The software suite 2simple Infant Video Toolkit gets its name from its simplicity and the on-screen videos that come with it. In version two these remain; what has changed is that there are more tools available in some of the programs, and there are more of the trademark instructional videos available.
In 2paint, for instance, the basic on-screen packet of felt-tips is still available, but now shapes, lines, spray-cans and a fill-bucket have been added.
2publish has six new templates, including symmetry, magazine and wrapping-paper formats, and with its new capability for importing images, including photos, even more creative products are possible. Similarly, the facility in 2count to add your own graphics has been improved, so pictograms from favourite TV programs can be made up of images of characters in them.
The Logo-style programming tool, 2go, can be used with your own drawings or photos too, so a map of the school can become an exercise in directing a turtle around it. A flow chart has been added which lets you watch sequences as they are carried out and program the turtle, then watch it run, stopping, modifying and restarting as you go.
The other two programs, 2graph and 2question offer a straightforward introduction to data handling.
Throughout this software suite the tools are consistent and icon driven, so pupils can focus on what they need to do rather than on how to do it. The complexity of each program is easily varied through the teacher options to allow for different skill levels. The instructional videos show users how to complete a number of projects, all in line with the key stage 1 ICT curriculum, that let children work independently of their teacher. This is a very flexible piece of software, suitable for individual, group and whole-class teaching.
2Simple Infant Video Toolkit, Version2, from pound;75 From 2Simple Software, 3-4Sentinel Square, Brent Street, London NW4 2EL. Tel: 020 8203 1781Fax: 020 8202 6370 www.2simple.com
