District Administration - November/December 2010 - (Page 68)

DistrictAdministration 100 PRODUCTS TOP STUDY BUDDY Brainchild, $3,995 for a 10-pack with 20 cartridges Brainchild’s Study Buddy handheld is a self-paced, differentiated instruction and cooperative learning device for mathematics, language arts and science in grades K-8. Content is supplied by a cartridge, which holds up to 25 lessons, 1,000 activities and a 10-question quiz for each content area. All content is aligned to individual state standards, audio is provided through a speaker or headphones, and Spanish and Haitian Creole versions are available. www.brainchild.com SUCCESSMAKER Pearson, Equal to $45 per student with perpetual site license Pearson recently released version 3 of its K8 one-onone personalized reading and math program intended to supplement core instruction. SuccessMaker includes a new initial reading skills assessment for K2 students, as well as practice activities, games and multimedia lessons for each subject area. A new Web-based delivery option provides student access from anywhere via a standard browser, and a new SuccessMaker Collaborate feature makes content available for small group or whole class learning with an interactive whiteboard. www.pearsonschool.com 2 0 1 0 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Knowledge Delivery Systems, Pricing varies Knowledge Delivery Systems delivers online professional development to teachers, districts and states using video lectures from renowned experts, interactive discussion forums, reﬂective journals, study guides and more. A built-in learning management system provides user tracking, assessment and comprehensive reporting. www.kdsi.org “The courses allowed us to provide a differentiated experience for our new teacher induction program. Teachers have options on which course to choose, depending on their interest or need.” Linda Leib, a principal in the Downingtown Area (Pa.) School District. ST MATH MIND Research, Pricing varies ST Math is a group of products from neuroscience and education-research-based nonproﬁ t organization MIND Research. The program focuses on engaging students’ spatial-temporal reasoning capabilities to explain and help them understand and solve multistep math problems. It is available in K-5, Fluency, and Math+Music modules, as well as a Secondary Intervention unit, which builds upon the visual-foundational approach of the elementary programs for struggling students or as a complement to curriculum. www.mindinstitute.net LABQUEST, LAB PRO Vernier, $329 Vernier provides a variety of science instructional hardware and software, including its ﬂagship product for schools, LabQuest. This durable, rechargeable, touchscreen datacollection device can be used alone in the lab, interfaced with computers or alone in the ﬁeld, and is available in packages with a variety of sensors and tailored to distinct subject areas. www.vernier.com “The accompanying Lab Pro software program is very intuitive to use and flexible enough that it can be used in various science disciplines as well as in the math and engineering fields.” Hector Morales, a science and math teacher in the Beaverton (Ore.) School District. 68 November/December 2010 District Administration http://www.brainchild.com http://www.kdsi.org http://www.kdsi.org http://www.pearsonschool.com http://www.vernier.com http://www.mindinstitute.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November/December 2010

District Administration - November/December 2010
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Black Children Still Left Behind
ARRA Funds Empower Schools to Power Down
A Call for Technology Leadership
Readers Pick Top 100 Products of the Year
Going Mobile
Superintendent’s Insights
Supervisor’s Opinion
Professional Opinion
Student Counsel

District Administration - November/December 2010