Yes, it does, but there are two things you need to be aware of when using BrainWare in the new Vista environment. First, you will also notice a difference when you log into BrainWare Safari. Vista’s enhanced security causes a message to pop up each time you launch BrainWare asking whether you want to allow or cancel the program. You will have to “allow” or “accept” the program every time you open it. Unfortunately, Vista does not provide an “always accept” option. Second, Vista has changed the way sound volume works, allowing the user to set volume separately in each application. The result is that the metronome sound in BrainWare Safari is much quieter. You will need to turn the volume up when doing any exercise that includes a “Click to the Beat” activity.
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A recent Micrsoft Windows update may interfere with the program's sound after installation. If you cannot hear the metronome sound in the exercises where you are instructed to "Click to the Beat", please follow this simple work-around. 1. Check the sound on your computer. 2. Log-on to BrainWare Safari. 3. Go to the Jungle Resort. 4. Click on the "Safari Settings" sign in the center of the room. 5. Choose a metronome sound from the drop-down menu. 6. Click "OK" to complete your selection. This will resolve the issue, which is planned to be corrected in our next product update.
What BrainWare Safari requires is a quality sustained connection. While you are connected to the internet and using BWS, your computer is not constantly talking to BWS and can sometimes be distracted. Many small packets of data are sent from the server to your computer, if there is something that is taking some of the space of the so-called internet pipe, like a neighbor downloading a movie, the quality of your connection will be affected. Unfortunately even though we are sometimes told we have dedicated lines, what is happening on the internet in one home does affect all the others that are part of that pipeline. We are working to change the way that BWS and your computer communicate to make the experience better, until we can accomplish that, it may require several attempts to log on or attempting at various times. Once the initial communication is established, the connection is lost much less frequently.
There are a couple of things you can try. 1. Change the voice gender. To do this, go to the Jungle Resort and click on Safari Settings. Some people find it easier to understand a different voice at a different pitch. 2. Use headphones. If you use headphones, you may be able to turn down the volume and hear things more clearly. Good quality headphones don't have to be expensive. You can find some at www.BrainWareforYou.com.
BrainWare Safari looks much like a video game; there are multiple levels for each exercise that become progressively more challenging as the player advances through the product. The graphics and software use the latest technology to provide an enjoyable and entertaining experience for the player. To start, players choose a safari friend who will stay with them throughout their use of the program -- selecting Billy Bear, Patti Parrot, Jackie Jaguar or Moby Monkey. The safari friend grows as the player progresses. However, BrainWare Safari is a lot more than a game; it is a serious mental fitness program that helps the player develop his or her cognitive skills. Cognitive skills are the basis or our ability to learn, but they are not taught in school. When they are deficient, learning is impaired – sometimes seriously so. Unlike a video game, the measure of success with BrainWare Safari is not how many levels have been completed, but the intensity the player brings to their use of the program.
Try saying the numbers or letters out loud after you hear them. Don't write them down, though, because that defeats the purpose of the exercise. By repeating the numbers aloud, you are still building your auditory memory and processing skills.
There are a number of things you can try: - Think of clicking to the beat as tapping your foot to music or clapping your hands to the beat -- you're just using you left mouse button instead. - Listen to several beats before you start to click. - Spend some time practicing this skill in Rhythm Ribbet. - Try tapping your foot as you click or have a "coach" tap your shoulder to the beat.
BrainWare Safari establishes a new category of products designed to promote cognitive development in children. It is the only comprehensive, affordable and accessible program to develop a child's mental capacity, presented in an appealing electronic format. It uses a specific methodology, based on science and rooted in clinical experience, to deliver specific results in a specific timeframe.
BrainWare Safari is recommended for children ages 6 to 12. However, the exercises in the program can help older individuals as well. BrainWare Safari's graphics will appeal the most to children in the 6 to 12 age range, which is the basis for our recommendation. Every child can benefit, whether they are performing below, at, or above grade level, including children with known learning deficiencies. We are working on programs with graphics that appeal to older age groups and we expect to have new programs available in early 2008. In the meantime, many teens and adults enjoy using BrainWare Safari just as it is.
Every individual -- child or adult -- has some cognitive skills that are more fully developed then others. The exercises in BrainWare Safari are designed to strengthen weak cognitive skills and to enhance areas that are already strong. Most importantly, the methodology of the software recognizes that a person’s skills are interdependent and mutually reinforcing, so the software helps develop skills in concert, creating a well-balanced integrated learning system. Once an individual is equipped with a more efficient and effective learning system, he or she is better able to acquire knowledge at a faster pace. As learning performance gradually improves, so does self-confidence and self-esteem, which in turn can increase the individual’s motivation, effort, aspirations and expectations.
We recommend BrainWare Safari for children ages 6 to 12. However, many older children and even adults may benefit from using the program. Children under age 6 usually do not have the necessary motor skills to control the mouse for some of the exercises in BrainWare Safari. BrainWare Safari also requires that the child be comfortable with the alphabet and numbers. The graphics in BrainWare Safari are designed to appeal especially to children in the 6 to 12 age range. Some older children may prefer different themes. However, everyone has cognitive strengths and areas that are less strong. And, therefore, even older children and adults can benefit from the cognitive skill development that BrainWare Safari offers.
Yes, a controlled study was conducted with 34 students in first through seventh grade at the Christian Heritage academy in Northfield, Illinois, from March through May 2005. Half the students used BrainWare Safari at home and the other half followed their normal routine. Pre- and post-testing of both groups with the Woodcock Johnson III Cognitive Battery and Tests of Achievement showed significant growth for the group using BrainWare Safari: - An average improvement of 4 years and 2 months gain in cognitive skills for the study group, compared to 4 months for the control group. - An average of 1 year and 11 months' improvement in achievement tests (reading and math) for the study group compared to 1 month's improvement for the control group. This is consistent with results achieved with precursor versions of the product administered in a clinical setting.
If you have a PC, you will need it to have Windows®98 or higher (e.g., Windows2000 or WindowsXP), the equivalent of a Pentium III or higher, a speed of 600 MHz or faster (most computers that meet the first two criteria, will also have the necessary processing speed). If you have a MAC, you will need it to have the OSX operation system and a processing speed of 600 MHz or faster. You will also need to have an Internet connection and computer speakers to use the program, whether you have a PC or a MAC.
The program uses a safe and secure Internet connection to send and retrieve the player’s data as the player progresses through the program. In this way, the data is always available to the player, no matter what computer he or she is using. Also, since the program keeps track of the player’s progress through the program, it avoids the possibility of backtracking and needlessly redoing exercises or levels already successfully completed. Using an Internet connection also ensures that the program can be seamlessly updated as needed.
Short- and long-term memory, attention, thinking, pattern recognition, planning, reasoning and making decisions quickly are examples of cognitive skills. They enable us effectively to take in, process, understand and apply information in the world around us -- whether in school, driving a car, following a recipe or preparing our taxes. Every individual has some cognitive skills that are strong and some that are weaker. BrainWare Safari is designed to strengthen weak skills and enhance those that are already strong.
No, and that is one reason it is so effective. Scientists know that mental skills are interdependent. Being able to follow directions, for instance, requires listening skills, being able to understand the steps in sequence, being able to remember the information, and being focused enough to avoid careless errors, etc. Most of the exercises in BrainWare Safari tax multiple skills at once. This creates a "well-balanced integrated learning system."
Based in Chicago, Learning Enhancement Corporation (LEC) is a software development company that creates and distributes interactive multimedia learning tools designed to measurably improve an individual's learning skills. LEC’s flagship product, BrainWare Safari, is a comprehensive and affordable program designed to develop the basic skills that form the foundation of every human being’s ability to learn. LEC products provide children and adults with measurable improvement in the skills critical for learning as well as academic and professional performance. BrainWare Safari is sold directly to consumers and clinicians who use specialized learning development tools with their clients.
Problems with attention, memory, processing of information, thinking, planning, problem solving, reasoning, decision speed and sensory integration. These are the basic cognitive skills that support our ability to take in, process, understand, and apply information in the world around us. Even individuals without identified deficits in these areas can develop more effective and efficient processing skills.
The benefit of BrainWare Safari is not necessarily in “finishing” all of the exercises. The benefit is in using the software at a level of optimum intensity on a regular basis over time. We suggest 45 minutes to 1 hour, 4 or 5 days a week. Used in this way, older children might complete the entire program within 8 to 12 weeks. Younger children or those with weaker learning skills may take longer to complete the program, but should see significant benefit within 8-12 weeks of regular use.
Reading is a complex neurological task. Reading fluency, focus, comprehension, and retention depend on the fundamental cognitive skills that BrainWare helps to improve. BrainWare develops and integrates the skills necessary to identify information instantaneously, retrieve information from memory, and link it with what is currently being learned so comprehension and thinking processes can be improved. The same principles apply for math and other higher thinking skills.
One of the great things about BrainWare Safari is that your data is always safe. Once your computer problem is solved, just log back on using your password. All of your child’s information is saved within LEC’s back-end support system.
Nearly all children will reach a point at which they find BrainWare Safari difficult, and sometimes even frustrating. The important thing to remember is that time spent doing a challenging exercise is what actually causes the brain to develop. If children are not being challenged, they have not reached the point where BrainWare Safari is doing its real work. If a child has been working on an exercise for 15 minutes or experiences a high frustration level, he or she should be encouraged to switch to another exercise. The exercises in BrainWare Safari develop various, multiple skills simultaneously, and all activities reinforce others. It is not uncommon for a child to leave an exercise because it is "too hard," successfully complete some levels in a different exercise, and then return to the "hard" exercise and master it. Children and parents also must be patient; the more difficult levels of the exercises are expected to take longer than the lower levels.
Do not write the information down – that would defeat the purpose of the exercise, for example developing the "mind's eye." Even saying the information out loud can detract from the development of memory skills. The instructions for each of the exercises indicate the appropriate way to use them.
The main objective of this exercise is to develop long-term memory skills. The only way to know if retention has occurred is to see if the player can accurately recall the information, after a period of time has passed. Research on retention shows that the greatest loss of newly acquired information occurs within 12 to 24 hours. You can return to Turtle Recall any time after 12 hours -- it doesn't have to be exactly 12 hours later.
It's not a good idea to write the numbers down, since the point of the exercise is to work on long-term memory. If you write the numbers down, you are no longer relying on long-term memory. Don't cheat yourself out of exercising such a vital skill! Instead, consider repeating the numbers and symbols outloud or to yourself periodically throughout the day. And, if you go back to Turtle Recall and can't remember all the symbols, you can figure them out by using a process of elimination which will help you re-learn them.
Each exercise addresses different cognitive skills. Since each individual has diverse cognitive skills strengths and weaknesses, exercises that seem difficult to one person may seem easy to another and vice versa. The more difficult a player finds a given exercise, the greater the likelihood that individual is weak in that particular cognitive skill, and the more benefit he or she is likely to derive from working in that skill area.
