ConnSENSE Review: JumpStart Artist

JumpStart Artist

Knowledge Adventure®
1900 S. Batavia Avenue,
Geneva, IL 60134-9952
1-800-321-7511
http://www.KnowledgeAdventure.com

Price: $49.95 for a single CD-ROM teacher edition, which includes two copies of the software. A Lab Pack of 5 CDs is $119.95. A site license for 15 users is $325. Price includes the Teacher’s Guide. JumpStart Artist® also includes toll-free technical support.

System Requirements: iMac, G3. System 8.1 or higher, 32MB RAM free required, 48MB RAM recommended, 12X CD-ROM drive or faster, 15-100 MB hard disk space storage for artwork, thousands of colors, millions of colors recommended, color printer (optional), mouse and keyboard.

Windows 95/98, Pentium 166 MHz or higher, 12X CD-ROM drive, 32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended, 15-100 MB HD storage for artwork, Windows-compatible sound card, Mouse, speakers, and keyboard, High Color (16 bit), True Color (24/32 bit) recommended, color printer (optional).

Evaluated by Jane Creamer, Hope School, Marianna, Florida e-mail martinj@gtcom.net

Rating: A (for students with mild disabilities)

JumpStart Artist® was evaluated in my classroom with student of ages 6-9, who have a variety of disabilities. The program was designed for use with typical students in grades K-3. I used the program on Windows based computers. The program was easy to install and run. The program includes five activities on the CD, which playfully present artistic concepts such as line, texture, shape, value, symmetry, form, and lighting. Activities use delightful characters and fun and creative activities. In a concentration type game, all correct matches of the artistic elements are rewarded with images of great works by world-famous artists. There's also an open-ended art area with tools that include paint, chalk, needlepoint patterns, and tissue paper. An invention game lets kids make creations from a variety of lines and shapes. There's also a fun theater in which children can create a movie with their own artwork. Students can import images from other programs and print their creations.

Students must be proficient with the mouse and must be able to follow teacher directions. There do not appear to be any options for alternative keyboard or mouse use. Older students in my classroom did do better with the program than younger ones. The students with intellectual disabilities were able to use the program as long as they had mouse skills. The ability to print out the art work was a definite motivator.

There are two ways to track progress in the system "Progress Report. Single Player: This view shows the progress of a single player by tracking the percentage of completed games. For games that are leveled, clicking on the numbers will allow you to check the percentages for each level. All Players: This view shows the percentage finished for all players at all levels. Click on the arrows to scroll through the names. If you log in as Teacher, you can print all of the students progress reports which is good to share with parents or document progress.

One interesting aspect about the program is that it was developed with content and achievement standards recommended by the National Art Education Association. Another aspect was a directory to refer to for hands on activities to reinforce art concepts. The only problems I found for my students was that the menus were confusing for them and the talking of the characters was a little distracting. It helped most when I directed the students to navigate through the program.

Over all my students found JumpStart Artist® interesting and fun. It has been incorporated into my daily lesson plans and I will continue to use it.