Software & Web Sites
BASIC SKILLS
CompassLearning Odyssey Reading/Language Arts for Kindergarten builds reading and comprehension skills through familiarity and repetition. CompassLearning Odyssey Math for Kindergarten introduces mathematical concepts and skills through online learning activities and offline materials. Also from CompassLearning, Odyssey Algebra provides direct instruction, exploratory activities, and guided practice for middle and secondary students.
CompassLearning, 9920 Pacific Heights Blvd., San Diego, CA 92121; (800) 422-4339; www.compasslearning.com
The online Kid's College 2005, produced by Learning Through Sports, teaches math and language arts skills through interactive sports-themed activities for K-8 students.
Learning Through Sports, 33 Inverness Center Pkwy., Ste. L110, Birmingham, AL 35242; (205) 980-8970;www.learningthroughsports.com
DATABASE
The free FileMaker Education Starter Kit, which includes a 30-day trial of FileMaker Pro 7, includes database solutions for tracking staff; managing curriculum, admissions, grade books, and registration; and more.
FileMaker, 5201 Patrick Henry Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95054; (800) 325-2747;www.filemakertrial.com
READING
Start-to-Finish Literacy Starter sets from Don Johnston Incorporated provide age-appropriate print and electronic books, teacher planning tools, and supplemental resources for beginning reading.
Don Johnston Inc., 26799 West Commerce Dr., Volo, IL 60073; (800) 999-4660;www.donjohnston.com
The 40-minute, computer-based Comprehensive Diagnostic Assessment of Reading Difficulties identifies dyslexia and other causes of reading difficulties in elementary, middle school, and high school students. Results of tests such as letter naming, word naming, and listing comprehension are reported for use in a student's individualized education plan.
Educational Help Inc., 24 Brandywine Dr., Belchertown, MA 01007; (413) 256-4694; www.readingsuccesslab.com
REFERENCE
E-learning provider Element K has added an Articles reference area covering office productivity applications, design and media, networking, operating systems, and programming and Web development. Articles address task-specific technology skills in 4- to 6-page documents.
Element K, 500 Canal View Blvd., Rochester, NY 14623; (585) 240-7500;www.elementk.com
A new Science Resource Center combines all of Thomson Gale's science reference resources, such as primary documents and full-text journals, in one database. The company also announced the acquisition of WEB FEET, a directory of Web sites vetted by librarians, teachers, and subject-area experts.
Thomson Gale, 27500 Drake Rd., Farmington Hills, MI 48331-8004; (248) 699-4252;www.gale.com
RESEARCH TOOL
Students and teachers can collect, organize, and share information found online with Onfolio. The tool allows users to cite and annotate information from the Web as it's collected and share that information in documents, presentations, e-mails, and research reports.
Onfolio, 4 Cambridge Center, 3rd Flr., Cambridge, MA 02142-1406; (888) 663-6546;www.onfolio.com
SCHEDULING
Now Up-to-Date & Contact version 4.5.2 enables label and address printing from Now Contact and Palm synchronization. $119.95.
Now Software, 6525 West Campus Oval, Ste. 130, New Albany, OH 43054; (614) 413-4000;www.nowsoftware.com
SCIENCE
The American Museum of Natural History has relaunched its Science Bulletin Web site to include documentary videos, photographs, graphics, and interactive data visualizations and breaking news in astrophysics, earth sciences, and biodiversity.
American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St., New York, NY 10024-5192;sciencebulletins.amnh.org
Based on an exhibit at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, "Dinosphere: Now You're in Their World" provides a virtual tour of the exhibit, lesson plans for teachers, and WebQuests for students.
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46208;www.childrensmuseum.org/dinosphere.index.html
The Web site for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coral Reef Conservation Program provides links to coral reef data and news as well as resources for students and lesson plans for teachers.
NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program, N/ORR, 1305 East West Hwy., 10th Flr., Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281;www.coralreef.noaa.gov
Science CSI, a science kit for grades 5-12, includes pH, conductivity, and temperature probes, a USB microscope, and an investigative curriculum.
Apple, Bodelin Technologies, and Vernier Software & Technology;www.sciencecsi.com
SPELLING
At Spellbee.org, the first online, multiplayer spelling bee, an audio track reads a sentence aloud while the student reads the sentence on-screen with one word missing. The student must type the missing word correctly to advance. Players can challenge each other, and teachers can observe student performance. www.spellbee.org
TEXTBOOK MANAGEMENT
Manage textbook distribution with Textbook Tracker v3.02 from COMPanion Corporation. The new version features updated administrator preferences, enhancements in reporting and circulation management, and support for Mac OS X. Contact company for pricing.
COMPanion Corporation; (800) 347-6439;www.companioncorp.com
WEB AUTHORING
New features in Macromedia Contribute 3 include integrated image editing, automatic electronic publishing of PDF and Flash files, support for cascading style sheets, and the option to edit Web page source code in an external HTML editor. Education site licenses include software for all school-owned computers; a K-6 license includes classroom curriculum projects and teacher training resources. Single copy: $89. K-12 site license: $999 for 500 students or fewer; $1,499 for more than 500 students. K-6 license: $1,499 per school building.
Macromedia Inc., 600 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94103; (415) 252-2000;www.macromedia.com/go/contribute
Dream in Pictures, a suite of imaging tools from Luminous Parrot Technologies, combines an intuitive interface with a slide show builder, an interactive 3-D gallery, a mosaic maker, and more. A 14-day free trail is available at www.luminousparrot.com.
Luminous Parrot Technologies; 2018 156th Ave NE, Ste 100; Bellevue, WA 98007; (425) 748-5155;www.luminousparrot.com
WEB CONFERENCING
Click to Meet 4.0 from First Virtual Communications combines multipoint audio and video with Web collaboration tools in a single browser interface. The new version integrates with such Microsoft programs as Outlook and Windows Messenger, allows conference hosts to display secure Web sites without divulging passwords, and allows users to build a personal document repository. Contact company for pricing.
First Virtual Communications, 3200 Bridge Pkwy., Ste. 202, Redwood City, CA 94065-1197; (800) 728-6337;www.fvc.comnetworking
BXP from VenturCom creates an "image" of a desktop environment, then broadcasts that image to remote terminals — allowing schools to remotely manage and support applications and the operating system.
VenturCom, 29 Sawyer Rd., Waltham, MA 02453; (800) 334-8649;www.vci.com
Dates & Events
October 13-15: Council of Media Organizations, Athens, Ga. www.gait-inc.org/como.htm
October 13-16: National Tech Prep Network, Minneapolis, Minn. www.ntpn.info
October 19: Tech Forum: Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders, New York, N.Y.
www.techlearning.com/events
T&L-sponsored event.
October 27-29: National School Boards Association T+L2, Denver, Colo. www.nsba.org/T+L
