District Administration - November/December 2011 - (Page 68)

DistrictAdministration 1 00 PRODUCTS TOP 2 0 1 1 LEXIA READING Lexia, contact Lexia for pricing Lexia Reading is a technology-based system that helps students of all ages improve reading achievement. The software includes differentiated practice, embedded assessment and targeted instruction in ﬁ ve key areas, including phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, ﬂuency and comprehension. eSCHOOLPLUS SunGard K-12, pricing varies SunGard K-12’s eSchoolPLUS is a Web-based student information system that enables districts to track student data, increase efﬁciency and increase student communication. eSchoolPLUS includes a Teacher Access Center for managing the classroom and a Home Access Center for parents to monitor student progress. www.lexialearning.com www.sungard.com/education BLACKBOARD Blackboard Connect 5, pricing varies by student count Blackboard has updated its mass notiﬁcation system based on its messaging infrastructure, with the intention of providing more targeted and relevant communication. It includes an enhanced Web interface, a smartphone application, and a Connect Access Portal, which provides customized messaging, access to previously received messages, and content feed subscriptions. www.blackboard.com “This product has allowed great flexibility in attendance, mark reporting and scheduling. We have also seen parent participation increase using the parent portal for students.” Lawrence Murphy, CTO, Schenectady City (N.Y.) School District BUILDYOUROWNCURRICULUM School Software Group, $1,000 set-up fee, $1,000 annual subscription fee and $2 per student BuildYourOwnCurriculum is a customizable Web-based curriculum management tool designed by educators. Students and parents can view standards that students are expected to master, class activities and resources, and teachers can easily update lesson plans to align with state standards. www.schoolsoftwaregroup.com SAM ANIMATION iCreate to Educate, contact iCreate to Educate for pricing Stop-Action-Movies (SAM) Animation, developed by Tufts University, is a user-friendly application that allows users to capture still images from a webcam that can be played back in movie form like a digital ﬂ ip book. SAM Animation was designed speciﬁcally for students and teachers. EBACKPACK Free for individuals, starting at $39 per class eBackpack allows teachers and students to safely store ﬁles online in the cloud. eBackpack also enables teachers to set up classes so they can easily share ﬁles with a speciﬁc set of users, and it provides a drop box for students to submit homework. eBackpack is compatible with iPad. www.icreatetoeducate.com “SAM Animation has provided a tool for children to explore, not just to display, their own thinking. It also makes the thinking process visible to me, as students pull together their projects.” Karl Muench, teacher, McAuliffe Regional (Mass.) Charter School www.ebackpack.com SchoolTube is a free online video hosting and sharing resource exclusively for K12 students, teachers and school communities. Students can explore areas such as academic subjects, sports, news and current events, and teachers can integrate relevant videos into classroom curricula. Administrators can also use the site to communicate school news and events with parents and the community. SCHOOLTUBE.COM SchoolTube, free “Thanks to eBackpack, we have been able to provide access to online storage for all students. This means students can complete work from anywhere, even if they are out sick.” Amy Sencer, teacher, Cranston (R.I.) School District www.schooltube.com 68 November/December 2011 District Administration http://www.lexialearning.com http://www.sungard.com/education http://www.blackboard.com http://www.blackboard.com http://www.schoolsoftwaregroup.com http://www.schoolsoftwaregroup.com http://www.icreatetoeducate.com http://www.ebackpack.com http://www.ebackpack.com http://www.SCHOOLTUBE.COM http://www.SCHOOLTUBE.COM http://www.schooltube.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November/December 2011

District Administration - November/December 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Inside the Law
Administrator Profile
District Profile
CIO news
How to Update Your Network on a Budget
The Importance of IT Team Unity
Creating an Anti-Bullying Program With the Resources You Have
The Ultimate Empowerment Program for Parents
Taking the Helm in Cheating Scandals
Readers’ Choice: Top 100 Products
New Directions
Professional Opinion
Problem/Solution
Going Mobile

District Administration - November/December 2011