February 2000 Issue

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An Online Educational Community

A newsletter that educates parents, teachers, and
students.

February 2000 Issue #7
Zigmond Snook, Editor, mailto:editor@innovamultimedia.com
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Welcome to the seventh issue of "An Online Educational
Community". To read past issues of our newsletter, visit
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/archive.html
or to learn
more about us, check out our website at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com

If you think a friend might be interested in reading this
newsletter, pass it along in whole or in part.

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Each month we will focus on a different educational theme
and base our feature article and learning tips around that
particular theme.

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IN THIS ISSUE
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=> What's New at INNOVA
=> Feature
=> This Month's Free Lesson Plans
=> More Great Education Web Sites
=> New Releases From INNOVA
=> Whale Links for Whale Lovers
=> What's Hot - Our Latest Software Reviews

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What's New at INNOVA
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INNOVA is in the process of redesigning our website so
that we can better serve our customers. We have made a
couple minor changes to our main page with many more to
come. Also, as you have probably noticed, we have changed
our URL. Our site will be
http://www.innovamultimedia.com
thus making it easier for people to relate our website with
our company.

We have added a "Recommend" page to our menu bar. This will
allow you, our customer, to recommend our site to any of
your acquaintances, friends, or family.

Finally, we have added a "Search" page to our menu bar. You
will be able to come to this page and type into the search
block a specific item for which you are looking. It will
then give you all the sections with that item in it, thus
making your searching quick and easy.

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FEATURE
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Educational Software: What can it do for your child?

My last article touched upon some of the characteristics of
a good educational software product. I emphasized the
importance of selecting software that integrates well with
and extends - rather than replaces - traditional teaching
roles. I also advised readers to base their purchases upon
such criteria as: curriculum specific instruction; a high
level of interactivity between user and program; the ability
of the user to customize the structure of the learning
materials; content that is presented differently each time
the software is used; upgradability of the software; and
mechanisms for testing and evaluating student progress.

To continue with this theme, which to me seems a quite
significant one considering the rapid influx of technology
into the classroom these days, I would like to consider the
ways in which good educational software can live up to its
promises and help teachers and parents bring breadth,
variety, and a strong educational foundation to children.

Educational software can be a powerful tool for educators
in that...

.. it allows for a personal learning experience more akin to
reading a book than listening to a teacher. This is
especially fitting for students who feel less comfortable in
a group environment such as a classroom, or who find the
pace of classroom learning either too fast or two slow.
Educational software provides intellectual dialogue without
the pressures inherent in the group experience. Your child
can progress at a rate most suitable to her needs, taking a
path through the material that is self-directed or learner
centered. Although it is obvious to most teachers when a
child is falling behind and requires special attention, the
demands of the classroom are such that time does not often
permit individualized instruction to the extent necessary.
However, educational software can provide one avenue by
which the student can explore educational materials without
the direct and focused attention of the teacher.

... it tends to engage all one's senses in the learning
experience. Learning Styles research concludes that different
students favor different ways of learning: for instance, some
retain information best through reading, while others might
benefit most from listening to the spoken word, or others by
using their hands. Multimedia software is by definition a
multisensory, dynamic medium that if designed well, can
effectively reach out to the broadest range of learners. This
can be particularly effective for those with learning
disabilities who may not adapt as well to a traditional
classroom setting.

... it is a highly interactive medium. Good educational
software presents the user with frequent choices that he or
she must respond to by clicking a mouse or other pointing
device. This sort of active engagement with the learning
material has been shown to reinforce the learning process;
material is absorbed more quickly and with a deeper
understanding than if the student is positioned as a passive
recipient with no opportunity to become involved.

... it allows testing of student progress without the
pressures of traditional testing. In the more relaxed
context of an educational software program, testing adopts
the look and feel of a game or activity. There are no
repercussions for a wrong answer, and even if scores are
assigned the student tends to view this score as a
challenge to overcome on the next replay, similar to the
high score of an arcade game.

... the learning materials in an educational software program
are portable. A program can be used in different locations,
at different times, and by different people (though dependent
on software licensing agreements). This provides great
flexibility to teachers, parents, and students with a busy
schedule and a heavy workload.

This, of course, is by no means an exhaustive list of the
advantages that judiciously selected educational software
can bring to the classroom and home. As the quality of the
software varies, so too will the benefits. If at all possible,
test out the software before purchasing, ask the opinion of
others, or do some research on the internet. And never expect
educational software to become a substitute for the many other
ways by which a student can become a lifelong learner.

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This Month's Free Lesson Plans
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Teachers, check out free "A Whale of a Tale" lesson plans on
our website at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lesson1.html

Leap into Language 1 - "Build-a-Word" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/lang1d.html
encourages children to build new words by adding initial
consonants to word endings, such as, -ed, -it, etc.

Dive into Math 1 - "Heavier/Lighter" at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/math1d.html
encourages children to experiment with objects to predict if
they are heavier or lighter as compared to other objects. A
balance scale is used to verify the predictions.

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More Great Education Web Sites
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Check out some of these INNOVA recommended resource sites:

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/

400 LEARNING ACTIVITIES for strengthening children's
reading & writing skills are now available on our website
in an easy-to-use format.

The 400 activities are presented in 4 "School-Home Links
Reading Kits" (one kit for each grade level, kindergarten
through 3rd grade). Activities are organized around the
skills frameworks in the National Academy of Sciences'
report "Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children,"
& a reading framework developed by Edward Kame'enui &
Deborah Simmons of the University of Oregon.

http://familyeducation.com/topic/front/0,1156,8-9033,00.html

Harcourt's Reading Center! At the Reading Center, brought
to you by Harcourt, browse a variety of topics and subjects
that will stimulate your children's love of reading and
improve their literacy skills. You'll find helpful tips and
resources for you, and fun activities and materials to play
together.

http://www.learningshortcuts.com/

This site contains a comprehensive set of reviews that cover
all subjects for grades 3 through 12. The reviews are
coordinated with all major textbooks and match day-to-day
class activities. Our site is sponsored by Netscape, and
Geocities says, "The Mental Edge is one of the most useful &
best sites on the net!" Best of all, those schools that are
using it, and encouraging their students to use it at home,
have discovered that it's very effective in helping to
improve grades and increase test scores.

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New Releases From INNOVA
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A Whale of a Tale: Swim into Social Studies 1 is now
available for sale on our website. It is designed for
children ages 5 to 7. Please check it out at
http://www.innovamultimedia.com/socstds1.htm
and while you're there please take a look at the other
products we have available.

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Whale Links for Whale Lovers
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Check out these INNOVA recommended whale sites!

Visit Whale Songs at
http://whales.ot.com/
Whale Songs is an evolving resource, encouraging
communication among researchers, students, educators and
whale lovers worldwide.

Help write a Neverending WhaleTale at:
http://www.whaletimes.org/whatale.htm
Kids from all over the world are helping to write it. The
WhaleTale takes lots of twists and turns and the best part
is you can start with any page.

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Whale Trivia:
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Adult killer whales eat approximately 3% to 4% of their body
weight in food per day; fully weaned calves can eat up to
approximately 10% of their body weight during growth periods.

About 55 million years ago, wolf-like land mammals began to
search and hunt for food in water, and they slowly evolved
into what we know as the whales of today.

Whales belong to the mammalian order Cetacea , and are
divided into two groups, Baleen (or whale-bone) whales and
Toothed whales. Baleen whales have no teeth, but they do have
two blowholes. They are filter feeders, and some feed mainly
on Krill (a small shrimp-like animal), while others can gulp
down entire schools of fish.

Whales are able to grow to such enormous sizes because their
weight is supported by the water. Unlike land Mammals whose
bones are hard and strong, the bones of whales are soft and
porous, and are also used to help store food reserves in the
form of oil.

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What's Hot - Our Latest Software Reviews
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Title: Dive into Math 1
Publisher: Innova, 1999
Grade level: 5-7yrs

Content:
The content offers some engaging ways for children to
visualize and manipulate addition and subtraction processes. Underlying mathematics concepts such as matching the number
of items shown are also covered. The extra games included act
as a fun way for children to drill and practice a variety of
math facts.

Presentation:
INNOVA does a nice job of keeping the presentation
simple yet enjoyable to youngsters through the use of several
characters. The option of "read to me" makes the software
user-friendly to younger children who are not quite yet
readers.

Reviewer

Dr. Kimberly Arp
Professor
Teacher Education Center
Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX

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