Educational Software Review

Math Circus 4

Results

This game is very common within elementary schools, and offers a significant amount of educational support for students in the primary/junior divisions. While it obviously will not replace a teacher, it is a well organized game that is very easy for students to use and navigate through. While the learning is not evident to students (which may be a good thing!), there are many possibilities for enrichment. It meets many requirements within the curriculum, specifically related to addition, subtraction and problem solving. Obviously, as the degree of difficulty increases, the specific expectation will change (usually the grade level which is most applicable). This game has very simple, straight forward technical requirements, including Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, 2003, XP, OR MacOS 9, 10.1 or higher. The game is very colourful and has very appealing "circus" music, which will undoubtedly aid in engaging the students in the game.

Discussion

In order to test the software, I played around with it on my laptop on my own time, and also watched students in the school play. I would say I spent about 2 hours testing the game myself, and about an hour watching students play the game at school. While playing the game, I watched for elements that were on the review sheets (i.e. curriculum connections, engagement for students, ease of use, etc.). I feel that the tests are fairly conclusive. Obviously, there will always be students who dislike the game, but for the most part I think the general attitude towards the game will be similar across students. Our school has a very well equipped computer lab, available to students once a week (as a class). Many of the students at our school are very well versed in technology (they probably know more than I do!). Each classroom has 1 computer, so the game would be usable in a classroom if only one student plays at a time, or they play in pairs or small groups. This game would be appropriate for many grades, probably from around grade 2 up to University (yes, I said it, I couldn't figure out some of the problems at the hardest level!). The very high levels would be far to advanced for the average student in elementary school, and this could pose a serious problem for students in the class. Often, not being able to figure something out leads to poor self efficacy and lack of motivation. I think that by enabling the teacher controls to only allow the basic levels to be activated at first would make this game appropriate and useful in the primary division, and perhaps the advanced questions could be tried by junior/intermediate students.

Sammy's Science House

Results

In contrast to Math Circus, I have never witnessed this game being used in a school environment. Despite this, I feel that this game would also greatly benefit students with their science understanding. Also, much like with Math Circus, the game would never be able to replace a teacher, but acts as an amazing reinforcement for what is being taught in the classroom. It is not laid out as nicely as Math Circus; there are no labels or directions laid out for the students, they have to just "play" with it to figure out how it works. This game also covers many of the curriculum expectations, from categorizing and grouping to identifying types of weather. This program requires Windows 98, ME, 2000 XP, or MacOS 8.6 or higher. This game has a very attractive layout, including an abundance of colour and very cute characters (like a squirrel and sammy the snake!).

Discussion

Much like with Math Circus, I tested the software by playeing around with it on my laptop on my own time. I would say I spent about 2 hours testing the game myself, and while doing so I watched for elements that were on the review sheets (i.e. curriculum connections, engagement for students, ease of use, etc.). I feel that the tests cannot be conclusive because I have never witnessed students playing the game in real time. I can guess that students would like it, but I am positive that there would be students who are unable to figure it out because of the lack of instructions. Our school has a very well equipped computer lab, available to students once a week (as a class). As previously stated, many of the students at our school are very well versed in technology and they probably know more than I do! Each classroom has 1 computer, so the game would be usable in a classroom if only one student plays at a time, or they play in pairs or small groups. This game would be appropriate for students in grades 3-6 if playing independtly of peers or the teacher, because some of the terminolofy used it very advanced for students younger than grade 3 (and may even be too advanced for 3rd and 4th graders). I think that if the teacher was available to aid students with unfamiliar vocabulary, it would be beneficial to the science program for students of all ages and grades.

Review Sheets compare and contrast

To review the educational software, I used the tool created in class (as required), and the SGTC Rating Form. These two tools are actually very similar. They both include questions that require being answered on a rating scale. I think this is beneficial, especially if students were to review the programs, because it gives some options yet provides structure. They are also both very easy to read and easy to understand. This is helpful because some technology terms are very hard to read and understand, and using simple, everday terminology enables the "average joe" to evaluate software programs. It also enables parents to see what a beneficial software should ideally include, and they can check programs they may have at home on their computers. The main difference between the two tools, is that the SGTC tool offers different TYPES of questions. Instead of strictly ranking questions, it contains yes/no, rating and short answer questions. While this enables flexibility, it also allows for a more accurate review, including comments and concerns on the review form. The increase in questions can also act as a disadvantage, however, because too many options can cause individuals to not want to fill out the sheet, or become discouraged if they are unable to effectively write their answers.

Recommendations for Class Tool

I think that overall, the class tool was effective in reviewing the programs. While it was produced by teacher candidates, I think that we have fairly solid beliefs about what would create valuable educational software. If I was to change anything on the tool, I would maybe include more questions for each subtopic. Yes, the tool should not be very long or take a long time to complete, but it needs to be thorough. I think we did a very good job at concisely creating our questions for each topic, but there were some things that could have been added, like "how does this software compare to similar software?" I know from a personal perspective, it was very difficult to limit the educational questions to three, and it could have easily been 4 or 5.