The World on Disc
Titles for your social studies CD-ROM shelf
By Russell Smith
As a former social studies teacher, I've looked forward to reviewing
software in this field. I knew that, as schools moved from the old reliable
Apple and DOS workhorses to the Pentium and PowerPC hotdogs, the potential
for presenting the sights and sounds of exotic places and historic events
would be almost limitless.
But I've been disappointed to find that many expensive CD-ROMs are no
better, and are sometimes worse, than their hard-drive predecessors. Sometimes
they're even worse than the old floppy-drive versions.
One of the most disappointing programs is Mindscape's The Complete National
Geographic. The 30-CD collection is impressive: 109 years of monthly issues
of the wonderful National Geographic magazine. But the quality of
images and text on the computer screen is so poor -- even though I tried
using a variety of computers, all with excellent video cards -- that I can't
imagine these being used for anything but scholarly research.
Why do software publishers produce such programs and waste so much potential?
Part of the fault lies with us educators. We need to insist on software
that takes advantage of impressive multimedia features in ways that are
conducive to student learning.
Good educational software has three basic elements: rich educational
content, good interactive components, and an attractive interface that can
hold the attention of students for extended periods of time. These were
the criteria I used as I looked for -- and eventually found -- some excellent
social studies software.
Here are my favorites, along with phone numbers and web links so you
can get more information and prices for volume purchases.
Elementary programs
 The American Girls Premiere
The Learning Co. (800) 852-2255.
Ages 7 to 13. This award-winning CD set is hot on the charts, one of the
top 10 best-selling educational software programs in America today. Officially
listed as a "writing and creativity" program, it has enough interdisciplinary
elements to qualify as a social studies entry as well.
The software brings to the computer screen five fictional characters
from the past: Felicity, Kirsten, Addy, Samantha, and Molly, the popular
characters dating from 1774 through 1944 in the American Girls book series
and doll collection. Girls (and boys) create original electronic plays by
choosing their favorite character and using an interface to make the character
move, talk, change clothes, and use different historical props. This is
highly creative software, one that students will play again and again, learning
more each time.
 Trail Adventure Collection
The Learning Co. (800) 852-2255.
Ages 8 to 12. For the money ($39 retail), you can't beat this collection
of award-winning CDs: the Oregon Trail, the Amazon Trail, the Yukon Trail,
the Mayaquest Mystery Trail, and the Africa Trail. (The Oregon and Amazon
CDs are predecessors to the more sophisticated versions now sold for older
students.) Together, these strong educational programs help students develop
problem-solving and decision-making skills, boost reading comprehension,
and practice map-reading skills while they explore and learn about the U.S.
frontier, the Alaskan gold rush, the South American rainforest, the ancient
Mayan civilization, and a 12,000-mile bicycle safari across modern Africa.
America
Rock
Creative Wonders, a division
of the Learning Co. (800) 685-6322. Ages 6 to12. For years, classes have
used Schoolhouse Rock videotapes that take an enjoyable and educational
look at grammar, history, and math. In my own classes, I found the tapes'
effectiveness was limited by the one-sided nature of the material presented
on a television screen. The new software, though, blends great visuals with
computer interactivity to create dynamic lessons in history, geography,
and cultural studies. Interactive elements and interesting problem-solving
activities combine to create a true learning experience, with 16 activity
levels, 40 printable projects (maps, puzzles, and games), and Quicktime
movie clips of 10 classic music videos from the original videotapes.
Trudy's Time and
Place House
Edmark Corp. (800) 320-8380. Ages 3-6.
This program might be a little young for the elementary-school set, but
it's so good I can't resist mentioning it. Five years after it was first
released, Trudy's Time and Place House is still excellent -- and
the only decent social studies software for preschoolers. Children enjoy
exploring the concepts of geography and time with cartoon characters Ann,
Dan, Joe Crow, and Nellie the Elephant. Along with time-telling skills,
kids develop mapping and direction skills and "travel" the world,
learning about continents, oceans, and landmarks.
Middle and high school programs
 Age of Empires
Microsoft. (800) 426-9400. Ages
13 and up. Age of Empires breaks the mold for "edutainment" software.
This innovative, real-time game allows kids to command any of 12 ancient
civilizations, each with historically correct attributes. By the decisions
they make, kids can, for the purposes of the game, change the course of
history -- a fact that might not sit well with some educators who want to
make sure students learn what really happened, not what could
have happened. For those educators, the substantive information in the Scenario
introductions and the historical summations at the end of the game might
not be enough. I share their concern, especially in light of the declining
social studies skills of high school graduates, but I see value in a game
that reinforces dates and names of ancient civilizations.
The artificial intelligence in this program is excellent, which means
the strategy segments help develop strong critical-thinking skills. The
graphics are so rich that, even if you don't have a super-fast video card
on your computer, you'll see colors and details that are quite striking.
And the CD-quality sound rivals that of any motion picture soundtrack.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board rates Age of Empires as suitable
for ages 13 and older. But remember that this is a warfare-strategy game,
which means it has scenes with animated violence. (Still, the violence is
pretty mild compared to the rock 'em, sock 'em action of Sega and Nintendo
games.) A bigger problem, I think, is that the program contains no female
characters -- an omission that I hope will be corrected in future versions
Microsoft has promised to release this fall and next spring.
Amazon
Trail II
The Learning Co. (800) 852-2255.
Ages 10 and up. This spinoff of the classic Oregon Trail is
a great learning adventure that uses the Amazon River basin as a backdrop.
In a game based on a quest to find a tropical cure that can save the ancient
Incas, kids encounter scientists, naturalists, explorers, conquistadors,
and more than 100 types of fish in this Amazon adventure. Activities at
multiple levels of difficulty encourage critical-thinking skills -- and
are such fun that you'll have to tear students away from this program.
 Chronicle Encyclopedia
of History
DK Publishing. (800) 937-5557. Ages
10 to adult. Remarkable in both depth and breadth, this exceptionally well-done
multimedia program has more than 15,000 historical segments, including music,
spoken quotes, films, animations, artworks, and overviews of the past 4
million years. Articles written in newspaper format help students experience
the greatest historical events. (Sample headlines: "Greeks learn their
alphas and betas"; "Vikings sail west across the Atlantic";
"Aztec capital falls to the Spanish"; and "British set up
colony at Jamestown.") One hundred in-depth biographies describe people
who have influenced the course of history.
His
Name Was Lincoln
Sunburst. (800) 321-7511. Ages 12
to adult. This two-volume CD-ROM set is the preeminent software resource
for students on the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Michael Moriarty
narrates, and Chris Sarandon provides a convincing voice of Lincoln. Forty-eight
interactive modules feature music, poetry, speeches, political cartoons,
photographs, personal letters, cabinet debates, and interviews with leading
Lincoln scholars. Like virtually all Sunburst products, it comes with a
ringbinder containing a well-written teacher's guide, complete with vocabulary
lists, student handouts, and suggested activities.
 An Odyssey
of Discovery: Mapping Concepts
Pierian Spring Software. (800) 213-5054.
Ages 9 to adult. If you're looking for something to teach basic map skills
to middle-schoolers, this is it. Using highly sophisticated interactive
hyperlink queries and a super-easy interface, students learn to interpret
maps, legends, and scales to identify land and water forms, distinguish
between different types of maps, and examine how products, people, and ideas
move across physical space. On the surface, this program sounds perfect
for high school world history classes, but the reading and skill levels
are more appropriate for sixth-graders. In my opinion, this program simply
isn't challenging enough for high school students, unless the students are
remedial adult learners or in special education classes.
An
Odyssey of Discovery: Geography of Earth
Pierian Spring Software. (800) 213-5054.
Ages 9 to adult. This teacher-developed program aligns with the Geography
for Life National Standards. I wish I'd had this program back when I was
teaching sixth-grade social studies because it incorporates such essentials
as cardinal and ordinal directions, latitude and longitude, time zones,
and topography. Short multimedia tutorials, with fully narrated instructions
and animated graphics, are followed by interactive elements that reinforce
and test the skills just learned. One exercise has students using their
newly acquired knowledge of coordinates to navigate the oceans, and another
has them using charts and graphs to run a business.
 The
Oregon Trail Third Edition: Pioneer Adventures
The Learning Co. (800) 852-2255.
Ages 10 to adult. One of the oldest software programs in existence and a
must-buy for middle schools, the Oregon Trail series has gone through enormous
changes since the first text-based version appeared nearly 30 years ago.
In some of the early versions, students fought and killed Indians. Political
correctness has removed the Indian conflicts, and the game keeps getting
better. This latest and greatest incarnation has three CDs and requires
a Pentium or PowerPC for the multimedia clips that allow kids to interact
with fictional characters -- such as teachers, actresses, Indians, traders,
bankers, and carpenters -- on such choices as traveling companions, supplies,
routes, and the pace of the trip. New elements in the program include
fishing, gathering, and a you-are-there perspective on river crossings.
Where
in the U.S.A. is Carmen Sandiego? and Where
in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Broderbund. (800) 548-1798. Ages
9 to adult. I myself have never understood the appeal of finding Carmen
Sandiego, but some kids adore this program -- and seem to learn a lot of
geography when using it. In deluxe versions of Where in the World is Carmen
Sandiego? and Where in the U.S.A. is Carmen Sandiego?, students learn foreign
words, numbers, phrases, and fun facts about their states. Kids with Internet
access can also jump directly to Carmen's
web site for tips about the game, additional maps, satellite images,
and other geographic resources.
In defense of fun
In some educators' eyes, I know these programs seem to emphasize entertaining
kids rather than educating them. I can understand the criticism, but I also
know that the other extreme -- drill-and-kill software -- is not conducive
to learning. I've seen too many labs where students sat like robots, clicking
the mouse on screens that were nothing more than souped-up worksheets. I
would much prefer to see kids using edutainment titles that hold their attention
and require them to read information and practice thinking skills.
And if these programs are fun, so what? Do we make the kids do sit-ups
and run laps every day in PE? No, we organize games that involve fun as
well as essential skills.
That's not to say we can't do a better job of using edutainment software.
Without proper guidance, most kids are going to zero in on the most entertaining
elements of a program and neglect the rest. The kids might enjoy shooting
900 buffalo on the Oregon Trail, but they will learn more by keeping notes
and writing a diary about the journey. And that requires the guidance of
a teacher.
Many of these programs provide excellent teacher manuals or online guidance.
Teachers also need time to master the programs themselves, so they'll know
how to create new learning opportunities for their students.
Russell Smith is an educational technology consultant for Region 14 Education
Service Center in Abilene, Texas. |
