Top 100 Interactive Media Products for Schools
This is a current listing of the TOP 100 (actually 123) picks for school
settings as of 9/27/2008. This list includes all forms of interactive
media products, including educational software, smart toys, and web sites.
• Technology-related products change continually, and so does this list. For an updated version,
please visit www.childrenssoftware.com.
• Older products on this list have been checked to make sure they run on current operating systems
(Windows XP or Mac OSX). Even still, you may have problems installing software products.
• Prices are suggested, at the time of the review, which is noted.
2Simple 2Create A Story
Designed to survive in early childhood settings, this creativity program makes it easy
for a child to scribble with a set of virtual crayons. We like how the crayons are displayed so
that a child can easily use them. A text window on the screen bottom is available for adding
a child's language to the picture—a child could type or dictate to an adult. Other icons let a
child save work, print, or add transitions between each slide. Work can be converted to
Flash based slide shows, for sharing online. It is also possible to add sound effects to each
picture. Teachers, take note of this program as a quality computer creativity experience.
Our testers found it to be a great tool to use at home or in a classroom, the icons on the
screen make it easy for children to play a story, erase a mistake, delete an idea,or start a new
story. Children are in complete control of creating a story written and illustrated by them.
Details: 2Simple USA Inc., www.2simpleusa.com. Price: $49.99. Ages: 4-up. Platform:
Win 98, Win XP. Teaches: creativity, drawing, art. Review date: 10/4/2005.
2Simple 2Type
A dream come true for teachers looking for gimmick-free keyboarding instruction, this
set of six typing programs is designed to familiarize children with the keyboard, teach
correct finger positions, increase typing speed and improve spelling, as well as differentiate
between upper and lower case letters. The only drawback for US teachers is that the
narration has not been localized. During the dictation portion of the program, children are
asked to put in a "stop" instead of a period, for example.
All instructions or information given are both spoken and animated, and progress is
tracked. The program starts with a clunky registration process that includes (ironically)
typing in a long registration code and registering the program.
Students then have the option to have their progress tracked. The games start with
individual letters, and move up to dictation. Some are very engaging, such as the game
where you pop as many letter bubbles as possible, before time runs out. Either children or
adults can adjust the rate at any time. The best part of the program is the clean, simple
interface that will hold up well in an instructional setting.
Details: 2Simple USA Inc., www.2simpleusa.com. Price: $29.99. Ages: 5-up. Platform:
Windows XP, Windows 98. Teaches: typing. Review date: 3/13/2006.
Tips for using these products in classrooms:
• Make sure you can see the monitor from just about anywhere in the room. That way, it is easier to spot a child who needs help.
• Make sure that children know how to save their game or pause the action. This will make it much easier for them to self-regulate
the time they spend with a game.
• A laser mouse works much better with classroom grime than a ball mouse. An LCD monitor is easier to see and uses less power.
• Check your ergonomics, from a child's perspective. Make sure the monitor is at the shortest child's eye level, and the
keyboard/controls are at his or her elbow level.
• Install software in advance, and familiarize yourself with the key features, just as you would any classroom material.
• Keep your browser updated with the latest plug-ins.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
2Simple Math Games 1
Teachers or homeschoolers, take note of this six-pack of math games that forces
children to think and apply basic math facts such as adding, subtracting and factors in real
time. For example, in FunkyPlatform, they use the arrow keys to move a calculator across
two moving platforms (like a typical log/river game) only they must balance an equation to
make it across.
Other games include: Factoroids (break down the factors into equal parts); Dividers
(target each number with the correct divider); FacWall (arrange the fractions together to
create a whole); BondBubbles (join the bubbles for rapid recall of number facts) and
SeqSnake (work out the sequence to grow the snake).
For teachers longing for the days of Math Blaster, when you could put in a disk and get
some solid games that worked like a charm for a reinforcement activity, this is an excellent
choice. The program was written by Max Wainewright.
The $50 price is for a single license. Additional licenses are available at a cost of $30
each for 5-9 licenses; $20 each for 10-19 licenses; $17 each for 20-49 licenses; or $884 for
an unlimited site license.
Details: 2Simple USA Inc., www.2simpleusa.com. Price: $50. Ages: 9-up. Platform:
Windows. Teaches/Purpose: math, fractions, basic math facts, factors. Entry date:
8/27/2007.
2Simple Music Toolkit
Music and piano teachers take note: this suite of six activities is especially well-suited
to introduce younger children to some powerful musical concepts, such as how rhythm
tracks can layer on top of one another. While there are other programs that can do this (like
Apple's well known Garage Band, for example), we have yet to find one that approaches the
task with elegant simplicity.
For example, in 2Explore, children create a simple program by selecting a series of
sounds in order. Pressing the Play button starts looping the sounds, helping children
understand that they can compose and then go back and alter the sequence for a different
effect. 2Sequence has children creating sequences using pitch and harmony by clicking on
an icon and then dragging and dropping it onto a sheet of paper broken into squares —
preset measures of music. 2Compose offers an introduction to note names and scoring, by
presenting six staff lines. Children can drag and drop notes in place and press Play to hear
the results. Work can be saved or printed and/or played back, and the CD-ROM includes
animated tutorials.
One annoyance to note is the installation process, which requires that you both (a)
type in a rather nasty registration key and (b) register online to activate the copy. Yikes;
rather harsh treatment for a busy teacher. Note that this program is a more open-ended
toolkit. If you're looking for structured tutorials, you'll be disappointed. Every music teacher
with younger students should know about this title.
Details: 2Simple USA Inc., www.2simpleusa.com. Price: $35. Ages: 4-up. Platform:
Windows. Teaches: music, rhythm, programming, musical notation. Review date:
11/29/2006.
Age of Empires: Mythologies
Fill your DS with Greek gods, mummies and shrines in this version of Age of Empires
for the DS. It features three playable civilizations allowing you to command Greek, Egyptian
and Norse armies, wage war, explore new frontiers and lead them to victory. You can also
tailor your powers by choosing specific gods to worship and satisfy, allowing you to smite
your enemies with plagues, lightning storms and earthquakes. In addition, you can play
with up to three friends via local connection or Nintendo Wi-Fi.
Details: THQ, Inc., www.thq.com. Price: $30. Ages: 10-up. Platform: Nintendo DS.
Teaches/Purpose: fictionalized history, mythology, ancient civilizations. Entry date:
7/29/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
American Girl: Mia Goes for Great
Combining a smooth interface with an American Girl story, this scavenger hunt
adventure is full of clues that are easy to find, keeping a young child's frustration level low.
In addition, all the text is narrated, so younger children -- as young as five -- can use this
program independently (note that the stated age range is 8-up).
The story and characters remind you of Little House on the Prairie combined with a
bit of Nancy Drew. Your mission is to help a 10- year-old girl, Mia St. Clair (one of the
American Girl dolls), prepare for an figure-skating contest by exploring 12 or so locations in
her upstate New York village. To move, you click on the screen, and she follows your cursor.
Mia finds the classical music she needs in the town's library (with a spinster librarian that
follows every stereotype, right down to the 'shhh'), and borrows tools from her father who is
fixing the furnace. Her mother sews the dress together. One can't help but note the wellsanded stereotypes -- the boys work as mechanics, the girls worry about skating outfits, and
mom manages a skating shop.
As you explore, you learn a bit about the basics of figure skating, either by exploring
books in the library or by constructing a figure-skating routine. There's also a nice
introduction to about eight classical music standards, which Mia must burn onto her MP3
player for her show; a nice touch. There are three casual games, such as a mind-numbing
bejeweled snowflake sorting activity.
If you don't mind all the stereotypes, this is a well-designed scavenger hunt with a bit
of learning, that will keep children engaged for the weekend. Games can be saved at any
point, although children will need to be reminded to do so. This is an easy game to
recommend. The program loaded with no problems on our Vista computer. Created for
THQ by Imagineengine.
Details: THQ, Inc., www.thq.com. Price: $20. Ages: 6-12. Platform: Windows with
DirectX 9.0 (installation takes 488 MB). Teaches/Purpose: problem solving, maps, spatial
relations, classical music standards, sports, figure skating, reading. Entry date: 3/3/2008.
Animal Genius (Nintendo DS)
Here's a rare find -- a Nintendo DS title that will make both elementary teachers and
children smile. Animal Genius ($30, www.animalgeniusds.com) tests your knowledge of 25
animals from around the world, by embedding facts about them in four addicting, timed
games that use the DS touch screen in new ways. The better you do in the games, the more
points you win, which are required in order to add the animal to your collection.
In Matchomatic, children match animals to their attributes by flicking them toward a
target on the upper screen (if only SATs were this fun). Scratch & See lets you uncover as
much of an animal picture before time runs out, and then take your best guess from four
choices. Creature Collector is a twist on concentration, with hints like "mammals have hair
or fur" to help you fill each square. In Maze Munch, you capture food while avoiding a
predator by moving through a maze.
Before you can win the animal, you have to pass a quiz that drills you on the finer
points of polar bear size, the diet of skunks, and so on. Because the games adjust in difficulty
automatically, they're easy enough for a preschooler to play, yet hard enough to keep an
adult challenged. A login system automatically stores progress for up to four players on the
same cartridge. With titles like this one, it's only a matter of time before your child's teacher
says, "Boys and girls, please take out your Nintendo DS."
Details: Scholastic, Inc., www.scholastic.com. Price: $30. Ages: 4-up. Platform:
Nintendo DS. Teaches/Purpose: science, biology, logic, timing, reading, animal facts. Entry
date: 12/4/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Animal Hospital: Pet Vet 3D
Animal Hospital: Pet Vet 3D is a veterinarian simulator that lets children run their
own animal hospital, earning money by correctly diagnosing animals (rabbits, cats, dogs,
horses and pigs).
Children can play either in story mode or as an open-ended game. They earn money to
improve the hospital and the structures on the grounds by caring for the varieties of
animals. For example, if you buy a rabbit enclosure for $100, people with pet rabbits will
visit, earning you the money necessary to purchase additional enclosures.
There are five options from the main menu: Building, Accounting, Store, Cell Phone
and Hire Help. Building allows you to complete and upgrade animal enclosures (toys) and
upgrade the hospital (computers). Purchases are deducted from your balance, so you must
be budget-conscious.
The Store lets you purchase feed or other materials. As you roll your mouse over an
animal, five attributes are displayed (Hunger, Hygiene, Affection, Play and Health) so you
will know what to buy at the store.
As you play, Cell Phone gives you updates about building enclosures and food
deliveries. You will need to use Hire Help as your hospital grows, while Accounting keeps
track of instruments, food, book inventory and your bank balance.
When diagnosing animals, a variety of instruments are available for use (i.e.,
magnifying glass, stethoscope), and each illness and its treatment are described in detail.
The ability to save 10 different games and to choose one of three difficulty levels — Easy,
Medium, Hard — are both helpful.
Our tester, an 11-year-old girl, gave this game high marks overall and particularly liked
the realism and the ability to treat the animals. The real animal information combined with
the variety of ways to treat the animals results in a fun and challenging game. Developed by
Brain Game for Viva-Media. See also Pet Pals Animal Doctor by Legacy Learning, and Paws
& Claws Pet Vet for the Nintendo DS.
Details: Viva Media, www.viva-media.com. Price: $29.99. Ages: 8-up. Platform:
Windows XP, Windows 98. Teaches: health, Logic, Mathematics, planning, problem solving,
economics, money. Review date: 10/25/2006.
Animation-ish
Finally -- somebody made an easy to use Flash-based animation tool kit for the rest of
us. Ideal for introducing the powerful concept of moving art, or animation to children (or
adults), Animation-ish is a $60 CD-based program for Mac or Windows that is easy to
install and use, as long as you don't mind the price, and the frustration of trying to draw
with a mouse. The "ish" at the end of the title comes from a book by children's illustrator
Peter Reynolds, who appears in short idea video clips throughout the program.
There are three levels of animation introduced. The easiest, called Wiggledoodle-ish
lets you make a three-frame scribble, and see it come alive with animated wriggling. The
next level, called FlipBook-ish, allows you to create simple animation projects using an
unlimited number of frames and tracing tools. The hardest level, Advanced-ish, introduces
you to foregrounds and backgrounds.
The package includes a handy Classroom Activity Guide, with animation projects, such
as animating the life of a butterfly. Besides the price (we'd like a $20 home version), the clip
art library is limited in size, as is the screen size. Testers had a hard time finding the "undo"
button. But these are minor issues. You can easily import images, or export work as Flash
movies, QuickTime, AVI, a DV stream or an image sequence, adding to this program's
usefulness.
Prices start at $60, and site licenses are available. Fablevision encourages the use of an
$80 Wacom Bamboo drawing tablet, not included in the price. Created by Toon Boom for
Fablevision.
Details: FableVision, Inc., www.fablevision.com. Price: $60. Ages: 5-up. Platform:
Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: art, creativity, animation. Entry date: 5/28/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Answers.com
Like its predecessor, GuruNet, this is a one-click search engine that gives answers
instead of links. It is now ad-supported (free) and requires a software download. After
installing the application, you select a word on your browser's window to get information on
it. For instance, say you are reading a web article on foreign policy that mentions Jacques
Chirac. If you select his name and click, you are shown dictionary and encyclopedia articles,
including pictures and more links. The service also functions just like other search engines,
in that you can type in any word in the search field. "Vietnam War" led to maps, flags, and
so on. "Tomato" gave us dictionary and encyclopedia entries, pictures and recipes.
"Blackberry" pulled up information on the popular handheld device, but also asked us if we
meant "blackberry" as in fruit. The ads are unobtrusive, but present.
Details: GuruNet Corporation, . Price: $free. Ages: 6-up. Platform: Win 98, Win XP,
Mac OSX. Teaches: search engine, Internet, reference. Review date: 4/1/2005.
ArtRage 2.5
One of the best things about the Internet is that it doesn't really matter where a smart
programmer lives. Take ArtRage, a painting program that you can download as an 18 MB
file from New Zealand, from Ambient Design (www.artrage.com).
First released as a free download in 2004, version 2.5 (now sold for $25) runs on the
latest Windows or Macintosh computers. After installation, you see a blank screen,
surrounded by pop-up virtual art drawers that simulate every tool an artist could ever
dream of. You start by choosing your canvas size and paper grains. Next, you can use your
mouse or, better yet, a pressure-sensitive digital tablet, to experiment with oils, pencils,
crayons, an airbrush, chalk or markers, that can be blended with the palette knife tool. You
can use either a pre-set color pallet or customize one for your own particular projects.
Other features include transparent layers that the publisher claims are Photoshop
compatible, a template feature that makes tracing easy, a color editor, as well as all the
standard creativity tools such as paint and fill. You can easily import images if you want to
modify them, or pull in a stencil to lay down. Photoshop users will note that it is not easy to
convert an image in either RGB or CMYK format, or to change resolution for use on the
Internet. But that's not the point of this creativity tool.
Two new tools have been added: the Precise Pencil works like a mechanical pencil for a
precise clean line and the Smooth Blender gives soft-edge subtle blending. Installation takes
18.2 MB of space and typing in a long registration key. Work can be exported in all popular
formats, including JPEG, TIFF, PNG, TGA and PSD (Photoshop), and it is easy to import
image in the same formats. If computers were around in the 1600's, you can bet that
Rembrandt would have been using software like this.
Details: Ambient Design, www.artrage.com. Price: $25 ($40 for disk version). Ages: 3up. Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: art, creativity. Entry date:
12/21/2007.
Aussie Spellforce
Featuring a clunky design but great pedagogy, this Australian spelling program is
useful for spelling skill practice in home or classroom settings. The program comes with a
word bank of over 9,000 words, sorted into grade-by-grade wordlists. Each word is clearly
spoken and presented in a meaningful sentence. A record keeping system is used to track
student progress. In addition, it is possible to enter your own spelling words.
From the main menu, children can choose to freely practice, take a test, or to play one
of seven types of arcade games that make practice fun. One of the key strengths of this
program is the way it presents words in different ways, either visually (e.g., by shape),
contextually (in a sentence) or by hearing it read out loud. If there is a drawback to this
program, it is with the clunky menus that sometimes present too many instructions, or in
other cases, not enough. For example, it isn't always easy to find the start button to an
activity.
The price for a single user is $70-75 US dollars. See www.edalive.
com/spelling_games/sf/au_index.php for more details.
Details: EdAlive, www.edalive.com. Price: $70-75 . Ages: 5-up. Platform: Windows
XP, Windows 98, Mac OSX. Teaches/purpose: spelling. Entry date: 10/11/2006.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Bee-Bot Programmable Robot
Inspired by turtle programming, this robot puts programming in its most basic form.
Designed in the UK, this is a durable, easy-to-use programmable robot that drives around
on a clean, flat floor or table by following a series of up to 40 instructions. The bee-shaped
toy is designed to introduce younger children to the first programming concepts. The
direction options are limited to just four (front, back, left and right), and it can only make
90-degree turns.
After you insert three AA batteries, you turn on the power using a small toggle switch
located on the base. A second toggle switch controls the sound. Next, you enter a program
by pressing the arrow direction keys, followed by the GO button. For example, pressing
forward, left, forward, left, forward, left; followed by the green GO button starts the robot
moving in a square. With each move, the bug's eyes light up. It is not possible to control the
length of the segments or the degrees of the turn, but you could set up a pretty interesting
obstacle course with blocks. Note that the wheels don't tolerate bumps very well, and
although the product can be used to make SpiroGraph-like designs, it is not easy to attach a
felt marker. Additional peripherals include different-colored shells and a lab pack. Runs on
three AA batteries. This robot is sold in the USA by Terrapin Software (www.terrapinlogo.
com). See also the Roamer.
Details: TTS Group Ltd., www.bee-bot.co.uk. Price: $70.00. Ages: 3-up. Platform:
Smart Toy. Teaches: programming, math. Review date: 9/25/2006.
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
The third "Brain" title from Nintendo and the first for the Wii, Big Brain Academy: Wii
Degree sets a new standard in game design. Not only is it the first game to mix a kinesthetic
interface with school content, but it also mixes in some new socialization techniques—up to
eight players take turns.
At the core of the game are 15 timed minigames designed to last no more than a few
minutes. They can be played by one player in the Mental Marathon mode or as a Mind
Sprint, where teams pass a remote back and forth, directed by voice-cues that come straight
out of the Wii Remote. Clever stuff. The first team to complete a set number of problems
wins. You can choose from three levels, so younger children can pitch in with some ideas.
Progress is saved either locally, or online where it can be seen by other groups. This
management ability, along with the multiplayer options may make this one of the first
"video games" to make it inside the schoolhouse. The management features track activity
over time, and student records can be synched with another Wii owner who also has the
game, from another location. So it's fun to think that it could be played against the
classroom down the hall, in school-wide contests.
You start with a visit to a virtual office where you register your name and select an
avatar, or "Mii", for use in your student photo. You can enroll eight students (the ninth will
be automatically deleted). The game's 15 activities fall into five categories—identify,
memorize, analyze, compute and visualize. For example, in Art Parts players must complete
a sample painting by dragging and dropping missing pieces onto an unfinished scene. At the
hard level, the parts must be flipped sideways or upside down. Balloon Burst falls under the
"compute" category. Players race to pop balloons in rising numerical order. At its easiest,
there are few balloons shown at once. On a higher difficulty level, Balloon Burst sends in
more balloons, including some with negative numbers. In Fast Focus, players see how
quickly they can recognize a distorted image that slowly returns to normal.
Note that it is not accurate to take the scores literally. While learning value of the
puzzles are real, the "brain weight" measurements are fictional, and the puzzles, while valid
exercises in logical thinking, are not aligned to any formal standards. So your Brain Age
scores won't get you into Harvard—not yet anyway.
Like other Brain Age titles, there is a chatty coach, in this case Dr. Lobe, who suggests
games and gives feedback. Testers complained that there was too much of Dr. Lobe's
chatter; they also wanted to be able to add new players after the game starts, which requires
restarting the game; a clumsy process. Big Brain Academy Wii Degree pushes the definition
of educational software in a welcome new direction.
Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $50. Ages: 7-up. Platform:
Wii. Teaches/Purpose: math, reading, logic, spatial relatinos, memory, ordering numbers,
sorting, visual discrimination. Entry date: 6/14/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
BrainCogs
Easy to use and classroom friendly, this program is designed to introduce study and
test-taking skills. From the main menu, students first choose a theme: Remembering;
Organizing; Prioritizing; Shifting (word meanings); and Checking. Each theme offers
lessons on two to three distinct strategies. For instance, in the Remembering strand,
students will learn about and practice various mnemonic devices for remembering
information. In Organizing, kids learn how to make strategy and note cards and make
concept webs. Content presentation is light and fun, and there is lots of opportunity for skill
practice. The package comes with a supplementary video and five posters reminding
students of the various strategies. Progress is tracked. For upper elementary and middle
schools, this is a very useful program.
Details: FableVision, Inc., . Price: $89.00. Ages: 9-up. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac
OSX. Teaches/Purpose: study and test-taking skills. Entry date: 9/1/2005.
BrainPOP (www.brainpop.com)
This subscription-based web site quizzes kids on math, English, science, health,
technology and social studies using Flash based content. Each topic, such as slope and
intercept or prepositions, begins with a movie. There is no advertising content once signed
in. Typically, two cartoon characters (there is no use of licensed or commercial characters)
discuss the topic and give examples of what it's all about. Then children are given a 10 item
multiple-choice quiz, along with extra topics to explore. There's usually a printable puzzle,
directions for an experiment, and so on. Hundreds of topics are addressed, with more added
to diversify the selection. We noticed newer units on dyslexia and ADHD, for example. All in
all, this service is a nice curriculum enhancement resource, if you have the budget.
Subscriptions are $100/year for a family, $175/classroom and more for computer lab
($480) or district subscriptions. Note that in 2006, a Spanish version was released, along
with slightly higher prices for all options. Note see BrainPOP Jr. (released in 2006).
Details: BrainPOP, LLC., www.brainpop.com. Price: $100/year and up. Ages: 8-14.
Platform: Internet Site. Teaches: math, science, English, health, technology, social studies.
Review date: 9/26/2004.
BrainPOP Jr.
First released in 2004, BrainPOP is a browser-based web-delivered set of tutorials and
movies, available by annual subscription. Prices range from $100/year for home use, to
$1000/year for classroom use. Each student is given a screen name and password to Login.
This new junior version for K-3 (available at http://www.brainpopjr.com) includes topics
geared to national standards. Animated lessons include short movies, quizzes and simple
games. It is possible for students to upload their work or see other students' drawings or
writings. Topics include the food pyramid, allergies, animal hibernation and telling time.
After the movie, children can play games or take quizzes to test comprehension. The
navigation is clean and well-designed, and new content is featured up front.
Parents or teachers can customize the pacing of the movies to give children the chance
to answer questions independently or make predictions before proceeding. Besides the
sharing of content, there is no record keeping or smart features, such as branching. The
beauty of this service is its simplicity. If your browser can view Flash content, you can use
BrainPOP. Note that the free subscription mode includes five-minute movies and a unique
notebook feature corresponding to the content. Note that the science video on exoplanets
had some out of date information (they included pluto as a planet). Also, it would be nice if
you had better control over the way the videos are played.
Details: BrainPOP, LLC., www.brainpop.com. Price: $100/up. Ages: 5-8. Platform:
Internet Site. Teaches/purpose: science, health, reading, writing, social studies and math.
Entry date: 9/7/2006.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
BRAINtastic! Maths
Made in Australia, this three-part ($70 each level, for ages 6-8, 8-10 and 10-12) CDbased classroom-friendly math drill program has a powerful student management system
that makes it easy to prescribe content and track progress. You start by entering a student
list, and then choose the subjects and level for each child. Topics include addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions & decimals, patterns, geometry, and
measurement.
After logging in, children are given a set of questions and are then rewarded with two
minutes of an arcade-like game. There are six games to choose from, such as Ultimate Math
Invaders (shoot at answers) and Numbers Up (fly a ship around with the arrow keys and
collect jewels). Students can earn more time in the game by answering more math
questions. This "games for work" approach succeeds in getting children to do math
homework.
Drawbacks include some rather clunky menus that require reading, and some content
that was not localized in the USA correctly. For example, when entering a fraction answer
(1/2), the program marked a reduced form incorrect, instead wanting 2/4. This caused some
confusion with our seven- and eight-year-old testers. Still, the program kept the children
engaged, enthusiastic and learning math -- not an easy task. Note that the installation of one
of the CDs takes 130 MB of hard drive space, and takes a few minutes to load. Created in
Macromedia Director by the Southbank Institute for EdAlive.
Details: EdAlive, www.edalive.com. Price: $70. Ages: 4-up. Platform: Windows XP,
Windows 98, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: math facts: addition, subtraction, division,
measurement, grids and more. Entry date: 10/11/2006.
BrainWare Safari
Marketed as a "mental fitness" package, this is a collection of 20 structured cognitive
puzzles of the variety not typically part of a school curriculum. That's partly because the
authors are psychologists and optometrists who have worked with children with visual
processing problems.
After signing in, children can freely choose an activity by clicking on a jungle animal.
Most activities feel like they're right out of an IQ test, with an emphasis on visual memory
and logical/memory skills. For example, in Bear Shuffle, children must drag and drop cards
into their correct order, using only verbal cues. In Sky Scanning, children hear a series of
numbers read aloud (e.g., 46, 87 and 0) and then see a screen full of about 40 numerals,
scattered about randomly on the screen. You can only imagine the concentration required to
find the needle in the haystack -- and that's what this program is like. The activities are
heavy on the logic and visual discrimination, listing skills that develop stuff like
"oculomotor" skills.
To get through each level, children must remember the order and find the numbers.
Some of the games are not intuitive to play; especially those that require the rhythmic
tapping of the mouse, five times, before completing the exercise. The use of praise seemed
strange, with statements like "I'm proud of you" and "don't feel bad" for incomplete games.
Others are fun, and fairly addicting. Obviously, children will choose the games they like. As
they play, a child's progress is tracked. According to the instructions, this program is
designed to be used by one child in daily doses of 45-60 minutes for 4-5 days per week, over
10-12 weeks. A professional edition is available for more than one child, and with more
record keeping features.
Details: Learning Enhancement Corporation, www.brainwareforyou.com. Price: $349.
Ages: 6-12. Platform: Windows 98, Mac OSX, Internet Site, Windows XP. Teaches: Logic,
Math, deductive reasoning, memory, spatial reasoning, problem solving, holding attributes
in mind, patterns, seriating, classifying, programming, observing, similarities and
differences, taking things apart, rhythm, planning. Review date: 2/22/2006.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Building Thinking Skills Level 2
Like Building Thinking Skills, Level 1, this single CD contains 38 activities that provide
a guided introduction to logical thinking concepts, especially related to spatial terms,
classification and following directions. The activities are designed in Flash, and work fine on
either Mac or Windows computers.
Each activity contains about 20 problems. In a typical activity, children are asked to fill
in sentences by dragging and dropping terms into the sentence. For example, you are asked
to "drag the green ball with the blue triangle under the red ball with the black square." Each
problem is instantly graded, so children can see their progress, and reading is required.
There are two modes of play. In the adventure mode, you are required to pass each
level before going to the next. You can choose easy, medium or hard -- in the hard level, you
must get 95% of the problems correct in order to progress. In practice mode, you can freely
access any of the games. The program tracks each child's progress when in the adventure
mode.
In easy mode, children are asked to label spatial relationships shown on the screen. At
the hardest level, children are asked to complete verbal sequences, such as "inch is to length,
as square is to (correct answer: volume)."
The features are classroom friendly, and the activities -- while dry -- get children
thinking about concepts they'll most likely be encountering on a typical standardized test. If
you're looking for flashy graphics and sounds, you won't find it with this program. For a
classroom or home school setting, this program is worth a second look.
Details: The Critical Thinking Co., www.criticalthinking.com. Price: $37. Ages: 9-12.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: logic, vocabulary, reading, mathematical
reasoning, analytical skills. Entry date: 3/19/2008.
Camtasia Studio 4
Want to turn your PowerPoint presentation into a movie, or better yet, a podcast? This
is a software utility for Windows originally designed to capture your computer screen, in
real time. This new version makes it easier to export this content, mixed with audio or
additional video feeds, for creating streaming media, Flash, MP3 audio and iPod video
content. The program comes with an editor and mixer. Features include closed captioning, a
quizzing and survey viewer interface so educators can embed questions and get an answer
via email. The program works with Windows 2000 and XP with DirectX 9.0. Additional
digital video formats can be imported including AVI, MPEG, MPG, and WMV. Web cameras
and microphones for capturing audio and video are available for purchase separately.
TechSmith, who also makes the well-regarded SnagIt screen capture software, has also
announced a subscription-based Screencast.com service ($70 - $250 per year), designed to
aid in the delivery of material via RSS and iTunes for educators who want to store and
deliver recorded lectures. Sample screencasts can be viewed at www.screencast.com.
Details: TechSmith, www.techsmith.com. Price: $179. Ages: 10-up. Platform:
Windows XP. Teaches: a utility for teachers. Review date: 10/17/2006.
Claymation Studio 2.0
Claymation Studio 2.0 lets you create claymation, stop-motion video, animation and
cell-based videos from imported images, photographs, music audio and recorded sound
tracks. It features Chroma Key, which allows users to put an object on a blue/green screen
and import background images from another source; Onionskin, which lets users view the
previous frame and the next frame on a same-screen transparent overlay mode during the
creation process; and Rotoscope, where users can view a still photo on top of a new image.
You can also save your videos in Windows Media File, Audio Video Interleave, MPEG-1 or
MPEG-2 formats. Other features include Audio Recording which allows users to import or
record audio and add it to specific frames, and Simple Frame Editing that lets you display
frames in sequence and change the order using drag-and-drop. New features of this version
include Partial Chroma Key Effects, Chroma Key Windowing on imported images,
Background Music with voice over dubbing, On-screen Text, and Enhanced Resolution
Support. Available in October at retail for $50 for a single user license. Multi-user Academic
License Packs are also available.
Details: Honestech, Inc., www.honestech.com. Price: $50. Ages: 12-up. Platform:
Windows. Teaches/Purpose: creativity, video editing. Entry date: 7/28/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Clicker 5
A bit clunky to set up and use, this talking word processor makes it possible for a child
to hear letters turn into words and sentences, as long as you can get it set up properly. For
younger children, a set of words can be inserted into 1500 curriculum related pictures
suitable for all ages - and you can use your own too. Version 5 features include natural
speech and more new "grids"-- word lists that make it possible for a child to insert a word
into a document with a single click. The program can be configured in a variety of ways, for
different levels. For preschoolers, the program can read each letter as it typed, and as words
and sentences form. Older students can use Clicker to insert pictures and backgrounds into
documents, and minimize the text to speech. An auto picture insert feature will insert a
rebus icon directly into the document, as it is typed. Of course, this only works with simple,
common words, such as run, cats and dogs. All in all, this is a very useful writing tool that
every teacher should know about.
Details: Crick Software, Inc., www.cricksoft.com. Price: $200. Ages: 3-up. Platform:
Win, Mac. Teaches: writing, letters, reading, creativity. Review date: 7/12/2005.
Collage Machine
If you've ever wanted to make your own "I SPY" puzzle, here's the software for the job.
This creativity experience lets you drag and drop hundreds (we counted 441) of visual
elements onto a screen, using a set of menus that includes shapes, letters (for spelling
words) or objects. You can also import your own graphic elements, that can be saved. Once
selected, each element can be moved around, faded, resized, or layered. In addition, you can
draw on items, or save and print your creations for other projects such as framing or
creating note cards.
Our testers found the software to be easy-to-use, noting that it could be useful for
adding some spice to a school assignment or just to be creative with personal pictures. You
can place pictures onto a background and move them around, changing their size, or even
draw pictures using a pallet of colors and a pen. The end results can be animated with the
click of a button. There are some drawbacks, however. Finding saved work is tricky, and it is
not clear if you can export work to common formats on the hard drive. It is also possible to
accidentally erase your work. All in all, this creativity program is worth a second look
despite some limitations. We tried both the Windows and the Mac versions, with no
problems.
Details: Protozone, Inc., www.protozone.net. Price: $25. Ages: 5-up. Platform:
Windows XP, Mac OSX and OS9. Teaches: creativity, spatial relations, movies,
photography. Review date: 11/27/2006.
ConceptDraw MINDMAP Professional Edition 4
Powerful but pricey, ConceptDraw makes it easy to turn a brainstormed list (such as
field trip ideas) into a visual chart, with headings and subheadings. It could be good for both
personal planning as well as note-taking or team brainstorming. We especially liked the
ability to jump between text outlines and the automatic visual layout, on-the-fly, as well as
the ability to export the finished graphics as graphic images (PDFs or JPGs) or PowerPoint
or MS Projects. The clip art library is useful, with plenty of bullets. However, the larger
graphics seem cartoonish, and they become bitmapped if they are increased in scale.
Two versions are available. The Professional Version supports extra file formats,
multi-page documents, and has extended capabilities for creating web sites and PowerPoint
presentations. Prices start at $249. The Personal Version is $120, and is perfectly adequate
for students. Both versions have site license options. See also Inspiration and Kidspiration.
Details: CS Odessa LLC, www.conceptdraw.com. Price: $119/single user. Ages: 12-up.
Platform: Mac OSX, Windows XP. Teaches/Purpose: creativity, brainstorming. Entry date:
1/23/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Conquering Cancer Network: Empowering Teens with Tools, Info, and Inspiring Stories
The second cancer-CD developed by the Degge Group (the first was Kidz with
Leukemia: A Space Adventure), this is another excellent resource for any teacher or Dr.
dealing with a child facing some aspect of Cancer. Using videos and games, this product
helps you better understand all aspects of the disease, including types of solid tumors,
feelings about losing hair, realistically facing the consequences of treatment and potential
late effects. As the introduction states "It is our hope that in reading and listening to some
of these stories, poems, and thoughts, you will realize that you are not alone with your
feelings." For example, Teens Talk includes a video-based Q/A section with a Doctor, who
answers questions about the stress related to going back to school. The vignettes are
delivered both by video, and in text (so they can be printed or read aloud). The design is
clean and easy to use, although interactive games and features are limited. Content includes
printable word search puzzles, a searchable glossary, and 15 annotated links to other cancer
resource sites. For an adult with a child facing cancer, this is an essential resource. Visit
www.conqueringcancer.net.
Details: The Degge Group, Ltd., www.conqueringcancer.net. Price: $29.95. Ages: 13up. Platform: Windows XP, Windows 98, Mac OSX. Teaches: information about cancer,
health. Review date: 9/6/2005.
corefx Three Level
Once you start doodling with this simple, powerful graphics program, you simply can't
stop. Somebody finally listened to the masses and made a reasonably priced graphics
program for the rest of us. Take the drawing palate -- you get 12 types of art tools, in any
color or tip size. You can scribble with waxy crayons--the harder you press, the darker the
line-- or let the watercolors bleed into a silky parchment.
Every feature on our creativity wish list was covered-- unlimited levels of undo (or
redo, if you want to put your mistake back), a nice collection of commercial free, resizable
clip art, and the ability to easily add text to your work. The standard pull-down menus are
familiar, often duplicating the icon menus, increasing your chances of making things work.
If you have children (or say, work with a room full of wriggling Kindergartners), you'll
appreciate the ability to simplify the menus, with a beginners level. Advanced users will find
features even Photoshop doesn't have... like a tutorial on how to make animated graphics,
and a quick redraw feature that can fast-forward through your project, one stroke at a time.
Like a digital Swiss army knife, the program successfully opened a variety of file formats, so
you pull in a JPG straight out of your camera, add some text, and create a cover for your
family DVD.
Trial versions, that will work for 30 days and have print/save features disabled, can be
readily downloaded at a variety of shareware sites; the program runs on newer Windows
computer; no Mac version. All in all, this is the best consumer level drawing program on the
market, for both children and adults.
Details: Core Learning, Ltd., www.core-learning.com. Price: $54.95. Ages: 5-up.
Platform: Win 98, Win XP. Teaches: art, painting, drawing, animation, photo-editing,
creativity. Review date: 4/11/2005.
Crazy Machines 2
This third Crazy Machines game offers great graphics, a set of new challenges, and a
collection of 200 types of pulleys, ramps and exploding balls that must be dragged and
dropped into place. The goal is to set the objects in motion in order to meet the
requirements of the puzzle (for example, to land a blimp in a landing zone or to get a
bowling ball to break a vase).
New tools include wrecking balls, lasers, and lightning rods on puzzles set in Egypt,
the Caribbean, and outer space. You can create your own challenges and post them online,
where you can compete for trophies and high ratings. Content includes 200 elements.
Unfortunately, like the last edition, the design is less than elegant. In the easy levels,
the instructions are too long, and the screens are cluttered with complexity. Still, the
concept is a good one, and the puzzles do a good job of presenting a challenge. Created by
Novitas/FAKT for Viva Media, LLC.
Details: Viva Media, www.viva-media.com. Price: $20. Ages: 10-up. Platform:
Windows. Teaches/Purpose: logic, cause and effect . Entry date: 7/8/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Creativity Express: Let's Start with Art!
Elementary and middle school art teachers, take note of this collection of videos and
tutorials, designed to work well either in or out of a classroom setting. "Let's Start With Art"
is the first of four CDs, each with a collection of interactive art lessons. The other modules
include Inspiration Activation, Form and Figure, and Dream in Color. We only reviewed the
first CD: Let's Start With Art.
After you sign in, you see a collection of 17 art lessons that cover "big ideas" such as
"art as language" as well as practical topics like mixing colors, lines, movement, eyes, shape
and form. For the Movement lesson, you can watch a collection of short videos (all in Flash)
that illustrate the main ideas of the program. Those familiar with the online GeeArt program
may recognize some of the content.
Each lesson includes a set of interactive puzzles that might ask you to drag and drop a
line of action onto an existing picture, or to choose a picture that best matches the type of
action illustrated in a scene. At the end of each unit, a quiz is given, followed by right/wrong
feedback on each question, and the chance to do the section over for a better score. Good
scores are rewarded with artist cards, which can be collected over time. Individual records
are kept, making this a great tool for teachers.
Other content includes a glossary of key art concepts, an art gallery, and a portfolio for
importing saved artwork. The program comes bundled with the ShareWare version of the
New Zealand-made creativity program, ArtRage 2.5 (with many of the main features
disabled), and teasers to purchase the full version -- a detail not fully disclosed on the box.
All in all, this is an excellent collection of art tutorials that would enhance either an
informal or formal visual art curriculum.
Details: Madcap Logic, www.madcaplogic.com. Price: $30. Ages: 7-up. Platform:
Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: art, visual creativity, drawing, sketching, light,
motion, shapes. Entry date: 3/19/2008.
Crosswords DS
When should Grandma get a Nintendo DS? When it means she can play an endless
supply of crossword puzzles, that's when.
Crosswords DS ($20, www.nintendoDS.com) puts 900 crossword puzzles, anagrams
and word search puzzles at the tip of your stylus. You start by turning the DS on its side, in
book-fashion, and select whether you're left- or right-handed. If you're a lefty, you flip the
Nintendo DS upside down.
Next, you create a profile where you can save puzzles in progress. Because you can
make up to four profiles, this game can be shared by children or adults alike, and used as a
means to playfully introduce spelling and vocabulary skills. The fine motor feature -scribbling your initials in a box -- is also nice, especially if you plan on passing this game
around the mini-van on a long trip. The handwriting recognition feature gives the puzzles an
organic feel that appeals to the traditionalist. To enter a letter, you write it in a screen-sized
box. Once the DS recognizes the letter, the box is filled in on the puzzle, located on the other
screen. Erase your mistakes by tapping on the screen or writing your new answer over the
old one, plus there's a hint system. Harder puzzles must be unlocked; a process we did not
try. The game was developed by Nuevo Retro Games for Nintendo.
Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $20. Ages: 8-up. Platform:
Nintendo DS. Teaches/Purpose: vocabulary, reading, spelling, handwriting (fine motor
skills), language. Entry date: 5/2/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Crystal Rainforest V2, The
Designed in the UK, this is the second update to the Logo training package, first
released in 1994. Logo is the geometric programming language created at MIT in the 1980's
that uses a turtle and involves entering commands like RIGHT 90 and FORWARD 200. This
edition was created by the same teacher/author (Simon Hosler) using Macromedia Director,
and it has much-improved graphics.
The goal is to solve a variety of challenges, such as stringing a rope or figuring out how
to cross a pond, to win crystals and save the Rainforest. Solving the challenges involves
successfully creating short Logo programs. The main improvement is called Tallking Logo,
which lets children hear the commands as they are executed. We noticed that typing is
rarely required to enter commands, thanks to a menu system.
In the story, the king of Azon has been poisoned and students must solve
programming challenges to find crystals and save him. This is a nice improvement to the
original program and is loaded with higher-order problem-solving opportunities. This
program is published in the UK by Sherston Publishing Group (www.sherston.com) and
sold in the US by the Tool Factory.
Details: Tool Factory, Inc., www.toolfactory.com. Price: $89.95. Ages: 7-11. Platform:
Windows 98, Mac OSX, Windows XP. Teaches: Logo, problem solving, math skills, logic,
angles, geometry. Review date: 5/30/2006.
Descartes' Cove Math Series
Have a sharp middle schooler who could use a fun, challenging math experience? Like
Myst, with math, this exploration adventure includes six self running CDs, each with a set of
math problems created by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, funded
by a grant by the Toyota and AT&T.
Each disk starts with a view of deserted island once inhabited by mathematician René
Descartes. After signing in, students can freely explore each area of the 3D island where they
discover hidden problems, typical of something found on an SAT test. It might be a story
problem requiring the typing of an answer, or a 3D geometry challenge where they must
calculate the height of the mast of a nearby schooner. The goal is to earn gold coins by
solving all the problems, eventually passing the "Final Quest" -- a final review, that leads to
the escape from the island. The entire premise is both compelling enough and features
enough content to keep student's interest. We also like how you can jump to any section of
the island at will... the program never locks you in to any problem.
The math problems are hard, but well constructed, and students can consult Descartes'
journal, or spend a coin to get a hint. There's an excellent variety of questions, covering all
aspects of a typical math curriculum. The problems are NOT EASY -- and just one of the six
disks could take several weeks to master.
All in all, this is an excellent resource for any middle or high school math teacher.
Details: Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, www.cty.jhu.
edu/cde/cove. Price: $150.00. Ages: 11-14. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches:
math, algebra, geometry, number and operations, reasoning and proof, measurement..
Review date: 5/17/2005.
EarMaster Pro 5
This solid musical tutorial is like having your own personal music theory teacher in
your Windows computer. The focus is ear training--the development of tone and chord
discrimination skills. If you have these skills, it makes it easier to sing or play along to other
melodies, or perhaps transcribe the next great symphony without needing a nearby piano
keyboard.
One disk contains 651 lessons organized into 12 areas, from interval comparison to
melodic dictation. The program starts easy, with "which interval is the greater" (followed by
two notes). The harder levels put the notes in the context of scales (lydian or mixolydian) or
chord progressions. As you work, the challenge increases--although progress is not saved. In
a typical easy problem, you hear two pairs of notes and then must decide which pair has the
biggest interval.
Features include: the ability to be played in 13 languages; 128 instrument sounds; an
on-screen guitar, violin, bass and piano; and a second set of tutorials designed specifically
for jazz. A full suite of MIDI features allows answers to be entered with any MIDI
instrument (recommended for any extended use), but is not required in order to make the
program function. Schools may be interested in EarMaster School--the same program with
more management features, including the ability to create custom class lessons or track
multiple students.
Details: eMedia Music Corp., www.emediamusic.com. Price: $69.95. Ages: 12-up.
Platform: Windows XP. Teaches: music, music theory, audio discrimination, rhythm,
notation. Review date: 5/30/2006.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Earth's Atmosphere and Its Seasons
"The United States has the widest variety of weather of any country in the world"
according to this collection of 12 classroom friendly narrated lectures, on one CD-ROM.
From the main menu, students choose a topic, which then starts the lecture. Because each
slide is numbered, from 1 to 456, the main menu also lets you type a slide number, to jump
instantly to the slide -- a small but important (and teacher friendly) feature. Topics include
causes of the seasons, Earth-Sun relationships, the composition of the atmosphere, the
Sun's role as the main source of energy that drives weather and climate and the greenhouse
effect. There are mini quizzes and mini lab activities every ten or so slides, as well as sound
recordings, movies and charts. Clearly the folks who made this are very familiar with the
task of teaching students about weather. This CD would work for self-directed study, but is
ideal for classroom demonstration purposes. The content is great, but the interactive
features are limited. No assessment features are built in, and there is no record keeping or
leveling. The disk autoruns, with no installation. Prices are $59.00 for a single user license,
$155.00 for a multi-user, and $177.00 for a lab pack of 5 CD-ROMS.
Details: Tasa Graphic Arts, Inc. , www.tasagraphicarts.com. Price: $59.00. Ages: 10up. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: science, earth science, weather,
the atmosphere, climate. Entry date: 5/5/2005.
Essay Express
Another terrific program from FableVision, Essay Express fills a void in the
educational software market with its emphasis on writing. The research-based product is
both educational and engaging-- a dysfunctional rock band called the Rotten Green Peppers
have been hired to create rock videos that teach kids how to write. As the story unfolds, nine
strategies that support the prewriting, writing and editing processes are introduced.
Onscreen tools and activities include an interactive notebook, progress tracking, and
customizable essay questions. The program is based on the same research as its sister
software, BrainCogs, the study skills program that teaches metacognitive strategies. We like
the teacher support materials of these products, like lesson plans, reproducibles, etc., that
extend the important content beyond the computer.
Details: FableVision, Inc., . Price: $89.00. Ages: 9-up. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac
OSX. Teaches/Purpose: writing. Entry date: 10/24/2005.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Exploring Nouns Sterling Edition
Designed to teach and reinforce vocabulary in English to children with special needs,
this program uses full screen scenes to train 120 early developing nouns, by way of 10 nicely
illustrated scenes, such as a barnyard, restaurant or jungle.
Like prior Laureate programs, the content is extremely customizable. Teachers can
quickly toggle on/off which items are illustrated and work with a set of just one or two
words. Once a scene is launched, children are asked to find a particular item, with direct
instructions such as, “This is a horse. Find the horse.” A child must click the horse to get the
problem correct.
Later, a child might be asked to identify the nouns associated with a simple statement
such as, “The girl is singing.” There are two types of reinforcements for correct answers:
either the noun animates or characters perform a short skit using enriched language. The
skits and animated graphics are well done, and the graphics are clear and well illustrated. In
other words, a spoon looks like a spoon, and there's no additional visual clutter.
There are eight types of activities, as follows. Optimized Intervention tracks student
responses and guides the user through the curriculum; Exploration is an open-ended
activity that lets students select an item on the screen, hear the word, and see the associated
text and animation; Identification lets students identify nouns from selected scenes; Mixed
Explore/Identify alternates between the Exploration and Identification activities; and
Testing is used to document pre- or post-training performance. There are also three
supplemental activities. Word Introduction (Cards) presents a single word and it's
associated animation, Word Introduction (Scene) introduces vocabulary items one at a time
until a full scene is displayed, and Animated Routines.
It is based on behavioral theory; with a lot of direct instruction and training (another
approach might be to let the child visit a real farmyard). When used in conjunction with real
experiences, this type of software works best.
Management features include the ability to keep detailed records (recorded for each
student), and switch between scanning or direct select input.
Prices are $225 each for one to four copies, $157.50 each for five to nine copies, $135
each for 10-19 copies, $112.50 for 20-49 copies, and $1125 for a Network License. Note: See
also Exploring Verbs.
Details: Laureate Learning Systems, www.laureatelearning.com. Price: $225 and up.
Ages: 5-up. Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: language arts for special
needs, reading, grammar, phonics. Entry date: 1/25/2008.
Exploring Verbs Sterling Edition
Designed for children with special needs, this program uses eight scenes (such as
children playing at a camp) to train children on 50 early developing verbs like singing,
jumping or running. After you set up an account for every child, children sign-in and press
"go." They are taken to the last point in the program. First, they see a scene, and then are
asked to identify the verbs -- for example, "The girl is singing. Find the girl that is singing."
Once a child can identify each vocabulary item, the program automatically moves to the next
scene. There are two types of reinforcement for correct answers: either the noun animates
or characters perform a short skit using enriched language.
The software features eight activities including: Optimized Intervention (tracks
student responses and guides the user through the curriculum); Exploration (open-ended
activity that lets students select an item on the screen, hear the word, and see the associated
text and animation); Identification (students must identify nouns from selected scenes);
Mixed Explore/Identify (program alternates between the Exploration and Identification
activities); Testing (used to document pre- or post-training performance), and Three
Supplemental Activities (Word Introduction (Cards) presents a single word and its
associated animation; Word Introduction (Scene) introduces vocabulary items one at a time
until a full scene is displayed, and Animated Routines).
The items are well illustrated and the speech is clear; this looks and feels very much
like the type of software that Laureate is best known for. We were able to run in on a very
old iMac with no problem.
Prices are $195/each for 1-4 copies, $136.50/each for 5-9 copies, $117/each for 10-19
copies, $97.50 for 20-49 copies, and $975 for a Network License.
Details: Laureate Learning Systems, www.laureatelearning.com. Price: $195 and up.
Ages: 5-up. Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: language arts for special
needs, reading, grammar, phonics. Entry date: 1/25/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Fisher-Price Computer Cool School
Creating custom keyboards for kids is not a new idea, but doing it well can be a trick.
Computer Cool School ($60, www.Fisher-Price.com for Windows) takes the category up
notch, with light-up activity keys, a surprisingly sensitive touch pad and stylus, and a
software package that can manage up to five different children.
There's no need to unplug your existing keyboard -- both can coexist, as well as your
regular mouse. Children press the on/off button to see their custom playroom, where toys
represent activity centers on animal facts, counting, word recognition and musical
instruments; plus there's an art activity for tracing letters or just scribbling.
"We made it easy to get in and out of anything," said Kathleen Kremer, Manager of
Child Research at Fisher-Price -- with the exception of your computer desktop, which can be
password protected, along with the ability to limit printing. Six additional $15 titles will
offer games with Clifford, Dora, Elmo and others. For most preschoolers, mom or dad's
computer is forbidden fruit, but this child-friendly peripheral says "kids welcome."
Details: Fisher-Price, Inc., www.fisher-price.com. Price: $60. Ages: 3-6. Platform:
Windows XP and Vista. Teaches/Purpose: reading, letter and numeral recognition, music,
art, creativity, science (animal facts). Entry date: 2/8/2008.
Flash Focus
Ready for a logical challenge? One of what Nintendo calls "self improvement" games,
the idea of Flash Focus is to "improve your vision" by way of 10 types of daily logic exercises.
Like other titles in the Brain Age series, there is no research-tested validity to the
implications that this title will either improve your visual abilities, or much else. But we can
say that the puzzles are strong logical thinking exercises, and very well designed; better in
fact than any paper and pencil equivalent. That's because the activities are delivered in
timed doses and automatically leveled. So the better you do, the bigger the challenge. In
addition, records are kept, so you can track improvement using a built-in calendar.
Educators who want to see the pedagogy of the future, have a look at this title.
The 10 games include Symbol Order, where three symbols flash on the screen in any of
the 12 boxes. One symbol appears at a time for only a split second. The challenge is to
remember each symbol and then enter all three symbols in the order in which they
appeared. Box Track is a spin off of the shell memory game, where you try to follow the box,
from three possible, that is hiding a small ball as they are quickly shuffled. In Baseball, the
goal is to tap the ball on the touch screen as the pitch crosses the plate to score a hit. With
each hit, the box gets bigger, making it more challenging to hit the speeding pitch.
Drawbacks include the inability to easily exit from an activity, so you can become
trapped (and get a lower, less accurate score). In addition, there's a lot of scripted
instructions. But these are minor points, compensated for by the extremely well-designed
pedagogy and clever problem solving setting. There's also the ability to share games with
another player, via download play. The game can track up to four different users per
cartridge. Whether you're a teacher looking for an activity for bright child, or a bored
commuter, Flash Focus is certainly worth keeping an eye on. Created by Namco-Bandai for
Nintendo.
Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $20. Ages: 8-up. Platform:
Nintendo DS. Teaches/Purpose: memory, matching, classification. Entry date: 10/15/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Food-Force
Designed to promote the activities of the UN's World Food Program (WFP), this is a
well designed, free, 200 MB downloadable program for Mac or Windows computers. It is
fun enough for kids to want to play at home, yet certainly educational enough to fit into any
school science and/or social studies curriculum.
In the game, you take on the role of a rookie aid worker en route to the fictitious island
of Sheylan, where a drought has created a civil war, leaving thousands of starving people.
There are six race-the-clock missions— you learn that time is your worst enemy when
people are starving— interspersed with actual video footage of WFP in action. Good work
earns a high score, which can be uploaded to the companion web site. In the first mission,
you survey the population by steering a helicopter. Next, you make energy packs (pictured)
by balancing ingredients (oil, sugar, salt and rice). The third mission is a food drop, where
wind speed and drop zones must be considered in order to earn a high score. Mission four is
a bit pointless - you are supposed to fill in a food grid by purchasing rice, beans and oil from
around the world - it is possible to get a passing score by guessing. The fifth mission, Food
Run, involves driving trucks, changing flat tires, building bridges, sweeping for mines and
negotiating with armed rebels. In the last mission, you take on the role of a diplomat to
disperse food to a village in a balanced way, so that you can support the schools, hospitals,
and encourage soldiers to become farmers.
The companion website (www.food-force.com) provides a place for kids to post high
scores, and there are lesson plans for teachers. This is a shining example of how an
educational simulation can entertain and teach at the same time, but more interesting is the
distribution model. We found the game easy to download, but hefty, taking 45 minutes on a
512K DSL connection.
Details: United Nations World Food Programme, . Price: $free. Ages: 8-13. Platform:
Win 98, Win XP, Mac. Teaches: social studies, science, memory, math, food, diplomacy.
Review date: 4/20/2005.
futureU
Test prep software is hardly new, either in online versions or on a computer screen.
But test prep on a Nintendo DS is, especially considering the potential of the touch screen
and the portable form factor.
Based on content from Kaplan, futureU contains six games: two each for reading,
writing, and math--each designed to present bite-sized bits of test-related concepts, handy
for a bus ride or a break between classes. One game in reading is called "Glyph", where you
build words like "symbiosis" using the stylus to flick the Latin roots (bio and life) to the top
part of the screen, shuffleboard style. Each correct answer is saved. At any point, you can
jump back to another game. Other activities have you completing a paragraph by writing in
the best word. The Writing section has two games: In Tense and Line Up, plus two
additional games for the Math Section.
There were points that we had to admit feeling frustrated by questions, requiring
instant knowledge of square roots, grid puzzles and other infrequently applied skills. But
that's the name of the SAT game, after all. We did not test the Window or Mac version ($40
each). According to press materials, content includes 1,200 questions, and progress can be
tracked over time. See also My SAT Coach for the Nintendo DS, from Ubisoft, that uses
Princeton Review content.
Details: Aspyr Media Inc., www.aspyr.com. Price: $30. Ages: 14-up. Platform:
Windows, Mac OSX, Nintendo DS. Teaches/Purpose: SAT test prep, reading,
comprehension, writing, math. Entry date: 7/10/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Generation Rx Interactive DVD
Aimed at teens in the Kentucky and Appalachian region, Generation Rx was created in
cooperation with Kentucky River Community Care, Inc. Through role-playing in a movie
that reflects real-life decisions and consequences, it teaches about the prescription and overthe-counter drug abuse. The simulation is designed to stimulate critical thinking, judgment
and decision-making skills.
The user has an opportunity to take on the role as three very different teens: Leslie is a
model student that wants to stay focused on her own goals; Roy who doesn't care about
school and hasn't gone much since the tenth grade; and Ryan, a promising basketball star,
dating the prettiest girl in school. The player must make important choices that could alter
each character’s future. These choices have the power to win respect, knowledge,
satisfaction and the foundation for a good life or lose almost everything.
What happens to each of the teens is up to the user and the choices that are made. As
the player makes choices the movie branches off, playing out what might happen in real life
as a result of those choices. Consequences of their actions are explained and the user can go
back and try alternative choices to see how each scenario might end. There is a narrator who
reads the text portions and prompts users. One simulation took approximately an hour to
complete. I [TH] was glued to the monitor from the start, and I didn’t want to stop until I
saw the whole game through. Other topics include Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention;
OTC Drug Abuse Prevention: Coping with Peer Pressure; Addiction; Adult Role Models;
Family Issues; Seeking Individual Support; and Surrounding Yourself with Supportive
Relationships.
Details: WILL Interactive, Inc., www.willinteractive.com. Price: $call. Ages: 12-17.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: interpersonal and intrapersonal problem
solving, social skills, critical thinking, decision making. Entry date: 5/30/2007.
Global Conflicts: Palestine
Why would someone want to become a suicide bomber? How does it feel to wait in line
at a border crossing? What's it like to be a young Israeli soldier on a raid?
Designed with the look and feel of a rather clunky video game, this 3D simulation for
one player puts you in the middle of the Israeli-Palestine conflict on a scavenger-hunt
mission to collect facts. After you sign in, you choose between being one of two US
journalists: a Jewish female from New York or a Palestinian male from Washington DC. You
can write for one of three papers, each with a different perspective. There are six
assignments, that you can do in sequence, or individually -- a nice flexible feature for
classroom use.
After you meet your editor, you are given an assignment -- such as to better
understand the concept of martyrdom. To collect a quote, you approach a subject in the
street and choose from a set of preselected questions. To get the good quotes, you must stay
politically balanced in your questioning, and earn the good will of your subjects, indicated
on a "trustometer." After you collect five quotes, you phone your story to your paper. The
better your quotes, the better your placement in tomorrow's paper.
By video game standards, the navigation leaves a bit to be desired. Moving around
uses a "click and follow" technique, and you must look at a map frequently to find your next
interview. There's a lot of reading of multiple-choice questions, and the game would be
more fun with some random elements to discover, to keep you exploring. Still, the premise
works, and the game provides an excellent vehicle for immersing a learner in the issues.
This is the first installment in a series of games involving global conflicts. A South
American version is planned for Fall 2008. Visit http://www.globalconflicts.eu/ for more
information.
Created using the Unity Engine by OTEE in Denmark by Serious Games Interactive
with the help of several partners, including Danida, Media+, The Foreign Ministry of
Denmark, The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation, the IT University of
Copenhagen and OTEE.
Details: Serious Games Interactive, www.seriousgames.dk. Price: $20. Ages: 12-up.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: journalism, social studies, history,
reading. Entry date: 2/4/2008.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Google Earth
Have you used Google Earth lately? Since it was first released two years ago, it has
continued to improve, with the most current version (4.2) including 3D buildings, siteseeing tours posted by other users, and views of space. Available as a free download, Google
Earth is a stellar example of how interactive media can make abstract geographical and
spatial concepts leap out of a textbook.
Even though it is not specifically marketed to schools, this is a must-have classroom
tool, as long as you have a current Mac or Windows computer with a good Internet
connection. If you have that, you now have your own super globe, giving you the ability to
search by keyword or address, and then zoom into satellite images. You can see the building
you're currently in, or fly along a route. You can also view annotations left by other Google
Earth users, such as the 88 locations mentioned in Shakespeare's plays. Younger children
can get a sense of how their neighborhood fits into their town, their county, their state, and
their continent. Other education applications are numerous—both for mapping and
geography—as well as other more indirect uses, including science, history and math. Google
Earth is free for personal use, although more powerful versions are available for purchase,
offering higher resolution images.
Details: Google, Inc., www.google.com. Price: $free. Ages: 7-up. Platform: Windows,
Macintosh. Teaches/Purpose: geography, science. Entry date: 10/31/2005.
Hate Comes Home
Aptly described by the producers as an interactive movie, this program lets students
become the lead characters in a high stakes drama. The opening video segment depicts a
Homecoming dance gone wrong, ending up with two teens killed in a hate crime committed
by other teens. Students are given the opportunity to go back in time as one of four
characters in the film, and can make decisions that will affect the story's outcome. Doing the
right thing and making smart choices may avert the disaster. This is a totally compelling
experience-- the video and acting are first rate, and the program is full of good advice. It's
very thought-provoking -- kids who go through the program will come away better equipped
to stop the trends toward hate crimes and violence. Teacher support materials, by the way,
are excellent, offering lesson plans and reproducibles. Note that a sister program dealing
with school violence, called Just 2 Days, is also available.
Details: WILL Interactive, Inc., www.willinteractive.com. Price: $89.95. Ages: 13-up.
Platform: Windows, Macintosh. Teaches: social skills, dealing with school violence. Review
date: 7/28/2003.
Help Me 2 Learn Language Arts Review 3b With Sports
Designed as a review for remedial and at-risk students, this well-designed software
uses young adult characters, with sport games to introduce or reinforce reading and
comprehension skills, language arts skills, and to help older students and adults improve
their reading and comprehension skills. Activities include Coach Time; Learn the Words Speed Rounds; and Sports Games and Review featuring stock car racing, hockey, bowling
and baseball games. The "Gold Medal Motivational and Tracking System" gives students a
Certificate of Completion for completing each Coach Time activity, they earn points in each
"Learn the Words - Speed Round", and they can earn a bronze, silver or gold medal in each
sport game event. The scores are displayed on the Gold Medal Progress Report and a report
for each individual student or for the entire classroom can be printed from the Teacher's
and Parent's section. Prices are $25 for home edition, $140 for five students and $350 for 15
students and $700 for site license.
Details: Help Me 2 Learn Company, www.helpme2learn.com. Price: $25. Ages: 11-17.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: word families, syllables, antonyms,
synonyms, prefixes, suffixes, reading, spelling. Entry date: 8/22/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Help Me 2 Learn Phonics 2b - Intermediate Level II
Affordable and full of useful educator features, this CD-based reading curriculum
features eight stories and 18 games designed to introduce, teach and test syllables, R
controlled words, vowel spellings, three letter blends, ending blends, plurals, complete
sentences and spelling. A management system tracks each student from day to day, and
student progress is recorded. Each concept is first introduced by way of a flash-based
cartoon. It is then reinforced with a drill and then tested. For example, there's a fishing
game, where children drag a lure containing the first part of a word to a string showing the
last word part. Work is broken up with short arcade games that vary in quality. You have the
option of running the program from the CD or installing it on your hard drive. If you have a
child who could use some reinforcement with reading, this is a worth knowing about.
Details: Help Me 2 Learn Company, www.helpme2learn.com. Price: $25. Ages: 7-11.
Platform: Win, Mac. Teaches/Purpose: reading, phonics. Entry date: 8/22/2007.
HotChalk.com
HotChalk (www.hotchalk.com) bills itself as "the first free Web 2.0 community for K
-12 teachers, students and parents that promotes the sharing of resources and information."
The idea is to combine quality editorial with clever advertising, and attract the lucrative eyes
of educators.
In terms of the content collection, HotChalk is worth a second look. For example,
they've hired the former editor of Technology & Learning Magazine, Susan McLester, to
oversee the editorial content. There's a collection of educational blogs, a library of teachercontributed lesson plans, as well as professional development courses from McGraw-Hill,
and premium digital video content from NBC News. HotChalk has partnered with National
Geographic and PBS for additional content.
Details: HotChalk, Inc., www.hotchalk.com. Price: $free. Ages: NA. Platform: Internet
Site. Teaches/Purpose: a portal and information source for educators. Entry date:
6/17/2008.
Hurricane Katrina: Tempest in Crescent City
How many people can you save from a hurricane? This free sidescrolling game is a far
cry from Super Mario, but it is easy to play and has a valuable educational message.
You use the arrow keys to steer a young girl through a flooding neighborhood in a
timed race to try to save as many residents as possible. You use the arrow keys to move, and
the space bar to jump, take a breath, or break a hole in a roof. Reading the cartoon-like text
bubbles is required in order to understand the next challenge. The Flash-based game runs in
any recent browser, and requires a registration. The game was developed by Global Kids
(http://www.globalkids.org) who worked with Game Pill (http://www.digitalcreations.
com), with funding from AMD and Microsoft. The site provides links to a variety of relief
groups as well as information about New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina including multiple
timelines, analysis of media coverage, and supporting articles for all information presented.
This is a good game for teachers to bookmark, and you certainly can't argue with the price.
Details: Global Kids, www.globalkids.org. Price: $free. Ages: 8-up. Platform: Internet
Site. Teaches/Purpose: social studies, hurricane relief. Entry date: 8/28/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
I SPY Funhouse
Here's a great use of the Nintendo DS touch screen -- almost. This is a collection of 18
touch-and-discover riddles set in a circus fun house setting, complete with clowns, balloons
and authentic organ music. After you type your name (required to automatically save a
game in one of four slots), you select an option on a midway scene to play one of the puzzles.
Jean Morzolo's I SPY format works great on the DS, for the most part. You first see a written
riddle (reading is required), and then find the items hidden in the picture illustration.
In order to compensate for the smaller DS screen size, the program lets you scroll
around the scene, which is actually four screens in size. To find an item, you have to tap
twice which eliminates random guessing, but it also makes the process feel rather clumsy.
Why not a preferences option that lets you choose between one tap or two? This is not a
major point, however, just a mild annoyance.
Correctly solved puzzles are rewarded with midway tickets that can be used to play
games, such as a Venn diagram game where you "slingshot" items to their target, and a very
clever speed matching version of Bejeweled using I SPY items. Drawbacks include a limited
amount of content, no multiplayer or sharing options, and no discernible hint system, which
would be helpful if you just can't find that third hidden rabbit. All in all, this is a solid
extension of the I SPY franchise to the DS platform. Visit www.ispyfunhouse.com for game
specific information.
Details: Scholastic, www.scholastic.com. Price: $30. Ages: 5-up. Platform: Nintendo
DS. Teaches/Purpose: logic, classification, attributes, sorting. Entry date: 9/26/2007.
I SPY Mystery
The "greatest hits" of the I SPY software series, I SPY Mystery consists of 56 riddles,
many recycled from previous releases. Fun to play alone or with a group, this is an excellent
exercise in visual discrimination and is one of the very few software titles that uses poems,
double word meanings, puns and other rich, playful uses of language.
The riddles are organized into 13 mysteries, that can be selected from the main menu.
Each case requires carefully scrutinizing four or five of the riddles in search of tiny but
important clues that are listed on the bottom of the screen in the context of a poem. One of
the clues is common for the mystery. For example, in "Old Thunder," players search for a
lightning strike, embedded in nautical-related scenes. When all the lightning strikes are
found, the riddle is solved, and an animation is shown (the ship sinks).
Other cases include the Mystery of the Knight Fall, the Locked Gate, Midnight Mouse
and Skeleton's Books. Common themes are science, art and spooky places. New riddle
screens include the Sand Castle Exterior, Pirate Pete’s Treasure, Dungeon Gate and Machine
Diagram. Because you sign in at the start, some of the scenes include your name; a nice way
to personalize the experience and save progress over time.
The only drawback, besides the addictive quality to the puzzles, is that when you get
stuck, you can become frustrated. The best solution is to get somebody else to help search,
increasing the collaborative play value of this title. Our testers also lost interest after they
found all the riddles and wanted a larger conclusive "final act" that tied all the mysteries
together. If you buy just one I SPY software title, make it this one.
Details: Scholastic, www.scholastic.com. Price: $20. Ages: 6-up. Platform: Windows
XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: language, reading, logic, visual discrimination. Review date:
6/6/2006.
I SPY Treasure Hunt (Leapster)
Twenty-seven I SPY puzzles have been nicely adapted for the Leapster's touch screen
that include three games with multiple challenge levels. There are three treasure hunts, and
as with previous I SPY Titles, your goal is to complete a treasure map. This is an excellent
literacy activity, providing exposure to new vocabulary words, and letting children enjoy
language, in the context of hundreds of well designed puzzles. Up to three game profiles can
be saved. If you have a Leapster, this is well worth the $25.
Details: Scholastic, Inc., www.scholastic.com. Price: $25. Ages: 6-8. Platform:
Leapster. Teaches/Purpose: classification, visual relationships, language, rhythms, poetry.
Entry date: 5/29/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
ImageBlender 3
Like Kid Pix, or CoreFx, ImageBlender is a straightforward digital creation program,
good for sketching, drawing, or importing a digital image for modifying. It does not do
video. The menus are straightforward and standardized, but a bit clunky. For example,
when you add a text box, you have to double click in the box to start typing. Why not just
type? On the other hand, there is a spell checker and all the necessary drawing tools. New
features include layers for better image editing.
ImageBlender was designed from the bottom up to be classroom friendly, and it
shows. Work can be exported in six types of graphic formats, including BMP and JPEG.
Pricing is $44.95 for a single, $179.95 for a lab-pack (5), or $749.95 for a site license of 35.
Details: Tech4Learning, Inc., www.tech4learning.com. Price: $44.95. Ages: 9-12.
Platform: Windows XP, Windows 98, Mac OSX. Teaches: creativity, image editing. Review
date: 9/26/2005.
iMovie
This easy to use, much loved movie editing software has come preinstalled on new
Macintosh computers since 2003. With it, novice teachers or students as young as seven can
edit their own video footage. But in the Fall of 2007, iMovie was dramatically redesigned to
be more of a one-step movie editor, disappointing many previous iMovie fans. See the
review.
The first step is to capture your video. You do this by plugging in your digital video
camera with a FireWire cable, and clicking on "camera mode" (this turns your monitor into
a giant viewfinder). Next, you click on a set of controls on your computer, which operates
your camera, and saves the video footage in digital format. Still images or music can be
imported. Each clip is represented as a slide, which can be dragged and dropped into a time
line. Transitions between the clips are also easy to drag and drop into place and titles are
easy to add. From this point, it's a matter of moving the blocks into place to create your final
product. Note that this software requires Mac OS X or later, FireWire (not USB) a fast CPU
and plenty of hard disk space. A CDR or writable DVD drive is very useful. No Windows
version is available.
Details: Apple Computer, www.apple.com. Price: $100. Ages: 7-up. Platform: Mac OS
9 or better (CD-ROM), Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: creativity. Entry date: 9/27/2000.
Inspiration 8
This eighth edition of the popular classroom brainstorming program makes it easy to
drag and drop icons, words, pictures or even movies onto a Mac or Windows computer
screen, where they can be used to connect ideas, or perhaps a web of ideas.
The program now has a track record of making the writing and organization process
more fun and efficient for students. New features for version 8 include a starter screen, the
ability to search the clip art library by keyword, video and sound integration, more dragand-drop features, a word guide (an integrated dictionary/thesaurus) and a handy
"AutoArrange" option that tidies up a cluttered screen, for more professional-looking
results. The program is also better integrated with the Internet, with built-in web links, (you
can program symbols to jump to web sites), and the ability to search a library of additional
symbols. It is always nice to see a good program get better.
Details: Inspiration Software, Inc., www.inspiration.com. Price: $69.00. Ages: 11-up.
Platform: Mac OSX, Windows 98, Windows XP. Teaches: creativity, writing, planning.
Review date: 2/24/2006.
InspireData 1.5
This is the first upgrade to InspireData (2006) looks a lot like the first release.
According to the publisher, it includes more ways for students to gather, plot, interpret and
analyze data and it has a e-Survey tool to help students and teachers easily collect data
online. There are new plot options and more than 100 subject-specific databases to use for
starting projects. Expanded teacher resources include standards-based lesson plans and
classroom projects, learn-to-use handouts, and database templates for classroom analysis.
A lesson plan book is included with ideas for integration with typical upper elementary and
middle school science, mathematics and social studies lessons. The program is available as a
download or as a disk, and $20 upgrades are available.
Details: Inspiration Software, Inc., www.inspiration.com. Price: $79. Ages: 9-up.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: math, statistics, quantitative
relationships, science, social studies. Entry date: 9/26/2007.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Intellitools Classroom Suite
IntelliTools Classroom Suite brings together three learning and productivity tools into
a cross-platform, network-ready, integrated suite. IntelliPics Studio 3 is a multimedia
presentation tool, IntelliMathics 3 is a virtual math manipulatives tool, and IntelliTalk 3 is a
talking word processor and writing tool. A consistent interface between programs makes all
three easy to learn and use. PreK-8th grade teachers can assign either the provided sample
activities or create their own specific standards-aligned activities with the Tools' templates.
The Suite tracks each student's performance in his or her own private portfolio, records
student responses, compares them to expected answers, and makes their scoring results
available in both detailed and summary reports. An optional Supplementary Access Kit
(Overlays and Access Guide for IntelliKeys) is also available; note that this entire product
line has a huge special education following, but all of the tools are quite appropriate for
general education students as well.
Details: Intellitools, www.intellitools.com. Price: $299.95. Ages: 4-up. Platform:
Windows XP. Teaches: writing, communication, special needs. Review date: 3/24/2004.
Joe Rock and Friends
A new twist on ebooks, this Canadian-made series uses rollover features and Flash
programming to help children make the connection between print and associated sounds.
The best part is that you can toggle between languages on the fly. This is a very strong early
reading experience that could be used in either home or Pre-K early elementary school
settings.
There are three story choices, each with three difficulty levels. For example, in Joe and
the Pirates the main pirate, Not So Scary Bob, sings about what it takes to be a pirate. Joe
Rock, the featured character, visits the pirate ship to serve as ballast (he is a rock, after all).
Children can choose to hear the story read, or simply roll the mouse over the text and hear
each individual highlighted word.
The strengths here include colorful Pixar-like 3D graphics and the catchy, cute songs
which have lyrics displayed so young readers will have no trouble singing along. The only
weakness we noted was the lack of an identifiable Quit icon. The DVD offers the three
stories and the three songs in English, French and Spanish. There is no installation on
Windows computers — everything is autoplay.
A $10 DVD version is also available that presents the story in slide show format, for
classroom or car trip use.
We could easily see this program being used at home or in a elementary school
classroom as a rich language experience. There are no assessment or tutorial features,
however. The addition of the music and trilingual capability to the stories make this
program an enjoyable and rich early reading experience. See also Book 2 and Book 3.
Details: BoggleNoggin Media Inc., www.bogglenoggin.com. Price: $20. Ages: 3-9.
Platform: Windows XP. Teaches/Purpose: reading, seeing auditory text in print, language,
Spanish, French. Entry date: 11/15/2006.
Just 2 Days: Addressing School Violence
Aptly described by the producers as an interactive movie, this program lets students
become the lead characters in a high stakes drama. The opening video segment shows an
altercation between two young men in a high school parking lot. The argument ends in
tragedy. Students are given the opportunity to go back in time as one of four characters in
the film, and can make decisions that will affect the story's outcome. Doing the right thing
an making smart choices may avert the disaster. This is a totally compelling experience-- the
video and acting are first rate, and the program is full of good advice on anger management
and other important social skills and behaviors. It's very thought-provoking-- kids who go
through the program will come away better equipped to stop the trends toward violence.
Note that a sister program dealing with hate crime, Hate Comes Home, is also available.
Details: WILL Interactive, Inc., www.thewillway.com. Price: $99.00. Ages: 13-up.
Platform: Windows, Macintosh. Teaches: social skills, dealing with school violence. Review
date: 7/28/2003.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Key Skills for Reading - Spelling and Phonics
Great for first through third grade reading practice, this collection of engaging phonics
and spelling activities is easy to use, for both teachers and children. It would supplement
just about any reading curriculum. The 15 activities ask children to sort sounds words,
arrange mixed up letters to make words or identify misspelled words to complete a
sentence. For example, in Paint by Word: Consonant Clusters, children fill in the blank of a
sentence such as "I need a ____ to eat the ice cream." (floon, swoon, troon or spoon).
Correct answers let them choose the color of paint to be splattered on a canvas-- a clever
way to bring creativity into the drill. Students earn a virtual sticker for every ten problems
they complete at a 60% level. Because children sign in, progress is remembered. Prices are
$59.95 for a single user, $159.95 for a lab pack of 10, and $699.95 for an unlimited school
pack of 80 or a network version. A teacher's guide with classroom activities is included.
Details: Sunburst Technology, www.sunburst.com. Price: $59.95/CD. Ages: 6-up.
Platform: Windows, Macintosh. Teaches: spelling, reading, consonants, vowel digraphs,
diphthongs and plurals. Review date: 5/12/2005.
Kid Pix Deluxe 3X, Universal Edition
This 2007 update for Intel-based Macs lets you export Kid Pix slideshows in iPod
video format as well as in iMovie HD and Garage Band. Other Mac advantages include the
ability to import pictures from iPhoto, songs from iTunes or GarageBand, WYSIWYG font
menus, and the ability to import art with transparent backgrounds. When you install this
new version, you're asked if the program is going to be used in a home or school setting. If
you select the school option, you are given the option to turn off introduction music and
deactivate the student login screen. These are handy features for teachers.
For those not familiar with Kid Pix, a quick history is in order. The first version we
reviewed, back in 1991, was a sensation. It was designed by artist Craig Hickman for his
preschool-age son (http://www.pixelpoppin.com/kidpix/KPHistory/index.html), and
published by Brøderbund. It was the first to combine a clean yet playful interface with
standard drawing tools one of the first products published by Brøderbund. Unfortunately, in
1998 Riverdeep acquired Broderbund, and Kid Pix was revised with a new more politically
correct interface, much to the dismay of teachers (and us). It was called cartoonish and
watered down. Still, the overall core drawing capability remained, along with some good
slide-show tools, keeping Kid Pix in schools. In 2004, Software MacKiev, a studio known for
enhancing and refining existing software products for the Macintosh platform, rebuilt Kid
Pix 3, increasing its functionality, including the ability to import or export content with
iTools, iMovie and GarageBand. There is another version of Kid Pix 3 for Windows
published in 1999 without these features, so it is easy to get confused.
Today, Kid Pix remains one of the few non-commercial (meaning no Disney
characters) visual creativity options for home and school use. Note that a $60 "family pack"
option is available, for up to five installations.
Details: Software MacKiev, www.mackiev.com. Price: $40/60. Ages: 5-up. Platform:
Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: art, creativity. Entry date: 4/10/2007.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Kid Pix Deluxe 4
Designed for schools, this version of the legendary creativity program offers a new
interface, a larger workspace, new Teacher Tools and improved networking capabilities. It
also has some serious drawbacks that should be improved. The interface is cartoon-like and
child-friendly, although its functionality remains clumsy. For instance, it takes time to
figure out how to drop a stamp once it's used. Our test children also didn't understand that
the boxes placed around text disappear automatically -- kids kept trying to delete them, but
they go away on their own. And like previous versions of Kid Pix, you have to save to
Windows menus, which can intimidate younger users. While these weaknesses may be
small, they become huge issues when multiplied by the number of schools who have grown
to depend on Kid Pix as the standard draw and paint program for K-6.
On the positive side, the art tools include over 2,200 stamps, 90 brushes (including
wacky ones like toothpaste and colored sand), 30 special effects, and 150 paint fill patterns.
Rollover tool descriptions are available in both English and Spanish. Gone is the make-yourown animations studio, although some of the stamps are animated and you can still put
your artwork into slide shows. New Teacher Tools include a feature that lets teachers add
voice and written instructions to activity templates they then make available to students.
Teachers can limit which graphics libraries will be active within a template, helping students
focus more on the activity and less on the stamps. The program ships with two copies of the
CD and a Teacher Resource Binder that offers 30 lesson plans, a graphics index, tutorials
and more. Site licenses are available. Note: Mac users should consider a different product--Kid Pix Deluxe 3 from MacKiev.com. It's essentially the same program as KPD4, but
cheaper and designed with more Macintosh specific features.
Details: Riverdeep, Inc., www.riverdeep.net. Price: $89.95. Ages: 5-up. Platform:
Windows, Macintosh. Teaches: creativity, art. Review date: 6/4/2004.
Kid Works Deluxe v2.1
Hey teachers and parents of homeschoolers -- are you looking for a large-font, talking
word processor and storybook maker that could also work in the classroom? Kid Works,
sold for $90 and up at www.knowledgeadventure.com/school is a good option.
First, a brief history on Kid Works is in order. Back in 1986, Kid Works was published
by Davidson & Associates, as one of the first and only writing and creativity options for the
IBM PC and Apple IIe. While it was not nearly as popular as the more open-ended KidPix
(Broderbund/The Learning Company), it provided teachers with a nice computer-based
whole language activity. Ten years later (1996), Knowledge Adventure, who acquired
Davidson, re-designed Kid Works using a stylized interface that was not as easy to use as the
original version. Fast forward another ten years to 2007, and you have that same 1996
version, with a slightly better interface (it could still be better) and the ability to run on the
latest version of Windows or Mac OSX.
Classroom-friendly features include the ability to install the entire program on a
computer's hard drive (so no CD is necessary) and the ability to store work for each child, by
way of a sign-in feature, with no Internet connection. New features include the ability to
import JPG graphics, some new graphics in the clip art gallery, updated text-to-speech
abilities, as well as the ability to record a student's voice. It is easy to print work on bookletsized pages. Weaknesses include some confusing menu icons (the draw and write icons both
look like a crayon) and a limited page/screen size. All in all, however, this is an important
new update to a classic creativity tool that will function well in both preschool and early
elementary classrooms.
Details: Knowledge Adventure, Inc., www.knowledgeadventure.com. Price: $90 and
up. Ages: 4-8. Platform: Windows, Macintosh. Teaches/Purpose: reading, writing,
creativity. Entry date: 2/26/2007.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Kidspiration Version 3
This all-purpose presentation package just keeps getting better and better, with a clean
classroom friendly design, and narrated menus that a preschooler can use. It is an ideal
teaching tool for a preschool or elementary teacher, to visually enhance a lesson with a Venn
diagram, outline or graph.
The program starts with a clean menu offering a new project or ideas for math, science
or reading. Choosing the picture view option opens a blank screen, surrounded by menus for
clip art, importing pictures, and so on. Like its big brother program, Inspiration, making an
idea map is as easy as dragging and dropping shapes onto the screen. Lines that symbolize
the relationship between the bubbles stretch automatically like rubber bands.
The clip art library can be searched by key word, and there's a nice collection of math,
reading and science images. For example, the math palette includes a set of base 10 blocks,
plus a collection of geometric shapes. Other features to note include the ability to lock pages,
to make a worksheet, record sounds, group objects together into one "super group" that can
be resized together. Work can be synched to Palm handhelds, and we were able to easily
import a standard JPG image. Drawbacks include a rather high price for parents ($69), an
installation that requires typing in a cryptic code, and clip art images that get pixelated
when enlarged.
Hardware details to note: We tested Version 3 with Windows Vista with no problems,
and the Macintosh version is now "native" -- meaning it is designed to work with Intel
processor versions of OSX. You'll need 250 MB of hard disk space for a full install and full
sound support, plus a Microphone if your computer doesn't have one built in. A printer is
nice, and the program is great with an interactive electronic whiteboard. If you teach, you
need Kidspiration.
Details: Inspiration Software, Inc., www.inspiration.com. Price: $69. Ages: 4-up.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: creativity, writing, planning, math,
cognition, evaluation. Entry date: 3/11/2008.
Know Your USA 1.5
Designed in--of all places--Ireland, this US geography facts quiz is available as a 12.1
MB download for Windows computers. Version 1.5, released Summer of 2008, includes
more content (60 photos, better maps of each state with more details, better puzzles, and a
direct link to both Google Earth and the Wikipedia entry on the United States). Of course,
this last feature could be both either a strength or a weakness--depending on your view of
Wikipedia, not to mention the required Internet connection.
With these new tweaks, the program provides a straightforward and effective way to
practice geography facts by way of a series of lessons and timed quizzes. For example, in the
State Capitals section, students can explore the answers by simply rolling the mouse around
the screen which, in turn, pops-up the name of each state's capital city. In the Quickfire
quiz, a capital is named, and students must select the right state. Unfortunately, the
interaction is clunky--students must click "OK" to continue to the next question, which gets
repetitive.
The next step is Exam, where they must type the name of the capital. Individual
student progress is stored on your hard drive, providing students sign in. There is no use
limit as to the number of students, making this a viable consideration for elementary or
middle school classroom use.
Other topics include regions, states, state capitals, major cities, rivers, mountains and
lakes. There is also a states jigsaw puzzle. If you are looking for clean, affordable geography
practice, this is a good choice. Note that the developer's previous titles include Know Your
Ireland and Know Your Europe. A "Know Your Earth" is planned. You can download a
seven-day trial version, and purchase a download key if you like the program. The School
version, for unlimited use, costs $300.
Details: EdWare Interactive Learning, www.knowyourusa.net. Price: $25. Ages: 8-14.
Platform: Windows XP. Teaches/Purpose: US Geography, states, capitals, land features.
Entry date: 5/25/2006.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Leapster Software: Math Missions
Fun and very well designed to help children better conceptualize important early math
relationships, this is the kind of title that can get a math educator giddy. That's because the
four activities, each set in the store of a mall, help children better understand tricky
relationships, in a hands on way. Like previous math Mission titles, children earn money by
solving puzzles; dragging fish into a scale to make it balance, tagging moving items that
match a shown equation. In Sweet Booth, children use deductive reasoning to use clues to
guess a pattern of candies. Prizes are rewarded with dollars that can be spent doing one of
four simple but addicting arcade games that resemble Moon Patrol, Super Mario and
Centipede. This is the first LeapFrog cartridge designed by a third party (Scholastic
Entertainment).
Details: Scholastic Entertainment, . Price: $25. Ages: 6-10. Platform: Leapster, Smart
Toy. Teaches: math, geometry, sums, addition, comparing quantities. Review date:
6/27/2005.
Leapster Story Explorers
When a Spanish-speaking family moves into the United States and the children don't
speak English, a unique instructional problem occurs. You may have a very sharp child who
can't read the textbooks or understand the teacher's spoken instructions, and this can lead
to trouble. These children are often classified by schools as ELL (or English Language
Learners).
Leapster Story Explorers is designed for this situation, with software that mixes
instructions in Spanish with early reading drill and application in English. It represents a
new classroom application for the Leapster, a portable touch screen hardware device that
was designed originally for home use.
Children sign in by touching their name with the Leapster stylus. From that point, they
can choose from twelve activities that deal with exploring vocabulary in both Spanish and
English, phonemic awareness (sort items on an assembly line according to their sound)
syntax (jump across logs to put words in order in a sentence) and comprehension (select a
picture that best summarizes a sentence). All of the games use the stylus which keeps things
engaging. For example, in the language enrichment segment of the program (called Ogre's
house), children play an I Spy type of game where they touch common objects like beans, a
spoon, rice, cheese; with printed labels, and spoken in both English and Spanish. Harder
levels ask children to find one specific item among dozens. As they play, their time and
progress are tracked in the background. Teachers can later go in and see how each student
did by taking the cartridge and typing in the password. They can then track best scores, see
the number of attempts as well as the time spent in each activity.
Note that there is no way to print a report or send the scores to a computer; a bit of a
pain. It is also possible for a teacher to set the pass threshold (from 0 to 100%), set the
initial starting level, toggle the Spanish language support, or change the student's log in
name. The entire experience uses a mastery learning model to let students progress at their
own pace either in the classroom or at home.
The base kit ranges from $90 to $1,050. One kit includes five Leapsters, five
headphones, seven cartridges for 21 students (each cartridge tracks three students), 21
practice books, five AC adaptors, one power strip, and one teacher's manual or classroom
guide. Grade-Level Kits for grades K, 1 or 2 are also available. All in all, this is a wonderful
application of the Leapster hardware. Hopefully there will be future units in the other
languages.
Details: LeapFrog Schoolhouse, www.leapfrogschoolhouse.com. Price: $1,050. Ages: 5
-8. Platform: Leapster. Teaches/Purpose: English language proficiency (for Spanish
speakers), vocabulary, reading and listening skills, phonemic awareness. Entry date:
6/18/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
LEGO Mindstorms NXT
Back in 1998, the LEGO Mindstorms robotics kit set the standard for children's
programming activities, both at home and at school. Lego Mindstorms NXT is a major
upgrade to the original kit. While the function — to build rolling or crawling robots — is
similar, the technology in this kit is much more powerful, due to the battery-powered,
BlueTooth-enabled, 32-bit NXT controller brick. Using a graphical programming language,
children can first program their robot on a PC or, for the first time, on a Macintosh and then
transfer the code to the computer, thanks to the Bluetooth or the USB 2.0 cable.
The kit has 519 parts, including three interactive servo motors with rotation and speed
sensors, a movement detector, a sound sensor that can react to patterns or tones, an electric
eye that can discriminate between colors or light intensity, and a touch sensor. For more
information, visit www.mindstorms.com. Each kit costs $250, with group discounts
available for schools. See also the PICO Cricket.
Details: LEGO Americas, www.mindstorms.com. Price: $250. Ages: 10-up. Platform:
Windows XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: logic, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, problem
solving, spatial reasoning, classifying, mathematics, programming, instrument use, taking
things apart, building, planning, organizing activities, reviewing, evaluating, working
cooperatively, interpersonal problem solving, fine motor. Review date: 1/5/2006.
LopArt
Art teachers and artists will want to know about this unique drawing program that lets
you experiment with different visual effects not available in mainstream art programs, such
as PhotoShop. Features include three brush tips, a palate of thousands of colors, unlimited
undo ability, and links to an online museum. Resulting projects can have a look of gouache,
watercolor, felt pen, spray can, pastel, charcoal and wax crayon. So even a novice can look
amazing. Several aspects of the program are limited, including the screen size, ability to
export work at higher resolutions. However, the interface is easy to learn and it is always
easy to reverse any action. It is also possible to share projects in the online gallery. You can
see samples, or download a copy for purchase (about 10 MB) at www.demarque.com.
Details: De Marque, Inc., www.demarque.com. Price: $56. Ages: 6-up. Platform: Win
98, Win XP, Mac 9 or OSX. Teaches: art, creativity, drawing, painting. Review date:
1/10/2007.
Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes, The
Sixteen fun, yet challenging Sherlock Holmes mysteries wait to be solved in this welldesigned detective game, set in Victorian England. Available either as a CD or as a download
for $20 from www.legacyinteractive.com, the game is an excellent exercise in deductive
reasoning, memory and attention to detail -- all necessary skills for both aspiring detectives
and elementary students. Those familiar with Her Interactive's popular Nancy Drew series
will find this game easier to play with more variety in the puzzles.
After signing in (progress is saved automatically), you choose the first adventure in
which you have 25 minutes to find out who took a large emerald. It is easy to pause or get
hints if needed -- our testers were able to get through the first level in just 12 minutes. You
must identify the differences between two detailed scenes shown side-by-side using a
technique similar to many I Spy puzzles. Other activities have you constructing gems by
dragging and dropping shapes into place, and matching crooks with associated items, in a
test of memory. At the end of each level your score is saved, along with your time, number of
moves, hints used and points scores.
Testers noted that the music can get repetitive, although it can be turned down in the
preferences, and some of the hidden object puzzles make guessing too easy. While the game
has an E-10+ rating, we noticed no worrisome content. Any small drawbacks are more than
compensated by good design and large variety of puzzles -- over 100 different types,
including games of Sudoku, anagrams, shape matching games and jigsaw puzzles. There's
no mystery that this is an excellent informal educational game and a great addition to any
home or school software library.
Details: Legacy Interactive, www.legacyinteractive.com. Price: $20. Ages: 12-up.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: logic, deductive reasoning, reading,
memory, observation. Entry date: 5/2/2008.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Math Arena Advanced
The sequel to the much loved Math Arena (1999), this all new set of engaging math
games is designed for older students. Content delves into algebra, geometry and
measurement in a most entertaining fashion. As in the original, there's a training center to
practice the games before competition, and a time trials section where kids play to rack up
points before time runs out. Each of the ten time trials has an introductory tutorial and two
difficulty levels, and the menus make it easy to zoom in on a specific concept. For example,
kids must strategically place circles in a ring, helping students understand and manipulate
circumference, radius and diameter. There's a variation of the original Math Arena's flyswatting game where students squash flies by rotating regular polygons about their central
angles. A dominoes game cleverly lets students experiment with the associative and
commutative properties of addition and subtraction. There are also ten multiplayer buzz-in
challenges and a "TriMathlon" where kids can create customized competitions. A teacher
management system and teacher's guide with classroom activities round out this
exceptional package. Note that the games are much more difficult than those in the first
Math Arena, so get ready for a challenge.
Details: Sunburst Technology, www.sunburst.com. Price: $79.95. Ages: 12-up.
Platform: Win, Mac. Teaches: math, algebra, geometry, measurement. Review date:
8/23/2002.
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing Version 15
Here is yet another version of the already good Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. As with
previous versions, the instruction begins with an assessment of the student's typing skills.
Next, structured lessons are provided, always accompanied by a set of onscreen hands to
model proper hand placement. Kids can visit the updated Media Center for video and
instruction on ergonomic issues, or they can go to the Game Hallway for arcade-style
practice with a variety of engaging games. The program is highly effective at improving both
speed and accuracy. Features include bilingual Spanish/English instruction, an updated
look for Mavis Beacon and her classroom, and an expanded dictation practice feature. There
is also an onscreen manual featuring the One Hand Typing Method for typists with the use
of only one hand. If you already have a recent version, don't bother upgrading. There's not
much new, besides a Palm Pilot feature (to simulate text entry on a PDA) and a school
version, which includes Mac compatibility.
Details: The Learning Company, www.learningco.com. Price: $39.99. Ages: 8-up.
Platform: Win. Teaches: typing, keyboarding. Review date: 3/5/2003.
Microsoft Flight Simulator X
For anyone who has ever wanted to get into the cockpit of a real airplane, this detailed
flying simulation is really about as close to reality as you can get. Just be aware that you will
not like this program if you have a lower level graphics card or controller (such as the $35
Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick). (For more detail, use the $110 Saitek X52 Flight Control
System.) Note that version X was originally released last fall, but has been recently updated
to work with a broader range of Windows computers. We reviewed the updated version.
This new edition comes on two DVDs that took us over an hour to install. That's
because there's a good deal of realistic scenery, plus 18 airplanes, 40 high-detail airports (16
of which are new to this version), 28 illustrated cities and 30 missions.
Besides this new content and a bit more realism to the graphics, there's very little
difference between this new version of Flight Simulator and older versions. For instance,
you can still choose to take off from real airports, and the airplanes respond the same way.
Likewise, there's a variety of views—inside the cockpit, or from the tower—and you can
choose to fly in real-time weather conditions, providing you have an active Internet
connection.
If you're looking for an example for how computers can bring a situation to life, look
no further than Microsoft Flight Simulator. It is an excellent simulation for learning how to
fly. Developed by ACES Studio for Microsoft Game Studios and available in standard ($50)
and deluxe editions ($60). The deluxe edition features additional planes and missions. Visit
http://www.microsoft.com/games/flightsimulatorx/.
Details: Microsoft Corporation, www.microsoft.com. Price: $60. Ages: 10-up.
Platform: Windows XP or Vista (with a good graphics card). Teaches/purpose: aviation,
flight sciences, geography, airplanes. Entry date: 5/29/2007.
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Microsoft Student 2006
Designed to support students while they do their homework assignments, this
impressive resource would make a great classroom tool as well. The action begins from an
uncluttered, easy to use home page where students can easily search the included Encarta
Premium for any topic. Content covers 70,000 encyclopedia articles, 25,000 photos and
illustrations, 2,500 audio clips, 300 video and animation sequences and an interactive atlas.
But this is just the beginning. Also from the home page, students can access subject-specific
tools and resources. For instance, the math menu leads to a powerful onscreen graphing
calculator, as well as to banks of useful equations, a chart and table maker and so on. The
foreign language menu leads to translation dictionaries and a terrific activity that introduces
basic phrases in dozens of languages, from Mandarin to Comanche. Some of the student
resources may be too helpful; for instance, the English menu leads to, among other
supports, hundreds of book summaries (no more Cliff Notes?). Perhaps most exciting to
students will be the Learning Essentials menu full of customizable templates for PowerPoint
presentations, research reports, and Excel charts—everything you need to make professional
looking projects. Note that Student 2006 requires Office XP or Office 2003 to run.
Details: Microsoft Corporation, www.microsoft.com. Price: $100. Ages: 8-up.
Platform: Win DVD. Teaches/Purpose: reference, student help. Entry date: 7/11/2005.
Morton Subotnick's Hearing Music
This simple, well designed program makes a perfect first ear-training experience. Four
activities ask children to listen and differentiate between musical notes, patterns, pitches
and rhythms. As kids progress through each leveled activity, they'll learn to recognize the
difference between a major and minor chord, changes in tempo, and what the same piece of
music sounds like played backwards. One activity, for instance, has children finding bits of
matching melodies. Another asks kids to decide whether two musical interludes are
identical or played at differing tempos or pitches. The software is smart, automatically
getting easier or harder based on the child's responses. When a child completes a level, she
is treated to a rousing, animated rendition of Handel's Messiah. Music used in the program
includes works from Mozart, Schumann and Beethoven.
If all this sounds like serious work rather than play, it's not. The graphics and
animations are fun and appealing to children, and the activities are presented much like
puzzles to solve. It's a compelling, entertaining experience. Parent and teacher options allow
for records to be kept for multiple children. Although the packaging says the program is best
suited for ages eight and older, we can see five, six and seven year olds really enjoying the
listening challenges.
Details: Viva Media , . Price: $29.99. Ages: 8-up. Platform: Windows, Macintosh.
Teaches: music, ear training, pitch, rhythm. Review date: 5/23/2004.
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My Noggin (www.mynoggin.com)
Wouldn't it be great if screen content customized itself to your child, rather than the
other way around?. A case-study in good design, My Noggin (www.mynoggin.com) is a
subscription-only ($10/month) collection of activities, videos and record-keeping features,
with no ads or alternative agendas. It provides an excellent interactive companion to
Noggin, the NickJr. TV channel. Just be careful that you don't start a free trial (credit card
required) and forget to cancel.
After you subscribe with a password and screen name, you setup additional screen
names for up to six children. You can customize each child's record with an icon and select
their level... the content ranges from preschool to first grade.
Children are greeted in their playroom by Moose. From there, they have one-click
access to activity centers like Zee's Creativity Center, Dora and Diego Sports Village,
Moose's Golden Treasure Hunt, Dora's Neighborhood, Blue's Guess and Draw, and Blue's
Birthday Party.
While the games vary in quality and can take a while to load the first time (on average,
about 20 seconds), this load time decreases after the first play because the instructions only
play the first time and can be skipped. The games are also designed to branch; in other
words, they automatically get easier or harder to match a child's level. Most of the games are
arcade-like, with a high frequency of sorting, counting and matching and the ability to stop
at any time.
Correct answers earn you marbles, which accumulate in a bag in the margin of the
screen and can be used to unlock additional games in the toy chest. This is also where
children can watch a collection of 23 videos of prior TV shows. The only creativity activity,
called Moose and Zee's Creativity Center, offers a nice variety of drawing options, but in a
screen area that is too small.
All in all, this is a well-designed site that is well worth your child's time. Just keep an
eye on your credit card statements.
Details: Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group, www.nick.com. Price: $10/month,
$72/year. Ages: 3-6. Platform: Windows, Mac OSX, Internet Site. Teaches/Purpose:
reading, letter and number recognition, Spanish. Entry date: 2/2/2008.
My Piano
An ideal supplement to beginning piano lessons, eMedia's My Piano is best described
as an interactive piano book. The content is organized into five chapters, each with about 20
lessons that range from types of pianos, to the finer points of crescendos and diminuendos.
Video demonstrations help guide children through key concepts, and the timed games
reinforce skills like note names, basic ear training and music notation. An animated
character named Pam The Piano (based on a real teacher, Irma Irene Justicia) starts with
proper hand position and names of notes. It then moves on to playing songs and reading
music. Other features include a built-in metronome, a recorder, and the ability to plug in a
MIDI keyboard to show the child when incorrect notes are played and what should have
been played instead. This is an optional, but very impressive feature. Songs include 34
beginner's titles, and it is possible to jump from lesson to lesson. There are no record
keeping features. Keep in mind that this is not the type of program that works by itself,
unless a child is unusually motivated.
Details: eMedia Music Corp., www.emediamusic.com. Price: $30. Ages: 6-up.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: music, piano. Entry date: 5/2/2008.
My SAT Coach
Get out your #2 stylus, kids, because your Nintendo DS is now a test prep experience.
Based on content from The Princeton Review's test prep program, My SAT Coach contains
two SAT tests, along with timed drills and mini-games. The drills are useful, because a
student can practice vocabulary words on long car trips, or work on just the Math section of
the test. Progress can be saved on the cartridge, and the touch screen is used to make things
fun. For example, when you fill in the dots with the stylus, it looks and feels like real #2
pencil lead. Content includes 2,000 practice questions. Developed in Montreal for Ubisoft.
Coming Fall 2008. See also FutureU from Asyr Media/Kaplan.
Details: Ubisoft, Inc., www.ubisoft.com. Price: $call. Ages: 14-up. Platform: Nintendo
DS. Teaches/Purpose: SAT Test Prep, reading, math, comprehension. Entry date:
7/19/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
My Word Coach
Want to train for that next Spelling Bee? Keep reading, especially if you already like
word games like Scrabble or crossword puzzles. But before you go out and buy this
innovative Wii spelling title for your children, keep in mind that it might be seen in the same
light as a new collection of crossword puzzles. In other words, it's not the typical video
game. As spelling games go, this is one of the most innovative we've ever reviewed,
representing yet another example of how developers are thinking outside the box with the
Nintendo Wii.
The core of the game is the six multi-level, timed word training games that playfully
present hundreds of words like "incalculable" and "newshound." The words come from a
database of 17,000 from the Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary. Because the
program can track progress for up to eight people, your growth is documented over time. In
addition, in most of the games, up to four players can play at the same time, making this a
fun after dinner activity. It could even be used in a school setting. Note that we could not
find a way to input your own spelling words.
The games include Missing Letter, where you see a word like FALLIB_E, and you
spray paint the missing letter using the Wii Remote. While it is hard to accurately write with
the Wii's Remote, it is a skill that is quickly acquired. Split Decision shows a word, and then
asks you to flip through (by flipping the remote) a set of definitions to make the best match.
Word Cereal shows a set of letters, floating around in a bowl of cereal. You must act quickly
before the letters sink; or else stir the mixture to bring more letters to the surface. In the DS
version, you blow into the microphone for the same effect. Word Shuffle shows a definition,
and then asks you to drag them to the correct word. Eight others word games let you
compete with other players. Unfortunately, these games are used as rewards and must be
unlocked, making the early parts of the program dry at times. All in all, this is an excellent
addition to a software library for word lovers, even if it doesn't feature Mario.
Details: UbiSoft, Inc., www.ubisoft.com. Price: $30. Ages: 10-up. Platform: Wii,
Nintendo DS. Teaches/Purpose: language, reading, spelling. Entry date: 7/26/2007.
mySKY
Ideal for middle and high school science field trips, mySKY is an easy-to-use (once you
set it up) hand-held sky guide that uses a GPS to detect what part of the sky you're pointing
at. It can then provide facts from its extensive database. The device looks like a police radar
gun, with a small color LCD screen. Explorers, such as Magellan or Christopher Columbus,
would have found it to be particularly useful.
Here's how it works. Let's say you're on an overnight field trip, or you are a naturalist
taking a group on a nighttime walk. You see a faint star but can't tell what it is. By pointing
this gun-like device at the star and pressing the trigger, you can confirm if your "star" is
actually a planet, or perhaps a constellation that is part of a particular galaxy. The database
contains 30,000 items -- names, facts and distances from the earth, as well as audio
descriptions with close-up pictures. It's like carrying an expert astronomer with you. But
what if the sky is cloudy? No worries. Keep in mind that mySky doesn't actually "see" the
sky. It only calculates the position. So it works, even in the daylight or indoors, telling you
what stars are currently overhead. Guided tours can detect your position and direct you to
celestial points of interest.
Other features include illuminated alignment sights, a color LCD screen, ear buds and
an SD card slot. Our tester, John Malley of New Jersey, is an astronomy hobbyist who found
mySky to be "nothing short of amazing." His wish list for improvements includes a more
accurate sighting system, a way to darken the screen ("can be too bright and annoying"),
better audio options such as an onboard speaker or headphones, and easier computer
connectivity (an SD card reader is required on your computer, for updates). He noted that
unless you are outdoors a lot, this is the kind of specialty device that might gather a lot of
dust. But it would be ideal for sailors, science teachers or naturalists. It is powered by four
AA batteries.
Details: Meade Instruments, www.meade.com. Price: $399. Ages: 8-up. Platform:
Smart Toy. Teaches/Purpose: science, astronomy. Entry date: 2/4/2008.
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Neves
This is a collection of 500 virtual Tangrams -- or block-shaped puzzles -- where you
drag and drop shapes using the Nintendo DS stylus. Originally published in Japan as
Hanayama’s Lucky Puzzle, each puzzle contains seven blocks that must be aligned to match
a corresponding silhouette in order -- forming a key, chair or (at the harder levels) a bird or
an airplane. Features include five game modes (Silhouettes, 7 Steps, Time, Pressure, and
Versus), the ability to store progress over time, and a wireless game-sharing feature where
one player (with the game) can challenge another DS owner in a timed race. Drawbacks
include a limited puzzle format, which could grow tedious. All in all, this is a very strong
spatial experience for children and adults alike.
Details: Yuke's Company of America, . Price: $30. Ages: 7-up. Platform: Nintendo DS.
Teaches/Purpose: tangrams, spatial relations, geometry. Entry date: 8/22/2007.
Numbers Recovered
Another excellent math program from Sunburst, this one is housed in a mystery
theme. A thief has stolen all the numbers and locked them away. To restore order, students
play four multilevel math games to earn the combination to unlock the door to the numbers.
Among other things, kids adjust a gumball-counting machine to learn about place value, and
match numerals to their respective name, values or equations. In an activity called
Comparison Capers, kids will practice the concepts of greater than, less than and equal to,
and in Graphing Gumshoes, they’ll build and read data on pictographs and bar graphs. Once
the games have been played successfully, students can crack the lock code and bring back all
the numbers. Games can be saved, records are kept, and there are very nice teacher options
that let you set the game to varying skill levels from Kindergarten to third grade. Our testers
enjoyed playing the math games and solving the mystery, and asked to play it again.
Details: Sunburst Technology, www.sunburst.com. Price: $99.95/ten users. Ages: 5-8.
Platform: Macintosh, Windows. Teaches/Purpose: math, place value, comparisons, graph
reading. Entry date: 4/1/2003.
Phonics 3a Advanced Level Sports Edition
It's rare that you come across a phonics program designed for third graders and older,
but truth be told, there are a lot of kids who need this kind of practice beyond the early
elementary years. Instruction and activities are housed within a sports theme in which kids
receive "coaching" on reading skills and then compete in events to practice. Bronze, silver
and gold medals can be won in such events as long jump and kayak racing. Skills and
concepts covered include word families and patterns, syllables, antonyms, synonyms,
homophones, prefixes, suffixes, spelling and comprehension. Features include pre and post
tests, record keeping, and printable worksheets. Over 500 words are studied. The cartoontheme makes this best suited for 3-5th grades. In general, this is a likable, potentially
effective set of activities. School editions with printed lesson plans are available.
Details: Help Me 2 Learn Company, www.helpme2learn.com. Price: $24.95. Ages: 7
-14. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: reading, phonics, vocabulary,
comprehension. Review date: 12/22/2004.
Phonics 3b Advanced Level II Sports Edition
Like its sister program (Phonics 3a) this engaging program is specifically designed for
7 to 12 year olds. Content includes different types of literature, how to write a paragraph,
punctuation, capitalization, spelling strategies and reading comprehension. The grammar
activities stress identification of nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs, as well as subjectverb agreement and verb tense. The activities are numerous and well designed, and the
record-keeping system keeps everyone on track.
Details: Help Me 2 Learn Company, www.helpme2learn.com. Price: $24.95. Ages: 7
-14. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: reading, phonics, vocabulary,
comprehension, grammar, writing. Review date: 4/30/2005.
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Phonics Super Star Reading System
Four programs in one, this is an affordable set of engaging activities designed to teach
and drill basic phonics skills. Included are Letters & Numbers, Phonics 1a Vowel Sounds,
Phonics 1b Consonant Sounds, and Phonics 2 Intermediate Level (see the individual
reviews). More than sixty activities are offered, along with pre-and post-tests, songs, and
progress reporting features. There's also a network version. In brief-- these are solid
programs, and fairly entertaining, too.
Details: Help Me 2 Learn Company, www.helpme2learn.com. Price: $79.95. Ages: 4
-11. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: reading, phonics. Review date:
12/22/2004.
PicoCricket
This kit blends arts and crafts with the core principles of programming, making it easy
to play with ideas like loops, debugging and recursion while making a musical birthday cake
or a sound sensitive spinning sculpture. It is an ideal for a first programming experience.
Components include input sensors for light (a small electric eye), touch (a doorbelllike switch), electrical resistance (with two alligator clips) and sound (a tiny microphone).
Output items consist of a digital reader (to display times or any other quantitative measure),
speaker (to play music), two LEDs (emitting a bright, multicolored light) and a motor (to
make things move). The components seem durable, and all plug into to the main Cricket
block, which runs on three AAA batteries and chirps when it receives an instruction. The
Cricket can juggle a combination of any four included components. There are several dozen
LEGO parts to hold things together and craft supplies like Styrofoam balls. Unlike LEGO
Mindstorms, which operates in a similar fashion, there are no wheels or gears. PicoCricket is
less about moving robots and more about tabletop programming experiments. At the heart
of PicoCricket is the programming software, which you first load onto a Mac or Windows
computer. Like the LEGO Mindstorms programming software, commands are represented
by color coded puzzle pieces which can be dragged and dropped into position. For example,
when making a kinetic sculpture that spins when you speak, you drag the "Motor On" piece
onto the workspace, followed by the "Set Power" to the motor for a value of "Loudness." A
magic wand icon is used to send the program to the Cricket, using a USB "Beamer" via
infrared signals. The instructions are saved in the Crickets memory until a new set is
transmitted. Eight projects include a sound-sensitive birthday cake (clap to change the color
of the candles) and the Reaction Game (that times how long it takes for you to touch a
switch after hearing a sound).
Unfortunately, the Cricket block does not have an auto-off feature. Installing the three
AAA batteries (not included) require using a tiny screwdriver, which seems ridiculous given
that this is a programming construction kit. The plastic tackle-box-like case makes it easy to
store materials, and the activity cards are large and easy to use. For classrooms, these are
important details.
The name "Pico" comes from the company's name, Playful Invention Company, started
by MIT's Mitchel Resnick, who worked on the team whose ideas led to LEGO Mindstorms.
According to Resnick, "the PicoCricket and LEGO Mindstorms are for different audiences
and support different types of projects. While LEGO Mindstorms is designed for robots, the
PicoCricket Kit is designed for artistic inventions." The LEGO Company provided financial
support for both. See also the Logiblocs Electronic Discovery System, LEGO Mindstorms
and Vex Robotics system.
Details: The Playful Invention Company, www.playfulinvention.com. Price: $250.
Ages: 8-up. Platform: Windows XP, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: programming, creativity,
logic, math, temporal relations, art. Entry date: 6/20/2006.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Pixie
Looking for a solid drawing program for Mac or Windows computers? Pixie is a
classroom friendly, no-gimmicks creativity drawing tool that will work well in a school
setting despite a few rough spots (described below).
You start with a blank page, surrounded by icons for text, paint brushes, an eraser,
lines, shapes, fill, an image scrambler, an eyedropper for sampling colors and a smearing
tool for blending colors. There are 256 color options displayed on the bottom of the screen
along with a library of stickers that can be dragged onto the picture and resized. Each option
is also available as a standard drop down menu, which is nice.
To add text, you first select the text insertion tool which creates a text box on the
screen, that can be edited at any point. We liked how it is possible to go back and reposition
text and sticker elements. It is also possible to record sounds with a picture, if you have a
microphone. Importing JPG photos for altering is easy, and you can also export work in five
common formats, including JPG and BMP. So this is a versatile graphics utility.
Weaknesses include some sluggishness when switching between menu items on the
Mac OSX version, and there are no text-to-speech options. Also, when you resize a brush
using the slider bar, the process isn't WYSIWYG. In other words, there's a bit of guess work
involved which adds to the complexity of the interface. Missing also are advance art features
such as different textures. Like early versions of KidPix, this program makes it easy to make
slide shows out of children's work, and there's a nice variety of classroom ideas. For
example, if you are focusing in on the Science Curriculum, you may want to choose
Nutrition. Your background picture will be a place setting and then children can choose
nutritional food from the sticker gallery. All in all, this could be a useful classroom tool. We
tested both the Mac and Windows versions, with no glitches.
Details: Tech4Learning, Inc., www.tech4learning.com. Price: $45. Ages: 5-10.
Platform: Windows XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: creativity, art. Review date: 11/27/2006.
PLATO
We were impressed with these two new web-delivered products (PLATO Essential
Writing Process and Practice /PLATO Fundamental Writing Process and Practice) designed
to teach writing strategies, grammar and mechanics to middle school, high school and adult
students. The focus is on solid instruction-- the interactive lessons are excellent in terms of
content and are well-designed, too. PLATO Essential teaches writing strategies and
grammar skills that are typically taught in 3rd and 4th grades, but uses methods more
appropriate for older students. PLATO Fundamental focuses on skills taught in grades five
and six. Activities include tutorials and guided practice and include such things as
brainstorming, and correcting errors in sentences. Materials are aligned with standards and
guidelines set forth by NCTE and McREL. Note that this completes the PLATO Writing
Process and Practice series, adding to the PLATO Intermediate (grades 7-9) and PLATO
Advanced (grades 11-12) products. All students, whether performing at or below grade level,
can benefit from the carefully scaffolded instruction and practice afforded in this series.
Details: Plato Learning, www.plato.com. Price: $call. Ages: 12-up. Platform: Internet
Site. Teaches: writing. Review date: 3/26/2005.
Polygon Explores Mathematics
A case study in good educational software design, this collection of 20 math and logic
games provides a playful introduction to a range of early math concepts. Like the 1987
classic "The Playroom" (Brøderbund), the program starts with child's room, with 20 items.
Each leads to a four level activity. There is a train game, where a child must load the cars of
a moving train with the answers to math equations, and several tangram puzzles, where
children create patterns by dragging shapes onto templates. Two clock games require the
matching of the hands of a clock to the correct time (digital and analog), and games of
concentration are used to provide math practice. At any time, children can change levels or
they can get help from a talking robot named Polygon.
So why not five stars? The graphics are designed for smaller, older 800 x 600 screens,
resulting in a black border on most modern computers. Also, there's limited "smarts" -namely record keeping or branching. However, like a large shelf of well selected materials,
the interface is refreshingly uncluttered, making it easy for even a preschooler to move in or
out of an activity. This is disk that every K-3 teacher should know about. Both English and
French settings are available. Designed for De Marque by Synapse Multimedia.
Details: De Marque, Inc., www.demarque.com. Price: $51. Ages: 5-8. Platform: Win
98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: mathematics, numbers, operations, geometry, measures,
French. Review date: 4/7/2005.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Pulse Smartpen
Ideal for augmenting an older student's note-taking abilities, the Pulse Smartpen
(www.livescribe.com) is a lithium-ion, Java-powered recorder that is just a bit fatter than a
Sharpie marker. The pen has a tiny camera in its tip that can detect a faint pattern of dots to
give the pen its bearings. Without this special paper, you're left with an old fashioned, rather
expensive (and fat) ballpoint pen. Here's a summary of the three biggest features:
a) It can capture everything you write and "replay" it on a Windows computer screen,
when synced with the included charging cradle.
b) It can record large amounts of extremely clear stereo audio (up to 100 hours for the
1GB model and 200 hours for the 2 GB model), using innovative stereo headphones that
double as stereo microphones -- one in each earbud.
c) It can associate written notes with the sounds that are going on, at the exact instant
the marks on the page were made. So you go back to a page of old notes that you made
yesterday, touch the point of the pen on a sentence or sketch, and hear that exact point in
the lecture. For a reporter doing an Interview, this feature alone could be the killer
application, and it was this feature that made the biggest impression on high school kids I
showed it to.
Those who remember Leapfrog's FLY Pentop computer (later called the Fusion) will
recognize the writing recognition features, where you write a word and hear it repeated back
to you. The pen we tested did not have unlimited handwriting recognition, beyond the
ability to say a collection of 20 words in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic and Swedish. There
were some notable empty icons for features in the works; a reminder that this pen
represents a new platform, and you'll be able to download more software in the future.
Currently, besides the note-taking and recording abilities, there's not much else it can do,
besides the ability to tell time, draw a piano on any page, a calculator (just write the math
equation and the pen does the math) and the language sampler. The pen uses the same
Swedish-based Anoto dotted media technology as the Leapfrog FLY, and it also comes from
the mind of the same inventor, Jim Marggraff, who's been championing pen-and-paperbased computing at LeapFrog, and later at Anoto. The Pulse will come in two varieties: the
1GB for $150 and 100 hours of recording time; and 2GB, with 200 hours recording time.
The Pulse, with the hearty batteries, slimmer form factor and amazing audio recording
will become a must-have item for back to school. Why? Because students who have one will
have "bigger ears for listening" compared to the student without such a device. Just don't
put it through the washing machine
Details: Livescribe, Inc., www.livescribe.com. Price: $150 and $200. Ages: 14-up.
Platform: Windows XP (Macintosh promised for Fall '08). Teaches/Purpose: creativity, penbased computing. Entry date: 2/29/2008.
Puzzle Play Software: Dot-to-Dots
This workbook/software combination is dot-to-dot heaven, for those who like the ageold type of puzzle. The software is easy to install and use--just put the CD in the drive, and
start clicking on a blank screen. Your puzzle starts forming, with your choice of either letters
(in ABC order) or numerals marking each point. After you create your outline, you can add
stickers, fills or a background that will be shown once the puzzle is solved.
There is also a nice selection of existing dot-to-dot templates for those who would
rather complete an existing puzzle, rather than make their own. The only drawback is that it
is possible to accidentally erase your work by clicking the eraser icon (we would have
preferred a simple undo), and it is not possible to save a project. You can print out projects,
however, for use as a handout. If you're looking for an easy to use, powerful dot-to-dot
editor, you can't beat this one, especially considering the price.
Details: School Zone Publishing, www.schoolzone.com. Price: $8. Ages: 5-8. Platform:
Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: creativity, alphabetical order, counting to 100,
visualizing in space. Entry date: 5/31/2007.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Reading Readiness
Knowledge Adventure's Reading Readiness package is a stand-alone skill-based
phonics and language enrichment package designed to work in both a classroom and home
setting. Note that we reviewed the home component in in our last issue (Sept. 2006). This
updated review considers both the home and school parts of the program. The box includes
two CDs plus a set of 10 printed booklets. While it aligns well to standards, it is not part of
any existing reading curriculum, but could be used as a supplement to any existing program.
The classroom component ($90 per computer, with site license options up to $1800) is
designed to be installed on one individual Mac or Windows computer. From this point, a
teacher first creates a class list, which can put children into reading groups if desired.
Teachers can also view student progress at any point.
After they sign in, children start by taking a brief assessment and then work their way
through a series of 70 structured lessons, arranged from matching shapes to matching
sounds to words. Children cannot advance to a new lesson before mastering the current.
The activities we tested were well-designed, although a bit chatty (instructions are repeated
a lot). They embed the skills practice in common arcade themes like Tic-Tac-Toe and
Frogger. For example, in one game, children must cross a stream of moving logs in order to
match a sound with a picture.
At any time, children can freely explore in an electronic alphabet book that lets them
decorate their own letter-themed pages--a nice opened-ended feature. For example, on the
page for the letter A, children can choose from 10 or so A-related items, such as an Ax or an
Apple, to drag and drop around the letter, one at a time. Each time an object is selected, is is
verbally labeled in clear speech, creating an excellent reinforcement of language skills in the
context of the child's interests. Limitations include an inability to save work (once you
change pages, all your work on the previous page is gone). A bit more creativity would be
nice, too, such as the ability to freely draw or type on the page. The alphabet books come on
a second disk, which can be freely copied and distributed for home use. This is an excellent
open-ended way to explore letter and phonics sounds. Both disks contain PDF workbook
pages to reinforce the activities. A variety of teacher resources are provided as PDF files.
More details are www.knowledgeadventureschool.com.
Details: Knowledge Adventure, Inc., www.knowledgeadventure.com. Price: $89.95.
Ages: 5-7. Platform: Windows XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: language, reading, upper/lower case,
auditory discrimination, letter recognition, phonetic analysis, seeing auditory text in print,
text to speech. Review date: 9/1/2006.
REEL Justice
This interactive movie (footage with quizzes) is designed to accompany a McGraw-Hill
textbook, although a story mode works with any generic curriculum. The opening video
segment depicts a debate between a young police officer and his friends about "what is a
crime." Students are given the opportunity to go back in time as one of four characters in the
film, and can make decisions that will affect the story's outcome. Doing the right thing an
making smart choices may avert the disaster, for example, in one scene, a suspect reaches in
his pocket, and you have to decide whether to shoot him or not (turns out to be a bad idea).
This is a compelling experience-- the video and acting are realistic, although the video
playback was choppy on our XP test computer. Done in Macromedia Director.
Details: WILL Interactive, Inc., www.thewillway.com. Price: $89.95. Ages: 13-up.
Platform: Windows, Macintosh, TV based Game. Teaches: social skills, criminal justice, the
judicial system, definitions of crime. Review date: 4/8/2005.
Renaissance, The: Winds of Change
"Like the blooming cherry tree after a cold, hard winter, the Renaissance was a time of
great ideas," at least according to Nicolo Machiavelli, the narrator of this CD-ROM. The
content is top quality, and the table of contents makes it easy to jump to any topic, arranged
in linear fashion into 12 chapters. Students can either listen to the entire program, in
narrated slideshow fashion, or they can jump to a topic of interest. Note that this program
has very little interactive content -- even the self-evaluation exercises are designed to be
printed on regular paper. The numerous links to related websites are noteworthy, on an
external web page that is constantly updated. All in all, this is an excellent teacher resource,
either for whole group demonstration or for small group research. Note that this CD was
adapted from a CD-ROM set, Word History: A Comparative Civilizations Perspective. Made
with Macromedia Director.
Details: Teaching for Thinking, www.teachingforthinking.com. Price: $69.99. Ages:
10-up. Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac OS 9. Teaches: European history, art, science.
Review date: 10/4/2004.
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Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Save the Dinosaurs
Funny, fast and full of dinosaur facts, this quiz game combines multiple-choice
questions with a shooting gallery format. Your goal is to aim a beach ball cannon to scare
away monkeys who want to steal the bones of a dinosaur skeleton. As you shoot, you can hit
special targets that lead to well-designed quiz sessions, such as: "Some paleontologists think
T-rex may have been a..." (correct answer: a cannibal). You find out where the first dinosaur
in the US was discovered, what dinosaurs ate, where they lived, and so on. The game is filled
with quality graphics and narration. Wrong answers trigger follow-up questions, helping
you learn from your mistakes.
Features include an auto-save feature that remembers your progress from session to
session, three challenge levels, and the ability to control the background music and
narration. Progress is saved automatically.
The game is available as a $30 CD-ROM or a $20 download (30 MB), from www.
playingwithdinos.com. A free trial is available. This is an outstanding blend of fun and
learning, at an affordable price. The game ran OK on Windows Vista.
Details: Kaibridge Games, www.playingwithdinos.com. Price: $30 ($20 as a
download). Ages: 5-up. Platform: Windows XP and Vista. Teaches: science, dinosaurs,
history, reading. Review date: 3/21/2007.
Scholastic Keys
Update July 2006: the current version includes integrated lesson plans.
Scholastic/Tom Snyder has also announced MaxData, which works with Microsoft Excel to
give students an age-appropriate introduction to databases.
Formerly known as Max's Sandbox, this is a well designed talking word processing
option for young children. Created for Windows computers with Microsoft Office 2000 or
better, this program takes three Office applications (Word, PowerPoint and Excel) and
makes them child-friendly. Once installed, three shortcut icons appear on your computer
desktop-- Write (Word), Show (PowerPoint) and Count (Excel). Your child clicks on an icon,
and the Office application starts, followed by the Scholastic Key's screen. You can easily
toggle between the regular version and the child version. The child-friendly menus make it
easy to add pictures, change text colors (something kids love to do), save or retrieve files,
and so on. Count includes five structured graphing activities and nicely supports K-3 math
curriculum in general. Show has templates for creating narrated presentations like "what I
did this weekend." The most useful component is Write, the word processor, that makes it
easy to combine text with pictures and sketches. All the applications have quick access to a
sketching utility that is on par with KidPix, and the clipart library has 576 graphics. But the
most impressive feature is the one-click access to text-to-speech. Other nice functions
include one-click saving, and file menus that use large thumbnails, so non-readers can easily
find and open up previous work.
Drawbacks are few, but include a rather complex registration process, and a set of
clunky looking, highly pixilated menu icons. Our testers were disappointed by some
omissions in the clipart .. no girl soccer player, for example. But the images are easily
selected and placed, and the words wrap right around in the Word document.
This could be the ideal tool for KidPix-weary preschool and early elementary
classrooms. The program was designed last year in Australia, and is now being localized in
the US in the school market.
Details: Tom Snyder Productions, www.tomsnyder.com. Price: $48. Ages: 4-11.
Platform: Windows 98, ME, XP with Office 2000 or better. Teaches: writing, graphing,
creating, spelling, text-to-speech, math, word processing. Review date: 8/5/2004.
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Score Mountain Challenge
Designed for use in home settings for reinforcement of math and language arts skills,
this is a series of six workbooks, organized by grade. The books contain multiple-choicestyle worksheets and study tips of the variety found in any classroom. Where this series is
unique, is the six months of online component, that is included in the $11 purchase price. In
order to get to the online part, you have to register at www.scoremountain.com; a process
that includes sending your child's age, password and your email address to Kaplan. You also
have to provide evidence that you own one of the books, provided by typing in a word on
one of the pages. Note that it is not clearly specified what will be done with this information,
or if Kaplan will use it for marketing purposes. There was no option for opting out of getting
future correspondence.
The online component consists of sets of 10 problems that must be correctly answered
in order to get to the next level, or base camp; a tried and true application of mastery
learning. A child's progress is saved, so the next time he or she signs in, everything is
remembered. The record keeping metaphor is clearly communicated to the child, shown as
progress up the mountain. We also liked how it is possible to customize your climber, who
can be a boy or girl.
If you're looking for a rather dry, but effective means of reinforcing the type of content
that shows up on your child's standardized tests, Score Mountain Challenge is a viable
consideration.
Details: Kaplan, www.kaplan.com. Price: $11 per grade. Ages: 5-12. Platform: Internet
Site. Teaches/purpose: math and reading skills. Entry date: 3/28/2007.
Scratch
Like a multimedia sandbox, Scratch is a free downloadable program for Mac or
Windows computers that combines an easy-to-use programming language with an online
community. So it is easy to make a program and then share it, or perhaps download
somebody else's program to modify. It's like YouTube, with code instead of video. The
creativity tool was designed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group—one of many groups at the
MIT Media Lab—and is free thanks to funding by NSF and the Intel Foundation.
After you download the 36 MB file (registration required) from http://scratch.mit.edu
and launch the program, you can drag-and-drop puzzle pieces to program onscreen Sprites,
which can take any form (such as a digital photo of your dog, or perhaps a word from a
poem, that is read out loud when it is clicked). There's also a full suite of Logo commands
(such as Penup and Pendown) that will cause some to recall the language that was popular
in many schools 25 years ago.
The development team for Scratch was led by Mitchel Resnick, who credits LOGO
(Seymour Papert, one of Resnick's mentors) and Squeak (www.squeakland.org) from Alan
Kay as primary influences. They, in turn, were inspired from Jean Piaget's constructivism.
Because you can record sounds or turn any digital picture into a sprite, the power of
Scratch as a story telling or artistic tool begins to emerge. Finished products can be
uploaded to an MIT website where they can be previewed on any browser, or downloaded
and further edited. (Thus, the YouTube, with code comparison noted earlier.)
While Scratch is free and easy to use, there are some weaknesses to note. It is not
possible to open more than one project at the same time, and deleting parts of code—such as
a Sprite—is done by dragging it off the work area, which can result in accidentally loosing all
or parts of a program. We wished there was a better undo or Control-Z option.
For those who have been waiting to take back the power of interactive media from
Viacom and Disney and give it to the children, Scratch is a welcome new option—and you
certainly can't argue with the price. Visit http://scratch.mit.edu/ for more information.
Details: MIT Media Lab, www.media.mit.edu. Price: $free. Ages: 7-up. Platform:
Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: programming, creativity, math, logic, problem
solving, debugging, deductive reasoning, higher-order thinking. Entry date: 5/22/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Smart Board Interactive Display
Tired of those shadows on your interactive white board, or the time needed to warmup
a projector? Smart Technologies (www.smarttech.com) has released what it is calling "the
next-generation" of interactive displays for classrooms or meeting spaces. The Smart Board
Interactive Display is a frame that attaches to most commercial LCD or plasma displays,
making them touch sensitive.
A camera is located in two of the frame corners, registering the position of your finger
with your computer, and your physical touch on the screen surface registers as the click. An
included pencil tool lets you scribble over anything shown on the screen at any time, with an
eraser on the other end. Unlike the current projector-based Smart Board, there is never a
need to return the pencil tool to its tray in order to switch functions.
The frame fits most commercial displays ranging from 42" to 65" and must be
calibrated when it is first installed. Devices like this just might revive finger painting. Prices
start at $2,320.
Details: SMART Technologies, www.smarttech.com. Price: $2,320. Ages: 3-up.
Platform: TV, Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: a computer/TV display peripheral.
Entry date: 7/4/2008.
SmartMoves: Body Puzzles for the Mind
Can you rub your belly and tap your head? You'll be able to after you play with this
innovative DVD, which consists of video segments of "follow along" footage. Created in
collaboration with ThinkingMoves, this DVD leads students through a series of increasingly
complicated body movements designed to work as "calisthenics for the brain". It features 40
puzzles ranging from easy to incredibly hard. Preschoolers can do the simple lessons.
We used the DVD during classroom transitions in a college technology class, and it
worked nicely. It is a great way to bring a group of people together and get them focussed.
Note that you'll want to have a large screen projector, and a good sound system is nice (the
ambient-style music is excellent). The contents of the single DVD include 52 Body Puzzles,
52 minutes of play time, plus video interviews from the creators.
Details: FableVision, Inc., www.fablevision.com. Price: $129. Ages: 8-up. Platform:
Interactive DVD. Teaches/Purpose: movement, gross motor coordination, physical
education. Entry date: 3/7/2008.
Soccer Math
This soccer-themed math drill program is ideal for providing engaging, fast paced
math practice. Play begins as students select and name a male or female team, and then
select a math skill area and level. Topics include place value, addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, measurement (US and Metric), greatest common factor, least
common multiple, fractions, decimals and percents.
After choosing a team name, students first are given a pretest with ten problems to
determine the topic. After choosing one of three timer response levels, the game begins. To
control the ball, students must read each problem. In fractions, for instance, the problem
might read "which fraction is greater than 1/5?" The choices might be 1/4, 2/16, 3/24 and
1/6. With each correct answer, the ball moves down to a player closer to the opponent's net.
Wrong answers send the ball to the opposing team. Scores are kept (the topic practiced, and
percentage of correct answers). On the downside, the game's narrator makes repetitive
comments, and in our easy level games, the same player made every goal (ball hog!). Note
that this happens less often when the clock is running down, which results in a corner kick
situation, with new narration and another chance to solve the problem in less time. It is
clear that a classroom teacher designed this program... the animations are simple but fun,
especially the celebrations after a goal, but they, too, are repetitive. Still, the format is
engaging and the amount of skill practice over a wide content area is impressive, as is the
ability to zero-in on specific skills.
Details: EdVenture Software, www.edven.com. Price: $29.95. Ages: 7-14. Platform:
Win 98, Win XP, Mac OS9, Mac OSX. Teaches: math: place value, addition, subtraction,
multiplication, division, measurement, greatest common factor, least common multiple,
fractions, decimals, percents. Review date: 12/11/2004.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Soliloquy Reading Assistant Version 4
Now it its fourth edition (the first edition was in 2000), Soliloquy Reading Assistant
uses speech recognition (the demo kit we used came with a $40 Andrea Anti-Noise USB
Headset) to evaluate a child's reading, in real time. So it's a bit like having an objective,
patient reading teacher looking over a student's shoulder, listening to their reading. The
software can correct miscues if necessary, and pronounce the hard words, in either English
or Spanish. Essentially, your voice "drives" the progress of the story — one word, sentence
or paragraph at a time.
After you train the microphone to your voice, which takes about five minutes, you can
choose from a variety of reading selections, depending on your interest. Once a reading
selection is finished, a multiple-choice comprehension test is given, followed by a detailed
report on a child's progress. It is then possible to play back the selection with the student's
voice. Note that reading sets are sold separately for $60 each. For example, one of the
primary levels included nonfiction, fiction, and poetry selections from Cricket Magazine
Group.
Improved features over version 3.0 include the ability to customize individual voice
profiles, password protection, and better classroom management tools. The reading
selections start at first grade, and go up to high school (grade 11) giving it a broad range of
possible uses (e.g., for remedial college students).
Details: Soliloquy Learning, www.soliloquylearning.com. Price: $229 and up. Ages: 6up. Platform: Mac, Windows. Teaches: reading fluency. Review date: 3/25/2007.
Spanish 1a with Phonics/Inglés 1a con Fonética
Ideal for second language learners, this bilingual software program applies phonics to
both beginning Spanish and English, allowing students to both see and hear how words in
both languages are formed. The software introduces students to the Spanish alphabet,
numbers, colors, days of the week, common greetings, and spelling of Spanish words
through 30 various games and activities. For example, when learning words, a student can
move the cursor over each word part to hear it sounded out, as the letter animates. This, and
other animation techniques are combined with simple, catchy songs to create a solid
language skills package. Management features can track individual work, and the program
can run off of the hard drive or from the CD, making this a versatile, classroom friendly
program.
Details: Help Me 2 Learn Company, www.helpme2learn.com. Price: $25. Ages: 4-up.
Platform: Macintosh, Windows. Teaches/Purpose: Spanish, English, Phonics. Entry date:
8/22/2007.
Speaking Spelling Bee
About the size of a fat cell phone, this multimedia spelling game has a two-inch color
screen and a slide-open QWERTY keyboard. If your eyes start to strain as you as thumb-out
words such as "rapprochement" or "erroneous", you can plug it into your TV for a room-size
effect. Given the clear speech and 70,000 word vocabulary, the Speaking Spelling Bee
($100, www.franklin.com) could easily become a struggling speller's best friend.
While there are several modes of play, and three difficulty levels, the basic idea is that
you first hear the word read aloud in clear speech. You then type it, one letter at a time. As
each letter is pressed, it is read aloud, so it actually "feels" like you're constructing the word;
an important part of the process. You can backspace to try different spellings, or request to
hear the word used in a sentence or learn its origin for a clue. If you miss the word, it is
recycled in your list, to give you more practice, and the correct spelling is shown. You can
create and save your own spelling lists by choosing them from the 70,000 word dictionary.
Other content includes three games (like Hangman) and a six-player elimination-style
spelling tournament, where you pass the device from one player to the next for a turn.
Powered by three AAA batteries, the device includes a headphone jack, adjustable volume
control, SD card memory expansion and USB upgrading. Perhaps the best part is because
the gadget looks so much like a cell phone, kids can look cool while they're texting out their
spelling words; and the entire process is fun.
Details: Franklin Electronic Publishers, www.franklin.com. Price: $100. Ages: 8-up.
Platform: smart toy, TV. Teaches/Purpose: spelling, vocabulary, word games, language.
Entry date: 2/27/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
SpellingTime.com
Responsive and free, this talking, Flash-based online spelling service is designed from
the ground up to help an elementary student with that dreaded Friday weekly spelling list.
There are three types of memberships — individual, student and classroom. Using a
management screen, parents, children or teachers can enter their own spelling words. These
lists (up to 20 each week) are saved on the remote server. All a student needs to do is
remember his or her screen name and password, so the program could be used both from
both home or school settings.
The best part about this program is the way the spelling words are presented — in a
clear, spoken voice, used both alone and in a sentence. This is remarkable considering that
everything is streamed through your browser. After each quiz or test, children can earn
game coins to play an arcade games to shoot hoops, capture flying bugs, and so on. We were
able to successfully sign up for an account, create a custom spelling list with words like
"separate" and "fishgig" (both were already in the database) and get started. Words not in
the database can be requested.
So what's the catch? We're honestly not sure. Not only is this program easy to use, but
it meets a need every elementary student eventually has. When we reviewed it (December
2006) there were no ads, and we noticed no offers for subscriptions. This service is certainly
good news for home-schoolers or teachers on a budget. Note that as of January 2006, Flash
Player 9 is required to run the program, which is available as a free download. We tested the
program using Safari on a Macintosh with no problems.
Details: Synergy1 Group, Inc., www.spellingtime.com. Price: $free. Ages: 6-12.
Platform: Internet Site. Teaches: spelling, language, reading. Review date: 8/24/2006.
Spore Creature Creator
Want to make a really cool looking animal/monster? Spore Creature Creator is like a
Whitman sampler for the upcoming game, Spore. But it is hard to download, and is sure to
test the limits of your Mac or Windows graphics card. Once you get the 300MB file
downloaded and installed (it took us three tries on either platform), the game lets you mix
and match arms, legs, feet and eyes to create your own customized creature. The level of
detail is striking, and the creatures' movements are amazingly realistic. Just read the
technical requirements carefully.
We were never able to get the game running correctly on Windows Vista, and had to
upgrade our Macintosh to System 10.5.3 before it would work. If you don't have 10.5, don't
bother.
You start with blobs of body parts, which snap together automatically, and can be
stretched or easily repositioned -- like virtual silly putty. Once you start mixing and
matching the eyes, claws, noses, fins and so on, you realize just how different Spore is. The
innovative drag and drop interface makes it fun and easy to experiment with a wide range of
parts. Once your creature is assembled, you can try it out to see what it can do, with
entertaining animations. If you like your critter, you can upload it to the site. The full
version of Creature Creator will be available for $9.99 at retail stores or as a download from
www.spore.com. The free-trial version that we tested contains "25% of the creature-making
parts from Spore." Creatures made in the Spore Creature Creator can also be imported into
the full Spore game, allowing players to populate their own galaxies when the game ships
worldwide later this year. Players can also share their creations with others by uploading to
the Sporepedia at www.Spore.com. The Sporepedia is an online destination where people
worldwide can search for and share Spore creations and comment on other player’s designs.
The Spore Creature Creator is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. The downloadable
demo version is free. The complete version has an MSRP of $9.99 in North America. Spore
ships for the PC, Mac, Nintendo DS™ and mobile phones on September 5, 2008 in Europe
and September 7, 2008 in North America and Asia. Visit www.Spore.com to download a free
version of the Spore Creature Creator, sign up for the Spore newsletter or check out all-new
screenshots and videos from the game.
Details: Electronic Arts, Inc., www.ea.com. Price: $9.99. Ages: 10-up. Platform:
Windows, Mac OSX, Nintendo DS. Teaches/Purpose: creativity. Entry date: 6/18/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Stationery Studio
This is one of those programs that you wonder how you ever did without, especially for
classroom teachers. Designed to support children's handwritten projects, the software
makes it easy to customize and print writing paper. Included are templates for stories,
letters, reports, shape books, mini-books and so on. There are 225 curriculum-themed
images and borders for customization, and five line options— primary skip-a-line, two types
of basic primary lines, standard lines and no lines. The stationery can be printed in color or
black and white. There are options for writing onscreen, too, so teachers can create story
starters, handwriting practice sheets and so on using, print, manuscript, cursive and dotted
fonts. The software supports the ISTE/NETS, NCTE and IRA standards and is very easy to
use. Both kids and teachers liked designing their writing papers, and the kids were actually
anxious to get started writing. Not a bad endorsement for any software title.
Details: FableVision, Inc., . Price: $69.95. Ages: 5-10. Platform: Windows, Macintosh.
Teaches/Purpose: writing, creativity. Entry date: 11/6/2003.
Stop Disasters!
You have $50,000 and 20 minutes to work before a tsunami will strike. How many
lives can you save? This free, web-based learning disaster prevention simulation is
published by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction group, a division of the
United Nations. The goal is to educate children and adults on how to minimize the threats of
natural disasters, before they happen, in order to save lives and reduce damage. According
to the site, natural hazards, such as floods, earthquakes and volcanoes, do not need to
become disasters. For example, if volcanoes erupt in a location where nobody lives, the
volcano eruption is just a natural hazard, but not a disaster. But, if people living around the
volcanoes are affected, it can become a disaster.
In the tsunami scenario, you learn that by planting trees and building concrete
structures on higher ground, you can help people survive the initial disaster of the raising
water. But you also learn that you need to prepare for what happens after the tsunami hits
(eg., when disease happens due to a lack of housing, food and medicine).
Currently, scenarios exist for floods, wildfires and earthquakes. High scores are stored
on the website. Have a look at http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/. Developed by
Playerthree for the UN.
Details: International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, www.un.org. Price: $free. Ages:
12-up. Platform: Internet Site. Teaches: social studies, natural disasters, logical thinking,
economics. Review date: 3/4/2007.
Tag School Reading System
Designed for the classroom, the Tag School Reader is connected to the teacher's
desktop computer via the LeapFrog School Connect application, allowing teachers to
manager the content and devices in the system. In addition, student progress tracking and
reporting features will be available in February 2009. Teachers can set up each Tag Reader
and download audio content for all Tag books in their classroom library. Then students can
use the Tag Readers to hear stories read aloud, get pronunciation for individual words,
listen to audio from characters, and play activities to reinforce skills. The readers come with
headphones for quiet, independent use, and there are currently 22 books in the Tag library
for purchase.
Prices are $275 for a Tag School Reader 4-pack which includes four Tag School
Readers, each with the Ozzie and Mack storybook, a set of headphones, a USB cable, and a
LeapFrog School Connect application installer CD and $525 for a Tag School Reader 8-pack
which also includes a classroom storage box. The books are sold in sets of five or six titles
and range in price from $65 to $100 for a single set, $250 to $395 for a 4-copy set, and $475
to $750 for an 8-copy set. You can also purchase the entire Tag School Library Collection of
21 titles (84 books) for $1,075.
Details: LeapFrog School, www.leapfrogschool.com. Price: $275 - up. Ages: 4-up.
Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: reading, comprehension, word
recognition. Entry date: 6/4/2008.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
TimeLiner XE
School reports will never be the same, with tools like this new edition of TimeLiner XE,
for Mac or Windows computers. So your first question is probably, "What does the XE stand
for?" We're not sure, and neither are the folks at Tom Snyder Productions. Apparently, it
just sounds good, although we might suggest "X-pensive Edition" given the $100 price.
What is clear is that this edition is a lot more than a timeline making utility, as the
price suggests. TimeLiner XE is an integrated data organizing package, that can quickly turn
Internet searches into a finished timeline, with references. It is also a presentation tool, with
a new Slide Show option, that presents the events in your timeline one event at a time.
Other content includes hundreds of project ideas, pre-selected research tools, clip art,
sample timelines and homework assignments.
After you install 418 MB file on your hard drive and enter the registration codes, you
are presented with a rather confusing array of project and homework options. A note to
designers: add a big "make a timeline" button. Once you've set up your template, the
program makes it easy to cite references, and click or drag graphics from the web or preselected sources--such as Scholastic's Grolier encyclopedia, Google, Yahoo, Kidsclick, Ask
for Kids, Digital History, PBS Online, Encyclopedia Smithsonian and the Library of
Congress. You simply find an image, drag it onto your data grid, and the program
automatically snags the URL for a reference.
While all these extras are nice, they add to the learning curve of the experience. Those
already familiar with past versions of TimeLiner will have no problem jumping in and
making a project. Work can be printed or exported in PDF format (we would have liked
more graphic format options, here). The bottom line? TimeLiner XE is a powerful creativity
tool that can help students organize their work. But it helps to use the features.
Details: Tom Snyder Productions, www.tomsnyder.com. Price: $100 and up. Ages: 6up. Platform: Windows, Mac OSX. Teaches/Purpose: organization, writing, temporal
relations. Entry date: 7/28/2008.
Timez Attack: Multiplied
Looking for a way to make the multiplication fact drill more fun? This maze game
combines drills with an engaging video game format. Your mission is to try to make it out of
a monster-filled dungeon. As you explore the tunnels, you run into doors that can only be
opened by quickly answering math questions. Once the door opens, there's a monster who
challenges you with math problems. The only way to pass by the monster is to type in the
answers before time runs out.
There is a total of 12 levels, and progress is saved automatically. At the end of each
level, a review provides a concentrated dose of practice. Any missed questions are recycled
for later use; a very nice feature. In other words, if you miss a problem, you'll have an
opportunity to answer it later. Problems range from multiples of two to multiples of 12.
Drawbacks include a clunky navigation scheme. In order to move, you have to use the
W, A, S and D keys (why not the arrow keys?), while simultaneously using the mouse to look
around. Also, a teacher would probably want more flexibility in the content. For example,
we could not discover a way to jump to a harder level. On the upside, as many as five saved
games can be stored at once, and a map lets you see where you are in the challenge. It also
features a useful tutorial and on-screen hints.
The monsters are simple (not too scary); there is no gore or worrisome content. In
addition, some of the environments are very creative, having moving panels or ramps that
require carefully timed jumps. The sounds are excellent. If you miss too many questions or
fall into a hole, you return to the start of your level. For a good dose of times tables practice,
this is a good option. It could be used as a fun classroom supplement.
Details: Big Brainz, Inc., www.bigbrainz.com. Price: $20. Ages: 6-up. Platform: Win
98, Win XP, Windows XP. Teaches: math: times tables. Review date: 6/9/2005.
Twist
Like Adobe Illustrator on training wheels, this is a simplified vector illustration tool
that makes it easy to quickly create geometric shapes or lines that can be grouped and
changed en-mass. It is possible to ad text or import background graphics, and there are both
polygon and freehand tools, and handles. Other tools include patterns, pictures or gradients,
and it is possible to export images in TIF, JPG, GIFF, PICT, SVG or BMP formats. Bulk
pricing is available.
Details: Tech4Learning, Inc., www.tech4learning.com. Price: $44.95. Ages: 9-12.
Platform: Win 98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: creativity, art, drawing. Review date:
5/26/2005.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Typing Instructor Deluxe Version 16
One of the best, most established typing tutorial/drills (the other is the Mavis Beacon
Teaches Typing). The program uses a travel theme to deliver typing lessons. Typists with
basic skills (ages 10-up) can increase both speed and accuracy with this program. Though
the lessons and games are far from exciting, the practice is straightforward, sequential and
effective. First the program administers a test, determining the student's starting point and
lesson. As few as fifteen words per minute can serve as a goal, or you can be sent to the
Expert typing level if you can already type without looking at the keyboard. Beginning
typists will appreciate the Hands Guide that shows hand placement. After the lessons, tests
reinforce recently learned skills, as do ten games like Cliffhanger (type the letters or words
to climb a mountain before time runs out) or Sea Adventure (type the words before getting
eaten by a sea creature).
Details: Individual Software Incorporated, . Price: $29.95. Ages: 10-up. Platform:
Win. Teaches: typing, keyboarding. Review date: 1/2/2003.
Typing Tournament
Designed for classroom or lab group keyboarding lessons, this is a cleanly designed set
of drills, games and tutorials that include a class management feature for tracking individual
progress. Although we found the graphics to be a bit strange, the overall theme of knights
versus dragons kept our testers interested.
Content includes 16 lessons — with emphasis on focus keys — as well as drills, games
and tests. Each lesson has an animated demonstration followed by an interactive exercise.
After logging in, children choose from five levels. A map then shows five lessons needed to
master before advancing. Each animated lesson begins with some light reading followed by
a set of drills. We counted three games on our preview disk: Siege (players practice letters
and letter strings as they repel a word invasion); Powder Keg (a dragon lights the fuses of
powder kegs and players must type the correct letter to put them out); and Dragon Chase
(players must type fast to escape the dragon). We liked how the progress kept on each child
is accurate and can be easily viewed during the lessons. Also, as children are tested, they
receive a certificate of achievement if they reach their goal. Lab pricing starts at five seats for
$129.
Details: EdAlive, www.edalive.com. Price: $75 and up. Ages: 7-up. Platform: Windows
XP, Windows 98, Mac OSX. Teaches: typing. Review date: 10/11/2006.
United Streaming
United Streaming will allow schools or buildings with broadband connectivity to get
unlimited access to over 2000 core curriculum videos, viewable through their browser (e.g.,
Windows Media Player or QuickTime) or as a stand-alone application. Each teacher will
have the ability to stream or download any video to his/her desktop. Some of the videos
have teacher’s guides and blackline masters that can be printed or downloaded directly from
the site. Administrators can distribute passwords to each teacher in their school, as well as
limit access to any particular user group or video group. Each administrator can monitor
site traffic and video usage. Subscriptions are for one year, starting at $995 for an
elementary school, and costing $1450 for middle or high school. See also Digital Curriculum
from Aims Multimedia.
Details: The Discovery Channel School, www.discovery.com. Price: $995 per year and
up. Ages: 5-up. Platform: Windows, Macintosh. Teaches: All school subjects. Review date:
11/21/2003.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
V-Frog
Teachers or home-schoolers, next time you need to dissect a frog, take note of this frog
dissection program, designed to help students understand how a frog works, contrasted
with how we (humans) work. The well-designed main menu makes it easy to jump around
(no pun intended) between 12 chapters, with titles such as Comparative Anatomy, Muscular
System and Respiratory System.
Each chapter contains an animated slide show, which you can skip through quickly, or
progress through one step at a time. On each page, a set of tools might show up. A scalpel is
first used to make a cut, and tweezers are then used to remove the muscles. Other tools
include an Endoscope (a small camera that you can push into the frog for an internal view)
and a Magic Wand (that makes muscles, such as the heart, come to life so you can see how
they work).
While there is a review section, it is merely a study aid--you roll over parts of the frog
to see a label. There are no formal assessment features or record keeping. Testers noted that
the instruments (like the tweezers) can be clumsy and take some getting used to. Also, while
there are a few real pictures of frog parts, such as muscle cells, more comparisons to real
frogs with pictures or perhaps video would be nice. There is no sound or narration, as well.
Another potential drawback is the price, which starts at $100 for one copy ($5000 for a
building license). After you install the software on a Windows computer (no Mac version)
you have to complete a one-time online registration process using a password and requiring
an e-mail address. Note that an Internet connection is required, providing one year of access
to the program. Each year, the program must be renewed.
For science teachers looking for a death-free alternative to dissection, this is a good
option.
Details: Tactus Technologies, www.tactustech.com. Price: $100. Ages: 12-up.
Platform: Windows. Teaches/Purpose: science, biology, anatomy, physiology. Entry date:
3/4/2008.
VEXplorer Robotics System
Ideal for reconnaissance on a moody big sister, the $200 VEXplorer Robotics System
is a durable six-wheeled vehicle that can be safely controlled from the next room by remote
control. An onboard camera can transmit live video and audio through your TV, and an
adjustable gripping claw makes it possible grab items as large as a soda can.
The kit, released last month from Revell (www.revell.com), comes mostly preassembled with parts compatible with the larger VEX Robotics Design System which was
acquired last year by Innovation First from Radio Shack. Unlike the LEGO Mindstorms
snap-together approach, the VEX system resembles a serious Erector Set, with real nuts and
bolts and strong servo motors. But these robots are harder to assemble and modify, making
them better suited for older children.
VEXplorer requires 11 batteries and includes 24 gears, four motors, a camera and a six
channel remote, plus a trial version of SolidWorks, a professional CAD program. Whether it
is for simple spying or more tricky jobs like retrieving a stolen sweater from behind enemy
lines, here's a toy with transferable skills.
Details: Revell-Monogram, Inc., www.revell.com. Price: $200. Ages: 10-up. Platform:
Smart Toy. Teaches/Purpose: fine motor skills; spatial relations; remote-control operation.
Entry date: 10/9/2007.
Virtual Knee Surgery
This is a great example of how free, flash-based tutorials can simulate just about
anything. In this case, it is an operating room, and you're the (gulp) doctor in charge. The
guided tutorial moves you step-by-step through the fascinating process of replacing a knee;
from marking the correct leg, to cementing the bones in place. You'll never think about your
knees the same again. Warning, the real photos are a bit gory. Nominated by Frank
Migliorelli, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Communications at NYU's Interactive Design for
Children Communications Lab. Best for ages 8-up. Visit http://www.edheads.
org/activities/knee.
Details: Living Children Multimedia, www.livingchildren.com. Price: $free. Ages: 8up. Platform: Internet Site. Teaches: health, medicine. Review date: 6/8/2005.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Wii
The name, Wii (pronounced "we"), was selected to signify a game console for everyone
—young and old, experienced or novice. Based on the software titles we've previewed so far,
Nintendo's Wii has more than lived up to its name. In general, it has far more to offer
children and families than either the PS3 or the Xbox 360.
The wireless Wii controllers are AA battery-operated and consist of two parts—one for
each hand—enabling free hand movements in space. Just one will be included in the
package (extras are $30 for just the remote; $50 for both the remote and the Nunchuk). The
main control is the square-like "Wii Remote" with eight small buttons and one prominent
trigger button. There's also a wrist strap to keep the thing from flying out of your hand when
playing a game like baseball. A second grip-friendly controller, the Nunchuk, is optional-depending on the game. It plugs into the Wii remote with a short cable. This controller
contains a joystick for your thumb and another trigger.
When both are used, you have all the same controls that any current game controllers
give you, and it is easy to imagine playing an existing GameCube title with no learning
curve. The difference is the additional motion detection abilities—you can launch a missile
or cast a fishing pole with a flick of either controller. Other motions let you swing a sword in
a pirate fight, throw a punch, putt with a golf club or conduct an orchestra. Rumble features
are in both hands, so you can feel motion. Surround sound speakers are embedded in the
controllers to augment the sounds coming from the TV. For example, you can shoot a bow
and arrow, and hear the string get tighter as the distance between your two hands increases.
As your arrow shoots toward the screen, you hear a 'whoosh' sound moving toward your
target--a feature that is used in the upcoming Legend of Zelda sequel. Motion is detected
with a sensor (roughly five inches long) that must be attached to your TV, right below the
screen, and hard-wired to the Wii console.
Wii is also a gateway to the large library of older Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and
Nintendo 64 titles, that will be be available for purchase online. Twenty-seven native Wii
titles were demonstrated at E3. Of these, we counted nine for children. As you might expect,
quality varies in these titles. Some of the games are easy to learn, while others are complex.
Notes: 12/2/2006 it is easy to forget the direction you put in a disk -- you often put it
in backwards.
12/13/2007 our Wii test unit, in service now for 13 months with daily use by over 200
different children -- still works. We've gone through three sets of straps for the controller.
9/26/2008 -- still working!
Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $250. Ages: 3-up. Platform:
Wii. Teaches/Purpose: a game console. Entry date: 5/28/2006.
Wii Fit and Balance Board Bundle
Turn your TV into a ski jump, tight rope contest or yoga studio, with this innovative,
well-built Wii peripheral called the Balance Board. It is sold together with the software title
Wii Fit for $170. The Balance Board looks like a large bathroom scale that calibrates itself to
your weight and movement. It is powered by four AA batteries and comes with leg extenders
for use on shag carpeting. The first time you use it, you need to synch it with your Wii by
pressing a small button in the battery compartment. Once things are working, you can lean
forward, backwards, left or right to block soccer balls or compete in a hula hoop contest.
Each is fast-paced, and it is easy for a group of children to take turns, lining up behind the
balance board for a high score.
There are two modes of play -- minigames and body test. In the body test, you must
first calibrate the board -- a process that asks you to enter your age and height before
standing on the foot pad areas of the board and start the software. You can lean to block
soccer balls, swivel hips to power hoop twirls or balance to hold the perfect yoga pose. Your
Body Mass Index (BMI) over time (that's the weight evaluation based on a ratio of weight to
height) is recorded, and a calendar starts tracking your weight loss (or gain) over time.
Testers noted that you rarely break a sweat in any of these games -- the most active of which
has you stretching forward or doing pushups. So don't throw away your stationary bike or
treadmill. What Wii Fit is especially good for is balance and coordination.
Hats off to Nintendo for yet another interface breakthrough. See also We Ski, which is
compatible with the Balance Board from Namco Bandi Games.
Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $170. Ages: 5-up. Platform:
Wii. Teaches/Purpose: fitness, coordination, lower body coordination, timing, balance.
Entry date: 9/27/2007.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review
Top 123 Children's Technology Products for Schools, Created for John Wiley Publishers
Wii Sports
Looking for a good workout? Wii Sports, the title that comes bundled with all Wii
consoles, is a great option. In fact, it is one of the best designed Wii titles on the market.
There are five sports on one CD: tennis, golf, bowling, boxing and baseball. In the tennis
game, up to four players can swing at, hear and feel the ball using the Wii Remote to hit
straight shots and lobs (with top spin or a slice) using their forehand or backhand. With
each stroke, a sound comes from the Wii remote, indicating the smack of a ball, or signaling
whose turn it is to serve. In the baseball game, players can hit or pitch a baseball using the
Wii Remote while the characters on the screen mimic their movements. In the golf game,
players can drive the fairways or putt for the cup simply by swinging the Wii Remote as if
they were swinging a real golf club. All the games are excellent renditions of the sport they
simulate, and there's a nice range of activity level. Testers as young as five were able to play
the games, although they'll need help with some of the more technical sports.
Details: Nintendo of America, www.nintendo.com. Price: $50. Ages: 3-up. Platform:
Wii. Teaches: movement, sports, gross motor skills. Review date: 5/28/2006.
World Book - 2006 Deluxe Edition
The 2006 edition of the World Book encyclopedia comes on includes 2 CD-ROMs and
features every article from the 22 volume print edition, plus thousands more. It also
includes over 700 new articles, maps, and illustrations added for 2006. Content includes
homework toolkit and wizards, full-length videos, simulations, and animations, and over
100 360-degree panoramas.
Details: World Book, Inc., www.worldbook.com. Price: $20. Ages: 10-up. Platform:
Win 98, Win XP, Mac OSX. Teaches: reference, research skills. Review date: 8/25/2005.
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© 2008 Children's Technology Review