Technology & Learning - November 2008 - (Page 20)

PRODUCTREVIEWS PRODUCT: ROSETTA STONE CLASSROOM VERSION www.rosettastone.com/schools Retail Price: See Web site DESCRIPTION: Rosetta Stone provides both foreign- and English-language learners with selfpaced, interactive multimedia tools for skill development. Version 3 has modules to teach 21 languages. HOW TO USE IN THE CLASSROOM: Rosetta Stone Hebrew (Levels 1, 2, and 3), the product reviewed here, provides sequenced language instruction using three kinds of “dynamic immersion” activities. PROS: An intuitive user-friendly graphical interface invites students to explore, then choose an activity. Guided instruction and immediate feedback enables students to set their own pace. Users have their own login, enabling the program to record the work they do and “bookmark” where they leave off so they can continue from the same spot at next login. Students can preview lesson materials without responding, replay words and video clips as often as they choose, and move forward or backward through the lessons. It is aligned with state standards. CONS: There is no on-screen keyboard enabling students to click on keys in response to question prompts. Instead, students must affix Hebrew letter stickers to the keyboard. Those stickers can be removed easily and without them the writing lessons are hard to complete. While activities are both engaging and motivating, they’re not gamelike (this could be viewed as a plus). Activities are better suited to upper elementary or older students able to take charge of their own learning. OVERALL IMPRESSION: Although it’s a bit pricey, the product’s immersive, interactive, self-guided sequenced multimedia approach can support regular class instruction and independent learning. PRODUCT: PULSE SMARTPEN 1GB www.livescribe.com Retail Price: $149 DESCRIPTION: Pen computer. HOW TO USE IN THE CLASSROOM: Student can use the smartpen to take notes and record what the teacher is saying at the same time. Because the smartpen is also a “computer,” it can also act as a calculator. The smartpen would be useful in a foreign language class where the student not only writes down the translation for the word, but could also record the instructor speaking it. In a science or math class, students can write down the solution for a problem and could record the teacher’s explanation behind the solution. PROS: The device synchronizes the notes being taken with the audio that is recorded. By tapping anywhere on the written page, the student can recall the audio that coincides with the written notes at that point. It automatically translates a small set of words from the numbers zero to nine from English into Spanish, Swedish, Arabic, or Mandarin. By writing a word in English in their notebooks, students can see and hear correct translations from the Pulse smartpen. Livescribe now sells notebooks in packs of four—so about $5 per notebook or $20 for four 100-page notebooks. In addition, prior to the holidays, Livescribe will allow users to download the dot pattern and print their own dot paper for free. CONS: The smartpen is thicker than many people prefer and does not translate writing to text. The company is working with several partners to make this feature available for consumers later this year. The smartpen casing is anodized aluminum so it is resilient, but could be susceptible to damage in a trying school environment. OVERALL IMPRESSION: I like this product and wish it were more in the $50 range, since the cost of the paper does drive up the TCO for K-12 schools. While the recorded audio enhances any student notes, the smartpen would especially benefit those with good note-taking skills. 20 | TECH & LEARNING http://www.rosettastone.com/schools http://www.livescribe.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Technology & Learning - November 2008

Technology & Learning - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Desk News & Trends Put to the Test WeeWorld Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection SAS Curriculum Pathways Rosetta Stone Classroom Version Pulse Smartpen Highlights from T&L Top Classrooms Kepping the VoIP from Being the Wrong Number Watch It Back Office Business What’s New Keeping Tabs Leader of the Year Profile: Music to Their Ears

Technology & Learning - November 2008

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