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As
of March 6, 2006
FableVision
Partners with Apple through their Apple Digital Learning Series
Stationery Studio has been chosen by Apple
for inclusion in its newly unveiled Apple
Digital Learning Series, developed to provide a collection
of value-priced learning solutions as perfect companions to the
Apple Mobile Learning Labs. The software and tools in these solutions
have been recommended by educators as being the most effective
to meet the requirements of the particular subject area. They
enable individualized learning for students with different needs
and offer an engaging environment that motivates students to learn.
These complete solutions are an easy way for teachers to bring
innovative technology to the classroom as an integrated part of
the curriculum. Stationery
Studio, developed by FableVision and Peggy
Healy Stearns, featuring the artwork of Peter
H. Reynolds, is part of the Elementary Tools solution,
which also includes Kid Pix, Kidspiration, netTrekker, and Type
to Learn. We are very excited to be chosen by Apple as an essential
tool for every elementary classroom!
Click
here to learn more about the Apple Digital Learning Series.
As
of February 1, 2006
Peter H. Reynolds "Virtual Author Visits" - Now Available!
Every day we get many requests from schools for Peter H. Reynolds
to visit. We only wish there were enough hours and days for Peter
to accept each and every invitation. Since that just isn't possible,
we put our thinking caps on and came up with a rather innovative
solution. After a very thorough search, we believe we have found
a web-based program that will effectively deliver Peter, his message,
his stories and his incredible art to your site, "live"…
allowing him to interactively share his storytelling and his passion
for creativity and learning with your students.. right through
a computer!
You
can now enjoy Peter in your school virtually by signing up for
the regularly scheduled Virtual Author Visits,
or a custom virtual visit.
Click
here to learn more, including a schedule of available upcoming
sessions.
As
of November 1, 2005
Downloadable
FREE Trials for ESSAY EXPRESS and BRAINCOGS Now Available!
We're thrilled to announce that both ESSAY EXPRESS: Strategies
for Successful Essay Writing AND the
BRAINCOGS Cognitive Strategy System are now available
to download from the FableVision website straight to your computer!
You can either download the entire program of each, either as
a 30 day free trial, or, if you purchase ESSAY
EXPRESS and/or BRAINCOGS, you can start using the programs immediately
with a serial number. ESSAY EXPRESS is part of the BRAINCOGS Cognitive
Strategy System, reflecting over a decade of research and using
creative and engaging media to bring 9 strategies for learning
to your grade 4-8 students.
For
ESSAY EXPRESS info & download FREE trial, click here...
For
BRAINCOGS info & download FREE trial, click here...
As
of October 21, 2005
Everybody
Wins Gala Fundraiser - Nov. 17th
Peter
Reynolds has been supporting Everybody Wins Metro
Boston for many years - and this year their annual fundraiser
gala will again include Peter's orignal artwork as a featured
auction item, along with fine art from Senator Ted Kennedy!
The event is at the Boston Children's Museum
on Thursday evening, November 17th. We hope you
can join us if you'll be in the Boston area!
Everybody
Wins is dedicated to increasing children's prospects for success
in school and in life through one-to-one reading experiences with
caring adults. They work to generate enthusiasm for reading and
improve children's literacy through the Power Lunch
program.
For
more info about the EWMB Gala...
You're
Invited to the FableVision's Open House - Friday November 4th, 5-7pm
- Friends & Family Welcome!
Join us on
Friday, November 4th for another festive FableVision Open
House featuring renowned reading specialist Sally
Grimes of the Grimes Reading Institute.
Sally has
been a long time friend of FableVision - and we're cheering her
on in her literacy mission, which specializes in creating approaches
that respect learning differences and reminds us all to keep the
joy in the process. Come join the fun, treats, good drink and
great cheer!
For
your Party Invite & Info...
As
of October 15, 2005
Stationery
Studio Named to "Top 9" List - About.com's Parenting K-6
Guide Praises Writing Software
We were thrilled
to hear that FableVision's K5 writing software
application STATIONERY STUDIO was picked as About.com's
"Top 9" Choice for Children's Software. "Make
your home computer a family learning and games machine with these
top software picks for children's software for younger elementary
children", says Kimberly Keith, MEd, LPC.
Thanks Kimberly!
Kimberly Keith
is a parent, educator and advocate for children and families in
the court and community, as well as a Licensed Professional Counselor
with 10 years' experience in the field. She is also the parent
of two children, aged six and twelve.
Check
the full Top 9 List...
Peter
Shares Writing Tips On FOX-TV - 15 Tips for Getting Kids (and Grown
Up Kids) to Write!
Lights, camera,
action! Boston's FOX-TV recently invited FableVision's
Peter H. Reynolds to share some of his tips for
sparking and nurturing creativity in the home. Implement some
of the ideas in your classroom with a showing of THE DOT
film or inspirational writing with STATIONERY STUDIO!
For
a Recap of Peter's TV Tips, tune in here...
As
of October 1, 2005
FableVision
Educator Spotlight - How Hazel Reynolds uses the Blank Scroll in
the Classroom!
Peter and Paul Reynolds often credit their mother
for nurturing the creative seeds within them - and their sense
of mission around the joy of life-long learning. So we thought
it would be nice to introduce you to their mother Hazel
Reynolds. Hazel has been an educator almost all her adult
life – in many settings – including boy scouts, girl
scouts and religious education – spanning three countries
– England, Canada and the U.S..
Currently
Hazel is a religious education teacher for sixth graders at Our
Lady of the Cape in Brewster, Massachusetts. She is still
teaching regularly at age eighty, because parents urge her not
to give up until their child has gone through her course! As she
shares, "I've always used creativity to help children connect
and learn - expressing themselves in art, song, writing . . .
if they don't make it their own, you've lost them."
For
Hazel's "Scroll What You Know" Lesson Plan...
FableVision
Ambassador Spotlight!
We are happy to announce another FableVision Ambassador: Louise
Valente from Irvine, California! Louise is a speech pathologist
who has been using the STATIONERY STUDIO writing
software in her practice with great results. Louise emailed us
recently, "The first time I put this program in my computer
with a group of first graders, they spit out a seven page story
about dinosaurs as fast as I could type, and asked to stay through
recess. Many of the typical stumbling blocks of a publishing program
e.g. “how do I start a new page” have been eliminated,
so that students can simply turn it on, pick a picture, and write."
Louise
even launched a K-1 pilot writing program to help challenged students
with STATIONERY STUDIO in September. By the end of the year, she
hopes each student will have written a story from the begining
to the end and the stories will be published with a hard cover
book. Louise will share her results with FableVision in the FableFlash
later in the school year.
Louise
owns her company Pacific Coast Speech (www.paci
ficcoastspeech.com) and provides speech therapists to the
29 districts in Orange County. Her goal is to provide information
and resources to educators who work with special needs students.
(Note: For more details on FableVision Ambassador Program, email
aziza@fablevision.com.)
For
FREE Stationery samples, lesson plans contributed by other teachers...
As
of September 19, 2005
Downloadable
FREE Trial for ESSAY EXPRESS Launched!
Research-based Essay Writing Program Now Available
We're thrilled to announce that ESSAY EXPRESS: Strategies
for Successful Essay Writing is now available to download
from the FableVision website straight to your computer! You can
either download the entire program either as a 30 day
free trial, or, if you purchase ESSAY EXPRESS, you can
start using the program immediately with a serial number. ESSAY
EXPRESS is part of the BRAINCOGS Cognitive Strategy System, reflecting
over a decade of research and using creative and engaging media
to bring 9 strategies for learning to your grade 4-8 students.
For
ESSAY EXPRESS info & download FREE trial, click here...
New
GET A CLUE Program Helps Build Vocab Through Story
Research Supports Patented Context System
The FableVision team was pleased to hear that
27-year veteran English teacher Brian Borah recently
gave a big thumbs up to FableVision’s new Get A
Clue software. Brian presented research that links vocabulary
acquisition to better AP test scores for literature and language
at July’s College Board’s Advanced Placement
Summer Institute held at the College of William
& Mary. Reporting on Get A Clue’s efficacy,
Brian noted, “The vocabulary words are showing up in student
writing, and furthermore, the words are used appropriately.”
Get
a Clue is also helping time-crunched educators. As Brian
points out, “We have limited time to cover a vast amount
of material, and Get a Clue helps English teachers manage their
time better as preparing and grading vocabulary lessons/tests
is very time consuming.” Other educators in his area share
his enthusiasm. Fairfax County has already licensed twenty-four
high schools with Get A Clue!
For
more info on a FREE trial of GET A CLUE software...
As
of September 12, 2005
FableVision
Participates in Grimes Reading Institute
When FableVision was invited to The Grimes Reading Institute,
we jumped at the opportunity. This summer, at its new professional
development center at Gordon College in Beverly,
Massachusetts, the amazing Sally Grimes and her
team presented a series of professional development workshops
to over 170 educators from all over New England promoting best
practices in reading.
Along
with designing the logo for this new professional development
program, FableVision also presented its educational programs Essay
Express, BrainCogs, Get A CLUE,
and Stationery Studio during the two-week conference period. FableVision
looks forward to a long relationship with the Grimes Reading
Institute as we work together to provide research- based
programs that really do reach ALL learners.
For
more on The Grimes Reading Institute
Park
City Literary Festival Spotlights Peter H. Reynolds
Peter H. Reynolds was invited along with several
other well-known authors (including Michael Blake
– Dances With Wolves) to kick off the first annual Park
City Literary Festival in stunningly beautiful Park City,
Utah, where THE DOT film was shown at the famous Egyptian Theater.
Linda Lee from Scholastic/Weston Woods
helped host Peter and FableVisionary Bill Norris
who also attended the four-day event.
A
seasonal adjunct to the Sundance Film Festival, the venue also
gave Peter a chance to visit several area schools where he shared
his messages about art, creativity and self-expression, which
are featured in his award-winning book series THE DOT and ISH
(Candlewick Press).
Local
Press Coverage of Peter's Ish Message...
As
of September 5, 2005
Navigating
the School Year With THE NORTH STAR - Lesson Plans That Make a Difference
in the Classroom
We're happy to hear that so many schools have been celebrating
the start of the school year by reading and discussing THE
NORTH STAR book with their students. Maribeth
Bush, School Counselor at D.W. Lunt School
in Falmouth, Maine shares, "The messages and themes in THE
NORTH STAR provide a strong foundation to support the many guidance
lessons taught throughout the year. We then reinforce the story’s
messages and themes by leading a hands-on activities."
Maribeth
was kind enough to share her experiences and a complete North
Star lesson plan - perfect for grades one through five - as well
as two other downloadable goodies. Try them - and let us know
how it goes!
For
more on THE NORTH STAR story and lesson plan...
Connect
The Dot to Your Class - Book and DVD now Available!
By popular demand, the 2005 Carnegie Medal Winning film THE
DOT is available on DVD (School Edition) in the FableVision
Shoppe, along with the book that the film was based on. Also included
are downloadable educator guides to spark creativity. The film
is based on the book by Peter H. Reynolds, and
produced in partnership with Scholastic/Weston Woods
and FableVision.
P.S.
This just in: THE DOT film has been selected for the Children's
Program at FilmColumbia! The Festival runs October
20th-23rd and the Children's Program will be on Saturday,
October 22nd. See www.filmcolumbia.com for more info.
For
Info & the FREE DOT Guide
Call
for Star Student Nominations!
We encourage teachers and parents to submit nominations for FableVision's
Star Student Honors. (Please note: FableVision requires
written consent to use child's name and photograph - and will
only use last name initial on the FableVision website if posted).We
would like to spotlight students who are following their "North
Star" - and those determined to shine with their imagination,
self-expression and creativity.
Contact
FableVisionary Dawn Haley at dawn@fablevision.com
for more information or submissions.
As
of August 22, 2005
Join
us for FableVision's Educator Appreciation Night
FableVision
is hosting a festive special Back to School Party
for educators and administrators on on Thursday,
September 22, 2005 from 4:00 to 6:30pm.
- Come
and celebrate the beginning of a wonderful school year
- Enjoy
some delicious refreshments
- Meet
the FableCrew and Peter H. Reynolds
- Experience
Essay Express, our newest software
- Learn
about our new web based vocabulary product, Get A Clue
- See
the upgraded BrainCogs and the award- winning
Stationery Studio
- For
your Party Invite & Info... FableVision
- Conference Alert!
Sept.
27-28: STLC in Marlborough, MA - Come See Us
On
September 27 and 28th, the FableVision crew will
be sharing our latest products at the Superintendents
Technology Leadership Conference at the Learning
Center in Marlborough MA. Designed for school superintendents,
assistant superintendents, IT directors, principals and school
board officials, the conference helps us reach those who can influence
the advancement toward more creative, innovative approaches in
the classroom on a wider scale. So this conference is very important
for us all.
Please
stop by the FableVision booth to see Essay
Express in action, test your vocabulary with Get
a Clue, and pick up the newest FableVision catalog. For
conference info, please visit http://home.educationevents.com
As
of August 15, 2005
FableVision
Scales its Reach into the Classroom
Peter
H. Reynolds Makes Yet Another Virtual Author Visit - This Time
to Over 2000 Students!
On
the heels of the first hugely successful virtual classroom visit,
Pennsylvania Department of Education Technology Director
Michael Golden and former lead staffer Lance
Rougeux organized a second author classroom visit with
Peter H. Reynolds. However, this session was
a bit bigger than the first session. From his bookstore in Dedham,
Massachusetts, The Blue Bunny, Peter interacted
with 82 classrooms and well over 2100 students once again allowing
him to share his books, his art, his story telling and passion
for creativity and learning.
The
Elluminate Live elearning platform enabled Peter to talk
over the Internet, listen to the whole class, interact in an IM
chat, use a whiteboard to share his art, and offer an interactive
drawing session. To
read the whole story...
As
of August 10, 2005
Stationery
Studio Brings Self-Expression to YWCA
We
were touched recently to hear from the YWCA of
Central Alabama's After School Enrichment Program (YASE),
a program designed for children who are homeless in grades K-8,
and living in area shelters. During spring break while most children
were spending time with family, the children participating in
YASE spent their time in the computer lab exploring FableVision’s
Stationery
Studio, playing games, and creating art, short stories and
poetry.
As
YASE Assistant Director, Rhonda McKay shares,
“Many of the short stories that our students have written
on Stationery Studio were shared with our behavior specialist.
She has been able to reach out further with these kids on issues
that had not come up before.”
Read
more about this inspiring use of Stationery Studio
FableVision's
Star Student: Tavorya M.!
Our
recent connection to the Y in Alabama, led us
to Tavorya M., a sixth grade student who was
given an assignment at school to write a poem, which she did using
Stationery
Studio while at the YASE program. The resulting
poem about discrimination, was a moving testament to the power
of "technology-used-right" to spark creative potential.
When not penning poems, Tavorya also enjoys drawing, basketball,
running and of course other forms of writing. To
read Tavorya's poem.
As
of August 1, 2005
The
Creative Journey Workshop Slated for August 23, 2005
A
Professional Development Opportunity Offered by FableVision with
Peter H. Reynolds
•
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
• Dedham Community House, Dedham, MA
• Cost: $200
• Group Rate: register 4 people or more and pay $150 each
Searching
for innovative ways to reach all learners?
Experience the transformational power of story telling,
media and technology to spark and nurture meaningful, life-long
learning in your classroom - and on your own journey. Led by Peter
H. Reynolds, author of The DOT, ISH, THE NORTH STAR,
this day-long seminar will provide educators and school community
members a time to explore and celebrate creative new ways to make
learning even more engaging and relevant for ALL learners. Participants
will leave with practical ideas for the classroom and ample inspiration
to continue their own learning and self-discovery.
How
do I sign up?
To register for the August 23, 2005 Creative
Journey Retreat, contact Bill Norris at bill@fablevision.com,
or call 1-888-240-3734. More information available
at The Creative
Journey
Announcing
FableVision's "Make Your Mark" Professional Development Workshop
Series
The Creative Journey is just one of the several courses being
offered as part of FableVision's Make Your Mark With Professional
Development Series. The 'Make Your Mark' Professional
Development Workshops offer a blend of the best current teaching
practices and theories taught by highly skilled educators. They
are about making learning more rewarding and effective by acknowledging
different learning styles, multiple intelligences and emotional
intelligences.
Our
Current Workshop Offerings include:
• The Creative Journey with Peter H. Reynolds
• The North Star: A Blend of New Thinking about Learning
and Creativity
• Inspiring Writing with Young Children
• Writing Beyond Paper, Pencil, and Essay Tests
• Academic Achievement: Does One Size Fit All?
• The Power of Expression
Find more
details at www.fablevision.com/professionaldevelopment
To
read full press release, click here.
As
of July 10, 2005
BrainCogs
Sequel "Essay Express": Now Available in the FableVision Shoppe
We're
back from NECC 2005 in Phili and have finally started to wind
down from a hugely successful trip. We met and talked to many
fabulous people, and "Essay Express" (sequel to BrainCogs), which
debuted at the conference, received an overwhelmingly positive
response that far exceeded our expectations. This makes us even
more excited to announce that Essay Express, available in single
license, as well as multiple-license packages, is now available
for purchase through FableVision's online shoppe. Click
here for more information.
Where
BRAINCOGS helps students (grades 3-8) with general cognitive strategies
involved in learning, studying, and the ever- expanding world
of test-taking, BRAINCOGS: ESSAY EXPRESS focuses on the 5- paragraph
essay.
Once
again, we collaborated with the Research Institute for Learning
and Development and we think this is going to be a godsend for
educators, parents and students struggling with essay writing.
Click here to read
the full press release in our Press Room.
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