Kendall Hunt Publishing

Lots of teachers tell us that they sometimes feel overwhelmed when it comes to choosing a new elementary, middle school, or high school curriculum -- especially now, when advances in technology have resulted in more new products than ever before, including a variety of products designed specifically for the digital generation. Since technology should make things easier, not more difficult, Kendall Hunt created the Inside Look Webinar Series for educators who want to learn more about our traditional and digital publishing solutions, but in a way that fits their specific interests and busy schedules. 

Inside Look Webinars are conducted live by Kendall Hunt curriculum experts and provide an interactive, in depth way to learn more about the many ways our hands-on, inquiry-based science and mathematics programs can help educators address, meet, and exceed their learning objectives. Each Webinar includes ample time for questions and answers, as well as demonstrations of curriculum features and activities. 

All Inside Look Webinars are free of charge and can be accessed from any Internet-ready computer, so there's no need to search out a meeting room or travel to another location. They're also offered at a variety of convenient dates and times, and there is no limit on the number you can attend. 

We hope you'll use this great new eLearning tool to get the information you need in the way you want to receive it -- register for an Inside Look Webinar today!
 

Is finding the time or the funding for high-quality professional development a challenge in your school or district? Kendall Hunt has the solution for busy, budget-conscious educators like you. We’ve just posted our 2011 eWorkshop schedule on our Web site, and you’ll find a full roster of live, curriculum-specific eWorkshops that you can access from any internet-ready computer, whether at school or at home.                       

There’s no longer a need to travel to get the training you want, because Kendall Hunt makes it easily accessible from wherever you are with just the click of a mouse! Each eWorkshop is held online from 4:00 to 5:30 EST and provides the same level of standards-based content, in-depth activities, and interaction with instructors as an on-site workshop. Kendall Hunt has always been committed to providing high-quality professional development programs, and created our eWorkshops to make them even more accessible for educators – especially in these difficult economic times.

That’s why we’ve made our 90-minute eWorkshops not only convenient, but also affordable. The cost of each eWorkshop is only $59, and includes a certificate of completion for 1.5 hours of professional development.  It’s never been easier to get the training you seek at a price that fits your budget. In fact, many of our eWorkshop participants register for several programs at the same time because they’re so cost-effective. Each eWorkshop can accommodate 50 participants, but because they’ve grown so popular, they often fill up quickly.

Get the professional development you need to implement your Kendall Hunt curricula with fidelity, enhance your teaching skills, and achieve positive student outcomes  – register for an eWorkshop today!

I’ve always believed that today’s teachers are some of the most creative and resourceful people on the planet, but the time I’ve spent reading grant submissions on Kendall Hunt’s WeAreTeachers’ Ask page has reinforced that notion in a myriad of ways. 

We asked you how you'd use new technology to teach science and math, and boy, did you respond!  We received 450 great ideas about how technology could be used to teach math and science, and each idea shows that teachers are not only ready to use technology, but that you’re already using it in clever and engaging ways that you’re happy to share with us as well as your colleagues around the country.

If you haven’t taken a moment to read through some of the ideas, I hope you’ll find the time to take a look, and even cast a vote for your favorite idea to help an educator win a classroom grant so the idea can come to life in their classroom. And you just might find yourself inspired to replicate one of these terrific ideas in your own classroom!

Voting will continue through Thursday, December 9.  But the conversation doesn't stop there -- we're always interested in the innovative ways you're helping your students learn.  So keep the conversation going even after the voting's over by sharing your ideas with us in this space or on our Facebook page.  We want to hear from you!

Those of you who are faithful readers of our KH blog (and we appreciate that…thanks!) know that you will frequently get not only my Kendall Hunt perspective, but also my perspective as the mom of a fifth grader who is in gifted classes. This post is one of the latter. 

I received a phone call the other day from my son’s math teacher. She proceeds to tell me that he’s breezing through math, so they gave him the sixth grade math inventory test and he only missed five out of 45 questions. They’re moving him from fifth grade high math to the sixth grade high math group on Monday. I interpret this to mean three things: 1) I will not be able to help him with his math because his math abilities have now surpassed mine (there’s more than one reason I’m not an accountant!); 2) he’s pretty good at math, obviously; and 3) his school really needs a strong gifted and talented math program.

We’ve spoken many times about the lack of talented and gifted resources in some schools. But I’m wondering, even in schools that use accelerated learning resources like Kendall Hunt’s Project M³: Mentoring Mathematical Minds and our newest curriculum, Project M²: Mentoring Young Mathematicians, are there still students who are moved up a grade? Or is moving them up a grade the substitute for a curriculum for high-ability learners? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Throughout its history, Kendall Hunt has always been committed to helping teachers bring the best in educational content, resources, and ideas to their classrooms.  To provide even more support in those areas, this year, we’ve partnered with a great organization – WeAreTeachers. 

WeAreTeachers provides a powerful online community for teachers, combining the expertise of its member community (that’s you!), the resources and knowledge base of its partners (that’s us!), and the momentum of social media to recognize and reward innovative teaching ideas.

Becoming a member of WeAreTeachers is easy! Just go to www.weareteachers.com and click on the “Join” link at the upper right hand side of the page. Once you’re a member, you can immediately begin interacting with more than 100,000 educators who have great ideas to share. And by registering in the next ten days, you’ll also have a chance to win one of five $200 classroom grants and video cameras provided by Kendall Hunt. We’re looking for the best ideas for using technology to teach math and science, and you can find all the information about how to submit an idea here. All submissions will be posted on the WeAreTeachers Web site on November 25 and voted on by community members. You can already see some great ideas just by clicking on the link and reading some of the suggestions that have been shared by members. And even if you don’t win a grant award, you’ll gain access to hundreds of incredible ideas from resourceful educators just like you.

And to keep up with all that’s new and exciting at Kendall Hunt, you’ll also want to connect with us on WeAreTeachers so we can make sure you’re always in the loop. Just click here to reach our partner page. Login, click on the link in the lower left hand corner that says “Connect with Kendall Hunt,” and you’re all set! You can also now follow us on Facebook and Twitter – both are easily accessed from links on our WeAreTeachers page and on the Kendall Hunt Web site.  And if you like what you see on our Facebook page, please click on the “like” button to let us know you’ve paid a visit.

We believe these new social media tools, along with our blog, are a great way to share ideas, information, and knowledge, and we hope you’ll agree. So submit a grant idea and join the conversation – we want to hear from you! 

Do you use interactive whiteboards in your classroom? I just read an article on the Digital Education blog at Education Week that says the incorporation of interactive whiteboards and accompanying software improves student achievement on tests by an average of 16 percent. That’s pretty impressive.

I know our primary school is beginning to implement them in some classrooms. They haven’t adopted an online elementary curriculum yet, but they are looking at a few. Right now they’re using a combination of elementary school textbooks and online activities. 

I can tell you that all of the programs Kendall Hunt’s new online learning platform, Flourish, are whiteboard ready. Our middle school math program, Math Innovations, which is available on Flourish, is LOADED with whiteboard activities. So if you’re looking for an online math curriculum and improved student achievement, maybe you should look at Math Innovations and Flourish!!
 

Want to know what’s new at Kendall Hunt Publishing? Want to read more about Flourish, our new digital learning network that Charley Cook spoke about in his guest blogger post the other day?

Well, then you have to check out our interactive catalog for 2010-2011. You can see the catalog here, or by clicking on the cover image at right. Once you’re there you can zoom, bring up embedded video and pdfs, download the whole thing as a pdf, send an email to a friend, or just about anything else you can think of. It’s pretty cool and does a great job of highlighting all the advantages our PreK-12 products offer.

You’ll see plenty of screenshots from Flourish. And you’ll get glimpses into products still in development, including our online science curriculum, BSCS Biology: A Human Approach, as well as our online math curriculum for middle school, Math Innovations. Even though I use the word “textbook” a lot in this blog, we’re about much more than just books.

Today I’m welcoming back Charley Cook, Vice President of Kendall Hunt Publishing’s PreK-12 Division, as our guest blogger. Charley would like to tell you a little about our new digital initiatives. Take it away, Charley.

 

Kendall Hunt Publishing has a strong history of being responsive to the needs of the educational marketplace. Over the years, we’ve worked closely with educators to develop products and services that not only align to national and state standards, but can also address and meet specific district requirements in terms of content, accessibility, and academic achievement. Some of these products include our curriculum for high ability learners, high school science textbooks and programs developed with our partner, BSCS, and our grade school mathematics program, Math Trailblazers, which integrates math, science, and language arts.

Like you, Kendall Hunt Publishing is dedicated to improving education and preparing students to successfully navigate a rapidly changing, technologically advanced world. So it should come as no surprise that Kendall Hunt has taken a proactive role in pioneering the development of groundbreaking digital learning solutions designed to more effectively engage students, support teachers, and involve parents in the educational process.

We’re extremely excited to announce the launch of Flourish, Kendall Hunt’s new digital learning network for students, teachers, and parents. Flourish integrates technology into all aspects of teaching and learning, and helps equip students with the skills they need to become productive citizens in the 21st century. Flourish is comprehensive, interactive, and economical, and features rich, research-based educational content along with a variety of tools that enhance learning, facilitate teaching, and increase communication both in the classroom and in the home. We hope you’ll take the time to explore its many features and benefits, because we know you will believe, as we do, that it can truly change the face of classroom learning.

Flourish is the first of many new, technology-driven products you can expect to see from Kendall Hunt in the near future.

As an educational publishing company, Kendall Hunt must, of course, keep up with the trends and keep our business current. That’s the only way we can keep offering our outstanding high school science textbooks, elementary school textbooks, and higher education products.  

Of course one of the biggest topics of conversation around here is social media. How and when to use it, who uses it, etc. We are on We Are Teachers, a great online teacher community, but what about students? Some people are involved in a discussion about whether the use of classroom technology, such as online math and science curricula, an online elementary curriculum and the like, reflects what students are doing in their lives outside of school. We know that social media tools are considered a distraction at schools, so much so that many schools have blocked access to Facebook, MySpace and other online communities altogether. And with the growth of cyberbullying, it can become a real safety issue besides.

The other side of this coin is the collaborative nature or team/community building potential of these applications. Students working together toward a shared result, and all the educational benefits that come along with that. So is there a happy medium? Has your school found a way? Tell me about it!
 

So, it’s September 1, is everyone back to school? Funny how school starting dates vary so much depending on where you are. Here our kids go back in about the third week of August, while some states have passed laws that school cannot start until September 1. Anyway, I imagine most everyone is back of very close to it.

Here at Kendall Hunt, September 1 and the beginning of school mark the beginning of a new year for us too. This year we’re pretty excited about some things. We’re going to be offering a host of new digital learning opportunities in the PreK-12 area. As all school textbook publishers work to keep pace with technology, Kendall Hunt Publishing is no different. Most schools are moving toward using an online science curriculum or an online math curriculum, and we’ll be right there with the tool you need.

So, watch this space as we move through the school year, we’ll be rolling out all kinds of new and exciting learning tool!

Wow, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer have flown by faster than the Thunderbirds at the July 4^th air show, haven’t they? The start of school is imminent, for you teachers I know many of you are already back. What’s new at your school’s this year? I’d love to hear the latest from any of you. As you pulled out your teacher edition textbooks or logged onto your online science curriculum, what new ideas have struck you? It seems like we’re always trying to find the next, latest, greatest, whizz-bang way to engage and motivate students.

How much do you use an online math curriculum? Maybe your district doesn’t have one yet, or maybe all your curricula are online. I’m doing a little research right now about whether online curricula work better for some students than for others, and I’ll let you know what I learn. But in the meantime I’d love to hear what you think, how you use your online elementary curriculum, and how your students do with them.

That first day of school isn’t far away now, is it? My son starts 5^th grade this Fall, which, due to a very crowded elementary school, is the first year of middle school in our town. While he’s pretty excited, I’m of course suffering from, “Ack, my baby’s going to middle school, where has the time gone?” syndrome.

All this talk about middle school got me looking in depth at Kendall Hunt Publishing’s middle school offerings this week. We talk a lot about high school science textbooks and elementary education books, but we don’t talk all that much about middle school. But have you checked out our new Math Innovations program? It’s amazing. It develops mathematical habits of mind, teaching students to think like mathematicians. It improves the reasoning and critical thinking skills that are crucial to success in the 21^st century.

Math Innovations offers textbooks, but is also a robust online math curriculum with an array of technology options to enhance and supplement the text. Three grade levels and five units per grade allows for customized alignment to state and district standards. Check it out when you have a chance!!

So we’ve decided to add a couple of new topics to our blog discussions here: math and online learning. Specifically in the online learning area we want to discuss what, if any online science curriculum you’re using, and what, if any, online math curriculum you have in place. As the PreK-12 world turns increasingly toward at least one online elementary curriculum and certainly as many as several high school programs online, I’m interested in your feedback on those you currently have.

And if you aren’t using any online curricula, do you want to? Have you looked at any? What’s keeping you from using them, or what’s the one thing that would make you jump into the online learning world?

Now, I also said we’d be talking about math, specifically grade school mathematics and gifted and talented math. Okay, math genius I never was and never will be, but I love math…the basic kind, anyway. And if you haven’t checked out our two gifted and talented math programs, Project M²: Mentoring Young Mathematicians, and Project M³: Mentoring Mathematical Minds, please do so. Project M² is geared toward Kindergarten through grade 2 and Project M³ is designed for grades 3-5. These outstanding, research-based, inquiry driven programs offer everything you need to implement a gifted program into your grade school mathematics.

 

As you float in the pool or sink the ball on the 8^th hole, I’m sure the upcoming school year seems far off. But I have to ask this question, more out of curiosity than anything else: What do you do in the summer to prepare for the new school year? Is there a rhythm to your summer? If you’re a teacher of gifted students, my guess is preparing lesson plans for gifted and talented is at the top of your priority list. How about those of you who teach inquiry based science? Do you spend hours sitting on your deck pouring over physical science textbooks as you soak up the rays? Wait, I forgot, we’re not supposed to soak up the rays anymore, sorry.

No doubt that school is never far from your minds. Here at Kendall Hunt Publishing summer is actually our busiest time. It’s when we finalize all our new and revised titles, and begin filling orders from school districts and college bookstores around the country. There’s a rhythm to the summer here, starts out quietly enough then builds to a frenzy by the end of August. It’s kind of comforting. Not as comforting, mind you, as the rhythm of my hammock swinging back and forth between my two big maple trees, but hey, we take what we can get, right?

Since one of the hats I wear is the one of content manager for the Kendall Hunt Publishing website, I always have the scoop on our latest and greatest. And if you haven’t checked out our language arts curriculum for high ability learners since, oh, yesterday, you’ll want to check it out now! 

I think I’ve spoken here about the fact that we’re in the process of rolling out a new edition of all the materials for the Center for Gifted Education’s Language Arts program. Well, it’s coming in fast and furiously now. Just yesterday and today I loaded covers and descriptions for all the outstanding trade books that the new edition features. Such books as Amelia Bedelia for the younger set, Chasing Vermeer (a book my son has read and LOVED) for the little bit older ones, and Huck Finn for those in search of a classic.

There are books for gifted students at every level from Grade 1 through Grade 12. I think I counted somewhere in the neighborhood of 54 new trade books that I added, with about another 15-20 yet to come. The new student and teacher guides are rolling out as well, with new ones popping up every couple of weeks. Check it out when you get a chance!

In my last post I introduced you to the amazing work the Second and Seven Foundation is doing to promote literacy. We usually talk about high school chemistry textbooks and gifted education books here, but none of that matters if students lack basic literacy skills. That's why 2nd and 7 is Tackling Illiteracy.

Throughout each school year, 2nd and 7 visits schools and gives books to second grade students. In the 2008-2009 school year alone they provided their books to approximately 4,000 students in 53 schools in Central Ohio, as well as nearly 12,000 more children across the country. That's 16,000 second graders who received a brand new book of their own from 2nd and 7!

And it's not just any books they're giving out. 2nd and 7 has developed a series of age appropriate books for second graders. Right now the Foundation has three books available: The Hog Mollies and The Pickle Pie Party, The Hog Mollies and The Rocky Relay Race, and The Hog Mollies and the Zooming Zackle Zoit. Each book focuses on a new adventure of the Hog Mollies, Hoppy, Sprout, Harley and Duke, fun little characters that work together as a team to tackle challenges that they face. With humor, engaging storylines and beautiful, full color illustrations, children are drawn right into the story, never even realizing that they are improving their literacy skills with each word. Each of the three books is available in paperback or hard cover from Kendall Hunt Publishing. Click here to go to Kendall Hunt's Hog Mollies page and order yours today! All proceeds benefit the 2nd and 7 Foundation's efforts in Tackling Illiteracy. Once you see these books for yourself, you'll want to get one for every child in your life!

Don't forget to visit 2nd and 7's website and see how you can support their efforts!

You can also follow 2nd and 7 on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/2nd-7-Foundation/105340035060.
 

I know that we usually talk about accelerated learning resources, elementary school textbooks, or high school science textbooks, but I thought we’d take a short break today so I can introduce to one of Kendall Hunt Publishing's author groups, the Second and Seven Foundation.

The 2^nd and 7 Foundation is all about literacy. It was founded by three former Ohio State University student-athletes: Mike Vrabel, Luke Fickell, and Ryan Miller. They were standouts on The OSU football team and decided that they wanted to give back to the greater Columbus, Ohio community once their playing days there were over. They started out by conducting a football camp in the summer of 2000, the proceeds of which were used to purchase books for second grade students in seven Central Ohio elementary schools (that’s where the name, 2^nd and 7 came from), in an effort to tackle illiteracy. As its founders passion for promoting literacy has grown, so has the foundation.

2^nd and 7 Foundation’s Tackle Illiteracy program now includes reading to second graders in classrooms all over the country, and provides each of the children in those classrooms with a book to take home. The foundation targets schools with economically disadvantaged kids and communities where its founders feel they can make the biggest impact. The Ohio State University, the University of Toledo, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and the University of North Carolina have all been involved in reaching out to the community through this program, by allowing student-athletes to participate in the readings.

In my next post I’ll tell you about the foundation’s books, how many they have distributed and how you can get them for yourself. But for now, check out their website and the great work they’re doing and please consider supporting their efforts!

Our efforts to volunteer this year in National Lab Day have been received with resounding enthusiasm. We kicked off NLD by visiting schools around the Dubuque area and several schools across the nation. (See guest blogger Charley Cook’s post).   We continued the momentum of by visiting Aquin Elementary Catholic School and St Columbkille’s Catholic School. Wayne Schnier, Jane Nielson, Don Burks, and I visited Aquin and conducted fun hands-on and inquiry based science experiments with the students. The students and teachers all had a blast as we did experiments with Gloop, Musical Pipes and Balancing Nails. 

The students enjoyed the experience and learned some important science about the properties of materials (Gloop), frequency, kinetic and sound energy (Musical Pipes) and Center of Balance and Equilibrium (Balancing Nails) I think it really opens the possibilities for children when they see how much fun learning science can be. We came in and made this event as open ended as we could and had an outstanding guided learning experience prepared for each grade level we worked with.

At St. Columbkille’s we replicated the experiments done at Aquin Elementary, with more volunteers. Pam Roth and Don Burks (Gloop) worked with the K and 1^st grade classes. Joe Haverland and Scott Wagner (Musical Pipes) worked with the 2^nd and 3^rd grade classes and Charley Cook and Chad Chandlee (Balancing Nails) worked with the 4^th and 5^th grade classes. Mrs. Barb Roling, Principal St. Columbkille’s was thrilled with our participation in NLD and invited us back anytime we could make time available.

We’ve all watched videos on YouTube by now, I would imagine. But have you checked out TeacherTube? It’s a video site specifically geared to teachers. You can find samples of all types of programs, teaching tips, etc.

Our Kendall Hunt Publishing profile page on TeacherTube is located here: http://www.teachertube.com/viewProfile.php?user=Kendallhunt. We have samples up from our NanoLegends program, as well as clips from our GYMB4 in-class exercise videos for elementary school. We’ll be adding more and more to the site, so watch our TeacherTube page!