computer based spelling?

[katilac]

what are the choices for computer based spelling programs? any thoughts or reviews?

[LizzyBee]

We use Calvert. It has worked very well for both my natural speller and my VSL who I thought would never learn to spell.

[hsmom]

http://spellingtime.com/
my son used this last year and really liked it.

[chai]

We just started Calvert this week, so I can't give you long term results. However, my dd (a good speller when she wants to be) is LOVING it. I think that this is going to be perfect for us. She doesn't waste time on words that she knows, but gets fun games on any words that she misses. She will probably go through the CD far more quickly than recommended, but I'm happy with it.

[claire up north]

We've used spellingtime.com for two years now. My kids love it and it really works. It has a super-easy interface for me, keeps up with each kid's efforts separately, rewards them with games at the end of each lesson, and has a procedure for me to add words that are not already in their database.

The first year we used it, it was free. Now I pay about $100 for a year-long subscription. This money covers a "classroom" account, so each of my kids (3 of them) has their own login. (This same $100 would cover up to 30? kids.)

It is well worth the $100 because I do not have to supervise this activity and they love it.

On the down side, the server sometimes runs a little slowly right around 10 to 11 am central time. This is probably the period of heaviest use. It seems to have gotten less problematic in the last couple of months, though, so perhaps they have addressed this issue.

hth!

[AngieW in Texas]

I haven't used it myself, but Homeschool Buyer's Co-op has a group buy going for Spell Doctor.

It's down to $19/year for each account.

http://www.homeschoolbuyersco-op.org/group-buys/

product website
http://www.spelldoctor.com/index.htm

[katilac]

yay, several choices! all of which look fairly good.

does anyone know if the calvert cd can be used by a 2nd child? not at the same time, but the following year?

[chai]

yay, several choices! all of which look fairly good.

does anyone know if the calvert cd can be used by a 2nd child? not at the same time, but the following year?

I haven't done it, but I'm sure that you can. You can have more than one child using it at the same time too.

[Carol in Cal.]

DD is an auditory learner, and this has improved her retention and application of spelling rules considerably during the last year or two.

It's not truly computer based, though. It is CD based, and it prompts the student to correct his own work. So the student writes his answers with pencil and paper rather than keyboarding them, and then checks his own work.

[Heather in NC]

DD is an auditory learner, and this has improved her retention and application of spelling rules considerably during the last year or two.

It's not truly computer based, though. It is CD based, and it prompts the student to correct his own work. So the student writes his answers with pencil and paper rather than keyboarding them, and then checks his own work.

Definitely a P Zoo fan here! It is the only thing that has helped my ds learn to spell.