Educational Software

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Educational Software

• Todd Loxley
• Beth Calvo
• Stacie Williams
• Matt Wojcinski

04 March 2008
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Educational Software For Educators
Todd Loxley
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What Kind of Special Needs?

• Lesson Plans
• Tips for the Proficiency Test
• Journaling and Documentation Tools
• Guides for selecting age appropriate material
• Discounts that may be available

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Lesson Plans

• Compares your lessons with state and local
  benchmarks and standards
• Review your lessons by class and by day
• Provides search option to look for key words or
  subjects
• Allows you to copy and paste from one lesson to
  another

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Guides for Proficiency Tests

• Gives insight of test format
• Does NOT say what will be on test
• Explains rational of how the test is set up
• Guides the educator in the general direction
• or manner in which to prepare students

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Journaling and Documentation

• Creates an easily used tool that educators need
  to record day to day activities.
• Today's world requires teachers to reflect back
  on their work and performance
• Helps set goals and create plans
• Extremely useful when recording observations

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Finding Age Appropriate Material

• Great for new teachers that need assistance of
  how to present material
• Is this material a key topic in previous or later
  grades?
• Do state and local districts have any
  restrictions?

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Discounts

• Bargains that educators are entitled to, but
  maybe not aware of.
• Show availability of them online and also locally
• Could include class materials and beyond.

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Other Things to Consider

• Will the software play nice with your operating
  system?
• What are the licensing and cost issues?
• Is there on line help available for your specific
  software?
• Is there any special training needs for you?

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• This Software basically helps teachers do their
  job better.
• It caters to the special needs of both new and
  seasoned educators.

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Special Needs Software

• Beth Calvo

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What is Special Needs Software?

• Software specifically designed to address the
  needs of learners with special needs as the
  result of a variety of physical or learning
  impairments

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What Type of Special Needs?

• Autism
• Learning Disabilities
• Reading disability
• Writing disability
• Nonverbal learning disability
• Disorder of speaking listening
• Auditory processing

• Dyslexia
• ADD or ADHD
• Downs Syndrome
• Physical Disabilities
• Blindness or visual impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Cerebral Palsy

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What Does This Software Do?

• Reads words/letters displayed on screen
• Enlarges text
• Changes speech into text
• Displays sounds for hearing impaired
• Facilitates interaction with computers
• Presents material in multi-sensory formats
• Helps student participate in social communication
  and recreational activities

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Websites to Check Out

• www.ehow.com/how
• http//specialchildren.about.com
• www.cec.sped.org

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Educational Software for Different Subject Areas

• Stacie Williams

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Educational Software for Art

• Flying Colors 2 -integrated clip art and drawing
  program.
• Golly Gee Blocks - 3D kids program.
• KidPix - popular children's art program by
  Broderbund.
• Origami - a group of programs that teaches the
  ancient art of paper folding. There are 6
  different programs available, each with their own
  theme. Learn to fold boats, animals, characters,
  flowers, clothing, party items, boxes, or objects
  by ordering the corresponding themes.
• Tux Paint - free drawing program designed for
  young children (kids ages 3and up). It has a
  simple, easy-to-use interface, fun sound effects,
  and a cartoon mascot who helps you along

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Educational Software for Math

• Amath Systems publishes foundation level math
  skills software. Includes a K-4 math skills title
  and a pre-algebra title.
• Arithmetic CD - contains over 1700 basic
  arithmetic lessons for Kindergarten through 8th
  grade level students. All of the lessons have an
  explanation, interactive practice, and challenge
  games.
• Enriched Math - designed to get your students
  talking about math. Each of the 15 modules begins
  with an activity to introduce a math concept
  through a strategic game with inherent math
  content or through a challenge that can be solved
  using onscreen manipulatives. When students are
  ready, they move on to the Brainteasers - a
  series of word problems designed to stimulate
  discussion and learning. These Brainteasers
  introduce new strategies and help students
  synthesize the ideas introduced in the initial
  activity.
• FUNdamentallyMATH - CD-ROM for K-12 students.
  Helps teach subjects ranging from basic math to
  geometry to trigonometry to matrix algebra.
• Mathville - series of K-10 math CD-ROMs.

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Educational Software for Science

• AIMSTAR Information Solutions - publishes a life
  science multimedia CD-ROM for children, an
  essentials science title, and more.
• Tom Snyder Productions - variety of science
  software for grades 2-8.
• Frog Guts Virtual Dissection- actually dissect a
  frog.

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Educational Software for Music

• Music Ace-series of children's music learning
  software. Includes Music Ace, Music Ace 2, and
  Music Ace Starter.
• Music Games International - music game software.
  Includes a title based on Tchaikovsky's
  Nutcracker.
• PBJ Music - games cleverly disguise the drill and
  practice of elementary through intermediate music
  theory concepts.
• Pianomouse.com - publishes a CD-ROM on music
  theory fundamentals and an introduction to the
  Great Composers title.
• Recorder Teacher - helps teach soprano recorder.
  Combines state-of-the-art animated graphics, CD
  quality music and speech, and rapid response to
  form a sophisticated, interactive multi-media
  application.
• Town 4 Kids - publishes a multimedia music
  learning system designed for music beginners, a
  computer-based tutoring system designed to teach
  music literacy, and a computer administrated
  curriculum that teaches one to recognize, read
  and transcribe chords and master the aural and
  symbolic techniques of harmonization.

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Educational Software for Social Studies

• Decision Development Corporation - offers a
  CD-ROM on human pre-history through the fall of
  the Roman Empire, and another which contains a
  complete K-5 social studies curriculum.
• Pentewa Interactive - programs on international
  arts for K-8. Covers Chinese, Mexican, and Native
  American cultures.
• Rainbow Educational Media - publishes software on
  Native Americans for grades K-8. Also offers math
  products.
• River Deep - parent company of the Learning
  Company, Broderbund, and Edmark among others.
  Links to respective brand's social studies
  software.

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• http//www.educational-software-directory.net/

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Research Software for Students

• Matt Wojcinski

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Grammar Slammer

• Grammar Slammer Deluxe with checkers has a
  complete English grammar and spelling reference
  integrated with its own Grammar and Spelling
  checker.
• It received 5-stars, or an equivalent from twenty
  eight different reviewers.

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EndNote

• Organizes references, images, PDFs and other
  files in a library.
• It creates a bibliography as you write your
  paper. Including references for images and any
  charts and graphs you add to you paper.
• It works in conjunction with several different
  word processors.
• You can also choose from over 2,800 different
  formatting standards depending on what the paper
  is for.

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RefWorks

• Great for upper High School and College aged
  students.
• Online research, writing and collaboration
  management tool.
• Designed to help students easily gather, manage,
  store information, as well as generate citations
  and bibliographies.
• Online program that most colleges and
  universities use, including the University of
  Akron.
• www.refworks.com

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Any Questions?Any Comments?OrSnide Remarks?