Discovery Education streaming Plus (Website)
[Discovery Education (240) 662-2893]

         DE streaming Plus is a former winner of awards sponsored by the ComputED Gazette. This year, it was awarded in the category: Teacher Tools - Digital Library Website. The subscription-based website features a collection of over 150,000 of the newest learning objects, all designed for easy integration into a curriculum and correlated to state standards.
         The website offers more than 10,000 full-length videos divided into nearly 75,000 content-specific video segments, some of which include actual footage of real life events and occurrences. The introduction of an interactive whiteboard is especially effective, as students can observe data and calculations being developed with a pen tool.
         Robust search tools and dynamic browsing capability enable the user to quickly locate a variety of media and refine search results by subject (Career, Language Arts, Health, Math, Science, Social Studies, Visual/Performing Arts, World Language), grade, media type, and more. Some videos provide quick links to Curriculum Standards, Blackline Masters, and Teachers Guides.
         The video quality and content of DE streaming Plus are always impressive. For the teacher, there are: Builder Tools, to easily create assignments; quizzes and writing prompts; a Professional Development component; interactive training; Webinars; Digital Connections; and courses for graduate credit. A 30 day trial is available on the company's website.


amBook 1.0
[Amdon Consulting (877) 385-6060]

         Science doesn't always have to be dry, and amBook 1.0 proves it. Nearly every 'page' of this software is packed with videos, animations (many of which are interactive) and fun 'stuff' for students to do on their own, or for teachers to use in classroom instruction. amBook can also be used to replace or supplement textbooks, and/or used as interactive whiteboard software.
         Two main sections of amBook's Library are Science and Geography, each of which is divided into units of instruction.  Science's units are: Introduction to Science, Measurement, Diversity, Interactions, Energy, and Models and Systems.  Geography is divided into Introduction to Geography, Overview of Earth Science, and The Physical Environment. amBook comprehensively covers each topic with highly engaging content, illustrations, and demonstrations.
         Winner of this year's Middle School Science award, amBook is an interactive textbook that deserves to be in every science classroom.

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