Inventions, Innovations, and Discoveries
Software Learning Resources
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Claris Home Page
Claris Home Page is a "wysiwyg" web page creation tool. - ClarisWorks
4.0
(Note: ClarisWorks is now known as AppleWorks)
ClarisWorks/AppleWorks is a fully integrated productivity tool for students and teachers. Tools include word processor, database, spreadsheet, and draw. - Hyperstudio 3.1
Hyperstudio is a classroom multimedia authoring tool that enables students to incorporate graphics, sound, animation, and video into their projects. -
Inspiration 4.0
Inspiration is a real-time idea development tool for quickly clarifying, visualizing, and organizing the thoughts of an individual or a brainstorming group. It can be used in many subject areas for "mind mapping" and "clustering." -
WebWhacker
WebWhacker is an off-line browser that lets teachers or students save entire Internet WWW sites (including text graphics and HTML links) directly onto the local computer hard drive. Sites can then be viewed off-line at accelerated speeds. Initial "whacking" must be done online.
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Canadian
Encyclopedia 97
Canadian Encyclopedia 97 contains the text of the Canadian Encyclopedia; the Gage Canadian Dictionary; Thesaurus; French-English/English-French Dictionary; World Timeline; maps, QuickTime movies, and animations. - Compton's 97
Compton's 97 is a CD-ROM version of the print encyclopedia containing images, maps and graphs, sound, animation, videos/slides, and an interactive multiple-window world atlas. Includes Internet connectivity. - Encarta
97
Encarta 97 contains more than 26,000 articles, videos, animations, sound, etc. Includes interactive Timeline of World History, interactive Atlas, and more. -
Grolier's Encyclopedia 97
Grolier's Encyclopedia 97 contains 35,000 featured articles, 20,000 Internet web links, over 10,000 photos and illustrations, 1200 maps, and 15 hours of sound. - World
Book Encyclopedia 97
World Book Encyclopedia 97 incorporates multimedia resources such as videos, animations, and sounds with the complete text of the World Book Encyclopedia. It offers two ways to search: topic search or keyword search. Every map is searchable.
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Logical
Journey of the Zoombinis
Logical Journey of the Zoombinis is designed to support the NCTM math standards as well as to build advance logic skills. It challenges students to solve 12 different puzzles at four levels of difficulty as they lead the "Zoombinis" (cute critters with varying attributes of hair style, nose color, eye shape, and methods of locomotion) on their journey to a new homeland. The teacher's guide contains curriculum matrix, tutorials, blackline masters, overheads and 23 lessons/activities. -
Lost
Mind of Dr. Brain
Lost Mind of Dr. Brain contains games and puzzles that give the memory, logical, visual, and strategic thinking skills a workout. Students work with musical scores, interpret sign language, identify 3D patterns, and navigate their way around mazes. -
Mathville
VIP
Mathville VIP is a multimedia village based on everyday life where students can assume such roles as 'Interest Rate Manager', 'Lighthouse Keeper', or 'Stockbroker' to earn money to buy necessities and recreation. Students deal with decimals, fractions, estimation, probability, and more. - Table Top Junior/Senior
Table Top Junior offers young students a lively introduction to the mathematics of data and information and provides a rich domain for building language skills within the mathematical context. Table Top Senior is designed for mathematics, science, social studies, or any subject in which students want to explore and analyse data.
Science
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Great
Canadian Scientists
Great Canadian Scientists is a cross-curricular product that profiles 10 Canadian scientists. It contains interactive experiments, quizzes, and an extensive bibliography and can link to the Internet for updates and "ask the scientist" information. -
The
Incredible Machine
The Incredible Machine supports problem-solving and thinking skills. This innovative product has students solving wacky Rube Goldberg-type puzzles and then constructing their own to stump classmates. - Invention
Studio
Invention Studio allows students to design, build and test their own inventions in an interactive 3D virtual environment. Contains 16 QuickTime videos of various inventions and a "virtual testing ground." Students can "patent" any of their viable inventions. - The
Way Things Work 2.0
The Way Things Work 2.0 is the CD-ROM version of David Macaulay's book of the same name. It describes 200 common machines in detail and includes a "Who's Who of Inventors", an "Inventor's Workshop" and 20 humourous "Mammoth Movies". Topics covered include: computers, light and images, photography, floating, pulleys, heat, electromagnetism, sensors and detectors, gears and belts, springs, screws, inclined planes, flying pressure, friction, electricity, sound, magnetism, telecommunications, wheels, and levers. Search for this title using the search box on website. -
Widget Workshop
Widget Workshop is designed to teach young students the principles of science using a "Mad Scientist's Laboratory", a "Garage Workshop" and an "Attic Full of Neat Stuff". Students can experiment with light, colour, sound, time, gravity, random numbers, logic, digital electronics, mathematics, switches, planets, pendulums, cannons, and human and animal hearts.
Print Resources
Smith, I., Thomas, R., Yoder, S. Classroom Activities with ClarisWorks 4.0. Eugene, OR: ISTE Publications. 1997. (ISBN 1-56484-099-9)
The Children's Museum of Memphis. How People Invent. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. 1997. (ISBN 0-590-95529-2)
ISTE. Hyperstudio 3.0 in One Hour. Eugene, OR: ISTE Publications. 1995. (ISBN 1-56484-091-3)
Sylvester, Diane. Inventions, Robots, Future. Santa Barbara, CA: The Learning Works, Inc. 1993. (ISBN 0-88160-108-x)
McCormack, A.J. Inventor's Workshop. Parsippany, NJ: Simon and Schuster Supplementary Education Group.1981. (ISBN 0-8224-9783-2)
Battcher, D. et al. Machine Shop. Fresno, CA: Aims Education Foundation. 1993. (ISBN 1-881431-39-8)
Turvey, P. Timelines: Inventions, Inventors & Ingenious Ideas. Toronto, Canada: The Salaryia Book Co. Ltd. 1992. (ISBN 0-590-20726-1)
Stanish, Bob. The Unconventional Invention Book. Torrance, CA: Frank Schaffer Publications. 1981. (ISBN 0-86653-035-5)
