Inspiration Software Sweeps 14th Annual Educational Software Review Awards

Inspiration, Kidspiration and InspireData Honored by ComputED Learning Center

PORTLAND, Ore. – Sept. 18, 2009
Inspiration Software®, Inc., the leader in visual thinking and learning, was a triple-crown winner in the 14th Annual Education Software Review Awards (EDDIE Awards), with honors for Kidspiration®, Inspiration® and InspireData®. The EDDIE Awards are sponsored by ComputED Learning Center, San Diego's leading computer education resource.

The EDDIE Awards target innovative and content-rich programs and Web sites that augment the classroom curriculum and improve teacher productivity, providing parents and teachers with the technology to foster educational excellence. Selection criteria include academic content, potential for broad classroom use, technical merit, subject approach and management system. Winners are selected from titles submitted by publishers from around the world.

"It is always exciting when educators recognize our visual learning software tools with awards," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "However, it is particularly gratifying to see all three products – Inspiration, Kidspiration and InspireData – recognized by this group of leaders in education technology."

Kidspiration 3, the visual learning software for students in kindergarten through grade 5, was honored in the "Thinking Skills" category for early elementary students. Kidspiration supports students as they strengthen reading and writing skills, build conceptual understanding in math and develop thinking skills across the curriculum. This is the 14th award for Kidspiration 3 since its launch in early 2008.

Inspiration, the essential tool to visualize, think, organize and learn, was recognized in the "Thinking Skills" category for upper elementary students. Learners grade 6 to adult rely on Inspiration to plan, research and complete projects successfully.

InspireData, the visual way to explore and understand data, won an EDDIE award in the "Data Exploration" category for upper elementary students. Students grades 4 to 12 use InspireData to investigate, analyze and represent data and information in dynamic graphs and charts. 

About Inspiration Software, Inc.
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc.'s award-winning software tools, Inspiration, Kidspiration and InspireData, are based on proven visual learning methodologies that help students think, learn and achieve. With the powerful combination of visual learning and technology, students in grades K-12 learn to clarify thoughts, organize and analyze information, integrate new knowledge and think critically. Founded more than 25 years ago by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company’s visual learning software tools are used today by more than 25 million students and teachers worldwide.

PORTLAND, OR — April 25, 2008
Inspiration Software® was recently honored with two 2008 Best Educational Software Awards (BESSIES) for its visual learning tools Kidspiration® 3 and InspireData^® 1.5. ComputED Learning Center and the Educational Software Preview Service of the San Diego Center for Educational Technology present the annual BESSIE Awards to recognize innovative and content rich programs and provide parents and teachers with a guide to the best children's educational software currently available.

Kidspiration 3, the visual way to strengthen reading and writing skills, build conceptual understanding in math and develop thinking skills across the curriculum, for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, was the winner in the "Thinking Skills" category for Upper Elementary. This is the seventh year that Kidspiration has received this honor. InspireData^® was also a winner for the second year in a row, for best Multi-level "Research Tool." For more information about the ComputED Learning Center and the BESSIE awards, visit: http://computedgazette.com/.

About Inspiration Software
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc. develops and publishes innovative software tools that inspire learners of all ages to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. With more than 15 million users worldwide, the company's award-winning software is revolutionizing visual learning in education—inspiring students to develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. Founded by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's mission is to support improvements in education and make a positive difference in students' lives by providing software tools that help students learn to think.

PORTLAND, OR – March 4, 2008
InspireData^® 1.5 from Inspiration Software®, Inc., is a finalist in two categories of the Software & Information Industry Association's (SIIA) 23rd Annual CODiE Awards. The visual learning software is honored in the Best Science Instructional Solution and the Best Social Studies Instructional Solution categories.

InspireData engages students by letting them see data move before their eyes, allowing them to examine results and explore relationships instantly. This latest recognition comes close on the heels of InspireData's selection as one of the Top 100 Products of 2007-2008 by the readers of "District Administration" magazine and the presentation at the January Florida Educational Technology Conference of a 2007 Award of Excellence from "Technology & Learning" magazine.

Established in 1986, the CODiE Awards celebrate outstanding achievement and vision in the software, digital information and education technology industries. Through a unique combination of journalist and peer review, the CODiE Awards recognize 68 categories of outstanding products and services. This year's finalists represent an impressive array of technology and business excellence, passion and success. They were chosen from more than 1,100 nominations, submitted by more than 600 companies.

"Competition is tough this year and that makes selection as a CODiE finalist a real achievement," said Ken Wasch, SIIA president. "All the companies on this year's list should feel justifiably proud of their recognition."

Students in grades 4-12 use InspireData to build critical data literacy skills. They actively explore and analyze data in science, mathematics and social studies using dynamic Venn, bar, stack, pie and axis plots to interpret information and draw conclusions. Originally funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, InspireData was developed by TERC, a leading educational research and development lab committed to improving mathematics and science teaching and learning. New capabilities in InspireData 1.5 include an e-Survey function to easily publish online surveys and collect the data, more plot and expanded table options, more than 100 content-rich databases, and expanded teacher tools and resources.

"Every day teachers around the country tell us about the innovative ways they are using InspireData to help their students build data literacy skills while learning science, social studies and math," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "It is an honor to have our visual learning software receive this recognition from the education and information technology communities."

In the next step of the CODiE Awards process, SIIA members will select winners in each category. The 2008 CODiE Awards will be presented on May 20 at the CODiE Awards Gala at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. For a complete list of the 2008 CODiE Award finalists, visit http://www.siia.net/codies/2008/finalists.asp.

About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 800 leading software and information companies.

About Inspiration Software, Inc.
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc.'s award-winning software tools, Inspiration®, Kidspiration® and InspireData, are based on proven visual learning methodologies that help students think, learn and achieve. With the powerful combination of visual learning and technology, students in grades K-12 learn to clarify thoughts, organize and analyze information, integrate new knowledge and think critically. Founded 25 years ago by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's visual learning software tools are used today by more than 25 million students and teachers worldwide.

InspireData was selected as one of the Top 100 Products of 2007-2008 by the readers of "District Administration" magazine!

PORTLAND, OR — May 1, 2007
Inspiration Software® was recently honored with two 2007 Best Educational Software Awards (BESSIES) for its visual learning tools Inspiration® 8 and InspireData^®. Inspiration 8, the latest version of the company's flagship tool for students grades 6-12, received the BESSIE Award in the multi-level "Thinking Skills" category. Students use Inspiration to plan, research and complete projects successfully. This is the tenth consecutive year that Inspiration has received this honor. Just released last summer, InspireData was a newcomer to the Bessies this year, and received an award for best multi-level "Research Tool." InspireData applies the proven strategies of visual learning to data literacy, inspiring students in grades 4-12 to discover meaning as they collect and explore data in a dynamic inquiry process.

ComputED Learning Center and the Educational Software Preview Service of the San Diego Center for Educational Technology present the annual BESSIE Awards to recognize innovative and content rich programs and provide parents and teachers with a guide to the best children's educational software currently available. For more information about the ComputED Learning Center and the BESSIE awards, visit: http://computedgazette.com/.

About Inspiration Software
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc. develops and publishes innovative software tools that inspire learners of all ages to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. With more than 25 million users worldwide, the company's award-winning software is revolutionizing visual learning in education—inspiring students to develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. Founded by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's mission is to support improvements in education and make a positive difference in students' lives by providing software tools that help students learn to think.

PORTLAND, OR—November 6, 2006
Inspiration Software®, Inc. recently earned The National Parenting Center's 2006 Seal of Approval for its newest visual learning tool, InspireData^®. Released in July 2006, InspireData is the foremost tool to visualize, investigate and understand data in science, mathematics and social studies. Students use InspireData's integrated Table and Plot Views to discover meaning as they collect and explore data in a dynamic inquiry process. InspireData applies the proven strategies of visual learning to data literacy, inspiring students to formulate questions and make connections between data and its visual representations to interpret information, solve problems and draw conclusions. As a result, students develop deeper content knowledge and stronger critical thinking skills. For more information about InspireData, please visit http://www.inspiration.com/productinfo/
inspiredata/index.cfm.

Testing for The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval is a multi-step process conducted over an eight-week period. Staffed by volunteers, the testing facility of The National Parenting Center gives parents, children and educators the opportunity to examine a variety of submitted products. The testers are encouraged to play with, build, read about and judge by the reactions of the children, each product's quality. For more information about The National Parent Center Seal of Approval, visit http://www.tnpc.com.

About Inspiration Software
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc. develops and publishes innovative software tools that inspire learners of all ages to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. With more than 25 million users worldwide, the company's award-winning software is revolutionizing visual learning in education—inspiring students to develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. Founded by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's mission is to support improvements in education and make a positive difference in students' lives by providing software tools that help students learn to think.

PORTLAND, OR — November 1, 2006
Inspiration Software®, Inc. announced today that it's newest visual learning tool, InspireData^®, was honored with a Greatest Products of 2006 award by iParenting Media. iParenting Media's Award Program honors the best products in the children's media and juvenile products industries. InspireData was recognized in the Software category.

iParenting Media produces parenting information for magazines, newspaper, radio and Internet. For the awards program, products are judged by three outside reviewers: a licensed childcare facility/school, a product expert and a family. For more information about the iParenting Media Awards and to view the complete list of award winners, visit: www.iparentingmediaawards.com/.

Released in July 2006, InspireData is the foremost tool to visualize, investigate and understand data in science, mathematics and social studies. Students use InspireData's integrated Table and Plot Views to discover meaning as they collect and explore data in a dynamic inquiry process. InspireData applies the proven strategies of visual learning to data literacy, inspiring students to formulate questions and make connections between data and its visual representations to interpret information, solve problems and draw conclusions. As a result, students develop deeper content knowledge and stronger critical thinking skills. For more information about InspireData, please visit http://www.inspiration.com/inspiredata.

About Inspiration Software
Recognized as the leader in visual thinking and learning, Inspiration Software, Inc. develops and publishes innovative software tools that inspire learners of all ages to brainstorm, organize, plan and create. With more than 15 million users worldwide, the company's award-winning software is revolutionizing visual learning in education—inspiring students to develop strong thinking and organizational skills and improve their academic performance. Founded by Donald Helfgott and Mona Westhaver, the company's mission is to support improvements in education and make a positive difference in students' lives by providing software tools that help students learn to think.