Technology Integration Project 1

An Analysis of Inspiration Software

Technology Integration Project #1 Technology and Learning Spring 2009 Tina L. Brewer February 16, 2009

Mission Statement Our company strives to support improvements in education and business and to make a positive difference in our users’ lives by providing software tools that help people of all age’s use visual thinking and visual learning to achieve academic, professional and personal goals.

System  Windows users: o o o o o

Pentium 75MHz or higher; Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, ME or XP 8MB RAM 18MB available hard drive 60 MB for full install Recommended: Internet connection, Quick Time and 800x600 display

 Macintosh users: o o o o

OS X (10.1.5 or higher) 70 MB for full install Quick Time Recommended: Internet Connection, 800x600 display

 Optional: interactive white board, microphone and printer  Compatible with desktop computer, Palm OS and Pocket PC  Note: You must disable your anti-virus program when downloading Inspire products in order for them to download successfully.

Inspiration Products *Inspiration products are also available in Spanish*

1. Inspiration 8.0 a. Grades 6-12 b. Students will use it to plan and organize; research and evaluate; comprehend and communicate c. Teachers will use it to customize instruction; achieve standards; assess student projects and energize learning

2. Inspire Data a. Grades 4-12 b. Students use: investigate data analytically; represent data and information in graphs/charts c. Teachers use: collect data from all over, create e-Surveys d. Aligns with standards for science, social studies and mathematics e. Supports STEM initiatives f. Over 100 database templates with predefined structures

3. Kidspiration a. Grades K-5 b. Students use: develop strong thinking skills; strengthen reading and writing skills and build conceptual understandings in math c. Educator developed resources to support curriculum integration d. Support for ELL and ESL students e. Can be used with Whiteboards (Promethean) and Smart Technologies (Smart Boards)

4. Webspiration (Beta) a. Online visual thinking tool b. User will be able to capture idea; organize information; diagram process and Create clear, concise written documents c. Can be used for business (brainstorm proposals; write clearly & effectively) and for school (collaborate on group projects; organize & structure written notes). Business Use:

School Use:

Paper Outline

Paper Diagram

Costs It is available for purchase at: http://store.inspiration.com/ or free 30 day trial download at http://cf.inspiration.com/freetrial/index.cfm?fuseaction=insp_qual_form Inspiration 1 license = $69.00 5 licenses = $310.00 20 licenses = $895.00 Inspire Data 1 license = $79.00 5 license = $280.00 20 licenses = $640.00 Kidspiration: 1 license = $69.00 5 licenses = $310.00 20 licenses = $895.00 Webspiration (Beta) Free of charge! There are various lesson plan books that accompanies each software for an additional cost, ranging anywhere from $29.95 to $199.00. Such titles include Kidspiration in the Classroom: Reading Essentials; Inspire Data and Science: Question, Analyze and Predict and Inspiration in Language Arts: Standardsaligned lesson plans. One is also able to download the software immediately to their computer (only for single license purchases) if the purchase is made online via the online Inspiration Store. Downloads are made available within minutes and ready for usage. Inspiration software includes a “Getting Started” manual. The manual gives user installation instructions, a brief overview of Inspiration and a tutorial. The appendices show all the pre-built templates and describe the benefits of each. (http://idt.emporia.edu/childress/it371/template.pdf)

The “Getting Started” manual, “Inspiration User’s Manual” and a “Symbol Libraries” document are all included as Adobe Acrobat PDF documents. The user manual describes in detail all of Inspiration’s menus and commands. Online help uses the Quick Help application.

Description

(what is it? And what

does it do?)

Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver founded the company in 1982 with a concentration on business software products. In 1987, they began a concentration in brainstorming, thinking and organizing tools. As a result the first version of Inspiration was released in 1988. By 1996 the company’s objective was to meet the needs of educators and students, thus Inspiration 5.0 was released in 1997 and in 2001 Kidspiration was released (for younger students). The software had continued to evolve to include Inspiration 8.0, Kidspiration, Webspiration, Inspiration for Palm OS and Inspire Data. According to the official website (www.inspiration.com, 2009) – Inspiration is a software product that encourages visual thinking and learning for students and adults. They develop and publish innovative software tools that inspire thinkers and learners of all ages to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. Students and adults can utilize the programs to:

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Develop higher order thinking skills Plan and organize Communicate clearly Analyze and recall information Create diagrams, outlines and mind maps Outline and structure ideas and information Collaborate and share

The various products that Inspiration produces are quite useful to students and non-students, but especially to those who learn best visually. The programs allow for written information to be transformed into charts, diagrams, flow charts, etc and organized in a way that is much simpler to comprehend.

Research For the most part our society is exceptionally visual; we are surrounded by images and symbols in our everyday lives. Visuals can be seen as universal and a key element to communicating with others. According to AECT (2001) students/children learn almost half of what they know from visual clues and information, yet only a small number of schools have implemented curriculums to reflect. The research informs us of some the benefits of visual learning (Inspiration software), benefits such as:  Creating better readers and writers  Addresses learning styles, multiple intelligences  Accessing primary sources of data for authentic learning  Makes learning come alive – students are more engaged  Promotes constructivism and higher level learning  Visualizes thinking and ability to see patterns  Prepares mind to receive new thoughts Specific benefits to Inspiration software:  Places patterns of thinking in more logical order  Allows brainstorming on computer screen of unrelated ideas  Ranks ideas in order of importance by outlining mechanism  Branches thinking from Main Idea to all subordinate ideas of document or presentation

Classroom Integration The purpose of Inspiration software is to enable students to explore visual thinking strategies in order to enhance learning in all areas of the curriculum and grade levels. The integration of technology tools and creation of graphic organizers to enhance students' critical thinking skills in note-taking, outlining, organizing and communicating information and reading comprehension has surmountable benefits for students. Integrating the Inspiration software into the classroom enhances learning for students in a way traditional pen and paper cannot. The software takes into consideration other languages and thusly there is a Spanish version available. This is a step in the right direction because designers have taken into consideration cultural issues. Not every student will speak English, so it is critical that steps are taken to reach the masses. Sample lesson plan ideas:  Students create geometry proofs  Brainstorm ideas about Benjamin Banneker  Creating a webcast  The University of Wisconsin – Stout created a list of 50 uses of Inspiration and Kidspiration. Such uses included assisting students in organizing information; assisting teachers in planning lessons; defining new terms; note-taking organizer; comparison activities; presenting difficult material in a step-by-step manner and the list goes on. To view the complete list, go to Inspiration & Kidspiration: Tools for Active Learning at: http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/conceptmap/50uses.html

 Persuade Me lesson plan – this lesson plan prepares to students to become knowledgeable of persuasive writing http://www.kidspiration.com/LessonPlan/PersuadeMe

 Globalization lesson plan – this lesson plan introduces students to the topic of globalization. Students will research the origins of products that they use regularly http://www.kidspiration.com/LessonPlan/Globalization

Academic Content Standards K-12 Social Studies grade level indicators:  History  People in Societies  Geography  Economics  Government  Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities  Social Studies Skills and Methods  Social studies examples located on pages 100-117 of: http://www.inspiration.com/sites/default/files/documents/OH-Insp-Social-Studies.pdf

K -12 Mathematics Benchmarks:  Number, Number Sense and Operations  Measurement  Geometry and Spatial sense  Patterns, Functions and Algebra  Data Analysis and Probability  Mathematical Processes  Mathematical examples located on pages 70-73 of: http://www.inspiration.com/sites/default/files/documents/OH-Insp-Math.pdf

K – 12 Science grade level indicators:  Earth and Space Sciences  Life Sciences  Physical Sciences  Science and technology  Scientific Inquiry  Scientifics ways of knowing  Science examples located on pages 100-108 of: http://www.inspiration.com/sites/default/files/documents/OH-Insp-Science.pdf

K – 12 English Language Arts Benchmarks:  Phonemic Awareness, Word Recognition and Fluency  Acquisition of Vocabulary  Reading Process: Concepts of Print, Comprehension strategies and SelfMonitoring Strategies  Reading applications: Informational, Technical and Persuasive text  Reading Application: Literary Text  Writing Processes

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Writing Applications Writing Conventions Research Communications: Oral and Visual Language arts examples located on pages 21-30 of:

http://www.inspiration.com/sites/default/files/documents/OH-Insp-Language.pdf

The Inspiration software also addresses the following requirements of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation:  Title I, Improving the Academic Achievement for the Disadvantaged  Title I, Part B, Subpart 1 Reading First  Title I, Part B, Subpart 2 Early Reading First  Title II, Part A: Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting  Title II, Part B: Preparing, Training and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals -- Mathematics and Science Partnerships  Title II, Part D: Preparing, Training and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals -- Enhancing Education Through Technology  Title III, Part A, Subpart I and Part B, Subpart II: Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students Title V, Part A: Promoting Informed Parental Choice and Innovative Programs -- Innovative Programs  Title VI, Part B, Subpart 2: Flexibility and Accountability -- Rural Educational Initiative -- Rural and Low-Income School Program  Title VII, Part A: Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Education: Indian Education  Title VII, Part B: Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Education: Native Hawaiian Education

Professional Development The Inspiration Software team provides professional development opportunities for educators and business professionals. The opportunities are held as webcasts and in person conferences. One can subscribe to the professional development bulletin that advertises trainings, workshops and conferences throughout the year to stay informed of upcoming events. Educators and business professionals are also able to order workshop materials online that will enable them facilitate workshops within their organizations.

Workshop materials include scripts that can be followed or used as guides in presenting information to those being trained. Examples of workshops are:  Writing a research paper with Inspiration  Using visual learning techniques to improve academic performance with inspiration  Writing to a prompt with Inspiration  Engage students and promote project-based learning across the curriculum with Inspire Data

Assessment Criteria The University of Wisconsin – Stout provides a sample rubric to utilize with such software in the form of assessment and feedback. The rubric looks at:      

Arrangement and concepts – main concept easily identified Links and linking lines – linking words accurately Graphics – used appropriately; enhances the topic Content – logically arranged; free of grammatical errors Text – easy to read; boldface used for emphasis Design – clean design; high visual appeal

Rubric located at: http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/inspirationrubric.html

Examples of Classroom  Discuss the factors of immigration:

 Book Comparison – compare the hero and the villain of the book

 Teacher-Created Projects: http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/inspirationprojects.shtml This site gives examples of ways teachers are currently use Inspire products for multiple curricular areas.  The Inspired Learning Community: http://www.inspiredlearningcommunity.com/

This website allows educators to share and find ideas about visual learning utilizing Inspiration, Inspire Data and Kidspiration. Has lesson plans, a blog, a forum and a what’s new section.

References www.inspiration.com http://www.inspiredlearningcommunity.com/ http://store.inspiration.com/ http://cf.inspiration.com/download/pdf/insp_quick_start.pdf http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/inspirationprojects.shtml http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/inspirationrubric.html http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/conceptmap/50uses.html http://cf.inspiration.com/freetrial/index.cfm?fuseaction=insp_qual_form http://idt.emporia.edu/childress/it371/template.pdf The Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (2001, August). Visual Learning/ Visual Teaching. In The Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. Retrieved February 16, 2009, from http://www.aect.org/edtech/ed1/16/16-06.html

Strategic Transitions. (2009). Visual Learning. In Strategic Transitions: The Art and Practice of Achieving Designed Outcomes. Retrieved February 17, 2009, from http://www.strategictransitions.com/visuallearning.aspx