| There
is always something "new" happening at FableVision! Our
What’s New page now features a web version
of FableVision’s FableFlash – our monthly
e-newsletter. Read about the latest happenings in our company,
on our website and with the FableVision team in general.
For
email updates, or to subscribe to our FableFlyer, our semi-annual
“snail mail” newsletter, simply sign our Guestbook.
To receive the most current news, check out the Flashes
below, and sign up to receive the FableFlash here! |
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| August
2007 |
FableVision's
FableFlash |
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A
FableFlash Message from Peter H. Reynolds |
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Greetings
from FableVision (in Argentina)! 
Some of you are settling back into a new school year, while
others are still enjoying the summer holidays. I'm spending
a few days in Buenos Aires, Argentina visiting my father's
brother Brian, the last of the eight Reynolds siblings of
that generation (pictured here - the littlest one in white),
and our many cousins there. Family is hugely important to
me - and I'm savoring every precious moment in this beautiful
land.
Just before heading to Argentina, I was in the company
of another group that also cherishes family, the Community
of Caring where I was keynote speaker. At FableVision,
we are lucky to be able to connect with and support many
organizations that value family, from PBS to The
Girl Scouts of America! And each of you is part of our
family, dedicated to supporting our collective mission to
move the world to a better place.
Explore this issue of the FableFlash and see how
FableVision's "extended family" is making a difference in
fostering human potential in creative ways. And please continue
to share your success stories with us - so we can
pass them along and show it IS possible to make classrooms
more wonderful places.
Onward!
Peter
Peter H. Reynolds, CEO/Founder
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NEW!
FableVision Character Ed Bundle Supports Core Values |
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'North
Star'-Themed Offering Launched at Community of Caring Conference
FableVision CEO Peter H. Reynolds was the featured
speaker at July's Community
of Caring National K-12 Character Education Conference
in Las Vegas. FableVision supports the Community of Carings's
mission to strengthen five core values: caring, respect, responsibility,
trust and family. In the words of its founder, Eunice Kennedy
Shriver, "In Community of Caring, we believe the quality
of caring we give to our parents, to our brothers and sisters,
to our families, to our friends and neighbors, and to the
poor and the powerless endows a life, a community with respect,
hope and happiness." Visit
www.communityofcaring.org for more information.
Peter was sporting the new FableVision "Don't
Follow Me - I'm Following My North Star" t-shirt as
he shared insights on how to help children lead a more caring,
meaningful journey. And the FableVision team announced a
special new combination bundle of everything teachers need
to launch a transformational "North Star classroom" - based
on Peter's cornerstone book The North Star. This
package supports the Community of Caring five core values
and helps students navigate their personal constellations.
The new bundle includes The North Star Book, North Star
Inspiration for the Classroom Binder, and The North Star
Musical Journey Multimedia Binder, and is now available
in our FableVision Shoppe for educators involved
in character education in their school or community - a
$151 value for only $129.
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Need
Great Sure-Fire Back-to-School Writing Activities? |
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Download
FREE Stationery Studio Activities Now 
We know some of you are already heading back to the classroom
in mid-August. As you plan your Back-to-School activities
to get kids (K5) writing, don't forget the great Borders
and Shapesofferings in the all-new Stationery Studio
Fall Add On Pack! You can order them right now as easy
downloads and get started using them right away! Dr. Peggy
Healy Stearns' Back-to-School Activity, included
in the FALL
add-on pack, is available as a free PDF on our
website.
More information about the "fully-loaded" Stationery
Studio application, click
here for details.
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Toon
Boom and FableVision Announce Partnership |
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Team
Develops Creativity Learning Tools for School & Home
FableVision and Emmy award-winning ToonBoom
Animation Inc. announced their partnership to jointly
develop educational solutions for K-12 and consumer markets.
This partnership builds upon Toon Boom's extensive expertise
in animation technology and FableVision's deep understanding
of learning, educational technology and constructivist learning
tools.
Peter H. Reynolds, FableVision's CEO/Founder and
Executive Creative Director comments, "We're on a mission
of creativity and self-expression, providing the tools and
support to get kids creating and sharing." He adds, "Locking
arms with Toon Boom gives us a powerful international partner
to reach kids and educators around the globe with tools
that will really help them make their mark."
Stay tuned for more information on this VERY SPECIAL new
product!
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Celebrating
the Constructivist Spirit Continues! |
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FableVision
Once Again Providing Tools & Solutions for Project-Based Learning
Conference 
FableVision was happy once again to be part of the Constructivist
Design Conference in Grand Island, New York. The Constructivist
Design Conference encourages participants to collaborate in
crafting a personally relevant project throughout the week
- and let educators learn about constructivism by "walking
the walk." Teachers, administrators, parents, and students
joined together to work on everything from new project-based
curricula to a handbook for using constructivism in the middle
school math classroom.
FableVision's products were part of the playful learning
menu. Students used Stationery Studio templates,
and the software designer herself, Dr. Peggy Healy Stearns,
was there as a resource and fellow learner. Other teachers
listed Off the Path with Tobbs as a resource for
pre-k classroom. More than 200 participants explored their
creative side during the course of the week, in an effort
- as the conference motto reminds us - to "trust the people,
trust the process, trust yourself, and trust chaos."
We're thrilled to see all this activity supporting a constructivist
approach to classroom learning. FableVision is also a founding
member of the
Constructivist Consortium, which was established in
2007 by a group of leading educational technology publishers.
We are all committed to student empowerment, creative applications
of computers and the availability of high-quality open-ended
materials. The consortium seeks to differentiate member
companies and their products from the rest of the cluttered
industry landscape that continues to churn out drill-and-fill
materials.
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Confessions
of a HomeSchool Parent |
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How
Do You Teach Expository Writing Skills? - by Lisa Loya Durant
Even though I considered myself a good-to-fair writer, when
it came to teaching writing to my 4th and 5th graders here
at home, I found it tricky to break this skill down into its
various components. Essay Express addresses one of
the most challenging kinds of writing for kids - the essay
question - and, let me tell you, it's a GREAT teaching tool.
One advantage of using Essay Express in the home school
is the valuable quality of using it across several grade
levels. The cover states "grades 4-8", but if your high
school student is missing the basics of this skill, you
will want to give the software a look. And in a busy homeschool,
with perhaps several learners, it is a bonus that the student
can negotiate his own way around the product's different
levels with ease.
Communicating the strategies of skillful writing has the
potential to be dry, I will admit. But FableVision has taken
the approach a new level that engages without sacrificing
content. It also appeals to a wide range of students' ages,
abilities, and learning styles. The learner is actively
drawn into the story before getting to the heart of the
application. This is an aspect I appreciated, since my daughters
saw the subtitle "strategies for successful essay writing",
and gave each other a not-too-subtle exchange of "bor-r-ring"
glances. They were quickly hooked on the quirky animation,
voices and added sound effects.
The engaging backdrop storyline about a rock band (The
Rotten Green Peppers!) helps students crack open the
mystery of excellent essay writing while it also revealing
logical components. The material is reinforced via some
very catchy lyrics and melody. The end result? The student
can't help but feel prepared for whatever "essay questions"
they may encounters for the rest of their lives. And that
is a gift that I'm glad I've been able to share in our home
- and I encourage you to explore it as well. Happy writing!
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NEW!
Submit Your Questions for FableVision Podcast FAQ's |
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Ask
our Expert Artists, Game Developers, Researchers, Writers and
More! We're listening - and ready to answer. 
Peter H. Reynolds and the FableVision team are always answering
great questions from kids and grown-up kids alike, such as
"How do you come up with your ideas?", "How do you see the
future of creative education developing?", or "How can teachers
best utilize interactive web content in the classroom without
letting the Internet act as a kind of baby-sitter?" Or the
classic kids questions, "What does the "H." stand for in Peter
H. Reynolds. Or "Which is Peter's favorite book character
he's ever drawn."
Now you and your kids can pose your questions - or listen
to answers - as part of FableVision's new audio and video
podcasting service. Just email EdTeam@fablevision.com with
your question. If selected, it will be answered by Peter
or one of the other FableVisionaries here at FableVision.
Stay tuned for the first podcast launch sometime this fall.
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FableVision
Software is Promethean ActivBoard-Certified |
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Complementary
Online Ready-To-Go Activities Available 
For those educators who use the Promethean interactive
whiteboard or have been considering it for your learning space,
you'll be happy to know that Stationery Studio has
been certified as Promethean ActivBoard Enabled, as
well as BrainCogs and Essay Express as Promethean
Friendly.
Several FableVision educator friends have successfully
used our software with the Promethean in more progressive,
learner-centered ways that help ensure the whiteboard doesn't
just turn into a razzle-dazzle instructivist tool. For more
info on Promethean's educator resources and lessons, visit
their resource website at www.promet
heanplanet.com
If you use FableVision products with an interactive whiteboard
- or are exploring constructivist/creative uses of the new
technology, please send your tips and insights to EdTeam@fablevision.com,
so we can share with other educators!
You'll need the ActivBoard Flipchart Viewer to see the
sample below. Just click on the link and you'll get instructions
on downloading this free app.
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The
North Star Shines in Nebraska |
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FableVision
Conducts On-Site Professional Development "Creative Teaching"
Seminar 
FableVision recently conducted a full day workshop as part
of a Teacher/Paraprofessionals Grant awarded to ESU10
and Central Community College to better serve Limited
English Proficient (LEP) students in Central Nebraska.
Led by FableVision's own Peter H. Reynolds, Bill
Norris, and award-winning educator Wade Whitehead,
the sessions helped present educators fresh new ideas and
strategies to make classrooms more creative, wonderful places.
Wade Whitehead shared how he uses North Star approach
in his classroom (based on Peter H. Reynolds' book
The North Star) to help each child fall in love with
learning in a powerfully personal way. Wade vividly demonstrated
how authentic learning can be caused by connecting curricula
to student interests in a way that ultimately prepares them
to "navigate their true potential." Wade is also a contributor
to the new book, "Be A Teacher", and in Chapter 3,
he explores the North Star Approach to teaching and learning
as he asks participants to consider their own life-long
journey of learning and the paths they are on.
If you're interested in bringing a FableVision Professional
Development Event to YOUR institution, please contact
Bill Norris, bill@fablevision.com.
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FableVision
At-a-Glance Calendar of Events |
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September
is Time to Read for the Record! 
With the beginning of the school right around the corner,
all of us atop the Boston Children's Museum are gearing up
for a lots of fun reading! Our neighbors at Jumpstart
are inviting everyone they can to help READ FOR THE RECORD,
a national campaign designed to encourage hundreds of thousands
of children and adults from across the country to read the
same book on the same day. The goal of Jumpstart's Read for
the Record campaign is to raise public awareness about economic
disparities in early education. Because of these early discrepancies
in language acquisition and literacy skills, one third of
America's children arrive at their first day of school unprepared
to learn.
Jumpstart is asking Americans to support early education
opportunities for all children by reading the official campaign
book, The Story of Ferdinand, together on
September 20, 2007 to break the record for the largest shared
reading experience ever. The original record was set by
150,000 people on August 24, 2006 during the inaugural year
of Jumpstart's Read for the Record campaign.
Read The Story of Ferdinand on September 20,
2007 and help make early childhood education a national
priority. To learn more, visit www.readforth
erecord.org
Here's a sampling of what the FableVision team is up
to in the coming weeks . . .
Sept. 15 Target/Boston Globe Children's Book Festival,
on the Big Target Stage at Copley Place. Judy Moody and
Stink super-team Peter H. Reynolds and Megan McDonald share
a 3pm reading, followed by booksigning.
Sept. 19, 20 Florida School for the Deaf and for
the Blind, St. Augustine, Florida. Peter H. Reynolds
Author Visit.
Sept 30 Literary
Limelights for Children, Peter will be honored at an
afternoon tea with three other authors.
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We're
Growing - AGAIN! |
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FableVision's
Educational Publishing Group Sets up Camp on School Street
While FableVision HQ is enjoying their space at the Boston
Children's Museum, the FableVision Educational Publishing
Group has expanded and is getting its own dedicated space
on [drum roll] SCHOOL STREET! They will be located
in Dedham, Massachusetts at 16 School Street as of August
23rd. Boxes are being packed and new phones installed, so
check the website for updated information. In the meantime,
you can still dial (toll free) 888.240.3734 to reach Bill,
Carol and Julia for product information, Professional Development,
and Reseller Sales.
Julia Young has recently joined the Education Group.
For those of you who don't know Julia, she was an instrumental
part of our league of volunteers for several months, taking
her Simmons College background of design and animation to
the next level at FableVision. Julia also helped spearhead
the Stationery Studio Contest entries - sorting, reviewing,
and even animating one of the winners stories! Now on staff
in the Educational Publishing Group, she helps keep everything
running smooth. You can email her at juliay@fablevision.com
to say hello!
When you come to visit the Education Group you can also
pop over to The Blue Bunny, the Reynolds family toy
and bookshop in Dedham Square. For contact details and special
events worth marking on your calendar, visit www.dedhambluebunny.com.
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