By: Rori Goldstein


What Is It?

Inspiration is a concept-mapping program designed to help students plan and organize their thoughts and ideas. The program is designed for students in grades 6-12 and can be used in all subject areas. Inspiration is a visual tool of diagrams and outlines to help students gain and retain better understanding of their concept ideas. It also, helps the students demonstrate their knowledge. Students learn better through visual learning. Visual learning incorporates colors, pictures, and maps to help students see the possibilities of their own unique potential.

The first version of Inspiration was released for the Macintosh in 1988. In 1997 through the release of Inspiration 5.0 Education Edition, changes were made to help improve the software for educators and students. The newest version of Inspiration 8 was launched in 2006.


How To Use It?

Inspiration is a very easy to use software, and installation is quick and easy to navigate. Once you purchase the software at Inspiration (or you can download a free 30-day-trial), there is an easy to use tutorial with step-by-step instructions on how to use the software, which guides you through the quick and easy process.

“Installation was simple and pain-free! I recommend leaving the ‘Tip of the Day’ feature on to help students learn the program. www.educationworld.com”

Why Use It?

Inspiration is a great way to help students visualize what they are learning. Research shows that students have many different learning styles they learn best from. According to the research provided by the UTSC, students with the visual learning preference learn best through:

• Graphs, charts, and diagrams
• Color coding and highlighting text materials
• Visualizing materials and concepts
• Sketching pictures of items to be learned
• Using bullets to separate ideas
• Watching videos and films
• Using time lines and mapping

Inspiration uses most of these tools in its software. Students are able to make storyboards, use diagrams and plots to display out large amounts of material, make outlines to help them with writing, brainstorm ideas through webs, concept maps and idea maps.

Below is an example of a web and a concept map. You can go to Inspiration to find a research report on Visual learning with many more examples.


Web


Concept Map

Why Are Teachers Using It?

Inspiration is a great tool for teachers to use with their students. Inspiration gives teachers a different way to have their students express their knowledge of the material they are learning in class. It also allows the teachers to grade their students in a different way. The teachers don’t just have to stick with giving students tests or papers to write, they can have them explore different options with Inspiration.

Teachers can purchase “Classroom Ideas Using Inspiration: For Teacher by Teachers”. This guide can help teacher incorporate Inspiration and visual learning into their classrooms. The also contains lesson plans at all grade levels. Teachers can also go to the Inspiration website for more lesson plan ideas.

Inspiration supports many of the state standard of education and teachers can go to the No Child Left Behind Act to learn how Inspiration also supports the national standards of education.




" I have ... found that using Inspiration® is motivating for kids who've lost much of the pleasure of learning. They can visually demonstrate to themselves that they are learning and making progress in transferring what they take into and what they put out in their own writing. This is practical empowerment and more meaningful motivation than any encouragement that comes from an external source. "Kristin Kight, Ph.D. student and teacher
LD Online
February 1998

To see more testimonials from teachers who use Inspirations across the United States go to Strategic Transitions Inc.

Resources and Citations:

Classroom Ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2006, from Inspiration Software: www.synapseadaptive.com/

Education World. (n.d.) Retrieved July 13, 2006, from Education World Technology Center: Educator Software Review site: www.educationworld.com/

Inspiration. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2006, from Inspiration Software Web Site: www.inspiration.com/.

No child left behind. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2006, from U.S. Department of Education Web site: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml?src=pb.

Strategic transitions. (n.d.). Retrieved July 13, 2006, from Strategic Transitions Web site: http://www.strategictransitions.com/

Visual Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2006, from University of Toronto at Scarborough website: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~tlsweb/LearningFair/visual.htm/