Immediate Release

BrainCogs® Test-Taking Survival Kit Lands 2003 Distinguished Achievement Award

BOSTON, MA
Children’s media and publishing company, FableVision, has learned that its educational software product, BrainCogs™, has won the Association of Educational Publisher’s (AEP) 2003 Distinguished Achievement Award in children’s multimedia. Presented earlier this month at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., the award is bestowed for excellence in educational publishing and recognizes diverse learning resources exhibiting superior content and educational value. The BrainCogs: Test-Taking Survival Kit software, created in a unique collaborative between FableVision and the Research Institute for Learning & Development, helps challenged learners develop strategies to learn, study and perform better on tests.

“This is a huge honor for our team,” shares Peter Reynolds, Founder and CEO of FableVision. He adds, “Winning this award helps continue to accelerate the mission of our partners at the Research Institute for Learning and Development – helping all students achieve their personal best, no matter what the obstacle.” FableVision’s VP of Educational Publishing Kelly Fischbach concurs, “FableVision’s mission is to help each learner by tapping into his or her own learning styles - being recognized for the mission is additional inspiration for both our teams.”

Based on over a decade of research and clinical work by Dr. Lynn Meltzer, Dr. Bethany Roditi and team at The Research Institute for Learning and Development (http://www.ildlex.org) in Lexington, Massachusetts, FableVision designed, produced and published the BrainCogs CD-ROM. “The BrainCogs software allows our approach to reach more children and educators who desperately need help – especially as they face the pressures of high-stakes testing,” say Dr. Meltzer. The FableVision-ResearchILD collaboration is continuing as the organizations have teamed up once again to produce a companion software product called Essay Express that deals with the challenges of successful essay writing. The new product is scheduled for completion for completion by fall 2003.

The PC/Mac CD-ROM, containing ten hours of animation and activities, helps students develop a personalized plan to enhance the five cognitive processes (a.k.a. “brain cogs”) involved in preparing for and taking quizzes and tests. Thirteen strategies are presented giving students ways to support those “cogs” and results in a personalized plan highlighting those that work best for each student.

Founded in 1996 by Peter and Paul Reynolds, FableVision is on a mission to use media, storytelling & technology to reach, support and inspire ALL learners. The FableVision team includes a diverse group of educators, writers, animators, instructional designers, programmers, interactive media specialists, as well as academic and research partners.