Shareware Sites
 Example 1.   Kidwaresoftware

If you visit www.kidwaresoftware.com you will see a variety of educational programs that can be downloaded on a shareware basis. On this site the manufacturers use the shareware concept in two ways in an effort to get your business:

 

1. They offer a number of fully functional programs totally free to download and use. They anticipate that you will be sufficiently impressed with these free programs to purchase other products.

2. They offer a free trial (shareware) version of their “for sale” programs. You may use this trial version 10 times before it expires. This lets you evaluate the product before purchasing it. Once again, the manufacturers anticipate that you will be sufficiently impressed by your use of the product to pay the registration fee for the fully functional version.

In the case of kidwaresoftware, prices are as follows:
1 Copy:              $14.95
2 - 15 Copies:    $12.50 each
16 - 25 Copies:  $10.00 each
Over 25 Copies: $250.00 total cost (allows unlimited installations!) plus $3 shipping per order.

Example 2.   Schoolhouse Technologies

If you visit www.schoolhousetech.com you will find a suite of fully customisable worksheet generators suitable for almost every curricular area. Schoolhouse Technologies currently offer six different titles designed to make worksheet construction a simple matter, including Mathematics, Vocabulary, Word Search, Map and Crossword Factories and Schoolhouse Bingo.

All titles share a user-friendly common interface, allowing quick and easy customisation of content, changing worksheet headers, formatting font, adding riddles and inserting graphics. Particularly useful is the ability to save resources like word lists created in one programme, to print for record keeping or integrate into worksheets created in the other titles.

Prices range from 20euro-28euro for a single user downloadable copy depending on the title you purchase. Boxed versions are also available for an additional 8euro per title.

Schoolhouse Technologies offer ‘Lite’ versions of their Word Search, Mathematics and Bingo titles free of charge. Admittedly these free programs lack some of the functionality and scope of their paid-for counterparts but still are capable of creating a vast array of customised and relevant teaching resources. In the same way that kidwaresoftware offers some of its products free of charge, this company hopes that users will be sufficiently impressed with the “Lite” versions to subscribe to the “top of the range” products.

 Example 3.  Grey Ollwit 

The shareware concept operates in a slightly different way at www.greyolltwit.com. On this site you will find a comprehensive selection of educational software titles in a variety of curricular areas.

These programs are now only available to download by becoming a member of the website. Membership gives you unlimited access to download all of the programs plus all future ones created by the author. Membership is a once-only fee of �19.99 and not a monthly or annual registration. Once payment is made you will be able to create a username and password, giving you immediate access to all of the programs. To download, you simply click on the download link at the top of every programs page and enter your username and password when prompted. 

What are the best shareware sites?
In addition to the sites described above, teachers will find a good selection of educational shareware by clicking on the following links:
• www.edu-soft.org/  Educational Software Cooperative – click on the education link to see the educational titles
• www.theteacherspot.com/educational_shareware.html
• www.flixprod.com/index.html This is the web site of Flix Productions, a U.S. company that specializes in the creation of educational software sold on a shareware basis.
• www.softempire.com/education.html  This link brings you to the education section of a shareware site which also offers thousands of other shareware titles, such as games, utilities, internet and development tools.
• www.tucows.com  Tucows.com is one of the internet’s best known shareware download libraries, and it includes a comprehensive education section.
• www.macintoshos.com/shareware.library/educational/educational.shtml - educational shareware for Macintosh users.
• http://www.ability.org.uk/mac_shareware_education_misc.html - educational shareware for Macintosh users.

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