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Learn how to get a free Alef to Tav!!
- Artscroll's Alef to TavWritten by Yaffa GanzDistributed by Torah Educational SoftwarePublished in conjunction with ArtscrollAvailable for Saphire Software1-800-223-7459 List price 72.00 Sale 54.95!!
- Requirements:This program comes in an IBM version which requires a 386 or better, Windows 3.1, a VGA orbetter screen with 256 colors, 4 megs of RAM and of course a CD ROM.On a Macintosh the system requirements are 4 megs of RAM, a Color Mac, and a CD ROM.One note on the requirements - this program needs a 256 color display. Higher displays need tobe dropped down to 256 mode for it to work.
- Installation: Installing this program was fairly easy, although I ran into one glitch that might not be easy tocorrect if you aren't fairly familiar with your computer. To install you just log onto the CD drive(D:) and then type install. The CD loads up the program smoothly and relatively quickly.From windows you do about the same thing - only from the File menu. At the file menu in theupper left of windows click once and down comes the menu. Choose "Run" and type in D:\installand away you go.The installation automatically creates a user group called Alef to Tav and creates 4 CD lookingicons called EnglishA, EnglishS, Hebrew, French,and Spanish. Each icon starts the program upwith a different primary language. The English comes in both Ashkenazie Hebrew andSephardic Hebrew, which I particularly appreciate since many programs come in Sephardicdialect which is not what my children learn in school.The first time I fired up the program after installing it, the music started, my eyes lit up, my heartstarted beating and then.... poof I got an error message. I was in 24 bit color mode and I got amessage telling me that the programs NEEDS 256 colors to work. That made me scratch myhead, so I went into the windows setup and changed the video drive to a 256 driver. If this isGreek to you, then you would have had a problem at this point. But a quick phone call to thedeveloper would clear things up with 5 clicks of the mouse. Click to the program manager. Clickto the "Main" group. Click to the "Windows Setup" icon, and clip to browse you drivers, and clickthe drive you want - one with 256 colors. Then you just click back to the EnglishA Icon in the Alefto Tav group - and away you go.What it does: The program starts out with a cheery snap you fingers tone and then starts off likea Broadway show as it goes through some credits to some synthesized Jazz. The main viewingscreen shows up as the music starts to play the first chorus of the theme song Alef Bais. Thesong is so catchy that my 1 1/2 year old already has the song - and the Alef Bais memorized. Atthis point you are interactive and it's natural to chick the animated figure in the middle. The AlefBais song launches into a sing along, as the letters flash with each pronunciation on the bottomof the screen. After this the program resorts back to the theme tune and the player is tempted totry new things like the floating teddy bear or the chalkboard. All over the system are cute hiddenlittle surprises, so the kids are encouraged to click everything.Clicking the bear brings you to the, "have fun with pictures" section. Here is a picture on a farmand the Alef Bais on the Bottom. Each letter gives a different Object, named in Hebrew with asound effect. The imagine can then be pasted onto the picture, similar to colorforms of yearsgone by. Gimel - for example pops up a bahhhing Gidy (billy goat) The picture can be madelarger and smaller depending on what the child wants, and then pasted as desired. There arehidden places to point to on the main background that give surprising sounds and visual effects.The section alone makes the program worth it's price.Pressing the chalkboard brings you into the classroom. This is the least boring classroom I'veever seen. It starts with the Alef Bais showing. A picture of a tape recorder on the upper screencauses the entire Alef Bais to sound off. Picking a letter causes that letter to show on the chalkboard by itself. There's a camera on the left and a box of crayons on the right. The letter iscolorable by choosing a crayon color and then painting the color with a click to the object in themiddle - at this point the letter. Picking the Camera causes a picture to appear where the letterwas. The picture is pronounced in Hebrew and it starts with the letter that we are working on.This picture is also colorable. Along with the picture is an array with the letter you are learning,and all the vowels. Clicking this section causes the letters, with all the vowels to sound off.After the vowels sound off, the machine says - chick on the Vowel and pronouns a consonantvowel combination. Children then thy to find the vowel. If they pick correct - they getcomplimented in Hebrew and English. If there wrong they get a "Bing". Additionally there is apicture under the vowels, revealed one by one as the child gets more and more right answers -similar to what happens in the game Concentration. When all the vowels are picked correctly,the picture is explained and the child is rewarded with some music.
- Educational rating:This program is very educating, especially for those students in preschool or first and secondgrade, receiving similar instruction in school. The voices that the machine uses and the pace ofthe program is natural and comfortable. It really feels like theirs a teacher inside.The Pasting picture part is probably the least educational of the entire program - but fret not -because there is still plenty to learn here. I a child dollies around for to long in this section, youcan encourage him or her by clicking one of the letters on the bottom and they are back tohearing and repeating the Alef BaisOver All ratingI give this program an over all rating of 4 and a half on a scale of 5****+It would be a perfect five if the installation didn't choke on a 24 bit color screen
- Graphics, Music, Sound:The graphics in this program are wonderfully sensible and visually stimulating, perfect for achildren program. The sound could not be better. The tunes are catchy, sound effects fun andappropriate, and hidden throughout the program are little surprises which prevent the programfrom becoming predictable.