IDENTIFICATION OF SOFTWARE:

Title: Phonics Alive

Publisher: Advanced Software

Author: Dianne Gladman

System Requirements: In order to run the program you will need either:

# A Macintosh LC111 or faster running system 7 or higher, with 8mb RAM, a 14 inch monitor displaying 256 colours, and a double speed CD-ROM player.

# A PC 486SX or faster IBM compatible with SVGA display set at 256 colours, 8mb RAM, double speed CD-ROM player and a multimedia kit, running Windows 3.1 or Windows 95.

PRICE VERSUS EDUCATIONAL WORTH:

Phonics Alive is $99, to some schools this could seem expensive but in consideration of the children it is an educational experience that they will value and excell from. Phonics is a part of a tool in the thinking and developing process of grasping spelling and understanding of language. Phonics will give the students increased listening skills, confidence, improvement in concentration and important decoding skills. There is over 5 1/2 hours of content in te program. The program contains 1200 full colour graphics. Each module takes the student approx. 15 mins to complete, the time will vary depending on students learning ability.

This program is extremely easy to use, the instructions are clear for the students. The module menu allows the student to select the entire module or start the module part way through. Short animations are constantly used to show the students what to do. This program is very simple for the student to use and consequently there is no need for supervision.

This program proved to be quite basic to install, when using a Macintosh all you have to do is:

Insert the CD, and double click on the Phonics Alive Icon

This program is slightly harder to install when using Windows 95, you have to:

Insert the CD, click on the Start Button and select Run, Type d:/install (if d is your CD-Rom drive), follow the installer instructions, when the installation is complete, click on the Start Button, point to the program folder you have just created and finally click on Phonics.

DOCUMENTATION ACCOMPANYING:

This program includes a 'teachers guide', the teachers guide was developed as an off screen resource to assist teachers in delivering further remedial instruction to students from the Phonics Alive CD. The guide consists of worksheets and game cards developed from the Phonics Alive CD resource to be used in the same sequencee as the CD modules. It is recommended that the student is to complete a Phonics Alive module on the computer and then near the end of the lesson reinforce the module by giving the student a worksheet. Ideally the student should be familiar with the modules before the worksheets are introduced. The worksheet more importantly gives the student something to take home to show parents, or put in their profile books to show what their computer lesson was about and what they have experienced or learnt.

The Phonics Alive program does not permit the teacher to change any of the program content.

DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION OF SOFTWARE:

When at the main menu, by pointing your mouse at a letter cluster will highlight it. When a cluster is highlighted, its group of modules will appear in the module menu, to select a module, click on it and then this will bring up the module menu. The module menu (see the below screen shot) allows you to select the entire module or start the module part way through. The game then begins.

SCREEN SHOT

Observation of someone else using the software:

When it was used by a student there response was just as I expected they seemed to enjoy the piece of software as much as I did. They did have a little bit of trouble trying to understand the voice with the program but once the volume was turned up they had no trouble. It was interesting to note the enthusaim and motivation that developed througout the module and the determination of the student to finish the particular module.