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CATEGORY: Language Arts |
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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
With these agreements, a total of more than 62,000 K-12 and public library titles are now available for purchase online through parent company Follett's ecommerce sites, Titlewave and TitleTales.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 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
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
From the mechanics of writing and grammar to style and research, the Writer's Reference Center online covers the fundamentals of quality writing and provides vocabulary-building reference dictionaries.
News/Breaking News - Posted 20 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
A long-popular aid to collection development and maintenance, readers' advisory, and general reference, Fiction Core Collection highlights more than 11,300 novels, including analytic entries for novellas and novels published in composite works.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Jan 2010
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.
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.
Ginger now works with Internet Explorer, enabling students to write with confidence online. In addition, Ginger features customizable settings, and progress reporting to track mistakes and illustrate student progress.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Dec 2009
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
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
Curriculum Video On Demand is a compilation of high-school-level video content from producers around the world, covering six core subject areas: science and mathematics, social studies, literature and language arts, health and nutrition, business and economics, and visual and performing arts.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Nov 2009
The new resource is designed to help schools struggling to meet the challenge of simultaneously improving students’ mastery of mathematics and advancing their academic language development.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 Nov 2009
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.
With BrainPOP's animated educational resources fully accessible from within the netTrekker search tool, subscribers have the option to upgrade their netTrekker accounts to include all BrainPOP products.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Oct 2009
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
We ran the Library of Congress announcement on the launch of Read.gov in this space a couple of days ago. Today, we note that Gary Price's ResourceShelf has a posting discussing the site and service to coincide with its actual launch. It's full of great information, as, of course, is the site itself.
News/Cool Links - Posted 26 Sep 2009
The site, Read.gov, will include an exclusive episodic story called “The Exquisite Corpse Adventure.”
News/Free Resources - Posted 24 Sep 2009
Ginger uses patent-pending technology to automatically correct misused words, grammar, and spelling mistakes in Microsoft Word and Outlook.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 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.
With WriteToLearn v5.3, teachers can now create their own topics to assign to their students. Beyond the broad assortment of essay writing activities in WriteToLearn, teachers can select from nearly 600 reading passages across subject areas for summary writing activities.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Aug 2009
Now offering 35 languages in total, the updated language translation tool allows more than 1,000 language pairs to be made between educators and students worldwide. The expansion encourages teachers and students from all parts of the world to connect and collaborate without language barriers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Aug 2009
The upgrades and enhancements offer educators improved search capabilities, as well as expanded student access and new interactive games and tutorials.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Aug 2009
Lexile measures are intended to help parents search for books based on children’s reading ability.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Jul 2009
Power-Glide Language Courses, Inc. (known as powerspeaK12), a subsidiary of K12 Inc., will develop web-based language courses, which Gale will distribute exclusively to the library market. Languages will include Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Spanish ESL.
News/Breaking News - Posted 20 Jul 2009
Lexia Reading’s new Auto Promotion functionality promotes students through each program, from Early Reading to Primary Reading and from Primary Reading to Strategies for Older Students, enabling students to work with more independence.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Jul 2009
As in nearly every other subject area, digital resources for language arts are changing and exploding into a dizzying array of materials. Currently, the number of technology-based language arts resources is so extensive that this article can only scratch at the surface in an examination of these compelling programs and platforms. In this roundup, Charls Doe takes a look at some reading and writing applications, as well some online tool programs and a couple examples of podcasting hardware.
The program is designed to mirror the 21st century workplace where students of all ages are provided with the ability to publish their writings and art through a real-world, technology-driven book publishing experience.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Jun 2009
Each title is a comprehensive review of subject matter delivered as an educational video and digital workbook.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 May 2009
The organizations' collaboration on theIn2Books program is intended to bring about greater access to high-quality books combined with authentic learning experiences.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 May 2009
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.
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 free Dictionary.com app delivers world-class reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com including more than 275,000 definitions and 80,000 synonyms." And students may even think it's cool after they view the very clever promotional video about it! Check it out.
News/Free Resources - Posted 13 Apr 2009
From the University of Wisconsin College of Letters and Sciences Internet Scout Project's April 10, 2009 Scout Report comes a tip about this great resource for language arts and literacy educators.
News/Free Resources - Posted 10 Apr 2009
These new levels, initially available in Spanish and English for K-12 and higher education, will include extended, more complex conversations and grammar, expanded vocabulary, and additional opportunities for speaking that prepare the learner for everyday interactions in their language of study.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Mar 2009
Rosetta Stone Classroom expands PLATO Learning’s content offering by including foreign and English language courses in an online subscription format. The product is designed particularly for English language learners (ELLs), as well as for supplemental world language learning.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Mar 2009
Designed to help struggling, self-conscious readers become successful readers, the Reading Assistant reading intervention software combines speech recognition technology with scientifically-based interventions to help elementary and secondary students strengthen their reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Mar 2009
“Inspiring Middle School Literacy: Reading and Writing in Science and History” is the first collection on Teachers’ Domain that focuses exclusively on building literacy skills across content areas. It is comprised of interactive activities that middle school teachers can use to supplement their science, social studies, or language arts curriculum.
News/Free Resources - Posted 06 Mar 2009
Direct Instruction eSuite is a set of online tools designed to integrate technology into instruction to save daily planning time for teachers and increase student engagement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Feb 2009
The latest addition to World Book Web includes more than 100,000 articles and thousands of images and multimedia resources for Spanish speakers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Feb 2009
The 60-volume set of classics published by Encyclopaedia Britannica is now available to libraries, universities, and schools in electronic form and distributed exclusively through Ingram Digital’s MyiLibrary aggregated e-book platform.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Feb 2009
Authors and new Web 2.0 tools are adding interactivity to the literature-based online resources of TeachingBooks.net.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Feb 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
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
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.
Susan Hixson reviews Type to Learn 4, a keyboarding program designed for K-12 students at a variety of skill levels.
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
Kurzweil Educational Systems released Kurwzeil 3000 Version 11 USB, a new edition designed to provide portable access to Kurzweil 3000.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Dec 2008
A comprehensive upgrade to the World Book Online Reference Center, World Book Student adds dozens of new research tools, interactive features, and multimedia.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Dec 2008
Teacher resources include scripted and printable lesson plans, offline student practice activities, and teacher training materials.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 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
Of our 53 million K–12 students, 51 million of them (or 93%) play video games, and neither that number nor the value the games they play should be dismissed. After all, these days there are games being produced by “a new crop of entrepreneur-developers who believe that today’s games must be anchored in more specific pedagogical design principles. They also believe that to stand the test of time, today’s games must not only engage but teach ,” says author and game developer Ntiedo Etuk. Read on. Find out more.
Picturing America, presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), provides high-quality reproductions of great American art to public libraries and K-12 schools to enhance the study of history, social studies, language arts, literature, and civics.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 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 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
The current issue of Forbes magazine (9/15) includes an article titled “Teaching to the New Test” written by Harvard Business School professors Clayton Christensen and Michael Horn.
News/Cool Links - Posted 12 Sep 2008
Champion of IDEAS Blue Level, the second part of Ballard & Tighe’s Champion of IDEAS program, is now available for intermediate English language instruction in middle and high schools.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Sep 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
NoodleTools has announced that through a partnership with Pearson Education, its NoodleBib citation and notetaking program has been seamlessly integrated into the new version Pearson’s MyCompLab writing instruction environment.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Aug 2008
ReadingPlace.org shares easy-to-implement strategies to build reading skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Jul 2008
CTB/McGraw-Hill’s TerraNova assessment now includes companion reports developed in partnership with CTB/McGraw-Hill and The Grow Network/McGraw-Hill.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jul 2008
RAPS 360 facilitates quicker and more effective diagnosis of K-10 reading gaps, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Jul 2008
The company’s new solution is the first reading RtI product to deliver oral fluency assessments over the Web and combine an RtI management tool with an intervention program and professional development, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Jul 2008
Rhonda Clevenson reviews Smart Talk Español, an interactive learning device designed to help students develop vocabulary, oral language, and word recognition skills.
Charles Doe reviews Writing Roadmap 2.0, an online essay scoring tool designed to give students practice in building writing skills.
Years ago, CyberBee began scouting the internet for content that was informative, engaging, and aligned with national standards, in 1996 becoming a column for MultiMedia & Internet@Schools magazine and a website for teachers. CyberBee thought it would be fitting to revisit some of the great websites that you may have missed over the past few years. There should be plenty of ideas to help you plan your lessons for the new school year.
Charles Doe reviews Lexia Reading v5, a collection of three software programs combined with management functions.
Teachers have been looking for alternatives to standard written book reports and other student reports for years, often combining them with art projects for more visual presentations. Some exciting new possibilities have been created as a result of more powerful computers, increased internet use, the development of inexpensive digital and video cameras, new software, and other technologies. Read Charles Doe’s latest “Look At … ” report to learn more.
The Classof2k8.com website is dedicated to helping booksellers, librarians, teachers, and readers find exciting new books from among the more than 6,000 new children's and young adult books released each year.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Mar 2008
WriteToLearn 5.0 updates the Web-based learning tool for developing writing and reading comprehensions skills with new text-to-speech capabilities and more.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Mar 2008
The 100% web-based editions of Paragraph Punch and Essay Punch provide the complete programs over the Internet.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Mar 2008
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
Former Senior Vice President and Executive Editor-in-Chief of Random House Daniel Menaker will serve as host and editorial producer. Each episode of the show will feature four writers discussing their new books in a roundtable format.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Mar 2008
The new content is being managed by Cambridge University Press’ Global Grid for Learning.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Mar 2008
Dynamic Literacy released Foundations, the first of two series in the WordBuild Vocabulary Development System.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Mar 2008
Charles Doe reviews WordBuild Elements Level 1, a spiraling vocabulary curriculum for grades 3-12.
Among the most fascinating developments in language arts technologies are those driven by programs often called “engines.” This article takes a quick drive around the block to examine some of these engines, beginning with those found in web-based programs. The cruise then continues with a quick view of some interesting new web and CD-based software, as well as some computer-related devices using other developing technologies. The final stops on the tour will be some interesting and useful electronic devices for language arts learning.
The latest collection of PBS TeacherLine courses addresses classroom instruction for the fastest-growing segment of student population.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 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 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
The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC), TeachingBooks.net, and Chicago Public Schools Department of Libraries and Information Services are producing and hosting “A Festival of Authors,” a virtual literary celebration that will take place Saturday, February 2, from 10 am to 2 pm PST (1 pm – 5 pm EST), in Teen Second Life.
News/Free Resources - Posted 28 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
Finding just the right book that will grab a student's interest is like looking for Waldo. Tracking down books that correlate with specific curriculum areas and topics for study can be daunting. What is a library media specialist to do? Use every tool in your arsenal as well as lessons and booklists that have already been prepared and are just waiting to be uncovered by the savvy searcher. This collection of websites will serve as a starting point in your quest to recommend the best books to meet the needs of students and teachers.
For January 1, 2008: Get Ready, Get Set, and Go directly to the Read Write Think site, from the IRA, the NCTE, and the Verizon Foundation, for lessons that can be selected by grade band, literacy strand, or literacy engagement.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jan 2008
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Fluent Reading Trainer helps increase reading speed while improving fluency, enhancing visual memory, and building silent reading skills and comprehension, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Nov 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 ClassMate Reader enables students to listen to an audio version of textbooks and study materials while following the highlighted text on screen.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Oct 2007
WriteToLearn v.4.0 includes more than 200 passages from Scott Foresman "Reading Street" plus enhanced teacher tools.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Oct 2007
The upgraded version features a new capability that detects "text speak," an increasingly popular form of shorthand writing found in text and instant messages.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Oct 2007
The ever-alert folks at ResourceShelf have posted a brief on the revamped Merriam-Webster site.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 Oct 2007
With the enhancements, teachers now will have the option to create custom writing topics or choose from supplied writing prompts, both of which can be analyzed and graded automatically by the program.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Oct 2007
Using the cross-curricular instructional program, students in grades 4-6 learn science and build reading skills, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Oct 2007
Beta tests have confirmed the robust design and performance of the new Web-enabled Lexia Reading Software with dynamic reporting capabilities, according to the announcement
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Sep 2007
Don Johnston Inc. announced the release of SOLO Writing Coach, a writing implementation framework designed for at-risk students writing at or below proficiency levels.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Sep 2007
Literature Criticism Online provides access to hundreds of volumes from 10 Gale literary series.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Sep 2007
Version 7.2 features enhancements to score reporting and an increased emphasis on student planning and instructor training.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Sep 2007
For September 15, 2007: ReadPrint is a massive library of free online books that include authors such as Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, and H.G. Wells.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Sep 2007
By
Linda C. Joseph
The Lexile Framework for Writing links assessment with writing instruction.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Sep 2007
Internet learning community ePals, Inc. has announced it has made its policy-managed SchoolMail, SchoolBlog, and online literacy curricula services available free of charge to schools worldwide.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Sep 2007
Finding safe, engaging collaborative projects for your classroom doesn't have to be a challenge. There are many mentored and data-entry activities that allow your students to participate with classrooms across the country and around the world. Many of the Internet projects have been around for years with proven track records. Others have the backing of nonprofit foundations. This month, Cyberbee directs you to a range of such sites where you can find a project that is just right for your classroom.
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.
ProQuest’s African Writers Series offers a digital collection of key texts in 20th century African literature.
The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) e-Academy will offer five continuing education programs starting on October 1.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Aug 2007
The site's new resources plus educator and news and events sections allow for a richer user experience.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Jul 2007
The new edition of Kaleidoscope extends levels to include grades K-8 with enhanced language Arts components.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jul 2007
PracticePlanet offers an online test practice system that models standardized tests, giving students practice opportunities designed to develop confidence for annual testing.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Jul 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.
Educational videoconferencing has come a long way over the years. It started out very slowly, and, in recent years, there has been a burst of interest on the part of museums and zoos in providing their educational programs via this medium. As schools find it more difficult and more expensive to take their students on physical field trips, students are missing out on the phenomenal resources that these cultural institutions have to offer. When gas prices began to rise, local museums found that even schools in the neighborhood were unwilling to spend their precious fuel budgets bussing students off-site. Those in the museum community chose to take this as a sign that they should begin to promote their distance learning efforts.
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
Lexia Reading v5 brings three Lexia titles for grades K to 12 into one newly enhanced management system with new reporting features, and an option for delivery over the Web.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 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
Thomson Gale announced that Literature Resource Center has been significantly enhanced by the first major update made since the program’s launch 10 years ago.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Jun 2007
The program is reading resource that combines the latest research and core curriculum-approved courses into a series of 100 fully-animated and interactive online lessons that are designed to teach children how to read on their own via a home or school computer.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 May 2007
Knowledge Adventure's new competition will provide $120,000 worth of reading software programs and training to 10 school winners.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 May 2007
For May 15, 2007: Enter the world of author Jan Brett and you won't want to leave! Not only does she share her beautiful artwork for printing, but complete background information about her books.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 May 2007
By
Linda C. Joseph
TeachingBooks.net filmed award-winning authors Sharon Creech, Walter Dean Myers, Sarah Weeks, and Avi performing scripts from one another’s books, including Love That Dog, Don’t You Know There’s A War On?, Bad Boy, and others.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 May 2007
These new publishing partners will allow their content to be available to libraries worldwide through the ebrary platform, under a variety of pricing and access models.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 May 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.
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association, launched its Teen Read Week 2007 web site, www.ala.org/teenread/, which includes a variety of benefits for early registration.
News/Cool Links - Posted 29 Apr 2007
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
With expanded essay feedback, the online tool for building writing and reading comprehension skills now evaluates six traits of writing.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Apr 2007
The Excellence Award Task Force of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is looking for 25 exemplary teen programs/services in all types of libraries to include in a fifth edition of “Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults.”
News/Breaking News - Posted 21 Apr 2007
The veteran comics artist discusses his latest work, “The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation.” The powerful graphic adaptation offers secondary-level educators a compelling way to help students understand the impact of 9/11, and to put its events into a meaningful historical perspective.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Apr 2007
NoveList Plus represents the most significant development effort in this product line since NoveList was first introduced in 1994, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Apr 2007
The site will include interactive book logs, activities, and a reading community where kids can buzz about books and “Show Us Their Reading Buzz” through multimedia submissions.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Apr 2007
Hot Topics helps struggling readers to become active readers through direct instruction of strategies and the use of engaging, motivational texts.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Mar 2007
Don Johnston’s Start-to-Finish series now includes "Giant Hurricanes and Tornadoes," available in a variety of formats, including paperback book, computer book, and audio book.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Mar 2007
For March 15, 2007: At APTE's free Puzzle Center, you can construct crosswords, word scrambles, and more ... and send them on to friends or students whose brains you want to tease!
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Mar 2007
By
Linda C. Joseph
Public Radio International “Here and Now” host Robin Young interviews former librarian, author, and reading advocate Mike Sullivan about the phenomenon of reluctant boy readers and what we can all do about it.
News/Cool Links - Posted 12 Mar 2007
During the webinars, ETS will also introduce a new Preplanning tool that gives students a choice of eight plan types, including an outline, an idea web, and templates for specific types of essays, such as compare/contrast and cause and effect.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Mar 2007
Charles Doe reviews Great Source iwrite, a free Web-based writing resource for grades 5-12.
Moving right along, Charlie switches from last issue's Look At ... Elementary-Level Software and Webware to secondary-level materials this time ... "everything from exciting new software for video-editing tasks that weren’t really possible in high schools 20 years ago to extraordinary subscription databases," plus "Web-based courseware that is becoming larger and larger in scope, more sophisticated assessment tools, and some programs with intriguing electronic delivery methods."
Soliloquy Reading Assistant’s new Science and Social Studies Library includes 150 texts, adapted from materials by Cobblestone Publishing.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Feb 2007
The services makes thousands of educational activities for K-5 math and spelling available.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Feb 2007
The database is a redesign of Facts On File’s Literary Reference Online, which has been thoroughly revised and expanded. The new name reflects the inclusion of literary criticism and the Western Canon from the academic Harold Bloom.
News/Breaking News - Posted 31 Jan 2007
HP and Scholastic offer a new curriculum titled “Get in the Technology Loop,” designed to teach students in grades 4-6 about environmental responsibility.
News/Free Resources - Posted 27 Jan 2007
The first new author program features an interview with British writer and illustrator Lauren Child, the creator of the Clarice Bean books, the Charlie and Lola series, “The Princess and the Pea,” and “Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad Book,” among others.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 Jan 2007
The “Make a Plan” tool gives students a choice of eight plan types, including an outline, an idea web, and templates for specific types of essays, such as compare/contrast and cause and effect.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Jan 2007
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.
While you might not have noticed, Amazon.com’s online bookstore section is supplying some excellent reading analysis resources that can be useful for teachers and students. Using its online abilities for providing more information than a regular “in-person” bookstore can, Amazon.com has added extra features to the information that it provides about its books. Terry Cavanaugh takes you through these features in his article, and shows you many useful ways to press them into service.
While you might not have noticed, Amazon.com’s online bookstore section is supplying some excellent reading analysis resources that can be useful for teachers and students. Using its online abilities for providing more information than a regular “in-person” bookstore can, Amazon.com has added extra features to the information that it provides about its books. Terry Cavanaugh takes you through these features in his article, and shows you many useful ways to press them into service.
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.
Thomson Gale is supporting National Poetry Month (April) with Poet’s Corner, a free Web site.
News/Free Resources - Posted 30 Dec 2006
Greg Notess has a full report on the launch of the beta version of Microsoft's books database. (From Information Today, Inc.’s NewsBreaks)
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 12 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
Google’s Literacy Project Web site, launched during the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, is “a resource for teachers, literacy organizations, and anyone interested in reading and educations … ”
News/Cool Links - Posted 04 Dec 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.
Reviewer Charles Doe takes a look at TeenBiz3000, an Internet-based reading and writing supplemental program for grades 9-12.
The Lexile Framework for Reading matches students and content to improve reading comprehension across the curriculum.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 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
Version 2 of the Web-based learning tool now contains more than 100 reading passages and more than 100 essay topics.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Oct 2006
The new version includes Web delivery, advanced reporting capabilities, and
speech-recognition enhancements.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 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
Criterion v6.2 includes a number of upgrades to ETS’s proprietary e-rater scoring engine, including the ability to detect run-on sentences and missing commas; expanded sentence fragment detection; and analysis and feedback regarding the technical quality of a student’s thesis statement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Oct 2006
Scholastic Red Professional Development has released the suite of online courses for secondary school educators.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 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
Among the features and services is a Banned Books Week display that highlights the books of author Robie Harris and illustrator Michael Emberley. They are the creators of the most challenged book of 2005.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 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 reading measure allows media specialists and teachers to match students with non-fiction content written at their appropriate reading level.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Sep 2006
MY Access! 7.0 updates the online instructional writing tool with feature enhancements and new programs designed to help students prepare for the SAT and other standardized tests.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 Sep 2006
The new reading intervention program, Passport Reading Journeys: Beginnings, expands the Passport Reading Journeys series for use with secondary students reading three to four years below grade level.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Sep 2006
Susan Hixson reviews Let's Go Learn/Reading, a K-12 diagnostic assessment program.
New and exciting uses of digital technology in language arts are appearing all the time—a very good thing in view of the digital nature of the lives of today's K–12 students. As we all know, the amount of time that students spend with television, cell phones, iPods, gaming technologies, the Internet, computers, and other electronic technologies is stunning. Fortunately, emerging digital technologies can help language arts teachers liven up their classes, making them more digitally relevant and keeping or regaining student attention. This article takes a look at some Web-based programs and some new hardware that may provide new ideas for your language arts classroom.
The companies signed an agreement that names Follett Corporation Companies – Follett Library Resources and BWI – as non-exclusive distributors of Playaway’s preloaded digital audiobooks.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Aug 2006
“Prosper for Shining Star” combines an assessment system with a standards-based English Language Learner curriculum.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 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
High Point Level A, B, and C series reading program for struggling readers and English language learners in middle schools are now integrated with 59 new MY Access! writing prompts.
News/Breaking News - Posted 21 Jul 2006
Books by You is a “make-your-own book” program designed to allow students to craft, edit, illustrate, and personalize their own literary creations.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 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
The Web-based tool is designed to build writing and reading comprehension skills through essay writing and summarization practice.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 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
netTrekker d.i’s new Read Aloud feature is designed to support special needs learners.
News/Breaking News - Posted 05 Jul 2006
In this issue, Linda Joseph's Cyberbee guides you and students to sites with ideas and tools, plus loads of examples, for leaving "a legacy of cultural history for future generations through digital storytelling."
The scholarly Web is getting noticed more because of new digitization initiatives underway and the enormous publicity search leaders are receiving for their fledgling work. Many librarians and researchers seem to be pleasantly surprised by the continually changing face of the scholarly Web and its freely available quality full-text offerings. This article brings together pertinent resources on the free Web of interest to anyone, including librarians and other educators, who conducts research and would like to easily supplement their currently available holdings, in print and electronic formats and via commercial vendors’ fee-based subscription databases, within their own libraries.
The online learning service is designed to provide engaging summer activities for kids of all ages.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Jun 2006
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
Think About! teaches and reinforces reading comprehension skills with various activities based upon each short story, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Jun 2006
Scholastic’s reading intervention program adds to the growing bank of thematic and leveled writing assignments available in MY Access!
News/Breaking News - 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
Starting this August, schools and districts that purchase subscriptions through Great Source will get Write Source’s new features coupled with the Criterion service’s existing program to advance writing progress.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 May 2006
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
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 Fifteenth Edition of the Fiction Catalog is available on WilsonWeb and in print.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 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
Questia Lesson Plans are the latest addition to Questia Classroom, the teacher and student resource center that integrates the company’s digital library content into class instruction.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Mar 2006
EBSCO Publishing launched two free Web-based resources for school libraries: History-It’s Happening! and It’s a Reading Rave!
News/Free Resources - Posted 24 Mar 2006
The online K-12 programs feature new levels and content and provide an important part of the assessment solution component of the Sunburst Learning Solutions program for targeted intervention, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Mar 2006
The broadband educational video service has been designed for “kids
who live and learn online.”
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Mar 2006
One thousand new video titles and major feature enhancements help teachers improve student achievement, the announcement states.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Mar 2006
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
The new database features many of the most important literary studies resources.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Mar 2006
The online formative assessment is designed to measure and improve student writing progress in grades 6-12.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Mar 2006
The new version is designed to enhance administrative and end-user settings for the Personal, School, Family, and Enterprise editions of TurboTools.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Mar 2006
Scholastic RED Professional Development introduces the course to help teachers build students’ academic vocabulary.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Mar 2006
Stephen Abram writes in this month's Pipeline, "While we may be seeing some learner resistance to traditional writing and creation activities, maybe we can increase their engagement in learning good writing, editing, and information literacy competencies by aligning some of the projects with a Web-based option." Among the options he discusses are social networking, blogs, wikis, and photo sharing.
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.
PEARL (Prepare and Educate Aspiring Reporters for Leadership) World Youth News is an international news service with articles written, edited, and published by secondary school students from around the world.
News/Breaking News - 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 semester courses are designed to help schools meet diverse learning needs for distance learning and credit recovery.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 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
The Web-based reading, writing, and comprehension tool is intended to build essential skills and save teacher time.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Jan 2006
The online curriculum system for middle and high school learners has also added multimedia-enhanced lessons in language arts, social studies, and mathematics.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 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
CompassLearning Odyssey for English Language Learners will now be available in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Haitian Creole, Hmong; Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Vietnamese.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Jan 2006
The Standard Deviants School Teaching Systems provide multimedia programs and classroom materials in 10 subject areas: Algebra, American Government, Biology, Chemistry, English Grammar, Physics, Basic Math, Nutrition, Shakespeare, and Spanish.
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.
Voyager’s new reading intervention program uses print, Web, and DVD technology to reach struggling middle and high school students.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Dec 2005
The National Television Academy, the organization behind the Emmy Awards, is offering free online curriculum materials designed to educate high school students about best practices in journalism.
News/Free Resources - Posted 19 Dec 2005
askSam Systems keeps on adding to its free, searchable collection of literature works online.
News/Free Resources - Posted 16 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 link between NWEA’s assessment products and CompassLearning’s instructional resources will enhance educators’ ability to tie assessments to instructional content.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Nov 2005
The interactive offering provides teachers and literacy coaches with a constant network of support, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 Nov 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
askSam continues to expand its free, searchable collection of important works online.
News/Free Resources - Posted 21 Nov 2005
Holt Social Studies: World Geography/World Regions 2007 is standards-based and provides content that is accessible to all learners through integrated research-based reading instruction.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 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
Book Review Digest, available in both print and on WilsonWeb, joins the company of reference icon Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature as an H.W. Wilson product in service to library users for more than 100 years.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 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
Charlie Doe looks at everything from computers, projectors, and printers to curriculum, tool, and security software in his latest Look At ... roundup.
Linda Joseph's CyberBee this month offers a wide assortment of reference resources including online almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and map and statistics collections.
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.
The Web site for the International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL), a project of the University of Maryland funded by the National Science Foundation and the Institute for Museum and Library Services, has undergone a total redesign and is now sporting a fresh, new look.
News/Free Resources - Posted 28 Oct 2005
The companies have announced a collaboration that combines Inspiration visual learning software with Great Source’s reading comprehension materials.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 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
Gary Price's ResourceShelf has a pointer in a recent ResourceShelf newsletter to LibriVox, "an open source audio-literary attempt to harness the power of the many to record and disseminate, in podcast form, books from the public domain."
News/Cool Links - Posted 26 Sep 2005
Lee y seras (Read and You Will Be), a Latino early literacy initiative launched by Scholastic, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), and the Verizon Foundation, includes parents and communities in the literacy development of their children.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Sep 2005
The individual scenes are divided into separate documents in the database, allowing users to easily search and locate scenes pertaining to specific topics, according to askSam Systems.
News/Free Resources - Posted 21 Sep 2005
Book Review Digest Retrospective: 1905-1982 is an online record of books and reviews reflecting nearly eight decades of the library reference standard Book Review Digest.
News/Breaking News - Posted 20 Sep 2005
Sagebrush’s online bookstore now offers titles aligned to state curriculum standards in all 50 states for the core subject areas of language arts, math, social studies, and science.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Sep 2005
The AutoSkill Literacy Intervention Suite provides AutoSkill’s Academy of READING and Academy of MATH software in a single package.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Sep 2005
Charles Doe reviews Read & Write 7.1E Gold, a floating toolbar designed for use withWindows-based software programs.
Susan Hixson reviews Key Skills for Reading: Vocabulary Development, a multimedia program on CD-ROM for grades 1-3.
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.
Information Today, Inc. News Bureau Chief Paula Hane has written about a new anti-plagiarism tool from LexisNexis and iParadigm, CopyGuard. (From Information Today, Inc.’s NewsBreaks)
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 31 Aug 2005
More than a million articles plus 60,000 books in Questia's collection now incorporate The Lexile Framework for Reading. (From Information Today, Inc.'s EContentMag.com.)
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 17 Aug 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 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
A product review of Deltora, a Web site for ages 9-12 that supports the Deltora novels by Emily Rodda.
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.
For this article, Audrey Church surveyed a number of e-book providers about their offerings to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the free and fee-based e-book content that's available today, as well as the sophisticated ways that content can be presented, searched, and otherwise worked with. Read on to see what's available from Project Gutenberg, Bartleby.com: Great Books Online, International Children's Digital Library, Gale Virtual Reference Library, Greenwood Publishing Group-eBooks, Follett Library Resource Company, Questia, and more.
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
The Literary Encyclopedia is written and owned by a global network of scholars and researchers (above 1,000 and rising steadily) who are committed to making the publication into one of the most rewarding sites on the internet, according to the Web site. Definitely worth a visit, according to us.
News/Cool Links - Posted 16 Jun 2005
Vantage Learning’s Web-based system gives customers greater freedom to administer its essay scoring technology to meet their individual needs, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 13 Jun 2005
A cooperative effort between the National Library of Spain and the Library of Congress, the redesigned site has added materials from the collections of the National Library of Spain.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Jun 2005
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
EBSCO's Humanities International Complete provides humanities content via the full text of hundreds of journals, books, and other published sources from around the world.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 May 2005
The new online writing destination helps students find their voice, develop their craft, and publish their work, according to Scholastic’s announcement.
News/Free Resources - Posted 20 May 2005
Aimed at K-12 students and teachers, the two programs will award winners packages that include Olympus digital cameras, Tool Factory educational software, and cash.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 May 2005
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
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
Advances in technology—including artificial intelligence (AI), as well as computer- and Web-based technologies—have led to the development of exciting instructional and testing applications for teaching writing. Some of the more radical changes are stemming from the development and relatively widespread use of computerized essay correction technology. In this article, learn about an array of essay-scoring products from some of the top testing companies, including Educational Testing Services (e-rater), Pearson Knowledge Technologies (Intelligent Essay Assessor), and Vantage Learning (IntelliMetric).
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
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
Online journal provider Project Muse is offering high school libraries its full collection for $1,000 per year.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Apr 2005
August 2005 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Emmett Till's murder. TeachingBooks.net, in collaboration with Houghton Mifflin Company, has created an online resource that stimulates discussion about this landmark event in America's civil rights history, an Authors Up-Close program featuring award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson.
News/Free Resources - Posted 19 Apr 2005
EBSCO's new database is designed to provide high school students with resources for advanced studies.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 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
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
ProQuest's database provides a new look and new functionality to the Modern Language Association International Bibliography, making millions of records accessible and searchable online, along with links to full text.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Apr 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Mar 2005
News/Free Resources - Posted 18 Mar 2005
(From Information Today, Inc.'s EContentMag.com.)
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 18 Mar 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Mar 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Mar 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Mar 2005
News/Free Resources - Posted 08 Mar 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Mar 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Mar 2005
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.
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.
News/Cool Links - Posted 24 Feb 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Feb 2005
(From Information Today, Inc.'s EContentMag.com.)
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 04 Feb 2005
News/Cool Links - Posted 03 Feb 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Jan 2005
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Jan 2005
BrainPOP is a subscription-based Web site that provides standards-based animated educational videos on a variety of topics in Math, English, Science, Health, Technology, and Social Studies.
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.
We believe that ongoing reading promotion through our school media's technology program goes a long way toward supporting reading.
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