Software Evaluation

Jennifer Klinger
EDMT 380 Section 003
Fall 2003

Group Members:
Jenny Klinger
Stephanie Smith
Shari Steffens
Jenny Writz

General Information
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Title: Kid Pix Deluxe 3

Publisher: The Learning Company

Cost: $29.99 single user; School Edition (2 CDs + teacher's resource binder) $79.95; Lab Pack (6 CDs + teacher's r.b.) $219.95; Site Licenses available.

Hardware Requirements: Macintosh or Windows 95, 98, 2000 and 330 MB of space on your hard disk.

Content: Kid Pix Deluxe 3 can be used for any subject area.

Intended Audience: Elementary students grades K-6

Software Category: General Application

Summary: Kid Pix Deluxe 3 is great for elementary students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade. It has a lot of the same functions that Microsoft Office offers. Through Kid Pix Deluxe 3, students are able to create multimedia reports with animation, slideshows, and much more. Students can use the stamps, painting tools, clipart, and much more to enhance any project. Kid Pix Deluxe 3 is a great for students to use with partners or as a solo activity for just about any project in any subject.

Documentation
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Installation Directions: The directions are clearly stated in the beginning of the manual. They are very easy and self explanatory. In order to install Kid Pix Deluxe 3 you simply insert the CD and follow the on screen directions that pop up. It is very simple.

Teacher Guide: There is a teacher guide included in the instruction book. The guide explains everything to the teacher so that he or she can become familiar with the information and teach it to his or her students.

Value: This tool is very inexpensive to incorporate into the classroom. The prices are as follows: $29.99 single user; School Edition (2 CDs + teacher's resource binder) $79.95; Lab Pack (6 CDs + teacher's r.b.) $219.95; Site Licenses available. This is a very small price for all the different subject areas that it can be used for in the classroom.

Built in Electronic Help within the Application: There is help within the application if it is needed. There are websites that can be accessed if there are difficulties.
http://support.broderbund.com/faq_list.asp?id=1294819366

Provisions for Special Populations: There are not many provisions, however, there are so many tools on Kid Pix Deluxe 3 that can be used, that just about everyone should be able to participate as long as they can use a mouse. Not everything in the program requires the use of the keyboard, however just about everything requires the use of the mouse.

Instructional Design and Pedagogical Soundness
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*Content- The content is suitable for all subjects and includes charts, slideshows, and animated reports. The teacher shapes the program and what content areas are explored.
*Appropriateness- The teacher is able to specify the task of each student, thus making appropriate objectives to fit the content. The objectives should vary by grade level. This program is appropriate for all grade levels. Younger children can explore using the mouse and drawing tools. Older students can expand their knowledge and create slideshows or animated reports.
*Purpose of Graphics- Kid Pix is a graphic program. The graphics enhance the visual appearance and can be integrated into reports and slideshows. For younger students, the graphics can be used to represent words.
*Instructional Objectives- The objectives are flexible and open to interpretation. The instructional objectives are based on the individual teacher’s discretion and can be used in a variety of means.
*Prerequisite Skills for both Teachers and Students- Teachers must be knowledgeable about the program as well as the lesson they are trying to convey. Teachers must also be able to answer students’ questions and concerns and be flexible and willing to accommodate learning differences. Students must be able to follow directions and explore before being thrown into the program. Students must be able to use the mouse to navigate. Students must also be willing to use their imagination with Kid Pix.

Questions Specific to General Applications Software:
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Content Areas: The Kid Pix program could be integrated in to many different content areas. Reading and writing could be used by having the student create their own stories and add pictures from the Kid Pix collection. Students could be asked to find pictures for certain letters to help them build vocabulary and letter sound recognition. This program could also be used in Art and Music classes when talking about design techniques and finding music to go along with the pictures.

Ease-of-Use: To be successful in the classroom the teacher would have to spend some time working with the program before hand and have certain goals in mind when letting students use Kid Pix. Once simple techniques are explained the program is easy to operate.

Direction Clarity: It was difficult to find the menu and labels when in Kid Pix for the first time. The directions given were somewhat vague. As an instructor you would need to take the time to play around with the program and not relay only on the directions in the manual.

Manual Dexterity Required: The shapes and buttons on Kid Pix are large and easy to click on. Children using the program would need to know how to use a mouse and have some simple keyboarding skills. These skills would increase as the student spends more time using the program.

Content:
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Accuracy and Timeliness of the Content: This program is dependant on the teacher. The teacher has to shape each lesson with specific goals for the student. There are a lot of applications that can be used on Kid Pix which makes the program very useful but could also waste time if the students didn’t know where to go.

Racial/Gender Stereotypes: None. There are cultural differences shown in the pictures that the program provides.

Bias: None. There are many categories for the students to choose from, each category shows different ethnic groups and one category has flags from around the world.

Final Determination
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Kid Pix Deluxe 3 is a fun and exciting program that allows students to use their creativity and imaginations to explore their artistic talents. Kid Pix is very beneficial to beginning learners because is includes several animations and can be navigated easily with a mouse. Children who have disabilities can use the pictures or animations as words. Older children can explore creating slideshows and reports in a fun and motivating environment. There are several opportunities to create a unique project for each individual. Despite all of these great benefits, Kid Pix is a program that as future educators, we would not use religiously in our classrooms. Instead, we would use this software as a supplement or a tool to aide in further exploration or as a station to be utilized during free time. Our biggest frustration was trying to find the toolbar. Without being knowledgeable about the program, it would be difficult to implement more in depth projects into the classroom. Although the teacher’s guide was helpful, exploration was the best method to getting to know Kid Pix. This program requires a lot of time and teacher knowledge.

For more information, click here Kid Pix Deluxe 3

Any questions or comments please email klingerj@uwec.edu klingerj@uwec.edu
Page last updated on December 12, 2003