Snagit

Snagit
Produced by TechSmith

About the product

Snagit gives you all the tools you need to create engaging images and videos.  Snag any image and enhance it with effects or create a quick video on your computer screen.   Then you can share your creations immediately with anyone – friends or co-workers.

My Thoughts

I had the opportunity to use Snagit for an assignment while I was doing my Social Media certificate at a school in town.   The assignment was to create a short video explaining the changes we would do for the social media presence for a non-profit organization.  

I found that it was easy to use and flexible in what you wanted to do.   For me I was only taking a video of the step by step changes I was suggesting going from one web page to another to show the “client” what I was talking about.   

This product is perfect for business obviously as it will permit the client to visualize what you are talking about during a presentation.  But this product can also be used in education when a teacher needs to create a clear graphical explanation of some concept or at home for genealogy, scrapbooking, saving online receipts or more.

But I also see a wealth of possibilities for homeschoolers as well – more specifically for the high school level.    Why no use Snagit to encourage your child to do a presentation on a specific subject.   Ultimately, your kids will have to navigate in the workplace and they will have some skills to help them to use the technology to present some ideas, thoughts or projects to their superiors.   

As I mentioned earlier, the program possess a video capture tool which allows you to create screen videos for demos.   These videos can be shared instantly on the social media platforms.   The program will also allow you to enhance your images by combining pictures, enhancing with effects or simply magnifying a part of it.      To get a complete list of the features of Snagit – simply go to http://www.techsmith.com/snagit-features-list.html.

This product is different than video editing as it grabs the image of what you see on your screen immediately.    Nevertheless, if you need to make a presentation of the latest changes on the system being developed, stir the interests of your students on a specific concept or simply wanting to organize your household, Snagit is a tool that can help you.    You will be surprised by what it can do once you started using it.

Snagit is available for immediate download at the TechSmith website for the price of 49.95$ US.   It works on Windows XP with SP2, Vista, Windows 7.    There is also a version for the MacOSX for Snow Leopard, Lion or higher.

Disclaimer: The product has been provided for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Didi et Ditto Maternelle–Didi and Ditto Kindergarten

Didi et Ditto: Maternelle/Didi & Ditto: Kindergarten
Produced by Kutoka

About the product

Didi & Ditto live in a very special, crazy and colorful world and deliver a wonderfully educational, engaging and fun-filled experience. One of the special features of this game is that you can decide to play as either the boy (Ditto) or girl (Didi) character.

The story begins when our beavers' curiosity has them running quickly through the forest, causing one of them to get caught by the Zolt the wolf. Zolt is a vegetarian and would much rather eat veggies than a beaver if he has the choice. So, now it is up to you to gather veggies in order to exchange them for your trapped sibling, and you will be needing all your special talents in math, phonics, rhyming and problem solving to get a hold of enough vegetables to feed that hungry wolf!

Children will practice:

- Math skills: recognizing numbers, counting objects, adding, solving math problems.
- Literacy skills: recognizing letters, building vocabulary, phonic skills, identifying rhyming words, following oral directions, listening comprehension, sequencing.
- Thinking skills: distinguishing between patterns, distinguishing between shapes, extending patterns, using shapes, memory practice (visual and audio), problem solving. - Creativity skills: coloring, music.

Minimum System Requirements:

Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista and 7; Pentium II @ 400 MHz; 128 MB RAM; DirectX; 6x CD drive; 40 MB of free disk space

Mac OS X 10.2 to 10.6; G3 @ 400 MHz; 128 MB RAM, Standard Mac video & sound; 6x CD drive; 300 MB of free disk space

À Propos du produit

Alors que nos petits castors Didi et Ditto jouent au ballon-navet, un bruit étrange les fait sursauter et le ballon s’envole vers la forêt. En courant le chercher, Didi ou Ditto sera fait prisonnier par le loup Zolt, toujours affamé. Afin que son frère, ou sa sœur, ne soit dévoré, il faudra apporter beaucoup de nourriture à Zolt! J’ai un secret pour toi : ramasse surtout des fruits et des légumes parce que Zolt est… végétarien! Mais il faut se dépêcher, qui sait ce qu’un loup affamé peut se résoudre à se mettre sous la dent!
Sujets abordés
• Math : reconnaître des nombres, compter, additionner, résoudre des problèmes
• Français : reconnaître les lettres, acquérir du vocabulaire, pratiquer la phonétique, respecter des consignes, produire des rimes
• Art et créativité : musique : reproduire des sons, des séquences, exercer la mémoire (visuelle et auditive); colorier
• Logique : reconnaître les éléments d’une suite et les reproduire
• et beaucoup plus…

Configuration minimale:

Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista et 7; Pentium II @ 400 MHz; 128 Mo RAM; DirectX; Lecteur CD 6x; 40 Mo d'espace disque

Mac OS X 10.2 à 10.6; G3 @ 400 MHz; 128 Mo RAM, Vidéo et son standard Mac; Lecteur CD 6x; 40 Mo d'espace disque

Our Thoughts/Nos Commentaires

We are not strangers to the products made by Kutoka.    We already have at home some from Mia the mouse to learn more about French and Sciences.   I am planning to write a review on these software as soon as I can.   But recently has I saw how much fun my son Jérémy was having with Mia, I decided to investigate and see if there were other learning games I could get for the kids.    And then I thought I should try to ask to review some.   Imagine my delight and joy when I received a positive answer from Kutoka.    Someone was doing the Snoopy dance in the house.    Their products are fabulous and I was very happy to get more of them. 

For a start, they have decided to let me download their Didi  Ditto Kindergarten product.     Though I knew that it might be too easy for Jérémy who is in grade 1 and too hard for Jasmine who is in preschool, I immediately downloaded the product and installed it on our homemade PVR.   So the kids can play on the big screen whenever they ask for it.    

As you can see the activities are very colorful and the graphics are really fun to see.    With this particular game, my son is able to practice his alphabet, do simple math problems as well as exercise his thinking skills.   

I am very pleased with the game.  There are three levels of difficulties in it which means I could easily ask Jasmine to do the lowest level.   Jérémy being in grade 1, I asked him to start at the most difficult level.     He has no problem advancing in the game as he collects the vegetables/fruits for Zolt the wolf.      There is a specific section in the game, where the character has to go down a path in a cart and the child has to either bring it down or make it jump when he/she encounters stumbling blocks/hole in the road.    This section is difficult to do and demands a high level of reaction I find.   Jérémy had trouble doing it so his big brothers came to help.   

If you are looking for a fun software to help you child master math, literacy and thinking skills, Didi & Ditto: Kindergarten is a fabulous one to consider!

Nous ne sommes pas étrangers aux produits créés par Kutoka.   Nous avons déjà à la maison des logiciels de Mia la souris pour apprendre le français et les sciences.    Je planifie d’écrire une critique sur ces logiciels dès que j’ai une minute.   Mais récemment, en voyant mon fils Jérémy avoir du plaisir avec Mia, j’ai décidé de voir si je pourrais avoir d’autres logiciels pour encourager mes enfants à travailler en français.    Tout à coup, j’ai pensé qu’il serait peut être possible d’écrire des critiques pour ces logiciels.   Imagine ma surprise et ma joie quand j’ai reçu une réponse positive de Kutoka.    Quelqu’un faisait la fameuse dance de Snoopy dans la maison!    Leurs produits sont fabuleux et j’étais contente d’en recevoir d’autres.^

Pour commencer, il a été décidé de me laisser downloader le produit Didi & Ditto: Maternelle.   Bien que je savais que le produit peut être un peu facile pour Jérémy qui est en première année et un peu difficile pour Jasmine qui est au pré-scolaire, j’ai immédiatement installer le programme sur notre PVR maison.  Les enfants ont la possibilité de jouer avec Didi & Ditto sur notre télévision.

Comme vous pouvez le constater, les activités sont pleines de couleurs et les graphiques sont vraiment plaisant à regarder.    Avec ce jeu particullier, mon garçon peut pratiquer son alphabet, faire des problèmes de mathématiques simples ainsi que exerciser ses habiletés de réflexion.

Je suis satisfaite avec ce jeu d’ordinateur.    Il y a trois niveaux de difficultés ce qui signifie que je peux facilement mettre Jasmine au niveau le plus bas pour débuter.   Par contre, pour Jérémy, qui est en première année, j’ai décidé de lui demander de commencer au niveau le plus difficile.    Il n’a pas eu de problème à avancer dans le jeu à mesure qu’il ramasse des légumes et des fruits pour Zolt le loup.   Par contre, dans une section spécifique du jeu, le personnage doit descendre un chemin autour de la montagne et l’enfant doit soit le faire descendre ou sauter dépendemment des obstacles rencontrés.    Jérémy avait des difficultés à compléter le chemin et devenait de plus en plus décourager.   Ces grands frères ont immédiatement venus l’aider.     

J’ai aussi obtenu de Kutoka le guide de l’enseignant qui me permet de guider mon enfant au fur et à mesure qu’il ou elle avance dans le jeu.   Le guide est rempli d’explications par rapport aux activitées incluses dans le logiciel et aussi des activités pédagogiques complémentaires qui vont aider à approfondir les connaissances apprises durant le jeu.  Ces idées sont fantastiques à avoir et permettent aux enfants de continuer leur apprentissage des habiletés de lecture, de mathématiques, de logique et de créativité.

***************

Didi & Ditto: Kindergarten is available for purchase directly from the web site of Kutoka for the price of 29.99$ Canadian.  The game is available in English or French.

Didi et Ditto: Maternelle est disponible directement du site web de Kutoka pour le prix de 29.99$ Canadien.   Le jeu est disponible en français ou en anglais.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Kutoka for sending me the software for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Merci à Kutoka pour m’avoir envoyer le produit pour que je puisse le promouvoir via mon blogue.   Je n’ai pas reçu de compensations monéraires pour écrire ce blogue.  

Fonts 4 Teachers DELUXE

Fonts 4 Teachers Deluxe
By Downhill Publishing

About the product

Now with 26 MORE Fonts! Quickly Create a Variety of Handwriting, Spelling & Penmanship Lessons!

The new Fonts 4 Teachers Deluxe easily generates hundreds of student worksheets for practice at home and at school. You can trace lines, dots, arrows or a combination of all three for targeted writing and math assignments.

The package includes a total of 57 Fonts:

6 Print Writing Fonts - 6 D'Nealian Fonts - 6 Cursive Writing Fonts - 2 Phonics Fonts
2 American Sign Language Fonts - 3 Math Fonts - 6 Decorative Fonts - 8 Box/Block Fonts (New)
18 Seasonal Fonts – Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas (New)

The best school fonts package in the market!

My Thoughts

When I had the opportunity to review this product, I had in mind to get my three years old practice her name.   But when I received the CD, I was surprised by the flexibility of it and the numerous ideas included in the booklet.

Not only can I get Jasmine practice her name writing but I can get the older kids practice their cursive writing as well.   And it doesn’t stop there.  You can also create motor skills development pages for your younger kids.  You can get the manuscript/print, D’Nealian and cursive in 6 different fonts including dotted, dotted lined, lined, with arrow and dotted with arrow.  The Block family fonts is interesting as well as it will demonstrate how some letters will have to go above and under the lines.  For preschoolers who are introduced to phonics, there are special fonts as well.  Other special fonts are the American Sign Language, Math, Clocks, Decorative, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

What I particularly like is that it supports the foreign language characters like the accents in French and the special characters in Spanish.   French is our mother tongue and Spanish a language I wish my kids will learn.    So I am more than please to see that I will be able to use the accents while preparing special writing activities for my kids.

With the new school year coming up fast, this wonderful tool could make life easier for many homeschoolers of kids learning to write.    The bases of writing properly is done early in life.  Once this is mastered, the child will only improved with time.   I believe that this tool can help you achieve the laying out the path to proper writing.  I’ve already prepared some pages with Jasmine’s name on it with the arrows and without.    I think she will be delighted to start learning to print her name this year.    She always want to do some school while her big brothers are doing it as well.   

This CD is very versatile for homeschoolers as well as any teachers out there!   My sister-in-law is a teacher as well as some of my husband’s cousin.   I think they will be very happy to learn about this product.

Price:   Download is currently 29.95$ on sale and the Download & Cd is available for 39.95$ on sale.  It can be purchased directly from Downhill Publishing.

Disclaimer: I received the product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Talking Fingers–Wordy Qwerty

Earlier during this year of the this TOS Homeschool Crew, I had the opportunity to review their product title Read, Write & Type.   We were very impressed with it and curious about the new level program called Wordy Qwerty.

Imagine my delight when at the end of my third year with the crew, I have the opportunity to explore and discover Wordy Qwerty with my oldest son.   Originally I had registered my two oldest sons for this review but we quickly discovered that it was a bit too advance my my struggling reader.   However, as I write this review, I think that my 2nd son would be ready to go ahead with it.   For some reasons, he prefers to stick with the Read, Write & Type program.  So I asked my son, Alexandre who is 9 years old, to product test the Wordy Qwerty for the purpose of this review.

About the Product

The creators of the Talking Fingers approach have based their program on a simple idea: text is speech made visible!   On a daily basis we use our mouths to talk and we use our fingers (with a pencil or keyboard) to represent those words on paper. So when children learn to link speech sounds with letters while using the alphabet to write any word they can say their fingers are "talking".

Wordy Qwerty – Foundations for Reading and Writing Fluency will  take  children ages 7-9 year olds through the next steps of reading and writing fluency.   This program picks up where Read, Write & Type leaves off.   So in a way, it is a wonderful continuity for the kids.

After successfully completing Read, Write & Type, most kids ages 6-7 year olds are able to write any word they can say.  However, they may not spell them all correctly.  Wordy Qwerty will help them to learn the spelling conventions and how words are constructed in English. (To be honest, I almost wish a similar program would exists for French…!)

The authors of the program explain the purpose of it this way;

The overall purpose of Wordy Qwerty: Foundations for Reading and Writing Fluency, is to improve phonological and morphological sensitivity, to develop a deeper understanding of how words are constructed in English, and to provide reading and writing activities with helpful feedback, in order to increase fluency and comprehension in reading and writing.

In all 20 lessons are included in Wordy Qwerty.

1. Silent E
2. Sounds of C
3. Sounds of G
4. J or DGE
5. W or WH
6. C or K
7. CK or K
8. CKS or X
9. CH or TCH
10. LL, SS, FF, ZZ
11. OI or OY
12. VE Words
13. Open Syllables
14. Double Consonants
15. Doubling rule
16. ER, IR, OR, UR, EAR
17. I Before E
18. Plurals: Add ES
19. Plurals: Y to IES
20. Plurals: F to VES

For each of the lesson, the child will go through 6 different activities. 

Patterns Children generate two lists of words by typing the names of pictures and sorting the words by a given characteristic. They are directed to notice the patterns," or spelling rules, by comparing the two lists. If they can't sound out the words or spell them correctly, the Helping Hands will assist them. Qwerty and Midi talk about the differences between the two lists and derive the 20 spelling rules which then are woven into the lyrics of delightful songs.

Karaoke Rhymes and songs are memorable and fun. There is a catchy song about each of the 20 spelling rules. Children read the lyrics on the screen and can sing along if they want. Often the lyrics contain examples of the words that reflect the spelling rule. Children are motivated to read the words while the song is playing, or while they are singing it themselves.

Recycler Lots of words that rhyme can be made just by changing the first letter or letters of the word. Some words sound the same, or rhyme, but use a different combination of letters to represent the same sound. In this game, chidren learn different vowel combinations that can make the long vowel sound. They watch the RECYCLER drum whirl as it changes the first letter(s) of two rhyming words. They learn to quickly distinguish real words from non-words. The non-words are vacuumed away. Players that score less than 90% on the first try are asked to study the list of real words. If any are not familiar, they can click on the word and hear it used in a sentence. Then they are asked to play the game again.

Pop-a-Word  "Outlaw" words are best memorized by learning to recognize them quickly. In this arcade-type game, children find words in a 4 word phrase as each word appears briefly, along with non-target words, in a cluster of colorful balloons. As children click on the correct balloons, they "pop". The faster they recognize the correct words, the more points they make.

Write Stories In these cleverly illustrated 8-line rhymes, children hear and see the first line, and have to type out the second line after it is dictated. They can see and hear the dictated line as often as they need, but get more points if they remember the sentence and try to spell the words correctly. These little stories are full of words that require using the spelling rule just presented.

Read Stories  Here are some short, engaging stories that develop comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. Every so often, there is a word missing, and children have to choose among three possible words, the word that best fits the meaning of the sentence. These stories also include words that utilize the spelling rule, or the "outlaw" words learned in that lesson.

These activities becomes repetitive with time as they are the same for each lessons.   For a child who is struggling with learning repetitive is wonderful but for a child like my oldest son it gets to the point where the fun is reduce as you progress.   He enjoyed playing with Wordy Qwerty but it was a bit easy for him.    However as you progress, the levels of difficulty and the rapidity of the activities is increased.    Having a new instrument being unveiled once you complete a section is very motivating for the child.

My son’s comments

I like Wordy Qwerty.   My favorite part is seeing the musical instrument play. With the points we earn, it would be nice to be able to “buy” things (virtually).

Wordy Qwerty is different that Read, Write & Type as you do not have the possibility to print an award as your progress.   However, the progression is visualized as the building of the musical instruments is completed.    Wordy Qwerty has guided my son through the spelling of words and through it I even learned new English words I didn’t know.   For example, in the Recycler, I have learned how some words that I didn’t know are used in a sentence.    (In case you are wondering, English is my second language… I was born and raised in French!)  The program is fantastic but to be honest the pricing scheme for the online is not conducive for family like ours.  With four kids it would cost us too much….   I know we can always buy the CD version but the online version is nice as well as you can access it anywhere you are.    I would suggest that a family pricing be considered in the future to help homeschoolers to access these program onlines.  

Also as a suggestion for the future, I think that both programs should be converted to become iPad apps. We would definitively consider purchasing the iPad version of both apps if it was reasonably priced.   It would be fantastic to have these on the go while we are travelling.   I see enormous potential in these programs and I think it would be very advantageous to make them available for portable devices like the iPad.

System Requirements:

MAC: OS9 with CarbonLib or OSX

Windows: 98, SE, 2000 or XP  

It also requires QuickTime 6 or greater.  Please be aware that it is NOT compatible with Windows 7 or MAC 10.6

Price:

The online prices varies depending of the number of users. But please be aware that all Home Online Subscriptions are for 5 Years.

The Home Edition includes 1 copy of the Wordy Qwerty program on CD, 1 Wordy Qwerty Program guide in a three-ring  binger and 1 JingleSpells audio CD of the 20 songs contained in Wordy Qwerty.   All this for the price of 35$ US. 

However, you can purchase a K-4 Reading Bundle – CD Home Edition for 99$ in the US and 59$ for the International Edition.   The  International edition contains 1 Read, Write & Type Program Cd, 1 Spaceship Challenge program CD, 1 Wordy Qwerty program CD and 1 JingleSpells audio CD.   The US Edition also contains an activity binder, a set of reward stickers, a practice keyboard and one 24x36 inches poster.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Talking Fingers for sending me to above mentioned product for review purpose through the TOS Homeschool Crew. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Glo Premium

A few years ago, if you would have asked me if digital book would take over the world I would have said no. Today I see the future in ebooks.  But honesty I never thought that one day the paper Bible would be replaced by something totally virtual and amazing!

I was first introduced to Glo the Digital Bible when I attended the 2009 Leadership Summit in my town.  Back then a special reveal of Glo had been made and every participant to the summit were given a free introduction copy. I was so impressed by the product that I asked for the opportunity of reviewing it when it was officially released.

I had had various software of the BIble but it never grabbed my heart.   I really enjoy this digital version of the Bible.    It is very visual and contains high resolution photos, encyclopedia articles, virtual tours, videos, art and maps.  I realize that not everyone will be interested in having this product but recently they have launched a premium version of the Glo Bible on the PC, MAC and iPad.    Soon the iPhone/iPod version will also be available at the tip of your fingers.   The best of it is that all updates include the latest enhancements.   Even if you have purchased the older version of Glo, you receive the latest updates.  Actually, everyone who already has Glo can enjoy all their Premium content on up to 5 devices.

Glo is definitively NOT the first version of the Bible on computer but most of them are geared for scholars.   This particular version is more geared toward families and everyone can enjoy it.    Mashable has even  written about the product.

Glo has arrived on the iPad - an interactive Bible also called the social Bible has you can share between family and friends your notes.   Presently the iPad version doesn't have all the lenses available on the PC but I have been told that they are developing them right now.    I am more than excited to be able to share this with my kids in our homeschool. Having the Glo on the iPad will make it more portable for us as we sat in the living room and discover Israel and places mentioned in the Bible.   I could also use it for our history lessons with the fact that it brings the words of the Bible to life with all the videos, photos, articles, 360-degree virtual tours and much more that you can access at anytime, anywhere and right away.

What I find interesting is that you can download the "Lite" version to check it out and if you like it, you can then decide to purchase the premium version.  Glo is already receiving rave reviews on iTunes for it's new iPad app.  It has reached #6 in the 'Reference' category of the App Store!

For more information go to http://www.globible.com/.

You can download Glo Lite for free anytime (including an offline access to the Bestselling NIV Bible) by going to the App store or by clicking one of the links below.
Glo for iPad
Glo for Mac
Glo for PC

How to download?

Existing Users:

Download Glo on your platform of choice
On Launch, choose the “loging” tab
Login using the email you used to register Glo
Enjoy all your media and translations on up to 5 devices!

New Users:

Download Glo on your platform of choice
On Launch, register to get the FREE NIV
Enjoy Glo Lite for free, or upgrade to Glo Premium to get Glo on your PC, Mac and iPad (up to 5 devices)

Outside of the US and Canada:

Glo will be launching in more countries soon.  Stay tuned to the Glo Blog for a launch announcement for the British Text version of Glo, solf in countries like UK, Australia, Singapore, South Africa and more.

GREAT NEWS!

Last week Glo launched on Mac and iPad in addition to the PC.   One of my reader can win an upgrade to Glo Premium for free (a $69.99 value).

To participate, watch this video and tell me since when they have started of working on the concept of the Glo Bible.  This entry is mandatory. Don’t forget to include your email address in the comment.

EXTRA ENTRIES
1) Follow Glo on facebook and tell me about it.

2) Follow Glo on twitter and tell me about it.

3) Follow by email on the right side of this blog and let me know about it.

4) Subscribe to my feed on the left side of this blog and let me know about it.

5) Like Canadianladybug Reviews! on facebook and tell me about it.

6) Follow Canadianladybug Reviews! on twitter and like me you twitter name.

7) Follow Canadianladybug Reviews! with Google Friends on the left side of this blog and tell me about it.

8) Tweet about this contest and give me the link about it. (One entry per day!)

9) Blog about this contest and give me you link (3 entries) – Give me your link and enter three times in the comment section.

Don’t forget to include your email for each steps. No email means I will have to pick someone else. I need to be able to contact you if you win! Random.org will be use to determine the winner. You will have 24 hours to contact me and give me your complete name so I can send it to my contact at Glo once this is done, I will send you the special code for your upgrade!

Open to Canadian and US residents ONLY.

Deadline: April 24, 2011 – Easter Day!

Keys of the Kingdom

Keys of the Kingdom
from LBGames

About the game

Keys of the Kingdom is a brain-teasing logic PC game which takes you to the romantic epoch of noble knights and heroic adventures! Move back in time to try and help Sir Lancelot save the township from the oppressive King. Solve the exciting puzzles invented by the guards to block your way as you journey to the King’s Castle. Tutorials are provided for each puzzle if you get stuck. Each puzzle contains a powerful Bible verse to keep you spiritually lifted.

• 7 Tutorials are included to help you learn how to play the game.
• 100 brilliant levels will bring you hours of fun and intrigue as you work through solutions to the puzzles.
• Solutions are provided for every puzzle in case you get stuck.
• Low system requirements so the games can be enjoyed on virtually any modern computer running Windows 98 or higher.

Minimum System Requirements

• Windows® 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, 7
• Pentium® II 400MHz processor or faster
• 64MB RAM Minimum
• 150MB free hard disk space
• 12x CD/DVD-ROM drive or faster
• 16-bit 4MB DirectX compliant Video Card
• 16-bit Windows compatible Sound Card
• Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher to view solutions (available free on the Internet)
• Mouse

Our Thoughts

I was curious about this game and watched my 2nd son play with it recently.    The game is packed with logic puzzles that will make you think to be able to bring the key to the lock.   You have to resolve the puzzle to be able to advance on the map.

Based on a medieval theme this game will help your child to develop his thinking skills as he/she has to resolve them to advance.    The ones that Dominic is doing right now are easy according to him.   When I asked Alexandre if he was at the Knight’s Refuge level he said: “Are you kidding?  I’m at the Wolf’s Den and it is getting harder…”  *grin*    As I write this, Dominic just informed me that he has reached the Wolf’s Den already!

There are six places you have to travel to before you reach the castle.    They are: Sheep’s Stables, Wolf’s Den, Lamb’s Hideaway, Lion’s Woods, Knight’s Refuge and King’s Castle.   Through each level, the complexity of the puzzles gets harder and will challenge the person who is playing.    Each of my older sons have their own game going on right now and Dominic seems to enjoy it quite a lot.   After each resolved puzzle, a scripture appear on the screen and a voice is reading it.   I find it interesting that the voice is there because my 2nd son would have trouble to read the somewhat italic writing.     Also included in this software are tutorials to help you play the game.  If you are stuck somewhere, simply watch the tutorial again so you can resolve the puzzle.

My son Alexandre, age 9 1/2,  is the one who used the game the most.    Here’s his thoughts on it:

“ The puzzles are very cool to test your brain.   I like it because there are some cool verses from the Bible.   I don’t really like that the view solution is there because people could just check to do it.   I find that it is showing you how to cheat instead of thinking.”

My son Dominic, age 7, has just started playing with Keys of the Kingdom.   Here’s are his thoughts:

“Cool!  It is fun and awesome.”

Both enjoys playing with Keys of the Kingdom and find the puzzles being more challenging.  I am starting to think that I should tease my own brain with this fun game…

Keys of the Kingdom is available directly from LBGames for the price of 19.98$US.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Left Behind Games for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.  All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Charlie Church Mouse Super Pack

Charlie Church Mouse Super Pack – Preschool, Kindergarten and Early Elementary

From LBGames

About the product

There are six great learning adventures that your child may choose from in each of the three titles included in this set: Charlie Church Mouse Preschool, Charlie Church Mouse Early Elementary and Charlie Church Mouse Kindergarten.
While fun and lovable characters tell powerful tales from the Bible, they teach other lessons that help draw children into the story. Each story teaches a different lesson with two different levels of difficulty to challenge children.
Children not only learn classic bible stories from the Old and New Testament, they also learn academic skills vital to early childhood development. From learning about shapes to navigating mazes, all of the activities are designed to stimulate and entertain. With Charlie Church Mouse there to help and guide your child, these games will keep children aged 2-8 entertained and enthralled for hours.

• Three individual products that are specifically geared toward preschool age, kindergartners, and early elementary age children.
• These exciting computer games lead your child on a journey of academic discovery all the while reinforcing the positive moral values you teach in your home.
• Each game has 6 unique Bible stories with multiple levels and activities.
• Preschoolers will learn colors, shapes, numbers, letters, matching, counting, reasoning skills and more.
• Kindergartners and Early Elementary children will learn addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, spelling, time and money, art and music, synonyms and antonyms, reasoning skills and more.
• Low system requirements so the games can be enjoyed on virtually any modern computer running Windows 98 or higher.

Minimum System Requirements

• Windows® 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, 7
• Pentium® 300MHz processor or faster
• 64MB RAM
• 950MB free hard disk space
• 12x CD/DVD-ROM drive or faster
• SVGA color graphics adapter
• 16-bit Windows compatible Sound Card
• Mouse

Our Thoughts

As soon as my package from LB Games was opened, the three younger kids wanted to have this installed on the computer.    So my oldest son, who is 9 1/2, proceed to install the three software for his younger siblings which are each of the levels.  

Jasmine , age 3, adores Charlie mouse and she is learning to use the mouse while going through this fun and educative software geared specially for her age.   Not only is she learning more about the Bible while using it but she is also developing skills at the same time.   The Preschool level will guide the child through colors, shapes, numbers, letters, counting, matching, spatial relations, listening skills and mouse skills.     

Preschool screen

Jérémy, age 5, is enjoying his Kindergarten version of the Charlie Church Mouse.   I think his favourite activity is the kitchen where he can use his creativity to create a cake for Esther which she will serve to the King.  He also liked the activity linked with the Zaccheus story.   The Kindergarten level will guide the child through counting, sequencing, measurements, spatial awareness, sorting, directions, phonics, rhyming, letters and listening skills.

Kindergarten screen

Finally, Dominic, age almost 7,  enjoys the early elementary activities and the bible stories linked to it.   His favourite apparently is the one about Ruth where he has to help her to pick up the grain.   He also liked the mathematical challenged with David.   The Early Elementary level will help the child to understand greater/less than, addition/subtraction, spelling, synonyms/antonyms, telling time, counting money, sequencing, rhyming words, and problem solving.

Early Elementary

Each kid has it’s own software to play with and can spend lots of time on it.   It is nice to see the kids interested in their own software and wanting to play with it.  In my mind they are also learning much about the various bible stories included in the package.  The kids are exposed to the stories of Jonah, Noah, Three wise men, Birth of a saviour, Prodigal Son, queen Esther, Daniel, David & Goliath, Ruth and other ones.  I am particularly impressed with the quality of the graphics and the various skills covered by each of the programs.   Charlie Church Mouse is always there to give a hand or to guide the child through the program.      These three fun educative products can easily be used within a homeschool environment to strengthen and deepen the learning done during previous lessons.    I know that my son Dominic has difficulties doing the mathematics with David at one point because he had not covered subtraction yet.   But in a few weeks when he will have complete his math book, he will be able to do them without problems.    My kids love learning more with Charlie Church Mouse and every time they can they will ask me to play with him.    Knowing that I don’t have to worry about the quality and the information in these programs, I do let them play with it.   Mind you, please note that the time spent on the computer or in front of any gaming device is limited.   The kids knows that and respect it. 

If you are looking for a fun biblical software that will also challenge your kids to think and apply what they have learned during their school time (mathematics, reading, and so on), you won’t be disappointed with the Charlie Church Mouse Super Pack.   It will grow with your kids and will give them opportunities to know their Bible stories better at the same time as applying the concept learned at school or during your school time at home.  

The Charlie Church Mouse Super Pack is available directly from LB Games for the price of 19.99$ US.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Left Behind Games for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.  All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Camtasia Studio

Camtasia Studio
By TechSmith

About the product

Always more than a simple screen recorder, Camtasia Studio will help you generate sophisticated, effective screencasts—faster, easier, and with more consistency.

What can you do with Camtasia? You can train other to use a specific application, teach, and even sell. 

Our Thoughts

This program is amazing in itself.  It will allow you to guide a user through a website or a program you have built and explain them how to use it.

I can see enormous possibilities with Camtasia.   You can show a user how to use the program built (which we might use in the future for our IT business.).  You can teach or sell something.

I like the teach feature.   If I had more time, I would love to create videos to teach my kids some things about how to use the internet/facebook and so on.    Maybe in 2011, I will be able to create an introduction in using facebook with a Christian perspective.   Who knows.

In the meantime, we found that there isn’t anything else out there that is equivalent to Camtasia.   For the purpose of this review, we have created a variety of user videos for a website we launched earlier this year – LobsterNetwork.com.   These videos guide the user on how to use the system and make their DVDs/books and more available to friends and family members to borrow.

Here’s a basic video that has been done.

You can also make more complex videos with Camtasia.  Here’s a more complex video made for LobsterNetwork.com.

 

We are quite pleased with the quality and easy use of Camtasia.   We strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to create how-to videos on your computer.   You won’t be disappointed.

For more details and to discover more about Camtasia, visit the website of TechSmith.

Disclaimer: Thanks to TechSmith for sending me the featured product for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

PowerDirector 9

PowerDirector 9
By CyberLink

About the product

CyberLink’s PowerDirector9 is the world’s first 64-bit consumer video editor.  With performance-driven technologies including the introduction of CyberLink’s new TrueVelocity video rendering engine, PowerDirector 9 accelerates video processing in every possible way.   PowerDirector 9 combines ease of use, powerful features and unlimited creativity possibilities that unleash their customers’ full creative potential.

Our Thoughts

Video Editing has improved quite a bit since a few years.   My husband has always been interested in editing his own videos and have fun with it.    More recently, we had the idea of doing little videos on experiments taken from homeschool books and present them.

When I contacted CyberLink, we were having some issues with another video editing program to process our footage from our digital video camera.   In the hopes that PowerDirector would be able to do it without any problems, I asked if it would be possible to review it.    Interestingly enough, when I contacted CyberLink they were in the midst of releasing the new version of PowerDirector.  Consequently, we were able to discover the new PowerDirector 9 while having fun at the same time.

PowerDirector 9 is easy to use and will give you all the tools to help you edit and create fun videos.

Below, you can see some of the screens used to create transitions and effects.  

  

What we particularly like with PowerDirector is that you can now edit the audio of the footage you do.   In our particular project, there was some clicks we could hear once in a while.   We quickly figured out that it was the cap of the camera that was hitting the tripod during the filming.    My husband was able to remove this clicking sound easily using the WaveEditor.   

The software comes with 105 video effects as well as 156 transition effects.  You will also be about to perform video enhancements through The TrueTheater technology like noise reduction, fix video backlight and color correction to name a few.

This new version of PowerDirector can deal without any problem with the HD technology.   As I mentioned above, we had some issues with another video editing software.  We can say that PowerDirector 9 was able to process the HD video taken without a glitch.    Fantastic!

This is a great software for homeschooler to learn video editing.   Older kids can even videotape some fun little skits and produce them with PowerDirector 9.    For anyone interested in editing their videos or learning more about it without paying expensive courses, we recommend this software.   You will be able to produce fun videos to share with your family and friends as well as a school project.

We are currently working on our first video.   We still have to film and edit the first part of it.    Consequently, it is not complete yet but as soon as it would be I will post an update and show you what we have done with PowerDirector 9.

Disclaimer: Thanks to CyberLink for sending me the featured product for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Digital Scrapbook Artist 2

Digital Scrapbook Artist 2
Created by Serif

About the product

Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 has been specifically tailored with the digital scrapbooker in mind and contains all the tools and features you need to create your best scrapbooks yet.

• Create scrapbooks, cards and loads more
• Extremely easy and fun to use
• Create your own kits from items you’ve made or downloaded
• Powerful PhotoLab to edit your photos
• Digital crafting tools like scissors, stencils and brushes
• Upload designs for free at DaisyTrail

My Thoughts

I scrapbook – not as often as I would like too but I do.    I wish I had more time in my hands to advance my planned pages but homeschooling four kids take time and it is a priority.

So when I discovered digital scrapbooking this year I wanted to learn more about it.   I approached Serif to see if I could review their Digital Scrapbook Artist 2 and they agreed.

The software itself is quite easy to use.    You can either start from a blank page and build your page from the available letters, frames, and more or you could decide to start from an already all made page and change all the pictures.

The page below is picturing the kids in their Halloween costumes back in October.    I have decided to create it from a blank page and I pick and chose the items to put on it.    It was fun to do but it is still time consuming.     Taking the time to do it on the laptop or doing it directly on paper can take as much time.  Okay… maybe doing on paper would be longer…   Nevertheless, I thought it was an easy way to share the picture sover the internet.

My second attempt was to create a page based on an already done page.    I only changed the pictures.   It was fast and easy to do.   If you’re in a hurry I suggest that you consider this option to create a scrapbook page.   The pictures were taken in Elliot Lake, ON while we were there during a contract my husband was doing.   

Whether you decide to use digital scrapbooking in a fast way to produce scrapbook page or just to play with it and make your own, I think that it has many positive aspects.   However, I was a bit disappointed when I realized that to get the rest of the possible pages, lettering, frames and so on, I will have to pay to get them.    I have issues with this.   A software sold for the purpose of digital scrapbooking should offer a wider range of possibilities to the buyer.   It is disappointing to learn that you have to pay more to get more items to make pages.  

I am enjoying using this software.   I am having fun creating pages for my family.  It is easy to use for anyone – adults or children.   I am thinking of introducing my kids to scrapbooking with this software.    It is a program that is versatile allowing you to cut your pictures as though you had scissors as well.   Would I buy more embellishments and materials to expand my repertoire of scrapbooks?  Probably not.   But that’s just me.

There are free kits that could be downloaded from DaisyTrail as well or you could create your own kits if you had the time.   For me it is just not possible in this time of life.   

The program also offers the possibility of editing your picture if needed be.  I have not experience with this tool yet.   But more than 70 effects are available to transform your pictures.   

If you are not gifted in putting a scrapbook together by hand,  You might want to use digital scrapbooking.   This technique is also fantastic for people who don’t want to print pictures to create their scrapbooks.  

You can purchase Digital Scrapbook artist 2 directly from Serif.  It is available for 49.99$ US.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Serif for sending me the featured product for review purpose. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Collectorz Book Collector

Collectorz Book Collector
www.collectorz.com

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew,  I had the opportunity to review the Book Collector product from Collectorz. 

What is Book Collector?  Simply said it is an application that will allow you to catalogue your book collection the PC, Mac or online.   It will automatically gives you the details and cover art of your titles at the tips of your fingers.    The application is based on the online book database that collectorz.com has.   You can search this database by Author and Title or by ISBN, from any edition of the software.  The online database will instantly provide the following information:

• ISBN, Author and Title
• Publisher data and Publication Date
• Format, Genres, Subjects, Nr of Pages & LoC Classification
• Cover Images
• Plot summaries and a lot more

You can also catalogue e-books and audio book files by simply scanning the folders on your PC.   

A feature that could be interesting for everyone who has many books is the loan feature.  This feature allows the owner of the books to create a new contact to whom you wish to loan a book.   You can also decide how long the person can borrow the book.   Just for fun I tested this feature and was a bit disappointed when I didn’t get a message from the program telling me if a book has not been returned.  And I can not print a list of the loans made…

The first thing that struck me while I was discovering the product is that in the list of books I had entered the title of the book appears twice in the content view.    I wonder why this is the case.    I was also disappointed with the fact that some of the titles I entered had no images linked to them and in some instances the book wasn’t even list on that online book database.   I must admit that the database I created was called homeschool and listed the books we had for homeschooling.   

The program comes with the ability of changing the language of use.  Currently the languages available are: English,Nederlands, Deutsch, Magyar, French, Polski, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Hrvatski, Greek, Bahasa Indonesia, Norsk, Russkiy.

For fun, I decided to set the language to French (which is my mother tongue by the way) and product test it.    I was impressed with the effort made in the translation.  However, I was disappointed to see that some words in the menu were still in the “English” language.   Being French at heart, I find it important to have a product fully translated before I buy it.   You can see that the effort has been made but there are still a little bit of work to do.

Still the product has potential.   And the information can be transferred on your iPod/iPhone if you have the app for it.  

Want to buy Book Collector?   Here are the prices…

Book Collector Standard Edition   24.95$
Book collector Pro Edition   49.95$
Optional Extras:
CLZ Books mobile app   9.99$
Book collect Connect subscription (1 Year)   19.95$
CueCat – Simple CCD Scanner   19.95$
C37 – Efficient CCD Beam Scanner    79.95$
OPN-2001 – Deluxe Laser Scanner   139.95$

The company also have other “collector” software for movies, comics, music, and video games.  However, for each of these collectorz program you will have to buy it separately which because expensive when you have movies, comics, music, video games and books in your house like we do (do the math in your head!).   The idea is interesting but our family would prefer have a one-for-all type of program where we could manage everything in it.  

Talking Fingers

Talking Fingers – Read, Write & Type! Learning Systems
http://www.talkingfingers.com 

What is Talking Fingers?

This software is geared for student grades K-3 and integrates phonics, reading, writing and keyboarding.   The Talking Fingers approach is based on a simple idea: text is speech made visible!   We use our mouths to talk, to make sounds of words.   We use our fingers (with a pencil or keyboard) to represent those sounds on paper.  When children learn to link speech sounds with letters, they can use the alphabet code to write any word they can say.  Their fingers are “talking”.  The Read, Write & Type! Learning System is a revolutionary reading software.  

How it works it quite simple.   Kids learn to hear the individual sounds in words, and associate each sound with a letter and a finger stroke on the keyboard. The program is multi-sensory as it uses the eyes, ears, mouths and fingers of the kids during the learning sessions.  

You will also find special features for students with learning disabilities, reading difficulties, or learning English as a second language.  

Our Thoughts

As a member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I have received access to the online version of Read, Write & Type! Learning System.    I didn’t know what to expect from it and hoped that my kids will be interested in it.  

The program has a total of 40 lessons that encourages the kids to find letters, read as well as type them on the screen.   As they advance in the program, the level of difficulty is risen and they are challenge to read longer group of words and type them.  

We love multi-sensory program and this one covers this.   The kids will see, hear, speak, touch, move their fingers as they learn through phonics, games, adventure and have fun at the same time.    The program is geared for 6-8 years old but I can honestly say that my almost 5 year old son enjoyed it as much if not more than his 6 year old brother.    *grin*   I had to put on a schedule for who would play when on the TV as we have set up a PC on the big screen as a PVR.    The possibility to play on the big screen was fun because they could all sit together on the couch – even my almost 3 year old daughter.    She loves the characters and to listen to when was said.

I’ve seen immediate results within days of using it on our 6 year old son.   He is currently learning how to read and sometimes I had trouble helping to him to remember certain sounds.    When we got this program, he jumped into it and I was amazed of what he could do within a few days on it.     His younger brother, age 4 3/4, is also enjoying the software.   Even though he is quite younger than the age group intended for it, he enjoys it.   His progress is a bit more slower than his older brother but he is learning nevertheless.   Another aspect that I really appreciate on the program is that it gives reward for the child after completing a level.   The rewards are exciting for my kids.  They loves them and print them right away when they get one.  

As they progressed, the level of difficulty is raised.   And sometimes it can cause frustration as they were used to have it easy.  But learning is achieve and they enjoy getting their reward afterward.   

This product can be purchased for schools or home.    And you can access to the online version of it or order the CD product (which is NOT compatible with Windows 7 or Mac 10.6 by the way).

There is two different version of the Read, Write & Type.   The CD Home Edition for the United States is 79$.  However, the International Edition  (which includes 2 program CDs) is 39$ US.   You might wonder why such a big difference of price.  The US edition contains an activity book already printed while the International version it is a pdf file on the CD.   Also the US Edition have a laminated keyboard for practicing dictated words in the car or at home which is not included in the International Edition.

The company also has a product for Reading and Spelling for grades 2 and 3 called Wordy Qwerty.    I have not product tested this one but you can purchase Read, Write & Type and Wordy Qwerty together as a package deal for K-4.    We were so impressed with the progress that our 6 year old has done, that we are going to get the Reading Bundle in the weeks to come.  I asked if there would be the possibility of downloading the software directly when we purchase it but I was told that this option was not available.   It would have been nice to save on the shipping fees but that’s okay.  The program is so worth it that we are willing to purchase Wordy Qwerty as well.

If you are interested, you can try Read, Write & Type Learning System on their website or download the free demo of Wordy Qwerty.   Simply go to http://www.talkingfingers.com and be prepare to be amazed.