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December 15, 2006

2006 Awards of EXCELLENCE Winners

Kristen Kennedy, Paul Jackson, and the T&L editors

Page 5

SOCIAL SCIENCES AND LIFE SKILLS

Making History: The Calm and the Storm
(Muzzy Lane Software)

History comes alive with this interactive game that lets students play a part in the key historical, social, and economic events that lead up to and beyond World War II. Single or multiplayer modes are available, and both involve students in making major decisions about issues ranging from domestic spending to how to respond to competing political agendas within a European nation. Judges particularly valued the program's multiplayer mode that encourages debate and discussion of decisions that could repeat or change the course of history.


• Windows; $39.95 per student. (Grades 9-12)

United States at War
(ABC-CLIO)

A timely addition to ABC-CLIO's comprehensive Web-based subscription databases, United States at War looks at just that: the social, economic, and political factors that have shaped our nation's major conflicts at home and abroad. Rich multimedia features illustrate the faces and places of war, and helpful search features make it easy for students to find what they're looking for, from detailed timelines to first-person historical accounts. One judge wrote, "If you want to use technology to learn about war, this is the site to go to."

• Web-based; $499. (Grades 9-12)

TEACHER RESOURCES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Discovery Educator Network (DEN)
(Discovery Education)

Judges appreciated this online destination, noting the "tremendous range of immediately usable resources submitted by teachers around the globe," including educator-only discussion boards and blogs. A sizeable library of downloadable classroom resources and activities offer busy teachers creative solutions for lesson planning in subjects ranging from art and music to professional development to study skills and technology. A "clean and efficient, tabbed interface" makes accessing this "network of dedicated educators and their expertise" a breeze.

• Web site; go to www.discoveryeducatornetwork.com for pricing. (Grades K-12)

SAFARI Montage
(Library Video Co.)

This product is a LAN-based multimedia server, which comes preloaded with more than 1,000 videos. The media is searchable by several criteria, including subject, grade level, and publisher. Judges called this product a "useful and time-saving resource for educators," further citing an intuitive interface and selection of quality videos. "I could use this immediately in my class, and it's so simple and fast!" said one judge.

• Starting at $2,495 for hardware, plus content licensing fees.

• Top Winner
• Language Arts
• Math and Science
• Presentation/ Productivity
• Tools for Communication, Collaboration, and System Management
• Legacy Winners
• Judges

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