Rubric for Evaluating Educational Software

Criteria

Value

Insufficient

Satisfactory

Outstanding

Concepts

8

Leaves out basic skills and concepts of Grammar and writing (1-3)

Includes most basic skills, but not all necessary for proper reading and writing (4-6)

Includes wide variety of Language arts topics and skills (7-8)

Content

8

Limited amount of language arts genres and information (1-3)

Moderate amount of language arts genres and information

(4-6)

Includes vast array of genres of language arts and covers many aspects of each one (7-8)

Evaluation

6

No opportunity to test learning at all (1)

Opportunities to test learning only in a few subject areas

(2-4)

Provides way to check students understanding and completeness in all subject areas (5-6)

Interactive

5

Only listening and reading- no place for using what has been taught (1)

Minimal activities to write and give feedback on the subject areas (2-3)

Provides writing, listening and feedback activities, and other resources for further involvement (4-5)

Interest Level

5

Limited access and activities in only one or two subject areas (1)

Activities and access to three or four subject areas (2-3)

Many different pages, links, and activities that cover at least five subject areas (4-5)

User Friendly

3

No help or instruction options

(1)

Some help, but options are not totally clear and easy to navigate

(2)

Clear paths to each subject and activities.  Help and instruction options available (3)

Total

35

 

 

 

 

EVALUATIONS

 

Software 1:   The Writing Trek: Language Adventures

 

Total: 31/35

 

Concepts: 7/8

Content: 7/8

Evaluation: 5/6

Interactive: 5/5

Interest Level: 5/5

User Friendly: 2/3

 

Notes: I found this software to be very entertaining, full of information in a wide variety of subject areas, and packed with activities for students to do.  While it holds a lot of useful information, I think it would be more useful with sixth and seventh graders instead of eighth graders.  It is very interactive and even has outside links that you can reach from the internet.  It allows students to test themselves and keep a personal notepad for later use.  It keeps the interest level by having over 1,000 slides, but at times it can be hard to navigate and know where you are going in the software.   This software is great for the variety of concepts, genres, and activities it contains.  It would be very useful in classrooms for students who learn by different styles, as a supplement to normal class time, and also just for a fun learning experience.