Character education is the theme I chose for my portfolio. I chose the theme because of my passion for helping young people grow up with the social skills they need to be respectful and resourceful members of society.
I chose Sesame Street Elmo's Preschool because Elmo is a "character" that everyone can relate to. He is a happy, cheerful, motivating young person with manners and respect for everyone. I thought it would be nice to find a piece a software that helped children see what it was like to learn from such a good role model like Elmo.
Software Evaluation
Name of package: Sesame Street Elmo's Preschool
Vendor Name: The Learning Company/Learning Buddies
Vendor Toll Free Phone Number: 1-800-KID-XPRT
Grade Level: Preschool-Kindergarten
Subject-Area: Multidisciplinary
Educational Game: yes
Macintosh: yes
Intel PC/Windows: yes specification:
Memory Needed: 8MB RAM/16 recommended
Type of Monitor: 256 color display with 640X480
Printer?:
Disk (hard, 3.5, CD): CD
Other-Peripherals:
Instructional Purpose: The purpose of the software is to help your young learner with colors, shapes, counting, letters, spelling, phonics, thinking skills and problem solving. It helps to stimulate learning by using fun Sesame Street characters. use: A teacher can use this software in a number of ways. It can be used as a direct instruction tool or as a one on one or two instructional tool, for remediation or for pleasure as a fun reward.
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: no
Disk Crash Safeguard: yes
No Distracting Sounds/Visuals: yes
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: Elmo is the main character and our guide. He is a well-liked character and he has the cutest voice. He is funny and does cute things(in my opinion) to keep the attention of your preschooler. It is east to move from place to place and children make the decision as to where they want to go. It gives praise when a student gets something correct and it provides encouragemrnt to the ones that get an item incorrect. There is a separate CD filled with mysteries.
Weaknesses: There are 2 CD's. So, if you are interested in moving back and forth between mysteries and educational games, you must use a different CD. There may not be enough items to do before Elmo asks you if you want to do something else.
Recommendation: very good
Comments: I really enjoyed using this software. I found it very user friendly.