Cabri Geometry II plus. Below you will find general information on the product, Evaluate’s interim product evaluation and a full classroom evaluation (where this has been completed). Click on the title bars to show or hide the interim and full evaluations.

Product: Cabri Geometry II plus   Publisher: Cabrilog, distributed by Chartwell-Yorke Ltd www.chartwellyorke.com/cabri.html     Type: CD-rom     Subject(s) supported: Mathematics       Keystage(s) supported: keystage 3  keystage 4      Scheme(s) of work: No QCA Schemes of work available   Geometry     Technical specification(s) required: PC  Operating system:  Microsoft Windows 95  Processor speed: Pentium TM recommended RAM: 16Mb         Cost(s) CD-rom and manual: Single user £59; 10 users £175; 50 users £350; Site licence £420; KS3 photocopiable activities £20     Other information: Easy to use features make this product accessible to students working at eight year-old level to those teaching and researching at university level.

The interim evaluation is an overview of the product based on the evaluator’s investigation of its capabilities outside the classroom environment. It provides information on the subject and scope of the product, its content and appearance, and the potential benefits it could offer teachers in the classroom.         Context: Mainstream students at key stages 3 and 4 could use this material for individual or paired work. Students with reading age of eight or below would benefit from adult support. Teachers could use it with an interactive whiteboard for a starter or plenary activity. Some activities are investigative and students could present their findings to their peers using a digital projector or an interactive whiteboard.     Technical information: I installed the single CD-rom on a stand-alone machine in about five minutes. I accessed the material quickly and successfully each time. Technical support is available by email, and the website offers updates and weblinks. Independent trainers may also be contacted through the publisher’s website www.chartwellyorke.com/trainers.html.     Design & navigation: The activities on the screen are text and graphics based. Navigation is straightforward by toolbar. This can be customised using a click and drag system. Each toolbox is represented by an icon on the toolbar. There is a save facility, and all or part of a diagram can be copied into another document. Diagrams can also be used in other applications by copying in either bitmap or vector format. The program is also compatible with Texas Instrument calculators. A help screen is always available by pressing F1.     Content: Teacher and students can use this product to draw shapes and diagrams to an accuracy of two decimal points, move them, change the colour and add information. It lends itself to whole or part lessons, front of class teaching, individual and group work. The user manual provides detailed explanations of the tools. Photocopiable KS3 worksheets are also available; these can be used to teach a particular objective and for students to try their own investigations.       Curriculum coverage:   Cabri Geometry II covers geometry at key stage 3 and should provide the students with an opportunity to construct geometrical diagrams without the use of paper, pencil, ruler and compasses. Once diagrams are constructed conjectures can be formulated and tested. This product only displays numerical and graphical representations.       Learning outcomes:   To learn about geometrical reasoning: lines, angles and shapes; properties of circles; transformations; construction and loci. There is no formal assessment area, but teachers could assess the investigations the students undertake, and the conclusions they draw from their activities, through the history window that shows each step a student has taken.     Classroom management & preparation: Teachers should spend about an hour familiarising themselves with the toolbar, toolbox and tools before using this product with their students. Those with a reading age of less than 8 years would need adult or accomplished peer support. Students familiar with Windows or Excel toolbars could use the Cabri worksheets to guide them through the Cabri Geometry Program and its activities. More able students could undertake investigations and make their own hypotheses and conclusions.     Summary: Cabri Geometry II Plus is a flexible resource to teach key stage 3 and 4 students geometry as a whole class, small groups or individuals. Teachers need about an hour to get to know the material, and can use it with digital projector or interactive whiteboard for starter or plenary activities. The CD-rom offers clear text and graphics; users can draw diagrams, add text and colour and use the program to make accurate calculations and measurements. Interactive control of the variables mean that users can click to transform a construction and see, in real time, which aspects change and which remain the same. Diagrams can be saved and moved to other documents. KS3 worksheets provide a ready-made teaching resource to accompany the CD-rom. Students with poor fine motor skills, poor mathematics or reading will need adult support. Gifted and talented students could use the program to devise their own investigations.