The Website of Lauren Alix

The Website of

Ms. Lauren Alix

Kidspiration 2.1

Inspiration Software, Inc.

1-800-877-4292

www.kidspiration.com

Grades K-3

Subject Area(s): Language Arts, Social Studies, Science and Math

Reviewed by: Lauren Alix

SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION

Kidspiration is a highly interactive, easy to use, open-ended instructional learning tool for students in grades K-3. This highly motivating program inspires children of all ages with a visual way to think, read and write and can be integrated into a variety of curriculums. Kidspiration allows students to use both pictures and words to organize their thoughts as well as create, analyze, and evaluate ideas. Through the use of graphic organizers, such as diagrams, webs, and concept maps, students can creatively explore their imagination and watch as their ideas come to life through the use of pictures, text, and narration. In addition, Kidspiration is a versatile program that is divided into sections: “Language Arts,” “Social Studies,” “Science,” “Math” and a section labeled “More”. Within each section, there are 12 ready-made activities which can be used as is, or modified by the classroom teacher to better fit the present curriculum. The layout and simplicity of this program encourages students to return to their work to revise and publish it as they progress in their development and understanding of the software. Students can easily move from the picture/web format to the writing/outline format with just one click of the mouse, elaborating their thoughts, strengthening and refining their skills, and ultimately creating a final masterpiece that they can share with their classmates.

ACCURACY OF CONTENT

The content of this program is suitable and appropriate for students in grades K-3 because it provides them with a collection of pictures, symbols and ready-made activities that can be modified to meet individual instructional needs. In addition to being very hands on and visual, this program provides students with an audio feature that allows children of all ages and ranges of ability the opportunity to effectively use this program. The pre-made activities for language arts, social studies, and science are very easily accessible and provide students with clear instructions that promote and encourage learning and success. The activity templates help students build standards-based skills across a wide variety of subject areas. Some of the activities include: estimation for math, character and story webs for reading and writing, and historical events and culture comparison for social studies.

TECHNICAL QUALITY

The technical quality of Kidspiration is very high; this program installs in a reasonable amount of time and the instructions are very clear, accurate and straight forward, allowing the most inexperienced individuals the opportunity to effortlessly navigate through it. The opening screen is bright and colorful, and it presents the viewer with a menu that clearly displays several large icons representing the different categories and activities the program has to offer. The graphics are intricately created to capture the attention of the intended audience and range from photographs to cartoon like characters. Whenever the curser highlights an icon, the audio voice feature tells the user the names of the icons and their purposes, which makes it easier for beginner users to effortlessly navigate through the program. In addition to the audio feature, the ear-shaped icon puts the program into listening mode and will read aloud anything that the user types into the document. These visual and audio features are particularly important because they address students' multiple learning capabilities and can help pre-readers and beginning readers express themselves more fully, which is essential in today’s inclusion classrooms.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Kidspiration makes great use of technology by providing students with a fun and easy way to build and develop literacy skills, critical thinking skills and organization of ideas to demonstrate their understanding of a topic. This program allows students of all abilities and learning styles to succeed and feel empowered primarily because it taps into multiple learning styles by presenting the user with powerful visual representation, text-based outlines and audio features. In addition, this program provides students with a visual way to express, sort, group and categorize their ideas. This program encourages differentiation because it allows the teacher the opportunity to assign whole group activities, while making the necessary modifications for low readers (picture view), as well as advanced readers (outline view), to enhance their learning. An example of how a teacher can modify a pre-programmed assignment to meet the goals and objectives of the classroom curriculum is the template on “clouds.” Depending on the present lesson, one way this template can be altered is to compare three types of trees instead of clouds. Not only does this program meet educational and performance goals, but it extends student learning through stimulating and engaging activities.

ROLE OF STUDENTS

Kidspiration is a highly interactive and empowering program that allows elementary students of varying ages, learning levels and styles multiple opportunities to grow developmentally, intellectually, physically and socially. Kidspiration is a powerful learning tool that can creatively assist young learners through the writing process allowing them to demonstrate their understanding of a specific topic in a way that best suites them. For beginners and young children, the picture and listening mode can be used to assist them in reading the directions as well as the names of icons/symbols in the library. Due to the simplicity of this program, students are encouraged to complete the activities both independently and collaboratively. All the pre-made activities allow learners to brainstorm, organize and communicate their ideas in a way that best represents their learning style. The ready-made activities can be used during a free-choice period such as recess, or the teacher can select specific activities to be integrated into current lessons or topics of study. Since the activities are open-ended they can be implemented in variety of settings. Depending on the objective of the lesson, activities can be utilized at the beginning of a lesson or unit to assess students’ prior knowledge or at the end of the unit to assess understanding and comprehension of the content area. Due to the versatility of this program, it will not become obsolete or outdated and will be utilized for many years to come.

ROLE OF TEACHER

The role of the teacher in the use of Kidspiration is to guide students through the program by demonstrating how to effectively navigate through each specific activity. Through the use of demonstration, guided practice, and independent practice, the teacher can ensure students’ understanding of the software. Once the software has been previewed and explained to the students, the teacher takes on a passive role and allows the students to work both independently and collaboratively.

CLASSROOM USAGE

Kidspiration can be easily integrated into a variety of curriculums across several subject areas, some of which include: language arts, science, math and social studies. This program inspires students to be a part of the writing and brainstorming process through the production of diagrams, maps and concept webs. The activities are a wonderful way for students to express or extend their understanding of a particular topic. Activities such as “Rules Rule” can be implemented at the beginning of the school year to demonstrate classroom rules and procedures or teachers can assign the activity “All About Me” to learn more about their students at the start of the school year. Because this program is so multidimensional, the possible ways it can be used are endless.

CRITICAL SUMMARY

.Kidspiration is an educational software program that allows learners of all ages the opportunity to take pleasure in and be a part of the writing process. Kidspiration is a stimulating learning tool that provides students with motivation to enjoy learning ultimately building the desire to further extend their education. Furthermore, this program values self expression and creativity allowing all types of learners the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding in a way that works uniquely best for them.

OVERALL RATING

I rated this program a 10 out of 10 because it is easy to navigate and it allows teachers the opportunity to modify activities to better meet the needs of their students and curriculum.