Home PublicationsL&LIssuesVolume 26 (1998-1999) October (No. 2)

Programs mentioned in this column have not been reviewed by the International Society for Technology in Education; their appearance here does not constitute an endorsement by Learning & Leading with Technology or ISTE. SN = Product for learners with special needs.

By Judi Mathis Johnson

KidDesk Internet Safe

Edmark has released KidDesk Internet Safe, the newest version of KidDesk, to make it easier for children to use the Internet while being well protected. The desktop has been updated with smaller desk accessories that accommodate more program icons and layouts, which should satisfy older kids. Some setup is required, but the Internet is made safer in the same way programs were originally protected in earlier versions of KidDesk. The teacher or parent determines what and how much of it can be accessed from the student’s desktop. The idea is to allow in exactly what you decide should be available rather than create a firewall that keeps material out based only on a set of filters. Online time limits also can be set. Edmark, an IBM Company, 6727 185th Ave. NE, PO Box 97021, Redmond, WA 98073-9721; 425.556.8400 or 800.426.0856.

Fast ForWord

SN  “Language Comprehension in Language-Learning Impaired Children Improved with Acoustically Modified Speech.” The title of some research paper? Yes, one that was published in Science in January 1996. One program, Fast ForWord by Scientific Learning Corporation, is addressing the problem by creating an environment in which students can hear speech repetitively and in modified form to help them comprehend its nuances. The program’s goal is to reteach hearing and speech skills and thus correct any misdevelopments children may have formed because of hearing problems or other impairments. Instead of creating a patchwork quilt of language skills built on a loosely or poorly formed beginning, this software helps children re-create a solid beginning for their language skills. Scientific Learning Corporation, 1995 University Ave., Suite 400, Berkeley, CA 94704; 510.665.9700.

Normandy: 1944

If you haven’t checked Encyclopedia Britannica Online recently, then log on and examine Normandy: 1944, a five-part series on the D-Day invasion of France. The site includes personal accounts, maps, and resources for teaching about World War II and the Normandy invasion. A free online activity guide for teachers and parents is available at http://normandy.eb.com. This is just one of many special collections that Encyclopedia Britannica Online has created and made available to everyone for a limited time. Visit soon, though. Sooner or later, the Normandy collection will be restricted to those with subscriptions.

3D World Atlas Deluxe
Reference Suite Deluxe

The quality of reference materials on CD-ROM continues to improve. Compton has provided two new entries in the market: 3D World Atlas Deluxe and Reference Suite Deluxe from The Learning Company are both available for Windows. In addition to geography, Compton’s 3D World Atlas Deluxe includes information on geology, climate, environmental issues, economies, and cultures. Charts and text can be exported into reports and presentations. Compton’s Reference Suite Deluxe contains the two CD-ROMs in Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia 1998 Deluxe Edition, The Complete Reference Collection (10 reference works), and Compton’s Interactive World Atlas. Whew! All in all, the CDs in the suite contain 224,000 entries, 38,000 articles, 20,000 photos, illustrations, and videos, thousands of Web links, and hundreds of maps. The Learning Company products can be ordered by calling 800.685.6322 or through retail vendors.

New CD-ROMS from The Learning Company

The Learning Company has four new CD-ROM titles. StoryBook Weaver DELUXE for Grades 5–12 allows students to create stories visually and textually in the order that best supports their creativity styles. Ultimate Writing & Creativity Center for Grades 2–5 guides students through the five stages of the writing process and provides lots of productivity support. Paint, Write & Play for prekindergarten through second grade includes the Art Studio, the Travel Center, and the Writing House so that students can express their emerging ideas. This program is also excellent for special needs students. Finally, but never least, the MathKeys Collection provides opportunities to link from manipulative activities to abstract math concepts for the elementary classroom. The Learning Company products can be ordered by calling 800.685.6322, by visiting www.shoptlc.com, or through retail vendors.

People of the Plains

Rainbow Educational Media is now producing a CD-ROM series on Native Americans. The first unit, People of the Plains, examines 26 tribes, including the Blackfoot, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Cheyenne, Crow, Arapaho, Sioux, Omaha, Missouri, and Comanche. Students can search the contents by keyword, topic, tribe name, and media format. Media include 30,000 words of text, a half hour of video, audio segments, and more than 700 historic paintings, graphics, and photographs. Rainbow Educational Media, 4540 Preslyn Dr., Raleigh, NC 27616; 800.331.4047 or 919.954.7550

Force and Motion Microworld

Presenting new information to students can be difficult when they have formed misconceptions. Physics Academic Software has just released Force and Motion Microworld to address common student misunderstandings of kinematics. The Windows-based simulation costs $100 and is useful for high school, college, and teacher preparation. A catalog on this and other products is available from Physics Academic Software, Box 8202, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8202; 800.955.8275 or 919.515.7447.

The Graph Club

The Graph Club from Tom Snyder Productions is now available on a hybrid Mac/Windows CD-ROM. This CD-ROM library contains more than 300 icons for creating picture graphs, circle graphs, bar graphs, line graphs, and tables. Costing $79.95, the CD-ROM includes a comprehensive teacher’s guide with detailed lesson plans and activities.

Maple V Release 5

Looking for an updated algebraic-manipulation program? Maple V Release 5 from Waterloo Maple is now available for the UNIX and Macintosh platforms. This new version contains a series of palettes, including Greek symbols and such mathematical constructs as integrals, limits, summations, square roots, and powers. The program’s export-to-HTML features support distance education, online coursework, and collaboration. These descriptions just scratch the surface of this powerful mathematics tool, so call 800.267.6583 or 519.747.2373, or write to 450 Phillip St., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 5J2 for more information.

Tomorrow’s Promise Spelling

Jostens Learning now sells many software products as stand-alone items. Tomorrow’s Promise Spelling is one program worth examining. The program’s farm theme interests first and second graders in spelling. The CD-ROM costs $99.95 and comes with teacher’s guide and student workbook. Students record their own voices as they pronounce words, access the built-in picture dictionary, and write their own stories. For more information, contact Jostens at 800.244.0575.

Print Shop Publishing Suite for Macintosh

The Print Shop is certainly a familiar name in educational technology. The new Print Shop Publishing Suite for Macintosh contains both the Print Shop Ensemble and the Print Shop PressWriter, along with a mere 20,000 graphics and photographs and 1,000 professional layouts. Brøderbund, a division of The Learning Company, continues to supply full-color graphics-reference books that make the educational use of Print Shop easy. Students can create stories that evoke certain atmospheres and enhance their text by using nearly 200 TrueType fonts or publish professional-looking newsletters, brochures, résumés, reports, and booklets. The retail price is $49.95.

Let’s Go

SN  DynEd has expanded Let’s Go, its English as a second language series, to cover six levels for the K–4 grade range. The first level is for prereaders, and the remaining five are for beginning readers. Two CD-ROMs are available for each level. The whole package includes study guides, 12 CDs, and an instructor’s manual for $599. A single level can be purchased for $129, and two levels for $239. To order, contact DynEd at 800.765.4375.

Educast Mail

Educast now offers Educast Mail, a free e-mail service with personal Internet home pages for educators.

Copyright © 1998, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.