Get up to speed on the latest product releases in the education market.
Web Resources
Learning Station has introduced P.E.T. Learning Styles Solutions, a Jung-based assessment and management tool. Students and teachers take short online assessments to determine their personality types and how they relate to teaching and learning. Teachers are then able to access a host of resources to help modify classroom instruction based on test results.
Hardware
Lenovo's two latest notebooks, the ThinkPad X60 and T60, offer the fastest Internet connection available to date and a battery life of 11 hours. Some ThinkPads also come with integrated fingerprint readers for security.
Xmultiple's new FlashPoint MP3 Share Player is a thumb-size MP3 player and flash drive in one that allows users to share files from one MP3 player to another and download pictures from a digital camera. It comes in 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, and 4 GB configurations.
Software
Wordy Qwerty, a new software offering from Talking Fingers, helps elementary school students gain reading and writing fluency. The program has characters who help students understand the logic behind 20 spelling rules, master so-called "outlaw" words, expand vocabulary, and learn strategies for reading and writing.
Open Text has released FirstClass ED, a software module that works with the FirstClass communication system to let users create and manage online communities. Features include tools for authoring, deploying, and sharing curriculum; student performance and progress tracking; and online reference repositories.
Targeted to teens, Voyager Expanded Learning's Passport Reading Journeys is a reading program designed to bring students up to speed by taking them on two-week virtual reading expeditions. The program incorporates small-group instruction, Web-based activities, and individual practice, and it includes a built-in teacher-administered assessment tool.
Piano Wizard, a new video game from Allegro Multimedia, teaches children and adults how to play piano using a play-first, learn-theory-later approach.
Professional Development
Purdue University will host the first Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Technology on Education (WIPTE) April 6 and 7, 2006. Open to anyone interested in instructional technology, the workshop will feature presentations in all disciplines and grade levels. The registration deadline is February 15, but spots may be available after that time. Visit www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/conference/wipte for more information.
