Best Instructional Solution in Other Curriculum Areas

Recognizes the best teaching application focusing in non-core curriculum areas for students in the K-12 market. These areas include art, foreign language, music, technology or multi-disciplinary topics.

Products nominated here are eligible for the Best Instruction Solution and Best K-12 Education Solution supercategories.

www.gaggle.net - Gaggle.Net, Inc. At Gaggle, we strongly believe that every child deserves to learn to communicate effectively using 21st century methods, but we also realize that student safety must be a priority for schools to use these tools. Therefore, we host these resources in a safe online learning environment with the highest degree of CIPA compliance designed specifically for K-12 education. Gaggle is a pioneer in this area and has grown from being a safe student email provider to the leader in safe technology tools for the K-12 market. Today we provide Web 2.0 collaboration and productivity tools that engage students through personal and group communication, organization, creativity, and networking. As early as 2002 we began releasing new tools to complement our email including Profile Pages, Chat Rooms, Message Boards, Blogs, Digital Lockers, and Homework Drop Boxes. We are constantly listening to the needs of teachers and students to continue to expand our solution to meet their needs. 2010 was an exciting year for Gaggle, with the release of our new online tools collectively referred to as Gaggle Apps. Gaggle Apps includes Gaggle Office, a Social Learning Wall, Safe Teacher-Student SMS Texting, GaggleTube, Gaggle Mobile, and Integrated Calendars. These tools help educators foster a true 21 st century, safe online learning environment. Full internet safety is best accomplished with a combination of both filtering and monitoring. However, monitoring students can be time consuming for busy educators. To solve this problem, Gaggle began offering our Human Monitoring System in the fall of 2005. HMS puts monitoring of blocked messages in Gaggle's hands, eliminating the need for teachers to review questionable communications. In addition, it greatly improves the safety and security of students in both the online and the real world. For example, Gaggle's HMS team has uncovered bullying, drug use, threats of school violence, teen depression, suicide intentions, abusive domestic situations, and inappropriate activities between students and teachers. Gaggle realizes today's students are social learners. Rather than pushing against the tide, schools can embrace the benefits in a safe and controlled environment. One forward-thinking Associate Superintendent in a large urban district wanted to introduce social networking in his middle schools as a means to engage those students in a cross-district community. The goal was to improve student success when moving into high school (based on research that middle school students are more successful long-term if they have strong connections and peer groups in place before high school). Originally that was to be accomplished using Gaggle's message boards, but our CEO and founder, Jeff Patterson, was so inspired by this vision, he decided to create our own Social Wall. The response has been tremendous, and the use of the Social Wall and its Social Groups continues to grow. Gaggle's response to the ever-evolving needs of K-12 educators and students has allowed us to create a safe and nurturing community where technology can engage learners and support curriculum. Go To Gaggle.Net, Inc.'s Web Site Go To Product Site
EasyTech - Learning.com EasyTech is a K-8 technology literacy curriculum to seamlessly integrate 21st century skills into core instruction. Includes a K-12 Online Safety curriculum and a prescriptive Keyboarding curriculum. Because it is Web-delivered, EasyTech is regularly updated with new content to meet the changing tech landscape. In EasyTech, Teachers can create & share lessons, and manage & track student progress, all in Learning.com's platform. Visit www.learning.com/easytech to learn more and see sample curriculum. Go To Learning.com's Web Site Go To Product Site
Livemocha Active Courses™ - Livemocha Livemocha Active Courses are groundbreaking online language courses that promise conversational fluency through a combination of world-class curriculum from leading educational publishers, personalized feedback from Livemocha Experts, and limitless practice with a global community of native speakers. Go To Livemocha's Web Site Go To Product Site
Big Bus 2 - Sherston Software The Big Bus 2 provides engaging, interactive learning activities in reading & writing, math, and science. Covering Pre-K - 6 it addresses core learning standards and develops 21st Century thinking and STEM skills. Activities include keyboarding, information gathering and writing in content areas. Teacher Tools customize activities to student needs. Supports whiteboard and at-home use. Go To Sherston Software's Web Site Go To Product Site

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