Cathedral School Intranet Advice for Parents The Cathedral School   by Ellen Baru, Director of Technology   •HARDWARE At Cathedral School we use Macintosh computers. We have mostly iMacs, Macbooks,   and Macbook Pros running mostly versions of OS 10.4.x or 10.5.x.   Advice: When buying a computer, first consider your needs. Who will be the primary user? What will the user need to be able to do with the computer? What can your pocketbook bear?   While we use Macintosh computers at home, you need to consider your situation and your child (children). Popular programs such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint) are easily converted between PCs/Mac.   •SOFTWARE I find that the newer software tends to be high on glitz and low on educational value. In lieu of buying game software, I suggest checking out some of the on-line games (suggestions are limited to K-4) on Suggested On-line Computer Games. Please review online games and sites that you allow your children to access. •BUYING COMPUTERS AND/OR SOFTWARE LOCALLY These stores have online sites as well. In addition, while it is useful to see the computer in person, you can often do better ordering online and see where you can get the best deal.     LOCALLY     * DataVision at 445 Fifth Ave. @39th St.        http://www.datavis.com     * J&R Computer World, 15 Park Row (Across from City Hall Park)        http://www.jandr.com     * Apple Store, Apple Store at 767 Fifth Ave.        http://www.apple.com •RECOMMENDED SOFTWARE Note: While the publisher is listed in the product description below, I recommend first looking online to see if you can get this cheaper through a site other than the publisher. Drawing Tools * Kid Pix Deluxe 3 by MacKiev (all ages) Kid Pix Deluxe 3 makes it easy to put together animated projects with music imported from your iTunes playlists and backgrounds brought in from your iPhoto albums. It is only available for Mac OS X. * Kid Pix Deluxe 4 for Schools by Riverdeep (all ages)   Also there seems to be Kid Pix Deluxe 4 available through Smart Kids Software.   This is version of Kid Pix is a bit different from the version we use.   However it is available for different platforms. For Mac OS X, Windows. * AppleWorks 6 by Apple (grades 4 and up)    This is the main drawing program we use in grades 4 and up. (Mac / Win CD).   It is an older program that can be bought online. Keyboarding * Type to Learn 3 by Sunburst (grades 2 and up) We are using this program in the fall in Fourth Grade and in the winter with Third Grade. (Mac or Win CD) * Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing by Broderbund. (grades 5 and up) Various versions of this program are available online. * UltraKey by Bytes of Learning (grades 3 and up) (Mac (available for OS X, too)/Win CD Online Typing Programs Typing Pal Online Custom Typing   Multimedia * MediaBlender by Tech4Learning (grades 2 and up) Hypermedia authoring tool supports color and many multimedia functions through easy-to-use dialog boxes. ( Mac OS X or Win 2000/ME/XP) * PowerPoint (We currently use Office 2004 for Mac) by Microsoft Programming * MicroWorlds by LCSI (all ages) http://www.microworlds.com/solutions/index.html Open-ended, constructivist design engages students in the creation of computer-based student projects using movies, photos, and sound clips. We currently are not using this at Cathedral School. PicoCricket http://www.picocricket.com/ A PicoCricket is a tiny computer that can make things spin, light up, and play music. Students use this program in science in Third Grade. Not recommended until after your child has used this in third grade. Word Processing/Desktop Publishing Note: Cathedral students use Word 2004 for the Mac as our main writing program.   Miscellaneous * Inspiration (grades 4 and up) / Kidspiration (grades K-3) by Inspiration Software, Inc . These are not games. They are organizational tools. Brainstorm ideas with pictures and words. Organize and categorize information visually. Great for pre-writing or pre-researching. Internet Safety 1. Childnet's Kidsmart http://www.kidsmart.org.uk This site has excellent tips for parents as well as a section for chidren of all ages. 2. Children Online http://www.children-online.org Includes links to many resources that parents should find helpful: ·Cyber-bullying & Harassment Protecting Privacy/Safety Online ·Tools for Parents Online Gaming Issues ·Helping Children Become "Media Savvy" Email and Web Access for Younger Children ·Related Articles Web Filters   If you have any questions about software or Macintosh hardware, please feel free to email me: ebaru@cathedralnyc.org or call me at 212.316.7447.