Tools for Creativity
Rating System Key
Products are rated A (highest) to F.
Access = Accessibility, Ed Val = Educational Value, Appeal = Deaf-child appeal.
A (cm) for the educational category means the product has classroom management
features.
Titles are listed in alphabetical order. Click a title to read details.
Titles RECOMMENDED for deaf children in a school setting:
|
Title
|
Grades
|
Access
|
Ed Val
|
Appeal
|
| Inspiration 7 |
6 to 12
|
A
|
A
|
B
|
| Kid Pix Deluxe 3 |
K to 8
|
A
|
A
|
A
|
| Storybook Weaver Deluxe |
4 to 12
|
A
|
A
|
A
|
Details of RECOMMENDED products
Inspiration 7 Grades 6 to 12, Publisher - Inspiration Software, Inc.
Bottom Line: Recommended
Content and accessibility:
This is a creative writing tool to help you organize thoughts and write them
down. It lets you represent ideas with pictures or words, create links between
ideas, and instantly see them in an outline form. Teachers can use it as a tool
to group things in various categories. It has a very large library of pictures,
and you can import more. It takes a while to learn to use it, since it has so
many features. It is fully accessible.
Deaf-child appeal:
The highly visual interface makes this tool attractive.
Kid Pix Deluxe 3 Grades K to 8, Publisher - Riverdeep (formerly Broderbund)
Bottom Line: Highly recommended
Content and accessibility:
This art program has thousands of graphics in multiple forms, editable text
with spell-checker and hundreds of flags, maps, background, and activity and
slideshow starters. It is fully accessible, though deaf children probably won't
make use of the ability to add sound effects to their creations.
There is a variety of backgrounds, including countries and continents, arts and crafts and calendar pages. You can pick from hundreds of objects in many categories, choose stamps (which you can edit or create), and draw. The drawing tools allow you to draw with special effects of chalk, pencil, crayon or watercolor. You can do a gradient fill and smear colors together as well as perform various types of cut and paste operations. Clearing your drawing can even be done with an explosion if you choose.
Deaf-child appeal:
This product is very appealing, due to the kid-friendly art tools.
Storybook Weaver Deluxe Grades 4 to 12, Publisher - Riverdeep (formerly MECC)
Bottom Line: Recommended. While the publisher suggests grade 4 as a lower limit, the product can also be enjoyed by children as young as first graders with help from an older person for writing the text.
Content and accessibility:
This is a creative writing tool with background images, resizeable objects,
and spell checker, that allows children to create storybooks or web documents.
It includes sounds that can be added to the stories, but these are optional.
Deaf-child appeal:
This title is very appealing to deaf children.