News and Views
Canvastic will be at 
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math at the Denver Convention
Center, October 24-25. Free and open to the public. Click
here for more
info.
Macworld UK Rates Canvastic with 4 Stars!
"Although Canvastic’s the kind of program you might
buy for your children to use at home to get used to computers and
creative packages, its real strength is in schools. We’d advise
teachers and educators with budget control to take a look at the
free trial version. " Read the whole review here.
Version 3.5 Ships - Click here
for press release.
See this page for full
details.
Canvastic Grants Huge Licenses to Tech. Savvy School Districts
Canvastic LLC announces the search for school districts that are
technology leaders nationwide. Districts will be awarded licenses
of Canvastic version 3 valued from $10K to $200K or more. The company
will make the award to any district that meets the qualification
criteria. The company will award one unlimited building site license
($949 value) for every two elementary and middle schools in the
district. This is a pure gift with no obligation beyond installation
of the program. Canvastic LLC feels that these gifts will help the
program become more widely known as a great choice in student publishing
in K-8. Click
here for the press release.
Steamboat Springs, Colorado Adopts Canvastic using Thin Client
System
Click here for the
press release.
Mac|Life Magazine Rates Canvastic GREAT
They chose Canvastic as one of the "Best Mac Software for
Kids" with a GREAT rating in the July 2007 issue. See the magazine's
web site here.
Click here for the
review PDF.
Version 3 Ships - Click here
for press release.
Version 3 available for schools to pilot for 2 months - Click
here for
press release.
Nicholas Negroponte from the One Laptop Per Child project recently
said:
"In fact, one of the saddest but most common conditions in
elementary school computer labs (when they exist in the developing
world), is the children are being trained to use Word, Excel and
PowerPoint," Negroponte wrote in an e-mail interview. "I
consider that criminal, because children should be making things,
communicating, exploring, sharing, not running office automation
tools."
We couldn't agree more. However, it is not just the "developing"
world! See the whole article here.
Canvastic Ships Version 2.1
This maintenance release is a free upgrade of course. It includes
several minor bug fixes and enhancements to features and is a recommended
upgrade for all users. Click here
to download. Click here to
read the facts.
Canvastic Version 2 Compatible with New Intel Macs
Canvastic Version 2 is compatible with the new Intel Macs. Version
2.5 will be published as a Universal Binary. See apple.com
for more details on this new hardware development from Apple Computer.
A Great Quote from Technology and Learning's Special Report: Envisioning
the Future
We will speak in pictures; the new Esperanto is the multimedia
collage. Basic design will become as important as expository
writing. If the SAT is still alive, it will have a drawing,
or at least graphing, component.
-Jason Ohler
We think this glimpse of the future speaks to what we are trying
to enable for our students with Canvastic. When students have a
graphical component in their published pieces there is a serendipitous
energy that occurs. The student's writing prompts more detail in
the images created and the details of the image spur more content
to be added to the text. Both sides of the brain are engaged and
motivated.
See the full report at: http://www.techlearning.com/25years/
Canvastic Ships Version 2
Packed with over 40 new user-requested features, refinements, and
fixes, Canvastic v2 is even more flexible, powerful, and easy to
use. Teachers have expanded options to customize the application
to meet students' needs. Click
here for the pdf. Click here to read
on-line.
Visual Learning Report from MultiMedia & Internet @ Schools
Sept/Oct 2005 - www.mmischools.com
At McElwain
Elementary School in Denver, teachers are using Canvastic's
graphics/text publishing tool for K-8 students to address the needs
of their second language learners. They use pictures in their teaching
to help students with comprehension and to enhance learning. The
library media center has 16 eMacs that can be used by students cooperatively
or independently, so for many projects, a class is divided and half
of the students work on the computer while the other half works
with the teacher-librarian doing research with books or an interactive
writing or editing lesson.
This year, third graders studying the water cycle as part of their
unit on weather created colorful diagrams to show the cycle of evaporation,
condensation, and precipitation—required learning as one of
the Colorado state science standards. The diagrams created using
Canvastic were displayed on bulletin boards in the hallways of the
school, enabling many students in other grades to read the labels
and learn about the water cycle.
For more on Canvastic's publishing tool head straight for the
Community/Idea Exchange at www.canvastic.com/community/ideaexchange/
to see lesson plans from teachers and examples from both students
and teachers that press Canvastic's software into the service of
visual learning.
MultiMedia and Internet @ Schools Reviews Canvastic Overall Rating
4 Stars - Click
here for the pdf
March issue, 2005. www.mmischools.com
Canvastic Chosen for eMINTS K-2 workstations - click
here
Canvastic is one of the choices for eMINTS K-2 workstations. Using
technology to create learning experiences that engage young learners
in new ways is at the heart of the eMINTS
(enhancing Missouri's Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies)
program. This program is changing the face of education across Missouri
and into other states. eMINTS is an extraordinary example of a K-20
partnership that has produced remarkable results.
Also: eMINTS Becomes the First Resource to Meet All Criteria in
ISTE’s NETS Review Program
- click
here
Canvastic is noted as "What's New" in the March issue.
eSchool News notes Canvastic's Release at FETC - Click
here for the pdf
Canvastic LLC, a brand-new company based in Colorado, introduced
its self-titled software program, a project-focused desktop publishing
tool for K-8 students that works with Windows or Macintosh computers,
including Mac OS X. Company founder Steve Gandy, a 25-year veteran
teacher of K-6 students, said he created the program in response
to what he saw was a real need in the marketplace....click
here for the complete article.
Canvastic utililizes "Universal
Design" with its scalable interface...
This is a quote pulled from a recent eSchool News article....
"Universal design" is another emerging technology concept
garnering attention from the nation's top ed-tech enthusiasts. With
the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) slated to take place during the next session of Congress,
Raymond Rose, vice president of the Concord Consortium, a nonprofit
educational research and development organization based in Concord,
Mass., says the pressure is on for schools to begin looking at solutions
that meet all students' needs--and not just those with severe disabilities.
Under the concept of universal design, Rose said, technologies are
beginning to emerge that can be used for dual purposes--to the benefit
of everyone within the school system. The concept, he said, is similar
to that of building a wheelchair ramp. Though the ramp is built
specifically for students confined to a chair, it can be equally
useful for students with temporary ailments--or even those with
too much in their hands, who might have difficulty navigating traditional
steps.
"Schools need to think about tools that will meet all students'
needs," Rose said.
Canvastic Grows With the User
Canvastic adheres to the concept of 'Universal Design'. Since,
every student is different and interacts with technology and software
in different ways, Canvastic was designed to be very flexible
from its conception. Unlike most computer programs that present
a screen that is full of buttons, options and functions, Canvastic
only shows what the instructor wants it to show. It can be as
basic and limited as needed. For example, a student that has never
created a document on a computer can be given a canvas, a paint
brush, and colors as the total environment. You can even hide
the color choices! When that student has mastered those capabilities
more tools and functions can be added one by one. The instructor
can teach the proper use of each tool and the student can start
using that tool in conjunction with just the ones she already
knows. At the upper level, the student is presented with a complete
set of graphics, text and presentation tools that reaches the
publishing needs of most regular education middle school students.
But the really unique feature is the fact that every possible
variation in between the two extremes of the program's capabilities
is possible. The available, tools, the arrangement on screen,
the capabilities and options presented are all parts of Canvastic's
scalable interface that is marketed with the term 'Grows With
the User'.
Learning.com White paper addresses the need for software that
is flexible...
This excerpt from Learning.com's white paper on educational technology
supports how Canvastic was designed with flexibility in mind...
Click here
to see the entire white paper.
Technology applications (e.g. software for word processing, presentation,
data analysis, etc.) can offer benefits to learners that other,
less technology-infused instructional approaches cannot. Three significant
advantages involve feedback, environment, and automated personalization.
Software-based instruction can deliver immediate, personalized feedback
for every student. A rich multimedia environment can engage multiple
learning styles and skill levels simultaneously. Furthermore, software
allows an educator to tailor instructional materials and assessments
to address directly the needs and speeds of individual learners.
These characteristics of technology are tied to improved academic
achievement, increased motivation, more positive attitudes, and
higher selfesteem in K-8 students, according to gold-level studies.
Wong (2001), for example, concluded that timely, rich, and immediate
feedback is vital to improving learning and motivation levels. Mathew
(1997) found that CD-ROM interactive storybooks enhanced students’
motivation and reading comprehension. Mitchell and Fox (2001) reported
similar results with K-1 literacy software.
Gold-level studies suggest that for greatest effectiveness, software
design should be open and flexible. This allows teachers to more
easily fit use of the software into their curriculum (Brush, Armstrong,
Barbrow, & Ulintz, 1999). Similarly, an open design provides
students with multiple ways to engage with the content, which leads
to increased academic achievement (Matthew, 1997; Mitchell &
Fox, 2001). The research also indicates that curriculum design is
as important as software design when integrating technology in classrooms
(MacArthur, Graham, Schwartz, & Schafer, 1995; Thomas &
Hoffmeister, 2002). Notably, gold-level SBR indicates that the use
of technology in K-8 classrooms can lead to improved motivation,
attitudes, and academic achievement in students, but does not necessarily
do so. Learning outcomes seem to be a question of balance: too little
technology has scant impact, but too much may overwhelm the educator
or confuse students. Variables to consider in finding an effective
balance include the age and skill base of students, the subject
area, and the experience of the teacher in integrating technology
(Laffey, Espinosa, Moore, & Lodree, 2003; Waxman & Huang,
1996). Gold-level studies show that technology integration can lead
to improvements in students’ reading, writing, and mathematics
skills. Collateral benefits beyond the core function of learning
a subject, such as improved computer skills, confidence, and academic
motivation, have also been identified (Matthew, 1997; Ross, Hogaboam-Gray,
& Honnay, 2001).
Quote shared by a discussion list member...
This was shared by someone signing up for the Canvastic mailing
list and seemed to go with our philosphy quite well!
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex,
and more violent. It takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage
to move in the opposite direction."- Einstein
A high school teacher writes...
I use Canvastic with my Special Needs students. Programs such as
Photoshop are really great but too confusing for beginners. I like
being able to turn off features and introduce a few elements at
a time. My Special Needs students are always so proud of their work
and feel like they can do some of the same things their classmates
are doing. They actually learn some useful skills that can later
be applied to other programs. |
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