kidspiration

What is it?

Kidspiration is a graphic organizer that was created for K-5 learners. It provides an easy way to apply the proven principles of visual learning by combining pictures, text and spoken words to represent thoughts and information. Younger learners develop early literacy skills, and more advanced students improve comprehension skills and better organize ideas for writing.

As a learning tool, Kidspiration offers a wide range of capabilities to leverage the learning styles and skills of each K-5 student. Students learn to sort, group, classify and compare by dragging words and symbols into SuperGrouper shapes that represent a topic or concept. In Kidspiration, students can now create Venn diagrams. And, with one click, they can turn any symbol into a SuperGrouper shape, adding more visual meaning to grouping activities.

Young readers and writers use Kidspiration to combine pictures, text and spoken words to represent their ideas and show relationships.

Writing View

In Picture View students build groups, webs or concept maps. Then they move their work to Writing View to expand their ideas into written expression.

Picture View

This is a screen capture of the picture view in the Kidspiration toolbar. There are nine icons: Go to Writing View, Add a symbol, Link symbols, Add a Super Grouper category, clear selection, undo the last change, turn on the listen tool, insert name on top of screen and Create symbols in draw tool.

Early readers and English language learners use Kidspiration’s library of 1,200 symbols to convey ideas and relationships. The new Symbol Maker tool makes it easy for students to draw personalized symbols to include in graphic organizers.

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Speech Supports Auditory Learners

Students make important literacy connections with the combination of written words and pictures, along with spoken words. By choosing the Listen tool, students can hear any text read aloud. They can also record their own words and narration.

Ready-made Activities get Students Started Quickly

Kidspiration comes with 75 built-in activity templates to help build standards-based skills across the curriculum.

Using the Activity Wizard, teachers easily create or modify activities to match the learning needs of individual students.

Support of emerging technologies

Kidspiration 2.1 offers enhanced capability with interactive whiteboards and Tablet PCs. Shape and handwriting recognition make it possible to sketch symbols and write text directly on whiteboards such as Promethean ACTIV board, so teachers can work efficiently and students can participate easily. Toolbars may be moved to the bottom of the screen for easy access by all students.

Intuitive navigation makes Kidspiration easy to use for all ages

The Starter Screen interface makes it easy for young learners to begin a new project or open an activity.

This is a picture of the Kidspiration starter page.

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Kidspiration Video Tutorial Overview

This is a video overview of the basic functions and features of Kidspiration graphic organizer. Video files are in Windows Media format. The entire video can be downloaded for high-speed broadband use or you may download individual units for lower bandwidth.

For high-speed: Kidspiration Video Overview

Kidspiration Units :

Introduction - 2:06 minutes
Starter Page - 1:52 minutes
Open an existing file - 0:32 minutes
Activities - 3:47 minutes
Picture view - 2:54 minutes
Writing view - 1:23 minutes
Diverse Learning Styles & UDL - 3:27 minues

Supporting Features for Educators

In the classroom – support feature that assists teachers utilizing Kidspiration in their classroom. Provides samples of curriculum by subject area and a diagram archive to find specific diagrams.
Standards matches – created to highlight meaningful ways in which Inspiration, InspireData and Kidspiration supports state standards listed by state.
Textbook connection – Inspiration Software has collaborated with publishers to provide materials that make it easy to effectively integrate the use of Kidspiration and Inspiration with numerous textbooks. A list of textbooks is provided.

Provides lesson plans – Kidspiration in the Classroom offers 32 standards-aligned lesson plans in reading and writing, science, social studies and math. Step-by-step lessons make it easy to effectively integrate Kidspiration into any curriculum. Lessons are specifically designed for grades K-5.

Accessibility

Inspiration Software, Inc., is committed to supporting accessibility and the products meet accessibility needs as outlined in Section 508. The following are a description of features of accessibility:

Keyboard access & Kidspiration Help system includes complete reference guides for keyboard accessibility.
Kidspiration neither disables nor deliberately disrupts the operation of accessibility features.
Provides textual information about graphical user interface elements.
Utilizes standard and consistent images throughout the application.
Enables the users to set document fonts, font sizes, colors and contrasts according to their specific needs.
Provides user controlled option to disable the animation of GIF symbols.
Does not use color as the only means to convey information.
Provides a color palette with a wide range of colors and contrasts.
Does not use flashing or blinking text, objects or other elements.

System Requirements

Windows

Pentium 75 MHz or faster.

Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT 4.0, ME, XP (including Tablet PC Edition) or Vista.

8 MB RAM.

640 x 480, 256 color display.

7 MB available hard drive minimum, 25 MB hard drive available for all symbols and Help Screens.

CD-ROM drive (for installation).

Macintosh

Macintosh or Power Macintosh

System 7.1, 8.x, 9.x or OS X.

4 MB available RAM

640 x 480, 256 color display

7 MB available hard drive minimum, 35 MB hard drive available for all symbols and Help Screens

CD-ROM drive (for installation)

Reference: http://www.inspiration.com– Retrieved March 29, 2007.

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