Gone but Not Forgotten

Holzberg, Carol S., Technology & Learning

Dinosaurs extinct? No way--they're big business! Here are seven programs that put the prehistoric facts in the hands of your students.

To a child, dinosaurs represent action and adventure, a direct link to the distant past when skyscraper-size animals dominated the earth's lush volcanic landscapes. Today, we have dinosaur lunch boxes, erasers, pencils, and much more. Parents and teachers often call on dinosaurs to show youngsters that learning is fun. Studying these prehistoric reptiles can stimulate an interest in paleontology and science, while promoting vocabulary, reading, writing, and research skills. Teachers even draw on dinosaur images when teaching math concepts such as "bigger than" and "smaller than" or arithmetic operations like adding and subtracting. Capitalizing on kids' insatiable quest for knowledge about these primeval beasts, software companies are offering an amazing assortment of programs that take young learners on fascinating scientific journeys back in time. This month, we look at seven of the best interactive dinosaur titles currently available.

DinoPark Tycoon (MECC)

DinoPark Tycoon (the only non-CD-ROM program reviewed here) is an engrossing and entertaining simulation that gives players a chance to establish and run a Dino Zoo. In the process of managing park business, youngsters can access an online database to uncover a variety of facts about 19 different dinosaurs, from the meat-eating 65-pound Coelophysis that lived during the late Triassic Period to the seven-ton carnivorous T-Rex that dominated the later Cretaceous Period. In addition to distinguishing among dinosaurs in terms of diet, climate, length, weight, and time period, entrepreneurs develop problem-solving strategies and practice math skills such as estimating, reading graphs, and forecasting.

Players are neophyte tycoons who …

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Publication information: Article title: Gone but Not Forgotten. Contributors: Holzberg, Carol S. - Author. Magazine title: Technology & Learning. Volume: 15. Issue: 1 Publication date: September 1994. Page number: 12+. © 2002 Technology & Learning. COPYRIGHT 1994 Gale Group.

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