Text File | 1990-02-27 | 5.6 KB | 92 lines | [50] Apple IIgs Word Processing (0x5445)
REVIEWS
GEOGRAPHIC JIGSAW
Reviewed by Tom Hall
Geographic Jigsaw is a combination of two United States geography quizzes and two United States historical and statistical lessons. It works on a 512K Apple IIgs and there is a double hi╨res version for our 8╨bit buddies on //e╒s and //c╒s.
First off, let╒s look at how it works.
HOW IT WORKS
After a LONG loading process (it must be booted, as running the file from GS/OS kills the program; they assume the lower 512K is theirs for the writing), the program displays a menu of 7 choices. The buttons HELP and EXIT (or QUIT, at the main menu) are always in the top left and right corners.
The seven choices are:
Ñ Jigsaw
This entails grabbing one of a screenful of scattered states
and then placing it in a map of the U.S. The state outlines are
there, so this is pretty much shape recognition. Also, some of
the states are distorted (Wyoming is much taller than it is wide
on this map, and Wisconsin is missing the peninsula that forms
one side of Green Bay, for example). This doesn╒t teach much more
that a wooden puzzle would. The medium and difficult levels ask
the student to type in the state╒s name and capital, respectively.
This is instructive, but the placing of the state is not necessary
or particularly fun, either. Having a timer and choosing each
answer out of list might be fun. Just highlight the state, and
quickly you choose the name and capital out of two lists. Since
the student can leave and come back to the jigsaw, he can go to
the Map Facts, pick a state, briefly memorize the name and
capital, go back to the jigsaw, place that state, type in the
two answers, forget them, and go onto the next state. Wow, a
100 on the test! Too bad Johnny doesn╒t remember any of it.
Ñ Map Quiz
This allows the student to learn the states and capitals. This is
very nice, however, after each question, the student must choose
States or Capitals again. This gets very tiring. One should take
a random test on states or capitals, then be able to back out and
choose the other. It all looks and works wonderfully, but the
interface is inappropriate for actual use.
Ñ Map facts
This provides the standard facts about each state as you click on
it (population, capital, nickname, unemployment rate, and so on).
The presentation is fine, but the data will be inaccurate in a year,
unless Eclat Microproducts plans to send an update every year.
This material can be found in a library book with a name like THE
BOOK OF STATES or something. Certainly the presentation will be
more exciting to a student, but of what use is it? It is not
presented in a manner that is memorizable; it acts like a quick
reference, but isn╒t one, due to the boot time. Again, a book would
probably be better suited to this task.
Ñ Statistical Maps
This is only available on the GS version. Maps of annual rainfall
high and low temperatures, number of waste dump sites, elevation,
and other maps are included. This is interesting, but some of the
information will be inaccurate in a year. Educational programs of
this type need to teach concepts, not statistical numbers that
may change.
Ñ Options
This allows you to select how hard the quizzes should be, and
sound on or off. Since the sounds are annoying, sound off might
be preferable.
Ñ Hall of Fame
This lists the people that have done the best at the geographic
jigsaw and Map Quiz.
Ñ About . . .
This lists who made the program, the copyright info and so on.
On the plus side, the Help is contextual, meaning that when you are in the Jigsaw section, clicking on Help helps you with the Jigsaw. This is excellent.
Also, the program runs well, and except for not highlighting buttons when they are clicked on, the interface is smooth.
However, the program does not seem to have been tested by teachers and students in a true teaching situation. Perhaps the teachers were so starved that they thought this was a godsend.
True, this program will interest kids A LOT more than reading books, but perhaps that is the worst part. When you use a computer to teach, it needs to do what books can╒t do: animated examples, interactive simulations, random repeatable quizzes, and so on. Geographic Jigsaw simply implements on a computer what the teachers have always done, and done better.
The style is there, the information is there, but it is implemented in a way that doesn╒t make the student learn. A good educational program, like the Carmen San Diego series, makes the information crucial to completing a task, and that task is fun, so the student WANTS to learn. Geographic Jigsaw is just a dull textbook and wooden puzzle that you can manipulate with a mouse.
The manual is rather low╨tech, but it is informative enough. One of the best parts of the program is that the disk is unprotected╤╤a feature important for teachers, who really don╒t want to risk their only copy of a program every day.
CONCLUSION
Given the current paucity of quality educational software, Geographic Jigsaw is the nicest╨looking software I╒ve seen in years, and teachers may want it if their classroom is very computer╨oriented. It may get a child interested in computers, it may present the data in a more exciting format, and it is just possible that they might learn some geography.
However, without the desperate eyes of a teacher needing software for the kids, all I can say is that, in my opinion, the program will probably fail to do what it needs to╤╤help the child actually learn geography.
