What is the best education software?

Editor's note: The choices listed here were simply the top vote getters in our annual Readers' Survey. We've inserted language to make that more clear.

My son has been using Inspiration for several years in school and at home. There has been a very noticeable improvement in his grades. Another bonus: he has been much less reluctant to do his homework. Inspiration has been a blessing in this family.

The reason that I chose Inspiration, which should include Kidspiration, is the impact on the adult learners in my classroom. They are practicing teachers and school administrators, most have over 10 years experience, and the most surprising thing is how few understand and use concept mapping on a regular basis. With funds from a grant and the support of Inspiration, Co., I have worked with teachers and administrators to improve their reading comprehension, academic writing, and products for presentations with ready-made templates and templates of my own making.

I like the idea for a "best of" but after looking at a few of your categories, I have some suggestions. First of all, allow people to vote for more than one. In my opinion, there can be more than one "best" because there are so many sub-categories within these categories.
I am also wondering who came up with your choices? There is so much that you have missed (especially in your choices for 'best educational blog' - I won't even go there).
Inspiration/Kidspiration is basically the same software and could have been put into one category. It is an excellent product for education.
What is missing from your list is the software that I consider to be the "best" for education which is the software created by Tech4Learning. Their products are open-ended, creative, super easy to learn but with a similar interface to comparable "adult" products. They also have an amazing website with lesson plans and tutorials.
Like inspiration (but unlike microsoft), tech4learning is not trying to be all things to all people. They are about education-period.
-Andrea Hernandez,
K-8 Technology Coordinator
Jacksonville, FL

Not a day goes by that my students aren't involved in a lesson which includes an Inspiration template. The ability to bring all lesson elements into one place (DEstreaming videos, content activities, Internet links) makes Inspiration the perfect choice for any educator. The program is both educational and fun. My students love it...and so do I!
Katie Knapp
VA Beach, VA