Podd

www.indigolearning.com

KS1 (Years 1 - 2)

English & ICT

Description

The program consists of six activities which give students plenty of practice using and thinking about verbs. In ‘Podd In Action’, children are presented with two words onscreen which are spoken when the mouse is moved over them. Children click one of the words, and then see Podd perform the action. ‘What Is Podd Doing?’ is the reverse. Children watch Podd perform an action, and then say what he is doing. Clicking on a question mark both shows and speaks the appropriate verb. ‘Choose The Action’ is similar, as is ‘Spell The Action’.

In ‘What Can Podd Do?’ children type any verb and see if Podd can do it. If he can, he does – otherwise children must retype until they find a word which Podd understands.

The final activity, ‘Podd Can Play’, asks children to type in three verbs which Podd then carries out in order. If Podd does not understand any of the verbs, children are asked for a different word until all three words are understood, after which the animation begins.

Supporting Documentation

The User Guide consists of 16 A6 pages with clear instructions and some good ideas for using Podd in the classroom. Some useful sample screenshots are also included. Installation instructions are clear. There is one major disappointment, however. A glaring omission from the user guide is a complete list of verbs which Podd understands! This would have been very straightforward to include, and would have made a huge difference to busy teachers. A similar point must be made about which words are available in which age group’s word banks.

The teaching and learning ideas shown in the manual are linked to both the National Curriculum and the Foundation Stage (‘Communication Language and Literacy’ and ‘Personal Social and Emotional Development’ are the two areas of learning specifically supported for Nursery and Reception children.)

Technical Support

The program does not contain a tutorial. However, the User Guide covers all aspects of the program in ample detail, from installation to printing children’s work. Contact details for technical support are provided in the form of a contact telephone number and a dedicated email address. There is a Podd page on the Indigo Learning website (www.indigolearning.com), but this is aimed at potential rather than current users.

Purpose of the Program

Podd aims to address two of the Foundation Stage Curriculum areas of learning. Primarily, it covers ‘Communication, Language and Literacy’. The second area of learning, ‘Personal, Social and Emotional Development’ is covered more incidentally than directly, such as ‘Taking turns’, ‘Describing and exploring a range of emotions’, ‘Having confidence to choose an independent activity’ and so on.

Curriculum Relevance

The box claims that Podd is excellent for language development. With careful guidance from teachers, children will certainly want to explore things Podd can do. A 20-minute field test with my 2½-year-old son held his attention well and there were signs that even in this short time he was starting to make choices and request Podd to do certain things.

Extent

The six activities cover a range of ways to engage children with language, specifically action-centred vocabulary. There are over 150 different verbs for children to discover. Sometimes they need to be able to spell the words, but at other times it is sufficient to move the mouse over a word and hear it spoken (in a clear male English voice).

Appropriateness

The publishers of Podd have worked hard and successfully to ensure that the software is appropriate for the age group it targets. The concepts covered are appropriate for, and stimulating for children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The six tasks are clearly defined and can be set by the teacher. The manual explains that the word bank varies, depending on the age group selected, though this was impossible to verify due to a lack of word lists in the manual itself. All activities are pitched at an appropriate level, and the vocabulary is simple rather than obscure.

Quality

Podd is carefully designed to appeal to all children, regardless of gender or ethnicity. Although definitely male, he is red and round, and drawn in a cartoon style. The standard of video on machines tested (Pentium III, and a Pentium IV) was high, as was the quality of the sound. Screens are always clear and uncluttered, and a friendly font is employed consistently throughout the program. The program is written and produced in the UK, so there are no American spellings to confuse children.

The publisher does not make any specific claims that Podd is differentiated for pupils with Special Educational Needs, but by its very nature it is easy to set challenges to match the ability and vocabulary levels of different groups of children. ‘Spell The Action’ and ‘Podd Can Play’ can easily be used to stretch more able children. Although font size and colour are fixed, they are both very clear and appropriate to the target age group.

This program is a rewrite of the popular BBC Micro program from the 1980s. Podd is a screen character who responds visually to a range of 150 verbs and can perform 100 different animations. Altogether there are six activities. Children can click on a verb and see Podd perform that action, or they can watch Podd and then try to click on the correct verb from a choice of two, and so on. They can type in verbs to see whether Podd can perform them. Words are spoken as they are rolled over by the mouse so the program is accessible to pre-readers. Podd is an enjoyable way for both Foundation and Key Stage 1 children to learn about verbs.

Read KS1 Classroom evaluation...

Product Overview

This product is published by Indigo Learning Ltd (Tel: 01480 354335)