Evaluations

Other Formats

Installation

The product can be installed on a single computer or on a network.  In the case of the single user version, the program is installed on the hard drive but the CD-ROM is required each time. The menu will appear automatically and installation is then straightforward. We found, however, that in most cases manual installation was necessary as the menu failed to appear automatically. This led to a number of difficulties and some CD-ROMs had to be reinstalled several times.

A network version of the programme is available although this may require some technical knowledge on the part of the teacher. When installing Spinout Stories on the network, you can choose a ‘special’ install that copies all the data to the computer.  The software loads to the hard drive but the CD-ROM is sometimes needed if the programme is difficult or slow to access, which in our case happened regularly. This can create problems for getting classes started. We were fortunate to have the services of a skilled technician on hand to deal with any problems and this made it easier for us to use the programme.
 

Navigation

Navigation of the interface is clear and logical and students can proceed straight to the stories once the sequence is explained to them. I found it useful to initially explain the required procedure to the students before they begin to use the software.

Students can easily access the stories and extension activities. There is a good speed of response to students’ input when using the extension activities. There is no facility to bookmark a story to revisit at a later stage.

A range of teacher controls are provided. Using an optional user log-in system the software can be tailored to suit the needs of individuals or whole classes. However, because of the comprehensive nature of the teacher controls, I found setting up the programme for each student to be very time-consuming and constant monitoring was necessary. Therefore, the use of a classroom assistant or support teacher familiar with the software is advisable for effective classroom use.

Spinout Stories is compatible with both single and double switch devices and touchscreens.  The button scanning frequency for single switch devices can be determined by the teacher. A tracking facility allows the teacher to examine which features have been used by which students, and for how long.

The extension activities provide feedback in the form of text although auditory assistance is given during the task.  Visual clues assist the student in completing the task. Individual student progress can be tracked but the software does not provide scores. This is to discourage any pass/fail mentality. Instead it records the amount of time spent by each student on the various activities. 

Documentation

Spinout Stories comes with a Teacher’s Guide. This guide is an essential part of the documentation and prior study by the teacher is useful before attempting to begin any activities.  The manual is well laid out but very detailed. It is clearly divided into relevant sections for easy access.  The sections are clearly titled eg, ‘extension activities’ and ‘operation’.

The loading and operating instructions could be confusing for someone with a limited technical knowledge. The information provided by the guide is sufficient to enable the user to know what the software does without having to run it. However, due to some of the difficulties with installation already mentioned it would be advisable to be familiar with running the software before attempting to use it with a class.

The Teacher’s Guide also contains teacher notes and pupil activities which are relevant to the target group and focus on the pupil with reading difficulties. However, I found the activities to be a little limited and would have preferred a greater variety. The ‘Activity Ideas’ are useful but might be further developed.

There is also an onscreen help facility available.  In our experience, it does not always function as it should as sometimes there can be problems accessing the relevant sections.