Classroom Educational Software
February 2nd, 2010 | 
adminSOFTWARE AND CLASS GOALS
We try to accomplish a number of things at Wayland Academy computer classes:
- We want children to be at home and not hesitant to use a computer. As computers become part of our phones and other aspects of our lives, this becomes increasingly important.
- We want children to gain skills from educational software that is also appealing. (To use software that is not appealing would be to give students a negative association with computer learning.)
Sometimes the skills learned are for particular subjects, such as phonics, reading, spelling, math and science. At other times, the skills learned involve logic, observation and solving puzzles.These are important skills, too, because they enable us to continue to teach ourselves throughout our lives.
- Particularly in the upper grades, we learn skills about the computer itself, such as word-processing and how to find your way around an operating system.
Most of the software I am going to mention here relates to the second point. Some parents have asked about particular programs that interest their child and if they could buy them somewhere. I hope to help with that.
HOW EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE HAS CHANGED
I want to make a brief sidetrip. You will find that many of these titles originated in the 90's and thereabouts. (Fortunately, most are still compatible with today's computers.) Why are these older titles of particular interest? As one who worked in the computer game business in what was called "edutainment" for Spinnaker Software, D.C. Heath and Curriculum Associates, let me explain why I see that as the golden age of educational titles. (Or "edutainment" as it was put at Spinnaker --- a 80/20 mix of entertainment and education which I think is about right to keep up child's prolonged interest.) In those years, the high tech economy was especially good, but computer games were not regularly associated with new feature movies, syndicated shows or even many sport franchises. The computer game companies wanted to get into that world, but they were not yet seen as important to it. In fact, some movie producers were concerned that computer games trivialized the movie and let out
its secrets. Computer game companies would pay heavily to try to have some association with a successful title or brand.
Two things have changed since then. The souring of the high tech economy resulted in great edutainment companies like Spinnaker, Sierra, Broderbund, Davidson, Knowledge Adventure, Media Vision, Infocom and others to be acquired or to go into other lines of work. Neither generally panned out. Spinnaker made foray into business software which much have turned out bad since I stopped hearing about the company shortly after. Companies like Knowledge Adventure were purchased by big conglomerates such as Vivendi (a French water company) who did not have the understanding or the patience for the market. And, as in most acquisitions, the creative talent drained out of the companies quite quickly. But like a phoenix out of the
ashes, a new alignment arrived with companies like Activision and Electronic Arts finally making headway in lining up the movie and sport connections (along with gaming platform connections such as Playstation, Nintendo and XBox). Also, companies like Hasbro
turning traditional board game titles and television characters (such as Thomas the Tank Engine) into popular computer titles. In some cases, such as with Thomas the Tank Engine, some further good edutainment titles were produced. But mostly the trend was into more arcade-like experiences and the technological strides in computer graphics and computer animation only pushed that trend along harder.
HOW EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE COMPETES FOR ATTENTION IN THE HOME
Besides making some of the older software more desirable for educational aspects, this affects your children another way. Given a choice between arcade-action games and games which require a pause to think, most children will take the arcade-titles most of the time. (Adults, too.) It is like candy being presented with the evening meal. If children face a meal like that, much more candy will be generally be consumed that would be considered ideal for growth and nutrition.
I make that point because most of
these edutainment titles will not hold their own against an arcade title a click away. If you want your children to benefit from them, you may have to set up circumstances to avoid that pitched battle. Some things I have considered and tried:
- Allow your child to play the
edutainment software at times they are not permitted to play the other software or go "browser exploring" (which can have its own hazards). For instance, in my household,
we often limit browser and arcade time to thirty minutes on most days (and the browser sites must be from a short list). However, this time limit doesn't apply to titles we consider to have educational merit. If your child has his/her own computer to use, rather than just saying you are giving them their own computer, you could say that you are making available a special computer for them to use only for certain purposes. In their eyes, the computer remains yours, but they have it to use for certain things such as edutainment titles and school-related activities. (And I also encourage avoiding situations with children using computers behind closed doors.) If you take this attitude, you also sidestep the child thinking that
activities on the computer are "private" because it is "their computer" and their right to use as they wish. - If they are making strides in
some edutainment software, be subtle but take notice and think of ways to give encouragement without making the child feel self-conscious. Perhaps there is some special activity or event in "real life" that ties in to the gains they are making. For instance, on occasion I've taken my kids to robotics competitions, especially between high-schools. If they are playing edutainment games about space, agriculture, airports or transportation, you may be able to find some memorable experience that relates in some way, even if you don't mention the connection.
SOFTWARE CURRENTLY USED AT WAYLAND ACADEMY
The links below go to lists of computer software currently used in each
of the classes. Unless marked otherwise, the descriptions come
from the publisher or from a review. Where possibly, I've
provided a link to a place to purchase the software. Sometimes
searching eBay can find you a substantially better price for the
titles. I've also found some gems in the bargain older titles at
places like Office Depot and Building 19.
You may notice that the list for the earlier grades is longer.
That is because much of this software covers a wide range of
ages. It is not uncommon to see titles say "Ages 2-10".
Even adults enjoy and gain from KidPix. So, for titles popular at
more than one grade level, I have listed the title at the earliest
grade level where it has been used at Wayland Academy. So be sure
to check the earlier grade levels as well as the grade level applying
to your child.
href="file:///C:/webs/waylandacademy.org/computerTitles/ComputerEducationalSoftware.html">Introduction
K-1 Titles
2-3 Titles
Compatibility Issues