Know Your Ireland

Edware have been around for as long as I’ve been in teaching, when the author was still a student in college and the first “Know Your Ireland” was out and I met him at the Education Show that used to be in the RDS.  At the time, I was involved in another software project, Who Took the Book, and we talked about the coolness of the programming language we were both using.  Anyway, I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to review Know Your Ireland in its third version.
The first thing that hit me when I opened the program for the first time was how amazing it looked.  Aesthetically, it is one of the nicest looking programs I have ever seen! I was greeted by a wonderful background picture.  Even more pleasing was the fact this photograph was not in any obtrusive to the content of the program.  So, what exactly does “Know your Ireland” do?
Essentially, it aims to help children learn the provinces, counties, cities and towns, rivers, mountains, islands and a lot more.  Basically, a good chunk of your 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th class Geography curriculum is covered.
You have the option of studying Ireland or taking the quizzes.  The study guide is brilliant.  Every option is partnered with a high-resolution photograph that would make you proud to live in Ireland.  I checked out my current county of residence and was presented with the most amazing photograph of Duckett’s Grove in Carlow.  Every photo I looked at was perfect.  There are also web links to Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedia, which was a nice touch.  I also really liked the bits and pieces oftrivia about each place.
Another great point is the navigation which is also super – very intuitive and you know exactly where you are at all times.  I took the quiz on islands and failed abysmally! However, I was happy to see that I wasn’t made to feel bad about it and the computer helped me along the way when I got stuck, (which I did, a lot!)
A further feature is the examine section which is an examination based on all topics.  I didn’t go there as my pride was unable to take another bashing after my island experience!
“Know Your Ireland” is in my opinion the definitive solution for any teacher teaching Geography classes.  There is nothing else out there that looks better, works better or teaches better.  There are a number of other solutions out there but I think this is the very best.
I’ll be reviewing some other software from Edware over the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled while I get reviewing.