The UK-based nonprofit Peace One Day (POD) is offering a
free online curriculum focusing on conflict resolution
and nonviolence for grades 6–12. The curriculum aims
to foster discussion among young people about peace and
nonviolence in their schools, local communities, and the
world at large. It is designed to be used in conjunction with
the documentary The Day After Peace. POD will distribute
free copies of the film to schools using the curriculum.
MORE INFO: www.peaceoneday.org
P eeWee PC has released the Pee Wee Pivot
T ablet Laptop, a tiny, rugged, spill-and-
drop-resistant notebook for children aged
3–10. The laptop features the Intel Atom
processor, a convertible rotating screen
a nd touch tablet with stylus, a free Walt Dis-
ney Windows XP Theme, and a 1. 3 megapixel
webcam that rotates 180 degrees. The PC comes with 10
software and game titles for prekindergarten, early elemen-
tary, or upper elementary students. Pee Wee also includes its
proprietary security suite on each laptop, allowing parents
to limit time spent browsing the Internet and gaming, block
inappropriate sites, take screen shots, view browsing history,
and even control the laptop remotely. The suggested retail
price is $600.
MORE INFO: www.peeweepc.com
The DAISY Consortium and Microsoft have developed a way for
educators to make their own accessible content for students with
special needs. Save As DAISY
with the MathDaisy add-on al-
lows Microsoft Word content,
including math notation, to be
saved in a format that can be played on DAISY e-book readers as well as other portable devices.
MORE INFO: www.daisy.org/projects/save-as-daisy-microsoft
Toon Boom Animation Inc. has released
Toon Boom Studio
5, a new version of its
software that brings
stop-motion animation to its existing array
of animation capabilities. Aimed at hobbyists, educators,
and students, Studio 5 offers traditional, digital, cut-out,
and rotoscoping animation methods and combines them for
greater creativity. Some of the new features will allow users to speed things up with time-lapse imagery, see images
exactly as they will appear in the movie, easily export animation directly to YouTube or Facebook, and import Flip Boom
Classic and Animation-ish projects.
MORE INFO: www.toonboom.com/products/toonBoomStudio
Coming Next Issue in
Online Learning Success Stories
From Alaska to Arkansas, districts are experimenting with e-learning to solve access
problems. We’ll tell you about three online
learning programs that address the needs of
students in three very different educational
settings: one serving a small-population
district spread over a vast area, one in a
large inner-city school district, and a third
that serves students from numerous districts
across the state.
Learners First, Technologies Last Walk, Fly, or Teleport to New Learning
Successful technology integration must focus Multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs) teach
on standards-based, curriculum-related students social, technical, and practical
learning outcomes rather than on the technol- life skills in a setting that is engaging and
ogies themselves. In the first installment of an playful. Maureen Yoder of Lesley University
eight-part series, Judi Harris and Mark Hofer writes that delving into MUVEs may seem
illustrate a grounded approach to technology intimidating, but it’s worth the effort. You
integration based on content, pedagogy, and might be surprised at how much these virtual
how teachers plan instruction. environments teach students about global
awareness.
