Week of: September 22, 2008
- WHAT'S NEW
GoAnimate.com allows teachers and students to create animations without a drawing background or a technical understanding of advanced software such as Flash. GoAnimate.com includes a demo and detailed tutorials that introduce animation basics and an overview of the GoAnimate Studio. The site offers simple to more advanced features that provide users with a variety of possibilities for customizing their animation. - WHAT'S NEW
GreenCity is a new 10-lesson online enrichment program for students in grades 6-12 (AlternativeEnergy.com). GreenCity explores the causes and effects of excess pollution and energy use in entire populations using Electronic Arts' SimCity Societies, a software program that allows users to construct dynamic virtual cities. Each of the GreenCity program's 10 lessons has two main parts—game play and real-world applications. Through an initial Web tutorial, students learn to build their own virtual SimCity based on societal model, and then set specific goals, monitor their city's energy use, and chart growth. The students will then control their city, choosing environmentally-friendly, alternative energy options for city infrastructure. - Product: LS Test Builder
Retail Price: Based on the number of users within a school, but calculated per site based on total student population. For example, a school with 450-500 students can expect to pay $2 per student for a 12-month license which includes the full item bank with questions for language arts, math, social studies, and science, plus access for all students and staff. - Must Reads
Web 2.0 New Tools, New Schools
Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum
www.iste.org/ 1-800-336-5191
Provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging Web 2.0 technologies and their use in the classroom and in professional development. Topics include blogging as a natural tool for writing instruction, wikis and their role in project collaboration, podcasting as a useful means of presenting information and ideas, and how to use Web 2.0 tools for professional development. - Put to the Test: Joe Huber reviews SAS Curriculum PathwaysAn online instruction system that coversthe four basic core areas of the curriculum.
