 |
CATEGORY: Elementary |
 |
The web-based ST Math: K-5 Integrated Instructional System includes enhanced math content from MIND's ST Math software, as well as new features for math teaching and learning, assessment, and reporting.
Presented by a cadre of nationally known speakers with more than 20 years of product experience, Capstone's professional development program incorporates best practices with research-based products on a range of dynamic topics.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Mar 2010
For March 1, 2010: Through a collaboration of several federal government agencies, at the Women's History Month for Teachers website, teachers are presented with a variety of primary source materials to use in their classrooms.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Mar 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
Collaborations with top publishers, two public school systems, and others growDiscovery Education's library of content to more than 150,000 assets.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Feb 2010
The interactive grammar lessons on Promethean Planet are designed to help students develop critical language arts and writing skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Feb 2010
The latest version of the 22-volume encyclopedia includes thousands of new and revised articles across all disciplines and topics. The World Book Web, World Book's online information portal, includes reference collections which offer all the articles in the print edition as well as thousands more from World Book's contributors.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Feb 2010
Lexia Learning Systems has expanded its offering of "Lexia Lessons" and "Lexia Skill Builders" as a part of its Lexia Reading program. The program includes targeted practice, embedded assessment, scripted lesson plans, and offline practice to help students at all reading levels achieve proficiency.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Feb 2010
For February 1, 2010: Want to create a list of high-quality children's literature or find out if a book has won an award? Search librarian Lisa Bartle's Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Feb 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
PreK-12 educators can enter the PBS Teachers Innovation Awards program through March 12 for a chance to win a behind-the-scenes trip to the premier annual PBS event and other prizes.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Jan 2010
For Black History Month (February), Gale Cengage has again assembled a collection of activities and information to complement classroom topics.
News/Free Resources - Posted 25 Jan 2010
This newest version of the online standards mastery program offers enhanced assessment, instruction, communication and collaboration tools to help schools maximize their return on investment.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jan 2010
With Time To Know, the teacher guides the class using an engaging curriculum that is integrated with tools for classroom management, planning, assessment, and collaboration.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Jan 2010
120 ReadingA-Z leveled readers are now available for purchase at Apple's iTunes App Store as ReadSmart Edition Apps. The catalog is designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch.
News/Breaking News - Posted 20 Jan 2010
For January 15, 2010: The interactive site Fresh from the World ... Where Your Food Comes From presents the history of 15 popular foods as well as how food is grown, processed, and distributed.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jan 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
Both incorporate MIND's visual approach using spatial temporal reasoning. This game design continues to be rap¬idly adopted across the country, and to deliver remarkable results for schools, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Jan 2010
Developed for the National Center for Learning Disabilities and now supported by norm-referenced standardized scores, this research-based screening tool is designed to give early childhood educators and clinicians the information that they need to put young learners on the path to building a firm foundation in literacy skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Jan 2010
The companies have partnered to create the Heinle Community, intended as a safe and secure virtual workspace designed for learners to practice English through collaboration on projects in an authentic learning environment.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Jan 2010
In a year's time, Charlie Doe's district has placed interactive whiteboards in about 30% of their elementary classrooms and, in doing so, has made interactive whiteboard technology the envy of the district. That sparked his interest, so for this roundup, he takes a brief look at several products that offer a variety of approaches, from full whiteboards to equipment that makes a standard dry-erase whiteboard become interactive.
Educators have begun to shun the monolithic basal approach to teaching reading, opting for a more robust mix of specialized print and technology-based resources that provide intensive, dynamic, motivating methods that children embrace and enjoy. These print and technology tools must use student data as a cornerstone of an approach that intensifies and individualizes instruction. Find out more from Lexia Learning's Bob McCabe.
Podcasting, a morph of the words "iPod" and "broadcast," was first coined by U.K. journalist Ben Hammersley. (In fact, it was declared to be 2005's Word of the Year by The New Oxford American Dictionary, edging out both "Sudoku" and "trans fat" for the philological nod.) The digital medium quickly found its way into the classroom, and why not? After all, it's free, easy, and accessible, and it has the ability to power up education for students from kindergarten to college.
According to the SIIA's Vision K-20 survey, the lowest level for its Five Measures of Progress is in the use of technology-based assessment tools, with an average score of just 46%. Clearly, there's room for improvement! And since knowing more about these tools is a good first step to using them to your advantage, Victor Rivero brings you a sampling of some of the more recent excellent products and services you may find useful when it comes to gaining much-needed assistance with assessment.
Sally Finley reviews Achiever!, a student assessment program.
Susan Hixson takes a look at it's learning, an online learning platform for collaboration, planning, authoring, and the delivery of course materials and courses.
Charles Doe reviews the Read:OutLoud6 text reader from Don Johnston, Inc.
There is an economical way to introduce videoconferencing that involves inexpensive laptop computers and programs such as iChat, Skype, and ooVoo. A technology integration plan shared by a few pioneering districts in the author's area proves this point. Through it, schools have been able to make a serious commitment to the "new wave" of interactive technology at a minimal cost.
For January 1, 2010: Celebrate National Agriculture Day in your classroom or community. Each year the program promotes American agriculture and its essential role in maintaining a strong economy.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jan 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
For December 15, 2009: Build a thematic unit by searching the Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University, a great tool for elementary teachers who want to create reading lists to complement the curriculum.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Dec 2009
By
Linda C. Joseph
The website is an online destination designed to offer kids ages six and older, along with their peers, parents and teachers, a chance to explore the galaxies in fun and challenging ways.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Nov 2009
World Book’s new approach to reader’s theater provides educators a new tool for building reading fluency and content comprehension.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Nov 2009
For November 15, 2009: The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working worldwide to reconnect children with nature.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Nov 2009
By
Linda C. Joseph
Samsula School has been a successful institution since its inception in 1912, in no small part due to the commitment and involvement of the Samsula, Fla., community. But the school community had to think on its feet in February 2008 when the public school district announced its intention to close the doors of the small, rural campus, along with those of several other rural and minority schools across the county. Johanna Riddle recounts how that thinking led to action … and the hammering out of an alliance with a successful charter school that kept Samsula's doors open.
Sally Finley reviews Grzimek's Animal Life, an online animal reference database from Gale Cengage Learning.
Charles Doe reviews RAPS 360, a reading assessment program designed to identify problem areas in all aspects of reading, including phonics, visual and auditory discrimination, word meaning and recognition, fluency, comprehension, eye tracking, and more.
The new Adobe Digital School Collection for K–12 students and educators provides a software bundle that includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 8, Adobe Premiere Elements 8, Adobe Contribute CS4, Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro, and Adobe Soundbooth CS4.
Sonja Plummer-Morgan and Lisa Neal-Shaw are public librarians from Maine who have explored the use of virtual worlds with very young—and not-so-very young—children. They have found sites very helpful in encouraging curiosity and enabling tech-learning behaviors such as online communication, collaboration, composition, traditional as well as 21st-century literacies, and more, to the extent that we wanted to share their insights with our readers in K–12 education settings.
For November 1, 2009: Need ideas for a science project? Look no further than Science Buddies, a project of The Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Nov 2009
By
Linda C. Joseph
Twitter, Blogger, Facebook, MySpace, Ning: How do we help our students learn the social skills needed to understand what it really means to live and participate in a global community? How do we incorporate this into our schools and classrooms? How do we keep ourselves and our students safe? Social networking sites are mainstream media for many tweens, teens, and adults. There are even social networking sites that attract kids as young as 5 years old. This is the reality of the world we live in, and schools should reflect this reality.
The online subscription services offers an interactive reading experience with over 500 books at launch and 'flip-book' technology.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Sep 2009
The collection includes Photoshop Elements 8 and Premiere Elements 8 to help educators enhance teaching and learning of digital literacy skills, and now offers netbook compatibility support for Photoshop Elements 8 (Windows) and Adobe Photoshop Elements for the Mac platform.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Sep 2009
Charles Doe reviews the Study Buddy Handheld Tutor, a device that offers electronic multiple choice practice opportunities for students of all ages.
Sally Finley reviews Classworks Web Edition, an online subscription service that provides individualized standards-based instruction in math, reading, language arts, and science.
Susan Hixson reviews Maps101.com, a subscription-based online resource that provides access to thousands of interactive maps, videos, animated timelines, educational games, and educator resources for teaching earth science, geography, history, and social studies.
Collaboration is one of the defining characteristics of the 21st century, but many educators are still searching for ways to embrace this idea in their schools. Some technologies facilitate the creation of a collaborative learning environment better than others, but there are a number of technology tools that can lead to collaborative student and teacher engagement while also addressing budgetary and infrastructure issues. This article offers suggestions for overcoming barriers using simple tools that foster complex thinking.
For August 15, 2009: Explore the wonders of astronomy at the Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground website from the Smithsonian Institution through a variety of activities designed for elementary teachers and students.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Aug 2009
By
Linda C. Joseph
Alice Kurtz reviews Discovery Education streaming Plus, a web-based subscription servce that offers digital content and a media resource library service.
The JourneyEd Academic eStore Network (AEN) provides access to more than 15,000 online stores offering thousands of top-tier software and technology products—including programs published by Microsoft and Adobe—at discounts of up to 85% of retail prices to verified education buyers.
For June 1, 2009: Smokey Bear has been around for 65 years promoting the prevention of wildfires. Visit Smokey’s website for some expert information for kids, plus perhaps some nostalgia for you!
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jun 2009
By
Linda C. Joseph
The resources—websites offering a wide variety of content for all subjects in grades K-12—are presented by the nonprofit organization as it celebrates its eleventh anniversary.
News/Free Resources - Posted 01 May 2009
Alice Kurtz reviews eLibrary, a web-based collection of periodicals, images, learning resources, and teacher tools.
Sally Finley reviews LabQuest Library, a LabQuest-focused toolkit that includes a lab creator, lab organizer, and links to LabQuest device upgrades.
Charles Doe reviews PebbleGo, a program designed to introduce database skills and research concepts to students in grades K-2.
Sharing knowledge: In some form or another, it’s why most educators went into teaching in the first place. But traditional instructional materials don’t lend themselves to sharing between educators. New technologies now allow teachers to share and collaborate locally and globally in ways that generations past could never have imagined. These tools signal what may grow to be true disruptive change in how schools acquire and disseminate instructional and professional development resources. The nonprofit Curriki.org (www.curriki.org) is a 3-year-old organization that offers a large collection of free and open source content and collaboration tools.
EducationCity.com is now able to offer its teaching, learning, and assessment content and features to schools and other childcare establishments from Pre-K through to Grade 6.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Apr 2009
The Curious George's Dictionary app brings "the world's most curious monkey" to life in this digital version of a picture dictionary.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Apr 2009
The collection of web-delivered animated movies, quizzes, and activities is intended to help foster discussion of timely topics to help children understand the financial issues facing the nation and the world today.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 Apr 2009
For April 1, 2009: At the Arbor Day Foundation website, discover the history of Arbor Day plus a host of ways to incorporate it into the curriculum.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Apr 2009
By
Linda C. Joseph
Embedded in PBS KIDS GO!'s curriculum-based series, the new games are designed to foster greater learning comprehension and enhance the digital experience for early elementary school children.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Mar 2009
Played online on both Macs and PCs, JumpStart.com Virtual World offers a safe and secure online environment where kids can interact, explore, and learn, the announcement states.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Mar 2009
Charles Doe reviews PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection, a web-based instructional and professional development resource.
Susan Hixson reviews Learning Plans on Demand, an online program that provides teaching tools for differentiating instruction, constructs response assessments, and offers tutorials and practice activities.
The Learn360 video streaming service for K–12 education now offers a My Learn360 homepage designed to individualize the user experience for educators.
Saywire offers a combination of safe social technology and secure permission-based controls designed to provide “walled garden” social learning networks for K-12 schools.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Feb 2009
The print-on-demand library of thousands of activities across the PreK–6+ school curriculum marks its third year by offering school-site subscriptions that provide educators with the resources they need to support the varied needs of today’s students.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Jan 2009
PebbleGo is a database designed specifically for K-2 emergent readers that introduces early learners to database and research concepts with information on hundreds of animals.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Jan 2009
Inspiration Software offers a free Webcast on Jan. 29 titled “Using Visual Learning Techniques to Improve Academic Performance with Inspiration.”
News/Free Resources - Posted 19 Jan 2009
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) offers the fourth installment in its 2008-2009 Internet & Education Webcast series with “Long Tail Learners: How Technology Transforms Learning” on Jan. 21, 1-2 p.m., Eastern Time.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Jan 2009
kidthing and the National Education Association (NEA) extended the submission deadline for the “Dear Mr. President” project to Jan. 27, 2009.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Jan 2009
The quarterly challenge gives kids aged 8 to 14 a chance to hone their writing skills as they compete for prizes with hundreds of young authors.
News/Breaking News - Posted 05 Jan 2009
Energy is an essential and, at times, a controversial subject. It is important that students learn about energy sources and the impact they have in their own lives, and Linda Joseph's Cyberbee guides you this month to web resources to help them do just that.
There are many approaches—and many acronyms—related to ESL studies. Whichever approach or aspect is being considered, ESL resources have increased enormously with the introduction of computer and related electronic technologies. Charles Doe’s article offers some examples of the many fine possibilities available, with a mention of some of their more interesting features.
For January 1, 2009: Need fast facts about energy sources, how they were/are formed, and their environmental impact? Start out at the federal government’s Energy Information Administration EIA Energy Kids Page.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jan 2009
By
Linda C. Joseph
Charles Doe takes a look at Teachscape XL, a Web-based digital database with a search engine and tools to create learning materials.
Susan Hixson reviews Type to Learn 4, a keyboarding program designed for K-12 students at a variety of skill levels.
Greenovation, a sustainable lighting system upgrade with a companion curriculum, turns the classroom itself into a teaching tool.
Today’s students are truly digital learners. Outside of school they are texting, using cell phones, creating social networks on the internet, and playing interactive games online; they often do all of these things at the same time—multitasking. They expect to use some of these tools when they are in school. Teachers can create new learning opportunities for students and turn classrooms into the 21st-century global classroom when they integrate technology into the learning environment. Read on to learn from Sheila Gersh just how teachers can begin to create such environments.
H.W. Wilson announced the electronic and print publication of the “Tenth Book of Junior Authors & Illustrators,” the newest volume in the series designed to acquaint readers with the creators of outstanding young adult and children’s books.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Dec 2008
Canvastic.NET is the first online version of the company’s publishing solution for students and teachers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Dec 2008
The 2008-2009 Inspiration Software Inspired Visual Learning Awards program will recognize 15 educators and their students for creatively using visual learning in their classrooms.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Nov 2008
For November 15, 2008: Try out BookHooks and introduce your younger students to a place where they can share their book reports with other readers in a safe environment.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Nov 2008
By
Linda C. Joseph
Google Apps Education Edition offers a variety of email, calendar, and collaboration tools directly from a computer browser.
Sally Finley takes a look at Discovery Education Science for Elementary, an online standards-based science curriculum.
Resources or tools that facilitate elementary classroom processes but aren’t major curriculum or textbook components can take at least three forms: tools that help teachers with their daily work; materials (software or electronics) that can be used for learning centers with individual students or small groups of learners; and online or electronic materials and software that support the curriculum or help teaching in some other way. This article takes a look at a few examples of new technology-based possibilities for elementary education. Several of the items mentioned here can be used across grades K–12, but they are well-worth considering in an elementary resources context.
Galeschools.com is hosting Monster Vote 2008, an exercise designed to help students understand the election process and a contest offering one lucky class a chance to win a set of Monsters books from KidHaven Press.
News/Cool Links - Posted 24 Oct 2008
PBS and The Corporation for Public Broadcasting have announced the launch of PBS KIDS Island, the centerpiece of the new PBS KIDS Raising Readers website, which provides free reading games and activities for children, parents, caregivers, and teachers.
News/Free Resources - Posted 17 Oct 2008
The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Center for Public Education (CPE) received a two year $447,000 grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts to build upon an initiative to engage school boards in support of high quality voluntary pre-Kindergarten education.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Oct 2008
Welcome to Banned Books Week—Sept. 27 to Oct. 4, 2008.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Sep 2008
The American Association of School Librarians and the Children’s Book Council released the names of the contributors selected for the AASL Knowledge Quest journal’s “Meet the Author/Illustrator” column during the 2008-2009 school year.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Sep 2008
The New York Times/Carnegie Corporation of New York “I Love My Librarian” award program is now open—for the first time—to school library media specialists.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Sep 2008
The company intends kidthing as a safe and ad-free alternative to web browsers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Sep 2008
The new Kidspiration lesson plan book aims to help teachers use visual learning to build young learners’ writing skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Sep 2008
Educational publisher ETA/Cuisenaire is honoring International Literacy Day (Sept. 8) with month-long access to free resources from its new WorldScapes Global Issues book series.
News/Free Resources - Posted 15 Sep 2008
For September 15, 2008: Learn about Henry David Thoreau and his writings at The Thoreau Reader, a comprehensive website featuring online versions of many of his books and lots of links and annotations about his literary works.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Sep 2008
By
Linda C. Joseph
Inspiration Software offers a free Web cast on Oct. 16 at noon Pacific time (3 p.m. Eastern time) titled “Analyzing Close Presidential Races with InspireData: How Might a Different Winner Have Changed History?”
News/Free Resources - Posted 11 Sep 2008
Teachers' Domain is a digital library of free media online resources for teachers, and online professional development courses created by public television station WGBH.
News/Free Resources - Posted 05 Sep 2008
Charles Doe reviews Animation-ish, a computer program designed to help students create animations.
The ResourceShelf folks recently briefly noted the relaunch of the AskKids search engine and interface, something we’ve been anticipating for quite a while now.
News/Cool Links - Posted 29 Aug 2008
ABC-CLIO offers a new free online History & the Headlines resource, “Presidential Elections: In History & Today.”
News/Free Resources - Posted 29 Aug 2008
WiggleWorks, a supplemental, educational technology program for Pre-K-3rd grade students, uses leveled, interactive ebooks, reading and writing activities, and explicit instruction proven through research to develop motivated, proficient readers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Aug 2008
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) 2009 awards program includes more than $45,000 in funding for awards to AASL members.
News/Free Resources - Posted 11 Aug 2008
The 2009 application for the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) National School Library Media Program of the Year award is now available online.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Aug 2008
Rhonda Clevenson reviews Smart Talk Español, an interactive learning device designed to help students develop vocabulary, oral language, and word recognition skills.
Alie Kurtz reivews Learn360, a video streaming service for K-12.
Charles Doe reviews Lexia Reading v5, a collection of three software programs combined with management functions.
Susan Hixson reviews Kidspiration 3, the latest version of the cross-curricular visual learning program for grades K-5.
Bookshare.org and Don Johnston, Inc. are participating in a partnership to provide qualified print disabled students with a free text reader to access electronic books from the Bookshare.org library, beginning in September 2008.
News/Free Resources - Posted 13 Mar 2008
ISTE releases new books on RSS and PowerPoint with an educator perspective.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Mar 2008
Sally Finley reviews LabQuest, a handheld data collection tool that can be used as a stand-alone device or a computer interface.
Susan Hixson reviews DOMA, an Internet-based supplemental math assessment program for use with grades K-12.
The new Teacher One Stop offers documents, tools, and multimedia files with search capabilities, technologies, and resources designed to streamline and simplify educators’ planning activities.
For March 1, 2008: If you are looking for information on the hot topic of biotechnology, for an annotated list of books about agriculture, or if you just need to know the date for National Cream Puff Day or International Pickles Week (!), then look no further than the American Farm Bureau Foundation's Educating for Agriculture website.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Mar 2008
By
Linda C. Joseph
Geocaching, using GPS technology, is loads of fun, and it offers lots of educational opportunities as well. Yes, even in the media center. Media specialists are good at making curricular connections, and, says Mary Alice Anderson, the curriculum connections with geocaching are easy to see. Don't believe it?? Read and learn.
With agricultural commodities so readily accessible in the U.S., it is easy to forget how the baked ham, green beans, pineapple, and rolls with butter arrive on the dinner plate in some countries, but not in others. Learning about agricultural practices, economics, and the importance of farming will go a long way in helping students understand one aspect of global interdependence. Prepare your students for a trip to a working farm by visiting these websites, all vetted by Cyberbee, aka longtime MMIS columnist and educator Linda Joseph.
The SMART document camera enables teachers to display detailed images and video of any physical object and instantly incorporate that material into digital lessons using the SMART Board interactive whiteboard and Notebook collaborative learning software.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Feb 2008
The first GenevaLogic Visionary Grants were awarded by the GenevaLogic Foundation in late January.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Feb 2008
The AV Tutor is a handheld player/recorder that allows students to compare their pronunciation of words with prerecorded "model" examples. It offers enhanced sound quality and, being a digital device, requires little maintenance.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Feb 2008
The upgrade of Kidspiration features new visual math tools and enhanced capabilities for building literacy skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Feb 2008
For February 1, 2008: It's winter, and the height of the cold and flu season, time to meet The Scrub Club in their quest to encourage effective hand washing to avoid infections.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Feb 2008
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new, free website helps teachers and parents match the right book to the right child based on four different reading level systems, interests, and previously enjoyed books.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Jan 2008
SMART Technologies announced the addition of 100 SMART-created lesson activities to the Curriki global education and learning community, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing free education materials.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Jan 2008
The new Pokémon Learning League program provides lessons on internet safety and media literacy for lower and upper elementary level students and includes teacher and parent resources.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jan 2008
The MIND Research Institute’s visual math courseware programs for grades K-12 are now available in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Jan 2008
enVisionMATH combines digital animations and visual learning to build an innovative program for 21st century learners.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Jan 2008
Vernier Software & Technology offers free hands-on workshops designed to help educators learn ways to integrate computer and handheld data collection technology into any science or math curriculum.
News/Free Resources - Posted 23 Jan 2008
To help celebrate the recently announced ALA Awards (Newbery, Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, and others), Teachingbooks.net has announced it is offering free access to a great batch of original short movies and readings by the award winners.
News/Free Resources - Posted 17 Jan 2008
Reinventing Project Based Learning: Your Field Guide to Real-World Projects in the Digital Age offers educators a practical guide for maximizing the benefits of project-based learning in today’s technology-rich learning environment.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Jan 2008
Projects should be designed to increase knowledge of scientific phenomena and provide opportunities for the application of that knowledge to environmental issues relevant to the students. Approximately $4 million in grants will be awarded.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Jan 2008
For January 15, 2008: There are times when we simply have to "hold" a resource, touch it, and see it firsthand. The Library of Congress’ Primary Source Tool Kit website can make this possible!
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jan 2008
By
Linda C. Joseph
Discovery Education Science for Elementary is designed to empower educators to engage student minds with science while reinforcing important literacy and mathematics skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Jan 2008
Enhancements to the new versions of these databases include an "Analyze" section that helps students examine key dilemmas in history, grapple with issues, and build historical inquiry skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Jan 2008
Educational video publisher School Specialty Media offers its new online Learn360 video streaming service for K-12.
News/Breaking News - Posted 05 Jan 2008
Do you still remember the thrill of receiving a summer postcard from your teacher? How exciting it was to open the mailbox and find that personal piece of mail waiting—and to realize that your teacher was thinking of you. Perhaps the photograph on the face of the card led you to the encyclopedia to learn more about a particular place, while a handwritten line or two described a cultural experience, unusual food, or new language. Travel postcards, sent by thoughtful teachers over the years, have broadened the world of many a child. Yesterday’s postcards have gone high-tech. Weblogs, or blogs, enable today’s teachers to send a new kind of post, sharing their travel experiences as they unfold. Blogs provide an up-to-the-minute opportunity for teachers to continue to educate their students through semester breaks, to interact with their school communities, and to share experiences and locales that encourage understanding of the broader world. And those 21st century postcards come complete with the ability to upload and publish journal entries, photos, slideshows, audio, video, and educational links.
Charles Doe reviews Fluent Reading Trainer (FLRT), a Web-based program that helps students increase reading speed while improving or maintaining reading comprehension.
Susan Hixson reviews Knowledge Adventure Activity Builder, an online teacher tool.
The encyclopedia includes access to The World Book Web, World Book's suite of online publications, featuring all the articles in the print edition as well as thousands more from World Book's contributors and access to additional resources.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Dec 2007
Soliloquy Reading Assistant 4.1 updates the reading fluency program with easier software installation, support of Windows Vista, and more.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Nov 2007
The Decision ’08 resource, designed specifically for classroom instruction, offers up-to-the-minute presidential election news through a video-on-demand user interface, allowing teachers to customize their lesson plans with compelling and relevant content to bring the election process and political issues to life, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Nov 2007
With end-of-grade, back-to-basics, multiple-choice testing for the masses and mechanical instruction methods, there’s growing concern that children are not learning to problem solve as much as they are mastering memorization of isolated facts in order to answer test questions. Yet, when they get home from school, children eagerly devour new information and concepts through the virtual environments of video games. In what I call a stealth-learning environment, children develop skills that connect and manipulate information in the virtual worlds of video games without really knowing that they’re learning.
Sally Finley reviews Tool Factory Podcasting, a Windows-based program that provides the tools needed to create and publish podcasts.
Susan Hixson reviews Rapid Resources, an online teacher's tool for differentiating instruction.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) released “Differentiating Instruction with Technology in K-5 Classrooms,” a book written by Grace E. Smith and Stephanie Throne.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Oct 2007
Literature Criticism Online provides access to hundreds of volumes from 10 Gale literary series.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Sep 2007
FileMaker Pro Basics provides a comprehensive downloadable set of free training materials designed to help K-12 educators learn the essentials of creating FileMaker Pro databases.
News/Free Resources - Posted 21 Sep 2007
The Sally Ride Science blog features a series of science-themed entries designed to help elementary and middle school teachers illustrate real-world applications of science concepts and spark classroom discussions.
News/Free Resources - Posted 08 Sep 2007
The new product, designed for third- through fifth-graders, is becoming available just as schools are facing new No Child Left Behind testing requirements in science.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Sep 2007
In this article, Part 5 of his series of reviews, Robert Congleton continues his conversations with representatives of vendors--in this case, ePals, LearningExpress, and Teen Health & Wellness--about how they are addressing the growing K–12 classroom reliance on electronic resources, the products they currently offer, and what new resources they plan to release in the near future. The article also describes updates on enhancements and new products that have been released in the last year by five of the vendors previously reviewed in this series: Gale, Greenwood Electronic Media, TeachingBooks.net, World Book, Grolier Online/Scholastic, Inc.
John Drag, Jr. reviews Simon S.I.O. (Sounds It Out), a tutor-led phonics intervention program for students of all ages who may be experiencing difficulty in mastering phonological awareness.
Charles Doe reviews TeacherFilebox.com, an online collection of instructional resources for PreK-6 educators.
The Web-delivered supplemental curriculum is intended to help teachers develop students’ fundamental math skills while developing their problem-solving abilities.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Aug 2007
The National Air and Space Museum offers a variety of classroom resources, including online activities and teaching materials, designed for use in learning across the curriculum.
News/Free Resources - Posted 08 Jul 2007
The “social networking” generation is writing, and this writing is important to them. Schools must find a way to merge these informal writing activities with the writing activities found in classrooms. It’s possible that the use of social networking technologies with classroom writing programs could make writing in school interesting enough to motivate students to tackle the more formal writing needed for college, business, and other activities in adult life. Charles Doe's latest "Look At ... " article examines some of the software and Webware possibilities inspired by social computing as well as some of the newer computer- and Internet-based writing tools.
Charles Doe reviews the Radius Audio Learning System, a hardware product that plays CD-ROMs and reads digital activity cards to process information and student responses.
The software provides 2,400 explicitly leveled vocabulary words that build background knowledge and contribute to improved reading comprehension. These “Core Literacy” vocabulary words are reinforced with high-quality audio pronunciations of all words and definitions.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Jun 2007
The new supplemental program offers individualized instruction for early learners.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Jun 2007
The Franklin Institute Science Museum presents online materials designed to extend the experience of the museum’s King Tut exhibit with activities geared to the K-12 science curriculum.
News/Free Resources - Posted 22 Jun 2007
As part of its comprehensive MAP Growth Measures assessment system, the new primary grades assessment offers teachers improved tools to place young students in appropriate curricula, in addition to accurately identifying student abilities.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Jun 2007
Scholastic BookFlix pairs classic fictional video storybooks with nonfiction e-books in a new online format.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Jun 2007
Charles Doe reviews The Bridge of Vocabulary, a program that includes a book with 100 vocabulary activities and a companion CD-ROM that provides more than 300 additional activities.
Susan Hixson reviews Study Island, an online program that delivers curriculum content and assessment features tied to state standards.
TeacherFileBox.com, a subscription-based print-on-demand library, provides 7,000 supplemental learning activities across the elementary school curriculum, from Pre-K through grade 6.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Apr 2007
This month, ngm.com examines the global fishing crisis from a number of perspectives.
News/Free Resources - Posted 01 Apr 2007
Saxon Math Publishers, an imprint of Harcourt Education, will introduce a new version of the Saxon Math elementary program this fall.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Mar 2007
Math FACTMASTER for grades one through six is now available in an online edition.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 Mar 2007
AutoSkill International now offers an optional SpanishTutor module for its Academy of MATH intervention software.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Mar 2007
Sally Finley reviews First in MATH, a Web site that provides access to the 24 Game series, mathematics fact practice, test preparation, and critical thinking skills activities.
Susan Hixson reviews WebLesssons, an online multimedia resource that replaces the typical browser window with a student learning path.
Three new GenevaLogic Vision Kits provide individual classrooms and entire schools with classroom management tools for effective computer teaching.
Applications will be accepted until March 1 for the AASL School Librarian's Workshop Scholarship.
News/Free Resources - Posted 20 Feb 2007
H.W. Wilson announced the addition of 28 science education journals to its Science Full Text Select database.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Feb 2007
The services makes thousands of educational activities for K-5 math and spelling available.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Feb 2007
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) is gathering data for a longitudinal survey of school library media programs.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Feb 2007
GenevaLogic now offers three new education kits designed to provide individual classrooms and entire schools with classroom management tools for effective computer teaching.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Feb 2007
By Kids For Kids Co. (BKFK) and Mattel are partnering for the third annual “Invent-A-Toy” World Games competition for youngsters ages 5-19.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Jan 2007
The National Geographic Web site, Ngm.com/, explores a variety of subjects--and many corners of the world--in the month of January.
News/Free Resources - Posted 05 Jan 2007
The teacher resource book provides over 50 curriculum-aligned lessons to accompany the activity files included in the software programs Scholastic Keys and MaxData.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Jan 2007
Susan Hixson reviews Rand McNally Classroom, a Web site designed for teaching the K-12 curriculum in social studies, history and geography.
Charles Doe reviews WriteBrain, a Web-based multimedia writing program.
An online product designed for younger users, English-language learners, and reluctant readers, World Book Kid offers simple navigation, easy to read content, bright colors, and bold graphics.
This article begins with a look at some examples of the excellent smaller, more narrowly focused elementary programs available on CD and moves on to examples of some of the outstanding, more far-reaching programs available via the Web or a network of some type. As usual, Charlie Doe has the category covered in this latest roundup.
Podcasting is emerging as one of those technological diamonds in the rough that has the potential to reshape the way we look at the Internet, mass media, and ourselves. With a multimedia computer, easy-to-use recording software, and some storage space on the Internet, everyone can build a podcasting production center of their very own. Podcasting is headed for a classroom near you, so read Dan Schmit's feature to be ready for it!
Multimedia online technologies now offer an unprecedented ability to enable every student, teacher, and even every family to "meet" the authors of books they are reading. If you have ever seen an author speak or have hosted authors in your school, you have experienced the impact meeting an author has on a personal relationship to a book. It humanizes the book, it reveals the person and personality that created it, and more. This article highlights specific ways you can replicate these personal connections to authors and illustrators by optimizing a variety of multimedia and online technologies.
A new HP initiative will award grants totaling $3.9 million in cash and HP equipment to K-12 public schools in the United States and Puerto Rico.
News/Free Resources - Posted 28 Dec 2006
Vantage Learning’s MY Access! Home Edition gives parents the tools they need to help their kids boost their writing skills and confidence levels, the announcement states.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Dec 2006
EBSCO Publishing introduced a new way for users to learn about EBSCOhost interface enhancements.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Dec 2006
For December 1, 2006: Fact Monster, a great, free research, homework help, and just plain fun site from Information Please, provides loads of features targeted to students.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Dec 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
Virtual Economics 3.0, a CD-based program from The National Council on Economic Education (NCEE), provides more than 1200 activity-based economics and personal finance lessons for K-12.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Nov 2006
For November 15, 2006: At the Nutrition Café, "where nutrition information is fun,"students get to learn about and demonstrate their knowledge of nutritional facts.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Nov 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
A team of Canadian educators who are specialists in their content areas worked with Thinkronize to identify and evaluate high quality resources that specifically support Canadian teachers and students.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Nov 2006
netTrekker now includes access to Teachers’ Domain, the result of a partnership between Thinkronize, the developer of the netTrekker educational search products, and WGBH Educational Foundation, the producer of Teachers’ Domain.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Nov 2006
The folks at the ReadWriteThink Web site—a partnership between the International Reading Association (IRA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the Verizon Foundation—have an excellent collection of resources of their own making, plus links to many more, to use during National American Indian Heritage Month.
News/Free Resources - Posted 06 Nov 2006
Don Johnston, the founder and leader of the multimedia company that bears his name, has written an autobiography designed to inspire struggling students to become self-learning advocates and to take charge of their own learning process.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Nov 2006
Schools and districts can now purchase access to Hotmath.com as a content upgrade to netTrekker d.i.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Nov 2006
Reviewer Sally Finley takes a look at Blue Zones: Quest for the True Fountain of Youth, the latest online exploration from Questmaster Dan Buettner.
The CultureGrams report series provides an insider's perspective on the daily life and culture of countries across the globe, including background information on customs, lifestyle, and country-specific recipes.
The Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) offers a variety of free online resources for K-12 educators and students, including curriculum information, lesson plans, bibliographies, and teacher workshops.
News/Free Resources - Posted 26 Oct 2006
There are more than 150 new video, DVD, and CD-ROM titles for grades K-12,
including animated series, now available in the Discovery School line of products.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Oct 2006
For October 15, 2006: “You never know where a science fair project will take you.” That’s the philosophy behind the creation of the School Science Fairs Web site! Cyberbee says the site should be your first stop when looking for science fair project ideas.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Oct 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new version includes Web delivery, advanced reporting capabilities, and
speech-recognition enhancements.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Oct 2006
Educators can now help their students gain a deeper understanding of the world by blending unitedstreaming’s broadband videos on historical, geographical, or other subjects with Google Earth’s cutting-edge geography content.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Oct 2006
Educators and students can access the new standards-based online educational suite from
Pokémon USA through a free trial until the end of the year.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Oct 2006
MaxData is designed to teach students all aspects of data handling, from the first steps of simple representation of data, to learning database concepts such as fields, field types, records, tables, and filters.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Oct 2006
The new feature in World Book’s Online Reference Center is intended to help students and their parents better understand the issues around global warming, from the science to the politics.
News/Free Resources - Posted 04 Oct 2006
The National Science Foundation (NSF) offers an online collection of lessons and Web resources, most of which come from the National Science Digital Library (NSDL).
News/Free Resources - Posted 29 Sep 2006
The Bridge of Vocabulary, a book and CD set available November 13, offers an explicit vocabulary intervention program developed for general and special educators.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Sep 2006
All content from the upcoming 19th edition of Children’s Catalog is now available on WilsonWeb.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Sep 2006
The upgraded edition of TechKnowledge, the online interactive technology literacy program for students in PreK-6th grade, offers a variety of new features.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Sep 2006
Topics in BrainPOP Jr. are chosen to correlate with national standards and testing mandates but are written in fun and understandable language for children.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Sep 2006
The site starts with content from World Book’s Student Discovery Encyclopedia and adds activities that apply to the thousands of articles to provide students with an active learning environment.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Sep 2006
Susan Hixson reviews Let's Go Learn/Reading, a K-12 diagnostic assessment program.
Reviewer Sally Finley writes about MathAmigo 4, a standards-based math software program.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) released the second edition of the popular book, “Spreadsheet Magic” by Pamela Lewis.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Aug 2006
The B/D Letter Olympics, a new reading program for K-2 students, helps young readers develop visual discrimination of the letters b and d.
News/Breaking News - Posted 05 Aug 2006
Curriculum Associates released Passwords: Science Vocabulary for students in grades 3-12. The program is part of a series designed to help students develop academic language.
News/Breaking News - Posted 31 Jul 2006
Waterford 4.0 features expanded content, reporting, and functionality to improve instruction in early reading, math, and science.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Jul 2006
WriteBrain, from Sunburst Technology and DigitalXperts, offers a comprehensive Web-based writing program for grades 2-8.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jul 2006
Sally Finley takes a look at Simulation Explorer, a collection of six science simulations presented at two levels of difficulty based on variables.
Charles Doe reviews Type to Learn Jr. New Keys for Kids, a keyboarding program for students in grades K-2.
SirsiDynix and INFOhio, the Information Network for Ohio Schools, announced that 140 librarians and educators in Ohio are creating content for SirsiDynix SchoolRooms.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Jun 2006
Imbee.com is a blogging site for children ages 8 to 14. What!!??? you're saying. Not safe!! Well, with all the concern over kids posting and publishing to the Web, it's worth reading the EContent article by Jared Bernstein to see how the imbee.com folks create an environment they say is safe even for kids that young. (From Information Today, Inc.’s EContent magazine)
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 13 Jun 2006
The newly updated unitedstreaming video-on-demand service will include new multimedia assets, live curriculum-based Web seminars led by education technology experts, and hundreds of additional educational video titles.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Jun 2006
For June 1, 2006: The USDA's Sci4Kids Web site is a series of stories for students ages 8-13 illustrating the work of the Agriculture Department scientists. Learn how satellites determine where cows Moo-ve (roam) and why that is important, how food might be grown in space, and lots more.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jun 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
The Summer Reading Buzz site will have cool activities and contests for kids, informative tips and tools for parents, and downloable materials for librarians to make summer reading enjoyable and fun, according to Scholastic.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 May 2006
MAP for Primary Grades, newly released by Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), provides a computer-based adaptive assessment for students in grades K-2.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 May 2006
Crick Software's Clicker 5 K-6 writing and creativity tool is now available in a Mac edition.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 May 2006
The new program is research-based and designed to deliver engaging, targeted reading intervention for students in grades 3-6.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 May 2006
Tom Snyder’s GO Solve Word Problems and The Graph Club will be included in the Elementary Math package.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 May 2006
The Education Desktop is a customized Internet portal for teachers and students that provides access to education-appropriate applications and tools.
Math, computers, and the Internet make a wonderful combination that seems to be producing better, more effective, and more interesting math educational materials every day. Internet technology—driven by speedy DSL access, increasing flexibility of use, and a large (and growing) potential audience—is providing an exciting forum for the development of some really outstanding math resources. Charlie Doe takes a look at the territory in this math roundup.
This month, Cyberbee sets his and your sites on water, streams, and creeks, where your students can experience great adventures. Discover all sorts of creatures and plants that live in this aquatic habitat, investigate the health of the creek and its impact on the overall environment, and lots more. Prepare for your journey by visiting these Web sites for information and lesson ideas.
The first Straight Curve product—Straight Curve Mathematics Series 2—is scheduled for release in summer 2006.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Apr 2006
Part of Tool Factory’s On Track Series, Spell Track is composed of self-paced activities, unique word lists, and reinforcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Apr 2006
Twenty new science movies and a Spanish version of BrainPOP are currently launching.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Apr 2006
The new version of the integrated writing, graphics, and publishing tool for students in grades K-8 features dozens of refinements.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Apr 2006
For April 1, 2006: Each spring when the falcons nest, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources sets up the Ohio Peregrine Falcons site, using a live cam on the 41st floor of the Rhodes Tower in Columbus.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Apr 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
netTrekker d.i. now includes readability ratings for its bank of online classroom resources.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Mar 2006
The broadband educational video service has been designed for “kids
who live and learn online.”
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Mar 2006
For March 15, 2006: Life re-emerges as we spring into spring! Take frogs, for instance. At the Something Froggy Web site, choose from the Primary (K-3) or the Junior (4-8) version to learn about frogs and their life cycle.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Mar 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
In support of April’s designation as National Poetry Month, Southfarm Press offers a poetry and cut paper book illustration contest open to children in grades K-3.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Mar 2006
Thomson Gale provides free online access to a variety of Earth Day-related materials, including experiments, information on the environment, related Web links, tools for teachers and parents, and environment-focused Thomson Gale titles.
News/Free Resources - Posted 12 Mar 2006
BrainPOP offers free online movies on topics related to Earth Day throughout the month of April.
News/Free Resources - Posted 10 Mar 2006
Susan Hixson takes a look at updates to the math portion of ST Math + Music from MIND Institute.
For March 1, 2006: Ah, yes. March! That transitional, traditionally windy month. What you need is Kite Flying, a complete lesson on kite flying for all age levels.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Mar 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
Linda Joseph's CyberBee this month helps you and your students transform your schoolyard into a launchpad; experiment with aerodynamics, Newton's laws, and Bernoulli's principle; create geometric kites and sleek paper airplanes; measure distances; determine the best flying designs and discover why they were successful; and more ... by guiding you to some terrific kite- and paper-airplane-related math and science Web sites.
In this article, Johanna Riddle offers four elementary-level projects that use technology as the mortar of interdisciplinary and inter-literacy learning. Some of the technology applications are as simple as scanning an image or clicking a digital camera. All four of these projects spring from works of literature that are common to most school media centers. They follow a framework that includes introducing a work of literature, learning a technology process, providing reading and working time, self-evaluation, and group discussion of outcomes The communication skills garnered by the students build on each other from project to project and year to year.
For February 15, 2006: Electric Universe is "a universe of information about electricity, how it affects our lives, and how to harness its power safely." Check out "Louie's Space" and other electrifying spots on the site!
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Feb 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
“Artopia is a comprehensive Web-based arts experience designed for middle school students, covering the visual and performing arts.” (from the Artopia Web site) And … it’s really fun!! (from MMISXtra)
News/Free Resources - Posted 06 Feb 2006
With the Merit Text Talker, all of the passages, questions, answers, tips, and explanations students view on the screen in Merit reading, grammar, and vocabulary improvement programs can be spoken aloud.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Feb 2006
Play Index, applauded by Reference Quarterly as “the preeminent play-finding index,” is now available as a WilsonWeb online reference.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Feb 2006
Read&Write 8.0 GOLD enables students in grades 3 and up who struggle to read and write to use mainstream classroom software alongside their peers, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 31 Jan 2006
The new courseware was developed specifically to meet the instructional reading needs of students in the “tween” years.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jan 2006
The programs are designed to provide effective differentiated instruction, immediate, corrective feedback, and vocabulary support in students’ native languages in an effort to provide tools to help English Language Learners (ELLs) become fluent readers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 20 Jan 2006
Custom Inspiration and Kidspiration graphic organizer templates will support Zaner-Bloser’s Strategies for Writers program.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Jan 2006
The software’s emphasis is on teaching children math concepts through challenging computer games that use simple visual objects and virtual machines that they can manipulate to solve problems, without using any words or symbols.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jan 2006
The site is designed to help students, teachers, and families celebrate the month.
News/Free Resources - Posted 05 Jan 2006
CyberBee, aka Linda Joseph, takes a tour of Web sites all about puzzles in this issue, covering puzzle history, puzzles for learning, puzzle generators, and more.
For January 1, 2006: Students will be fascinated by Henry Box Brown, who mailed himself to freedom. His story is told in UNC Chapel Hill's Documenting the American South digital publishing initiative.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jan 2006
By
Linda C. Joseph
The growth measure informs instruction and prepares districts and states for upcoming NCLB accountability provisions, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 21 Dec 2005
For December 15, 2005: At the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) site, the focus in on developing children's as well as family literacy programs. RIF's Reading Planet is full of fun activities that lead the way!
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Dec 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
The program’s new teaching system and management tools will have greater impact on helping older struggling readers, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Dec 2005
Last week's Internet Scout Project Scout Report gives you the basics on this interesting, charming, and ultimately useful project and literature resource. See what new perspectives it might bring to your students' reading or literature study.
News/Free Resources - Posted 05 Dec 2005
The company’s Reading Readiness adaptive early reading system is designed to help educators manage K-2 students’ individual literacy needs.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Nov 2005
Expanded book and author online resources will help connect students to reading through technology, according to the TeachingBooks.net announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Nov 2005
The DIBELS assessment evaluates kindergartners and first-graders in six areas: word use fluency, initial sound fluency, letter naming fluency, phoneme segmentation fluency, oral reading fluency, and nonsense word fluency.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Nov 2005
The new Teachers’ Guide provides tutorials, tips, online and print resources, and specific curriculum-based projects in which U.S. teachers can participate to establish school-to-school global interaction on the Internet.
News/Free Resources - Posted 15 Nov 2005
Over 40 new features and refinements are included in this release of the integrated writing, graphics, and publishing tool for students in grades K-8.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Nov 2005
Databases can inspire novel approaches to creating curriculum. As teachers become familiar with them, their thinking about lesson planning and student research often moves in innovative directions. In this article, Sarah Cooper describes five projects through which librarians can take the lead in helping history and English teachers see the potential of this new world of sources. Included is coverage of database resources from Accessible Archives, Country Watch, EBSCO, Gale, JSTOR, LexisNexis, NewsBank, The OED Online, and ProQuest.
Districts nationwide are assessing progress toward achieving technology goals through a beta program that uses Learning.com's TechLiteracy Assessment.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Oct 2005
Discovery Health Connection now includes 16 curriculum programs, three Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) Model Programs, correlations to every state’s educational standards, and more than 100 new literacy lessons, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Oct 2005
For October 15, 2005: Miami Museum of Science's Atoms Family Web site presents a seasonal way to explore energy forms, hosted by the likes of Wolfman, Count Dracula, and their ilk.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Oct 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
The standards-based activities are organized by state, subject area, grade level, and keyword for searching on SMART’s new Web site for educators.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Oct 2005
Kids Search combines a state-of-the-art search engine (powered by EBSCOhost) with a child-friendly, graphically-rich design.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Oct 2005
The e-book book—latest in a series of initiatives in the Libraries Matter campaign—is available free to all public libraries and elementary schools in North America for use on their Web sites.
News/Free Resources - Posted 06 Oct 2005
Key Skills for Reading: Vocabulary Development software offers activities that isolate and reinforce skills needed to meet vocabulary growth requirements in grades 1 to 3, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Sep 2005
CompassLearning Odyssey Matemáticas is designed to address language needs in the math classroom.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Sep 2005
For September 1, 2005: Just right for the upcoming Constitution and Citizenship Day, Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline introduces key historical events while allowing students to think about the issues.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Sep 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
Linda Joseph's CyberBee offers a wide assortment of resources to help you with activities for your class in support of Constitution and Citizenship Day, coming up this month.
The very nature of science as an ever-changing discipline requires timely and updated tools to deliver instruction within the science classroom. Technology programs provide the perfect solution to engage today’s students in scientific inquiry. This article covers science software in the categories of standards-driven teaching, simulations, inquiry, and science tools.
This article examines a sampling of cutting-edge early literacy products for a variety of uses: full curriculum, limited computer access, adaptive computer-based instruction, large and Web-based programs, Reading + Writing and ESL, and home or school. Keep in mind that this is not an attempt to cover the entire category; these programs were selected as good examples of their types.
In this story, Mike Lambert and Margaret Carpenter, educators at Hong Kong International School, outline a range of approaches that “harness the power of images” in their teaching. Among the article subheads: Digitize ... Then Verbalize; Iconize ... Then They’ll Memorize; Use Visual Prompts to Encourage Creativity and Lateral Thinking. There’s also a sidebar of some brief stories from vendors whose products tap into visual learning.
For August 1, 2005: Glorious to look at and a breeze to navigate, the Children’s Butterfly Web site is a great exploration starting point for students.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Aug 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new Web site was specifically designed for tweens, to engage, entertain, and educate them about the features of the new FLY pentop computer.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Jul 2005
For July 15, 2005: Coolmath4kids is loaded with thinking games that will keep kids occupied for hours, so it can make a good break from outside activities on a hot summer day.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jul 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
Being from the National Geographic Society, this news site is wide ranging, and both educator and student friendly.
News/Free Resources - Posted 15 Jul 2005
The FLY pentop computer offers a range of innovative applications for tweens (grades 3-8) to learn, communicate, and game.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jul 2005
Assessment and instructional content in Version 4.0 are now comprehensively aligned with every state’s content standards.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jul 2005
Knowledge Adventure’s latest in the Math Blaster series offers thousands of practice problems to help K-6 students master math basics.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jul 2005
Knowledge Adventure’s new early literacy program features a classroom management system designed to help individualize learning for K-1 students.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jul 2005
The company has added an authoring and game-sharing system to the Classroom Jeopardy package.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jul 2005
The partnership, an extension of the Adobe Digital Kids Club program, is intended to make it easier for K-12 educators to take advantage of digital cameras and photo editing software in the classroom.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jul 2005
For July 1, 2005: Too hot? Check out polar bears and other critters cooling it in their simulated natural habitats at the San Diego zoo.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jul 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
A review of Predictive Assessment Series, an assessment tool for K-12.
A review of Differentiated Instruction: Success for Every Student, a free online professional development resource.
A product review of "Fractions with Professor Von Strudel," math software for grades 2-6.
Math teachers and their students have a huge number of instructional, testing, tutorial, and other materials available in a bewildering array of formats. Programs and services are offered as software for personal computers or hand-held devices, on stand-alone handhelds and calculators, and as Web-based subscription services. This article takes a look at some of the instructional, testing, and tutorial software or Web-based programs and services for math teaching.
In Part 2 of his Database News series, Robert Congleton looks at the products offered by Facts On File, Greenwood Electronic Publishing, netTrekker, NewsBank, and World Book.
Over 150 new video, DVD, and CD-ROM titles for grades K-12 have been added to the Discovery School line.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Jun 2005
Key Skills: Phonics Mastery software is designed to reinforce phonics skills for students in grades K to 3 through more than 80 educational activities.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Jun 2005
For June 15, 2005: Enter the front gate, virtually, of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis via this Web site developed by the St. Louis Public Library.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jun 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
There are new, age-specific home pages and more powerful search capabilities in this latest Grolier, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 Jun 2005
Librarian Marylaine Block’s Neat New Stuff I Found This Week was our tip-off to this quality teacher resource of historical maps and excellent accompanying lesson plans.
News/Free Resources - Posted 08 Jun 2005
Project SMARTArt was created to integrate two principal tenets of media literacy – critical analysis and self-expression – into traditional curricula, according to Tessa Jolls, president of the Center for Media Literacy.
News/Free Resources - Posted 03 Jun 2005
Additions include Assignment Discovery titles, new digital images, and classroom integration ideas.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Jun 2005
Version 5.7 includes a universal import utility for processing test data and an improved benchmarking test with 6,000 test items.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Jun 2005
Improvements include enhancements requested by existing NoveList and NoveList K-8 customers, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 May 2005
For May 15, 2005: Time-warp back 65 million years with Dino Russ (aka geologist Russ Jacobson) to the age of dinosaurs.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 May 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
Announced at the 2005 International Reading Association Convention in San Antonio, the Riverdeep products are Destination Reading Course III for grades 4-6, Course IV for grades 6-8, and Course V, a high-school-appropriate Proficiency Course for students who have not mastered the foundational reading skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 May 2005
Yearly ProgressPro Reading/Language Arts fulfills educators’ need for effective ongoing progress monitoring and data-driven instruction to support student achievement, according to McGraw-Hill’s announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 May 2005
Read&Write 7.1E Gold, featuring Spanish translation tools, is designed to level the playing field for students in grades 3 and up who struggle to read and write in English.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 May 2005
Using mCLASS reading assessment software and the Gear Up! reading series, teachers can assess students’ reading ability using a handheld computer, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 May 2005
MetaMetrics, Inc.’s three-day conference, to be held August 8-10 in Research Triangle Park, NC, will focus on linking reading assessment and instruction across the curriculum and grade levels.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 May 2005
Scholastic’s Text Talk is a research-based program intended to build oral vocabulary and comprehension skills through language-rich “Talk about Text.”
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 May 2005
Discovery Health Connection is a Web-based subscription service that provides a digital library of health and prevention resources for K-12 teachers including curriculum guides, worksheets, videos, and extension activities that address nine health and prevention issues for students.
Soliloquy Reading Assistant 3.0 helps students improve reading skills by providing additional practice at reading aloud at school, supplementing teachers' reading lessons. The program listens to students as they read, provides intelligent intervention when needed, and reports student performance to the teacher. Both grade-level reading material and excellent managing software is available.
Take It to the Computer: Writing Sentences and Paragraphs provides center activities for writing using practice exercises, graphic organizers, and a drawing program.
For May 1, 2005: Learn all about the artist D.B. Johnson and his unique process for creating the illustrations in his award-winning children's books based on the life of Henry David Thoreau.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 May 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
In this issue, CyberBee has hunted down a collection of zoo Websites comprising a treasure-trove of educational information that will captivate kids for hours.
Math + Music is a nonlanguage-based program that combines computer activity-based instruction with specialized piano training designed to help teach K-5 math standards, enhance problem-solving skills, and raise math scores on standardized tests.
New writing prompts aligned by level and thematic unit to the scope and sequence of SRA/Open Court Reading--a core reading program adopted by school districts for both instructional and intervention reading strategies--extend the MY Access! program.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 May 2005
Discovery Education’s acquisition of health and prevention curriculum programs from the Comprehensive Health Education Foundation is intended to enhance its Discovery Health Connection—a new online library of K-12 health and prevention content.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Apr 2005
PLATO’S Todos a leer con PLATO Achieve Now curriculum is designed to help ELLs develop literacy skills with materials in Spanish.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Apr 2005
Do you know Danny Sullivan's SearchEngineWatch? Follow the link to this article and check out the site.
News/Cool Links - Posted 19 Apr 2005
Did you know it was National Poetry Month? Well, it is, and new in Thomson Gale's Free Resources space is its Poet's Corner.
News/Free Resources - Posted 15 Apr 2005
For April 15, 2005: Get ready for a summer geology adventure. Your budding rock hounds won't want to miss the Rock Hounds Web site ...
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Apr 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
In Read and Understand Poetry, lessons guide teachers in introducing and reading poems chosen especially for students at their grade level, according to the announcement. Each title in the series contains approximately 27 poetry selections ranging from rhyming verse and haiku to free verse, limerick, and ballad.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Apr 2005
For April 1, 2005: You can make your own Picasso-esque artistic masterpiece. It's April 1st, but we're not foolin'! Check out the Mr. Picassohead Web site ...
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Apr 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Mar 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Mar 2005
For March 15, 2005: Swing into spring with a fantastic weather lesson from Edheads.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Mar 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
News/Free Resources - Posted 08 Mar 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Mar 2005
The Iditarod dog sled race starts March 5. Here's a review by Sally Finley of a Web site offering lots of learning opportunities built around the race. (From Information Today, Inc.'s MultiMedia & Internet@Schools -- Yes, that's us, right here!)
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 04 Mar 2005
Kid's College is an online program designed to motivate students to practice skills and reinforce classroom activities. The program uses a sports theme to capture the students' attention and to encourage them to continue to answer questions and gain points.
This Web site features information and activities related to the annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race held in Alaska each March--this year starting March 5
EasyTech, available in English and Spanish, provides a series of instructional lessons that integrate technology into the core curriculum. Working at their own pace, students complete activities while learning how to use a variety of technology tools for their curriculum-related products.
Canvastic is a publishing tool that combines paint, draw, and text tools and can be used to created single page-sized documents or slideshows. The program offers easy-to-understand text, draw and paint tools, and a clear interface. Canvastic is customizable for use with younger students and has none of the "toy" features that are common with paint programs for this age group. The download package includes backgrounds, clipart, templates, and some sample lessons in several content areas.
One of the first concepts young people learn is the value of money in everyday life. From their first allowance to the entrepreneurship of the lemonade stand, students learn how to plan, save, and spend. CyberBee has been busy locating resources that will assist in teaching and learning about money.
The electronic devices, Web sites, and computer software discussed in this article will almost certainly light up the eyes of the television, Game Boy, or computer game fans in most classrooms. And, hopefully, some of the enthusiasm for the medium will carry over into the subject matter. For purposes of this article, language arts is loosely defined as anything that might be taught in an English class. Discussing a representative sampling of this technology will hopefully give readers ideas for classroom use, as well as ideas about places to look for additional similar learning tools.
To give MMIS readers a baseline on K-12 database content and an idea of what's coming up, the author recently spoke with representatives of a number of major vendors about the K-12 products they currently offer, as well as what's planned for release in the near future. The five covered in this article are ABC-CLIO Schools, EBSCO Publishing, ProQuest Information and Learning, Thomson Gale, and H.W. Wilson. But note that this article is listed as Part 1, as there are other resources to cover. Watch for Part 2 in an upcoming issue of MMIS.
For March 1, 2005: March is Women's History Month and the Women's Words of Wisdom: Thoughts Over Time site is a great way to introduce women's history to students.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Mar 2005
By
Linda C. Joseph
News/Free Resources - Posted 24 Feb 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Feb 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Feb 2005
News/Cool Links - Posted 03 Feb 2005
News/Free Resources - Posted 03 Feb 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Jan 2005
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has teamed up with Pearson/Scott Foresman to create two grade-specific primary source CD-ROMs, Colonial Williamsburg Primary Sources for grades 1-3 and for grades 4-6. The materials allow students to explore historical research using documents, pictures, stories, and artifacts through multimedia activities.
The Neo is a portable, lightweight, and inexpensive computer "companion" that looks like a keyboard with a small screen attached.
As the Web continues to develop and faster Internet access becomes available to more individuals, the likelihood of Web-based programs replacing CD-ROMs is becoming more and more real. The advantages provided by subscription Web-based services will lead them to be used for direct instructional purposes in the classroom.
3dChor Kids provides young students with an introduction to basic animation.
Searching the Web may seem an easy task. Just type in your terms and look at all the results—until, of course, you are engulfed in your hits, drowning in the inevitable consequences of a bad keyword search. A more efficient, viable alternative is to search combinations of superb free Web directories/portals and free/fee-based vendor resources, with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
You've learned the basic functions of your hand-held computer (or PDA—Personal Digital Assistant)—and now you're wondering what more you can do with it, or how you can improve its function.
Science Fair programs are awesome and can generate all sorts of amazing results from inspiring and engaging projects. Finding good resources that outline the process and suggest age-appropriate topics is a key component for getting students started. Another important factor is to involve parents so that they can assist their children throughout the process. Be sure to visit these CyberBee-selected Web sites for resources, tips, and experiments that will help jump-start your science fair program.
The Blobs, an interactive animated program with narration by Jane Horrocks, helps students learn basic number, letter, color, and beginning word skills.
|