Silvercrest Children's Development Center

Marilyn Hudson-Tremayne

5 – 9 year old multiply handicapped special education class
 
 

Preface: Two years ago, I established a computer lab for my students. Until then, children in the two primary units had little exposure to computers. I began by exposing students to simple programs on the Apple ll Touch Screen. With increasing familiarity of software for young students, I began to order more advanced programs. Students who had average intelligences and severe behavior disorders responded to the more interactive and challenging programs. A number of students would choose their own software for the day, and took charge of their own learning. I have included a list of preferred programs of varying levels for my students, and continue to search for exciting new games and learning activities.
 
 
 
 

Title: Bailey’s Book House

Publisher: Edmark

Reviewer: Marilyn Hudson-Tremayne

School: Silvercrest Children’s Development Center

Platform: MAC Medium: CD ROM

Objectives: To help students develop a love of reading.

Audience: 5 – 9 year old special education class, multiply handicapped

Reading Level: Preschool

Ease of Use (Instruction/Loading/Navigation): Self-explanatory

Instructional Uses: Using mouse, click on areas of interest, allow children to explore

Group Size: Individual or Small

Record Keeping: Yes Various levels of Difficulty: Yes

Sound: Yes On-Screen Help: Yes

Appropriate Feedback: Musical cues, spoken words and phonetic sounds

Supplementary Materials: None required

Use of Visuals/Graphics/Animation: Colorful graphics, minimal movement of characters

Strengths: This program is easy for students to use, requires little more than a familiarity with the alphabet, and can be used in an unhurried and methodical manner which is appropriate for students in my class with physical impairments.

Weaknesses: The program is not fast-paced enough for my behavior disordered and ADHD students, who prefer highly interactive programs. This does not keep them engaged for longer than 5 to 10 minutes.

Additional Comments: Bailey’s Book House has been, overall, a useful tool for exposing young students to reading in my classroom.

Overall Rating (1=lowest, 5=highest) : 2.5
 
 
 
 
 
 

Title: Millie’s Math House

Publisher: Edmark

Platform: MAC Medium: CD ROM

Objectives: To explore fundamental math concepts

Audience: Preschool to Grade 2

Reading Level: Preschool

Ease of Use (Instruction/Loading/Navigation: Mouse, Loading time is somewhat lengthy.

Time Required for Loading: 2-3 minutes on the Mac

Instructional Uses: Exposure to basic math concepts through the use of counting "critters", creating color matching using numbers, making cookies with the numbers 1-10, comparing size, and subtraction, and counting 1-0.

Group Size: Individual and Small

Record Keeping: Yes Various levels of Difficulty: Yes

Sound: Yes On-Screen Help: Yes

Appropriate Feedback: When the answer is incorrect, a frog will, for example eat the cookie, instead of the horse. Students enjoy watching the responses to right and wrong answers, and will sometimes try to get wrong answers for the reaction.

Supplementary Materials: None required

Use of Visuals/Graphics/Animation: Reasonably uncomplicated, colorful enjoy to keep their interest. When an item is clicked, a response is immediate.

Strengths: Students enjoy the humor in this program, and even when beyond the grade level, they will often choose Millie’s Math House over other math programs.

Weaknesses: There are only three levels of difficulty. For my diverse group, more are needed.

Overall Rating (1=lowest, 5=highest) 3
 
 
 
 

Title: Thinkin' Things Collection 1

Publisher: Edmark

Platform: MAC Medium: CD ROM

Objectives: To build memory skills, develop creativity, and problem solve.

Audience: Preschool to Grade 4

Reading Level: Reading level is not required

Ease of Use (Instruction/Navigation: Choice making can be difficult for special ed students, and following directions after making the choices requires adult assistance.

Time Required: Students can play on this for as long as they choose, moving through six activities of varying levels.

Instructional Uses: I find that this program is effective for building memory skills and learning to imitate patterns and sounds.

Group Size: Individual and Small

Record Keeping: No Various levels of Difficulty: Yes

Sound: Yes On-Screen Help: Minimal

Appropriate Feedback: Students learn the correct response through animated feedback, such as monkeys pounding on a musical items.

Use of Visuals/Graphics/Animation: Interesting pop-up characters, enjoyable tunes, and dress-up characters.

Strengths: Students enjoy the variety of interesting activities in Thinkin' Things. My more advanced students immediately go to the more challenging areas and create odd cartoon characters and moving works of art.

Weaknesses: The program is more challenging than expected for my higher functioning autistic students. They are somewhat frightened by the musical activities, and seem confused by the logical and creative activities.

Overall Rating (1=lowest, 5=highest) 3
 
 
 
 

Title: Jumpstart Kindergarten

Publisher: Knowledge Adventure

Platform: MAC Medium: CD ROM

Objectives; To prepare kindergarten students for reading, math, and language arts.

Audience: Kindergarten

Reading Level: Not required

Ease of Use: Clicking the mouse will bring about new activities. Easy for students to navigate.

Instructional Uses: Students learn phonics through sounding out. They find sounds in the words, and create simple rhymes. Upper and lower case letters are differentiated, prepositions, numbers, and sorting objects are other activities that students can learn.

Group Size: Individual and Small

Record Keeping: Yes Various levels of Difficulty: Yes

Sound: Yes On-Screen Help: Yes

Appropriate Feedback: Students are given stars for good work.

Use of Visuals/Graphics/Animation: Simple graphics and animation. Autistic students are responsive to this program as there are few loud noises that disturb auditorially defensive children.

Strengths: An overview of kindergarten activities that offer a number of choices for students to use.

Weaknesses: Not enough variety for my more demanding students with behavior disorders. The program isn't fast paced enough to keep them focussed on the screen.

Overall Rating (1=lowest, 5=highest) 3
 
 
 
 

Title: Just Me and My Dad

("Little Critter" series)

Publisher: GT Interactive

Platform: MAC Medium: CD ROM

Objectives: To expose students to reading through a highly interactive storybook.

Audience: PreK-2

Reading Level: Not required

Ease of Use (Instruction/Loading/Navigation): Self-explanatory, quick loading, fast and simple navigation

Instructional Uses: Students are exposed to a wide reading vocabulary while listening to and interacting with the storybook. Each page contains a large range of lively sounds and animations.

Group Size: Individual and Small

Record Keeping: No

Various levels of Difficulty: Yes

Sound: Yes On-Screen Help: Yes

Appropriate Feedback: Feedback is immediate, and students are entertained by the animation.

Supplementary Materials: None

Use of Visuals/Graphics/Animation: Excellent graphics and animation. Highly creative.

Strengths: Students enjoy this program, and even highly distractable students will attempt to stay on it for longer than an hour at a time.

Weaknesses: No weaknesses educationally, however, certain students with family problems, such as an absent father, have, in the past, become upset with the many things the main character and his father enjoy while camping. These students are able to enjoy two other programs instead: "Just Me and My Mom", or "Just Me and My Grandma."

Additional Comments: Thoroughly enjoyable program. It engages adults who are assisting students with programs and teaches children sight words while offering entertainment. Students of all abilities enjoy the "Little Critter" series.

Overall Rating (1=lowest, 5=highest) 4