Maths

ZX Computing

Mike Edmunds

SPECTRUM LESSONS Mike Edmunds administers a gold star or rap on the knuckles to a mixed bag of Educational Software Almost everyone in the field of education, and beyond, must have, by now, accepted the fact that the computer has served its period of apprenticeship within the school. It has, for the most part, found an acceptable and valuable role within the school curriculum. Although this statement may be challenged by many, it is nonetheless obvious that the computer is destined to become an even more integral part of our children's education in the future and, though not all of us may like it, as teachers and parents we have an obligation to see that its full potential is realised. Educationally the computer is, at the very least, the equivalent of an "electronic wordcard" and can be thought of as a valuable resource to sit alongside the Maths equipment and the reference books. From the early days (it is really only 2 years since the DOI package?) when there was a mad scramble for any software that could remotely be labeled as 'educational' we have, thankfully, become more discerning, and parents and teachers alike now look carefully to decide whether or not a particular program really fulfills a need. The criteria by which we can judge a particular program are many and varied, but essentially there is now a more enlightened attitude about what constitutes quality software. The standard of educational programs has in creased tremendously in what is really a very short time the user can now afford to be choosy. The content of programs must increasingly be adaptable and of tasting value, able to offer an ever widening range of experiences. That is not of course, to ignore totally the ever present 'drill and practice' programs which still have their uses, but nowadays a program must be seen to be of 'real' value to earn its place in an educational context. The batch of programs under review this issue appear to cover a wide area of interest but not all live up to the high standards which teachers and parents alike have a right to expect from 'educational software'. MATHS Educational Software From Educational Software comes a Maths tape. No instruction sheet so it was a question of plunging straight in! A colourful instruction screen leads you to a selection screen with options for each of the four rules as well as tables and fractions, together with a new name option. This tape therefore, is presumably, intended for school use. Being a glutton for punishment, I selected the hardest level of + and -, however this wasn't very hard. The numbers are formed from large block graphics and are easy to read, especially for the younger (say, infant level) child. This section is preceded by a tune which quickly becomes irritating, but is thankfully short. The questions must be answered correctly, wrong answers just give you the opportunity to try again until you get it right. There is no reward apart from the tune (!) and a message giving your score as a percentage. I can't see infants understanding percentages however. Division next... small figures here, but essentially the same format. Similarly with Multiplication, although here there is a wider range of problems, ranging from Tens and Units multiplied by unit, right up to multiplication of decimals. Tables next and, in common with all sections this has a different graphic introduction again, unfortunately accompanied by the tune. The 'times' sign here was only the Spectrum* and that really is not acceptable, even for those children familiar with computers. The final option is Fractions and apart from the recent move away from all but the simplest fraction work for children of Primary age.. (... you didn't come across that whilst reading your Cockroft Report!) this section has a rather nasty way of working out the answers. If, for example the question requires 2/5 + 5/8, then entering 41/40 should be right, but it wasn't. The program kindly informs you that the answer is "not perfect" and should be "1". There are even more extreme examples of this nature. So even though the program has gone to great pains to dress up with graphics and sound what is just another drill/practice variation I am afraid, for me at least the result is "not quite perfect," and because of the alarming fractions bug I cannot recommend this in any way what soever in its present form. Educational Software are at: [redacted].