learninghorizons.ie

The very best use of computers in school encompasses children engaging in
stimulating, meaningful activities, which are tailored to their learning
needs. Great credit is due to Michael Murphy for his enormous commitment to
producing such a resource, and what's more, it's Irish through and through.
This program is a valuable addition to the software range of any primary
school.

Robbie O Leary, Principal, Sacred Heart SNS, Killinarden, Dublin 24,
ICT Tutor and Software Developer.

We are a small school and Sounds to Words can be used in all 3 classes and also for learning support. Clear instructions on the cd means that pupils will be able to work through the cd by themselves. Great reinforcement of sounds for children with learning difficulties. The fact that cds can be installed on all computers is excellent!

Bernadette Ryan, Kilross National School, Ballintogher, Co. Sligo.

Congratulations! I've browsed through the cds and Wow-they are fantastic!! Every school in the country would benefit from these comprehensive and pupil-oriented exercises! "

Seaghan Moriarty, INTO and NCTE Tutor,
Educational Software Developer and Bainisteoir, www.tobar.ie

Sound to Words is a whole school phonics program, each level building on the previous. It is refreshing to have home produced software with Irish voices for a change! Each level offers plenty of opportunities for practice aurally, orally and manually by typing in spellings.

St. Edwards N.S., Ballytivnan, Sligo.

Excellent material - very attractive presentation. Pupils say it is most challenging then previously used programs. Enough work for many years. Good consolidation for all pupils no matter what their ability.

Kathleen Murphy, Foxford N.S., Co. Mayo.

Great to have an Irish product covering phonics. Wide ranging age appeal from beginning readers to older children. Very user friendly and versatile for both use in learning support and in the classroom. Can be installed throughout the school easily. Great value, highly recommended.

Moya O'Connor, St. Vincent's De Paul GNS, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9.

The programme is great, especially in the classroom situation. If a child is finished work early or cannot participate in the work, it is a worthwhile activity which is of great benefit to them. Very user friendly, even for weak children.

Caroline Higgins, Castletown GNS, Dundalk,Co. Louth.

I found "Sounds to Words" to be a well structured and fun program and I know that it is going to be a good teaching resource. It will be particularly useful in the learning support situation, an area of particular interest to me. I look forward to using it.

Kathleen O'Brien, St. Joseph's N.S. Longford.

Sounds to Words has quickly become the preferred program of my students with learning difficulties. They find the instructions are clearer; it is quicker and more interesting - less repetitive than other programs previously used. Because they get to type the words, spellings are also reinforced. I am really pleased with the response of my students to this program and I will recommend it to my colleagues in Resource Training.

Cepta Loughnane, St. Michael's H.F. School, Wellmount Road, Finglas, Dublin 11.

Systematic use throughout the school leads to a consistent development of children's phonological learning. Irish voices are a great improvement on American/English accents of similar software. Ease of use is a huge advantage.

Brid Frahill, Cobh Convent N.S., Orelia Tee, Cobh, Co. Cork.

1. To develop a sequenced whole-school approach to the teaching of Phonics,
2. To use ICT as a training aid in the English Language Curriculum
3. To use Sounds to Words as a range in teaching of Non-Nationals Pupils and children who need extra help phonetically.

Caroline Healy, Scoil na Maighdine Muire, Dublin Road, Carrig-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.

A very well structured phonological program. Very child friendly, Clear direct instructions. Very good visual aids.

Liz Ryan, Scoil Iosagain, Aughavannagh Road, Crumlin, Dublin 12.

Dear Learning Horizons,
I am writing to express my thanks at your efficient service. My son who has autism broke his favorite CD, Sounds to Words Book 3 CD. One quick call to your company was all it took to replace the CD. It is not often we purchase software for him that he takes to with such ease and gets hours of enjoyment from. The fact that it is Irish made and of very high standard is the icing on the cake. Well done and keep up the good work.

Colm Fulham, Chairperson. Glasnevin Educate Together N.S.

Joseph Molloy is the Learning Support teacher and IT Coordinator at Saint Attracta's S.N.S. Chairperson of the Dublin Branch of the Computer Education Society of Ireland and recently retired member of the National Executive of the Irish Learning Support Association where he was the IT Advisor and Webmaster.

The task of choosing the right educational software package for a subject area has become increasingly complicated. There are many issues to consider in the selection process not least of which is its suitability for the job. Serious consideration must then be given to the initial cost versus value for money. What is the true cost of ownership? Are there site licences, leasing issues and / or upgrades to be considered? And of course, the final question: Will people use it? Not everyone on the staff will be as enthusiastic as you are about the new acquisition. Be that as it may. How many times have we heard, "Is there anybody making educational software for the Irish market?" or "I bought such ‘n' such from a catalogue but I can only use some of it." As a profession we have become accustomed to using imported software titles, accepting British accents and American spelling. All that is about to change; Michael Murphy, a primary school teacher in Newbridge, County Kildare has taken up the challenge and produced his own phonics software.

I received a pre-release copy of "Sound to Words" during the Halloween break. The three CD-ROMs are clearly labelled and attractively presented in a DVD-style library case. I installed the suite on a range of PCs from Pentium MMX models to the latest Pentium 4 offerings and no problems were encountered. The software experienced no difficulties running under Windows 98, 98SE, ME or XP. I also installed it on a peer-to-peer network and a server based network without incident. Unfortunately, I did not have a machine that ran under Windows 95 but I am assured that it performs flawlessly. The software was developed for the PC platform only. The opportunity did not arise to test the software on a PC emulator on an Apple or Acorn machine. Installing the software was child's play. Clear and precise instructions are printed inside the cover of the case. The entire process was automatic and shortcut icons were placed on the desktop for ease of access. It is recommended that the entire suite of programs be installed on the hard disk to ensure smooth execution of the graphics and sound samples. If space is problem "Sound to Words" can run directly from the CD-ROM drive.

"Sound to Words 1, 2 and 3" open with a voice over navigation introductory lesson. Once learned the introduction can be skipped at a click of a button. The navigation is simple and intuitive and consistent throughout the suite of 450+ lessons. The lessons for each CD-ROM are laid out in the main menu and the user can return to it anytime by pressing the button. The sound samples are a mixture of the author's voice and the voices of pupils attending his school. If you are expecting an English female or American voice over you are in for a surprise.

The content is comprehensive and a complete program of learning is presented. "Sounds to Words" was designed as a multi-sensory teaching and reinforcement tool. Drill and practise is still the best way to teach phonics. Language acquisition is achieved naturally by this method. A clear constructive, block by block method underpins the entire suite. The CD-ROMs are grouped according to reading progression. The suite is a stand-alone phonics based reading program for primary schools. However, the flexibility of the suite lends itself to several applications in the teaching of phonics and phonological awareness. Mainstream and learning support teachers can "dip in" and choose whatever lesson is appropriate for the "problem" in hand; no special texts are necessary. Resource teachers have found the software especially useful with non-nationals. The colour and variety held their interest. The absence of the "failure sequence" and accompanying embarrassing sound effect all helped to bolster the user's self-esteem. The child friendly self-paced lessons boosted their confidence.

On "Sounds to Words 1" there are five printable record sheets ideal for IEP progress reports. A simple tick will indicate whether or not a target has been reached.

I have been using the software for two months now and I can honestly say that "Sounds to Words" is excellent and positive results are evident from the beginning. It is ideal for use by mainstream, learning support and resource teachers. The pricing structure takes into account the type and size of the school. The software is suitable for stand-alone and networked computers. Congratulations to Michael Murphy and Kevin Farrell of Learning Horizons for their pioneering work and I hope this is the start of Irish educational software industry.

Observations

• The software works on all Pentium/Windows combinations. However, the older the system the smaller the hard disk , the slower the CD-ROM drive and the scarcer the memory on board; you may find that you have to run the software from the CD-ROM player - there is a noticeable depreciation in performance in the older systems.
• A booklet or PDF file outlining the course content.
• An option to mute the repetitive instructions would be nice.

The above review reflects my own personal opinion and experience with the product. No endorsement is implied or given by my school or the associations with whom I am affiliated.

Joseph Molloy.

Sounds to Words - Review for Intouch

Sounds to words by Learning Horizons is an interactive Phonics Software Program which can be used from infants to 6th class. I particularly like the fact that it has been created by a practising teacher, Michael Murphy. The program can be used with all PC systems from Wins 95 to XP. However, it does not work on Apple Mac systems.

It is ideal for the learning support or resource teacher. The children I tested it out on found it easy to use and could understand the Irish voiceovers very easily. It is a very user-friendly program and the fact that it can be installed onto all Pcs' in a school, with no site license problems is a major selling point.

Children have over 450 activities to practise and reinforce phonics aurally, orally and to type and learn spellings. The ease of use of each lesson is underlined by the fact that you can return to the main menu at any time by pressing escape.

Using this program, all teachers have a resource to supplement or solve a problem phonic area for any child, including those children who arrive in Ireland with little English. Children's mistakes in this program are not highlighted by failure sounds, thus not deflating their confidence. They merely try another of the options for the correct answer. There are downloadable phonics record sheets on their website: www.learninghorizons.ie. A demo of the software can also be assessed for evaluation. From a critical point of view, the repetitive instructions can be monotonous and some of the graphics are a little obscure and could be improved upon.