken words to represent thoughts
and information,” states the Inspiration web site. Students are able to think, write, and comprehend using
webbing, visual maps and learning diagrams. There are so many features and possibilities of this program
that I can’t list them all.
Starting
page options:
1.Picture-the student begins with
a circle in the middle of the page for a main idea. The student can choose from these options: go to
writing (see below), add symbol, link symbols, super grouper (put graphic over
text to show relationship), clear, undo, listen (the computer will verbalize a
the text the student has written), student name, symbol maker (opens a paint
program to make your own symbol or graphic. When in the picture mode there are
graphics (from animals and plants to foods, to shapes) down the right side of
the screen, which may be inserted into a project by clicking and dragging.
2. Writing-the screen shows a writing page, the first line is for the main idea. The writing page and the picture page are connected. When the student writes on the writing page, they can then click on the picture button and their writing turns to a map or web picture, this happens in reverse too, the web picture can be clicked into the writing page. When in the writing mode, these are the following options: go to picture, go left, go right, clear, undo, listen (the computer will verbalize a the text the student has written), student name, put project onto a word document.
The
following options are available during both the writing and picture mode:
Tool
bar at the top of the screen: file, edit, goodies (background color, lined
paper color, spell check), sound (record, erase, voice), teacher and help. The teacher menu has many options in
which the teacher can disable functions, add activities etc (the teacher
functions seem a bit complicated, I’m not quite sure of all the things the
teacher could do)
Tools
at the bottom of the screen: font, font size, font color, B, I , U, alignment, line
width, picture with the text
turned on or off, and background color of super groupers.
3.
Open a saved file
4.
Activities-When
choosing an activity, students are given a template and directions of how to do
their activity. Some are very
simple such as moving pictures that start with the letter S to the screen;
others are more complicated such as using a Venn diagram to compare cultures.
The activities can be manipulated to fit the unit of study. Listed below are
the options in the activities section. The specific writing activities have a
(W) next to them, otherwise the activity is more of a graphic organizer.
Reading and Writing: adjectives, all about
me, character web, journal, letter, parts of speech, persuasive essay, snake with
an S, real or make believe, story of my life, story web, tell a story, thinking
about poetry, verb forms, vocabulary words
Social Studies: a time in the past,
citizenship, community comparison, community services (W-writing activity as
opposed to a graphic organizer), culture comparison, effect of an event, goods
and services, historical event, holidays, neighborhood map, now and long ago,
rules rule, signs, state report, wants and needs
Science: animal classification,
animal concept map, balanced meal, cause and effect, clouds, experiment (W),
explore with senses, food web, habitats, measurement tools, recoding
observations (W), seasons, simple cycles, simple machines, this weeks weather.
Math: alike and different,
alternative solutions, building rectangles, caterpillar subtraction,
estimation, factor maker, fraction action, fraction and decimals, making
change, making sets, math puzzles, patterns, rectangles and triangles, shapes,
tens and ones.
More: cause and effect, chain of events, classifying
ideas, comparison, concept map, fact or opinion, five facts, get ready
(dressing children for the weather), KWL, responding to questions, supporting
details, the question wheel, Venn diagram, webbing, writing directions.
Personal
note: I was able to download this
program through Kidspriation for a thirty-day trial. I was very impressed with everything this program could
do. I especially liked the way the
computer would verbalize what the students had written. Inspiration is the
partner to Kidspiration and it is focused on grades 6-adult. Inspiration is
also available for a thirty-day free trail.
Perspective: semiotic,
sociolinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspects
of Literacy:
pragmatic, affective, semantic
Type: tool
Ages: 6 on up
Price: $5.95 Smart-eStore.com
Of
all the programs reviewed, Kid Pix Deluxe has the most features for a making a
presentation. There are so many
things you can do, that I couldn’t describe them all. I tried to give you most of the main features so that you
would be able understand the program and its uses to see if it fits your
classroom needs. Also this is the
only program I reviewed with a Spanish mode.
Main
Page- 6
main options described below, plus top tool bar at the top
File: open, quit
Goodies: small kids mode (I wasn’t sure what this
option was all about), turn tool sounds off/on
1. Wacky TV-choose a movie to watch (short 20 minute moving graphics), after you pick a movie, you can stop, play, pause, rewind, sound off/on and use the mixer (adds special effects to the movie)
2.
Paint a picture
File: new, open a picture, import graphic, save
a picture, export a graphic, print, printer setup, return to picker
Edit:
undo, cut, copy, paste
Toolbox: edit a stamp, alphabet text, turn tool
sound off, switch to Spanish, paint text to background
Goodies: pick a stamp set, pick a hidden
picture, pick a draw me (gives an verbal and text description and the student
draws it), pick a color me (coloring book), pick more pictures, pick a movie,
play movie, record sound, play sound
Speech: read text aloud (reads what you wrote),
pick a voice, how to pronounce
Side tool bar: pencil, line, square, circle,
paint brush, paint can, mixer, eraser, Large A (stamps letters), typewriter
(type text), stamp (stamp pictures), truck (moves pieces of picture around),
eye dropper (couldn’t figure out what this did), face (oops button). Each time you click on a button
from the side tool bar, a tool bar opens at the bottom of the screen, which
allows for more options when using the chosen side bar feature. For example when choosing the pencil-
the bottom choices are line width.
3.
Slide show-
make a show with pictures and movies
File: new, open slide show, save slide show,
save *.avl, save as stand alone, return to picker
Edit:
undo, cut, copy, paste
Goodies: play once, play looped, clean up, turn
tool sound off, background color, turn manual advance on (?)
The screen shows 9 delivery type trucks and on
the side of each truck there is a space for your slide. Below the space for the slide, you have
the options to pick a picture, pick a sound and pick a transition (how each
slide is transitioned to the next.)
4.
Moopies-use
the wacky brush to make a moving picture
File: new, open moopi, save a moopi, import graphic, save for slide show, save as a stand alone, return to picker
Edit: undo, cut, copy, paste
Toolbox: edit a stamp, turn tool sound off
Goodies:
pick a stamp set, pick a background, pick a sound, stop sound
Side tool bar: same as in paint a picture except
the paint brush, mixer, A large, and stamps all create moving graphics.
5.
Stampimater-
drag stamps across the screen and they’ll keep moving
File: new, open a stampimation, save a
stampimation, import graphic, save for slide show, save as stand alone, return
to picker
Edit: undo, cut, copy, paste
Toolbox: edit a stamp, turn tool sound off
Goodies:
pick a stamp set, pick a background, pick a sound, stop sound
Side tool bar: same as in paint a picture except
when you pick a stamp, there are many options to make it move.
6. Digital Puppets: make the puppet move by typing on the
keypboard
File: new, open a puppet, save a puppet, import
graphic, save for slide show, save as stand alone, return to picker
Goodies: pick a puppet, pick background, pick
sound, stop sound
The puppets are graphics of people, animals and
aliens. When you type on the key board, the puppet moves (like the mouth
opening and closing). You can
record the movements and play them back.
Personal note: This program had great features for making a presentation, it was really fun to play around to see what it could do, I think students would have fun too. I do wish though that it had a help or tutorial program or a verbal statement about each button before I clicked on that particular button. It also used some more advanced saving and opening techniques, which might be a bit confusing at first.
ARKOSE Software, Inc.
Perspective: Sociolinguistic
Stance: neutrality, and aesthetic
Aspect: affective
Type: Tool based
Age: 1st Grade and up
Welcome
& Introduction
Welcome
to the Creativity Workshop™. This is the place for children to have
fun while building critical literacy and computer skills. In the Creativity
Workshop, youngsters can improve their reading, writing, and computer abilities
as they let their natural creativity run free.
What
Can I do in the Creativity Workshop?
The
various activities in the Creativity Workshop are suited to children of
different ages and skill levels. Use Parent Setup to select
which activities will be available for each child. The activities include:
ABC
Book
•This activity helps younger children learn the alphabet by associating letters
with words and pictures.
Me!
By Me!
•This activity allows children to write a simple book about themselves. They
answer questions about themselves and illustrate the book with fun pictures. An
advanced book for older children stretches their creativity and writing skills.
Sign
Studio
•This activity lets children create signs and posters to hang around the house.
Card
Maker
•With this activity, children can make cards for family and friends.
Calendar
Maker
•Children can illustrate monthly calendars using this activity.
Letters,
Etc.
•This activity provides a simple word processor that children can use for many
writing activities. They can use templates to help them write letters, book
reports, and a journal, or they can use a blank page for complete creative
freedom.
Address
Book
•This activity gives children a simple resource to help them contact emergency
services as well as keep track of friends and family.
Chapter
3: ABC Book
Let's
make an ABC Book!
Look
at the sentence that came up. It is full of A words.
1.
Click
the Stamps button.
1.
Click
the top button to look at the Letters category of stamps.
The
stamps you see are all things that begin with the letter A.
1.
Click
the airplane stamp to choose it.
The
stamp will move around on your page as you move the mouse.
1.
Click
the size monsters until the stamp is the size you want, then click on your page
to place the stamp.
Now
let's draw an "A" thing of our own.
1.
Click
the Drawing Tools button.
1.
Click
the red dab of paint, then click the pencil.
2.
Click
the Smaller monster to draw a thinner line.
3.
Use
the pencil to draw an apple shape.
HINT:
If you make a mistake, use the eraser. Be careful not to erase the stamp!
1.
Click
the red dab of paint, then click the paint can.
2.
Click
inside the apple shape you made.
Now
you have a nice, red apple!
1.
Click
the Next Page arrow to turn the page.
2.
Make
B, C, and D pages like the A page you just finished.
3.
Click
the Read button to have your computer read your book to you.
Now
have fun finishing your ABC Book! When you're finished,
1.
Click
the Print button to print your book.
Notes
for Grownups
The
ABC Book familiarizes children with the alphabet by associating pictures and
words with letters. In this activity, the child creates a book with one letter
per page. The child illustrates each page with pictures associated with the
letter. The child can print the book when it is complete.
Chapter
4: Me! By Me!
Let's
make a book all about you!
1.
While
you're in the workshop, click the big locked book to start the book about you.
2.
Click
on the Written by line, then type your name.
2.
Click
the Next Page arrow to turn the page.
3.
Click
on the My name is line, then type your name.
4.
Click
the Stamps button.
2.
Use
the Heads, Hair, and Faces stamps to create a picture of
yourself.
or
2.
Click
the Next Page arrow to turn the page.
3.
Use
stamps or drawing tools to draw pictures of your family.
HINT:
You can press CTRL+V to paste any bitmap (*.BMP) image from
the Clipboard into your book.
2.
Use
the text tools to type the names of your family members, then turn the page.
Fill
in the blanks and make pictures on each page. You can make pictures of your
house, your favorite foods, your hobbies, and more. You can make the pages
silly or serious. Soon you will have a whole book all about you!
2.
Click
the Print button to print your book.
Notes
for Grownups Regarding Me! By Me!
The
Me! By Me! book allows children to write a book about themselves while learning
about words and word processing. This activity has two levels. Use Parent
Setup to choose the appropriate level for each child. Me! By Me! has
two different levels of interaction that change based on the age of the child
using Creativity Workshop. Level 1 of the Me! By Me! book contains several
pre-defined pages. On each page, a question or uncompleted statement about the
child (physical appearance, favorite food, and so on) will guide the child in
creating the book. Children can continue to fill blank pages after completing
the pre-defined pages. Children can also skip pre-defined pages.
When
at least four of the pre-defined pages are complete, the child can print the
book. Skipped pages will not print. Older children who use the Level 2 version
of Me! By Me! will have the opportunity to write more. For example, they will
be asked to describe what they like about their best friend.
You
should be prepared to guide your child when he or she experiences a first case
of "writer's block." When a child says "I don't know what to
write," have them finish the following statement verbally: "Well,
what I really mean to say is..." Then have the child type what he or she
said. Tips on Printers and Page Layout
You
can change the page layout from portrait to landscape from the Printer settings
(Start > Settings > Printers > Properties), and the
Creativity Workshop will change the orientation of the full-page activities
(Writing Activities, Calendars, Signs) and scale graphics to match.
Tips
on Pasting Bitmap (BMP) Images into Documents
You
can put a graphic in a Creativity Workshop document as long as it is in BMP
format or can be saved to a BMP format (many graphics packages, Arkose Works,
Corel Draw, and Corel Presentations will save files in BMP format.). This could
be a picture of Mom or Dad, a NASA image of the solar system from the NASA
Internet site, or a graphic from any CD-ROM collection you have. If it's a BMP
image, just click on the filename in Explorer. If you like to play with
pictures, you can personalize e-mail to friends with your family photo or a
picture of yourself, or bring in images for school work such as science
reports.
Chapter
5: Card Maker
Let's
make an invitation to your birthday party!
2.
While
you're in the workshop, click the card to start your invitation.
2.
Click
the Stamps button.
3.
Click
the Borders button, then choose a border for your card.
4.
Click
the Covers button, then click the Down Arrow
until you can choose the "You're Invited" cover.
5.
Use
the size monsters to make the "You're Invited" stamp the size you
want, then click on the card to place the stamp.
4.
Click
the Next Page arrow to open the card.
5.
Click
the Text Tools button.
3.
Click
the Text Styles pad, then choose how you want the letters to
look.
4.
Click
the card where you want the words to be, then type:
Come
to my party!
HINT:
Click to put the cursor (that little blinking line) in the words you typed.
Then hold down the CTRL key and use the arrow keys to move the words around on
the card.
4.
Type
your name, address, and the time and date for your party.
HINT:
If you make a mistake, click the Undo button and start over.
2.
Click
the Drawing Tools button, click the Shapes
star, then click the Down arrow until you can choose the star
shape.
3.
Click
the Smaller monster to make the star smaller, then put a few
stars on your card.
4.
If
you want, use the stamps and drawing tools to decorate the inside of your card
even more.
5.
Click
the Print button to print your cards.
6.
Fold
your cards and send them to your friends!
Notes
for Grownups Regarding the Card Maker
Children
learn basic word processing skills in this activity by making cards for friends
and family. Children can choose from many pre-defined card templates (such as
"You're Invited," "Happy Birthday," and "I Love
You"). They can also design their own cards using stamps and drawing
tools. Tips on Placing Text in Graphics Activities
You
can add text to most of the activities, even if they're graphics-oriented, like
the Card Maker. Kids will enjoy writing poems or stories over a background in
the Card Maker or Sign Studio. Sometimes this requires a color printer to print
well, but often the background will be light enough that black text looks
great.
When
you click the Text tools button while in the Card, Sign, or Calendar
activities, adding text works differently than it does in the Writing
Activities. Each time you click the mouse to locate text in a different part of
the picture, you can create a separate piece of text. This gives you lots of
control over exactly where that text is located. You can create a poem in which
each stanza is in a different part of the screen, with different fonts and
color. Because each piece of text is separate, though, you have to spell check
each piece separately. And you can place two pieces of text so they overlap
each other.
Chapter
6: Sign Studio
Let's
make a sign to hang on your bedroom door!
3.
While
you're in the workshop, click the electric sign to start you sign.
1.
Click
the Stamps button, then click the Stop Sign
button.
2.
Click
the Down Arrow until you can choose the Do Not Disturb
sign.
3.
Click
the Text tools button.
1.
Click
the Text Styles pad, then choose how you want the letters to
look.
2.
Click
the sign just under the word "Disturb," then type Genius at
work! Please Knock!
3.
Click
the Center Text monster.
1.
Click
the Print button to print your sign.
Making
Pictures
You
can use Sign Studio to make pictures.
1.
While
at the Sign Studio activity desktop, click the Stamps button,
then click the Colored Background button.
2.
Choose
the Scary Castle background.
1.
Choose
some fantasy characters to put into the castle.
2.
Now
try using the drawing tools to draw your own dragon.
HINT:
You can use the Eyedropper to choose a color from something
already in the picture. When you click the eyedropper on something, the paint
can fills with that color. The pencil will be that color, too. You can also
choose a black and white background and color it yourself.
Notes
for Grownups Regarding Sign Studio
In
the Sign Studio, children can create signs and posters. This activity
encourages self-expression and communication, as well as letting children
decorate their homes and classrooms. There are many sign templates to choose
from. Children can also choose colored or black and white backgrounds.
Backgrounds can be decorated with stamps and drawing tools. Black and white
backgrounds can be colored with drawing tools or printed and colored with
crayons.
Tips
on Moving Blocks of Text Around the Page
In
the Sign, Card, and Calendar activities, you can easily place a block of text
right where you want it. This lets you combine text and graphics really well.
Place the I-beam cursor within the text block you want to move. Hold down the
Control key and use the arrow keys to move the text block around. You do have
to left-justify the text block for this to work; centered text and
right-justified text will stay where it is.
Chapter
7: Calendar Maker
Let's
make a calendar!
1.
While
you're in the workshop, click the calendar to start your calendar.
1.
Click
on the current month.
Is
there a holiday this month? Does anyone you know have a birthday this month?
Choose a special day for this month.
1.
Click
the Stamps button.
1.
Choose
a stamp to put on your special day.
2.
Click
the Smaller monster to make the stamp fit, then click on the
special day to place the stamp.
3.
Click
the Text Tools button, then type the name of the special
occasion--it might be My Birthday or Susan's Party.
4.
Use
the drawing tools and stamps to decorate your calendar.
5.
Click
the Print button to print your calendar.
Hint:
To place a fancy month stamp on your calendar, you'll need to cover up the
existing black-lettered month name on the calendar. To do this, choose the
drawing tools and click on the white-colored paint dab. Then color over the
black-lettered month name. This will allow you to stamp the fancy month name on
your calendar without the black-lettered name showing through.
Notes
for Grownups Regarding the Calendar Maker
This
activity not only provides a creative outlet for children, it can also help you
teach them about time. You can teach them to plan ahead and anticipate special
events with them. Making a calendar can be a regular, monthly activity you do
with your child.
Chapter
8: Letters, Etc.
Let's
do some writing! Writing can be a lot of fun, especially if you write to tell
someone else all about something.
1.
While
you're in the workshop, click the computer keyboard to start writing.
1.
Choose
the kind of writing you want to do.
The
Writing area of Creativity Workshop includes special forms
called "templates." (A template is a special document that already
has words in it to guide you in your writing.) There are templates for letters,
book reports, or journal entries. If you choose to use a template, click right
after the words on any line to write more on the topic of those words. You can
also erase the template words if you want to. If you choose Blank,
you will have a blank area where you can write whatever you want to.
Write
a Letter
Writing
a letter to someone can be very exciting. You can write to friends and family.
You can even write to famous people. You can tell them about things you like,
and things you don't like. They may even send you an answer! When you Choose Letters,
you will see several letter templates on a cork board.
1.
Choose
a letter template.
Note:
When you drag your mouse over each letter on the corkboard, Creativity Workshop
will announce out loud what type of letter each template is for.
1.
Hold
the mouse button down and drag over the recipient's name, then
type in the name of the person you're sending the letter to.
2.
Finish
your letter. You can select and type over any or all of the suggestions on the
template.
1.
When
you finish typing, click the Spelling Bee so he can check the
words you wrote.
IMPORTANT:
Although the Spelling Bee knows how to spell lots of words, he doesn't
recognize many people's names. Please be patient with him.
1.
If
you want, you can use stamps and drawing tools to decorate your letter.
2.
Click
the Read button to hear how your letter will sound.
3.
Click
the Print button to print your letter.
4.
Have
your parent or teacher help you mail your letter. Don't forget the postage!
Write
a Book Report
If
you go about it the right way, even homework can be fun. Use the Book Report
template to help you write a book report you can be proud of.
1.
Click
the Text Tools button.
2.
Type
your book report. You can select and type over any or all of the suggestions on
the template.
1.
If
you want to move a sentence to a different place, hold the mouse button down
and drag the pointer over the sentence.
2.
Click
the Scissors.
3.
Click
in your report where you want the sentence to be, then click the Glue.
4.
When
you finish typing, click the Spelling Bee so he can check the
words you wrote.
IMPORTANT:
Although the Spelling Bee knows how to spell lots of words, he doesn't
recognize many people's names. Please be patient with him.
1.
If
you want, you can use stamps and drawing tools to decorate your book report.
2.
Click
the Read button to hear how your report will sound.
3.
Click
the Print button to print your book report.
Tips
on Easy Ways to Find and Manage Documents
To
make it easier to find documents after you save them, try a few ways to give
each one a different first page. For reports, use a title with large type that
shows up on the corkboard. With letters or other documents, you might use a
stamp graphic or picture on the first page.
Tips
on Using Writing Activities Templates or Making Your Own
For
text documents like letters and homework reports, you might want to use one of
your past documents as a template the next time you create that same type of
document. That way, things like your name, your teacher's name and special
formatting are already done. If you do this, you just have to be careful to
change the titles, dates and other important things that are different. And
don't forget to use the Address Book so you only have to type in addresses
once! (The Copy and Paste buttons help you do this easily.) The new version of
your letter or book report will show up on the main corkboard.
Keep
a Journal
Keeping
a journal can be like writing a letter to yourself. When you write regularly in
your journal, you tell about how life is for you. You write things that you
want to remember. Reading your journal a year from now will be lots of fun!
When
you first come into the journal, today's date is at the top of the page.
1.
Click
the Text Tools button.
2.
Type
your journal entry.
3.
Click
the Help apple for suggestions on what to write about.
1.
When
you finish typing, click the Spelling Bee so he can check the
words you wrote.
IMPORTANT:
Although the Spelling Bee knows how to spell lots of words, he doesn't
recognize many people's names. Please be patient with him.
1.
If
you want, you can use stamps and drawing tools to decorate your journal entry.
2.
Click
the Read button to hear how your entry will sound.
3.
Click
the Print button to print your journal.
IMPORTANT:
The journal module only saves the most recent copy of your journal. Each time
you make changes and save them, the version you save becomes the current
version. There is no way to go back to an earlier version of your journal, so
be sure you want the changes you've made before you click save!
Writing
Other Things
By
choosing the Blank option, you can write about anything you
want. You can write a play, or a story, or even a report for school.
Of
course you can use stamps and drawing tools to illustrate and decorate your
writing. You can even paste in text that you have copied from somewhere else,
like an online site. Have your parent or teacher help you.
Notes
for Grownups Regarding Letters, etc.
This
word processor is designed to let your children explore the world of writing.
They will be able to learn all the basics of word processing, including
printing, saving, fonts, cutting, pasting, and so on.
Children
will almost certainly turn to you for guidance for the first time they face a
blank page. Be prepared with suggestions to help them into self-guided
creativity.
Children
love to write notes and letters to their friends and family. This activity will
help older children draft letters to many different people. Different letter
templates (such as concern, thanks, get well, and invitation) guide children in
the fundamentals of good communication.
Teaching
children to study and do homework is critical to their success in life. This
activity can help them enjoy their school work.
Older
children will enjoy writing in the journal about significant events in their
lives. Be sure to help your child think of things to write about. Keep in mind
that the journal is a cumulative document and only the most recent version is
saved. In other words, it is designed so that children can keep adding entries,
and all the entries stay in one document. Children can make changes in what
they're written previously, but once they have saved those changes, there is no
way to go back to an earlier version of the journal.
Chapter
9: Address Book
Let's
make your very own Address Book!
1.
While
you're in the workshop, click the rotary address file to start your address
book.
1.
Click
the Add a New Card button.
2.
Type
your name, address, and phone number on the card.
3.
Use
stamps to decorate the card.
4.
Click
the Add a New Card button again, then type your best friend's
name, address and phone number.
5.
Add
cards for other important people, like parents, grandparents, teachers,
doctors, and so forth.
Using
Address Book as Your Communications Center
You
can use the Address Book to send electronic mail (e-mail) to people.
Click
the Add a New Card button.
1.
In
the E-Mail field, type the E-Mail address of the person you
want to add.
Sending
E-Mail
You
can send cards, letters, signs, or anything you make with the Creativity
Workshop to someone via e-mail.
1.
When
you finish your project, click the Address Book button.
2.
Use
the Previous Card and Next Card arrows to find
the card you want.
3.
Click
the E-Mail button.
1.
Have
your parent or teacher show you how to use the e-mail program on your computer.
The
message will already be addressed to the person on your card, and your project
will be attached to the message.
HINT:
If you type fax:number in the E-Mail field of
the address card, then click the E-Mail button, you can send
your work via fax.
Notes
for Grownups Regarding the Address Book
This
valuable resource helps your children keep track of friends and family, as well
as services they may need. Adding information to the address book will
encourage thought and develop organizational skills in the child. Help your
children fill the Address Book.
The
Address Book can be helpful tool when teaching children how to deal with
emergencies. Create cards for Emergency 911 and Poison Control as you instruct
your children.
Children
can also use the Address Book when they write letters. Faxing from the
Creativity WorkshopUsing the Windows 95 fax services requires that you
have installed software called a 32-bit MAPI server. You will also need to have
a modem. Microsoft Exchange is the most common MAPI server used in the home
environment. You may already have this installed, especially if you subscribe
to the Microsoft Network online service. See your Windows 95 documentation for
more information.
Chapter
10: Bonus Activities
Have
you found the bonus games and stories yet? You need to click on all the things
in the Creativity Workshop to find them.
There
is a story about a dog who brings home an unusual bone. Watch out! There is
also a story about some funny bugs. Click on the pictures in the stories to see
some fun animation.
You
can also play a typing game.
1.
When
you first go into the game, choose a face to represent you.
In
the jungle you will meet a monster. He does not want you to learn how to type!
1.
When
you see a letter or number, quickly type it on the keyboard.
When
you type the right letter or number, you will get a point. See your score by
your picture? Look how disappointed that monster is!
But
if you take too long, or type the wrong thing, the monster gets a point and
looks very happy.
If
you can get 20 points, you win!
Notes
for Grownups Regarding the Bonus Activities
The
bonus actibities promote development of two critical skills, reading and
keyboarding. The keyboard skills game is a good way to help young children
become familiar with the location of letters and numerals on the keyboard. The
two stories, with their interactive animation, can help develop a love of
reading. Secret Hot Spots Revealed
We
didn't want to spoil the magic of letting you discover things for yourself, but
here are a couple of really neat hot spots you'll want to know about,
especially for preschoolers who are just learning to use the computer.
·
Ladybug
on spine of book: "Bugs" interactive storybook
·
Bone
on spine of book: "Bones" interactive storybook
·
Purple
"Monster" bookend: keyboard activity which helps kids learn where
keys are on the keyboard
5. Amazing Writing Machine
Stance: Transformational
Aspect: Semantic, Pragmatic, and Syntactic
Type: Tool based and Tutorial
Age: 1st
grade-12th grade (I
feel that this could be used all the way up into high school)
Price: $15.99
The
Amazing Writing Machine is a wonderful creative writing and drawing
experience. It has a variety of
writing forms to choose from.
There are 4 different essays, 4 different letters, 10 different stories,
16 different poems, and 4 different journal entries. Children can create in their own words or pick from
different styles that they can fill in certain key places with words, or
phrases. The children can decorate
with pictures, borders, etc. They
can print only the finished product and they have the option to: check
spelling, use the info saurus, address book, swamp stamps, alphabet texts, tool
sounds, and noisy typing. These
choices are written in childlike manner.
The neat thing about this is that the main menu is a picture of a
machine with blinking lights and sounds.
It is very neat and totally eye catching.
Broderbund
Software
Perspective: cognitive psychology, sociolinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspects
of literacy:
pragmatic, affective
Type: problem based, some
tutorial, tool
Ages: 5-10
Price: $14.95
smartkidssoftware.com
Draw
a story is a unique program, which allows students to interact with a story by
adding their own drawn pictures, which actually appear in the story. They can also create their own story by
adding pictures and words. The program is set in Jamaica and is narrated or
directed by an 8-year-old girl name Orly.
Through out the program Orly gives directions and makes funny
comments.
The
main screen gives you the following options
1.
Menu-with
these options: quit, delete story, print, sound control, go back and credits
2.
Learn-students
are given a step-by-step interactive tutorial on how to use the draw/doodle
function of this program.
3
Play-
the students may pick from 4 stories to interact with (The Strange Princess,
Lancelot: Bug Eater, The Ugly Troll People and One Big Wish) or they may create
their own story or play on the doodle pad. When the student chooses a story,
Orly then tells the story and at certain parts the student is directed to draw
something, which then appears in the story when Orly tells the next part of the
story. When the story is finished,
the students can give the story a new title, change the pictures if wanted and
then watch the finished story with no interruptions.
When the student chooses to create their own story (the screen is set up like a book), they pick a background scene, add a picture or make their own, pick a sound, and then add words on the adjacent page. The student can then turn the page and continue with their story.
4.
Junkyard-All
the save stories and pictures are located here.
Personal
note: This is my favorite program
that I reviewed. It is unique and
I like the way the user could interact with the story by adding their own
pictures. My five year old loved
this program too and could easily navigate through it.
Perspective: sociolinguistic
Stance: neutrality, aesthetic
Aspects
of literacy:
affective
Type: tool based
Ages: 8 on up
Price: $10.00 cdromhouse.com
This
is a colorful program focusing on making artsy type projects from a template.
Most directions are verbalized.
The
opening screen gives the following options:
New, open, go online,
tutorial
and exit.
When
new is selected the student goes to:
Step
1-pick
a project from the following: greeting card, envelopes, stationary, stickers,
photo pages, certificates, invitations, post cards, card boxes, note paper,
note cards, signs, book marks, pencil wrappers, postalletts (?), wrapping
paper, Avery projects.
Step
2
Create a design or pick from one of their templates (i.e. greeting
card-birthday card)
Step
3 Graphics-add
backgrounds, characters, cool sayings, extra stuff, holiday pictures and flip,
rotate and crop these graphics.
Step
4 Text-add
or change text, add Lisa Lingo (awesombilities, checksellent etc), spell check,
change font, color, size, B, I, U and alignment
Add
effects to the text: shape, shadow, gradient fill and shape, pattern fill,
color fill, text color, outline color, width color.
At
the top of the screen there is a tool bar with the following options:
File Edit View
Graphics Text Effects Address Book
Help
Personal
note: Lisa Franks has a line
of toys or stationary or something like that, she also has an on-line site, but
I didn’t explore it except to open it up.
All of her graphics are very girlish. The user must have some knowledge
of how to use the top of the screen tool bar functions to create projects. I’m
not sure of the value of this program in a classroom when there are so many
other paint type programs with more options.
Perspective:
psycholinguistic
and cognitive psychology
Stance: utilitarian
Aspects
of Literacy:
semantic, syntactic, pragmatic, affective, (it’s fun to play)
Type: drill and practice,
problem solving
Ages: 9-12
Price: 5dollarsoftware.com $5.00
In this game, the player must move through out a house of a mad scientist collecting clues to trying and figure out what the scientist did with 6 citizens from the town. To collect the clues, the students must play games in which a number of skills are practiced. The clues are then put together to figure out what happened to the citizens. Through out the game there are a number of additional reading opportunities about the different characters.
The
main screen gives you the following options:
1.
Play
(see explanation below)
2.
Sticker maker
(use a paint type program to make printable stickers (not sure what it had to
do with the whole reading blaster program)).
3.
Activity Books
(Lydia the ghost’s diary- extended reading)
4.
Exit
5.
Reading Tips
(see explanation below)
6.
Demo-
Math Blaster
1. Mystery mode or explore mode (the mystery mode allows the player to collect clues after playing each game, while in the explore mode, the player doesn’t collect clues after playing the word games)
2.
Sign in
3.
Choose new or saved game
4.
Pick level for a new game
The
following is a list of the skills that the students practice while playing in
the mystery mode. There is a help mode if a student doesn’t understand the game
or the skill.
Kitchen: drawing conclusions,
reading for detail, comprehension
Graveyard: visual memory,
figurative speech, sentence construction
Sentence
Spinner:
parts of speech, sentence construction, sentence completion
Catacombs: synonyms and antonyms
Word
Ladder:
analogies, multiple word meaning and definitions
Fortune
Cookie/Message in a bottle: main idea
Sequencing: logical reasoning,
problem solving
Hidden
clues:
reading for detail, deductive reasoning, extracting key information, and
inferences
Misc: reading for
entertainment, reading for information
Reading
Comprehension:
verbal strategies and critical thinking
Reading
Tips: This section gives a number of ideas to
parent or teacher of how to work with their child while playing the game
(questions to ask etc.). They then
give a number of activities that a parent or teacher could do with a child
while not playing the game to reinforce the skills learned in the game. There is also a reading list of books
for students in grades 3-7 and a list of books for parents.
Personal note: I loved this game; it was definitely challenging, but it was also fun. The game would take several hours- plus to complete the whole challenge.
Broderbund
Perspective: psycholinguistic and
cognitive psychology
Aspects
of Literacy:
semantic and syntactic
Type: drill and practice,
problem based
Ages: 8 to 12?
Price: $5.00
5dollarsoftware.com
This program is similar to Reading Blaster. The user must navigate through different villain hideouts collecting passwords. To collect a password, the user must play a grammar type word game (see description below). After they have collected all the passwords, then the student can collect a key to free an agent. The freed agent will give you clues to help you find the next passwords and keys. Once all the agents are freed you can go to the master Babble-On panel to save the world from the Babble-On laser by putting a sentence together using all the clues from the agents.
1.
Log-in
or select from list
2.
Main screen
Options
Training
simulator:
allow the user to practice all the word games
Progress: shows students
progress in a % plus shows problem words
Login
new detective
About
Carmen
Quit
Transport: The user must select a
hideout to investigate and then click launch to take them to the hideout. In each hideout there are 2 word games
to play to collect passwords.
E-mail: gives written and
verbal directions regarding the mission
Word
games or what they call them device panels.
In each word game there are several options, they include, level,
dictionary (in case you want a definition), rules, reset (resets the current
activity so you can start over), undo and lesson number. The user must play the game several
times before the computer gives them a password.
Fusion
Chamber:
The user is given a part of a word and they must click on the definition. Then another part of the word is shown
and the user must click on that definition. The parts are put together to create a new word and the user
must pick the new definition. Works with base words, suffix and prefixes.
Spellanyzer: The computer verbalizes a word and
shows a sentence with a missing word.
The player must type in the missing word. When using the spellanyzer, the player has the option
of using a custom spelling list.
Code
Breaker: This section is like a seek and find
only with depth. When a word from
the list is found the tiles that the letters are on disappear and there may be
another tile underneath to use for another word. There are two ways of playing this game depending on your
level and lesson, 1.as a searcher for given words and 2.as a builder of new
words.
Micropix: The student is given a story and words
of different parts of speech are left out (noun, verb, adj. Etc.). The player must pick from a list, a
word which will fit in the
sentence.
Power
Pack: The student must put a list of words in
alphabetically order.
Special
options:
Teachers may log in to the program and create customized spelling lists and
edit the player roster.
Personal note: I really like the fact that you can create your own customized spelling lists. The graphics and story are entertaining. The program wasn’t as challenging as Reading Blaster 9-12.
Knowledge
Adventure
Perspective: Psycholinguistic- helps to understand
the reading process; children’s efforts become generative instead of negative.
Stance: Utilitarian
Aspect: Metacognitive
Type: Problem-Solving
Age: 4-6
Price: $9.99
This
software has different games that involve reading. There is the Clamshell Scramble where children have to put
the letters in the correct order to spell the word that was called out. The Sanddollar matching is matching the
letters to the correct sound that it makes. It is sort of like a memory game, where the sound is heard
and then the child picks a card that flips to see if it is the right letter
that matches that sound. The
Letter Dive is where the children find the upper and lower case letters in a
stated order. The Seahorse Race is
where the children click on the correct shapes that match speed the seahorse up
so that they can win the race. The
Hidden Picture is where they match the correct groups, like vegetables, toys,
pets, clothing, things that you see in a city, etc.
There
is a Treasure Room that has the name of the child printed at the top. This part
allows the child to print flash cards.
There is a message board where they can make cards, signs, pictures,
etc. A star chart also shows how
many stars that the child has earned.
The stars show that they have mastered that reading game on that level. It is also printable. There is an option to color the hidden
pictures that they have found. A
story corner that can be read silently by the child, or the computer can read
it to them. The story corner can
also be printed. There is B-mail,
and this is where the child can write a letter to the characters in the
game. The letter has been started
for them, but there are missing words.
They can click the blanks to choose from the word choices. After 5 stars are earned then the
treasure hunt begins.
Edmark
Perspective: linguistic and
psycholinguistic
Stance: Utilitarian
Aspects: graphophonemic,
semantic, syntactic
Type: drill and practice,
tutorial and problem based
Ages: 2-5
Price: $2.95 Half.com (no I’m
not kidding it was $2.95)
The
main screen shows a picture of Bailey the cat sitting in a chair reading a
book. The student can pick from several different activities. Each activity is represented by an
object in the room. The student
clicks on the object to do the activity.
Listed below are the objects/activities the student can choose. Within each activity there are a couple
of different options. Any verbal
directions can be repeated by clicking on the red circle next to the text. Text is highlighted as it is verbalized.
1.
Clock
(rhyming) The computer says a sentence and the student must click on the word
that rhymes to fit the sentence.
Words chosen are represented by a graphic picture and text.
Option:
The computer says a sentence and then asks the student to find a word that
rhymes with ________.
2.
Potato Head looking person (vocabulary and adjectives)- The student is told to make a
friend. There is a picture of a
potato head and the child clicks on different words to change the potato
head. For example: straight, curly
or big arms. As the student clicks
the options, the picture changes to represent what they have chosen. The student can change arms, eyes, legs
and mouth.
Option: The computer verbalizes a sentence
describing the potato head. For
example “My friend has orange arms”.
The student must the click on the correct describing word from a
list. In the example they would
click orange.
3.
Letter carnival
(rhyming, beginning sounds and ending sounds). The first screen shows a number of different pictures (like
dog, bat etc.). When the student
clicks on the picture, the computer says the words and spells it, then says it
again sounding out each letter of the word.
Options: The rhyming coaster. There are 3 cars on a roller coaster, the first car has a word in it and the student must click on pictures that either rhymes with the first word or the other option is that has the first letter sound of the first word. Once a correct picture is chosen, the new word goes in the next roller coaster car. The student must pick another word to fill the last roller coaster car.
4.
Make a story: The computer verbalizes a sentence and
the student then clicks on a picture to finish the sentence. For example: This is a story about
________. The student then goes to
the next page and picks another option to the story. After the whole story is composed, Bailey the cat will read
the story back to the student. The
student can also print the story.
5. Clown and dog (prepositions): The student clicks on a word and the
clown then tells the dog what to do.
For example the clicked word is “behind.” The clown then says “Go behind
the dog house.” The dog will then
go behind the doghouse. The
student can pick whether or not the clown or the dog gives the directions.
Option: The computer verbalizes a sentence,
“The dog is behind the doghouse.”
The student must then click on the word “behind” from a list of words.
6.
Letter machine: The screen shows a picture of a
keyboard and computer screen. The
student clicks on any letters of the alphabet and the computer verbalizes the
letter, and shows a word that starts with that letter.
Option: The computer tells the student to find
the letter ____. The student must
click on the letter.
7.
Let’s make a kids card: The student
first picks a saying to go on their card.
The student can either pick from a list of sayings to go on the card or
they can fill in the blank of a saying, for example: Have a _____ Day. A ____for you. Come to ________. The students then pick a picture to go
on the card. Students click on an
arrow key to see the different pictures and when they find a picture they like,
they click on the picture and it is automatically stamped on the card. The students can print out the card.
12. Reading Basics Sesame Street
Encore
Perspective: linguistic, psycholinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspects of literacy: graphophonemic, semantic, syntactic
Type: drill and practice
Ages: 3-7
Price: $5.95 smart-e store.com
This
is a fun and easy to navigate reading program. The main screen gives the user 6 different books
(activities) to choose from. After
choosing a book, the student chooses a level. Listed below are the 6 different books to choose from.
History Mystery
The student makes three words from a word family by using
beginning letter sounds that match the picture.
To complete the words
1.When you
click on a letter, the cursor becomes that letter. Elmo names it and sounds it
out
2. Move the
letter to the correct spot to complete a word, and click.
3.When all
three words are complete, the great stone doors will open to a guest Muppet
reinforcing the word family
4. Rest your
cursor (or letter) over one of the three options and one of the Muppets will
identify it for you.
Easy Level: Make three two-letter word
families (e.g. sea, tea, pea).
Medium Level: Make three three-letter word families (e.g. cake, rake, lake).
Hard Level: Make three three-letter word families with at least one word in
each family that begins with a consonant blend (e.g. tr- for train, cl- for
clock).
Skills: Building word families, letter-sound recognition, consonant
blends, recognizing word-object relationships.
Super Grover
The student makes a word by connecting the initial letter sound
to its correct ending.
To complete the word
1. Listen to Grover's instructions.
2. Move the first part of the word (it will be your cursor) to the
correct word ending to complete the word that names the object to be rescued
3. When the correct word is completed, the item will be rescued
4. Hold the word-beginning next to the word-ending so that it
sparkles and Grover will sound-out both word parts together
Easy Level: Make a three-letter word
beginning with a consonant. Only the correct answer will form a real word and
the object will have a name tag to identify it.
Medium Level: Make a four-letter word beginning with a consonant. All of the
word endings make real words.
Hard Level: Make a word beginning with a consonant blend. Only the correct
answer will form a real word.
Skills: Word-building, letter recognition, word-object recognition,
consonant blends.
Beam Me
The student matches a letter and it’s sound to an object that
begins with that letter.
To select an object:
1.Observe the letter or consonant
blend as it is named and sounded-out
2.Click on the object or objects that match the given letter or
consonant blend 3.After the
correct objects are selected, the Martians will beam them home
4.Leave your cursor over any object that sparkles and the Muppets will
identify it
Easy Level: Collect one object beginning with
a given consonant. The answer pool consists of three objects.
Medium Level: Collect two objects beginning with a given consonant. The
answer pool consists of five objects.
Hard Level: Collect two objects beginning with a given consonant blend. The
answer pool consists of five objects.
Skills: Letter-sound recognition, consonant blends
Cooking With Cookie
The student must identify letters to create three-letter,
four-letter and five-letter words.
.
To create the word:
1. Observe and listen as the correct
word is revealed
2. Click on the letter you want to
choose from the pans on the wall, and the cursor becomes that letter
3. Move the letter to Cookie Monster
and click. (If the letter is correct, it will go into the mixing bowl
4. Give Cookie Monster all the
letters in order from left to right to create the word
5. When the word is complete, Cookie
Monster prepares the food
6. If you want help, click on Elmo
or Cookie Monster
7. If you give letters to Elmo, he
will identify them
8. To hear the food name again,
click on the menu item
Easy Level: The child must identify letters
to create three-letter words. There is a five-letter pool to choose from and
the word and picture are visible.
Medium Level: The child must identify letters to create four-letter words.
There is a six-letter pool to choose from and the word and picture are visible.
Hard Level: The child must identify letters to create five-letter words.
There is an eight letter pool to choose from and only the picture is visible.
Note: Elmo will ask for the letters by name, one at a time.
Skills: Letter recognition, introduction to spelling.
Zoetry Poetry
Students match words with objects that rhyme.
1. Listen to Zoe's rhyme
2. Click on the object sitting on the table that completes Zoe's
rhyme
3. When the correct object is chosen, Zoe will recite the complete
rhyme
4. Leave your cursor over any object that sparkles and Zoe will
identify it
5. If you want help, click on Zoe or Elmo
Easy Level: Zoe recites three rhyming words and the child must pick the
fourth from an answer pool of three objects.
Medium Level: Zoe recites a couplet and the child must pick the rhyming word
from an answer pool of four objects.
Hard Level: Zoe recites two couplets and the child must pick the rhyming
word, one at a time, picking from an answer pool of five objects.
Skills: Rhyming, word-object recognition
Elmo’s Wild Kingdom
Students pick the appropriate word to complete the sentence
1. Observe the sentence as it is read. (A sound effect will play in
place of the blank
2. Click on the word that completes the sentence
3. Move the word to the empty space in the sentence
and click
4. When the sentence is completed correctly, Elmo
will celebrate and turn the page
5. Click on the sentence or on Elmo to hear the sentence read again
6. Leave your cursor over any object that sparkles
and Elmo will identify it
Easy Level: The legend provides both pictures
and words of three choices.
Medium Level: The legend provides both pictures and words of four choices.
Hard Level: The legend provides three choices, each with a three letter
word but no picture.
Skills: Word-meaning connection, speech-print relationship, writing.
Personal note: My
preschoolers love this game because they love Sesame Street.
www.disneyinteractive.com/learning
Perspective: psycholinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: metacognitive
Type: problem-Solving, and drill and practice
Age: 5-8
Price: $10.99
The
Active Leveling Advantage Technology adjusts the game’s difficulty to suit your
student’s current level of ability, this way the student is always challenged
and never frustrated. There are
some goal-based activities that require a series of correct moves for the
student to advance your student to more difficult questions. These adjustments are made
automatically, without the student being aware that he or she has changed
difficulty. Voice recognition is
included, but you must install it first.
This new technology allows the student to answer challenging questions
by speaking into the microphone.
During the activities the mouse can be used at anytime. You can deactivate the voice
recognition anytime during play.
In
The Mountains there is Mickey’s Dragon Daycare and it include these skills:
Individual Letter Sounds, Matching Image to Phonetic Sounds, Categorizing,
Reading, Understanding Written Words, Consonant Blends, Vowel Diagraphs, and
Onsets & Rimes.
In
The Genie’s Riddles these skills are included: Reading, Understanding Meaning,
Exposure to Sight Words, Deductive Reasoning, Rhyme, Identification of
Pronunciation Errors, Homonyms, and Multiple Meaning Words.
In
The Forest there is Minnie’s Musical Meadow and these skills include: Rhyming,
Onsets & Rimes, Consonant Blends, Vowel Diagraphs, Letter Neighborhoods,
and Sounds.
In
Pete’s Phonics Quarry these skills are included: Word Building, Single Letter
Sounds, Onsets & Rimes, Medial Vowel Sounds, Consonant Blends, Diagraphs,
Letter Neighborhoods, and Correct Misspellings.
In
The Town there is Duckbill Printin’ Press and it includes these skills:
Sight-Reading, Multiple Pronunciations, Vowel Diagraphs, Consonant Blends,
Homonyms and Word Context.
In
Goofy’s Metalworks these skills are included: Word Structure, Letter
Recognition, Syllable Recognition, Single Letter Sounds, Onset & Rimes,
Rhyme, Consonant Blends, Vowel Diagraphs, and Divergent Reasoning.
This
software program includes the complex system of language, and has a wide range
of different activities aimed at achieving success in language topics such as
comprehension, word structure, and spelling.
14. Jump*Start Phonics
Knowledge Adventure
Perspective:
psycholinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: metacognitive
Type:
problem-Solving, and drill and practice
Age: 4-6
Price: $10.99
Welcome
to JumpStart Learning Games Phonics!
Why
Did the Bus Stop?
goes from educational video to interactive learning wonder in JumpStart
Learning Games Phonics. Hopsalot guides young learners through the JumpStart
world, driving a school bus equipped with a Look-and-Listen Window which allows
you to visit interesting places and play games. When you complete each game
you'll earn one clue that will help you figure out why the bus stopped. Earn 3
clues and you'll get the chance to answer the question, Why Did the Bus
Stop?
Ready to play?
Sign-In
To sign in on the Look and Listen Window, type your name and click on the Hopsalot button. If you've already signed in, click on your name. If you don't see your name, click on the ARROW buttons until it appears. Then click on it.
Print Out the Look and Listen Window
Hopsalot invites you to
print out the Look and Listen Window and 15 clues. That way, as you earn clues
by playing the games in JumpStart Learning Games Phonics, you can place the
clues on your own Look and Listen Window.
·
Click
on the PRINT button to print out the Look and Listen Window and all 15 clues.
·
Color
them in, ask an adult to help you cut them out, and you're ready to go.
·
Click
on the ARROW button to continue playing.
Main
Menu
Click
on any of these locations on the Main Menu to play a game:
·
Fire
House
·
Farmer
MacDonald's Barn
·
Train
Station Cuckoo Clock
·
Band
Stand
If
you've already visited a location and completed that game, you can revisit it,
but you won't earn any more clues at that location. No clues are found at the
Band Stand.
Bus
Button
Click on the BUS Button on any screen to view the Options Screen. The Options Screen allows you to access the following options:
·
Volume - Slide the BUS button
to control the volume.
·
Look-and-Listen
Window
- Click on the clues you've earned so far.
·
Levels -
·
Content: Click on a CONTENT
LEVEL number, 1, 2, or 3, to control the content level.
·
Gameplay: Click on a GAMEPLAY
LEVEL button, EASY, MEDIUM, or HARD, to control the gameplay level.
·
Credits - Click on the CREDITS
button to see the names of the people who worked on this product.
·
Exit - Click on the EXIT
button to exit the program.
·
Arrow - Click on the ARROW
button to return to the previous screen.
The
Games
All games feature sticky "click and move" cursors. During gameplay, if you need to hear a question repeated, click on the card displaying the target item. Click on the ARROW button in any game to return to the Main Menu.
The
Fire House
Help
train Firefighter CJ to get ready quickly when the Fire Alarm sounds!
·
An
object or word appears in the top right corner of the screen.
·
Press
the ARROW keys to move Firefighter CJ over objects or words in the Fire House,
which rhyme with the object or word in the top right corner of the screen.
·
Press
RETURN or ENTER key to select the rhyming object or word.
·
When
you've found enough rhyming objects or words on screen to complete a round
you'll earn one of these items: a firefighter's helmet, a coat, pants, and
boots!
·
When
you've completed all the games you can print them out and use them to dress up
cut-outs of Firefighter CJ and Firefighter Edison!
·
Dog
biscuits appear throughout the Fire House. Move Firefighter CJ over the dog
biscuits to pick them up.
·
When Pepper
the Dog blocks Firefighter CJ's way, press the SPACEBAR to throw him a dog
biscuit.
·
Click on
the ARROW button to return to the Main Menu.
Farmer
MacDonald's Barn
Rip
Rat needs to clean out the loft. Can you help him by catching the correct
objects?
·
An
object or word appears on Hattie Hen's card.
·
Using
your mouse, move the basket to catch only those falling objects whose names
begin or end with the same sound as the word or object on Hattie Hen's card,
according to her instructions.
·
Each
time you catch a correct object, an egg appears in the top left corner of the
screen. If you catch an incorrect object, one egg is removed. When you've
earned enough eggs to complete a round you'll earn a colorful Boo Boo Strip!
·
When
you've completed all the games you can print them out and wear them, just like
Boo Boo Bunny!
·
Click
on the ARROW button to return to the Main Menu.
Train
Station Cuckoo Clock
Tickle Cuckoos and learn
about vowel sounds at the same time!
·
A
letter, object or word appears on Aggy Astor's card and a feather sticks to
your cursor.
·
When
Cuckoos pop out of the Cuckoo Clock, tickle them with the feather if they
display a correct letter, object or word according to Aggy Astor's
instructions. Each time you tickle a correct Cuckoo, a little Cuckoo appears in
the top left corner of the screen. If you tickle an incorrect Cuckoo, a little
Cuckoo is removed.
·
When
you've earned enough Cuckoos to complete a round you'll earn one of these
items: a cuckoo, a clock face, a big hand, and a little hand.
·
When
you've completed all the games, you can print them out and make your very own
Cuckoo Clock (see instructions below)!
·
Click
on the ARROW button to return to the Main Menu.
Here's
what you need to assemble your Cuckoo Clock:
Here's
how to assemble your Cuckoo Clock:
That's
it! Your Cuckoo Clock is complete. Turn the Little Hand around to see the
things you and Cuckoo do at each hour of the day. Ask an adult to help you hang
your Cuckoo Clock on the wall.
Band
Stand Sing-Along
Join Hopsalot in the
Band Stand for a rip-roaring Phonics sing-along!
·
Just
click on the name of a song you'd like to sing:
·
Why
Did the Bus Stop?
·
Stop!
Look and Listen
·
Cuckoo
Cuckoo
·
Old
MacDonald Had a Farm
·
Where
is Pepper the Dog?
·
Then
sit back and enjoy a colorful music video. The words to the song will appear
and highlight as the song plays. Just read and sing along!
·
Click
on the ARROW button to return to the Main Menu.
Putting
the Bus Away
Playing with JumpStart Learning Games Phonics is busloads of fun, but every now and then you'll need to put the bus away. So what should you expect at the end of the line?
Why
Did the Bus Stop?
After
you've found three clues, Hopsalot asks you if you know why the bus stopped.
Four possible answers are shown. Click on what you think is the correct answer.
Your
Official Letter Learner's Certificate
After
you've completed all the activities in JumpStart Learning Games Phonics, Hopsalot
presents you with your very own Certificate of Completion.
·
Click
on the PRINT button to print it out.
·
Click
on the ARROW button to put it away.
Print-Out
Fun
Hopsalot
invites you to print out all the goodies you've earned while playing JumpStart
Learning Games Phonics.
·
Click
on the ARROW button to see the different sets of printables in the Print
Window.
·
Click
on the PRINT button to print out those, which are displayed in the Print
Window. Here's a suggestion: If you have sticker paper, why not try printing
out your goodies as stickers? Then you can cut them out and make great
decorations!
·
Click
on the EXIT button when you're through printing.
Perspective: sociolinguistic and cognitive
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: affective
Age: 4-6
Price: $7.99
This
software was really about games and activities that small children can play,
but I was looking through it anyway and there is a part of it that had cute
ideas for teachers and/or parents that they could do for science
activities. For instance: Bird
Feeders, A Mini Garden, Ocean in a Bottle, Fizzy Lemonade, Vegetable Stamps,
Nature Collage, Nature Window (making pictures with leaves), Water xylophone
and Musical matching, Animal sound bingo, How many? (How many of the printed
objects can you find in your house?), Guess who? (Charades with printout
cards), and Memory game of animals.
As a teacher you could incorporate different units or themes to some of
these activities. There are also
directions and printouts for these activities.
GT
Publishing
Perspective: sociolinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: affective
Type: tool based and tutorial
Age: preschool-kindergarten
Price: $5.99
This
software sings the whole song of “The Wheels on the Bus” and it includes
interactive pictures that the child can click on to see the action. There are games also: Musical Keyboard,
Sing Along (the child can sing alone or along with the music), and Musical
Concentration Level 1 or 2 (this is where a note is played or a few notes and
the child must play the same thing back-sort of like Simon with the lights).
I’ve
never really seen just musical software like this one before. I thought that it was really neat, and
younger children would enjoy it.
It is very happy and upbeat.
MECC
Perspective: linguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspects
of Literacy:
graphophonemic, syntactic, semantic
Type: drill and practice
Age: 6-10ish
Price: Amazon.com $4.25 new and used
Surpluscdrom.com $9.97
This
is a basic game in which the player must move a little green monster (by
clicking the mouse) to different squares on the a checkered board of 20
squares. On each square there is a
picture or word. The student must
make the monster eat the word or picture if it fits the stated criteria (eat
all the yellow objects, or eat all the action words etc.). The player may choose to play with or
without troggles. The troggles hop
around the board trying to eat the green monster. After playing the board game 3 times, the computer plays a
short animated story, before the student resumes play.
After
choosing to play with or without troggles the player may choose the grade level
and the grouping (i.e. Classification, grammar etc). The student also chooses whether or not the skill will be
presented randomly or in order.
Grade
1 or 2-
they work on the same groupings, but at different difficulties. The player chooses the grouping and the
computer chooses the skills.
Classification:
color, shapes design, classification
Grammar:
naming, action and describing words
Phonics:
initial and final consonants, vowels
Vocabulary:
rhyming
Grammar:
nouns, action verbs, adjectives, pronoun, adverbs
Phonics:
vowels
Vocabulary:
synonyms and antonyms
Challenge:
random picking of groupings
Grammar:
nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronoun, adverbs, prepositions, interjections
Phonics:
vowels
Vocabulary:
synonyms and antonyms
Challenge:
random picks of the different groupings
Personal
note: If your students need
practice on any of the above skills, this software is a great way to target
these skills.
Perspective: psycholinguistic
Stance: Utilitarian
Aspects
of Literacy:
graphophonemic, automaticity
Type: drill and practice,
problem based
Ages: 7 to 12
Price: kidsclick.com $12.95
Students
travel to 4 different planets in a hot air balloon, on each planet the student
plays a spelling game. All directions are verbalized.
The
first few screens offer the following choices in order.
1
or 2 players (when playing with 2 players, each players spells one word, then
the other player spells)
Name-new
or saved game
Level-1,
2 or 3
Choose
one of the following challenges:
Astro Adventure-choose route and stay
as long as you want
Incredible Space Challenge-earn game show points
Word Attack- After the computer verbalizes a word,
students click on the correct spelling of a series of 3 words coming at them on
the screen.
At
the bottom of the screen where you pick the challenges, there are 3 other
clicks they are: Personal progress-shows which words the student had trouble with
High
scores-
shows high scores
Word
groups-
for each level there is a series of word groups you may choose from if wanted,
other wise the computer chooses for you.
Some of the word groups work on a certain category i.e. A hairy spell
(bald, basin, bun, coffee, cut) or other word groups work on word patterns
like: cUE, dEW and rULE
The
Astro Adventure and Incredible Space Challenge travel to the same planets and
play the same games (see description below), the only difference is the Astro
Adventure lets you play at will, and the Space Challenge lets you earn game
show points.
These
are the planets you travel to after you have chosen Astro Adventure or
Incredible Space Challenge.
Planet
Aquatica-
After a word is verbalized, the student must pop bubbles containing letters to
spell the word. (level 1-sooner, mother, mole, teacher, fill)
Planet
Anagrama-
Words are scrambled and the student must unscramble them. (level 1 milk, mall,
twig)
Planet
Amphibia-
This is like a hangman game, the first letter is given and the students try to
guess the word by picking letters. (level 1-face, rock, block ant)
Planet
Arachna-
The computer verbalizes a word and the student must spell the word by picking
letters off a spider web. (level 1-bring, spell, hay, swim)
Personal
note: This is a great way to
practice spelling words. I was a
bit disappointed that you could not make your own word list.
19. Jump*Start Spelling
Knowledge
Adventure
Perspective: psycholinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: metacognitive
Age: 5-8
Price: $10.99
CJ
the frog is searching for the fossil remains of his long-lost ancestors in a
journey that takes him through dense jungles, over smoking volcanoes, and by
giant dinosaurs! When the roar of a ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex scares CJ and
separates him from his trusty friend Edison, a family of cold cave dwellers
captures the defenseless firefly -- and believe they have discovered fire! Can
CJ come to the rescue before Edison's bulb burns out? Not without your help!
Put your spelling
skills to the test as you guide CJ through ten levels of fun and adventure,
leading him closer and closer to his final encounter with prehistoric man!
Any time you sign in
with a new name, you will be prompted to select your grade level. This allows JumpStart
Spelling
to start you off with words and spelling challenges that will best suit your
educational experience. As you play, the program will automatically adjust your
level based on your ability.
Make
your grade selection and the game will begin.
How
Do You Play?
JumpStart Spelling puts
you in control of Perry, a perky pterodactyl. It’s Perry’s job to act as guide
to CJ as he travels. Use the mouse to fly Perry around the screen. CJ will do
his best to follow on foot. If CJ seems to get stuck, click to get him started
again.
Spelling
Obstacles
In order to proceed with
the quest, you must direct CJ around the screen and clear all the glowing stone
tablets.
·
Each
tablet contains a word with missing letters.
·
A
pterodactyl will fly by and drop letters. Use Perry to catch a letter by flying
him over it and clicking. If you catch a letter you don't want, just click to
release it.
·
To
place a letter in the word, guide Perry over the spot on the tablet where it
belongs and click to have him drop it into place.
·
If
you drop a wrong letter into a space it will crumble. You’ll have three chances
to correctly spell the word. After that, you’ll get a new word to spell.
·
When
the word is complete, CJ can continue his search!
Once
you’ve cleared all the tablets, a dinosaur will wave you in the right
direction. Guide CJ off the screen and enter the bonus round!
Timing
Obstacles
Every
screen contains an obstacle that requires a little extra game skill to get
across. For example, you may need to guide CJ across a swinging vine, or a
sporadic geyser. The way to get across these Jurassic hurdles is to correctly
time CJ's approach. If your timing is off and CJ doesn't make it through, just
try again.
Bonus
Round
A group of dinosaurs are
having trouble with their spelling and need your help.
·
CJ
will say a word, and each dinosaur will flip his or her signs to show a
possible choice of the word.
·
Click
on the dinosaur with the correct word.
There
are three questions total in the bonus round. The more you get right, the
bigger the bonus!
Scoring
There are all sorts of
ways to get points.
·
Complete
game screens.
·
Spell
words correctly.
·
Prove
your spelling skill to the dinosaurs!
After each round, your points will be totaled.
The Rescue!
Once you’ve completed
all 10 screens, your way lies clear for CJ to rescue Edison. Sit back and enjoy
the show!
Certificate
As a reward for rescuing
Edison, you will get a Certificate of Completion. If your computer has a
printer, you can print it out, along with a report showing you exactly what
words you know and what words you need to work on.
EdVenture
Perspective: semiotic and
linguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspects
of Literacy:
automaticity
Type: tutorial, drill and
practice
Ages: 8-adult
Price: $19.99 Amazon.com
This
program teaches and practices typing skills.
The
first screen asks for a new or saved name of player and the gender of the new
player.
Main
screen:
File: new, saved (roller)blader, delete blader, level
and event list
Options: music on/off, sound
on/off
Charts/stats: z-hall of fame, star
row, progress report, accuracy by keys and fingers, ergonomics screen
Instructions: rules
Choose level: 1 g,h
2 f,j
3 r,u
to level 20 which works on 5, 6
Choose event: Orange cones-works on accuracy
Cow
jumping-accuracy
Half
pipe-speed
Speed
blading- speed
Sidewalk
action-speed
After choosing the level and event, the computer gives a verbal tutorial and some practice on the new skills. The student is then moved to the event (orange cones, cow jumping etc). In each event the student must complete the task several times before the event is completed. After each task a report is given on words per minute, accuracy and how they did on the event (number of cows jumped etc.). At the end of the task, the student is given an average report for the event. After all the events for that level have been completed the student is given a progress report for that level.
Personal note: Seemed like a good way to teach typing but from some of the reviews I have read there are other typing programs out there that students may like better.
Great
Wave Software
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: metacognitive
Type: problem-solving, and drill and practice
Age: 2nd Grade
Price: $9.99
This
software includes number concepts-understanding what # 1,2,3,4, etc. stand
for. It has matching numbers with
the correct number of dots on numbered tiles. It has pictures of fingers with the correct numbers, and
then pictures with the correct numbers.
It
also includes sorting with tiles and dots, and tiles with pictures that go into
the correct basket. It also sorts
the correct number of fingers and objects in the correct basket. There is a scale that shows equality
between the same numbers and the same dots. The numbers do get higher and higher for the children, and
the software will also break down the tens and ones for them.
Knowledge
Adventure
Perspective: psycholinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: metacognitive
Type: problem-solving and drill and practice
Age: 4-6
Price: $5.95 e-smartstore or $12.95
surpluscdrom.com
This
software has two modes that it can be played in: Mission Mode and Free Play.
Mission
Mode has a mission that the child must complete and it will assign them to a
team. One assignment must be
completed before they can move onto the next mission. They can earn medals and award certificates, and there are 3
levels of difficulty on the mission, and each completed assignment is
automatically saved for them.
Free
Play is where the children can explore each planet on their own. They can select any activity and any
difficulty level. Progress
records, medals, and certificates are not available in the free play mode.
There
is an awards case that they can view their medals and certificates that they
have earned. The navigation map is
where it shows how far they are traveling in space.
The
ship tour is where the program activities are explained, and this is only done
in the Mission Mode for the first time user.
The
interstellar radio lets them hear a song.
The
Constellations is where they can count by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, or 10’s to connect the
planets.
The
Shape Circus they click on a shape to hear the shape’s definition, hear a
sound, or a joke. If they click on
the arrow they can hear a story poem about the shape circus.
The
Grow Worms is where they can click the head of the worm and drag it up and
down. As the worm is pulled up
more of his segments appear. If
they push him down his segments disappear. There is a worm on the right that shows the total of or
difference between the number of segments showing on the green and red
worms. There is an equation below
the worms that reflects the numbers of segments showing on each worm. Each worm as a maximum of 20
segments. If the child clicks the
bubble between the green and red worm to toggle between the plus and minus
signs.
The
Number line works by letting them click a number and then moving the cursor to
the right to add, and to the left to subtract. They can click again to select a number and the equation
that they created appears above the number line.
23. Math Blaster
Perspective: psycholinguistic
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: metacognitive
Type: problem-solving and drill and practice
Age: 6-9
Price: $9.99
Gelator,
the Brain Drainer, has oozed the planet Moldar and captured Blasternaut’s best
friend, Spot. Blasternaut, and
Galactic Commander need your help to defeat Gelator and rescue Spot.
As
each subject and subject level are mastered a passport can be updated with
mastery stamps. Really this is a
progress report for you. There is
a window that displays the date that the mission (task) was completed, along
with the percentage setting, the percentage that the child answered correctly,
and the file name of the data used.
For a child to master a subject area, he/she must answer 85% of the
equations correctly on their first try.
Mastery percentages can be raised for a greater challenge.
There
is a scoreboard that provides information on their progress, and the scoreboard
is printable. This program
includes math tips to help solve equations: a number line for addition and subtraction, and a math grid
for multiplication and division.
Tips are also available for fractions, decimals, percents, number
patterns, and estimation. To earn
energy for the bonus rounds, the child must find the missing value for each
equation. In one part of the game,
special contraptions must be used.
To activate them, the number that Blasternaut carries must fit between
the two numbers shown on each machine. To help power up the generator with energy crystals,
numbers and operation signs must be analyzed. The child must determine which numbers and operations can be
used together, and create as many correct equations in the Equation Window as
they can. The child can solve the
equations on the control panel by zapping the space objects with the correct
answers. They can earn an energy
unit with a correct answer; lose an energy unit with an incorrect answer. A low energy sound will play when
they’re down to their last three energy units. They can zap objects for bonus points. A list of the top 10 players can be
displayed and printed out.
Endmark
Stance: utilitarian
Aspect: metacognitive
Type: problem-solving and drill and practice
Age: grade K, 1st, and 2nd
Price: $9.99
This
software has different learning activities.
The
fish stories have word problems and they contain addition, subtraction,
division, or multiplication. An
example would be: There are 6 red fish in a tank, take 4 of them out. How many fish are in the tank? The word problems are shown with
pictures, as a written problem, as a mathematical equation and stated verbally.
The
Money Boutique is where they can go to help the customers with their
purchase. The children must know
the value of money and be able to identify coins and bills. The math problem will show an equation
for subtracting money.
The
Race to first is a jungle trail and this part contains addition, subtraction,
place value, skip counting, and
rounding.
The
Otter twins have a 3-D gallery of geometric shapes that show the concepts of
identifying, spatial and visual relations.
The
Endmark Math products have math basics for grades K-8th.