Speaking Spelling Bee
© 2008 Franklin Electronic Publishers
About the size of a fat cell phone, this multimedia spelling game has a two-inch color screen and a slide-open QWERTY keyboard. If your eyes start to strain as you as thumb-out words such as "rapprochement" or "erroneous", you can plug it into your TV for a room-size effect. Given the clear speech and 70,000 word vocabulary, the Speaking Spelling Bee ($100, www.franklin.com) could easily become a struggling speller's best friend. While there are several modes of play, and three difficulty levels, the basic idea is that you first hear the word read aloud in clear speech. You then type it, one letter at a time. As each letter is pressed, it is read aloud, so it actually "feels" like you're constructing the word; an important part of the process. You can backspace to try different spellings, or request to hear the word used in a sentence or learn its origin for a clue. If you miss the word, it is recycled in your list, to give you more practice, and the correct spelling is shown. You can create and save your own spelling lists by choosing them from the 70,000 word dictionary. Other content includes three games (like Hangman) and a six-player elimination-style spelling tournament, where you pass the device from one player to the next for a turn. Powered by three AAA batteries, the device includes a headphone jack, adjustable volume control, SD card memory expansion and USB upgrading. Perhaps the best part is because the gadget looks so much like a cell phone, kids can look cool while they're texting out their spelling words; and the entire process is fun.
$100, smart toy, TV
Teaches: spelling, vocabulary, word games, language
CTR Rating: 92%