Technology & Learning - December 2008 - (Page 22)

FEATURESTORY MEDIASMART DVD-ROM HOLT MCDOUGAL Media Smart uses real clips (such as commercials, political ads, and movies) to help students think critically about what they see and hear. The DVD offers thoughtprovoking questions following the clips. Judges found it useful in this respect, as visual and media literacy are often neglected in classrooms. This product integrates easily into language arts education, and was named “one of the best products of the bunch.” DVDs are available for many different grade levels, allowing teachers to incorporate material appropriate for their specific classroom levels. $436.77, www.mcdougallittell.com OPERATION: MONSTER STORMS THE JASON PROJECT (A NONPROFIT SUBSIDIARY OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY) MONEYU—THE ONLINE COURSE FOR PERSONAL FINANCE GRIFFIN ENTERPRISES, LLC This innovative program geared toward teaching financial skills was a product none of the judges had seen before. Its Web site describes MoneyU as an “online course and campus for financial literacy,” licensed to high schools, colleges, and the military. Judges found the program to be especially relevant and helpful in times of financial instability and appreciated the program’s mix of information and interactivity, as well as its superb feedback and assessment tools. MoneyU not only presents engaging graphics, movies, and activities, but also helps older learners increase their knowledge of personal finances—something that will undoubtedly come in handy as they enter the work force. Individual seat-login $75; institutional pricing scales from $62 down to $7 per seat-login, www.moneyu.com Operation: Monster Storms, a weather curriculum unit developed with NOAA, NASA, and National Geographic, transports students to Earth’s most extreme weather events to learn the science needed to save lives and property. Aligned to state and national science standards, it examines current research and allows students to work side-by-side with leading scientists in the classroom and an online community. Available in print and free online editions, Operation: Monster Storms includes a variety of resources to motivate students, from videos and digital games to podcasts, Web casts, hands-on labs, and field assignments—things that can’t be accomplished solely through textbooks. This five-to-nine week unit is designed for middle grades, and judges recommended it for 4th–8th grade science teachers. Teacher Pack, $80.72; Classroom Pack, $788.90, www.jason.org MICROSOFT MATH MICROSOFT Judges across the board loved Microsoft Math—an inexpensive, well-designed collection of tools, tutorials, and instruction designed to help students tackle math and science problems quickly and easily. The program can be customized to fit many individual needs—for example, users can modify the way the graphing calculator looks and have access to built-in function-solving help, easy-to-graph equations and a unit conversion tool. While many different calculators can be used for these situations, judges loved Microsoft Math’s all-in-one aspect and wished they’d have something like this in their high schools. $19.95, www.microsoft.com 22 | TECH & LEARNING http://www.mcdougallittell.com http://www.moneyu.com http://www.jason.org http://www.microsoft.com

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Technology & Learning - December 2008 Contents Leader of the Year Award Awards of Excellence Portraits of Learning

Technology & Learning - December 2008

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