The face-card link above gave a great demonstration on how their virtual characters
change their emotions. The subject area this software covers is under social skills.
This is a great tool for special education teachers who have students with Autism,
Asperger, or other social skill disorders. Children with these disorders have a hard
time reading facial cues. The CD-Rom also has a special activity called 'eye-gaze'
which helps students build eye contact skills. I have also noticed autistic children
do not like eye contact and have a hard time keeping eye contact with someone
speaking to them, in which case, this practice allows them to practice within a save
virtual character. Below is a study I found beneficial to anyone considering special
education endorsement.

"Two new studies at Indiana University demonstrate that videos depicting
exemplary behaviors can be effective in helping children and adolescents with
autism spectrum disorders develop social skills and daily living skills. Lead
researcher Scott Bellini said these findings will help to identify video modeling as a
worthwhile strategy for educators and child development professionals in a field
lacking proven methods of treatment: Link for this article

After reviewing this program I feel it is appropriate for all age levels with the
disorders named, and I can also see using this program in pre-k thru 1st grade for
students who are not in special ed. classes. Beside using this regularly in special
education classes, I would use this as a unit on emotions to enhance students social
skills. This program would also integrate nicely into a health unit regarding how our
muscles work and how many muscles are in the face.

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Price: UK£ 49.00 = $79.73 U.S. dollars
Category: Instructional Game

This software program did not have a demonstration but it did have an information
fact sheet that described its features and benefits. The program has a 3D virtual
character named Sam who is faced with several situations and the student is able to
make choices based on how Sam feels and decide what to do in the situation. This
is a great way to help special education students with social skills much like the first

software program I review. The difference is that not only does the student have to
recognize emotions, but they also are put into realistic situations they would
otherwise only learn by being in the situation. This allows the students to make
mistakes without the realistic consequence that would come with a real situation,
they are free to learn in a safe virtual environment. This program also has a reward
system for choosing the appropriate response, which promotes a positive
reinforcement. Another feature I enjoyed was the switch access options available
for learners that are unable to use the mouse or a touch screen. Some of the
downfalls are that there is additional costs with special hardware for different
disabilities. The prices are all in British pounds and you would definitely want to
make sure you speak with someone regarding the system requirements. Much like
the face-card CD-Rom review I feel the software is appropriate for all school age
level students with Autism or other disorders that affect social skills and behavioral
skills. Besides being used in a special education class, I would also use the program
in pre-k thru 5th grade to reinforce social skills and role playing through technology.
Another way to integrate this program would be through an anti-bully program
lesson. Children can take Sam through situations and then discuss positive and
negative consequences. This could be the platform for deeper discussions on this
topic.

The only system requirements I could find on the website was the program
worked with Windows 2000 and higher. This program was developed in the
United Kingdom and is sold also in the United States, however to find out more
information I would have to contact the vendor.

800-701-9025
Price: $99 1 student on 1 computer/ $249 5 students on 5 computers
Category: drill and practice

An animated language tutor named Timo helps students in a one-on-one practice
sessions. This software is especially usefully to student with hearing impairments
who are learning to speak and those with speech delays in K-4th. The program
introduces vocabulary to students in a CD-Rom with 127 lessons. The Timo lessons
are customizable to your students. The program introduces not only vocabulary but
also sequential thinking, and simple problem solving. Students are also able to
sequence the pictures for retelling of the story. The program also has a progress
tracking system for IEP, excellent tool for special education teachers. Other benefits
are that this is a one-on-one session that utilizes technology and modeling to show
even facial cues when pronouncing words. I think that from the demo that it would
be nice to have a varied of voices or tutors to choose from to give students choices
and variety. So far I really don't see any disadvantages of the program. I think with
some software it's trial and error to discover drawbacks. I would like to have this
program in my special education classroom

This program is designed for special education students that have hear impairment,
speech delays, or Autism K-4th grade. However, I would also use this to help
students K-2nd in regular classrooms because you can customize it to read, write,
say, and/or spell the vocabulary. Teachers can also integrate this program to
extend vocabulary lesson, such as teaching adjectives or verbs. You can also
customize Timo to go over only 1 subjects vocabulary such as math or science
words. I really like the flexibility of this program.
System requirements are Windows 98 SE through XP, Macintosh 9.2 through OSX.

to browser) Purchase at Amazon or another online bookstore.
Price: $29.99 per CD-Rom
Category: instructional games and drill and practice

Clifford Phonics software is a CD-Rom that has phonetic practice and age-
appropriate content. The setting is in a carnival with Clifford the Big Red Dog.
There are six activities in the game, and many mini-games that take the form of
language arts. The students help Clifford and Jetta inflate balloons by matching
words and pictures. They create silly stories that are read aloud, work with word
families as they match kids with correct Ferris Wheel cars, and work with rhymes as
they shoot cannons in a circus tent. phonics, word families, word-object association,
letter/sound recognition, word building, letter recognition, letter sorting, visual
discrimination, upper/lowercase letters, creativity, sight word recognition, fine
motor skills, phonics, sound blending, sound recognition

This program is a great start for preschoolers. I would start out by creating a lesson
plan that has a Clifford theme to introduce the program. I would start out reading
Clifford books and watching a Clifford video and then have students try the CD-Rom
program. The benefits come from the practice in a fun, familiar character and the
low cost. The drawbacks I see would be the students getting tired of the Clifford
only theme. This would be a great software program for a free play session and a
unit session.

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Price: $ 19.95
Category: instructional game and drill practiceTop of Form