A review of Food For Thought By Gerry Kennedy: Computer Consultant in Education - SPECTRONICS (Vic) Introduction Activities As Food for Thought provides access to various input devices, it caters to a range of teaching, training and leisure needs. Teachers will immediately discover the benefits that it provides for learning activities that encompass a number of Key Learning Areas. It can be successfully used in helping learners develop skills in reading, sentence making, choice making, articulation, symbol discrimination, symbol recognition, counting, one-to-one correspondence, matching, classifying, tracking, auditory and visual discrimination, fine motor skills and attention. It is therefore ideal for inclusion in mainstream and for special,settings. Trainers in adult settings will gainfully employ the many practical areas of application of skills in using the software with adults who have intellectual and/or physical disabilities. In some activities, Food for Thought provides opportunities for clients to communicate their particular needs. They can quickly indicate their preference for favorite or non-preferred foods prior to morning tea, lunch or dinner. Access can be set up for mouse, QWERTY keyboard (i.e. using arrow keys and the space bar) or scanning (using the spacebar or alternate input device such as IntelliKeys, Concept Keyboard, TouchWindow or a Discover:Switch).
Access Made Easy Activities Sentence Maker aims to develop skills in reading, vocabulary and sentence structure. You make simple sentences about food using the leading or end phrases in each level. The user chooses a food item to complete the sentence and then has it read back. In Level 1, you choose from 4 sentences and 36 words whilst in the more difficult Level 2, you choose from 6 sentences and 44 words. Match Maker aims to develop skills in vocabulary, discrimination, matching and symbol recognition. The user is presented with an item on the screen and their task is to select the matching item from the choice bar. In Level 1 the user has to match the picture on the screen to a picture in the choice bar, in Level 2, find 2 items in the choice bar. Count it Out provides the opportunity for users to develop their number recognition and counting skills. The user is presented with a number of food items and the task is to count them and select the correct answer. Counting from 1-10 is presented in Level 1, from 10-20 in Level 2. Pack the Shopping develops counting skills in a 'real life' context. A list of items (shopping list) is presented. The items required are displayed in the choice bar. The user has to count out the correct number of items to complete the shopping list, by selecting the item in the choice bar the required number of times. e.g. The software says "I need six apples" The user selects the apple six times to complete the activity. You can repeat and practise if required. Sort it Out develops the skill of sorting. The user is presented with two categories in the choice bar and is asked to decide which category an item belongs to. In Level 1, the user sorts food and drink, in Level 2 fruit and vegetables. Going Shopping is a game. In this fun-to-play activity, users are given a chance to practice using the choice bar, without worrying about getting the right answer. It suits all user age and ability levels. The object of the game is to catch all the food symbols falling from the top of the screen. The arrows in the choice bar must be used to move the girl from side to side. When using the mouse, you need to click on the arrow that represents the direction you want her to go. It is different in the arrows and scanning mode. The User Guide or Online Help facility provides all of the necessary instructions and directions.
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