Technology in Your Classroom : Blue Ribbon Reviews :
Blue Ribbon Reviews March 2007
By Linda Lindroth
Creative art challenges abound in new software for student authors and engineers
Mark Youth Art Month by expanding your arts curriculum with the following new software.
Books by You™
Knowledge Adventure®, with FableVision®, presents a self-publishing program for kids called Knowledge Adventure Books by You™. Your students can use the guidance of author John Lithgow to create their own personal chapter book, complete with illustrations.
Students choose from four chapter-book original storylines and write answers to leading questions to create and publish a story that incorporates their own ideas for the story action. When ready for publication, student authors can create a press release or poster to promote their book.
For more information, visit www. knowledgeadventure.com or call 800-871-2969. Win/Mac, $19.99.
Autodesk® DesignKids™
Integrate technology into your math, art and science curriculum with Autodesk® DesignKids™ for elementary and middle school students.
DesignKids includes 30 hours of modular curriculum with lesson plans ready to use or customize for your students. Inventor software lets students sketch or create 3D models as they work through nine modules of real-life projects. Practice skills with a paper airplane project, or use the architecture process to design a bus shelter or skate park.
Visit www.autodesk.com for more information, or call 800-964-6432. Win XP, $1,849 for 10-seat classroom license.
QUICK TECH PICKS
| Title | Producer | Description |
| GeeArt16 Gee Guides web subscription |
GeeGuides 888-375-0560 www.geeguides.com |
Interactive art website with 16 art lesson modules (a full year), sayArt, seeArt and doArt activities to practice concepts and quiz challenges for review. Call for pricing. |
| Piano and Keyboard Method Win/Mac CD |
eMedia Music Corp. 888-363-3424 |
Learn to play piano with 150 lessons with video, digital metronome ear-training exercises, animated keyboard. Spoken tips and interactive feedback, too! $99.95 |
| Create Together
Win/Mac CD |
Bytes of Learning 800-465-6428 |
Creative multimedia authoring tool for K-12. Students can create interactive games, simulations and activities and publish to CD and the Internet. $199.95 |
Linda K. Lindroth is Teaching K-8's technology editor and website coordinator, and a technology resource teacher at Russell Cave Elementary School in Lexington, KY.
March, 2007 Volume 37, Number 6
