Encarta Africana

Microsoft Encarta

Telephone: 1-800-622-4445

http://encarta.msn.com/

Grade level(s): 7-12

Subject Area(s): Social Studies/Language Arts

Reviewed by: John Fusari

Software Description

Encarta Africana is a comprehensive, interactive encyclopedia program that documents African and African-American history as well as its influences on the world. It engages the user with more than 3000 articles as well as 2500 photos, audio clips, videos, and interactive maps. Users can access all of this information through many of the various features available. Speaking of maps, users could encounter the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela when they enter the "Interactive Africa Map." Another feature would include the "Historical Timeline" of African history. This flowing, interactive timeline starts with pictures of prehistoric events and continues on with video clips from the 1990's. The "Sidebars" are helpful historical documents relating to African topics, which can bring depth and relevance to a subject. Then there are the "Virtual Tours" which give the viewer a 3-D field trip of various places in Africa and places with African influences around the world. The "Media Gallery" allows one to browse many of the sights, sounds, and video interviews dealing with African influence. Lastly, there is the "Research Organizer," which allows users to gather information from various sources and properly cite that material. Another noteworthy special feature is the 500 integrated Web links, which relate to topics in the software. These links take users right to the web sites.

Accuracy of Content

Encarta Africana is extremely thorough research tool that seems to have covered all areas in regards to African and African-American history, from the African slave trade to the Civil Rights movement, to the Egyptian pyramids. The program also includes many biographies of influential African people throughout history, such as Michael Jackson or Nelson Mandela. Information form the program is easy to access and text can be read to the user when needed. However, the voice that is used is a very "computer-like" voice. In addition, the program has some graphic film footage from the movie Amistad that might be objectionable in certain situations. Despite the those two areas, the program is a great research tool for social studies and even some language art courses.

Technical Quality

The program is relatively easy to use and very easy to install. However, if the users' computer do not have enough internal storage to fully install the software, they will have to occasionally switch discs if two CD drives are not available. This practice could pose problems in the classroom setting and add wear and tear to the discs themselves. All an all, Encarta Africana has many user- friendly icons that can take one to various information sources and related topics in seconds. The Overview icon takes the user to concise explanations of all of the features found in the program. Lastly, a video introduction explains the focus and purpose of the program.

Use of Technology

Encarta Africana is an excellent catalyst for any research project or information gathering activity dealing with African and African-American topics. The program makes excellent use of non-linear linking of information by having related icons at one's fingertips. For example, one could be in the Africana on Camera feature listening to an interview with Maya Angelou and in seconds, that person is reading a biography, or introduced to web sites pertaining to her. A person could browse the Historical Timeline for the start of segregation in the United States, and then find themselves learning about the apartheid in the Republic of South Africa, a topic they might never have thought of reading.

Role of Students

The program allows students to either leisurely travel through what ever interests them or they can pinpoint various sources for a specific topic. Because of its non-linear set-up, a student is empowered at different learning domains and levels to access a wealth of information regarding African history. For instance, going to the Africa to the Americas feature to find what part of Africa many of the American enslaved people came from. The Topic Trek can take a student through a guided tour of many related articles. Activities that come to mind while using this software are information scavenger hunts, group research projects, or a formal research paper with the use of the Research Organizer feature. However, allowing a student too much unstructured time to browse through the program’s wealth of information is not wise. A student or a group of students need some structured activity like finding all the famous African-American abolitionists in the United States. Otherwise, they are wandering aimlessly and end up at no destination at all.

Role of Teacher

Encarta Africana allows the teacher to have a powerful learning tool and information source concerning African and African-American topics in the classroom or the school's technology center. Once the teacher runs the introduction video and reads the Overview, the program will lead the learner to where they want to go. As mentioned before, the teacher might want to monitor one of the graphic video clips because there is no way to modify or change the software. However, the program is designed well enough to allow teachers to let their students participate in some great active learning, as long as those activities have structure and outcomes. The teachers may want to use one of the features as a set initiation for a particular topic too. For instance, showing a video clip of the Watts riots from the Media Gallery to start a discussion on the effects of the Civil Rights movement on urban life in the United States.

Classroom Usage

The software would be best used individually or in small group activities because it is an encyclopedia program. However, the Media Gallery feature allows for some large group screenings of interviews, like the one with Quincy Jones on the birth of Rap music. There are many other video clips, pictures, songs and sounds, to use if the classroom setting provides projection of software. The program can be used for social studies and language arts activities while providing a great compliment of information to existing textbooks in the area of African studies. For instance a geography class could explore the ancient structures at the Great Zimbabwe in the Historical Sites in Africa feature.

Critical Summary

Encarta Africana is beneficial tool that enhances the research process and complements existing curriculum dealing with African and African-American history, cultures, and influences throughout the world. The software is user-friendly for the target ages of grades 7 through 12. The program also opens the eyes of the user of any descent to a section of the world's history kept silent for so many years.

Overall Rating (based on a scale of 1 to 10) 9

Explanation of Rating

The Encarta Africana is a valuable research tool as an interactive encyclopedia. It enhances learning with its multimedia approach and offers many features to enable the user to use the software to its full potential. There were just two concerns about the software, one being the disc changing, and the other being the graphic video clip. Overall, this software comes highly recommended and will stimulate not only students and teachers, but for any person with a zest for learning.

Last revised: January 15, 2003