_{EPIE INSTITUTE}

_{COURSEWARE REVIEW FORM}

_{ANALYST PROFILE}

_{Name: __Dennis Sartoris_________________________________}

_{Date Assigned: _____April 97______________________________}

_{Date Due: ______May 97_____________________________}

_{Home Phone: ______294-2936_____________________________}

_{Best Time to Call: ___after 3pm________________________________}

_{ESSENTIAL DATA ABOUT THE PROGRAM}

_{Title: Curious George ABC Adventure}

_{Producer: Houghton Mifflin Interactive in
cooperatin with Vipah Interactive}

Houghton Mifflin web site

_COMPONENTS

_{Everything inside the package:}

_{(_1__) Number of disks} _{or CD-ROM}
_{(_x__) Number of cartridges}
_{(_x__) Number of backup disks or cartridges}
_{(_1__) User's guide (_on-line__) number of pages}
_{(_x__) Teacher's guide (___) number of pages}
_{(_1__) Parent's guide (_on line__) number of pages}
_{(_x__) Combination teacher's-user's guide}
_{(_any screen can be printed and used as a hand out__) Number of
reproducible handouts in the guide}
_{(_x__) Number of reproducible handouts separate from the guide}
_{(_x__) Number of well charts}
_{(_x__) Number of keyboard overlays}

_{Please describe any other components not listed above (ex: hardware
interfaces such as a temperature probe):

The package comes with a binder so that users can
keep sake any printed material.}

_{Please clarify anything that you feel is not clear from the section
above (ex: if the program comes with 3 program disks, 1 data disk and a
management disk):

The program comes with 1 CD-ROM which will can be
used with either Windows 3.1, Windows95, or Macintosh.}

_{Please list all menu choices (content-related only, NOT utilities).
Write them according to the menu path you must take to get to them (ex:
"Practice, Addition, 2-digit numbers", assuming each one of these
three items was a menu choice). Assign each one of these an arbitrary "section"
number, e.g. "O1":}

_{Section Number * Menu Title

01 The Airport 02 The Lake
03 The Zoo 04 The Bakery 05
Home}

_{CURRICULUM ROLE}

_{Identify one or more from each group by writing an S if
stated or an I if inferred next to the choice. If more than one
are chosen in a group, specify the primary choice:}

_{Group A}

_{(_x__) Administration}
_{(_x__) Business}
_{(_x__) Computer Literacy}
_{(_I__) English/Language Arts}
_{(_x__) Foreign Language}
_{(_x__) Health}
_{(_x__) Library Skills}
_{(_I__) Mathematics}
_{(_I__) Miscellaneous}
_{(_I__) Reading}
_{(___) Social Science specify which: ___________________________________}
_{(___) Tools-specify type:}
_{(___) Aptitude Test Preparation}
_{(___) Computer Language}
_{(_S__) Early Learning/Preschool}
_{(___) Fine Arts-specify which: ___________________________________}
_{(___) Guidance}
_{(___) Industrial Arts}
_{(_S__) Logic/Problem Solving}
_{(___) Medicine}
_{(___) Physical Education}
_{(___) Sciences-specify which: ___________________________________}
_{(___) Special Education}

_{Group B}

_{(_x__) Rote Drill}
_{(_S__) Tutorial}
_{(_x__) Simulation}
_{(_S__) Skills Practice}
_{(_S__) Educational Game}

_{Group C}

_{(_S__) Supplemental}
_{(_x__) Keyed to Textbook}
_{(_x__) Comprehensive}
_{(_x__) Keyed to Videotape or Videodisk}

_{Computer and Model You Used: VIP GreenMotherBoard W/586 Intel 83MHz
processor}

_{Peripheral You Used: HP DeskJet 820Cse}

_{Peripherals Recommended by the Producer or You: A moderate color
printer}

_{USERS SPECIFIED BY THE PRODUCER}

_{Does the Producer specify in print who should use this? Yes}

_{If you answered YES, quote exactly and cite page numbers.

The Curious George Young Readers' Series gently challenges
pre-Schoolchildren to build critical reasoning and reading skills
in a magical envirnoment.}

_{Age: 3-6}

_{Page Numbers: Box Cover}

_{Grade: Pre-School - grade 2}

_{Prerequisite Skills or Ability Level: Basic
Mouse Skills}

_{User Groupings: Allows for individual or group instruction.}

_{USERS RECOMMENDED BY YOU}

_{If different than producers or if producer did not state. Give
reasons:}

I agree with the producers recommendations

_{Prerequisite Skills or Ability Level: ___________________________________}

_{User Groupings: ___________________________________}

_CONTENTS

_{Describe the program structure: (ex: 10 games that provide practice
in word attack skills at 3-5 difficulty levels, 15-20 minutes to complete
a lesson) and give a two or three paragraph description of the program.
Describe what the user actually sees on screen and does when using the
program. Use as much space as necessary(use back of page for extra space).}

_{Cite the page numbers(if any) in the documentation that contain
a step-by-step description of what the learner sees and does from beginning
to end.}

The program starts off at The Man with the Yellow Hats house. From there the user is presented with a site map of the different places they can visit in the village. At the Zoo the user can learn basic letter sounds by helping George find animals and objects that begin with the letters that the Man in The Yellow Hat calls out. In this section of the program there are two other features the user may explore. The I-Spy game: In this game the user can view a scrape book that contains the letters of the alphabet and a picture of an animal or object they found in the Zoo. The Souvenir Shop: Here the user can sort words by their first letter. The words correspond to pictures on a postcard. The user needs to click on the image and place it in its correct rack.

The Memory Game at the Bakery: Her the user learns to recognize letter shapes while fixing the Bakeries new sign. Sky Writing at the AirField as helps to user to become more familiar with the sounds and shapes of letters. Fishing for Blocks at The Lake: Here the user learns to develop gross and fine motor skills while at the same time learning the alphabet. Parental controls built into the program allow parents to monitor a child’s progress by viewing and printing progress reports. The reports record which activities a child played, the letters mastered, and the time spent within each game. Parents can also set the difficulty level to uppercase, lowercase, or mixed.

_*IMPORTANT

_{The following questions should be answered on a scale of 1-5 and
N/A(not applicable). If a program LACKS some feature that would be applicable,
it should receive a rating of N/A, with an (*) next to it.}

_{APPROPRIATENESS FOR USERS SPECIFIED BY PRODUCER}

_{Content appropriate for stated audience 4}
_{Readability level appropriate for the stated audience 4}
_{Tone of address appropriate for the stated audience 5}
_{Pacing appropriate for stated audience 4}
_{Graphics appropriate for stated audience 5}
_{Sequence logical and in appropriate increments 4}
_{Enough information presented for intended learning to occur 3}
_{Sufficient practice provided 3}

_{ACCURACY AND FAIRNESS}

_{Facts are accurate 5}
_{Spelling, grammar, usage and typing are accurate 5}

_CLARITY

_{Procedural directions, cues, and prompts are clear 5}
_{Instructional statements are presented clearly 5}
_{Examples and demonstrations are very helpful 3}
_{Frame formatting is clear and not distracting 5}

_{SUPPORT MATERIALS}

_{Support materials are valuable NA*}

_{TECHNICAL QUALITY}

_{Branching is used effectively (ex: as a result of student performance)
3}
_{Program is free of technical design problems (ex: long loading
time, program crashes, programming errors, excessive time to display text
or graphics) 3}

_{Explain: Some times the sound can be garbled or unclear or the
synchronization between the picture and the sound.}

_{DOCUMENTATION}

_{Technical and operational explanations are clear and complete
1}
_{Documentation helps integrate program with applicable curriculum
NA*}
_{Suggestions for prerequisite classroom activities are valuable
NA*}
_{Suggestions for follow-up classroom activities are valuable NA*}

_{USER CONTROL}

_{Interactively level very high 5}
_{User has great deal of control (in regards to things such as reviewing
instructions, reviewing previous frames, exiting to menu, calling on help,
changing answers) 5}
_{Easy to turn off or lower sound 5}

_FEEDBACK

_{Feedback is very effective 4}
_{Remedial feedback is used very effectively NA*}
_{Feedback is non-threatening 4}

_GRAPHICS

_{Technical quality of graphics is excellent 4}
_{Graphics are integral to the program 5}
_{Graphics are clear, not distracting, and don't compete with content
5}

_AUDIO

_{Audio quality is excellent 2}
_{Audio greatly enhances program 5}

_EVALUATION

_{Effective and easy-to-use means of evaluating student mastery
of content 4}
_{Excellent Tests (not practice items provided) NA*}

_{RECORDS/MANAGEMENT}

_{Score-keeping or record-keeping is very effective 3}
_{Record-keeping(for teachers) stores all potentially helpful data
NA*}
_{Record-keeping very easy to use (set-up, access) 5}
_{Printing records is very easy 5}
_{Teacher has great flexibility in regulating parameters of the
program (ex: number of problems, rate of presentation, add or change content)
NA*}
_{Regulating parameters of the program is very easy to do NA*}

_{LEARNING OBJECTIVES}

_{How many learner objectives are stated? Where are they stated?

13 objectives stated on the box cover and in the documentation}

_{All stated learning objectives have been met 3}

_APPROACH

_{In what follows, consider: adequacy and amount of information provided,
instructional frames, educational activities, practice items, feedback,
clarity, and accuracy:}

_{The approach makes it likely students will learn the content 3}
_{Approach is extremely motivating 4}

_{Please add any comments you feel are necessary to explain or qualify
any of the choices you expressed, above:

Some of the mouse skills needed in the game require
the user to have extermly good control of a mouse if the user is unable
to perform this can lead to fustration}

_{ANALYST'S SUMMARY}

_{How much preparation time would an experienced teacher(experienced
with both computers and the subject area) need to use this program? Explain:}

_{It would take only a few hours of use to
learn the in and outs of the program before an experienced teacher would
be able to incorporate this product into a product learning envirnoment
for pre-school children. However I would not recommend that the product
be used for grades above Kindergarten.}

_{Please list the numbers of the statements above that best represent
the major STRENGTHS of this program (maximum of 5). Address all areas:
content, approach, etc. Add any additional explanations that you feel are
necessary to clarify these statements (ex: give an example) OR to describe
a major strength that does not fit into any of the statements above:

1) RECORDS/MANAGEMENT 2) GRAPHICS} _{3)FEEDBACK 4)CLARITY} _{5)APPROPRIATENESS FOR USERS SPECIFIED
BY PRODUCER}

_{Please list the numbers of the statements above that best represent
the major WEAKNESSES of this program (maximum of 5). Address all areas:
content, approach, etc. Add any additional explanations that you feel are
necessary to clarify these statements (ex: give an example) OR to describe
a major weakness that does not fit into any of the statements above:

1)SUPPORT MATERIALS} _{2) TECHNICAL QUALITY 3) DOCUMENTATION 4) AUDIO}

_{In order of priority, list up to 5 tips that teachers will find
most useful in using this program:}

_{I would not attemp a visit to the Lake until
the user has extremly good control of the mouse. Make sure to set letters
to capitals until the user can recognize all 26}

_{OVERALL RATING OF THE PROGRAM}

_{Please CIRCLE the appropriate rating:}

_{Highly recommended}
_{Recommended with reservations}
_{Not recommended but may meet some needs}
_{Don't consider}

_{The following categories should be used in determining your overall
rating of the program. They are not exhaustive but suggest the areas you
should consider in making your judgments. All items may not be appropriate
to use in rating all programs. Consider the scope and intended purpose
of the program (ex: it may be inappropriate to penalize a simulation that
has no management system):}

_{Goals and Objectives}
_Content
_{Methods/Approach}
_{Documentation/Support Materials}
_{Evaluation/Tests}
_{Technical Quality}
_{Graphics/Audio}
_{User Control/Interactivity}
_Branching
_{Management/Record-keeping}

_{Please justify your rating: I found the program
to be very user freindly and easy to use. It would be a great program for
preschool children to use to learn the alphabet.}