Educational Software Matrix
Emily Bosland,
11/13/2007
After one of our member agencies asked if we could provide them with a list of free educational computer games for school-aged children (K-12), we did a little searching and came up with the products listed in the table below. Most of these are free, but a few of the educational software packages can be purchased from the given links.
Do you know of a great educational computer game or online activity? If so, please leave us a comment. We'd love to hear about it and add it to our table so other nonprofits can learn about it too.
| Product Name | Description | Free |
| Broderbund Software Free Online Puzzle Games | Online puzzles and games for youth and adults. | Yes |
| Canorus via SchoolForge.net | Music score editor that supports note writing, MIDI input and output, and scripting support. | Yes |
| Celestia via SchoolForge.net | Space simulation/ planetarium that allows students to view the universe in 3-D. | Yes |
| Cyfernet | Interactive online games for young children. Sponsored by 4-H, this site includes topics ranging from astronomy to insects. | Yes |
| Food Detectives: Fight BAC! | Interactive online game about food safety. Produced by the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service. | Yes |
| GCompris via SchoolForge.net | Suite of educational software for young children. Topics inlcude algebra, science and geography. | Yes |
| The Learning Company | Sells many educational computer games, including classics such as Oregon Trail, Reader Rabbit, and Carmen Sandiego. | No |
| MindPlay: My Reading Coach | Reading assistance for struggling students. Recommended by public school teachers. | No |
| Multiplication Station via SchoolForge.net | Multiplication game for youth. | Yes |
| NoteEdit via SchoolForge.net | Music score editor for Linux. Supports an unlimited number and length of staffs. | Yes |
| Nutrition Decision | Interactive online game about good nutrition for youth. Produced by the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service. | Yes |
| Ology | Online educational programs and games for youth. Covers science topics ranging from archaeology to genetics to water. Produced by the American Museum of Natural History. | Yes |
| PBS Online Games | Games for young children correlating to PBS programming. | Yes |
| School Time Games | Online educational games for ages eight and older. Games and activities are grouped by educational topic, and include math, science, language arts, sports, and logic. | Yes |
| Stellarium via SchoolForge.net | Open source planetarium. Offers students a realistic view of the sky in 3-D | Yes |
| TuxMath via SchoolForge.net | Educational computer arcade game designed to help students struggling in math. Features Tux, the Linux mascot. | Yes |
| TuxMathScrabble via SchoolForge.net | Similar to TuxMath, student create compound mathematical equations. Four skill levels available. | Yes |
| TuxTyping via SchoolForge.net | Typing game for young children. | Yes |
| TuxWordSmith via SchoolForge.net | Foreign language learning game with support for over 30 languages. | Yes |
| Voyager Math (VMath and VMathLive) | Math assistance for students in grades 3-8. Highly recommended by public school teachers. Use Contact link on their webpage for details. | No |
| Voyager Passport Reading Journeys | Reading intervention program for middle and high school students. Recommended by public school teachers. Use Contact link on their webpage for details. | No |
| WYNN Literacy Software Solution | State-of-the-art literacy assistance for struggling students or students with disabilities. Texts may be scanned and "read" aloud by the WYNN program. | No |
Comments
TuxMath and TuxTyping
Yes, TuxMath and TuxTyping are fun for adults too! I worked at a non-profit with an education center for adults recovering from drugs and alcohol, and those two programs were in frequent use. Also check out Gnumch: http://spuzz.net/projects/gnumch/about.php
Andrew
Thanks
Great tip, Andrew! (I remember playing this game as a child.)
Thanks
Thanks for your suggestion. The Tux series offers several great options, including TuxPaint!
Great List
This is a great list,
With the Tux series there is TuxPaint (http://www.tuxpaint.org/). This is kind of like KidsPix only free.
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