Web Resources
Sun Microsystems's (www.sun.com) Java Teaching Innovations Portal is an online resource designed to help students and teachers incorporate Java technology into their technology programs. The portal features lesson plans, games, special projects, case studies, and introductory presentations created by educators who participated in the Java Grant Program.
Featuring lessons on subjects such as consonants, vowels, and rhyming, StudyDog (www.studydog.com) is a downloadable reading program designed for the pre-K-2 learner.
The three-level Basic StudyDog program can be downloaded for free.
Sierra Vista Software's Quiz Tree Web site (www.quiz-tree.com) has more than 60 free quizzes on educational subjects like math, fractions, U.S. history, SAT vocabulary, units of measurement, geography, and Spanish.
Geared toward non-native English speakers, the interactive Web site English Maze (www.englishmaze.com) features virtual mazes that mimic everyday environments like restaurants, offices, or airports; users must navigate the mazes by communicating in English. Much of English Maze is free, but a monthly subscription is required to access the full range of materials.
Films Media Group (www.films.com) has launched FMG On Demand, designed to give middle and high school teachers on-demand access to FMG's content offerings, including PBS, BBC, and ABC News. The over 2,000 titles offered by FMG On Demand can be leased or purchased outright for classroom use.
Stanford Learning First from Harcourt Assessment (www.harcourtassessment.com) is a Web-based classroom assessment system for grades 3-8. The system's two primary components, formative assessments called ClassLinks and summative assessments called ClassViews, are custom-built by state. The product is currently available in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia.
Atomic Learning (www.atomiclearning.com) has added tutorials for Excelsior Software's Gradebook2 to its collection of Web-based software training resources.The tutorials are available to Atomic Learning subscribers or to Gradebook users through the Excelsior Software site. Atomic Learning has also released tutorials for Promethean ACTIVprimary, Adobe Photoshop Album 2 and Premier Elements, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Macromedia Flash MX, and Mac OS X 10.3.9-File Management.
Scholastic (www.scholastic.com) and Trumba (www.trumba.com) have partnered to create OneCalendar, an online tool designed to promote better communication between teachers and parents. OneCalendar allows teachers to send regular e-mails to parents about homework assignments, conferences, and class events. Beginning this fall, teachers can visit www.trumba.com/schools to sign up for a year of free access to the program and create a personalized calendar.
Hardware
The Gateway M280 has a rotating display.
Gateway's (www.gateway.com) new convertible notebook computer with pen, the M280, has a 14-inch wide-screen rotating display, customizable hard drive, and ergonomic hand grip, and can be configured with either a lightweight battery or one that provides as much as 8.5 hours of user time. The M280 also offers standard 802.11g or 802.11a/b/g WiFi connectivity.
Canon (www.usa.cannon.com) has introduced three new LCD multimedia projectors. The LV-7245, LV-7240, and LV-X5 projectors are compatible with Canon digital camcorders and digital cameras and can project a 100-inch image from 9.8 feet away. Canon has also released the RE-455X Visualizer, which includes a 12X power zoom lens.
Users of Xmultiple's (www.xmultiple.com) battery-powered FlashPoint ShareDrive can download and upload data between any other USB flash drive without a computer, MP3 player, or other USB memory peripheral. The drive comes in 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB sizes.
Axis Communications (www.axis.com) has released the Axis 210A Network Camera with built-in Power over Ethernet and bidirectional audio, designed for indoor surveillance and remote monitoring. The camera includes a progressive scan CCD sensor, built-in microphone, and connections for an external microphone and speakers. The suggested retail price is $549.
This notebook storage cart by Toshiba has perforated doors to allow ventilation.
The HumidiProbe, from the Saelig Company (www.saelig.com), can be used with any USB-compatible personal computer to collect, log, analyze, and export temperature and humidity data.
The mobile Notebook Storage Cart by Toshiba's Digital Products Division (www.toshibadirect.com) charges and stores notebook computers in individual compartments and features built-in handles and locking doors to deter theft. The preassembled all-steel cart is available in 15-, 18-, 24-, and 30-unit configurations. Prices for the 15-unit cart start around $940.
Software
FileMaker's (www.filemaker.com) newest version of its desktop database, FileMaker Pro 8, features a new PDF maker, new e-mail merge, and visual spell checker, as well as autocomplete and mouse-wheel support. Users can customize databases, e-mail field contents from within FileMaker, and import Excel files using the drag-and-drop method. FileMaker has also released FileMaker Pro 8 Advanced, previously called FileMaker Developer.
FileMaker Pro8 allows users to customize databases.
Boston Test Prep (www.bostontestprep.com) and Audible (www.audible.com) have partnered to create BTP To Go, an audio SAT preparation course that can be downloaded onto personal computers and handheld devices such as MP3 players, PDAs, and smart phones. Three different sections—SAT Introduction, Reducing SAT Anxiety, and Writing an SAT Essay—aim to familiarize students with test questions, strategies, and test-taking tips.
Geared toward teaching technological literacy, Big6TurboTools v.1.03 from Big6 Learning Resources (www.big6turbotools.com) has a built-in word processor, an electronic dictionary, and a student project manager, as well as features for generating tests and evaluations.
Keys Learning's (www.keyslearning.com) Keys To Reading Success offers teachers a diagnostic teaching tool and remedial reading program to help students in grades pre-K-12 reach their appropriate reading level and meet state standards.
OnScreen Science (www.onscreen-sci.com) has released an interactive computer model of the DNA double helix that can be rotated on screen. OnScreen DNA Lite also allows students to identify component molecules and chemical bonds.
DNA Lite by OnScreen Sciences features a 3-D, color-coded DNA model with 35 base pairs.
WordQ2 from Quillsoft (www.wordq.com) is designed to help students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities match auditory and visual cues as they write. The program
suggests words, reads students' sentences back to them as they write, and recognizes incorrect homonyms and creative word spellings.
Visions Technology in Education's (www.toolsforteachers.com) 50 Quick and Easy Reading and Writing Computer Activities provides K-12 educators with classroom-applicable tools for teaching reading and writing.
ETS (www.ets.org) has upgraded its online student essay evaluation tool, Criterion. Criterion 4.0 features on-screen advisories for users, teacher access to progress reports, archives for student work, and bilingual Spanish/English feedback.
SmartHelp LIVE from Apangea Learning (apangealearning.com) is a software tutoring program that teaches problem-solving skills, monitors student progress, and provides users with access to real tutors via live chat sessions.
Principia's (www.principiaproducts.com) Windows-based Remark Office OMR 6.0 reads and scans bubble test forms that have been created in word-processing programs and allows users to export the data into analysis software like Access, Lotus 1-2-3, or Excel.
AutoSkill Literacy Intervention Suite from AutoSkill International (www.autoskill.com) consists of two products designed to help K-12 students achieve grade-level proficiency in reading and math.
CompassLearning Odyssey Matematicas, from CompassLearning (www.compasslearning.com) is a browser-based math help resource designed for K-4 English Language Learners whose first language is Spanish. An extension of Odyssey Math, the new offering is customized to meet NCLB and state standards.
Guides
Discovery Education (education.discovery.com) introduces Digital Discovery, a bimonthly resource guide for educators who use unitedstreaming in the classroom. The premier issue features articles and tips on the theme "Connecting to the World."
Resources
Graduate credit is available for Vernier's four-hour free workshops offered in 55 locations this fall.
Educators can log on to www.vernier.com to sign up for free workshops offered by Vernier Software and Technology at locations across the country this fall. The four-hour sessions are designed to teach educators how to use data-collection technology in their science and math curricula. Lunch and a workshop training manual are included, and credit is available for a fee.
The American Musuem of Natural History (www.amnh.org) will have a special exhibition that explores the life and discoveries of Charles Darwin. Darwin will run in New York from November 19, 2005 to May 29, 2006 and will feature live Galapagos tortoises and fossils Darwin collected during his voyages on the HMS Beagle. After its closing in New York, the exhibition will travel to museums in Boston, Chicago, Toronto, and London.
