Home PublicationsL&LIssuesVolume 27 (1999-2000) March (No. 6)

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Software selection can be time consuming at best, unspeakable at worst. The newest version of an ever-changing publication is now available to help you locate appropriate software and save valuable time. I am proud to announce the arrival of the 2000 Educational Software Preview Guide (ESPG), mention some of the excellent titles in the guide, and illuminate the definitions of the section called Modes. (Read more about the ESPG in ISTE’s Online Bookstore.) The Educational Software Preview Guide Consortium’s volunteer efforts have been productive again. The mere fact that the consortium is still alive with no budget support and no paid staff is just short of an educational miracle. (Read the list of consortium members.)

The guide contains approximately 800 separate titles from almost 200 different software producers. Some cost thousands of dollars, and a few are free to educators but are of commercial quality. We tried to be as thorough and identify as many excellent titles as possible. The goal of the consortium is to share our combined knowledge about the field of resources for technology in education. We hope the guide will help you identify titles for preview, introduce you to products from companies you may not have heard about, and present the information in a useful manner.

To meet this last objective, here is more information about some of the abbreviations used in the concise descriptions of each title. Please keep in mind only the proper listing of the title, price, and hardware is cleared through companies. We, the consortium members, propose (and agree on) the grade levels, subject areas, modes, and annotations. We try to remove the hype and provide some straightforward information about each title.

Modes

The Modes section is quite small within each listing, but it can be a powerful determinant in selecting a program. We use 18 categories to describe how the software may be used in the hands of a student or teacher. The fewest modes a program may have is one, and hundreds of titles are basically one type of software. The combined package titled Tabletop has seven different modes, which means it is a fairly versatile package.

And now, for a chance to describe the modes using new titles to the guide and veterans wearing their latest attire! The modes are presented alphabetically.

Access (AC)

The software was written to provide access to students with special needs. For example, it might provide a connection to an alternative input device.

If a program has AC listed in Modes, then it has a clearly identified way to provide access to students with some special need; this can be accomplished in a variety of ways. For some titles, the whole purpose is to be used with students with special needs. A program may contain built-in connections that provide access in addition to the standard keyboard or mouse. A program may have features that allow the content or pacing to be adapted for specific students. Creative teachers can always find ways of adapting software to reach a broader range of students, even if the publisher did not envision that originally. So, some programs without AC listed can still be used effectively for students with special needs.

First, a program could be designed as the link between a student and an existing program. For example, the products in the Naturally Speaking line from Dragon Systems enable anyone who can speak to directly interact with a word processor or other program—bypassing the keyboard completely. The ability for the speech-to-text processor to deal with continuous speech means less time teaching a student to use the program and more time effectively using it.

A second way a program can provide access is by allowing for a variety of adaptive devices. For example, young students using Stanley’s Stickers from Edmark can use the TouchWindow to create their stories.

Many excellent programs directly address the special needs of an individual, such as Aesop in ASL (American Sign Language) from Texas School for the Deaf, which provides stories to anyone learning how to interpret American Sign Language for the deaf. Another is Big:Calc from Don Johnston. The on-screen calculators, seven choices in all, are much larger than traditional accessories and very easy to use.

Even a particular feature built into a standard program can provide access for special students. The newest encyclopedia from World Book contains the same sticky note feature as the 1999 version that allows adults or other students to add messages to articles. These messages could help guide students through their research activities, be written in another language, use simplified terms, or provide whatever scaffolding a student might need—enough extra help could provide access to a research tool some students may not otherwise be able to use.

Something as simple as providing a text window whenever oral instructions are heard can extend the usefulness of a program. Many new computer programs have many resources that provide a variety of sounds, music, and instructions, but cannot be used by the student who is hearing impaired, has limited language proficiency, or has difficulty sorting aural stimuli. In Encarta Africana (see “Software Reviews,” L&L vol. 26 no. 8), celebrities have provided their thoughts on video. The accompanying text window carries their messages to a larger audience.

Authoring System (AU)

These use a code of commands that enables a nonexpert to write interactive programs. This mode also includes shell programs where teachers insert their own problems or data.

Stagecast Creator is an excellent example of an authoring program. Students and teachers can create complex simulations in life science (or another subject) using pictures, icons, and movement. These simulations can be interactive and used for demonstrations. The Stagecast simulations can be posted to the Internet.

A different example of an authoring program is Spell It Deluxe to which teachers can add their own word lists. Students practice their spelling skills in the same game/drill environment, but the words better fit the rest of their studies.

The two key points about an authoring system are simplicity and interactivity. If an authoring system is too complex, then it is basically a programming language (see CP). If the final product is not interactive, then the students’ work may have been creative (see CA), useful for a report (TL), or great for teachers (DE), but the program did not fit under the AU mode.

Bilingual (BL)

Verbal and/or written information or directions are available in more than one language.

Language translation software, such as Business English for Spanish Speakers, is designed to focus on the two languages and translations. However, a program may be designated bilingual if it provides opportunities for students to learn vocabulary and phrases in more than one language. The newest version of Travel the World with Timmy exposes students to songs and phrases in five languages.

A computer software program often costs from $500,000 to $1 million to produce. With such an initial investment at stake, companies want to sell as many copies as possible. If a program is designed with multiple languages, it can be sold in more countries. This desire to compete in the global market has provided classes with some added benefits. Students can learn words, phrases, songs, and culture from other countries, as they learn about their own. So, many of the storybook CD-ROMs, such as Just Grandma and Me Deluxe, for young children contain English and at least one other language.

Many computer products are designed to increase multicultural awareness. Soleil is one company that has been providing opportunities for students to become global citizens as they explore other cultures, learn content, and are exposed to a variety of languages. One of their products, WorldWalker Destination: Australia (see “Software Reviews,” L&L vol. 26 no. 1), has a toggle so students can explore the activities in English one day and return to learn words from French, German, or Spanish on another day. The ever-present language toggle allows students to switch back to English to double-check understanding.

Creative Activity (CA)

Programs with this designation have some structure or activity that encourages students to exercise their imaginations and creativity.

Using any computer software tool (TL), students can be creative, but some programs stimulate, encourage, and enhance a student’s ability to be creative. These are the programs we have labeled CA. For example, few paint programs stimulate the exploration, curiosity, and creativity to the extent of Kid Pix.

The programs from Pentéwa teach about a particular cultural event and provide ways students can explore an art form and express their own creativity. Using At the Potlatch (see “Software Reviews,” L&L vol. 26 no. 4), students can print puppets for use in a play or report.

Diorama Designer is a new program from Tom Snyder Productions. In Community Construction Kit (a prior program from Peggy Stearns) students created 3-D houses and decorated the outsides of the buildings. In Diorama Designer, students design the interiors of buildings from the same four social studies scenarios: colonial America, plains Indian, modern times, and medieval castles. They select characters, objects, and designs to describe a setting. Students’ creativity may extend beyond the program interaction; for example, students can use Diorama Designer to design and print the backdrop for a puppet play.

Computer Programming (CP)

This denotes a computer language or software-based activity for teaching computer science or computer literacy classes.

MicroWorlds Pro combines the power of the programming language Logo with exciting multimedia tools. A new program with this mode is LEGO dacta Control Lab Starter Pack. Students write programs that are executed by moving LEGO creatures. One of the keys to a good teaching language vehicle is rapid execution to test for bugs. Being 3-D, testing for bugs can be as fun as perfect solution execution.

Demonstration/Presentation (DE)

This is software used to present some aspect of the curriculum or used to create a presentation of material. For example, use the software to create slides and use a slideshow option.

Many different types of software programs fit this category. Programs can be tools for organizing material into a sequential presentation, resources containing a vault of pictures and/or videos of a particular subject area, simulations that would be difficult to portray using chalkboard or overhead, or videos of experts sharing their knowledge in a content area.

Presentation tools, such as HyperStudio, PowerPoint, Digital Chisel, mPower, and MP Express, have been very popular in the classroom. Both teachers and students can create presentations using a minimal amount of time.

Quality classroom resources have been lean. Plenty of clip art designed for business advertisements is available, but content-specific and classroom-appropriate resources are rare. FTC is one company that has been producing material specifically for educational purposes. Their Music Loops for Multimedia and sound volumes have enhanced many a document. National Geographic is another company that provides extensive resources; in particular their two volumes on American Indians are rich and interesting.

Fortunately many math and science tools can be used for individual/group explorations and full-class demonstrations. Geometer’s Sketchpad and any title in the Tangible Math series provide a large, clear viewing area for creating constructions to clarify theories or proofs.

Field trips have become almost cost-prohibitive. Bringing a range of guest speakers to the classroom would be nice, but what if you don’t live within 40 miles of a major metropolitan area? Both Writing Trek and Writer’s Solution provide videos of current writers sharing their expertise on particular writing genres. Videodiscovery’s series on careers in the sciences, Tom Snyder’s Telling Our Stories, and Learning in Motion’s SETQUEST bring scientists into the classroom to excite students about continuing their studies in science.

Drill and Practice (DP)

These programs offer students unlimited practice on concepts they presumably have already learned. Good drill and practice provides feedback to students, explains how to get the correct answer, and contains a management system to keep track of student progress.

Many of the first software programs belonged to this mode. It doesn’t take much programming skill to create a simple drill-and-practice program for a particular content area. However, a good program requires more than just providing problems and stating right or wrong. The program should keep track of student scores over time, change difficulty levels as students improve, and identify what skills or information students need to improve. Type to Learn and Type for Fun! from Sunburst Technology are two programs designated DP.

Using drill and practice as only part of a program’s offering can enhance the overall package. For example, Reading Mansion (see “Software Reviews,” L&L vol. 26 no. 6) combines an exploration game where students learn vocabulary words interlaced with short drill-and-practice activities focused on specific linguistic goals. Writing Trek contains activities on grammar to improve students’ skills as they learn to write in different genres.

Education Game (EG)

Usually these introduce drill and practice in a game format with a winner or scoring system.

EG is a mode that can cause problems in the classroom or with community perception. When teachers and students think of programs as games, it reduces or trivializes the potential for learning. A game has a goal with winners and losers and usually a time limit. Focusing on the educational elements helps students see the educational goal. For example, if the only purpose of using The Oregon Trail is to survive and arrive in Oregon, then it is a game. If students are learning about the time period, geography of the United States, and westward expansion, then it is a simulation.

Yoiks!™ from TERCWorks™ combines the best of game design with challenging mental activities. Students’ scores can vary, but not because of eye-hand coordination or time limits. With unlimited practice and superbly designed puzzles, students are focused on developing their own thinking skills. (Yoiks!™ will be reviewed in the May 2000 issue of L&L.)

Where in the World (or elsewhere) is Carmen Sandiego? is commonly called a game. Having students analyze how they solve the problems reclassifies its use from game to problem-solving activity. Some states specifically forbid the use of software games in the classroom, so how a program is used in the classroom makes an important difference.

Exploration (EX)

Students can maneuver through a predesigned environment, testing and trying various components of the environment.

Stimulating students to explore is now accomplished through a variety of methods. Some programs provide visually interesting sets of images to click, some break in the action to provide students an opportunity to conduct off-screen explorations, and some provide a toggle so students can go from guided learning to exploration. Using any of Edmark’s Thinkin’ Things titles, students can have problems presented, or they can just explore and discover relationships on their own.

Many adults have memories of sitting on the floor of a library and looking at the other books nearby—not necessarily related by topic, but interesting nonetheless. Or looking up a topic in a dictionary and still perusing that same dictionary an hour later, having jumped about exploring many unrelated words. Electronic references need to present material in more than just lexicographical fashion to enable students to serendipitously learn new material. Most electronic encyclopedias have collections of images randomly brought together (or predesigned) to encourage students to examine a variety of topics. Encarta Africana provides a lengthy and exciting time line of the history of Africa that encourages individual curiosity and exploration.

The Science Court series is based on the half-hour Saturday morning show of the same name. Using the CD-ROM in the classroom can be significantly different than just sitting in front of a television. The Science Court Exploration software comes with materials for conducting relevant classroom experiments between segments of the story.

Guided Practice (GP)

These offer students hints, assistance, and even reteaching as they practice a concept.

A good guided practice program combines the best of drill and practice with tutorials. Using Boxer Learning math programs, students can test their understanding and relearn concepts. The Smart Start language series from Syracuse models guided practice for learning a foreign language, thus supporting a teacher’s efforts.

Internet (IN)

The program directly connects to the Internet or World Wide Web. Some programs function fully without currently being connected to the Internet, but they can be connected for additional resources or interaction.

The Internet is not a teaching style in the traditional sense, but the Consortium wanted a way to let teachers know that a program could enhance how the Internet is used in the classroom. Some products are available only on the Internet, some have additional resources if students have access to the Internet, and some programs are tools for interacting with the Internet.

Encyclopædia Britannica Online, Grolier Online, and Encarta Online are only available on the Internet. Their CD-ROM electronic encyclopedia siblings may function completely in a stand-alone environment. However, if a connection is available, each of these programs has relevant links to additional Internet information on specific topics.

Tools abound for browsing the Internet (Netscape Navigator or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer), gathering Internet material (WebWhacker or Web Buddy), creating Web pages (Web Workshop or Netscape Composer), and more. FileMaker Pro provides a database engine for posting searchable material on the Internet. CU-SeeMe keeps improving the way students can conduct teleconferences.

Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

This is software that can be used by students who have limited English-speaking skills.

This mode includes teaching students who are learning English as a second language and those students whose development with English skills is not sufficient to use many computer programs for their grade level. Many math and science tools are so visual by design, they can be used quite effectively with LEP students. Students’ verbal skills are usually more advanced than written skills, so programs that include text-to-speech features may be more useful in the classroom.

For young students, JumpStart Kindergarten teaches basic language skills. Kid Pix has a built-in text-to-speech capability, so teachers can predesign files and activities that can literally speak to students. The Amazing Writing Machine is a program that is useful for improving any intermediate and middle school student’s fluency. Students can “write” by selecting words and phrases and have the computer read their compositions to them.

Multimedia (MM)

This software contains multimedia activities or facilitates development of multimedia presentations.

Notice how cleverly we avoided defining the word multimedia. A simple definition might be multimedia includes relevant sound, movement, and color, and can be controlled. Obviously what we define as multimedia today may seem too simplistic by tomorrow’s standards. How far is educational technology from students wearing virtual reality gloves and working as a group to virtually row a canoe down the Amazon River, while they feel the humidity and smell the flowers? Will that be called multimedia?

Researchers have not found all the answers about how humans learn, but they have identified that students learn more if they experience the information in more than one way—through more than one sense. Good multimedia software reinforces the learning of a topic through sound (narration, sound effects, and music), movement (animation or video), color (complex visual discrimination), and student-controlled pacing. We have not categorized every program that uses multimedia effectively to teach, just those programs that enable students and teachers to create, modify, and present multimedia materials.

Packages like Living Deserts and Rainforests provide students with a tool for creating multimedia presentations (MP Express) and necessary resources for pulling them together effectively. The music clips work with the photographic backgrounds. The sound clips work with the animal images to add dimension.

A number of programs can be used for video editing. Strata VideoShop was originally developed by Avid, a name you might recognize if you sit through all the credits at the end of a movie. Apple’s new QuickTime VR comes in both a professional and a simpler version.

Problem Solving (PS)

These require student strategy and input. Most simulations (SI) and educational games (EG) require some problem solving on the students’ part but may not have PS in their mode listing.

Good problem-solving software focuses on specific ways of solving problems and provides students with plenty of opportunities to develop and test strategies and improve their problem-solving skills. Introduction to Patterns and I Spy: Brain Building Games for Children are just two of the programs that work on important specific mental skills necessary for later scholarly success.

Some series have a formula for using the same methods throughout the series. The Decisions, Decisions series uses groups of four and critical-thinking skills to determine an optimal outcome. Decisions, Decisions: Media Ethics and Bioethics: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome are two programs that enable teachers to bring current, relevant issues into the classroom and teach how thinking and research can be used to draw conclusions and make life-affecting decisions.

The ESPG continues to include Problem Solving as a subject area to stress the importance of developing thinking skills as well as covering content. You might want to peruse the whole Problem Solving collection.

Reference (RF)

These include electronic forms of traditional references such as dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias as well as extensive references on particular subjects.

The content of a reference program is important, but equally important is the search engine that provides simple and quick access to the content. A poor search engine is like a locked door on a library—no good to the student needing to learn. Each year we watch as technology takes another leap in quantity. The guide now includes titles that are available on DVD, such as Encarta and Encyclopædia Britannica. The quality was there first; the DVD just takes up less space and speeds up searches without disc swaps.

Obvious reference titles are the Compton’s, Grolier, and World Book Encyclopedias. National Geographic Maps provides a reason to use electronic media for archiving. Information about our northern neighbor can be found in Canadian Treasures.

Simulation (SI)

These programs create a world on the screen where realistic conditions apply.

Using simulations in the classroom has proved to be effective whether technology is used or not. A simulation can be as complex as creating a city or as focused as dissecting a frog. A good simulation puts the decisions and sequencing in the hands of students. The time spent reflecting on the process and analysis of the software activity raises it from being just a game to a learning experience—providing depth and richness in texture.

Some classic simulations have been upgraded, such as Operation Frog Deluxe, Crosscountry USA, and SimCity 3000. Some Internet-based activities have been so successful that permanent versions are now available on CD-ROM, such as Mayaquest Trek.

Testing (TE)

Programs test students on subjects already taught, record their scores, and provide the correct answer.

At some point, every student in the United States will take a test using a computer instead of pencil and paper. The Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) was slated to be administered only on computer a few years ago, but because there was a marked difference in the outcome based solely on a student’s computer experience, that was postponed. Students who use Personal Training for the SAT are practicing both content and medium—two ways that might help their score.

Some form of student assessment should come with each piece of software that claims to be educational. One method is to provide short tests at various points in the program. The Physica Elementa series contains activities and assessments to assist students in their science explorations and understanding.

Tool (TL)

These include word processing, desktop publishing, database management, spreadsheets, graphics, and telecommunications programs.

Electronic tools exist to help teachers manage their work, administrators handle school paperwork, and students organize their learning and collaborate in new and exciting ways. A good tool is almost transparent; it does not take very long to learn how to use, takes less time to use than previous methods, does at least one thing really well, and provides more versatility with the data stored.

Assessment must be recorded. And there’s a wide range of tools ready to help teachers with the type of assessment they employ. Teachers can use Grade Machine or Class Action to keep grades, Grady’s Profiles for student portfolios, Learner Profiles for student observations, and Rubricator for designing new assessment activities.

Student tools range from simple word processors such as Easy Book Deluxe to integrated packages such as AppleWorks. MovieWorks is four tools in one package. Each tool tackles a part of creating multimedia—media composition, sound editing, video editing, and a 24-bit paint program. Actually, Netscape Communicator is two tools joined at the icon—Composer for creating and editing Web pages and Navigator for browsing the Internet.

Tutorial (TU)

The computer program presents new concepts and skills through interactive text, illustrations, descriptions, questions, and problems.

A good tutorial is one of the most difficult types of software to write. What is clear to one student is pea soup to another. A good tutorial allows students to practice what they have learned before continuing. Many of the foreign language packages teach and test in an ongoing fashion, such as the Syracuse Language series.

Conclusion

We create the ESPG to assist classroom teachers, technology coordinators, and administrators. The subject organization, categories, and annotations are meant to communicate clearly. The company contact information is included to save you time and effort tracking down products. The education resellers were selected because they have academic pricing and understand school purchase ordering practices. We appreciate your comments and suggestions at theguide@iste.org.

Please visit the ISTE Online Bookstore for information on ordering the 2000 Educational Software Preview Guide.

Copyright © 2000, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.