Three Sunburst Science Programs
By Sokolowski, Elaine; ConnSENSE Bulletin, Vol. 4, No. 1Publication Date: February 2002
Article reviews three educational science programs from Sunburst Technology: (1) Learn About Life Sciences: The Senses, (2) Learn About Physical Sciences: Matter, Measurement, and Mixtures, and (3) Learn About Earth Sciences: Astronomy. All three programs were field tested for two months with children ages eight through twelve within mainstream and resource room setting. The students who participated in the field test had been diagnosed with a range of disabilities, including autism and learning disabilities. All of the students had prior experience with computers and other software programs. The programs all come with a comprehensive teacher’s manual and classroom activities. Accessible keys and shortcuts are used for easy navigation, and the programs utilize multimedia activities that include speech and music. The opening menu is a cartoon Science Lab, and it offers simple graphics and voice output labeling. Each program has three songs about the featured topic, a “book” with supporting graphics on each page, and text that can be read aloud by the computer. All programs include quizzes and matching, sorting, building, and sequencing activities to support the text in the journal books relating to the topic. The author enjoyed using the programs and observing the students’ immediate success.
Published by: ConnSENSE (Connecticut's Special Education Network for Software Evaluation) (Website:http://www.connsensebulletin.com)
NEAT (New England Assistive Technology) Marketplace (Web Site: http://www.neatmarketplace.org )
A.J. Pappanikou Center for Developmental Disabilities (Web Site: http://www.uconnucedd.org )
Connecticut Tech Act Project (Web Site: http://www.cttechact.com )
Link to text: http://www.connsensebulletin.com/sunburst3.html
