Software Evaluation

The software I chose to evaluate was Decisions, Decisions: Television-A study of Media Ethics by Tom Snyder Products. In Decisions, you take the students on a simulation as an advertising agent who is sponsoring a controversial television program that contains lots of violence but has important content. As the agent, you must make set goals and make decisions based on your goals. You can either cave in to protesters or continue to support the program. There are over 300 different outcomes so the game has an extended playability. Below is my evaluation of the software program.

Name of package: Decisions, Decisions: Television-A Study of Media Ethics
Vendor Name: Tom Snyder Products
Vendor Toll Free Phone Number: 800-342-0236 x255
Grade Level: 5-10
Subject-Area: Social Studies
Problem Solving: yes
Macintosh: yes
specification:
Memory Needed: 1 MB
Type of Monitor: Black and White
Printer?: N/A
Disk (hard, 3.5, CD): 3.5
Other-Peripherals: N/A
Instructional Purpose: This software is has multiple instructional purposes. It is designed to teach students decisions making skills as well as teaching the topics of media ethics, free speech, television violence, censorship, and the television industry as a whole.
use: A teacher could use this when teaching about our First Amendment Rights of Free Speech. The software can be used in groups, or be completed as a whole class.
Objectives Met: yes
Vocabulary Appropriate: yes
Content Accurate: yes
Free of Bias: yes
Learner in Control: yes
Proper Reinforcement: yes
Self-Directed: yes
Appropriate Sequencing: yes
Student Record Keeping: partially
Disk Crash Safeguard: no
No Distracting Sounds/Visuals: no
Animation/Sound/Graphics Effective: yes
Uncluttered Screen: yes
Material Clearly Presented: yes
Easy Program to Load: yes
Simple Screen Directions: yes
On-screen Help: no
Tutorial Manual: yes
Easy Printer Setup: yes
Strengths: This software has many advantages. It is very user friendly and is very easy to load. The program is very entertaining as well as informative. The scenarios that the software presents are interesting as well as challenging. One of the software's greatest strengths is that there are 300 different outcomes based on the decisions that you make throughout the program. The pictures are appealing as well as the storyline. The instructions are easy to understand, and getting from one screen to the next is very simple.
Weaknesses: I really did not find too many weakness in this game. There is a good amount of on screen reading in the program, but the reading is not too overwhelming. The version I played was in black and white, so I would think it would be better in color. There is a color version of the game, but I had problems loading that particular version. I do not recall any sound being in the game, so that would be something that could be added to future versions.
Recommendation: very good
Comments: Overall, this is a very good educational tool. It teaches students to make decisions and then allows them to see the consequences of their decisions. The program incorporates many different topics into the game that are important to the social studies field. I would not mind using this program in one of my future government classes.