Portfolio Entry 3: Educational Software

The software my group and I chose to evaluate for our Software Evaluation Assignment was a children’s game from www.tvokids.com. The game is called Peep and the Big Wide World and it can be found in the games category for children ages two to five. Within Peep and the Big Wide World there are 15 sub games that children can pick from. Some of these games include colour making/mixing, shape finder, counting, hide and seek, making music, memory, numbers, making patterns and more. As a group we chose the sub game ‘Trash Stash’ to evaluate because we felt that it was one or the most fun and developmentally appropriate for children ages 4-5. While playing this game children are asked to classify and sort various objects the raccoon throws down from his tree accordingto the attribute(s) the bird Peep calls out.

 The picture to the left shows you some of the objects the raccoon throws down from his tree. In this perticular picture the red bird is asking the child to find four red objects to place into the circle. If the child gets them right they move on to the next level. If the child gets them wrong a voice will speak that say how many the children have right and to click on the objects they with to take out of the circle. The game is based on trial and error.

 I feel that the best features of the game is the media and activities the children have to complete. The game has bright colours seen through the characters, scenery and objects. The characters are animated and relatable because they are familiar characters in a popular TVO Kids T.V. show, there is also a story line to the opening scene of Peep and The Big Wide World as well as the opening to each of the sub games within. The story line creates humour and an interesting element to the game for children to watch before they begin to click the objects they are told. The game has simple pictures that are relatable and easily understood and recognized by the child. Also we found that because a separate window opens when he child clicks on the game ‘Trash Stash’ it creates more concentration towards the game. This is also because the background behind the game is blurred out so the child doesn’t get distracted from the ad’s and colours that are on the main page.

 Some of the tips or recommendations I would give the Peep and the Big Wide World’s sub game ‘Trash Stash’ would be to first of all change the age group that this game can be found under. Ages two to five years old is too broad and from my knowledge as an Early Childhood Educator I believe this game falls under for ages four to five years old. I also noticed that there is no back button if the child wants to choose another sub game from Peep and the Big Wide World. When the child does want to pick a new game they have to close the Trash Stash window and open the Peep and The Big Wide World game again and go through the beginning song /intro.  To add to this I feel that at the beginning of the game there should be a skip button available if a child may want to skip the introduction, instead of waiting it out as they may have already heard or seen the introduction several times. The next recommendation I would give it to have the objects highlight as the child clicks them or moves their mouse over them. This would make it much easier to be able to see what object they have their mouse over or have clicked on. I feel that for the age group of 4-5years old there should be more motivation within the game. This means after a certain amount of time passes and the child is unable to figure out the objects needed there should be hints or clues to help the child pick up on what is needed to be done in order to get to the next level. Also I feel that there should encouragement for the child. An example of this would be a voice or character saying “You can do it” or “Just one more your almost there!” This may help motivate the child to continue trying and move to the next level. Overall I do feel that this is a good game to include in the childcare setting. It is developmentally appropriate for children between the ages of 4-5 because it teaches then classification, sorting skills and reorganization skills that are needed in this age. Most if not all of the objects used in the game are easily recognized and children will be able to match these objects with things they may see In their daily lives which also helps make it an overall good game and resource.

Please take a look at the screen cast I have attached below. It was what myself and my group came up with after looking thoroughly at the game and evaluating it on criteria which looks at developmentally appropriate software for children when implementing technology in the classroom. 

If you would  like to read  about applying and implementing technology into the classroom please take a look at the website I have attached a great journal by Feng Wang, Mable B. Kinzie, Patrick McGuire and Edward Pan on Applying Technology to Inquiry-Based Learning in Early Childhood Education, I hope you enjoy it!