www.sunburst.com

This software is devoted to multicultural poetry. It contains multiple sections or books, one for each poet. The poets selected for this software include: Naomi Shihab Nye (Palestinian), Linda Pastan (Jewish), Li-Young Lee (Chinese), Joy Harjo (Creek, Cherokee, French), Lucille Clifton (African American), Stanley Kunitz (Lithuanian), Pat Mora (Latin American), Quincy Troupe (African American), and Miguel Algarin (Puerto Rican). Within each section, the reader may find a short bio of the poet, and a selection of three to four poems. The poets read in their own voice their poems and an introduction to each poem. The resource guide has a section for each poet entitled "Words from the Poet Himself/ Herself," which contains a brief statement from the poet and few words about writing poetry. While listening to the poem, the student may chose to look at one of eighty pictures or works of art or hear the poem read with an instrumental background that reflects the mood of the poetry. The software is setup like a street, and the doorways to the buildings allow access to the various parts of the program. The Gallery contains all the artwork. Eastside Books allows visitors to select from the work of the nine poets. The Writer Space is a desk that has icons for accessing artwork, music, and the Word Generator. Students are able to record on the Notepad their own thoughts or poetry, a favorite picture or poem from the program, or a musical selection that was particularly inspiring.

The content appears to be accurate, complete and appropriate for middle and high school. The content is well-formatted and easy to access. All the poets featured in this software are contemporary and based in or near Greenwich Village. The emphasis of this software is the celebration of different cultures, and it is free of bias and stereotype.

The software is easy to run and use. Students should be able to use this program with little instruction. A lamppost functions as the navigation center. Clicking on the signs on the lamppost or on the doorways of buildings allows access to the different sections of the program. The graphics are beautiful. Over 80 pictures and works of art are available. The graphics and sound are not distracting, and the sound serves as the focal point of the program. There are no videos but we do see a still photograph of the poet along with the actual recordings of the poet's voice.

The software makes excellent use of the technology available at the time. I think that it might be more exciting for the students to see a short video clip of the author reading the poem. The use of multimedia, such as hearing the poet speak, lends a dimension to the poem that might otherwise be missing. Students are able to navigate easily and may move back and forth within the program with little trouble. Students are able to create their own poetry and record it on the notepad. Some versions of this software are capable of voice recording, so students may record their poetry as part of their folder.

Students will be empowered by this software. Students can create their own poetry and can get inspiration from the authors themselves. Students are able to take notes, store sound clips and pictures on a Notepad and reference the notes later. The product or poem created can be used for assessment and stored in a folder. Students can even read their poetry to the class or a small group "in their own voice."

Teachers should monitor students to ensure that they are not spending time only looking at the pictures or listening to the music. Teachers cannot add to or modify the software. The software package does contain teacher materials. I found these materials valuable, containing suggested topics for poetry writing and topics for small and large group discussions.

This software will work well in any 7-12 English classroom. Availability (based on a sign up sheet) to any student that wished to use it, either before or after class, during a study hall if the computer, or during SSW (sustained silent writing) is appropriate. This software is most effective when used by the whole class. The impact of hearing the poet speak is the next best thing to being there. The audio part of the software will be distracting to the rest of the class if a small group tried to use it while other lessons were going on in the same room. This software can be helpful for any lesson on poetry or multicultural issues.

Overall, this software is excellent. It encourages creative writing skills. The software offers vast opportunities to start a student writing or to help a student past writer’s block. This program will be useful for introducing a unit on poetry or for encouraging reluctant writers.

In My Own Voice is an excellent program. It is easy to use, encourages creativity, and makes poetry come alive for the students.