Software Evaluation Form for HOTS

Title : Living Books-Dr. Seuss's ABC! Publisher :___________________________

Evaluator: Dennis Sartoris

Platform and Hardware requirements:

IBM/OS2 Win 3.1 Win 95 Mac   Win 3.x or Mac
PCI / VESA Video adapter 24, 64 or 128 bit    PCI or VESA
Sound Board: 8 bit 16 bit 32 bit     16 bit min.      
Memory: under 4MB 8MB 16MB 32 MB RAM     at least 8MB   
Media: CD-ROM 3 1/2 disk 5 1/4 disk     1 CD-ROM   
Cost:_______ single user__ network version__     $19-$40    

Program Type: Educational Storybook & Games

Subject Area: Reading readiness and Language Arts

Grade Level: Pre-K to grade 2

check all that apply

Simulation         
Tutorial    x   
Drill and Practice    x
Educational Game    x
Tool      

Presentation:  

check all that apply

Hypermedia   x  
Multimedia   x  
Text based      
Simple Storyboards with text overlays      
3D renditions and interactively      

Directions: Use the following criteria to fill in the tabels below

5-Excellent 4-Good 3-Adequat 2-Average 1-Below Average 0-Inadequat

Learning Environment:

Dynamic and Engaging   5  
Uses a variety of Media Types   4 
Allows the user to look at information in different forms   2 
Presents information in a variety of formats   2 
Uses multiple forms of expression and communication   3 

Skills Development:

Does the software promote the following attributes:

Researching    0   
Planning and organizing    1  
Collaborative teamwork    2 
Oral and Written communication    3 
Critical thinking    3 
Creativity    4 
Problem Solving    4  

Multimedia Applications:

Encourages a process which reflects and develops critical thinking as well as communication and collaboration.    3  
Addresses different learning styles.    4  
Has the ability to integrate and/or use a variety of technologies in a curricular framework.    3 
Enhance curriculum, teaching, and learning.    4  
Addresses core language skills in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening as students use a variety of media to research, plan, report, and resent ideas and concepts.    4  
Motivates and stimulates student creativity    4  
Actively involves the student in the learning process    4  

Higher Order Thinking Skills:

Patterns are generated through individual observations (student generated) and interactions with the software and other students.    3  
Students are able to work with the software individually or in groups    5  
The information presented is clear and presented in an organized fashion.    5  
Students can share their individual generalizations discovered via the software with the entire class    5

The software allows the student to......

perceive the problem or issue at their own level.    3  
gather all relevant information on the topic before preceding to a higher level.    3  
classify and analyze the information and make inferences from the information presented so that problem solving abilities can be achieved and enhanced.    4 
use what they have learned to solve appropriate problems.    2 
make evaluations on what they have learned in a context based on their own decisions of whether to apply this knowledge or to use a different approach.    2  
integrate and combine ideas into a product, plan, or proposal that is new to him/her.    1

Multiple Intelligence Aspects:

Linguistic: Allows students to read, write, and tell stories and also gives the student the ability to say, hear and see word on the screen.    5 
Logical/Mathematical: Allows students to experiment, figure things out, work with numbers, ask questions, explore patters and relationships. In addition allows students to categorize, classify, and work with abstract patterns or relationships.    4  
Spatial: Allows students to draw, build, design and create things. In addition has pictures, movies, mazes, and/or puzzles    4  
Musical: Allows students to listen to music that teach the lesson at the same time. In addition, the software incorporates rhythm, melody and music to enhance the learning process.    4  
Bodily/Kinesthetic: Allows students to use a touch screen to move, objects around the screen, and to interact with other objects in the learning environment.    3  
Interpersonal: Allows students to share their knowledge, compare results, relate concepts and ideas, and is able to be done on a cooperative level.    5  
Intrapersonal: Allows the student to work at their own pace while at the same time is highly individualized.    5 

Constructivist Ideals:

Encourages students to make observations, focusing these observations through questioning.    1  
The software allows the student to develop their own understanding of the ideas presented by the use of examples.    3  
Puts the student in the center of the learning process. The software guides the student to a valid understanding of the material through an interactive progression.    4  

Comments or recommendations:

Teacher: x

Parent:  __

Student:__

A is for Aunt Annie's alligator, B is for boogie woogie music and C is for a clever CD-ROM called Dr. Seuss's ABC! This software is way cool for even the tiniest computer users and Dr. Seuss fans of all ages.
Meet Dr. Seuss's hilarious and whimsical characters like Icabod, Izzy, Albert the alligator, a duck-dog and Lola Lopp as they come to life in this fully-animated and colorful interactive software. Kids (ages 3 through 7 years) explore all twenty-six letters of the alphabet and more than 500 alphabetically-correct words and loads of playful rhymes in Dr. Seuss's ABC.
If you grew up reading Dr. Seuss stories like I did, then you'll appreciate the interactive magic which blends vivid colors, original music, a rich mix of sound effects and zany illustrations into an animation classic on CD-ROM. Heck, all of Dr. Seuss's stories should be interactive!
Living Books' Dr. Seuss's ABC takes young learners on a sound, letters, words and meaning adventure. When children click on a word, they'll hear the word pronounced and watch a delightful animation. But, that's not all as they explore the screen for loads of hidden clickables.
The software comes with Dr. Seuss's ABC book, which is great fun to read before or after computer time. Navigation is simple, as with other Living Books' software titles. You can select the Read To Me or Let Me Play mode. Either of these modes are fun for kids of all ages.
Click on the ABC Song button in the middle of the introduction screen and you'll hear the traditional ABC Song. Kids can click on individual letters to hear them again, or wait until the song is over so they can sing out loud while the characters hum the melody.
Want a little background music while kids draw (with crayons and paper!)? Just stick this CD-ROM in your audio CD player and skip track 1 on the disc (it's the data track which computers can only read). The songs include: The Seuss ABC Theme, Barber Boogie, Ten Tired Tirtles, Fiff's Funk, Horn Harp Honk, The Pepper Song, Singing Sodas, Nixie's Blues, Turtle Twist, On the Back of a Yak, My Ukulele, Mandolins in the Moonlight (my favorite!), Mice in the Meadow and the Credits Theme.
I'll never get tired of orange skies, kangaroos that say gesundheit, lazy lions licking lollipops, mumbling mice playing music in the moonlight or Lola Lopp doing the limbo. Dr. Seuss's ABC definitely captures the true magic and spirit of Dr. Seuss's original characters.

You are the th visitor.

Dennis Sartoris

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