About my networks and commercial software

A day or so ago I was so inspired by my blossoming number of professional networks, and what I am learning from colleagues spread all over the world, that I drew a picture of what it looked like and posted it on my SLJ Blog.

One of the comments I received referred to my use of Inspiration for the diagram. Why would someone who advances open source or Web-based applications choose to use a commercial app?

Thing is, I started the diagram on a Web-based app, one I knew I could master in an hour or so. But because I was eager to quickly capture what I was brainstorming, I went back to a product on my desktop that I knew very well.

What is interesting here is that before I posted, I felt a wee bit of guilt. When I woke up next morning to discover the critical comment, I initially felt even more guilty.

But wait a minute! Can we not be very excited about the cool Web-based applications that emerge each day and continue to use those commercial applications that have served us so well for so many years?

Must I closet my use of solid commercial software today in the same way I hid my makeup from my most ardent feminist friends in the 70s?

Video Toolbox: More tools than you can shake a lens at

The fabulous Judy O’Connell shared this cool list in her Hey Jude blog and I want to make sure word spreads.

Mashable recently gathered a Video Toolbox: 150+ Online Video Tools and Resources.
Names of tools like Zamzar and YouTube are already familiar parts of our lives, but many of these other tools look truly worthy of exploration.

Sure, my head is already swimming with new tools.  But because I suspect that this coming school year will be even more video-rich, and because I have been so amazed by what we are now able to create at a basic level, I am going to play with a quite a few of these before September swings around.

The categories are: Live Video Communications, Online Video How-to, Online Video Editors, Video Sharing, Video Hosting, Video Organization and Management, Vidcasts and Vlogging, Video Mashups, Mobile Video Apps, Video Search, Online Video Downloading Services, and Miscellaneous Tools.

NoodleTools “My Notes” Notecard Maker

A librarian’s confession–I’ve never really wanted to have anything to do with cards. Not catalog cards, not source cards, not notecards. (Heck, I don’t even like sending birthday cards.) As soon as it all started going electronic, I wanted to shuffle and search digitally.

We’ve subscribed to NoodleTools, an electronic documentation programs for a couple of years now. Many of our students and teachers rely on it. I knew about the new “My Notes” notecard component when we started school in September. I advertised it to the whole faculty. Strangely, the teachers who loved and used NoodleBib with their students were not interested in the notecard function. The teachers who loved notecards were not all that interested in venturing online with NoodleBib. They love their cards.
This past week a new teacher Brooke and I put My Notes through its paces. We offered the students the option of using the generator or the traditional written card approach. They preferred the electronic version hands-down. They really liked it. They were taking real notes and they were thinking about whether it was best to quote or paraphrase.

My Notes automatically links cards to sources students already recorded. It allows students to cluster cards and to create tags to resort ideas. It identifies and separates quotes, paraphrases, and original ideas. No need to retype anything. Shuffling is a breeze.

In this flexible, sortable, digital format cards suddenly make sense.

Brooke, the students, and I are spreading the word. I suspect this will be part of our research culture by next September.

Another cool NoodleTools feature I discovered through this experience is the Analysis/Stats feature. This tool breaks down a works consulted/works cited list, answering the questions: “Have I gathered enough information and met the requirements?” Is this the right balance of print and online sources for my research?” (This is a mushy line for me–many of our resources are available in multiple formats.) “Did I make full use of the resources available to me?” “Is currency important because I am reporting on a time-sensitive issue or evolving topic?”

Here are some sample screens:

Zamzar and more (geek love)

This week I discovered Zamzar. It was love at first conversion. This lovely Web-based app will convert files from one format to another and email ‘em back to you. For a bi-platform girl like me, this is an especially amazing discovery. My Apple prefers .mov files. My PC prefers .wmv. Now I can move ‘em back and forth with no problem. This week I’ve played with my audio and image files as well. It works like a dream. (The software applications I bought and downloaded never worked as well.)

And to top it off, Zamzar’s new url page will convert online videos, from such sites as Google Video or YouTube, to any video file format you like. I just downloaded The Web is Us/ing us for a faculty workshop. This may solve a number of school filtering issues, allowing students and teachers to bring videos they really need into their classrooms and presentations.

From the Zamzar site:

Ever been on a video sharing website and thought “If only I could convert that video into a format I could keep” ? Well look no further - We’ve just launched a whole host of new features to allow you to convert files from URLs, including all your favourite video websites. Zamzar now lets you:

• Convert files from a URL on the Internet
• Integrate Zamzar into your web browser using the Zamzar browser button
• Convert videos directly from sites such as YouTube, Google Video, Revver and many more.

(Of course we all need to pay attention to any copyright restrictions as we download and save video.)

And that’s not all folks . . .

For more cool and geeky 2.0 apps, take a look at this list from the office 2.0 conference!

Compilation of cool 2.0 tools!

The October issue of Computer Shopper features a list of of 20 of the best Web 2.0 sites http://computershopper.com/roundups/200610_the_best_web_20_sites_1 compiled by Rick Broida. I can’t wait to try a bunch of them–myself and with students.

Here’s a selection of a few I find most interesting (as described by Rick Broida):

Ta-da List a free Web-hosted service that lets you whip up private or public lists of any kind: chores, favorite movies, business ideas, wines you’ve tried and liked, and so on. And you’ll love the satisfaction that comes from ticking off completed tasks. Ta-da!

Goowy  Goowy (the phonetic of GUI, or graphical user interface) blurs the lines between Web browser and desktop. It provides a Web-based operating environment, reminiscent of Linux, with e-mail, 1GB of file storage, instant messaging, games, contact and calendar management, and “minis”—small applets that provide at-a-glance access to to-do lists, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds, search engines, and more. True to its name, Goowy wraps all this in an attractive, icon-driven interface. It’s a polished, impressive service, and while we can’t imagine anyone abandoning Windows or the Mac OS for it, it definitely proves the viability of a Web-based operating system.

Gliffy (this one I have played with a bit) This impressive Web-based tool lets you build flowcharts, floor plans, network diagrams, or just about any type of drafting you need. You can add colors, drop shadows, and even gradient fills to your shapes, while collaborating on drawings with other users. 

Shadows
Del.icio.us may have popularized the idea of managing your bookmarks online, but Shadows does it one better. It works on the same basic premise—tag, store, organize, and share your bookmarks—but with a much spiffier interface and more-compelling community features. After registering, you can download the Shadows toolbar for Firefox or Internet Explorer, or just create “bookmarklets” in your browser. You can also import bookmarks, though the service inexplicably makes all these setup tools difficult to find. Once you have everything configured, however, you’ll wonder how you lived without Shadows.
 

Playing with Inspiration and The World is Flat

Our schoolwide focus this year is improving reading across the content areas. I am part of the team working on the next inservice–”during-reading strategies.” We’ll be looking at student notetaking specifically and one of the strategies we’ll be revisiting is using Inspiration as a notetaking tool.

My hot-of-the-presses Inspiration 8.0 arrived and I was eager to explore with it. Having just finished Friedman’s The World is Flat, I decided to see what it would feel like to take notes myself on Friedman’s first chapter.

As I worked with the chapter, I was able to more clearly see the comparisons and information patterns Friedman created. I am sharing it below in case it might help others in modeling notetaking for students. http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/flat.html

On the local ed tech front

Somedays, most days, I love where I live. Searching for story ideas for my Inquirer column, I discovered that some of the most interesting happenings are happening very close to home.

After 18 months in the planning, yesterday, John Street, mayor of Philadelphia made the long-awaited announcement that the city will become the largest wireless hotspot around–one big, municipal, wireless festival! EarthLink, together with the nonprofit Wireless Philadelphia, will implement the 15-month / 15 square mile project to “put the old industrial city on the 21st-century map.” While regular users will pay a per-month fee, EarthLink will provide 1,250 free accounts for city use and promises free access from 22 parks and public spaces, including Penn’s Landing, Independence Mall, and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
For details: http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/13994692.htm

On the state level, February 8, Governor Rendell announced:

“By 2009, every public high school classroom used to teach the four core subjects will have an Internet-equipped laptop computer on every student’s desk.”

The Governor is allotting $200 million for the project.

According to PDE’s Classrooms for the Future website http://www.pde.state.pa.us/ed_tech/cwp/view.asp?Q=118149&A=169, the plan calls for 100 high schools to be included in Year One of the roll-out, selected by “need, readiness, geographic distribution, and the strength of their strategic implementation plans.” The Governor sees the program as an effective means to address the need to prepare students for a “flat” world with increasingly competitive job opportunities in a dynamic 21^st century economic landscape.

By 2009 we will see laptops on every teacher and student desk in classrooms where English, math, science, and social studies are taught. Every teacher “will have the state-of-the-art technology that is needed to prepare students to compete on a global scale.” The program also allots a very needed $50 million for teacher professional development.

This is an exciting plan! While we wait for the details, I wonder if it might be a good idea to begin to ponder the questions in blogspace.

I started by brainstorming this remarkable gift with Kyle Peck, Associate Dean for Outreach, Technology, and International Programs at Penn State and we generated the following questions that will need to be addressed.

Having two and half years to consider the questions is a very good thing. We have time to consider the installation thoughtfully.

Laptops on every desk will change the classroom. Logistically: how will we charge them? How will we plan to secure them? Should high school begin right now to consider wireless and the type of receptacles needed to keep the laptops powered?

With all those computers in all those classrooms, how will we prepare teachers to use them thoughtfully and effectively? How do all those laptops change our pedagogy? What type of local plans should we create for professional development?

It is important that high school teachers and administrators begin to develop strategic plans for this program. keep a close eye open for guidelines soon to be posted on the PDE site! http://www.pde.state.pa.us/ed_tech/cwp/view.asp?A=169&Q=118149

I travel around and bit and meet with librarians from around the country. While other states are cutting funding for libraries, Pennsylvania continues to value and support them. Funding for public libraries will increase in the coming year and funding for the ACCESS PA database and our fabulous POWER Library remain intact.

2006-07 Proposed Library Appropriations

Our new state licensed search tool and the Wikipedia issue

The Pennsylvania Department of Education recently purchased netTrekker d.i licenses for all teachers, students, and parents in our state. Last week I attended a two and a half hour train-the-trainer session.

The Web search tool functions as an alternative to commercial free Web search engines and offers access to more than 180,000 online resources selected by educators, organized by readability level, and aligned with state standards.  The “d.i” in the product’s title refers to features that assist educators in differentiating instruction.  Searchers can begin in an elementary, middle or high school interface.  Specialized resources are identified for ELL/ESL students, those reading challenges, special needs and more. 

The product features an image search designed to guide students to “safe, pornography-free images to use in school multimedia projects or classroom presentations.” 

Don’t get me wrong. I am deeply grateful to our state. (DEEPLY GRATEFUL!)More than so many other states, Pennsylvania presents learners with resources to support their research.

netTrekker works pretty well as an educational search tool. But, as a “trainer” and as a librarian, I have some concerns about how I am to present the product to teachers, parents, and students.

Here are a few of the concerns:

First, I find myself comparing this Web search directory to my dear Librarians’ Index to the Internet (http://lii.org).  It is free.  Its editors have high standards for inclusion. It is meticulously indexed and annotated and gloriously structured.  While netTrekker may have features that are superior for elementary educators, it doesn’t match LII in terms of depth and sophistication. And my comparisons to KidsClick! (http://kidsclick.org/) and such amazing free library efforts as Multnomah’s Homework Center (http://www.multcolib.org/homework/) are similarly troublesome, though they may contain fewer links.

netTrekker’s initial result list does not always display the origins of the site.  Most of my free Web search tools allow me to view a url when I select a site. That url offers clues as to the site’s usabililty and appropriateness. I want to see it and I want my students to see those clues up front.  And my initital two-hour trial run of searches turned up more than ten grammatical and spelling errors in the teacher-created annotations.

As for indexing, controlled vocabulary, and result ranking, when I do a search on countries, I expect some quality information sources to come up first–Library of Congress Country Studies, Department of State Background Notes, Amnesty International rankings. Instead, nearly all results relate to country music and lead me to such sites as Dolly Parton’s newsmagazine and Shania Twain’s Official Site. 

What generally comes up first in netTrekker’s results are Encarta’s free concise encyclopedia, the Columbia concise encyclopedia, encyclopedia.com and Wikipedia content.  For high school level research, these resources hold limited value.  (Ironically this gift came just as I was writing an email to my teachers that I list below.) The brief entries that frequently appear in netTrekker’s results are hardly equal to the licensed resources we already provide for learners–http://mciu.org/~spjvweb/catalogs.html.

And though I know of many wonderful resources created by teachers, I have found that netTrekker’s teacher editors point to a number of not-so-special resources created by teachers, as well as lots of Geocities and AOL Members sites.  Many of these personal teacher sites do not list their sources. For instructional resources, I prefer such juried sites as GEM http://thegateway.org or Bernie Dodge’s database of WebQuests http://webquest.org/.

And so, when I train on netTrekker I will point to it as another tool in a student’s toolkit, one that should be used critically like most other search tools. 

Though it is linked to NCLB funding and is supported by NCLB’s Scientific Based Research, and though it may point to a significant number of quality sites, it is still up to the student, the teacher, or the parent to decide whether he or she is finding the quality or the content needed for the task at hand.  I will also continue to more heavily promote the very rich resources in the Access PA POWER Library http://www.powerlibrary.org/ that are not necessarily linked to NCLB’s Scientific Based Research.  I also hope that the editors of netTrekker will continue to improve their selections and their annotations.  I want to love this product.

************************************************** 

My recent email to teachers about Wikipedia:

I wanted to keep you all in the loop regarding the raging discussion in information circles regarding Wikipedia. Our students (and the rest of the world) use it heavily because it appears prominently in Google, Yahoo!, netTrekker (our new state gift), and Answers.com result lists. Wikipedia is a collaborative source. Anyone can contribute, edit, delete. It is vetted only by its contributors and its contributors come from all walks of life. Most editors do not officially sign their contributions. Few editors offer their credentials.

This week articles appeared in the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/weekinreview/04seelye.html

and USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-edit_x.htm regarding Wikipedia’s often unreliable content–specifically a false and negative biography of retired journalist, John Seigenthaler.

The fact is that the information universe is in flux. For some topics in popular culture–Twinkies, for instance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twinkies) –Wikipedia may be a decent starting point. It should NEVER be considered a final authority and I believe most professors would cringe if they found it cited in an academic paper. For most projects our students have far better materials to use. Please check your students’ works cited pages and question their use of Wikipedia should they choose to cite it. 

Update: CNN just reported that Wikipedia now requires article editors to register before they can change an entry. (http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/internet/12/05/wikipedia.rules.ap/index.html)Siegenthaler was not impressed.

Update 2: CNN reports on the contributor responsible for the false Siegenthaler story http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/12/11/wikipedia.ap/index.html:

“‘I knew from the news that Mr. Seigenthaler was looking for who did it, and I did it, so I needed to let him know in particular that it wasn’t anyone out to get him, that it was done as a joke that went horribly, horribly wrong,’ Chase was quoted as saying in Sunday editions of The Tennessean.

Chase said he didn’t know the free Internet encyclopedia called Wikipedia was used as a serious reference tool.”

Update 3: And then there is the recent Nature study in which Wikipedia does fairly well in a comparison to Britannica: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/full/438900a.html

To add just a little levity, don’t miss Uncyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncyclopedia, a content-free encyclopedia that anyone can edit!  (Thanks to Jacquie Henry of LM_NET for pointing to the humor.) Quality, shmality?

Teens and blogs

Back in high school I poured my poetry, my “art,” and my reflections into a marble covered notebook. I am the kind of adult who blogs and I would have been the kind of kid who blogged. 

On November 2, the Pew Internet & American Life Project released another in its series of Internet pulse-taking reports.  Teen Content Creators and Consumers reports on two areas of youth culture—their creative activity in the form of blogs and websites and their consumption of downloadable music. Let’s focus on Pew’s teen blog findings.

The study’s investigators, Amanda Lenhart and Mary Madden, found that more than half (57%) of online teens not only take from the Web, they contribute to it and participate interactively.   “They have created a blog or webpage, posted original artwork, photography, stories or videos online or remixed online content into their own new creations.” 

The survey of 12 to 17-year olds revealed that older girls lead this pack of  digital content creators and that members of this group are more fervent and more experienced in their use of the internet than those who do not blog.

The numbers break down like this: 19% of online youth ages 12-17, approximately four million young people, have created their own blogs.  38% of all online teens, or about 8 million young people, say they read blogs.  The adult world is not nearly as involved.   7% of adult internet users say they have created their own blogs and 27% of online adults say they read blogs.

Amanda Lenhart, Senior Research Specialist with the Pew Internet & American Life Project, sees blogs as a “wonderful space where young people have a voice.”  She noted that teen blogs cover the “mundane and the sublime and everything in between” and suggests reading them can be “like getting access to personal diaries stuck between the mattresses.”  

But the teen blogosphere is a complicated place. “Teen blogs may sometimes be embarrassing for adults,” says Lenhart.  “When teens have a voice, they may not always be thinking about who may be reading what they write and there may be external consequences.”  But, Lenhart notes that most teens are keeping blogs to stay in touch with their friends. Two thirds of teens only read the blogs of people they know.

From my vantage point, I see incredible value to teen blogs. I know many teens are newly motivated to write and who find themselves, for the first time, writing for a real audience.  Groups of friends, both remote and local, are brought closer in online communities.  I see great value in classroom blogging as building a habit for the valuable sharing of knowledge. My teacher partners are getting excited about this potential as well.  My daughter and her friends and many of my students are avid personal bloggers.  They chronicle their details of their lives and they share their creativity—their art, their photographs, their stories, and their news–through their blogs.

This is all quite wonderful.  But I would be irresponsible if I did not share some of the issues—and my own concerns–surrounding young people and their blogs.

The Pew study presents what Lenhart describes as a “broad stroke” and does not really address blog content.  As the Pew study hit the Web, it was followed by significant response from the educational blogging community and the educational mailing lists. Educators expressed concern about teens who reveal their hearts, the details of their lives—including the details of Friday night’s party–and sometimes their young venom on their blogs.  Personal blogging at recess is quite different from curricular blogging.  Teachers and parents worry about student privacy and safety and the personal secrets they may reveal. Schools are legitimately concerned over potential liability for personal blogging on school computers during recess and study halls.  Bullying and unpleasant clique behaviors are part of teen culture. That same hurtful behavior sometimes migrates online as an element of teen blogging.

Bottom line?  The kids are blogging.  Like any other tool, blogging can be used either responsibly and creatively or irresponsibly and harmfully.

The question for adults is–how do we celebrate and encourage teen creativity through the new communication vehicles while we guide them through some of the thorny issues relating to personal safety, discretion, and kindness?

Visit the Pew Internet & American Life Project Reports http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/166/report_display.asp

And to get a true flavor of the teen blogophere in all its variety, try browsing around:
Xanga  http://www.xanga.com/

Livejournal http://www.livejournal.com/

MySpace  http://www.myspace.com/

Hi Tech Gifts

This time of year I call upon the experts at Children’s Technology Review to share their top picks for high-tech holiday giving. Warren Buckleitner, editor of CTR, described several sure-fire titles and shared major trends.

Buckleitner noted this year’s major trends. “Television is becoming more active, it is becoming a monitor. We are seeing more interactive DVDs, and TV toys–toys that plug into your television’s RCA jack.”

Buckleitner believes that PC software may have “bottomed out. ”The number of tiles has certainly decreased. We saw maybe 100 good titles this year. Total. On the video game side, we saw maybe 300 or 400.”

Also, the next generation of video game consules is looming. “With high definition television, we will see the shift toward living room as the computing family area,” says Buckleitner. “And there’s a brand new horse in the pasture. Macdonald’s recently announced that kids can go into any Macdonald’s Restaurant and get online with their Nintendo DS.”

Buckleitner mentioned the growing popularity of multiplayer games and wireless technology. He happily pointed to the fact that “we’re seeing games that encourage children to collaborate with each other rather than fight each other.” As an educator Buckleitner believes in this collaborative play is important in developing the critical skills students “will use in any business setting down the road.”

Peripherals, movie editing and digital photography are within reach of many more people.

And now, CTR’s best picks:

corefx Three Level “Somebody finally listened to the masses and made a reasonably priced graphics program for the rest of us,” says CTR’s review. The creativity software allows users to draw, paint, animate, and edit photos. The drawing palate offers 12 types of art tools, in any color or tip size. Parents and teachers may simplify the menus for younger users. Buckleitner notes, “Every feature on our creativity wish list was covered.” And he adds, “advanced users will find features even Photoshop doesn’t even have.”

Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town, was well liked by CTR’s girl testers because of the lead female character. The exploration game lets you run and develop your own farm. Players find tools, trade, ride ponies, raise crops, meet a husband, and start families. The trading economy requires thinking skills. Other Harvest Moon titles, Save the Homeland and Another Wonderful Life, also farm simulations, were highly rated by CTR.

Karaoke Revolution Volume 3 This third volume of the popular singing game scores players on the pitch of their voice. This time around there’s a duet mode, requiring a second microphone. The game includes 35 new songs, including I Got You Babe, Oops!…I Did it Again, and Twist and Shout. Buckleitner warns, “It won’t make a bad singer sound good. Nothing will.”

Kirby: Canvas Curse teaches logic and problem solving as players move through a series of innovative mazes. Tap Kirby with the stylus and he blasts through walls; tap enemies to stun them; tap rocks to break them up. Players are rewarded with mini-games–a mine-cart race, pinball-type game, and a drawing game.

LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
This exploration adventure features LEGO Star Wars characters, and is based on Revenge of the Sith. Buckleitner said his testers “went nuts about it.” He appreciates its unique “drop-in, drop-out, cooperative problem-solving style. Because each player has different abilities, working together is critical. “It’s like you and a friend exploring a dark cave, but only your friend has the flashlight. Discussion is mandatory.”

Mario Superstar Baseball Buckleitner calls this one “a powerful baseball simulation that makes it easy for any member of the family, young or old, to bat and pitch through nine innings of competitive baseball.” It contains assorted four player minigames and fun parodies of great moments in baseball. Players create teams choosing favorite Mario characters and compete against other teams to recruit players by completing in-game challenges. Other Nintendo other sports titles include Mario Golf, Mario Tennis and Mario Kart: Double Dash.

Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock Set in 1930 in a small farm town, Buckleitner calls this who-done-it adventure “one of the best in the series” and points to its “rich, detailed plot” with dozens of logic puzzles and challenges. The graphics and sounds give this game a Myst-like quality. The game is sprinkled with Nancy Drew trivia and the rich content includes 153 different events and a variety of thoughtful games. Warning—these activities require patient sleuthing and maybe some advice.

Nintendogs CTR promises “even cat lovers will like this easy to use virtual pet game, featuring realistic animated dogs who respond to touch (petting with the stylus) and voice commands.” There are different Nintendogs cartridges which feature up to 15 different dog breeds. “Like real dogs, the virtual ones want to socialize (and have puppies!),” says the CTR review.

Scooby-Doo: Unmasked Buckleitner compares this game to stepping inside the Scooby-Doo cartoon. Players collect enough Scooby Snacks, keep monsters at bay, and attempt to free Fred’s cousin. The CTR calls this “a good starter game for younger children.”

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy This “tilting platformer” game has children tilt their GBA from side to side to solve puzzles and collect items like coins, apples, and hearts in order to free Yoshi’s island from the storybook in which is imprisoned. CTR notes, “the tilt feature sparks new life into the beaten dead horse of 2D platforming.”

Leapster Learning Game System Now there are two Leapster systems Leapster Basic and the newer, more compact Leapster L-Max (Learning to the Max), which works with your television with a cable and RCA plugs. My young tester loved the Thomas & Friends and the I-Spy cartridges; CTR recommends Math Missions. Other titles include: Dora the Explorer Wildlife Rescue and Spiderman.

Fisher-Price’s Read with Me DVD! presents classic children’s literature and enhances it with educational games and reading skill support. The control system interacts with your DVD player and monitor. My testers thoroughly enjoyed the stories, though they struggled a little with the game controls.

Food-Force is a free downloadable simulation designed to promote the activities of the UN’s World Food Program (WFP). Buckleitner says “it is fun enough to play at home and educational enough for the science and social studies classroom.” Players assume the role of a rookie aid worker on the fictitious island where they face six simulated missions. The enemy is time as players rush to help a starving population.

EyeToy: Play 2 Designed Sony’s motion-sensing PS2 EyeToy camera, this disk contains 12 party games for 1-4 players. You can enter a homerun derby, play table tennis, or prepare a meal as a master chef. CTR calls it “a wonderful game for a group of players.

Of course, Sims fans will want the new University Expansion Pack. Send your Sims to college where they can build dorms, sororities and fraternities, choose majors, play pranks, and more. CTR testers liked the new hairstyle options and band equipment. Buckleitner also recommended Sims2 for Console. “The console versions are designed to work with the strengths of each platform. In the XBox, PS2 and GameCube versions, there is two player split screen co-op mode, which is very clever; much liked by our testers. The look and themes are nearly identical to the PC version.” Parental warning: Sims tend to involve themselves in adult activities and violence though no explicit graphics are shown. These games are rated ESRB Teen.

Remember that Children’s Technology Review makes a great gift for parents and teachers. Find subscription information at: http://www.childrenssoftware.com

Purchasing Information
corefx Three Level Win 98, Win XP, Core Learning, Ltd, www.core-learning.com Ages 5 and up, $54.95
EyeToy: Play 2 PS2, Sony Computer Entertainment, http://www.sce.com, Ages 6 and up, $45.95
Food-Force Win 98, Win XP, Mac, United Nations World Food Programme www.food-force.com Ages 8 to 13, free
Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town Game Boy Advance Natsume www.natsume.com Ages 6 and up, $29.99
Karaoke Revolution Volume 3 PS2
Kirby: Canvas Curse Nintendo DS Nintendo www.nintendo.com , Ages 6 and up, $35
Leapster Educational Games, Leapster www.leapfrog.com Ages 6-8 Leapster System $69.99, L-Max $99.99, games from $19.99 to $24.95
LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game Win XP, PlayStation 2, Xbox www.eidos.com $40 console, $30 PC & GBA, Ages 5 through adult
Mario Superstar Baseball GameCube, Nintendo www.nintendo.com Ages 6 and up, $49.99
Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock Win 98, Win XP Her Interactive, www.herinteractive.com Ages 10 and up $19.99
Nintendogs Nintendo DS www.nintendo.com Ages 5 and up, $30
Read With Me DVD! Fisher-Price, Scholastic, www.fisher-price.com, Ages 3-7, $34.99, Titles $14.99
Scooby-Doo: Unmasked PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA and DS, THQ www.thq.com Ages 5 and up.$29.99
Sims: University Expansion Pack, Windows, Electronic Arts www.ea.com Ages 13 and up $34.99
Yoshi Topsy-Turvy Game Boy Advance Nintendo www.nintendo.com Ages 5 and up, $29.99