News of the Latest Products and Technology for K-12
TitleWatch
by Kathie Felix, News Editor
TitleWatch lists recently-released
educational software and electronic media products that relate to the K-12
curriculum. This list is primarily but not exclusively comprised of CD-ROM
products; other electronic formats are noted in the text. Suggestions for
entries and press releases should be addressed to Kathie Felix,
5746 Union Mill Rd., PMB 605, Clifton, VA 20124 or kfelix@infotoday.com.
Language Arts
Destination Reading for preK-3rd grade students provides
two sequenced courses designed to build reading and writing skills. Course
I, designed for preK-1st grade students, focuses on emergent literacy
and phonemic awareness. Course II, for 2nd and 3rd grade students, focuses
on building fluency and comprehension. Together, both programs provide
500 learning experiences with more than 90 texts and stories for children
to read. The included Riverdeep Learning Management system provides both
diagnostic and prescriptive assessment, as well as comprehensive tracking
and reporting functions. The program is available on a single user CD-ROM,
network CD-ROM, and as an online subscription. Riverdeep, 800/825-4420
or http://www.riverdeep.com/.
The Key Skills for Reading series includes two titles: Letters
and Words (K-2) and Basic Word Concepts (grades
1-2). Letters and Words helps students learn alphabet order, organize
words and objects by initial consonant sounds, match rhyming words
and homophones, build words, and identify short and long vowel sounds.
Basic Word Concepts covers the difference between nouns and verbs,
explores superlatives, examines antonyms and synonyms, contractions,
common abbreviations, and syllabication skills. Both programs feature
assessment tools that provide
diagnostic student reports. Mac/Win CD-ROM. $120—single copy. $130—lab
pack of 10. $700—school unlimited license. Sunburst, 800/321-7511 or http://www.sunburst.com/.
Mathematics
The Key Skills for Math series includes six grade-specific
titles: Basic Number Concepts (K-2); Shapes, Numbers,
and Measurement (K-2); Addition Practice (grades
1-3); Subtraction Practice (grades 1-3); Multiplication
Practice (grades 3-6); and Division Practice (grades
3-6). Through bursts of animated reading and math practice, the programs
help students develop basic skills. Designed to meet developing learning
needs, each program contains an assessment tool that captures student
performance and creates diagnostic reports. Mac/Win CD-ROM. $120—single
copy. $130—lab pack of 10. $700—school unlimited license. Sunburst,
800/321-7511 or http://www.sunburst.com/.
Reference
The 2003 Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia DeluxeEdition provides
more than 39,200 articles and access to thousands of additional articles
online. Program features include 108,000 Web links, 15,500 images, more
than 200 videos, 150 panoramas, 750 sound clips, a world atlas with 1,200
maps, timelines, chronologies, a dictionary, and thesaurus. The encyclopedia
also includes a Topic Navigator, Related Media Gallery, Research Center,
and free monthly updates. CD-ROM for Windows 95/96/2000/Me/MX/NT4.0.
$30, single copy price. Brøderbund, 800/395-0277 or http://www.broderbund.com/.
Science
Interactive Skeleton for high school and medical school
students provides an in-depth look at a three-dimensional human skeleton,
as well as hundreds of study and clinical notes. To explore the skeleton,
students click on any bone or muscle attachment. They can read its label,
as well as descriptions of its location, function, common injuries, and
more. A customizable quiz module offers three levels of difficulty and
the ability to select the region of the skeleton for review, as well
as the number and type of review questions. A Spanish edition of the
program is available. Interactive Skeleton has been linked to new curriculum
drawn up by the American Association of Clinical Anatomists. Mac/Win
CD-ROM. $80, single copy price—English and Spanish versions. Multi-pack
pricing and site licensing is available. Tool Factory, 800/220-8386
or http://www.toolfactory.com/.
Special Needs
Kurzweil 3000, version 7, updates the reading, writing,
and learning software for struggling students. The program allows students
to leverage, when appropriate, the visual and auditory features of the
software for both formal test-taking and everyday use. Administrative
features allow educators to accommodate individual IEP requirements,
assess student ability, and ensure a smooth transition between classroom
and standardized testing situations. A new feature provides the ability
to automatically search for books by title or author on electronic text
repositories such as Bookshare.org, Project Gutenberg, or Baen Free Library
and then download and read those books. Included is a 30-day trial membership
(U.S. only) to Bookshare.org, an online community that allows individuals
with reading-related disabilities to legally download more than 10,000
public domain and copyrighted books. Multiple pricing options are available,
including the Kurzweil 5-unit Color Learning Lab Pack at $539 per seat.
Stand-alone and network versions are available. Kurzweil Educational,
800/894-5374 or http://www.kurzweiledu.com/.
Claude and Maude helps students practice letter formation
with Claude, an animated rat, and Maude, an animated owl. Students can
use the computer's mouse, touch screen, or a graphics pad to "trace" letters.
Claude then checks to see if the letter has been formed correctly and
can tell students if they are writing backwards. Phonetic speech and
animation illustrate the way each letter should be formed. Windows CD-ROM.
$60, single unit price. Multi-pack pricing and site licensing are available. Tool
Factory, 800/220-8386 or http://www.toolfactory.com/.
Touch Fun Fair helps students develop cause and effect,
visual discrimination/
matching, and mouse skills. The program offers six carnival-based games for
students with visual or learning impairments: Ghost Train, Darts, Coconut Shy,
Ring Toss, Grab Bag, and Bumper Cars. The games and animated rewards are designed
for both readers and nonreaders. Teachers and students can choose from two
levels of difficulty for each activity. The program can be used by individuals
or small groups. Mac/Win CD-ROM. Network version available. Switch accessible.
$60, single unit price. Multi-pack pricing and site licensing are available. Tool
Factory, 800/220-8386 or http://www.toolfactory.com/.
Tools
Aspire 4.0 is the newest version of the suite of Internet-based
teaching, reporting, grading, productivity, and communications tools
for K-12 school communities. The program's communication features include
messaging, assignment and announcement posting, school calendar information,
and groups, clubs, and team messaging. Automated teaching tools offer
online quiz and test creation, as well as an online gradebook that calculates
and weighs grades immediately and can be downloaded to MS Excel. Also
included are lesson plan tools (Web site library, document library, and
image library) performance measurement and recording tools (grade access
for calculating weekly athletic eligibility and performance trends, a
quick poll/survey tool, and attendance recording), and Web page creation
tools. The system is password-protected and features SSL 128 bit encryption
and encrypted back-ups three times daily. Aspire 4.0 is PC- and Mac-compatible
and browser-based, requiring a minimum of Netscape 4.0, Microsoft Explorer
4.0, or AOL. Aspire, 888/335-3788 or 216/619-2100; http://www.aspire.com/.
NTI CD-Maker 6 Platinum is a CD and DVD burning product
for a variety of file types, including audio, data, photo, video, and
super video. The program allows users to archive data, share photos and
videos, and create music CDs. Features include MP3 and MPEG-1 encoding,
VCD and SVCD menu creation, and burning and slide shows with audio. Songs
can be customized with the WAV editor or recorded in real time to CD.
Windows 98/Me/2000/XP. $70,
single copy. Riverdeep/Brøderbund, 800/825-4420 or http://www.riverdeep.com/.
|
