Some products are tools – developed to support learners and teachers in their respective roles. They are relatively “content free”, making no specific reference to a topic or curriculum and focusing rather on facilitating the development of content by teachers or learners. Examples of these products reviewed in the sample include:

Clicker, which is a simple word processor:

It contains grids of words, sounds and pictures that help the learner to read and write his/her own material. Because there is no specific content, the programme can be used across the curriculum. It supports writing generally, but will support spelling by reading out the words and allowing the learner to self-correct, and grammar. Word banks for maths, science and any other topic with which the learners are busy can be built up. (Rimmer: Clicker)

Inspiration, which is a mind-mapping tool:

This program aims to help learners’ mind-map concepts and learn by graphically representing their ideas in mind-map or concept map format. You can use the software to help learners draw relationships between various objects, ideas or concepts. By drawing a mind-map or concept map of an idea they talk, think and internally process an idea.

Kidspiration, which is a similar to Inspiration but for younger children:

Kidspiration is a tool that teachers can use in almost any area of the curriculum. Its main objective is to use visual learning to help the learner organise ideas to develop good thinking skills. It helps the learner brainstorm ideas using pictures and words, organise and categorise information, create stories, poems or descriptions using pictures, and express his/her ideas in visual maps or webs. Each picture or map is supported by a written activity, and any changes made on the map will be reflected in the writing and vice versa. The pictures are categorised into topics such as school, science, animals and people. The software allows for the learner to hear the words read aloud or to record their own words. All other menus, buttons and text are audio supported to help young learners read and find their way around. This programme is a wonderful tool to have in the classroom, as it encourages the learner to plan, map, organise and create ideas and to develop strong thinking skills, in whatever area of the curriculum it is used. (Rimmer: Kidspiration)

My World Africa is another example of a tool that is used to design and make new learning resources. It is relevant to both learners and teachers as is evident in this review:

The focus here is to help the learner and the teacher to use ICT as a tool to increase their productivity. Its purpose is to provide the teacher with a vast library of additional source material, help develop basic ICT skills and promote activities such as discussion, sequencing and presentation of information. My World Africa is an incredible collection of source material that can be accessed by teachers, and learners from age 6 years to school leavers alike. The material can be used across the curriculum, and for many different activities. The teachers are able to create worksheets to be printed out and used away from the computer, or can create a screen to be worked on by the learners during their computer time. Depending on the creativity of the teacher, the screen could have sound, animation or video material incorporated into it. One screen could be used to achieve many objectives. For example: there is a given screen with pictures of fruit on it. The learners could be asked to count the fruit by colour, name the fruit by dragging and dropping the names, put a set number of fruit in a box by dragging and dropping, write a story about which fruit the learner likes or dislikes, discuss which fruits are tropical or deciduous – the teacher could use this screen in any number of ways, and make it appropriate for any age group. For older learners, the programme provides useful ways of obtaining and presenting information for a variety of topics and projects. Further information can be obtained from additional CD-ROMS. The programme allows for the learners to use video footage, sound, animation and pictures to support their work. If the computer has a microphone, the learners are able to record their own voice to read their work. (Rimmer: My World Africa)

Other educational software products are learning materials or resources themselves – developed to present information in engaging ways to guide learners and teachers through a pre-defined curriculum. They may be referred to as “content rich”, presenting a series of topics, interactive activities and assessment options.

Grammar Show is typical of content rich software.

It is designed as a series of tutorials that can be used for any grade from primary to high school where there is a need to correct or learn grammar in the Language area. The content of the CD includes the following:

• Nouns
• Simple verbs and sentences
• verb forms
• Adjectives and adverbs
• Pronouns and prepositions
• Sentences
• Standard English

The user has the opportunity to select an area of grammar and then do a pre test before starting, or follow the instructor. One can also select where one wishes to work. The CD is divided into:

• Explanations - the teaching part
• Activities - the fun testing part with five different types of game per topic
• Test - a global test at the end
• Teacher's section - diagnostics, progress, teacher-student reviews, set password
• Scores - shows student scores
• Help - covers all the aspects above (Miller: Grammar Show)

Master Maths is a local example of content rich or tutorial-based educational software.

The purpose of the software is to provide a comprehensive system to teach Mathematics from Grade 3 through to post Matriculation covering all aspects of Mathematics from algebra, to trigonometry. It is a thorough Mathematics teaching system which can be used in a computer laboratory by a teacher with limited Mathematics ability. (Miller: Master Maths)

Some products are designed for use in a laboratory and to facilitate tracking of learner progress. Examples of products reviewed that have assessment tracking features include:

Big Boet Jnr

Learner progress is tracked. The average of the learner's work over a month in a particular learning area, i.e. Thinking, Hand writing, Memory, Maths, Reading, is tracked. The learning area does the tracking individually. The assessment can be printed. (Miller: Big Boet Jnr)

Grammar Show

When using this software, one can log on as an individual or as a group, and work as group or alone. Data about individual or group scores are kept in the teacher's section. In this the teacher has the ability to monitor each learner and note the progress. A feature is that the teacher can even, in a teacher-student review, call up details and exercises that the student needs to repeat. The activities are not differentiated by degree of difficulty.

HIV/Aids Literacy Basics for Everyone

Full progress tracking is provided to learners within the learning software. Everything is reported to a management system backend that resides on a server and may be accessed in summary or detailed form by educators / facilitators. Formative assessment takes place throughout the learning experience in the form of multiple-choice questions or a computer game. Summative assessment is left to the facilitator / educator. Difficulty levels do not differentiate the software. Teachers have comprehensive results and learner progress reports available and can request these through the backend management system. (Miller: HIV Aids Literacy Basics for Everyone)

Literacy Bank

When the activity is completed, the learner can check to see if he/she is correct. The learner can also use a “show me” button if they are unsure of the answers. The “start again” button allows the learner to have a second chance. A record is kept of the learner’s progress, and this can be saved as a TEXT file and printed out later. All teacher activities are protected by a password. A certificate is available to the learner at the end of each session recording scores achieved in the lesson. This needs to be printed out before the learner logs off. (Rimmer: Literacy Bank)

Some products are designed to build learner’s memory retention or drill and practice in repetitive tasks. Mental arithmetic is a good example of a skill that requires frequent practice. Using software can be an engaging way to make sure that learners are repeating many similar tasks.

Mental Maths 5 is designed with this purpose in mind:

The focus here is numeracy skills, in particular reinforcing strategies for doing mental maths. This software uses athletic events to help sharpen the learner’s mental maths skills. It uses events such as rowing, javelin, swimming and archery in which the learner must complete the maths sums as quickly as possible. The quicker he/she answers the higher his/her score. There are three levels of difficulty, and many different mental calculation strategies the learner can use. The animation is fun and interesting and will hold the learner’s attention. (Rimmer: Mental Maths 5)

Maths Story is a local example of a drill and practice programme:

The focus of the program is to build up early mathematical concepts: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The software is a drill and practice program. The software can be used to compliment classroom activities, to consolidate material taught in class. The drill and practice activities do not replace the teacher but consolidate memory work. (Miller: Maths Story)

Other products encourage exploration, problem solving or creative thinking. Some of these products provide a simulation of a virtual environment in which learners must explore to solve a series of problems.

Mission Control is an example of this kind of educational software:

Mission: Control, Rain Forest 2 is a computer modelling software application. A computer-modelling program is one, which looks at a real-life situation on a computer, to see how it looks and works in real life. It can look at a situation any number of times, leaves no mess, is very adaptable, and if you make mistakes no one gets hurt. When using computer-modelling programs in the classroom it allows learners to try out ideas, put them into action, observe the consequences, and then adapt their ideas in the light of these observations.You would use this program during a cross curricular period in the school day in order to make them learn thinking and problem solving in a fun way. (Rimmer: Mission Control)

The Model Shop is another example of exploration and problem solving software.

The aim of The Model Shop is to get the learners to think and attempt to solve real-life problems in a simulated safe environment. The program can be used in Language, Maths, Entrepreneurship, Home Economics, Biology or Technology classes to explore an idea, e.g. it is cheaper and quicker to cost a sandwich filling in a spreadsheet than buying all the ingredients and making each sandwich. This computer modelling software program is suitable for primary and high schools to stimulate discussion and problem solving. (Miller: The Model Shop)

Some software products are databanks of information that can be used as a reference or kind of multimedia encyclopaedia. Many of these are not designed specifically for use in schools but have a wider appeal, for example

Discover Garden Birds with Ken Newman is a virtual study with a library of information about birds -

• what they eat, what they look like, how they fly, how they live, the calls they make;
• where to find birds - in different habitats, all over Southern Africa including game reserves;
• how to watch birds - identify birds, using a field guide, using binoculars.
  
  The software can be used from Grade 0 upward depending on how it is used. It could be used as databank of information, aural, video or print. (Miller: Discover Garden Birds with Ken Newman)