Software Evaluation # 1
Social Studies Digital Learning Software
By Adrienne Padilla



Title of Software: Social Studies Digital Learning

Producer: Knowledge Box © 2003. Pearson Scott Foreson, Pearson Education, Inc.

Target students (e.g., age or grade-level of students): 4th grade, age 9-10

Proficiency level (e.g., beginning, intermediate, advanced): intermediate -advanced

Description:
Students will explore movies, interactive software, and text all based on Social Studies. They will be able to choose videos, print activities, interactive activities that are all correlated with the Social Studies Textbook the students are currently using. The students have access to both Spanish and English textbooks and the Social Studies Software is available to them in both English and Spanish for support. The software focuses on Texas geography including animals, culture and science-technology for the 4th grade curriculum. The user will be able to watch videos of historical events, people, culture, government, technology in the past, now and in the future and geography. The student will also be able to answer questions on the computer and learn while using online maps. The software has pictures that help the learner better understand the concept and/or vocabulary. The software also gives the learner the option to use audio and hear the text read along with the vocabulary word. They are also given the option to answer a multiple choice question. That multiple choice also offers the student the choice to hear the question and choices by pressing the audio icon. The software also has a vocabulary quiz option they can hear read to them.



Language skills targeted: Comprehension, Cause and Effect, Making Generalizations, Expanding Vocabulary.

Evaluation:
The program’s weakness is that I feel that they should offer more Texas Culture. Another weakness is that on the vocabulary Spelling Bee in Texas there are no visuals only audio and the students cannot refer back without getting out of that window. The software’s strengths are that it provides visuals and it also provides an audio so they can hear how the words should be pronounced. I also like that they have the exact same thing in Spanish, so Spanish speakers could start of on the Spanish software and then move on to the English as they gain confidence. I think is does offers help to ELL’s because it offers the support of the visuals and audios. I also like the fact that they have the same item in Spanish. I do use it in my classroom because of the audio and visual support to the text. The method or approach to language learning is through visual and audio.