Kidspiration 3 “Wows” Judges in 13th Annual Education Software Review Awards

Visual Learning Software for Young Learners Named Favorite of Teachers, Parents by Top National Award Programs 

PORTLAND, Ore. – Oct. 8, 2008

Kidspiration^® 3, the newest version of Inspiration Software^®, Inc.’s visual learning software for young learners, was named the top software for Early Elementary Thinking Skills in the 13th Annual Education Software Review Awards. This award program, sponsored by ComputED Learning Center, San Diego's leading computer education resource, targets innovative and content-rich programs and websites which provide parents and teachers with the technology to foster educational excellence. This honor comes close on the heels of recognition from two parent organizations, iParenting Media and the Parents’ Choice Foundation.

Judges for the 2008 EDDIE awards said they “quickly and unanimously” named Kidspiration for the honor and that they were “once again wowed” by the visual learning software. With tools for building reading and writing skills as well as a conceptual understanding of math, the judges recommended both the software and its new series of lesson plan books so that teachers can “make the most of this powerful learning tool.”

Kidspiration 3 also recently earned the 2008 Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Award from the Parents’ Choice Foundation, the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys. Plus, the 2008 iParenting Media Award honored Kidspiration 3 as one of the top software products of the year. Products are selected by this highly-respected awards program based on their fun value, quality, ease of use, play duration, educational nature and uniqueness, among other criteria.

“Elementary teachers around the country are telling us that our newest version of Kidspiration gives them a complete tool for helping students build thinking skills across the curriculum, “said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. “It is exciting to have Kidspiration 3 honored by these top education and parenting award programs.”

In fact, since its launch earlier this year, Kidspiration 3 has garnered numerous awards. Just weeks after its debut, it received an Editor's Choice Award from “Children’s Technology Review” followed by a 2008 Best Educational Software Award (BESSIE) from the ComputED Learning Center in the Thinking Skills category for Upper Elementary.

Kidspiration 3 supports students in kindergarten through fifth grade as they strengthen reading and writing skills, build conceptual understanding in math and develop thinking skills across the curriculum. In reading and writing, students use Kidspiration to think creatively and organize ideas to write, comprehend and communicate successfully. With the visual math tools in Kidspiration 3, students build a strong mathematical foundation for reasoning and problem-solving by using visual representations to understand math concepts. Across the curriculum, they express and communicate their thinking with pictures, words and numbers.

Elementary teachers can quickly and easily use Kidspiration to help students build thinking skills with a series of lesson plan books from Inspiration Software. Written by educators, “Kidspiration® in the Classroom: Writing Essentials,” “Kidspiration in the Classroom: Math Made Visual” and “Kidspiration in the Classroom: Reading Essentials,” provide practical ideas, creative lesson plans and easy-to-follow directions that encourage student learning and thinking. Sample pages from the books can be downloaded at http://www.inspiration.com/Resources/Kidspiration.

For a limited time, schools that purchase a Kidspiration computer-license lab pack will receive the complimentary Lesson Plans and Training Tutorials Bonus Pack. This special offer, available through Nov. 26, includes schoolwide licenses for all three “Kidspiration in the Classroom” lesson plan books and up to a six-month subscription to Atomic Learning’s more than 110 Kidspiration training videos with the purchase of a five-, 10- or 20-computer license for the visual learning software.

A 30-day free trial of Kidspiration 3 can be downloaded at www.inspiration.com/freetrial. For more information, call 800-877-4292 or visit http://www.inspiration.com/order to find a local education dealer. 

©2008 Inspiration Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Inspiration Software^®, Kidspiration^® and Inspiration^® are registered trademarks of Inspiration Software, Inc. InspireData™ , the Kidspiration design mark and InspireData™ are trademarks of Inspiration Software, Inc. All other brands are the property of their respective owners.