Internet @ Schools
Teachers and students across the country have an exclusive opportunity to participate in virtual field trips to the continent's most awe-inspiring destinations.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 May 2013
The lessons are aligned to the final version of the recently released NGSS, which were built upon a vision for science education established by the Framework for K-12 Science Education and published by the National Academies' National Research Council in 2011.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 May 2013
Schools across the country are signing up for the service, through which they can combine free OER content with their own resources to create and publish lessons directly to students' iPads, Android tablets, or computers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 May 2013
Discovery Education has announced the development of Discovery Education STEM Camp, a series of standards-aligned STEM curricula available at no cost to schools, districts, non-profit organizations and parents.
News/Free Resources - Posted 07 May 2013
myON Reader is a personalized library of more than 3,000 digital books at all reading levels. Books can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2013 - May/Jun 2013 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Kno offers interactive K-12 textbooks with links to content, the web, and interactive modules.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2013 - May/Jun 2013 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Discovery Education Techbooks are a complete text solution that addresses each state's Core Standards (currently available in 36 states), with a simple-to-use system that helps teachers transition to digital resources while substantially lowering district costs. This primary instructional resource provides dynamic, interactive resources that support the 5E model of instruction (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) with a variety of digital resources.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2013 - May/Jun 2013 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Britannica School was developed to replace textbooks with digital alternatives that address each state's core standards and engage student curiosity to enhance learning. An easy-to-use system helps teachers transition to digital resources and use them, while lowering district costs.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2013 - May/Jun 2013 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
In 2010, digital textbooks accounted for just 1% of the U.S. textbook market. In 2012, it was 5.5 percent. And it's climbing. Victor offers a company-by-company look providing you with some idea of what lies ahead.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 May 2013 - May/Jun 2013 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
For May 1, 2013: The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge begins May 6 and is designed to keep kids reading and prepared in a friendly, competitive way. Educators can track the reading progress of their students and access classroom resources by registering their classes.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 May 2013
By
Linda C. Joseph
The major updates provide greater support for building critical thinking skills and writing more creatively.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Apr 2013
With the addition of these 30 new semesters, Edmentum has increased its Plato Courseware secondary library by 17 percent and its individual middle school and high school libraries by 30 percent.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Apr 2013
As part of its STEM coverage, and extensive coverage of educational issues in the U.S, PBS NewsHour is launching a multi-part web series profiling innovative STEM teachers from across the country.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Apr 2013
This new resource contains material appropriate for younger audiences, and content that is not duplicated in other available National Geographic Virtual Library products.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Apr 2013
The suite of reading and math products includes MATH 180, iRead, System 44 Next Generation and READ 180 on the iPad.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Apr 2013
For April 15, 2013: Science News for Kids offers current science stories and features presented in an understandable format accompanied with suggestions for hands-on activities, books, and websites.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Apr 2013
By
Linda C. Joseph
The Teacher Innovator Awards recognize 30 PreK-12 educators from across the country who are using digital media in new and unique ways to improve students' learning across key subject areas.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Apr 2013
For April 1, 2013: Many states include the study of fossils as part of the curriculum during the spring, and Cyberbee's current Web Pick, Create a Fossil, from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, can be a big help.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Apr 2013
By
Linda C. Joseph
The Common Core-aligned prevention program incorporates targeted instruction, progress measurement and parental involvement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Mar 2013
The PBS LearningMedia Teacher Core is comprised of K-12 educators and library media specialists from across the country. In partnership with their local PBS member station, they will work to champion digital learning in their communities.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Mar 2013
Covered here ever so briefly via a press announcement earlier, Cengage's plans following its licensing agreement with the Smithsonian Institution are fully described and explored by Online Searcher magazine's editor-in-chief Marydee Ojala in her NewsBreak posting on the Information Today, Inc. website.
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 13 Mar 2013
From the Mindshift blog, here's a post by Tina Barseghian that's well worth reading and pondering, featuring Diana Laufenberg, SXSW presenter, TED Talker, and ed tech thought leader.
News/Cool Links - Posted 12 Mar 2013
More than 25 songs designed to aid memory recall and language development for preK-1 students have been added.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Mar 2013
Immediate plans in the library space include the creation of a digital archive of the complete back files of both Air and Space magazine and Smithsonian Magazine, and will incorporate new issues on an ongoing basis.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Mar 2013
Compass Learning Odyssey, which is fully aligned to the Common Core State Standards, includes complete K-12 math, language arts, social science, and science curriculum, which are research-based and include interactive activities, manipulatives, videos, graphics, and animations along with audio reading passages in digital format.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2013 - Mar/Apr 2013 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Teachers and media specialists looking for digital primary resources representing world history and cultures will be excited to learn about a growing collection of significant, multilingual resources accessible through the World Digital Library.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 Mar 2013 - Mar/Apr 2013 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
The Common Core offers a uniform, nationwide measure of where our students are and where they need to be, and Victor's Tools for Learning feature this month provides you with a descriptive list of companies that can help you get started.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Mar 2013 - Mar/Apr 2013 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
Worried about the Common Core State Standards? If you are a teacher, you don't have to be. Granted, it will take time and effort to adapt your teaching plans to meet these standards. But there are a lot of tools to help you do it, available right now on the web.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Mar 2013 - Mar/Apr 2013 Issue
By
James Careless
For February 15, 2013: Building the reference collection continues with World Book's free This Day in History app for the iPad.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Feb 2013
By
Linda C. Joseph
Britannica Digital Learning is publishing hundreds of new non-fiction ebooks for grades preK-6 in a wide range of school subjects.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Feb 2013
A digital badge program that fosters project-based learning, Smithsonian Quests are intended to inspire students to explore their own ideas and interests online, in school, at home and across the nation. The quests connect and reward learners of different ages and in different regions as they learn through discovery and collaboration.
News/Free Resources - Posted 13 Feb 2013
For February 1, 2013: Begin building your classroom reference collection with this free iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad app from National Geographic.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Feb 2013
By
Linda C. Joseph
WriteToLearn now includes the Reading Maturity Metric (RMM), offering 30 percent improvement over previous readability formulas. RMM has been added to the nearly 1,000 informational reading passages, along with Common Core State Standards' text complexity grade bands.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Jan 2013
For January 15, 2013: Learn about the basics of electricity and natural gas, including safety and renewable energy sources at Alliant Energy's Alliant Energy Kids site.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jan 2013
By
Linda C. Joseph
Recent acquisitions of learning technology companies such as Archipelago Learning and Educational Options helped prepare PLATO Learning for its transition to Edmentum. The company has expanded beyond the PLATO Learning product brand to include a comprehensive portfolio of award-winning, multi-platform learning technologies.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 Jan 2013
National Geographic: People, Animals, and the World includes a variety of content such as full-text books on travel, science & technology, history, the environment and animals; videos covering such topics as the Islamic world, alternative energy and even the lifestyle of beluga whales; more than 650 maps; 600 downloadable National Geographic images; and the National Geographic Traveler magazine from 2010 - present.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Jan 2013
Knewton is a technology that transforms any computer or web-based content into a personalized experience for each learner, keeps track of progress, and recommends future study.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2013 - Jan/Feb 2013 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
In this Tools for Learning feature, Victor explores some of the technologies, tools, and platforms that will enable you to succeed in implementing the new flipped classroom teaching and learning model.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2013 - Jan/Feb 2013 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
For January 1, 2013: IXL Math is a site for all ages that allows students to practice math skills. Problems are organized by grade level, timed, and scored. If a problem is missed, an explanation is provided to help the student understand the concept and continue.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jan 2013
By
Linda C. Joseph
A firm believer in the flipped classroom model, librarian Pat Semple has developed a set of tools that allows her to optimize her time by "flipping" what are traditionally viewed as classroom tasks (lectures) with what are traditionally viewed as homework tasks (researching and writing).
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2013 - Jan/Feb 2013 Issue
By
Pat Semple
Designed as a companion to the comprehension suite, the new app gives anytime, anywhere access to interactive, mastery lessons on the four primary components of comprehension - finding facts, making inferences, identifying themes and the "main idea," and learning vocabulary in context.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Dec 2012
The testing evaluated game-play and student interaction. It yielded data supporting the ability of game-based learning to engage students while enabling deeper learning and vocabulary retention, the announcement states.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Dec 2012
For November 15, 2012: Students looking for science fair projects will find loads ideas at Science Buddies, a non-profit organization that "empowers K-12 students, parents, and teachers to quickly and easily find free project ideas and help in all areas of science from physics to food science and music to microbiology."
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Nov 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
The partnership will enhance Pearson's Online Learning Exchange's overall course offerings by adding a new set of social studies modules designed to maximize learning outcomes through student engagement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Nov 2012
Discovery Education's iPad web app provides access to a database of video clips covering all core subjects in grades K-12.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2012 - Nov/Dec 2012 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Pocket Literacy Coach sends daily text messages suggesting creative learning activities to a parent's mobile phone.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2012 - Nov/Dec 2012 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Mary Alice looks at three specific, comprehensive digital collections—Chronicling America, Historic America Newspapers; Today in History; and The Newseum's Global Digital Archives—and shows you how to locate city and state newspaper archives.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 Nov 2012 - Nov/Dec 2012 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
Under the sun, moon, and stars, there's plenty to explore when it comes to "mobile in education," and the success of BYOD as a concept is a compelling reason to start exploring
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Nov 2012 - Nov/Dec 2012 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
PBS KIDS PLAY! Classroom Edition is an online learning program that uses interactive games and content to engage students in preschool, kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. The cross-curricular program has been enhanced with new lessons, games and teacher dashboard for easy classroom management.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Sep 2012
When it becomes available in 2013, the program will provide structured, sequential, scaffolded instruction in the five areas of reading for students of all abilities in grades pre-K-5.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Sep 2012
Two leading global collaborative networks team up to offer a robust collection of tools and curriculum resources for classrooms and independent learners around the world.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 Sep 2012
We should teach students how to search both Google and databases effectively. Nothing new here. But Google's Literacy Lesson Plans released in May 2012 are something new.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 Sep 2012 - Sep/Oct 2012 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
Teachers, librarians, media specialists, and others, including students themselves, need resources for accessing and sharing it all. With search, mobile, and social networking, there's a whole lot more help out of the quicksand.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2012 - Sep/Oct 2012 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
Available to icurio subscribers at no additional cost, SAS Curriculum Pathways provides interactive, standards-based resources featuring hundreds of interactive tools, inquiries, web lessons and audio tutorials in every core subject for grades 6-12 in traditional, virtual and home schools.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Aug 2012
For August 15, 2012: Science teachers looking for supplies and classroom experiments will be delighted with the wealth of resources available at the Steve Spangler Science website. Sign up for the experiment of the week or deal of the day.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Aug 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Kno have partnered to introduce enhanced K-12 content at introductory rental prices from $9.99 or less.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 Aug 2012
For August 1, 2012: Choose an "ology" at Ology, the American Museum of Natural History's website for kids, and dive in to lots of hands-on science activities.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Aug 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
These new lessons integrate content from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt with interactive and touch-screen technology from Promethean to create learning activities that promote problem solving, critical thinking, and class discussion.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Jul 2012
Web Wise Kids provides fun and educational games to help E-Rate schools comply.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Jul 2012
For July 1, 2012: Splash into the London Olympics at Time for Kids. Watch Road to London, a video marking 100 days to the Olympics plus interviews with Olympic and Paralympic legends and hopefuls, and lots more.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jul 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
The partnerships are reflective of a larger digitally focused initiative to strengthen the connection between the library and the K-12 classroom curriculum.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jun 2012
For June 15, 2012: Blue Poison Dart frogs and other amphibians are in danger! Visit Amphibian Ark to learn about them, what's killing them, why it matters (Yes, it does!), and what's being done about it.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jun 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
The companies have aligned two of Curriculum Associates' leading BRIGANCE assessments with the PCI Reading Program to help special education teachers integrate developmentally appropriate reading curriculum with personalized, differentiated instruction for each student in the classroom.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Jun 2012
The developer of personalized learning environments for students has added a dozen more publishers to its popular myON reader platform.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Jun 2012
The new version empowers educators with custom courses and grade management solutions, the announcement states.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 Jun 2012
A content partnership between Knovation and Youngzine brings dynamic news and current events content to netTrekker Search and icurio.
News/Breaking News - Posted 29 May 2012
For May 15, 2012: Create and build in 3D with Kid Blocks from miSoft, a free app for iPhone and iPad.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 May 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
LearnZillion is a learning platform that combines video lessons, assessments, and progress reporting with each lesson highlighting a common core standard. Teachers can assign lessons to classes or individuals when remedial or enrichment math work is needed.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2012 - May/Jun 2012 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Carolyn Foote, our newest columnist, recently attended the South by Southwest Education Conference in Austin, Texas, where she was intrigued by the ideas of author and game designer Jane McGonigal. That got Carolyn thinking about the emotional benefit we get from game-playing.
Column/Idea Watch - Posted 01 May 2012 - May/Jun 2012 Issue
By
Carolyn Foote
The Oregon Trail! Ask a group of adults about this memorable computer game and often they mention how this type of program motivates by putting kids in charge of their own learning.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 May 2012 - May/Jun 2012 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
For May 1, 2012: Find treasure caches and solve problems by using a GPS with your students. Teachers, parents, and students will be able to gather many ideas for their GPS trek by visiting Geocaching with Kids.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 May 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
Now the program does a better job of finding the most frequent grammatical and mechanical errors, such as run-on sentences, incorrect word usage, and punctuation, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Apr 2012
The new online destination provides middle school teachers, students and families with free tools and resources to explore and understand nature.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Apr 2012
For April 1, 2012: Recently, Cyberbee's search for information about fossil identification led him to neoK12. It offers a large collection of free videos and pictures on nearly every subject for grades K-12.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Apr 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
For March 15, 2012: "A free world-class education for anyone anywhere." That's the mission of Khan Academy featured on 60 Minutes. It is a place where students can go to view over 3,000 tutorials in many subject areas on many levels.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Mar 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new web-based platform offers access to advanced speech recognition technology, expanding opportunities for guided oral reading with individualized feedback, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Mar 2012
For March 1, 2012: Want to easily integrate digital storytelling into your elementary classroom? Then, try StoryKit, a free app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Mar 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
Stephen points out that the reading ecology is changing. Reading may be fundamental, but the way we use reading materials in teaching and libraries will necessarily change as that ecology does.
Column/The Pipeline - Posted 01 Mar 2012 - Mar/Apr 2012 Issue
By
Stephen Abram
"Kids these days. They're in the zone," says Victor Rivero. It's a media-saturation zone he's talking about, owing to the device-saturation that's keeping kids perpetually connected. Educators must offer guidance so kids can navigate through this zone, for reasons of safety, security, and efficacy. Victor proffers the tools that can help.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Mar 2012 - Mar/Apr 2012 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
The new On Demand platform provides quick access to easy-to-use resources, tools and reports designed to maximize educator effectiveness.
News/Breaking News - Posted 21 Feb 2012
For February 15, 2012: Using diaries, newspapers, manuscripts, and other primary source material, Hearts at Home: Southern Women in the Civil War, a University of Virginia Library website, presents a composite sketch of southern women in the Civil War.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Feb 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
Level Three software is a new online component to the award-winning PCI Reading Program, a reading series for students with intellectual disabilities.
News/Breaking News - Posted 09 Feb 2012
The icurio solution is designed to break down barriers to learning and transform the way teachers teach and students learn in a modern-day educational environment, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Feb 2012
For February 1, 2012: PBS is opening up its library of movies with its free iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch apps.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Feb 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
ST Math K-5 web based software games have been enhanced by changes that exploit the properties of touch-screen mobile devices and feature interactive animations that show students how math works.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jan 2012
Britannica Pathways: Science is designed to correct student misunderstandings through inquiry and collaboration.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jan 2012
The new editions of the product, SmartMath Practice and SmartMath Practice Plus, both priced lower than the premium edition, provide a greater range of options for schools to choose from with regard to administrative and assessment features.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jan 2012
This spring, Inspiration Diagrams will join the company's family of tools based on proven learning methodologies that help students and educators think, learn, brainstorm, analyze and write.
News/Breaking News - Posted 25 Jan 2012
The newest release of the product also sports a streamlined teacher's module that makes it easier to issue assignments and track student progress, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Jan 2012
New apps track real-time grades, homework, attendance, and more with Facebook and Twitter integration.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Jan 2012
Under the agreement, Gale will carry an online archive of more than 100 years of National Geographic magazine. Available to libraries this spring, National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-1994 will include all issues of the magazine in a fully searchable and intuitive interface.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Jan 2012
For January 15, 2012: Listen to former slaves describe their lives in Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jan 2012
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new courses from ASCD support educators implementing Common Core State Standards. Three support implementation of new math standards; four subject-based courses focus on supporting educators in integrating the new literacy standards into science, history/social studies, English language arts, and mathematics lessons.
News/Breaking News - Posted 05 Jan 2012
A learning management system (LMS) is the Holy Grail of education: an online system to manage it all. In this month's Tools for Learning feature, writer Victor Rivero names a range of companies that have ventured into this territory, along with the products and services they offer.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2012 - Jan/Feb 2012 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
The bundle - which gives students, including those with learning disabilities, a way to visually express what they've learned across curriculum - incorporates the recently announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10 software, as well as Adobe Acrobat X Pro.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Dec 2011
After extensive user analysis and market feedback, the interface for Gale's online ebook platform has been overhauled with improved navigation and organization, and a vibrant and engaging display to draw in students, researchers, professionals and general readers, the announcement states.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Dec 2011
Among the key platform enhancements are iPad compatibility, a redesigned interface with improved navigation, a new video player, special collections for key producers, improved search and browse options, and new features for account administrators, including free MARC records for every video.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Nov 2011
Super Duper Publications, a company that creates educational materials for children with special needs and communication or language delays, has introduced four new educational, grammar-based mobile applications for students — How?; Irregular Verbs; Plurals; and Yes or No? Fun Deck Apps.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Nov 2011
The next generation media-on-demand service from PBS is making public media available free to teachers and students nationwide.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Nov 2011
World Book Dramatic Learning provides original scripts, skits, and monologues to build reading fluency and content comprehension.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2011 - Nov/Dec 2011 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Grolier Online is a re-engineered, redesigned version of this web-based, subscription with new content and digital research tools. It tailors content for each user with an enhanced search engine that enables access to articles, maps, and videos that are adjustable to various reading levels.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2011 - Nov/Dec 2011 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Lexia Reading 8.0 provides a complete technology-based reading curriculum. It provides the needed practice, additional paper-based instruction, and skills practice to enable students to learn to read. Lexia Reading offers students a reading program that provides intensive time on task, with focused activities, scaffolding, and branching. It immediately assesses and reports to teachers exactly how each student is progressing.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2011 - Nov/Dec 2011 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Mary Alice notes that local museums, libraries, businesses, and passionate volunteers are digitizing primary resources and providing other digital content through processes once only affordable or possible by larger entities.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 Nov 2011 - Nov/Dec 2011 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
For November 1, 2011: This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. The National Portrait Gallery's CivilWar@Smithsonian features a wide array of primary sources to help you teach and commemorate the event.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Nov 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The redesigned site will feature hundreds of videos, math games and hands-on activities in support of cross-platform STEM learning.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Oct 2011
Focused on providing fun and engaging tools to classrooms and homes, these joint efforts include components like supplemental family activities, K-12 curriculum programs, interactive classroom lessons and more.
News/Free Resources - Posted 10 Oct 2011
Teach! Strategies & Resources is designed to help schools bridge current instruction and future Common Core expectations with on-demand instructional professional development support.
News/Breaking News - Posted 05 Oct 2011
For October 1, 2011: It's not too late to get involved with the Smithsonian's tree banding project You can do it now through Shoutlearning.org.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Oct 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The game is designed to help kids in grades 1-6 build an understanding of geometry. Shapescape joins Sokikom's three other games: Frachine, which focuses on fractions, decimals and percents; Opirate, which emphasizes mathematic operations and algebra; and Treeching, which concentrates on the principles of measurement, algebra, patterns, time and money.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Sep 2011
Through the Challenge, students are invited to team up with classmates under teacher/mentors to solve environmental problems in their school (grades K-5), community (grades 6-8) and world (grades 9-12).
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Sep 2011
The 4th Edition operates on the same core concepts and philosophy as its predecessors - every child is capable of becoming a peacemaker - but has been further divided by grade levels to address the developmental difference for grades K-3 and grades 4-5.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Sep 2011
In a move highly anticipated since its initial announcement in April, public libraries and schools in the U.S. can now lend ebooks for the Amazon Kindle.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Sep 2011
The MyLexia App helps teachers recognize which students are struggling, grouping students by specific skills for individual or small group instruction. As students complete each skill level, the MyLexia App helps celebrate student progress by notifying teachers when students have earned a certificate of achievement, which can then be emailed to parents or sent to a wireless printer.
News/Breaking News - Posted 20 Sep 2011
PebbleGo Biographies is correlated to state and national social studies standards and features biographies on famous figures in history, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Alexander Graham Bell, and Barack and Michelle Obama, in 12 easy-to-navigate categories, such as athletes, explorers, inventors, and presidents and first ladies.
News/Breaking News - Posted 15 Sep 2011
For September 15, 2011: Teachers looking for a free and safe place to share student-produced videos should check out SchoolTube, the largest K-12 moderated video sharing website in the country.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Sep 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The special live student session will feature acclaimed children's author Jean Craighead George.
News/Free Resources - Posted 13 Sep 2011
K-12 Students can now visualize and compare 2010 Census Data with interactive maps.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Sep 2011
K5 Learning is a new kind of online study program that delivers personalized learning in bite-size chunks to kids in the comfort of their own homes, according to the announcement.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Sep 2011
Bookstream makes it easy for educators to hop on the internet, upload ebooks and share them with students for anytime reading, the announcement states. It was designed to help educators comply with IDEA 2004 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) that require schools to deliver core curriculum in accessible formats to support students with disabilities.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 Sep 2011
Sokikom is a single-player, skill-based math program that adjusts activities to individual students.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2011 - Sep/Oct 2011 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Room 21 is an online learning management system designed to bring education into the 21st century. Students take online classes, and teachers design lessons to capture the spirit of 21st-century learning. Designed as a social learning platform, Room 21 provides tools for parents, students, principals, and teachers to collaborate, and it supports comprehensive skills needed to meet the challenges of the Common Core State Standards.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2011 - Sep/Oct 2011 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
It is disconcerting when a school or state purchases valuable resources and usage is low. Mary Alice says the start of the school year is a good time to begin overcoming nonuse.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 Sep 2011 - Sep/Oct 2011 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
The e-everything revolution charges ahead in the education realm. This month, Victor Rivero reprises and updates the discussion he started last year in his article "E Is for Explosion: E-Readers, Etextbooks, Econtent, Elearning, E-Everything."
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2011 - Sep/Oct 2011 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
For September 1, 2011: As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the 9/11 Memorial Teach and Learn website can help teachers looking for ways to include these events into their classroom curriculum.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Sep 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The International Association of School Librarianship (ISLM) offers ideas for taking your classroom global. An interesting one we just got word of, among several projects for International School Library Month, is ISLM's Skype Project.
News/Cool Links - Posted 24 Aug 2011
The company has upgraded its Discovery Education streaming service with a variety of new resources, more efficient navigation and a free, three-week series of webinars to help educators explore how to incorporate the digital resources into their instruction.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Aug 2011
To help students understand the events surrounding 9/11 and the aftermath, Pearson is offering teachers, students and parents a free collection of online education lessons and activities.
News/Free Resources - Posted 23 Aug 2011
The new Math Concepts activities provide practice with number sense; basic operations and order of operations; geometry and spatial sense; graphing and managing data; probability; measurement; algebra, patterning, and logic; and fraction concepts.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Aug 2011
"Curiosity in the Classroom" engages students with cross-curricular lessons.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Aug 2011
The new reporting feature allows teachers to quickly measure individual student progress against mathematics benchmarks.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Aug 2011
The two social studies programs offer digitally robust content designed to help young people make personal connections and build long-term understanding of key social studies concepts.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Aug 2011
For August 1, 2011: Kids looking for a summer activity? Brush up on how to tie knots by watching animated illustrations at the user friendly Animated Knots by Grog website.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Aug 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The ‘Kids @ Discovery: Creepy Creatures' and ‘Daily Planet: Environment Series' DVD collections offer 19 new titles for K-12 learning.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Aug 2011
The new version of the technology-based reading curriculum is designed to predict student performance on year-end, grade-level assessments and offers prescriptive recommendations for the intensity of instruction needed to improve each student's performance.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Jul 2011
In addition to a rich public media library, PBS LearningMedia has content contributed from other publicly funded organizations, including the National Archives, the Library of Congress and NPR, as well as content funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Education, to deliver thousands of resources for use in the classroom and with home-schoolers.
News/Free Resources - Posted 20 Jul 2011
For July 15, 2011: Ready for a summer adventure? Explore prehistoric Native American pictographs and petroglyphs by visiting the numerous links to galleries and museums at Petroglyphs.us.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jul 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
Marydee Ojala, editor of Information Today, Inc.'s ONLINE magazine, posted a NewsBreak recently on Cengage's acquisition of a component of National Geographic that will be of interest to the K-12 community.
News/ITI Cross Links - Posted 01 Jul 2011
For July 1, 2011: If you haven't had an opportunity to visit the Field Museum in Chicago, you can explore some of its natural history treasures online.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jul 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The company's Interactive Science Techbook replaces print textbooks as a primary instructional resource.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Jun 2011
From Britannica Digital Learning, the service enables students in elementary school through college to easily access hundreds of high-quality books on the subjects they're studying.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Jun 2011
For June 15, 2011: If there's one near you, visiting a prairie remnant makes a great field trip. For background, learn about the prairie regions of Ohio, native plants, and Making a Prairie Garden from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Ohio Prairies website.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jun 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
With this correlation, educators can be assured that Orchard's instruction, assessment, and remediation cover the skills and knowledge found within the standards.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Jun 2011
For June 1, 2011: Race into summer with a boatload of craft ideas from the Free Nature Crafts website that will keep kids busy outdoors.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jun 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new mobile download for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is aligned with the school curriculum and designed for ages 8-12, though, says the announcement, even the youngest and most ophidiophobic kids can enjoy it.
News/Breaking News - Posted 18 May 2011
For May 15, 2011: Combine a lesson on nutrition with a hands-on activity in your school yard using these tips and resources on the Vegetable Gardens for Kids at the Growing Raw.com website.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 May 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The Environmental Public Health (EPH) collection offers classroom-ready assets for middle and high school students that look at how researchers, communities, and policy makers are working to address health issues resulting from toxins and other factors in our environment.
News/Free Resources - Posted 03 May 2011
Four grade-level winners have been selected, with the winning entries to be published in Study Island online products.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 May 2011
myON.com is a personalized learning program and the first digital platform to recommend books to students based on interest and reading level. Hundreds of digital books are available from several publishers and are shown in color with features such as highlighting text or reading text aloud to students who need those features.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2011 - May/Jun 2011 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
Johanna argues for and promotes a more flexible approach to teaching and using digital media through fabulous examples from the students of Ross Wallis, head of creative arts at a school in the U.K.
Column/The Tech Effect - Posted 01 May 2011 - May/Jun 2011 Issue
By
Johanna Riddle
The three brands are running two summer reading challenges designed to be entertaining and easy enough to fit into every family's busy summer schedule. Both challenges, the Scholastic Summer Challenge and the iVillage PBS KIDS Summer Reading Community Challenge, will be available through www.SummerReadingCentral.com.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Apr 2011
The new Language Concepts activities provide practice with the alphabet, basic keyboarding skills, exposure to forming new words using consonant and vowel sounds, and an introduction to using rhyming to complete couplets.
News/Breaking News - Posted 21 Apr 2011
For May 1, 2011: Help students hone their math skills with these entertaining games at MathNook. You can choose the level that meets the needs of your students, from basic computation to advanced equations.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Apr 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new Grolier Online is customized for five unique sets of users, and includes an enhanced search engine and access to 120,000 articles arranged by reading level.
News/Breaking News - Posted 11 Apr 2011
Free access runs through National Library Week, from April 10 to April 24, 2011. Librarians can download the widget to their homepage by visiting www.gale.cengage.com/NLW starting on April 10.
News/Free Resources - Posted 06 Apr 2011
Cerebellum Corporation has developed the Kelso's Choice Conflict Management Skills program website to make this popular conflict resolution program available to educators nationwide.
News/Breaking News - Posted 06 Apr 2011
Offering unlimited access to more than 7,800 full-length videos and 88,000 clips, Access Video On Demand gives public library patrons instant access to thousands of acclaimed documentaries, award-winning educational films, and helpful instructional videos in a variety of subject areas from top-quality producers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 31 Mar 2011
An informal survey of superintendents, supervisors, principals and teachers who attended the recent ASCD Annual Conference in San Francisco, Calif., suggests that educators feel they lack the data and instructional tools to deliver effective learning.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Mar 2011
To provide schools and districts with a more comprehensive eLearning program model for students, the e2020 Inc., Common Core Standards alignment process is manually configured, resulting in more accurate and granular results.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Mar 2011
New on-demand, video-based modules are available that are designed to deepen teacher knowledge of global climate and earth system change, while providing a resource that can also be used with students.
News/Free Resources - Posted 24 Mar 2011
Perspective takes the results from students' high-stakes assessments and identifies areas where they are struggling. Then, its Learning Locator connects them with content such as the resources from enVisionMATH that they can use to get back on track.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Mar 2011
For March 15, 2011: One of the best resources for earthquake information is from the U.S. Geological Survey: The U.S.G.S. Earthquake Hazards Program.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Mar 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new READ 180 includes dashboards for students, teachers and school leaders, alignment to Common Core, and new content to engage students.
News/Breaking News - Posted 14 Mar 2011
Districts using Lexia's software for essential reading practice, instruction and assessment, will now benefit from CORE's literacy professional development and comprehensive implementation assistance.
News/Breaking News - Posted 03 Mar 2011
For March 1, 2011: There is an app for that, but which app is the best for kids? Visit Best Kid Apps to read reviews and ratings of iPhone, iPad, and Android applications.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Mar 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
Gary Price and colleagues will continue to provide valuable information and education resources through this new site as well as FullTextReports.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Mar 2011
WGBH Teachers' Domain has created free classroom resources to support LOOP SCOOPS, a new animated broadband series for kids ages 6- 9 designed to grab their attention and get them thinking more creatively about the environment and the choices they make.
News/Free Resources - Posted 28 Feb 2011
This latest version of Lexia's software offers teachers and administrators an enhanced progress monitoring functionality to help support instructional strategies including Response to Intervention (RTI).
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Feb 2011
The agreement with BrainPOP will allow BrainPOP's animated content to operate seamlessly with Turning Technologies' student response systems for immediate assessment of student learning.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Feb 2011
By making Discovery Education digital services compatible with Sky, Learning.com users can now access the company's content using one single username and password.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Feb 2011
The program offers a personalized literacy environment that provides access to an integrated library of digital books with multimedia supports, customized to a student's interest and reading ability.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 Feb 2011
The 40-DVD library brings science and technology content to life for middle and high schoolers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 Jan 2011
With DreamBox Learning Connect installed, teachers, administrators and principals now have one-click access to their DreamBox Teacher Dashboard for access to student and classroom performance data.
News/Breaking News - Posted 26 Jan 2011
Capstone will leverage Lexile Measures for its new literacy program to be unveiled at FETC 2011.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Jan 2011
The PBS KIDS GO! math series Cyberchase has re-launched PlaySpace; the interactive storytelling game now offers customizable features for the educator.
News/Free Resources - Posted 21 Jan 2011
For January 15, 2011: BrainPOP has hundreds of original animated movies covering a wide range of academic subjects. Now there's a BrainPOP app offering access to the free "movie of the day."
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jan 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
Science Power from World Book Classroom is an interactive program that brings science alive for students. It includes multimedia, teacher guides and tests for each lesson. Lessons can be presented to whole groups, small groups, or individuals.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2011 - Jan/Feb 2011 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
Online. Blended. Mobile. 21 st-century. Collaborative. Project-based. Any way you label it, learning is changing. We're now settling into an exciting new paradigm of connected, engaged learning. To get a sense of all this, take a look at the sites, services, and resources we've noted right here in this article.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2011 - Jan/Feb 2011 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
For January 1, 2011: The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, from the Clackamas County (Oregon) Heritage Partners, brings history alive through reenactments, videos, and print material. Historical information about the role of black pioneers in the settlement of Oregon is very informative.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jan 2011
By
Linda C. Joseph
Enrollment is now open for this new online professional development course developed by INSPIRE at Purdue University to help pre-K-6 teachers improve learning and foster interest in STEM careers.
News/Breaking News - Posted 21 Dec 2010
For December 15, 2010: Ready to spark scientific minds with some fun activities? Then, visit the Science Kids website, where you will find experiments on a variety of topics such as electricity, aerodynamics, and chemical reactions.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Dec 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new app for iPhone and iPod Touch offers a fun way for kids 8 years and older to test their math mettle.
News/Breaking News - Posted 10 Dec 2010
Each edition of the Discovery Education Science Techbook series is built from the ground up to address individual state standards and is intended to serve as the new primary instructional resource for Indiana and Louisiana elementary and middle schools.
News/Breaking News - Posted 08 Dec 2010
For December 1, 2010: At the Energy Quest website from the California Energy Commission, discover interesting facts about energy through a virtual interface.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Dec 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
Science Power, first introduced this summer, is a core component of the World Book Classroom collection of content-rich, interactive digital supplemental learning resources.
News/Breaking News - Posted 12 Nov 2010
For November 1, 2010: At the USDA Forest Service's and Ad Council's Discover the Forest website find a forest or park by typing in your zip code, then start exploring!
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Nov 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
There's a quiet—or not so quiet—shift happening in school libraries across America. The social media revolution—reflected in all manner of shiny iPhone apps, blogs, Nings, Facebook pages, and other social networking tools, sites, and platforms—is real, and it's running like a loud line of students straight through the stacks, into the common areas, taking a sharp turn, and heading right on up to the teacher librarian/media specialist's desk. Are you ready for it? In this article, Victor Rivero addresses issues, answers, and resources to help.
Editorial/Features - Posted 29 Oct 2010 - Nov/Dec 2010 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
Comic-form stories specifically designed to teach American history on the iPad and iPhone are now available from Chester Comix LLC.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Oct 2010
Grammar Jammers offers interactive animated videos to help make mastering the rules of grammar a fun, melodic, and memorable experience for learners anywhere, anytime.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Oct 2010
The bundle includes the recently announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 and Adobe Premiere Elements 9 software, as well as Adobe Acrobat X. Adobe Contribute CS5 and Adobe Soundbooth CS5 software are also included in the collection.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Oct 2010
The SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboard supports multiuser writing and common multitouch gestures currently recognized in Microsoft Windows 7 and Mac Snow Leopard.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Oct 2010
The new teacher website offers free tools, tips and resources based on characters from Hub TV shows demonstrating the power of storytelling in school, including lesson plans to improve student writing, and "The Hub Create a Story Contest" to encourage teamwork and engage student creativity in the classroom.
News/Free Resources - Posted 15 Oct 2010
For October 15, 2010: To students who think the field of physics is "mired with images of weird old men electrocuting themselves, strange equations, esoteric concepts, indecipherable books, etc.," the creators of the Fear of Physics website say: "NO WAY. Give it a chance!"
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Oct 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
The newly produced Series Books Curriculum Resource Center includes hours of original audio interviews with popular series authors and hundreds of online resources to support the enjoyment of more than 40 favorite series—including fantasy, mystery, realistic fiction, and biography.
News/Free Resources - Posted 11 Oct 2010
Enhancements in version 4.0 offer virtual student response systems, digital flashcards, customizable assessments, and a redesigned teacher page.
News/Breaking News - Posted 04 Oct 2010
For October 1, 2010: Midterm Elections are just around the corner. Project Vote Smart is loaded with information about the candidates, including profiles, speeches, voting records, and campaign finances.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Oct 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
For September 15, 2010: Parents, kids, and teens will discover a wealth of information reviewed by medical and health professionals at the KidsHealth website, from the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Sep 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
With almost 200 literacy skills embedded in curriculum packs for elementary, middle and high school students, the highly interactive DimensionL instructional software introduces and reinforces such topics as language conventions, parts of speech, reading and writing processes, spelling, and vocabulary.
News/Breaking News - Posted 02 Sep 2010
Victor Rivero reviews Cognite from Follett Software Co., a digital learning environment that integrates discovery and organization tools, collaboration, and communication.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2010 - Sep/Oct 2010 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
The innovative educational games are targeted to children in preschool, kindergarten and special education. The standards-based, cross-curricular program adapts to each student with three learning stages for each of 30 skill areas.
News/Breaking News - Posted 01 Sep 2010
For September 1, 2010: Constitution Day is coming up, and the Library of Congress provides excellent related resources for teachers through its Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention web page.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Sep 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
One of the most challenging areas in education today is helping students navigate through the ever-increasing world of information. There are many estimates out there on how fast the internet is growing, but everyone agrees it is the fastest-growing technology humankind has ever created! To get a handle on this 21st-century repository of information, librarians, teachers, and students need to harness the power and flexibility of the more-powerful, flexible, and varied online tools being developed … tools that can help them find, evaluate, and organize the megaloads of information out there. This applies not only to high school students but to younger students as well.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2010 - Sep/Oct 2010 Issue
By
Renee Ramig
In this article, Victor Rivero draws on educators' and educational technology product developers' thinking that he picked up during a visit to this summer's ISTE conference. Victor cruised the show, talking with attendees and presenters, as well as with representatives from organizations such as the Partnership for 21st-Century Skills and The Software & Information Industry Association, to get their opinions on 21st century education.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2010 - Sep/Oct 2010 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
Science Power is the latest addition to the World Book Classroom collection of content-rich, interactive digital supplemental learning resources.
News/Breaking News - Posted 30 Aug 2010
All of these enrichments are available for customers immediately, and the standards-aligned programs qualify for federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Aug 2010
For August 15, 2010: Search for exemplary lessons and information by topic or keyword at the free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence website.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Aug 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
For August 1, 2010: Discover history in your own backyard by exploring a local cemetery, with the help of the website The Cemetery: History Written in Stone. Cemeteries are great primary sources, with lots more than dates and names.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Aug 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
New agreements with BBC, Espresso Education/Channel 4, Dr. Lodge McCammon, CBS News, Smarterville/Reading Rainbow, and Visual Classroom will add robust educational media to Discovery's digital content services.
News/Breaking News - Posted 22 Jul 2010
The core subject map—the result of a collaboration between P21 and leading art, dance, music, theater, and visual arts associations—provides first-of-their-kind classroom examples of integrating the 'four Cs' into arts courses.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Jul 2010
For July 15, 2010: Spies are in the news, so visit the International Spy Museum if you're in Washington, D.C. this summer! Next best thing? Hit their International Spy Museum website! Be watching over your shoulder, though.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jul 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
Susan Hixson reviews Early World of Learning, the newest addition to the World Book Classroom series, which focuses on preschool and early reading education. The online program supports educators as they help students build vocabulary, comprehension, phonics, and reading fluency.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2010 - Jul/Aug 2010 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
This month, Mary Alice offers advice and discusses tools, such as Edmodo and VoiceThread, that will help you and your students do lots more than they have in the past with primary source materials they have gathered.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 Jul 2010 - Jul/Aug 2010 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
For this story, Victor researched and describes a couple of real-life ways in which curriculum content is moving in the direction of an all-electronic format. He looks first at a school district's move to acquire interactive, digital textbooks from publishers in place of traditional paper-based books. Then he discusses Discovery Education's adaptation of its rich content into digital "basal textbook" format—but "basal textbooks" like you've never seen before!
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jul 2010 - Jul/Aug 2010 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
In "E Is for Explosion …" Victor Rivero sets the scene with an overview of recent happenings in the world of e-reading devices as well as etexts, then focuses in on more than 15 kinds of electronic texts and content and their producers/providers.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jul 2010 - Jul/Aug 2010 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
This advanced version of Lexia's software features new progress monitoring tools that will give educators longitudinal, standards-based data on students' mastery of reading skills.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 Jun 2010
For June 15, 2010: Create your own games using the templates provided by ClassTools. Add your own content and images, then copy the link to your blog or website.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Jun 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
For June 1, 2010: This summer have your students hone their keyboarding skills with Dance Mat Typing. It's fun, easy to use, and geared for ages 7-11.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 Jun 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
The new pilot program combines more than 20,000 ebooks from leading publishers under a simultaneous, multi-user access subscription model; free access for local public high schools; do-it-yourself epublishing tools; and complimentary marketing services.
News/Breaking News - Posted 27 May 2010
Team 'No1Idling' from Michigan takes the middle school top honor; California's Team 'Planet Blue and Green' and Illinois' Team 'Zero Waste Lunch Experts' are the elementary school winners.
News/Breaking News - Posted 24 May 2010
Referencia Latina is a definitive general reference resource for the rapidly growing native Spanish-speaking population in the United States covering issues in Latin America and Spain, as well as US and global affairs.
News/Breaking News - Posted 07 May 2010
In this age of technology-enabled openness, how much protecting is too much? And, going further, if our students are completely isolated from the benefits of the information age, will they ever learn? In this month's Tools for Learning feature, Victor Rivero examines some products, services, and solutions that address the question "How can our students stay safe and secure while simultaneously getting access to rich learning resources—and continue to fall in love with learning?"
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 May 2010 - May/Jun 2010 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
Teachers are entrusted to provide a broad and lasting education to their students. That means, in part, exposing them to both many forms and many formats of literature. If we can help them to see the connections between those formats, then all the better. When we can lead them to see, understand, and thoughtfully combine print and nonprint formats as tools for their own expression of ideas and mastery, then we have begun to arm them with the tools necessary for lifelong learning. The faculty and staff of Chets Creek Elementary School in Jacksonville, Fla., have managed to do just that, as Johanna Riddle demonstrates in this month's Tech Effect column.
Column/The Tech Effect - Posted 01 May 2010 - May/Jun 2010 Issue
By
Johanna Riddle
Subscription web services for education offer a fascinating variety of products and approaches for teachers, parents, students, and school systems. Some services provide grade book and student information systems, others offer assessment and learning management platforms, and some feature classroom resources including lesson plans, videos, digital tools, activities, and games. This article takes a look at a representative sampling of subscription-based websites that are appropriate for use in K-12 classrooms.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 May 2010 - May/Jun 2010 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Susan Hixson reviews School Town, an online collaborative learning resource.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2010 - May/Jun 2010 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
For May 1, 2010: The huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a news maker that can be turned into a quick inquiry lesson for students. Try a lesson that Cyberbee has used with teachers and students to think about the best way to clean-up an oil spill. Then, visit NOAA's National Ocean Service website page.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 01 May 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
Release 9.1 of Blackboard Learn emphasizes social learning and student engagement, and brings upgrades for K-12 and former WebCT Clients.
News/Breaking News - Posted 28 Apr 2010
Lexile measures will be assigned specifically for content in World Book Student and World Book Discover, designed for middle- and high-school students; World Book Kids, designed for elementary-school students; and the Early World of Learning site for preschoolers and emerging readers in the primary grades.
News/Breaking News - Posted 23 Apr 2010
Combining its intervention software program, the Academy of READING, with print intervention tools, the company's three targeted solutions are designed to help build reading skills for life.
News/Breaking News - Posted 21 Apr 2010
The NAMTC Digital Marketplace is powered by the EduTone Xchange platform, enabling education service agencies to purchase, provision, and access on demand the web-based applications and content offered in the Digital Marketplace.
News/Breaking News - Posted 19 Apr 2010
As the latest addition to World Book Classroom, a series of teaching resources to improve learning in the classroom setting, Early World of Learning offers resources that integrate into the classroom curriculum in preschool and early elementary grades.
News/Breaking News - Posted 16 Apr 2010
For April 15, 2010: Meet the invertebrates through art and photography with help from watersheds.org, the website of the Bryant Watershed Education Project in south central Missouri.
Cyberbee Web Pick/Cyberbee's Web Picks - Posted 15 Apr 2010
By
Linda C. Joseph
The free professional development event on April 24th will focus on integrating educational technologies into classroom instruction.
News/Free Resources - Posted 22 Mar 2010
Designed by special educators and based on visual learning theory, the Literacy Suite is designed to build reading, writing, and science skills by combining students' own images, videos, and photos with rich learning content.
News/Breaking News - Posted 17 Mar 2010
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Mar 2010 - Mar/Apr 2010 Issue
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
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.
Column/The Tech Effect - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
Johanna Riddle
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
Victor Rivero
Sally Finley reviews Achiever!, a student assessment program.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
Charles Doe reviews the Read:OutLoud6 text reader from Don Johnston, Inc.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2010 - Jan/Feb 2010 Issue
By
Richard Mellott
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.
Column/The Tech Effect - Posted 01 Nov 2009 - Nov/Dec 2009 Issue
By
Johanna Riddle
Sally Finley reviews Grzimek's Animal Life, an online animal reference database from Gale Cengage Learning.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2009 - Nov/Dec 2009 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2009 - Nov/Dec 2009 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Nov 2009 - Nov/Dec 2009 Issue
By
Kathie Felix
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Nov 2009 - Nov/Dec 2009 Issue
By
Renee Ramig
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2009 - Sep/Oct 2009 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Sally Finley reviews Classworks Web Edition, an online subscription service that provides individualized standards-based instruction in math, reading, language arts, and science.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2009 - Sep/Oct 2009 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2009 - Sep/Oct 2009 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2009 - Sep/Oct 2009 Issue
By
Ernie. J. Cox
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2009 - Jul/Aug 2009 Issue
By
Alice Kurtz
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Jul 2009 - Jul/Aug 2009 Issue
By
Kathie Felix
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2009 - May/Jun 2009 Issue
By
Alice Kurtz
Sally Finley reviews LabQuest Library, a LabQuest-focused toolkit that includes a lab creator, lab organizer, and links to LabQuest device upgrades.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2009 - May/Jun 2009 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Charles Doe reviews PebbleGo, a program designed to introduce database skills and research concepts to students in grades K-2.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2009 - May/Jun 2009 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 May 2009 - May/Jun 2009 Issue
By
Peter Levy
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2009 - Mar/Apr 2009 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2009 - Mar/Apr 2009 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
The Learn360 video streaming service for K–12 education now offers a My Learn360 homepage designed to individualize the user experience for educators.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Mar 2009 - Mar/Apr 2009 Issue
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 Jan 2009 - Jan/Feb 2009 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2009 - Jan/Feb 2009 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2009 - Jan/Feb 2009 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Susan Hixson reviews Type to Learn 4, a keyboarding program designed for K-12 students at a variety of skill levels.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2009 - Jan/Feb 2009 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
Greenovation, a sustainable lighting system upgrade with a companion curriculum, turns the classroom itself into a teaching tool.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Jan 2009 - Jan/Feb 2009 Issue
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2009 - Jan/Feb 2009 Issue
By
Sheila Offman Gersh
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Nov 2008 - Nov/Dec 2008 Issue
Sally Finley takes a look at Discovery Education Science for Elementary, an online standards-based science curriculum.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2008 - Nov/Dec 2008 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Nov 2008 - Nov/Dec 2008 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2008 - Sep/Oct 2008 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2008 - Jul/Aug 2008 Issue
By
Rhonda Clevenson
Alie Kurtz reivews Learn360, a video streaming service for K-12.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2008 - May/Jun 2008 Issue
By
Alice Kurtz
Charles Doe reviews Lexia Reading v5, a collection of three software programs combined with management functions.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2008 - May/Jun 2008 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Susan Hixson reviews Kidspiration 3, the latest version of the cross-curricular visual learning program for grades K-5.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2008 - May/Jun 2008 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2008 - Mar/Apr 2008 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Susan Hixson reviews DOMA, an Internet-based supplemental math assessment program for use with grades K-12.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2008 - Mar/Apr 2008 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Mar 2008 - Mar/Apr 2008 Issue
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.
Column/The New Media Center - Posted 01 Mar 2008 - Mar/Apr 2008 Issue
By
Mary Alice Anderson
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 Mar 2008 - Mar/Apr 2008 Issue
By
Linda C. 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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2008 - Jan/Feb 2008 Issue
By
Johanna Riddle
Charles Doe reviews Fluent Reading Trainer (FLRT), a Web-based program that helps students increase reading speed while improving or maintaining reading comprehension.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2008 - Jan/Feb 2008 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Susan Hixson reviews Knowledge Adventure Activity Builder, an online teacher tool.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2008 - Jan/Feb 2008 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Nov 2007 - Nov/Dec 2007 Issue
By
Len Annetta
Sally Finley reviews Tool Factory Podcasting, a Windows-based program that provides the tools needed to create and publish podcasts.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2007 - Nov/Dec 2007 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Susan Hixson reviews Rapid Resources, an online teacher's tool for differentiating instruction.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2007 - Nov/Dec 2007 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2007 - Sep/Oct 2007 Issue
By
Robert J. Congleton
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2007 - Sep/Oct 2007 Issue
By
John Drag Jr.
Charles Doe reviews TeacherFilebox.com, an online collection of instructional resources for PreK-6 educators.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2007 - Sep/Oct 2007 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jul 2007 - Jul/Aug 2007 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2007 - Jul/Aug 2007 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2007 - May/Jun 2007 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Susan Hixson reviews Study Island, an online program that delivers curriculum content and assessment features tied to state standards.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2007 - May/Jun 2007 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2007 - Mar/Apr 2007 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Susan Hixson reviews WebLesssons, an online multimedia resource that replaces the typical browser window with a student learning path.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2007 - Mar/Apr 2007 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
Three new GenevaLogic Vision Kits provide individual classrooms and entire schools with classroom management tools for effective computer teaching.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Mar 2007 - Mar/Apr 2007 Issue
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2007 - Jan/Feb 2007 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
Charles Doe reviews WriteBrain, a Web-based multimedia writing program.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2007 - Jan/Feb 2007 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Jan 2007 - Jan/Feb 2007 Issue
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2007 - Jan/Feb 2007 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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!
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2007 - Jan/Feb 2007 Issue
By
Dan Schmit
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2007 - Jan/Feb 2007 Issue
By
Nick Glass
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2006 - Nov/Dec 2006 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 Nov 2006 - Nov/Dec 2006 Issue
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2006 - Sep/Oct 2006 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
Reviewer Sally Finley writes about MathAmigo 4, a standards-based math software program.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2006 - Sep/Oct 2006 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2006 - July/Aug 2006 Issue
By
Sally Finley
Charles Doe reviews Type to Learn Jr. New Keys for Kids, a keyboarding program for students in grades K-2.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2006 - July/Aug 2006 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2006 - May/June 2006 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 May 2006 - May/June 2006 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 May 2006 - May/June 2006 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2006 - Mar/Apr 2006 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 Mar 2006 - Mar/Apr 2006 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Mar 2006 - Mar/Apr 2006 Issue
By
Johanna Riddle
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 Jan 2006 - Jan/Feb 2006 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Nov 2005 - Nov/Dec 2005 Issue
By
Sarah Cooper
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 Sep 2005 - Sep/Oct 2005 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2005 - Sep/Oct 2005 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Sep 2005 - Sep/Oct 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2005 - Jul/Aug 2005 Issue
By
Sally Finley
A review of Differentiated Instruction: Success for Every Student, a free online professional development resource.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2005 - Jul/Aug 2005 Issue
By
John Drag Jr.
A product review of "Fractions with Professor Von Strudel," math software for grades 2-6.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jul 2005 - Jul/Aug 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jul 2005 - Jul/Aug 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jul 2005 - Jul/Aug 2005 Issue
By
Robert J. Congleton
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2005 - May/Jun 2005 Issue
By
Alice Kurtz
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2005 - May/Jun 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
Take It to the Computer: Writing Sentences and Paragraphs provides center activities for writing using practice exercises, graphic organizers, and a drawing program.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 May 2005 - May/Jun 2005 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 May 2005 - May/Jun 2005 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Archives/In the Spotlight - Posted 01 May 2005 - May/Jun 2005 Issue
By
Kathie Felix
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2005 - Mar/Apr 2005 Issue
By
Susan W. Hixson
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
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2005 - Mar/Apr 2005 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2005 - Mar/Apr 2005 Issue
By
Sally Finley
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Mar 2005 - Mar/Apr 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 Mar 2005 - Mar/Apr 2005 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Mar 2005 - Mar/Apr 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Mar 2005 - Mar/Apr 2005 Issue
By
Robert J. Congleton
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.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2005 - Jan/Feb 2005 Issue
By
Agnes Dunn
The Neo is a portable, lightweight, and inexpensive computer "companion" that looks like a keyboard with a small screen attached.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Jan 2005 - Jan/Feb 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Jan 2005 - Jan/Feb 2005 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
3dChor Kids provides young students with an introduction to basic animation.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Nov 2004 - Nov/Dec 2004 Issue
By
John Drag Jr.
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.
Editorial/Features - Posted 01 Nov 2004 - Nov/Dec 2004 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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.
Column/CyberBee - Posted 01 Nov 2004 - Nov/Dec 2004 Issue
By
Linda C. Joseph
The Blobs, an interactive animated program with narration by Jane Horrocks, helps students learn basic number, letter, color, and beginning word skills.
Editorial/Product Reviews - Posted 01 Sep 2004 - Sep/Oct 2004 Issue
By
Charles G. Doe
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