Software & Laserdisk Toolbox Software and Laserdisc Applications to use in this unit: Name of Software & Publisher Cost & Available from Annotation, comments, how to be used instructionally Comments about screen design and modifications needed for special education Visual Planets 2.0 Pulsar Publishing Freeware www.users .dircon.co .uk/~jmwebb/ pulsar.htm Excellent software for general facts about the solar system and its contents. Also gives information about probes of each planet with all accompanying information. This is a great piece of software for students to research information without the use of the internet. This software even connects cross-curriculum as it incorporates statistics along with mythology of each planet. Unfortunately, there is no sound. This may be to an advantage for someone needing a screen reader though. The software has a lot of text that can be used by a plethora of screen/text readers. There are no animated graphics which also helps students with attention problems and those students with visual impairments. Planet's Orbits by Alcyone $20 registration fee www.alcyone.de Advanced numerical processing and research gathering. This software can show the orbit of any or all planets through any parameters of time the user inputs. Assists with showing the difference between planets in terms of orbits and solar revolutions. This software would be difficult to use for students with Visual Impairments. I am not sure any screen/text reader would be able to read this screen as it does not lend itself to those types of devices. It may work with switch devices though as it does have buttons. mPower by Tom Snyder Range from $79.95-799.95 www.tomsnyder .com/products/ ProductDetail .asp?PS=mpov40 Slide presentation software is to be used for student presentations of research they have gathered. The user friendly nature of this program makes slide presentations easier for some students than other programs such as Powerpoint and Hyperstudio. This software could be used as the culminating experience in a unit. It also meets state standards. This software seems more adaptable and easier to understand for students with mild cognitive disabilities. This software does not seem to be appropriate in use with a text reader, but its shape and size allows students with visual impairments to use it effectively with the necessary assistance. Also, this program could be used with switches. Gravitorium 0.3.2 by Rightword Enterprises Small licensing fee-must contact distributor for specific fees www.tomsnyder .com/products /gravitorium/ index.html The software may do many useful things, but mainly it can show orbits based on Newtonian Gravity. Students can compare and contrast as planets travel in their own orbital paths at their own paces. Also can use to show the orbit of the moon and a lost satellite orbiting Earth. This software would need to be set up by the teacher since it can be quite confusing getting to what the teacher wants the student to infer. For students who are visually impaired, this would be a difficult piece of software. This software would only be used in conjunction with more interactive software. Students may get bored or disillusioned with this individual piece of software. KidWorks Deluxe by Knowledge Adventure $59.95 www.edresou rces.com This software can be used to develop storybooks, interactive graphics, etc. It is unlimited as it has a word processor and a graphics application built in. This software is a great stimulation for students. It is creative, fun, and enjoyable to use. The software reads back the text that is entered and the program is very colorful. KidPix Studio by Broderbund $79.95 www.learning companyschool .com This application can be used for creativity. Bulletin boards, presentation pages, etc. can be developed. The software is very graphical in nature; therefore, screen readers don't work well with this program. Alternative input devices still work well with this program. Inspiration $69.95 www.inspir ation.com This software is a great way to make a graphic organizer out of material. Its uses are endless. This software can be used by the teacher to organize material or the students can make their own organization and concept maps using this software. Inspiration is a great program, but due to its graphics nature, it is difficult for many programs to work with it such as screen readers. The text that is placed into the boxes can be read and the images can be zoomed into for students with visual impairments. WebTalkster Freeware www.code-it.com This software allows a web browser to read text on a webpage. This software can be used by anyone with any website. The software is free and valuable for what it does. Not to expect too much from freeware, this software does help any student who cannot understand a word or needs assistance reading. The student can change the voices, so they may enjoy this software Write Outloud by Don Johnston $99 www.docjoh nston.com This is a talking word processor. It can be used for any writing needs. The software allows students to be able to hear their words to give them reassurance. Also, it allows for students with disabilities the options of text resizing, changing voices, spell checker, and dictionary. Readplease 2002 Freeware www.readp lease.com This software is used as a text-to-speech application. It is capable of reading text from any source. The text must be copied and pasted into the application for it to read. This software is intended to help students with disabilities. It can help the student understand any text capable of being copied/pasted, so its uses are endless. Co-writer by Don Johnston $325 www.docjoh nston.com This word prediction software is available to assist any students with writing difficulties. It can work with a standard word processor as well as some creative writing applications. This is designed for the student with a disability. It aides the student in typing, spelling, and word recognition. (Laserdisc)The Great Solar System Rescue by Tom Snyder $99.95- 799.95 www.toms nyder.com This laserdisc and software application is great for interacting, role playing, and learning about the solar system in general. It is similar to a webquest. Students with disabilities may have a hard time reading the screen with a screen reader. Many of the interactions are via the laserdisc player which is incapable of being used with a screen reader. Alternative input devices would work with this program though.