Other Software
(Evaluated in previous grant projects)
Inspiration
“This month we have been using Inspiration to practice brainstorming. I gave the students time to play with the program and explore the different functions on their own. It was enjoyable watching them make discoveries and share them with friends. I heard a lot of "Wow" and "This is fun!!" I think the most rewarding comment is . . . "The period is over already?"
“It has increased their motivation. They love Inspiration. Their ideas have increased. They now spend more time prewriting and spend more time drafting things out.”
Start to Finish Books
“I introduced this activity to my students this afternoon. It was a great way to end a busy week. The students LOVED it!!! They had grins on their faces as they were working and I received comments like "This is cool" and "This is fun". I think I'll use some of my classroom budget next year to order some more title. We alread have several but I would like to expand the library. Now I just need to figure out how to incoporate this in an already very busy curriculum.”
“Using "DJ"- Frankenstein as class. Student read the page aloud and then have it read by the "voice". Is improving fluency and expression in reading voice. WOW! Students are wanting to participate and read.”
“As my students were beginning the story, the ones that struggled with ORF and Comprehension tended to let the computer read it first and then they would. As we progressed through the chapters, these same students would be risk takers and read the page first. As the students become more familiar and comfortable with the process, their comprehension would improve.”