State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Applauds California’s Significant Gains in Number and Success of Students Taking AP Exams.

Chief Provides Flexible, Engaging Classroom Solution

After years of searching, Nebraska’s Gretna Public School District finds the perfect solution for its classroom technology needs: Chief Interactive. The solution is installed using existing whiteboards and projectors, and provides an easy upgrade path for future projector replacements.

 

NBC News’ educational arm, NBC Learn, and the NBC Sports Group have teamed up with the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Science Foundation (NSF) to release “Science of NHL Hockey”—a 10-part video series exploring the science behind the sport. Developed especially for students and teachers to use in the classroom, these videos are aligned with lesson plans and state education standards and are available free of charge. NBC News’ Lester Holt narrates the series, which demonstrates how the principles of science enable players to perform actions such as quickly stopping on ice, passing the puck to a teammate, shooting a slap shot, and making a great save. In each video, an NSF-supported scientist explains a selected scientific principle, while NHL athletes describe how the principle applies to their respective positions. “Science of NHL Hockey” follows the “Science of NFL Football” and “Science of the Olympic Winter Games” collections, which are part of an ongoing “Science of Sports” collaboration with the NSF that was awarded a 2010 Sports Emmy.

http://www.nbclearn.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Kati Elliott | KEH Communications | 410-975-9638 | kati@kehcomm.com
Katherine Russo | KEH Communications | 410-975-9638 | katherine@kehcomm.com

PublicSchoolWORKS Adds New Attachment Feature
To Reporting Systems

Feature allows for evidence in the form of pictures, documents and emails to be attached to safety reports for more detailed reporting

Cincinnati, Ohio – February 6, 2012 – PublicSchoolWORKS, a Cincinnati-based company that offers the one and only comprehensive, fully-automated risk management system available for schools, has added an Attachment Feature to its Staff Safety Reporting Systems, part of the award-winning EmployeeSafe Suite. EmployeeSafe is an automated online safety program that facilitates timely and consistent administration of safety training, compliance task management (drills, inspections, IAQ, etc.), accident management processes, MSDS compliance, hazard/near miss reporting and more.

The Attachment Feature allows school staff to attach documents, pictures and images to efficiently provide and communicate all relevant information to address staff safety reports and incident investigations helping quickly resolve safety issues. This quick action in turn can reduce injuries and damage to property along with workers’ compensation and other insurance costs.

With the new PublicSchoolWORKS’ Attachment Feature, staff can now add attachments to:
• Accident Reports
• Hazard Reports
• Near-Miss Reports
• Safety Suggestions
• Pest Reports

The Award-Winning EmployeeSafe Suite Staff Safety Reporting Systems improve safety by addressing concerns to prevent injuries or property damage, thereby helping to reduce the amount of money districts spend on staff accidents.
With the added Attachment Feature, safety managers can also look forward to a reduction in the time required to track, resolve, and document reported safety concerns.

According to Tom Strasburger, vice president of PublicSchoolWORKS, “It is imperative that administrators and staff have more time to focus on student education and still have a way to effectively manage, communicate and address safety concerns. Our system can reduce the time spent managing safety and compliance issues, thus providing more time for focusing on student learning. It gives teachers and administrators the peace of mind that safety concerns are being resolved. “

About PublicSchoolWORKS
Since its founding in 2000, PublicSchoolWORKS has been committed to providing top-quality, practical and cost-effective solutions to the constantly changing environmental, health and safety requirements affecting the nation’s educational systems. The company has gained an exemplary reputation for the innovation and technical superiority of its comprehensive and integrated safety and compliance management systems, which combine administrative software tools and resources to dramatically reduce the time and cost required to develop, implement, and sustain safety compliance programs. For more information visit us on the web at www.publicschoolworks.com.
# # #

For Immediate Release
PR Contact: Anne Smith, C. Blohm & Associates, P: 608.216.7300, anne@cblohm.com

Time To Know Users Cite High Satisfaction with Digital Teaching Platform
76 percent reported the program made a substantial difference in their classrooms

NEW YORK (February 6, 2012) – Based on a recent customer survey by Time To Know, teachers in New York and Texas using the company’s Digital Teaching Platform in their classrooms are satisfied with the program and have seen improvements in student engagement and academic progress.

The majority of survey respondents (80 percent) expressed overall satisfaction with Time To Know. In addition, 76 percent of educators noted the program made a substantial difference in the classroom, highlighting improved student engagement and academic progress.

In other findings, 80 percent of educators cited high satisfaction with the math curriculum breadth and depth, and 85 percent want to continue using the Time To Know solution next school year.

“We are pleased educators are reporting that Time to Know is making a substantial difference in the classroom,” said Joshua Behar, Time To Know senior vice president and U.S. general manager. “The Time To Know solution facilitates great classroom teaching by providing teachers the latest technology and best curriculum resources to enhance student achievement.”

In addition, 96 percent of respondents recorded high satisfaction with the overall professional learning and technical coaching support received from Time To Know.

“My instructional consultant always has a positive attitude and supplies a great deal of support,” said a teacher who participated in the survey. “She offers different approaches to problems I encounter, which I appreciate.”

The Digital Teaching Platform allows teachers to choreograph a student-centered learning experience that engages students with interactive multimedia lessons, enables differentiated instruction, and generates ample data for more effective teaching. The survey was conducted in November 2011, using questionnaires completed by 77 respondents.

About Time To Know
The Digital Teaching Platform from Time To Know is a complete cloud-based learning and teaching solution including core curriculum. In addition to the Digital Teaching Platform, Time To Know includes comprehensive professional learning and technology support to maximize teacher effectiveness and student achievement. The Time To Know math and language arts curriculum is fully aligned to the Common Core Standards as well as the New York State and Texas standards. Time To Know is implemented in 150 classrooms in Texas and New York, with additional international installations. It is also used in New York City’s Innovation Zone (iZone) program. For more information, please visit http://www.timetoknow.com or call 888.559.6560. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Featured at FETC 2012, Innovative Data Collection Sensors Turn Every Computer
Into a Datalogger

ORLANDO – Jan. 24, 2012 – As the number of jobs requiring scientific thinking skills and knowledge continue to escalate, Frey® Scientific, a division of School Specialty®, is furthering its support for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education by featuring its uLog USB Data Collection devices at FETC 2012. With these innovative dataloggers, Frey Scientific introduces a whole new way to collect data without barriers or expensive logging devices. uLog sensors are an all-in-one solution for classroom data collection.

Using uLog sensors, students tap into the power of existing classroom computers to track scientific data such as pH, light, sound, temperature, distance and motion. A breadth of sensors is available – more than 40 – to capture and measure this data. With the device’s powerful SensorLab Data Analysis software, students can track and graph data on their computer in real time using a program such as Microsoft Word or Excel. Students’ observations about the natural world are immediate and engaging, furthering their interest in scientific analysis and reporting.

Frey’s uLog Sensor Reference Guide provides teachers with a wealth of resources, including STEM-based investigation activities and guidance on integrating technology into the science laboratory curriculum. This special guide helps educators understand the uLog sensor technology they’re introducing to their students.

“With our uLog data collection sensors, every classroom computer, laptop or tablet becomes a powerful data analysis tool. ” said Steven Korte, President, Accelerated Learning Group of School Specialty. “Even more importantly, the ability to easily record and manipulate the data they collect will help students develop the scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills that they will need to be academically successful, particularly when studying for careers in the high-demand STEM fields.”

uLog Sensors Feature:
 A 5-foot cable that allows students to place the computer at a safe distance from lab work
 Built-in cable storage that keeps workspaces clear and makes uLog easy to store.
 Sensors that lock together for ease of handling and safer storage.
 A multicolor LED that matches the sensor with graph trace.
 The ability to control logging from the sensor or computer.
 SensorLab software that auto detects sensor type and units when plugged in.
 Device can be free-standing, handheld or mounted on a ringstand.
 Durable plastic housing that is splash proof for use in labs.

For more information, visit http://www.FreyScientific.SchoolSpecialty.com.

About School Specialty
School Specialty is a leading education company that provides innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to help educators engage and inspire students of all ages and abilities to learn. The company designs, develops and provides preK-12 educators with the latest and very best curriculum, supplemental learning resources and school supplies. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help educators, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential – www.schoolspecialty.com.

New Delhi, 6 February 2012: Besides providing insights into higher education in the new age, the One Globe 2012 knowledge conference, organized by Salwan Media, in partnership with US India Business Council, UK India Business Council, International Institute of Education, FICCI, TiE, India Knowledge@Wharton, IHT, YES BANK and PricewaterhouseCoopers, also focused on reforming K-12 school education and helping students seeking higher education abroad through international educational partnerships, career and resume building, demystifying visa procedures, and cracking the admission tests at campuses. Harjiv Singh, founder CEO, Salwan Media said, “There are several new career options and courses available today in India as well as abroad. Parents need to step up to their responsibility to help their children explore these and actualize their true potential.” Besides delegates, the conference also saw participation of several students and parents.

The session on ‘emerging trends in K-12’ was moderated by Arun Kapur, Director of Vasant Valley School, and included among panelists Rosemary Sagar, chairman of The Sagar School, Dr. D.R. Saini, Principal of Delhi Public School RK Puram, Kaye Annette Jacob, Associate Director and Head of International Schools Division at The Heritage Schools, and Goldie Malhotra, Director, Guru Harkishen Public School.

Emphasizing on the need for project based approach to education in schools, Kaye Annette Jacob, Associate Director of The Heritage Schools said, “The new generation of parents do not want their children to undergo what they went through. Few schools have already started introducing experiential learning models where students work on real-life projects so that education is less theoretical and more practical.” Citing an example where young students of Class VI were asked to dismantle and re-assemble a bicycle to write a manual, she said that promoting such innovative educational models on a large scale requires collective risk-taking by parents, teachers and family members alike.

Panelists at the One Globe conference agreed that school education needs to be broad-based and holistic. Rosemary Sagar, Chairman of The Sagar School noted that while accumulation of knowledge was a key earlier, but in the new world, where knowledge is already abundant, schools now need to shift their focus on teaching students how to access and apply it. Dr. D.R. Saini of Delhi Public School felt that physical growth is as important as mental and intellectual development. Importance must be given to imparting social skills that help students express themselves and learn from others.” He said that Indian students are geniuses in mathematics and sciences, but parents must participate and also learn and teach themselves to help students compete in a global world. However, Goldie Malhotra of Guru Harkishen Public School stressed on the need for teacher training, and added, “While classroom, curriculum, syllabi and methodology have all changed today, my biggest fear now is whether the teachers themselves are being trained accordingly to be able to impart the vast and in-depth knowledge available today.” Addressing the students attending the One Globe 2012 conference, she said, “Today’s times call for multi-tasking when you as school students should do as much as you can to stay competitive. Don’t just keep other activities as hobbies but make them your passion because sometimes passions are more important that profession.

The interactive panel saw an interesting round of questions from the audience including parents and school students. Salil Pande, who studied at IIT Kanpur and University of Chicago, asked if we have the ecosystem that helps students take sufficient amount of early risk to choose preferred career paths, and if the enormity of content and emphasis on research can impede development of problem-solving and critical skills. Rosemary Sagar responded that in order to help students take risks, we need to inculcate in students the spirit of self-confidence and self-esteem in a positive way. Earlier systems were based on the glass half empty paradigm which highlighted where students were lacking. Stressing the can-do attitude is more of an art in education than a science, felt Rosemary Sagar.

Neena Bhasin, a Supreme Court advocate, who was a delegate at the One Globe 2012 knowledge conference noted that for school students, examination still is a synonym for stress, fear and tension. Advocating for the need of having open book examination and research papers at the school level itself, Bhasin said that these should be conducted as knowledge tests and not memory tests. As a parent, she applauded abolishment of Class X board exams and demanded for getting rid of the Class XII Board exams too.

Answering a question from the audience on whether teaching in India is a neglected and under-paid profession, Arun Kapur, Director of Vasant Valley School cited the example of Finland as the “rockstar of education” where teachers are not the highest-paid professionals but are still the brightest.

Goldie Malhotra of Guru Harkishen Public School said that the adoption of CCE as a scheme of continuous and comprehensive evaluation was a big and welcome step. However, she cautioned that any reforms in the educational system need to be planned and implemented carefully as they impact not just the schools in Tier-I cities but even in far-flung villages. She felt that while career counseling was picking up in larger cities, there still remains an unaddressed need to guide school students in remote areas on the new careers and courses available today. Professor C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor of OP Jindal Global University observed that overlapping regulations pose a challenge to internationalization of education in India.

WHO: Ryan Bubalo, Education Accounts Manager at StudySync (www.StudySync.com). Aligned to the Common Core and aimed at middle school and high school students, StudySync (Booth #435 at TCEA) enlists broadcast-quality video, digital media, mobile platforms and social learning to advance reading, writing and critical thinking. With a background in education — and a stint as the first coach of the women’s basketball team at the American University of Iraq — Bubalo manages outreach to the hundreds of teachers and administrators using StudySync in the U.S. and Canada (for more on Bubalo, see http://blog.studysync.com).

WHAT: StudySync’s Bubalo will explore how technology, from smartphones to tablets and computers, can increase student engagement and promote social learning. In his presentation, “Reading, Writing, and Collaborating with Mobile and Social Technology,” Bubalo will discuss the ways in which today’s tech tools facilitate collaboration and foster critical thinking in diverse learning environments. Drawing upon the experiences of educators now deploying StudySync, Bubalo will offer examples of how leveraging thoughtful social networks and providing access to models of rich academic discourse can encourage students to read and write more and at higher levels.

WHEN: TCEA 2012 Convention & Exhibition
February 8, 2012 [8 a.m. Room 2]
Austin Convention Center
500 E. Cesar Chavez Street
Austin, Texas 78701

HOW: To speak with Ryan Bubalo, please contact:
Ken Greenberg
Edge Communications, Inc.
ken@edgecommunicationsinc.com
818.990.5001

About BookheadEd Learning, LLC
BookheadEd Learning connects high school and middle school students to the great ideas of mankind through technology, multimedia, and a rich library of classic and modern texts. StudySync, its award-winning flagship product, uses web-delivered educational tools – including broadcast-quality video, digital media, mobile platforms and social networking —to help teachers inspire higher levels of students’ reading, writing, critical thinking, academic discourse and peer-to-peer collaboration. StudySync is the recipient of the EDDIE Award from ComputED Gazette and District Administration Magazine’s “Readers’ Choice Top 100 Products of 2011.” Based in Sonoma, Calif, BookheadEd is comprised of educators and experts who believe “Together We’re Smarter.” To learn more about BookheadEd Learning and its StudySync educational platform, visit www.studysync.com.

'Letters alive' is helping autistic children become more engaged in learning, its users say.

A menagerie of virtual 3D animals that swim, eat bugs, and fly are building crucial reading skills in autistic children at Audubon Park Elementary in Orlando.

Four-year-old Christopher Gomez lined up a set of specialized word and animal cards, including one with the letter “I” and a picture of an iguana under a camera to compose the sentence, “The iguana can eat.”

Christopher shifted his eyes toward a projection screen, smiled and said, “I like the iguana!” as the reptile appeared to pop off the card and onto the screen to eat an insect. A woman’s voice simultaneously spoke the sentence displayed above the screen.

Teachers at the Baldwin Park public school say “Letters alive,” software that combines interactive 3D technology with sounds, words, and realistic animal actions, is helping the school’s 50 autistic children overcome the challenges they encounter when learning to read.

For more news about 3D learning in schools, see:

Research: 3D content can help improve learning

How to use 3D in the classroom effectively

“A static image has little meaning to Christopher, but a three-dimensional image that interacts with him through movement and sound makes a lasting impression because it becomes functional,” said Mary-Elizabeth Langston, Audubon Park’s primary special-education teacher. “I hear the children throughout the day repeating the sounds they learned.”

Audubon Park is the first school in the nation to test the preschool and kindergarten program developed by Logical Choice Technologies, an educational software firm based in Georgia.

Now that Clara Lazen of Kansas City, Mo. has been published in a major chemistry journal, she can set her sights on a new goal: graduating elementary school, the Huffington Post reports. How did she do it? The 10-year-old was experimenting with a molecule-building toy during a class assignment when she stumbled upon an unusual-looking molecule. Her intrigued teacher, Kenneth Boehr, photographed it and sent it to his college buddy Robert Zoellner, a chemistry professor at Humboldt State University in California. Zoellner found that the simple but specific chemical had never been seen before…

Click here for the full story

Is there a link between violent video games and bullying? According to one Oklahoma State Representative, the answer to this question is “yes,” and in an effort to address the issue he has introduced a new bill to the state legislator that, if passed, would introduce a 1 percent tax on all violent video games, the Huffington Post reports. The state tax would be added to all video games that have a rating of Teen, Mature, or Adult Only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. Games that would be labeled “violent” under this umbrella would include Skyrim, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Zumba Fitness 2, Rock Band 3, and Dance Central 2. The money collected would be donated to the state’s Childhood Outdoor Education Revolving Fund to fight obesity and the Bullying Prevention Revolving Fund…

Click here for the full story

Bolstered by a recent court ruling, a Southern California assemblyman filed legislation last week that seeks to crack down on school districts that charge parents and students fees that violate state law, California Watch reports. AB 1575, sponsored by Assemblyman Ricardo Lara, D-South Gate, would require school superintendents and county offices to conduct annual reviews of all policies and practices at their local districts to ensure no unlawful fees are charged. The reviews would start during the 2012-13 fiscal year. The measure also mandates that all schools have a complaint process that enables parents to question fees and receive resolution within 30 days. Schools that don’t have a process now would be required to create one by March 1, 2013…

Click here for the full story

U.S. social media group Facebook seems ready to publish categories of data it collects from users, an Austrian student group lobbying for stricter privacy rules said on Tuesday, Reuters reports. Facebook had agreed in December to overhaul privacy protection for more than half a billion users outside North America after a three-month investigation found that its privacy policies were overly complex and lacked transparency.

“This (data) access issue as well as having disclosed all the data categories they are holding about users is something where we found some progress,” Max Schrems, spokesman for the europe-v-facebook.org group, told reporters after meeting Facebook representatives in Vienna on Tuesday…

Click here for the full story

The Upper Merion School District estimates its robotic floor cleaner saves the district about $126,000 a year.

Pennsylvania’s Gov. Mifflin School District is considering adding to its custodial staff, and the worker comes with an impressive resume: It’s been known to save thousands of dollars a year in custodial costs while doing a top-notch job.

But if that’s not enough, its family already has built a reputation for hard work in the Gov. Mifflin district. Relatives include the cafeteria vending machines, the copier in the high school office, and the microwave in the teachers’ lounge.

Its older brother, R2D2, is a movie star—but that’s another story.

That’s right, Gov. Mifflin is thinking of adding a robot to the custodial staff.

Picture an industrial-size Roomba. It’s a dust mop and floor scrubber all in one. And, when it’s programmed with a building’s floor plan, it reportedly will clean the floors on its own.

It’s a tool that school districts like Mifflin might turn to as they trim the size of custodial staffs to save on employee costs.

“With budget cuts and staff being cut, [schools] can essentially do more with less,” said Wendy E. Hughson, marketing director for Intellibot Robotics, the Portland, Ore.-based company that makes the Gen-X Robotic Sweeper/Scrubber.

Gov. Mifflin isn’t set on getting one of the robots yet. Administrators told the school board in January that they would solicit bids for review.

“This is going to be a tough budget year, and we have to look everywhere,” said business manager Mark R. Naylon. “Sometimes you have to spend money to save money.”

The district has the chance to cut two part-time custodian positions through attrition, Naylon said. The robot would help the remaining workers keep up with the cleaning.

Password sharing among teens puts their cyber security at risk.

Educators should be aware of an emerging trend that puts students’ cyber security at risk: Password sharing among teen couples.

It’s something that experts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area say teen couples are doing to show their love and affection, KDAF-TV of Dallas reports. But they also say it can come with some serious long- and short-term consequences.

“They feel like it is another level of status in their relationship,” said Teen Contact Director Missy Wall, who added that it’s something many teens tell her they’re doing. She said it often causes problems.

“Relationships change, and in schools what happens with bullying and the stakes get higher with Facebook,” said Wall.

Teens admitted to sharing passwords on the KDAF-TV Facebook page. One girl wrote, “I share my password to everything with him.”

For more safety & security news, see:

10 ways schools are teaching internet safety

Teachers’ newest online worry: ‘Cyberbaiting’

SAFE Center at eSN Online

Wall said it actually could be a sign of an unhealthy dating relationship.

“If they say, ‘If you really trust me, you’ll let me have your password,’ well that is a control mechanism,” she said.

The folks behind EyeGaurdian, a tool designed to help parents track their kids’ online behavior, say password sharing can lead to even bigger problems long-term.

“That person could easily give out information that maybe they didn’t want to share, so then they’re prone to identity left, they’re prone to cyber bullying,” said ImageVision Social Media Director Stephanie Ochoa.

State Schools Chief Tom Torlakson Selects 25 California Continuation High Schools for Model Status.

Letter to County and District Superintendents and Charter School Administrators regarding the recruitment of a panel of experts for the revision of the English Language Development Standards.

Woodbury, NY (February 2, 2012) – Learn360, an interactive media-on-demand service for the K-12 education market, announces the addition of more than 200 streaming video titles and clips from publisher The Creative Native to both its U.S. and Canadian customers.

The Creative Native, originally broadcast on Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, offers a fresh repertoire of video content for the social studies classroom. Contributing 41 full videos and 150 video clips to Learn360’s digital library, the acclaimed series features the journey through North America to discover and document the arts, crafts, culture and traditions of indigenous peoples from British Columbia to Mexico.

“The Creative Native series promises entertaining content that will engage students,” said Tamara Bell, Host/Producer at The Creative Native. “Each episode visually showcases thematic issues and allows students to embark on a journey across North America to unearth the roots of the language and traditions they know today—concepts far more tangible when hands-on.”

The series highlights artist profiles, in-depth interviews, traditional and contemporary art projects and historic snapshots that explore Aboriginal cultural contexts relevant to the theme of each episode. Saturated with the crafts and traditions of indigenous peoples, the series also offers instruction for a variety of age-based art projects to be completed in the classroom.

“We’re pleased to be adding The Creative Native to both our US and Canadian libraries,” said Ed Murphy, vice president of marketing and business development at Learn360. “Social studies educators want their interactions with students to not only create a platform for delivering facts and theories, but also to spark a desire to independently learn more about the subject. Learn360’s expanding lineup of video content in these subject areas helps students reach the point at which a more meaningful learning process can begin.”

Learn360 offers thousands of digital video titles, images, articles, audio files and podcasts. These trusted resources are provided by top educational publishers such as Encyclopedia Britannica, A&E Television Networks (which includes A&E, History and Biography), Sunburst Visual Media, and National Geographic, among others. Learn360 continues to build its comprehensive library of full-length videos and clips, teacher resources, lesson plans and multimedia files.

For more information about Learn360 and its extensive library of multimedia and streaming video content, please visit http://www.learn360.com. Free 30-day trials are available.
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About Learn360
With an extensive library of digital video titles and online resources, Learn360 gives educators and students the power to meet and exceed 21st century educational expectations. Setting a superior standard of quality for video streaming, Learn360 delivers the rich resources educators need to bring standards-based and differentiated instruction to students everywhere. Learn360 is a division of AIM Education, Inc. For more information, or to sign up for a free 30-day trial, visit http://www.learn360.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kathy Schroeder
Director of Marketing
kschroeder@atomiclearning.com

Atomic Learning Introduces New Content Including Camtasia 1.2 Training

February 2, 2012 — Little Falls, Minnesota — Atomic Learning has expanded its training collection to include Camtasia 1.2 training as well as adding advanced training series for Illustrator CS5 and PowerPoint 2011, among other software applications. This update to the online edtech training includes several updates to existing training series.

Camtasia 1.2 (http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/camtasia12)
Empower your training by easily creating effective videos using Camtasia 1.2. In this online training series, you’ll learn how to precisely edit screencasts by cutting, splicing, adding transitions, and captions. Also learn how to record PowerPoint® presentations, Web sites, Web cams, and software demos. Learn how to produce your video in many formats to share on video hosting sites such as YouTube™.

Illustrator CS5 (http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/ilcs5_adv)
In the Illustrator CS5 series, you will learn helpful tips and tricks for Live Trace and Live Paint, work with the Pathfinder Panel, create and manipulate blends and set your work apart with powerful 3D effects. Plus, discover many of the exciting new features of Illustrator including variable-width strokes, perspective drawing and the all-new Bristle Brush tool.

PowerPoint 2011 (http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/ppt11adv)
If you’re wanting to be accelerate your PowerPoint skills, this new series demonstrates more in-depth options for working with tables, customizing charts, adding hyperlinks, manipulating photos, adding audio and movies to your slides, working with animations and transitions, understanding slide masters, and creating speaker notes or support materials for your audiences.

New Training:

Camtasia 1.2 Training (Mac)

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/camtasia12

Excel 2010 – Charting Training (PC)

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/ex10chart

Fireworks CS5 Training (Mac)

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/fworkscs5_mac

Fireworks CS5 Training (PC)

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/fworkscs5

Illustrator CS5 – Advanced Training (PC)

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/ilcs5_adv

PowerPoint 2011 – Advanced Training (Mac)

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/ppt11adv

Updated Training:
Google Docs – A Focus on Spreadsheets – Advanced Training (Both) – Fully updated!

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/google_spreadsheets_adv

iPad/iPad 2 (iOS 5) Training – Added 10 new movies!

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/ipad_ios5

Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) – Orientation Training – Added 53 new movies!

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/lion

Moodle 2.0 – Instructor Training (Both) – Added 27 new movies!

http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/moodle2instruct

About Atomic Learning
Founded in 2000 by a group of technology educators, Atomic Learning serves over 16 million individuals in more than 45 countries worldwide. Atomic Learning offers a cost-effective just-in-time professional development, technology integration and support solution that empowers educators to effectively utilize technology to positively impact student achievement. As your ed tech training partner, Atomic Learning helps teachers develop college and career-ready students with 21st century skills-based training. Visit us today at www.AtomicLearning.com.

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As he was planning his next unit in English class, ODE teacher Sean Chapman got an email from Melody Stockslager, his long-time facilitator at Berryville High School, located in Berryville, Arkansas. She told Chapman about the Ideas Matter Essay Contest offered by The Clinton Library in Little Rock, Arkansas awarding $2,500 for the best essay about challenges facing the country and how to fix them.

It was a good thing Melody emailed because after a couple of weeks of work and five revisions later, Berryville student Benjamin Harris mailed his in, and a few days after that he received an email from The Clinton Presidential Center informing him that he had won the award. Just before break, Ben and his delighted family drove to Little Rock and had their picture taken with President Clinton. “I owe a lot to ODE, and Mr. Chapman, and Ms. Stockslager. Thanks for helping me win this scholarship, which I needed. This will help a lot.” Ben’s essay was about the dangers and temptations of dropping out of school and how to overcome those pitfalls through learning more about the difficulties that face high school dropouts. Ben plans on attending College of the Ozarks, and after winning this award, he’s become interested in majoring in creative writing.