Office by the Year

If paying huge sums for school software upfront punches a huge hole in your budget, look for Microsoft to start renting its Office program. The service will be introduced in the coming weeks and will involve paying $70 a year for a Home and Student 2007 version of Office, a year’s worth of Live OneCare support and a few smaller programs. Rather than online services, like Google Docs, this version of Office resides on each computer and is a full version that expires a year after it is installed and paid for. With Live OneCare and Office selling for about $200, the new package makes sense for schools that plan to use the software for a year or two and don’t want the commitment of buying the programs.

Writing with the Web

At TechTools, we love programs like PaperToolsPro, which helps kids organize their thoughts and put them on paper, well, a computer screen. The software can now help with Web research and reports for middle- and high-school students. There’s even a way to show where a student has plagiarized a source by distinguishing between honest citation errors and lifting entire passages. The service costs $20 per year for each student or $75 per teacher plus $1 per student. An entire school can license the program for $200 plus $1 per student.

Home Schooling At School

Middle school students often get caught between software meant for younger students that’s not challenging enough and high-school programs that are too hard. Time4Learning has a new approach that tunes the curriculum to the student’s needs. Based on home schooling, the service has online sections for reading, writing, math, science and social studies. With more than 1,000 animated classes, Time4Learning can help struggling students with the basics while encouraging advanced students to explore the subjects more fully. The service is correlated to state requirements, costs $20 per month and a free trial is available.

Special Ed is Nothing Special, Anymore

Is creating and monitoring individualized education plans for special-needs students taking time away from teaching? GoalView’s Learning Tools can help by setting up Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) quickly and efficiently and then monitor whether their goals are being met. The software enables the quick setting up of clear educational goals and allows school- and district-wide reporting and the generating of statistics for state and federal entities. A free trial is available.

DIY Animation

If the current crop of animation programs are too complicated and expensive for your classroom projects, there’s a new alternative that was created just for K-through-12 classrooms. Called Animationish, the software is the closest thing to do-it-yourself animation. Students start by drawing their characters and then bring them to life with one of the program’s three guided sequences. While Wiggledoodle-ish helps students go from still image to a three frame sequence, FlipBook-ish creates longer clips. Finally, Advanced-ish allows for more complex cartoons with backgrounds. The $60 program comes with a 24-lesson Classroom Activity Guide and works with PCs and Macs.

More School Acrobatics

By bringing together multimedia and collaboration, Adobe’s Acrobat 9 is for much more than just text and pictures. The new software uses Adobe’s Flash to embed audio and video to produce incredibly rich documents that seem to have a life of their own. For example a seventh grade social studies class could create an electronic report about World War I complete with maps of the major battlefields, audio of speeches, video of biplane dog fights and a slide show of the presidents and kings involved.

Acrobat 9 is also the perfect repository for a student’s annual portfolio of projects and as a way to incorporate video into tests. Plus, teachers can collaborate on reviews of student work and students can share their Acrobat files (such as photos of a field trip) by uploading them to Acrobat.com. Registered users get up to 2GB of free storage space.

On the downside, the Pro Extended version of Acrobat 9, which has all the multimedia features is only available for PCs and costs $229, although discounted licensing is now available on Acrobat products. The Pro version, which allows collaboration but not the full multimedia suite, works with Macs and costs $159. The Reader program works on PC, Mac and Linux computers and remains a free downloadable program.

New Mac OS

For schools that use Macs, it's time to download the latest update to Apple's Macintosh operating system. Available at Apple's Web site the software will boost any recent Mac to version 10.5.3, which includes a slew of changes. The big differences are changes that make Airport WiFi networks more reliable, allow smoother playback from video that's on a USB device and streamlines Spotlight searches.

Finding Those Pesky Photos

Ever spent the better part of a class period searching in vain for a particular image you need for a lesson? Anyone who’s integrated digital photos into their classroom knows well the frustration of losing or not being able to find a specific photo. HP’s Simple Save Photo software can help by cramming as many as 2,000 pictures on a DVD rather than filling up your computer’s hard drive. The software finds and copies every photo and puts them on a DVD for safe keeping. A five-pack of SimpleSave DVDs costs $15, but the program doesn’t work with Macs.

Up to Date Mac Office

Why invest in expensive software and miss out on getting the latest version of it? The first thing I do when installing new software is to set the major programs to automatically download updates at night when students are (hopefully) sound asleep. A few weeks ago, Microsoft offered its AutoUpdate 2.1.1 for Mac, which funnels new Office software to Mac computers. Today, the company adds the first Service Pack for Mac Office 2008. The software is meant to improve performance, security and stability to the software suite. The download details are available at the Mactopia site, but if you use the AutoUpdate program, it can be done while you're snoring.

Teacher Picks: Our Reviewers Test Kidspiration 3

Every issue of Instructor magazine includes a section called “Teacher Picks.” Our teacher-reviewers test these products in their classrooms and share their feedback. Here, our reviewer Diana Lawsky of Lincoln School in North Bergen, NJ, gives us her review of Kidspiration 3.

Description: A cross-curricular software program that allows students to understand subjects (reading, writing, math, social studies) visually.

Pros:  The interface is beautiful and colorful.  As you mouse over something, such as the tool bar, a woman’s voice reads what it is.  A student can highlight anything he/she wants read and click an icon that looks like an ear to have it read.  This way it could be used by kids who do not read yet or who are poor readers.  The toolbar also has a dictionary, undo and redo buttons, and buttons that let kids see their work in a picture view or writing view.  They can save their work, export it or even send it to a hand-held device.  It is very intuitive.  I tried the reading and writing activities first.  When a student is finished with a lesson he can type his name into a box and print out his work.  There’s a great clipart selection.  They can choose fonts, background colors, and more.

Cons: Visually it is stunning but the voice is a little tinny and stiff-sounding. Also, it didn’t seem to correct student work.  This is not necessarily negative.

How would you use this in the classroom? Much better than boring old worksheets or workbooks! If students could connect to it at home or work with it in a school lab, it could be used to create some really attractive reports.  ANY kind of practice work in ANY subject could be done in this program.

AntiVirus Upgrade

Administrators that use Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus 2007 to protect their schools’ computers will get a surprise free upgrade. All systems with up to date subscriptions will be able to download the 2008 edition of the program at no charge. The latest edition of Norton AV adds faster virus scans and one-click access to an online security expert if there’s a problem. The 60MB download automatically installs itself, although you might need to update the subscription information manually.

Service Pack 3 is back

It's back. After a little checking, Microsoft has resumed downloads of Windows XP's Service Pack 3, which consolidates thousands of individual operating system updates. They recommend those organizations that use Microsoft's Dynamic RMS (Retail Management System)for their accounting systems not to use update. A separate update will be ready by the end of the month, according to Microsoft.

Teaching Teachers for Free

Here at Tech Tools, we love nothing better than to show you something helpful that doesn’t cost a penny. This time, it’s a free series of how to books about using Microsoft software in the classroom by Bernard John Poole, an associate professor of instructional technology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, PA. Education World has posted his latest effort, Essential Microsoft Office 2007, which has 10 tutorials. The chapters cover the basics as well as some sophisticated techniques and can help integrate this incredibly complicated program into a teacher's day. There are lessons on everything from how to create artwork to figuring out Excel’s formulas. Our favorite is a step-by-step sequence on how to create an attractive and functional grade book with Excel. Each lesson is aimed at teachers and packaged in an Acrobat .pdf file, making it easy for class use. The free book version as well as others are available at http://www.pitt.edu/~poole/onlinebooks.htm

Hold off on XP's SP3

A few days ago I told you that Microsoft released Windows XP's Service Pack 3. Now, there are reports that some of those who loaded the software update have had problems with point of sale computers. At this point all I can say is, you should hold off loading it on school PCs. Microsoft has suspended automatic delivery of SP3 and is looking at the software. We'll report back later when the situation has stabilized.

Time to Upgrade Windows XP

I know it’s not something that administrators look forward to, but it’s time to upgrade every Windows XP computer in your school. That’s because Microsoft released the Service Pack 3 for XP today, and at over 300MB it’s a whopper. We suggest you download it, put it on your network and install the software from there. An overview of the free software is available at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=68c48dad-bc34-40be-8d85-6bb4f56f5110&displaylang=en
Details: consolidates over 1,000 previous updates for security and reliability.
Bottom line: Get the latest software for your computers with the XP Service Pack 3.

NEW DIGITAL CURRICULUM HELPS STRUGGLING STUDENTS

Administrators know struggling students need more than extra time on task in math and reading to succeed.  They need individualized and differentiated instruction, which isn't always possible when a teacher has 30 students in the classroom. But at-risk students who use digital curriculum like the individualized instruction and the ability to move at their own pace. To meet these needs, Apex Learning has added new course offerings to their digital curriculum for differentiated instruction. They have also redesigned the standards-based digital curriculum to support students in credit recovery, dropout recovery, remediation, intervention, and alternative school programs. The Apex Learning courses adds audio assistance in direct instruction for ESL students or those reading below grade level.

Bottom Line: Graphic organizers help students accomplish tasks. Study sheets teach students how to develop good study habits. The digital curriculum uses audio, video, graphics, images, and animations to address a variety of learning styles.

Spot-On Screens

There’s nothing I hate more than spending a small fortune outfitting a school with large-screen monitors and still having teachers and kids squinting at them because they’re not properly adjusted. That’s where Joe Kane’s latest in the series of Digital Video Essentials DVD comes in. Along with a wide variety of set up and calibration screens, the HD Basics DVD contains a 97-minute overview of HD-TV basics. At $30, it’s a must-have DVD.
Specs: Available as a HD or BluRay DVD disc, audio and video calibration.
Bottom line: This disc can bring out the best from large screen monitors.

Homework Goes Handheld

Can’t get your students off those handheld games? Try sneaking in some learning. PLATO Learning has announced they will sell their popular PLATO Achieve Now program on the PlayStation Portable. The new program delivers this new educational content as a series of fun, interactive games. The software challenges students to practice, advance, and excel through games that target language arts, reading, and mathematics skills.
Grade: Elementary

Price: Starts at $725 per unit, but pricing varies depending on number of units purchased, titles purchased, etc.

Bottom Line: PLATO Achieve Now’s 57 games provide more than 2,000 hours of content, all aligned to state standards. Great for supplemental study tool.

Fave Five

If you’re looking for to automate the hiring of substitute teachers while keeping up quality standards, Frontline Pacement’s Aesop now has a Favorite Five feature. This lets administrators and teachers hire their preferred subs while the program’s dashboard can show who’s been absent and which substitutes are hired most often. The service is used in the Philadelphia School district to fill in when any of its 14,000 teachers call in sick.
Bottom line: Aesop makes sure the right substitute teacher gets the job.

A Stop Sign for Printing

Administrators and teachers looking to reduce ink and paper expenses from printing can cut costs with GenevaLogic’s Print Limit Pro 8.0. On top of setting quotas for individuals or departments, the software monitors all aspects of printing and produce reports on who’s printing what. The package starts at $1,495 for K-12 schools, and there’s a 30-day trial at the company’s Web site.

Whole School in Your Palm

With modules covering assets, inspection and maintenance, Pervidi can help a school systematize how and when it maintains its facilities. The key is that all instructions, schedules and lists of property and assets fit onto a handheld computer, pushing maintenance into the 21-st century. A demo of the software is available online.

Web Watcher

Danware’s NetOp 5.5 makes it easier for teachers and administrators to not only block offensive Web sites on school comptuers, but to track which students are doing what on the Internet. The program follows students surfing the Web and records every stop along the way. NetOp 5.5 works on all recent versions of windows, but not Macintosh computers. A free demo is available at www.danware.com

One-Stop Admininstration

EDGear’s School Administrative Systems is all most institutions will need to track students and make any institution run smoother. The software has modules that cover everything from attendance and lateness tracking to health, counseling and discipline. There’s even a module for monitoring at-risk children that allows secure access to counseling information.

Kidspiration 3 Launches Today

Kidspiration -- the classic visual learning concept-mapping software -- released its latest version today. Kidspiration 3 for K-5 students adds new tools like the Kidspiration Pattern Blocks, where students move and stack geometric shapes to explore shapes. The library now has more than 3,000 symbols to create graphic organizers including webs, concept maps, and Venn diagrams to organize information. Free 30-day trial available.

Safety Resources Online

Every school needs an emergency plan, and the JustNet Web site can help with a variety of online advice and resources from crisis communications to tips for preventing school violence. A service of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center, the site has videos, case studies and a virtual library. In other words, JustNet contains everything needed to make any school safer. It’s all available at www.nlectc.org/assistance/ssres_emergencyplan.html

Brain Workout

Looking for a workout for your noodle? The Core Mind Builder CD-ROMs promise some mental pushups with hundreds of hours of intelligence testing designed by top MENSA puzzle editors and test experts. The software builds abstract and logical reasoning powers with hundreds of challenging questions and brain teasers. The Core Mind Builder Pro includes four interactive CD-ROMs that include verbal and math tests, and IQ and Aptitude Builders. Not bad for less than forty bucks.

NetSupport Notify Desktop Alert Mass Notification System

Need to notify your school community on the fly? Mass notification systems are an easy way to do this (see our coverage of this topic in Administrator). The new NetSupport Notify desktop alert mass notification system sends instant alerts across a LAN or WAN. Unlike most LAN-based messaging solutions, NetSupport Notify provides a dedicated notification gateway that allows the message to be delivered across multiple network segments without network modifications or switch configuration.

Alio Update on the Way

Just half a year after its launch, Weidenhammer has updated its flagship alio software suite for schools to provide administrators with more ways to streamline the human resources aspects of a school or district. Version 8.2 not only includes automated processing of employee W-2 and vendor 1099 forms, but adds a section on handling and tracking grants. Staffers will likely find that the software’s new variable column format gives them more control over the program and the ability to create more meaningful reports.

Redesigned Teacher One Stop Lesson Planner from Holt [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

In response to teacher requests for more help in designing lessons, Holt McDougal today released a completely redesigned Teacher One Stop. The latest release on DVD comes with documents, tools, and multimedia to help teachers add content to their lessons. New search tools make it easier to find what you need for just about any lesson. Teacher One Stops also lets teachers edit, adapt, search, and expand the collection of Holt resources that come with a particular curriculum.

Leave a Message

eBoard’s online messaging board can not only get the message out but it means that teachers, administrators, students and parents can all interact and effectively communicate without playing phone tag. With pre-made templates for everything from a classroom calendar to the school nurse, it can help every elementary school run more efficiently.
More info and a free trial are available at www.eboard.com

SMART Learning Marketplace Offers Millions of Copyright-Cleared Resources

Ask most teachers what they want more of, and the answer is usually: time. SMART Learning Marketplace can’t add hours to the day, but it can add mega content to your teachers lessons – more than one million copyright-cleared resources like video files, images, audio files, or manipulatives. The SMART Learning Marketplace is the result of an alliance between SMART and Cambridge University Press (the world’s oldest printer), and it’s fully integrated with SMART’s Notebook collaborative learning software.

Build Your Own Widget

Widgets are a quick way to get school info right to community desktops, whether it’s an emergency situation, or the latest trivia on the varsity football team. Widget Realm provides a desktop-ready communication tool that lets schools push information right to users’ desktops. This includes streaming video & audio, sending surveys, and updating school news and calendars. No more hoping parents visit the school Web site to check on school closings (or worse, call to get the information). Schools use this tool to push the closing details to an icon on the parents’ desktops. Those attending FETC can check them out at Booth 410.

One-Stop Administration

Rather than picking and choosing from a confusing menu of modules, SchoolMation software is the rare school administration program that does it all. From grades, attendance and student discipline to awards and after-school activities, SchoolMation is all most schools will need to track students and make its operations run smoother. The three-tier structure accommodates the differing needs of students, teachers and administrators, while restricting access to confidential information.
If you’re interested, go to the Schoolmation Web site

Instant Creativity

Microsoft announced its Office 2008 For Mac today. The $150 Student Edition not only catches up with the PC version but takes the lead in simplifying how to create complex documents. It not only works with all recent Macintosh computers but includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Entourage and a slew of templates, art work and pre-made projects. Whether it’s a class newsletter or a student presentation on dinosaurs, Office’s SmartArt feature can turn any document into a creative masterpiece.

The program goes on sale on January 15, and more information is available at Microsoft’s Web site.

A Clean Start

Centurion Technologies’ DriveShield and MacShield can take the worries out of a protecting every school computer from intruders and accidental digital damage. The program works by staying in the background, but when a student or teacher deletes key data or downloads a virus, DriveShield has the power to wipe the machine clean. All you need to do is reboot the system to make all the changes vanish, restoring the drive to its original condition. The Orange County Department of Education uses the software to protect its PCs.

Check out what the software has to offer at www.centuriontech.com