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November 15, 2001
What's New
Coping with Tragedy
Tips, lesson plans, and classroom resources for educators to help students, parents, colleagues and the community in general understand and deal with the current global conflict.
Hardware
Mobile Computing
American Locker Security Systems offers the LTS-10, a 10-compartment locker for storing and securing laptops using individual keys; and the Compu-Lok, a modular storage unit that allows for keyless electronic access control and is available in several configurations (from four to 15 doors).
American Locker Security Systems, 608 Allen St., Jamestown, NY 14701; (800) 828-9118
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| HP Jornada 565 |
Hewlett-Packard has introduced two new handheld computers, the HP Jornada 565 and 568, which come with Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 Premium Edition software and feature an integrated CompactFlash extended slot for adding memory cards and peripherals, a removable/rechargeable 14-hour lithium-polymer battery, and a 16-bit TFT color screen. The Jornada 565 has 32MB RAM and costs $599; the 568 model includes 64MB RAM and has an estimated retail price of $649.
Hewlett-Packard, 3000 Hanover St., Mail Stop 20BJ, Palo Alto, CA 94304; (800) 613-2222
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| Palm m215 |
Palm has released the Palm m125 handheld computer, which offers a 33MHz processor, 8MB RAM, a two-tone faceplate with flip cover, and dual-expansion architecture that allows users to carry and share software and extra memory, as well as attach such modules as collapsible keyboards, digital cameras, and modems. The m125 operates on two AAA batteries. $249.
Palm, 5470 Great America Pkwy., Santa Clara, CA 95054; (800) 881-7256
Peripheral
The KidzMouse computer mouse, half the size of a regular mouse, was designed specifically to make computers accessible to young users, from toddlers to preteens. The mouse has a rounded shape to fit growing hands and is activated via its squeezable head. Three designs include MollyMouse, BenjieBee, and CoolBug. Retail price is around $19.99.
KidzMouse, 177 Bovet Rd., Ste. 600, San Mateo, CA 94402; (888) 503-KIDZ
Presentatopms
Electronic whiteboard maker SMART Technologies recently announced that they have decreased the prices on 500 Series models by 25 percent. Prices for the SMART Board 560 (60" diagonal) and the SMART Board 580 (72" diagonal) are now $1,599 and $1,999, respectively. Both come with a three-year warranty.
SMART Technologies, Ste. 600, 1177-11th Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2R 1K9, Canada; (888) 42-SMART
Software
Management
Chancery has added HealthOffice 2000, TIP, and KeepNTrack software to the company's student management offerings. HealthOffice 2000 tracks students' medical histories, and is designed to help schools meet state requirements, customize immunization records, and more. TIP allows educators to track and manage their textbook inventory, and KeepNTrack is a management system that checks in and prints identification tags for school volunteers and visitors.
Chancery, 3001 Wayburne Dr., Ste. 275, Burnaby, BC V5G 4WI, Canada; (800) 999-9931
Inventive Communications offers tools and resources for using the Internet in an educational setting. INET Classroom includes a complete online curriculum that integrates relevant Web sites plus suggested activities, standardized practice tests, and lesson plans available via the Web. The INET Library contains over 250,000 preselected Web sites for kindergarten to the postgraduate level. Also available: INET Library PLUS, a URL blocking system. Site licensing and subscriptions are available.
Inventive Communications, 215 Pearl St., Ste. 200, Wayne, NE 68787; (888) 841-4790
Math
Meridian Creative Group has launched Larson's Algebra 1 with Review, a year-long multimedia mathematics program that can be customized to fit any curriculum or individual student. Over 220 topics are covered, including all of algebra 1 and many topics in geometry, statistics, and pre-algebra. Also provided are interactive tutorials, five different assessment formats, practice tests taken from a pool of 25,000 questions, and a classroom management system to help teachers diagnose students and monitor their progress.
Meridian, 1762 Norcross Rd., Erie, PA 16510; (800) 530-2355
Productivity
Electronic Education, a division of Pearson Education, announces the release of Waterford Early Math & Science, a program designed to provide curriculum support to pre-K through second grade teachers. Features include multimedia, research-based sequencing, and individualized standards-based instruction for students struggling with mastery of core skills. The package includes computer-aided instruction software, books, and video for home and school implementation. Contact publisher for pricing information.
Pearson Education, New York, NY 10036; (888) 977-7100
Happy Tripper Productions has just released To-do List 2.0.5, offering a desktop organizer for those in search of a new organizational tool for keeping tasks and appointments in clear view. Designed with ease of use in mind, To-do List automatically saves new items, prints lists, and boasts an intuitive interface that lets users quickly add, delete, and edit tasks. The Windows-based program retails for $12 and is available for download at the site.
Happy Tripper Productions, Winchester, UK; (44) 7941-422203
ScanSoft has released the latest version of PaperPort Deluxe, software that allows users to scan, store, organize, and retrieve paper documents on their computer. New features include support for standard file formats like JPEG and TIFF, an updated interface, plus a one-year subscription to PaperPortOnline, a Web-based service that offers 25MB of storage and document collaboration tools. $99.99. Multi-user licenses are available.
ScanSoft, 9 Centennial Dr., Peabody, MA 01960; (800) 654-1187
Visual Vision has launched the EbooksWriter, a Windows-based program for creating and distributing e-books. The software lets users convert their book into a single .EXE file that can be distributed royalty-free on CD or as a Web download, or through a proprietary format that can be read using the free EbooksReader. There are two software options available at www.ebookswriter.com: a free version that is fully functional but has page limitations, and the PRO version, which costs $99 and has no limit on size.
Visual Vision, V. le Riviera 82/9, 17027 Pietra Ligure (SV), Italy
LangPad from WISCO Computing is a Windows utility designed to make it quick and easy to insert foreign-language characters and symbols into Notepad and Wordpad documents. One-click activation calls up a new window with international characters; a second click inserts the character into a document and automatically selects the font, size, and style used in the working application. Math Currency versions are available, as well as Dutch, Icelandic, Portuguese, and other common European language versions. This $7 Windows program can be downloaded at the site.
WISCO, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495; (715) 423-8189
Xara Webstyle is designed for the novice who wants to make professional-quality Web graphics. Priced at $69, this Windows-based program allows users to create a variety of commonly used Web images, such as navigation bars, buttons, banners, bullets, dividers, backgrounds, and 2-D and 3-D headings. Xara Webstyle also uses vector graphics so that images can be resized without loss of quality.
Xara, Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 6EX, UK; (44) 1442-350000
Web Sites
The World History Web site from ABC-CLIO includes a continually updated database that offers comprehensive resources, in-depth topic explorations, and timesaving lesson planning tools. Teachers and librarians can customize the site to correlate with their standards and textbooks. $599 per site per year.
Enhancements to the Counselor Center at The Princeton Review site include new free tools designed to streamline the logistics of the college application process and give counselors more time to work with students. Counselors can now get a quick read on a student's data, including GPA and SAT scores, target colleges, and projected major. Counselors can also generate instant reports on an entire class or individual students, and can download portions of applications to contact colleges on a student's behalf.
Sunburst has redesigned its Web site to offer an all new Teacher Resource Room featuring online Classroom Challenges for students in grades one through 12. The activities, which are designed to fit different time frames, focus on such skills as estimation, visual thinking, quadratic equations, mapping, and reasoning. Also included are a keyboarding game and "getting started" instructions for the teacher.
Books
Building a School Web Site: A Hands-on Project for Teachers & Kids is designed specifically for beginners, yet is precise in its technical content. Topics covered include basic HTML, using a Web editor, standards, bandwidth, search engine placement, and animation. Order the book in hard copy ($12.95) or e-book ($7.95) format at Wigglebits.
Duomo Press, Chicago, IL.
Children's Software Press offers I Did It on the Computer: Book Reports, a 24-page booklet that helps students in grades 4-8 use the computer throughout a book report project. Topics include finding a book using online resources, crafting a pre-outline, talking to family and friends about the book, and preparing the report in a variety of different styles. $5 per copy; $75 for a 30-copy classroom set. Teacher/Parent guides available for $2 each.
Children's Software Press, 720 Kuhlman Rd., Houston, TX 77024; (713) 467-8686
Then What? A Funquiry into the Nature of Technology, Human Transformation, and Marshall McLuhan, is a story about trying to understand where we fit in the rapidly changing world. Through the adventures of protagonist William Tell, author Jason Ohler demonstrates how schools must change if they are going to help us take back the future, and he encourages us to rethink how we prepare our young for the world of work and the world of community. $20.
Brinton Books, 3875 Seaview Ave., Juneau, AK 99801
TimeLiner Workshop for Teachers, from Tom Snyder Productions, is the fourth in a series of how-to books for educators. Written specifically for teachers, the book contains easy-to-understand, step-by-step lessons on how to use TimeLiner in the classroom, as well as a Mac/Win CD-ROM with templates, clip art, and sample files from students and teachers around the country. $29.95.
Tom Snyder Productions, 80 Coolidge Hill Rd., Watertown, MA 02472; (800) 342-0236
Web Design in a Nutshell, first published in 1998 by O'Reilly, has been reviewed and revamped to reflect today's new Web design environment, focusing on the front-end aspects of Web design, such as HTML authoring, graphics production, and media development. This second edition of the book covers, in addition to the basics, Dynamic HTML, JavaScript, XML, XHTML, WML, and SML. $29.95.
O'Reilly, 1005 Gravenstein Hwy. North, Sebastopol, CA 95472; (800) 998-9938
Dates & Events
November 8-10: National School Boards Association's Technology + Learning Conference, Atlanta, Ga. (800) 950-6722
November 18-20: New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education Conference, Albany, N.Y. (800) 479-4830
November 28-30: Connected Classroom Conference, Long Beach, Calif. (800) 638-1639
December 2-4: Texas Center for Educational Technology 8th Annual Symposium, San Antonio, Texas. (940) 565-3484
February 15-17, 2002: The AASA National Conference on Education, San Diego, Calif.
February 26-March 1, 2002: 7th Annual K-12 Networking Conference, Crystal City, Va.
Correction
Incorrect information about Compaq's iPAQ Academic series appeared in the September Update on desktop computers. Specifications include a 700MHz Celeron processor (not Pentium III, as reported), legacy ports, a CD-ROM drive, and a 15-inch CRT monitor. Current price is $989. Also, the corret image of the iPAQ Academic is shown here.
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