Children's Software Evaluation Instrument

Title ___________ ___________ ___________ __________          
Publisher __________ __________              
Version __________                
Price __________                
Score __________                
                   
  Always Sometimes Never Not Averaged          
Ease of Use (Can a child use it with minimal help?)                  
1 _______ _______ _______ _______ Skills needed to operate the program are in range of the child        
2 _______ _______ _______ _______ Children can use the program independently after the first use        
3 _______ _______ _______ _______ Accessing key menus is straightforward        
4 _______ _______ _______ _______ Reading ability is not prerequisite to using the program        
5 _______ _______ _______ _______ Graphics make sense to the intended user        
6 _______ _______ _______ _______ Printing routines are simple        
7 _______ _______ _______ _______ It is easy to get in or out of any activity at any point        
8 _______ _______ _______ _______ Getting to the first menu is quick and easy        
9 _______ _______ _______ _______ Controls are responsive to the touch        
10 _______ _______ _______ _______ Written materials are helpful        
11 _______ _______ _______ _______ Instructions can be reviewed on the screen, if necessary        
12 _______ _______ _______ _______ Children know if they make a mistake        
13 _______ _______ _______ _______ Icons are large and easy to select with a moving cursor        
14 _______ _______ _______ _______ Installation procedure is straightforward and easy to do        
Childproof (Is it designed with "child-reality" in mind?)                  
1 _______ _______ _______ _______ Survives the "pound on the keyboard" test        
2 _______ _______ _______ _______ Offers quick, clear, obvious response to a child's action        
3 _______ _______ _______ _______ The child has control over the rate of display        
4 _______ _______ _______ _______ The child has control over exiting at any time        
5 _______ _______ _______ _______ The child has control over the order of the display        
6 _______ _______ _______ _______ Title screen sequence is brief or can be bypassed        
7 _______ _______ _______ _______ When a child holds a key down, only one input is sent to the computer        
8 _______ _______ _______ _______ Files not intended for children are safe        
9 _______ _______ _______ _______ Children know when they've made a mistake        
10 _______ _______ _______ _______ This program would operate smoothly in a home or classroom setting        
Educational (What can a child learn from this program?)                  
1 _______ _______ _______ _______ Offers a good presentation of one or more content areas        
2 _______ _______ _______ _______ Graphics do not detract from the program's educational intentions        
3 _______ _______ _______ _______ Feedback employs meaningful graphic and sound capabilities        
4 _______ _______ _______ _______ Speech is used        
5 _______ _______ _______ _______ The presentation is novel with each use        
6 _______ _______ _______ _______ Good challenge range (this program will grow with the child)        
7 _______ _______ _______ _______ Feedback reinforces content (embedded reinforcements are used)        
8 _______ _______ _______ _______ Program elements match direct experiences        
9 _______ _______ _______ _______ Content is free from gender bias        
10 _______ _______ _______ _______ Content is free from ethnic bias        
11 _______ _______ _______ _______ A child's ideas can be incorporated into the program        
12 _______ _______ _______ _______ The program comes with strategies to extend the learning        
13 _______ _______ _______ _______ There is a sufficient amount of content        
Entertaining (Is this program fun to use?)                  
1 _______ _______ _______ _______ The program is enjoyable to use        
2 _______ _______ _______ _______ Graphics are meaningful and enjoyed by children        
3 _______ _______ _______ _______ This program is appealing to a wide audience        
4 _______ _______ _______ _______ Children return to this program time after time        
5 _______ _______ _______ _______ Random generation techniques are employed in the design        
6 _______ _______ _______ _______ Speech and sounds are meaningful to children        
7 _______ _______ _______ _______ Challenge is fluid, or a child can select own level        
8 _______ _______ _______ _______ The program is responsive to a child's actions        
9 _______ _______ _______ _______ The theme of the program is meaningful to children        
Design Features (How "smart" is this program?)                  
1 _______ _______ _______ _______ The program has speech capacity        
2 _______ _______ _______ _______ Has printing capacity        
3 _______ _______ _______ _______ Keeps records of child's work        
4 _______ _______ _______ _______ "Branches" automatically: challenge level is fluid        
5 _______ _______ _______ _______ A child's ideas can be incorporated into the program        
6 _______ _______ _______ _______ Sound can be toggled or adjusted        
7 _______ _______ _______ _______ Feedback is customized in some way to the individual child        
8 _______ _______ _______ _______ Program keeps a history of the child's use over a period of time        
9 _______ _______ _______ _______ Teacher/parent options are easy to find and use        
Value (How much does it cost vs. what it does? Is it worth it?)                  
Considering the factors rated above, and the average retail price of software ($34.00), rate this program's relative value considering the current software market. Consider also any extra hardware attachments required to get full potential of the programming, e.g. a sound card, CD-ROM, etc.
Poor                 Good
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c1997, Children's Software Revue                  


Last Updated on 7/25/98
By Tammy McLane