Educational Software

Educational software is available for every subject area. There are hundreds of different software packages around. We have located the best resources in the educational software arena—from professional software developer networking groups to producers of innovative, cutting-edge software for math and sciences. These websites contain valuable resources for everyone, as well as carefully selected lists of further resources.

While hands-on experience is best, it is not always possible in some situations. A great software package can make the difference between the opportunity to learn and understand, and the problem of remaining uneducated about a subject.

Reviewed Sites

The Math Forum at Drexel University: mathforum.org

The Math Forum provides resources for parents, students and teachers. Online tools include lessons, tutorials, math problems of the week and an "Ask Dr.Math" section. The leading math resource for math software reviews and resources.

Digital Frog: www.digitalfrog.com

Digitalfrog.com offers perhaps the most interesting educational software available anywhere. Their core product and claim to fame is their digital frog dissecting software. The software allows students to experience and learn frog anatomy without the wet-lab experience. Digitalfrog.com also offers virtual field trips to the rainforest, desert, wetlands and other places. They provide the next best thing to the actual experience.

Educational Software Cooperative: www.edu-soft.org

The Educational Software Cooperative is a consortium of educators and researchers who support each other in the development, publishing and marketing of educational software. This site is primarily useful for educational software developers as a networking site.

Shodor: www.shodor.org

This site is an educational software site focusing on math and science. They provide free educational resources. Their research helps in developing new, more effective math and science software programs. They are a nonprofit foundation that helps schools and communities integrate technology, math and science into existing programs.

Essay Punch/ Paragraph Punch: http://www.essaypunch.com

Essay Punch is an online software that helps students write and develop essays. Some students are fortunate to have great English and writing teachers in school, while others do not. Software like Essay Punch acts as a virtual teacher, guiding the student through writing fundamentals.

Tips for Success

  1. Educational software is available for every subject. Math, Science and Reading are core elements of every education. Many resources exist for help in those core subject areas. Additionally, innovative software helps bring other subject areas to life for students that might not otherwise have the experience. (Think, digital frog dissecting.)
  2. Even adults can benefit from software like Essay Punch. Most adults are not taught how to effectively express their thoughts. Essay Punch can help everyone develop a concise, descriptive and well-organized essay, business letter or other form of written communication.
  3. Even if you are not an educational software developer, visit networking sites such as the Educational Software Cooperative for the latest news and offerings in educational software. You can also make suggestions, via their newsgroup, for new software packages you would like to see developed.
  4. Always purchase the proper license for the software you are using. Freeware or open source software requires no license. Most paid software does require a license and paying for the license helps the developers develop new software and make improvements to existing software.
  5. When possible, use resources from educational institutions. They have the least commercial interest in development of resources.