Computer Times
September 1999

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The Cruncher 2.0, (Retail $80 for teacher editions containing 2 CD-ROMS and support manuals; grades 3 and up) from Knowledge Adventure teaches spreadsheets in such a simple, easy-to-learn format that any student can learn quickly and easily. Math skills, such as averaging, are explained clearly in writing and verbally by the animated tutor as the student follows directions to click on the computer formula.

Students will love to see how quickly the spreadsheet does the work of averaging, adding, or subtracting, whether it is game scores or bake sale goods. They learn basic spreadsheet functions and then can advance to importing and exporting information, adding sounds, and making presentations with graphs they have created on the program.

Teachers will enjoy this school product to help them teach otherwise boring skills. Cruncher has a wide array of spreadsheet projects that kids will relate to and enjoy learning from with good colorful animations and many advanced functions to keep even the most gifted child interested.

Easy tutorials and 20 cross-curricular projects in this new version of the award-winning The Cruncher™ build spreadsheet and math skills. The Cruncher™ 2.0, a teacher- and student-friendly spreadsheet software program, is designed specifically for the classroom. For grades 3 to 8, this title is a new version of the easy-to-use spreadsheet software program, The Cruncher™.

The Cruncher 2.0 is appropriate for teachers and students at beginning through advanced levels of spreadsheet abilities. The program allows first-time spreadsheet users to master basic spreadsheet skills such as inputting and calculating data, and creating charts and graphs from data, through step-by-step tutorials. It enables all users to discover and experiment with how spreadsheets can be useful in organizing, charting and evaluating information, and how to integrate them across the curriculum.

The Cruncher 2.0 features a new and cool look and feel, including the animated characters, Jazz Dog and She Bop, who guide novice spreadsheet users through six different step-by-step tutorials. It also features 20 new Learning Projects which provide spreadsheet templates and guidelines in all areas of the curriculum. Students are also able to customize spreadsheets for presentations by importing sound and graphics, linking to the Internet or importing files from other popular spreadsheet programs.

New and improved features include:

•Ability to import screenshots into HyperStudio® and other presentation programs

•Ability to add Internet links to spreadsheet cells

•Ability to import files from other popular spreadsheet programs

•All-new sound and graphics

•Innovative ideas to integrate spreadsheets across the curriculum

•New templates to help teachers with projects and lessons that involve gathering, organizing and analyzing data

The Cruncher 2.0 offers teachers and students the ability to incorporate their spreadsheet creations into multimedia presentations using HyperStudio® software, the popular classroom presentation program by Roger Wagner Publishing. HyperStudio is a powerful multimedia-authoring tool that can help students clarify and extend the lessons they pursue with The Cruncher 2.0. It allows both teachers and students to create projects and presentations that incorporate text, graphics, video, animation and Internet resources to express their ideas and understandings in their own way. Using The Cruncher 2.0 "Save a Snapshot" feature, users can save spreadsheets as bit maps and import them into HyperStudio.

Also, in the printed teacher materials that accompany the software, each of The Cruncher 2.0 Learning Projects include a "HyperStudio Connection" section, offering teachers tips and ideas for using the programs together effectively in their classrooms. Many of the connections are directly tied to the spreadsheet information and recommend importing a snapshot from The Cruncher 2.0 to display charts and data. As starter ideas that can be molded into unique and exciting projects, the HyperStudio Connections provide teachers with concrete products for student performance assessment.

In the tutorials section, six examples teach topics starting with basic spreadsheet operations and progressing to the use of more advanced spreadsheet features. The simplest one, "Fish Out of Water," uses pictures instead of numbers to manipulate data. Students combine a fish, aquarium, water and other items in spreadsheet cells; they must do this correctly for the fish to live. This demonstrates the basics of spreadsheets in a friendly and non-intimidating way.

More advanced tutorials include "Making Cookies" and "Racing Slugs", where students learn how to set up math functions (to double a recipe, for example), and how to find averages (when tracking scores for slug races).

The Cruncher 2.0 offers 20 all-new Learning Projects that provide examples of how spreadsheets can be useful in every classroom, as well as in everyday life. In addition, they require students to gather data independently by reading the local newspaper, charting their television viewing habits or visiting the community recycling center.

For example, the "Baseball" project allows students to track their favorite team and players by calculating home runs and batting averages using statistics published in the local newspaper. In "Populations Big and Small", students collect data about their classroom and school populations, then use the spreadsheet to compare them to the United States population data. Students create pie charts to display and compare their findings. "Recycling" builds environmental awareness while students calculate potential profits of a bottle drive using data from their local recycling center.

The Cruncher 2.0's spreadsheet offers features included in most business spreadsheet software, including charting and graphing capabilities with pie charts, bar and line graphs, and scatter charts; complex cell calculations; and advanced trigonometric functions.

The Cruncher 2.0 also offers three unique features that make it ideal for beginners:

Notebook - Attached to each spreadsheet, this includes a simple word processor where students can keep notes about their spreadsheets, explain formulas or write a detailed report.

Sticker Picker - A library of over 300 new stickers and sounds can be included anywhere in spreadsheets, charts, graphs or the notebook. Students can also personalize presentations by importing sound and graphics from the Internet and other programs.

Show function - By clicking on any spreadsheet cell with a formula, then using the Show feature, students can see the breakdown of each step in an equation. This helps them understand how results are derived and is a useful tool to math teachers.

The Cruncher 2.0 is available in a Power Macintosh or Windows 95/98 CD-ROM format through most educational resellers such as Educational Resources and Fas-Track Computer Products. All school versions of the software include Knowledge Adventure's exclusive School-to-Home license for teachers and students to use the software on home computers for lesson planning or homework. The price is approximately $80 for teacher editions, which include teacher support materials. Lab packs for five users are priced at approximately $190. Site licenses for 15 users are available for approximately $325. The software also includes toll-free technical support, available from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time every business day. For sales and ordering information, customers can call Knowledge Adventure at (800) 545-7677.

Macintosh- System 7.5.1 or higher; 16 MB RAM; 4X CD-ROM or higher; 640 x 480 256-color graphics; 14 inch monitor; a printer is highly recommended; and HyperStudio 3.1 is optional.

PC-Windows 95 or 98; 486/66 processor or faster; 16 MB RAM; 4X CD-ROM; Win. compatible sound card; 640 x 480 256-color graphics; mouse; 14 inch monitor; a printer is highly recommended; and HyperStudio 3.1 is optional.

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