The Buzz
By Staff -- School Library Journal, 5/1/2006
Wesley Fryer—self-described on his Web site as an educator, author, and digital storyteller—maintains a blog entitled “Moving at the Speed of Creativity.” For providing comprehensive coverage of education technology and insightful discussion of related issues, both Fryer and his blog are worthy of attention. Recent posts describe a Tennessee school district’s effort to ban iPods on campus and a podcast chat about censorship, MySpace, and the 1989 protests in China’s Tiananmen Square. Currently director of instructional support services at the Texas Tech University College of Education, Fryer was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator, Class of 2005. www.speedofcreativity.org.
Educators in increasing numbers are joining the ranks of bloggers, sharing classroom activities, student work, achievements, video clips, and more, all via the Web. Now, ePALS Classroom Exchange has launched a new, easy-to-use service that may get the rest of the K–12 world up and blogging. To ensure a safe online publishing environment, ePALS SchoolBlog features password protection, so teachers can prescreen student posts and control who accesses the content. The service is also free of advertising and can be configured to eliminate spam. Available in multiple languages, SchoolBlog can be integrated into any existing Web site and managed from any Internet-enabled computer. EPALS Classroom Exchange provides e-mail services to the school community, with more than two million K–12 users. www.epals.com/schoolblog.
Educators are praising the merits of GarageBand 3 as a nifty way to record quality podcasts and post them to the Internet. Features of GarageBand 3 include a built-in speech enhancer that optimizes sound for your Mac, gender, and vocal range. And a “ducking” effect automatically reduces music volume when you speak, so your listeners always hear the talk above the tunes. Want to create an enhanced podcast? Apple’s latest version of the music recording software features an “Artwork Track” for adding images. You can also dress up your recording with sound effects and jingles from GarageBand’s library of more than 200 podcast sounds. When your project’s done, send it to iWeb. Then click “Publish” to put your podcast on the Web. $79 for the iLife software suite. www.apple.com/ilife/garageband.
Calling all space cadets. NASA has formed a new online “Kids’ Club,” serving up games and activities for future explorers in grades K–4. The site, which launched last month, features interactive, animated games with five skill levels that keep youngsters busy, building and launching rockets, exploring Mars, keeping planes on schedule, and helping a comet travel through the solar system. All the while, they’re building skills in math, science, and technology. Based on national education standards, the resource is available in Flash, non-Flash, and text versions. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/kidsclub.
Summer’s just around the corner and you need a way to keep kids reading. That’s why Scholastic has created the “Summer Reading Buzz.” Debuting this month, it’s a Web site filled with kid-friendly activities and contests, and resources for parents and librarians, all designed to make summer reading enjoyable and fun. Here, kids can keep their own Reading Log to track the books they’ve read over the summer for a chance to win prizes, such as family round-trip airline tickets to the destination of their choice. www.scholastic.com/summerreading.
BrainPOP, which offers animated learning content for grades K–8, has launched a new Spanish language site, BrainPOP Español. This new product uses BrainPOP’s popular format to present films in science, math, social studies, language arts, health and technology, all in Spanish. “BrainPOP Español will be an essential tool for teachers in the United States striving to meet the needs of a dual language classroom. Spanish-language students will now be able to keep up with class material even while still learning the English language,” says Avraham Kadar, BrainPOP’s chairman and CEO. BrainPOP Español provides 12-month subscriptions for schools starting at $100. For more information on subscriptions and pricing, visit www.brainpopes.com.
Have you been longing for a wireless accessory that’s a bit more, uh, feminine? Or perhaps you need just a little something to match that animal-print ensemble. Then look no further. BluePearls are Bluetooth headsets being marketed to women. Weighing just 7.9 grams, BluePearls are lightweight and powerful, with up to 18 hours of talk time. An additional “Color Pack” includes nine interchangeable faceplates in various colors, including pearl silver, denim, and camouflage. $79.95. www.bluepearls.us.
CDI Computers, in collaboration with RM PLC, a leading IT supplier to U. K. schools, has released a notebook computer designed specifically for the classroom. The RM Mobile One features a hard screen LCD to guard against poking fingers and errant pens, while a thin rubber bumper on the screen, lid catch, and body of the laptop PC provides further protection. During those times when the computer’s plugged into a socket on the other side of the room, an anti-trip mechanism ensures that if the cord is detached accidently, the power port remains undamaged—and the notebook remains on the desk. As well as benefiting educators and technicians, the RM Mobile One is also designed to minimize frustration for students. A “disable trackpad” button prevents users from accidentally catching the touchpad when typing, and a primary color-coded keyboard option helps younger students with the transition from lowercase letters to capitals. $1,098. For more information, visit www.cdicomputers.com.
