What's New
Turning Technologies has established the Turning Foundation to help classrooms, schools, and districts with their school improvement efforts. The Turning Foundation’s key outreach and support services match needs with potential funders, help schools develop improvement plans, assist organizations with the funding application process, provide specific research and language to support funding applications, review applications and provide feedback prior to submission, and assist with implementation, start-up, evaluation, and grant reporting.
More info: www.turningtechnologies.com/studentresponsesystem/turningfoundation
ISTE has released three new books.
Global Education: Using Technology to Bring the World to Your Students by Laurence Peters focuses on integrating global education into standards-based lessons. It costs $22.35 for members and $31.95 for nonmembers.
Student-Powered Podcasting by Christopher Shamburg is a guide to teaching podcasting, a skill that connects
students to the world around them. It costs $23.05 for members and $32.95 for nonmembers.
Differentiating Instruction with Technology in Middle School Classrooms by Grace E. Smith and Stephanie Throne offers strategies and lessons to ensure that students receive a tailored education that prepares them with the technology skills they need. It costs $26.55 for members and $37.95 for nonmembers.
More info: www.iste.org/bookstore
Naviance has released a suite of products and services for schools designed to promote college and workplace readiness. Naviance Succeed offers course, college, and career planning systems as well as analytics to help administrators measure long-term outcomes about their students, such as enrollment and retention rates and college admittance numbers. Naviance Succeed also brings together multiple data sources, allowing students to easily link their course selections to their career plans.
MORE INFO: www.naviance.com
ESRI and the National Geographic Society have teamed up to create GeoMentor, a program that will enlist people who use geographic information to help educators and students better understand its numerous applications. GeoMentors adopt a classroom or after-school program and help teachers and students see how geography and geographic information systems (GIS) can help them better understand the interconnectedness of objects and events in the world. The GeoMentor website has tools for pairing mentors with educators, finding activities, acquiring resources from both the National Geographic Society and ESRI, and sharing stories.
More info: www.geomentor.org
Sylvan Learning has launched a free supplemental mathematics resource for grades 7–12. Created by educators, SchoolMathPrep.com delivers more than 2,000 instructor-led videos covering 750 lessons in pre-algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, geometry, and math test preparation programs for the SAT and ACT. Each lesson includes sample problems, summary notes, a quiz, a worksheet, and a deep-thought question.
More info: www.schoolmathprep.com/index-smp.php
Aven has released a microscope with advanced digital enlargement and image capture features for classrooms and science instruction labs. The handheld iLoupe XL magnifies 3–300 times and has a 5.1-megapixel, high-resolution sensor for detailed images. Six white-light LEDs with an adjustable intensity control ensure clear, bright images. The lens tube rotates 180 degrees to capture any angle. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery allows continuous operation for five hours or standby use for up to seven hours. The unit is 2.5 inches (65 mm) wide, 6 inches (157 mm) high, and 1.5 inches (39 mm) deep.
More info: 1.734.973.099 or www.aveninc.com
TechTraining4Teachers is offering scholarships to K–20 teachers interested in taking online courses from Fresh Perspectives. To apply for the Technology Skills Enhancement scholarship, teachers select a course from the website www.fresh-perspectives.biz and write an essay of fewer than 250 words explaining how the content of that course would enhance their personal/professional productivity or ability to enhance learning for their students. The Technology Boot Camp scholarship is for the rookie who needs to learn the fundamentals of Office 2003 or 2007 for Windows. Five winners will be selected each session and will win Introduction to Word, PowerPoint, and Excel for Classroom Teachers. Optional graduate credit is available at additional cost through Chapman University College or Adams State College. For an application, e-mail Stan Dunlap at app@techtraining4teachers.org.
More info: www.fresh-perspectives.biz
Pitsco has launched Tetrix, a new metal building system compatible with the Lego Mindstorms robotics line. Made of heavy-duty aircraft-grade aluminum, Tetrix parts come in a variety of sizes that lend strength to robotic builds. Metal gears, plates, brackets, and mounts combine with channels, wheels, hubs, and tubing to create an ideal platform for flexible and creative robot design and construction. The Tetrix Robotic Education Base Set includes more than 550 parts and comes with a user guide that covers building a basic robot body, wiring and using a remote control, designing gear assemblies, building arm mechanisms and end effectors, and more.
More info: 1.800.362.4308 or http://shop.pitsco.com
Educational publisher Weekly Reader has launched WR Digital, new online resources designed to engage kids in literature, current events, science, and writing. Weekly Reader’s READ Great Authors series will connect middle and high school students to literary giants, beginning with Edgar Allan Poe, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, and Mark Twain. WR Digital enables educators to integrate text, sound, video, and animation right into their lessons. Among the features are embedded video and audio clips, a pop-up dictionary, cool zoom tools, slide shows, and animated learning activities.
More info: www.weeklyreader.com
This information is compiled by L&L’s editorial team from press releases that come into the ISTE editorial office. The products and resources are not reviewed by the L&L staff and are offered here without recommendation. Send press releases and suggestions for entries to products@iste.org.
Copyright © 2009, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education), 1.800.336.5191 (U.S. & Canada) or 1.541.302.3777 (Int'l), iste@iste.org, www.iste.org. All rights reserved.
Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2009
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