District Administration - January 2009 - (Page TP26)

2008 Readers’ Choice Top 100 Products SOFTWARE WINNERS Symantec Norton 360 2.0 Virus Protection, $79.99 The Norton 360 antivirus program protects against a wide array of threats, with features including automatic backup and restore, PC tuneup and network monitoring. This newest version now includes Symantec’s Browser Protection technology, which defends against drive-by downloads and other new or unknown threats that exploit vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. With advanced antivirus, antispyware, ﬁrewall, intrusion protection, and powerful SONAR behavioral detection technology, Norton 360 users are protected on multiple fronts from online threats. www.symantec.com Tom Snyder Productions FASTT Math 1.7 Math Intervention, Starting at $60 This math fact ﬂuency program now offers enhanced reporting capabilities for teachers and administrators, including districtwide reporting and data export through the Scholastic Achievement Manager. The system’s dashboard supports data-driven instruction and AYP accountability requirements. For students in second grade or higher, the program provides an improved experience with more games and downloadable worksheets for personalized practice. It also automatically differentiates instruction and practice based on each student’s individual ﬂuency gaps in customized 10-minute daily sessions. www.tomsnyder.com VMware VMware Fusion Virtualization Program, $79.99 VMware’s Fusion virtualization program enables Mac users to run PC applications seamlessly side-by-side with Mac applications. Users can easily ﬁnd, launch and run PC applications with Fusion’s Unity and Expose functions, and minimize each program to the Mac OS X Dock when not in use. Fusion also enables the creation of Windows-based virtual machines that complement Apple’s Boot Camp partition, of which the Snapshots function can store copies as a backup in the event of a system crash. www.vmware.com Voyager Expanded Learning Vmath Math Intervention, $30 per student pack Voyager’s math intervention program provides struggling students in grades 3-8 with 30-40 minutes of targeted, systematic, daily instruction to bring them to grade-level proﬁciency and improve their outcomes on standardized tests. After identifying where students are struggling, it intervenes with explicit, scaffolded instruction and monitors progress until intervention is no longer needed. Teachers and administrators can also track student progress using VPORT, the company’s online data management system. www.voyagerlearning.com alio 8.3 Administrative Program, $10,000 and up Weidenhammer’s alio is a scalable, complete software suite designed to run all district administrative tasks including payroll, human resources and ﬁnance management. Version 8.3 includes the same functionalities of previous versions that allow administrators to budget, monitor and control their ﬁnances, but this version is now fully Web-based, allowing 24/7 access via a secure browser. Weidenhammer’s ongoing training and support ensure that users’ needs and skills can evolve with future upgrades, and the annual Weidenhammer National Users Conference and local user group meetings ensure client knowledge is up-to-date. www.hammer.net Weidenhammer Wireless Generation mCLASS:DIBELS Assessment, Starting at $14 per student Wireless Generation’s mCLASS:DIBELS is the handheld-to-Web version of DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). Teachers use mCLASS:DIBELS benchmarks to quickly identify at-risk students and to set individualized goals. After syncing the handheld device, teachers can view Web-based analysis of their students’ data online and receive tools for planning differentiated instruction, while administrators can track progress, review program effectiveness, and determine which resources and strategies will improve student performance. www.wirelessgeneration.com 26 January 2009 Top 100 Products http://www.symantec.com http://www.tomsnyder.com http://www.vmware.com http://www.voyagerlearning.com http://www.hammer.net http://www.wirelessgeneration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2009

District Administration - January 2009
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
News Update
Security
Facilities & Construction
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Conversations
Leadership Books
Research Center
District Web Site Essentials
The Second Annual X-Factor Student Achievement Grant
Social Studies for the 21st Century
Tech Disruptions
Professional Opinion
New Products
Product Focus
Understanding the Times

District Administration - January 2009