Thursday, November 26, 2009

AT Tasks Week 3--Software Part 2

As I'm having a little difficulty with copying/pasting my rubric, the areas of comparison that I identified are:

Software, Company, Costs, Features, Pros, Cons, Training Required for Teachers/Staff, Training Required for Students?, Ease of Usage, and Types of Students who will Benefit.

Below I will compare the software mentioned in this module:
Software: Kurzweil 3000
Company: Kurzweil Educational Systems, Inc
Pricing: (different pricing for Mac/Windows), (Windows) Single learning station=$395
Color Learning Pack-5 (includes 1 Prof. color and 4 work stations)=~$2,695
Features: can access any print information regardless of environment (including class curriculum/web info); study skills practice; decoding help to improve reading fluency and comprehension; talking word processor helps revising/editing of written work; boasts help with independent study skills/test taking
Pros: built in online access to tools/groups/reference info; built in dictionary/bilingual dictionary! options for reading speed/voice; includes reading support tools; can create customized word lists; Internet access readily connected;
word prediction software
Cons: lots of advanced features/settings; lots of sophisticated features can be overwhelming; degree of student control and amount of choices can be distracting
Training Required for Teachers/Staff: Training required; advanced training for features also may be necessary
Training Required for Students: Significant training/guided practice needed to use all features
Ease of Usage: Moderately easy, with training; advanced features may make software more difficult to use
Types of students who will use it: LD students (dysgraphic/dyslexic), ESL/ELL, any student below grade level in reading/writing
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Software: Inspiration
Company: Inspiration Software, Inc.
Costs: Inspiration 8 Single License and upgrade to 9--$69.00
Features: students create visual diagrams, concepts, maps, to illustrate/comphrehend complex ideas; use images to express ideas/illustrate relationships between concepts; transfer ideas to writing words/sentences, use of Dictionary and Word Guide; spell checker
Pros: useful for brainstorming/organizing ideas for writing; can export to word processor; helpful for visual learners; helpful for teachers/planning lessons using Template Wizard
Cons: training necessary to use tools; may not be as helpful for students who are not visual learners; can be distracting to some students
Training Required for Teachers/Staff?--Yes, training required, especially to use advanced features
Training Required for Students?--Yes, and guided practice to ensure learning goals are met
Ease of Usage--Relatively easy with training/guidance
Types of Students who will Benefit---LD (dysgraphic/dyslexic), ESL/ELL, any student below grade level/difficulty with writing; especially helpful for visual learners

I'm not completely sure if I'm supposed to compare each piece of software mentioned in this module...

1 comment:

  1. I couldn't figure out how to get my rubric on my blog either! Great comparison!

    ReplyDelete