First one of the New Year

Hey! Keeping to the one post every two weeks!

OK, I am going to start off with throwing out a link to the new Cube Creator. This is the landing page to the new Cube Creator. I'll be working next week to be redirecting old links to this new interactive. I hope this doesn't mess with any current teachers/classes working with the Bio or Mystery Cubes. Shouldn't since the new Cube Creator does everything the one olds did...and is just flat out better I think. Let me know if you disagree and why. We're really excited about this one, and I hope our users like it.

Now I'm going to give you a little hint at what RWT is planning this year. We have some interactives on the list to get redesigned and have the new Work Saver added. Oh, and we made a search filter for Saveable Interactives so I don't need to list them anymore. Shape Poems and Story Map are next on the list. I'm pushing for Trader Character Cards.

Something Becky and I are working on is a scavenger hunt for the IRA Convention. I'll reveal more as we plan the idea out--we need to get the plan rolling in the next few weeks so that we have time to do it. Right now, it looks like there will be a couple spots you need to hit to pick up the clues, and the clues will give you sentence which you then send to us. And we'll have a prize of something. It will be fun!

We are working on plans for a summer campaign, suggested activities that teachers can give to parents for their kids to do over summer. There will be a few different strands to pick from, like writing strand, which will have tips and recommendations for parents, and these strands will be linked to a couple of our interactives so that kids can have some fun while keeping up with their learning over summer. We're really excited about having a summer initiative. Becky's heading this project--she's looking forward to creating something she can use with her own kids at home, like the Alphabet Book.

Last plug for this blog: Doug Fisher is out featured interview for this month on the Convention Insider. I've had the pleasure of working with Doug on a book he published a couple years back with Nancy Frey and Diane Lapp, In a Reading State of Mind. I also work with Nancy and Doug on their monthly members-only article Engaging the Adolescent Learner.

We have a lot more planned for the year--it is going to be a crazy-busy, but very exciting year for us, and I hope for you, too.

Alright, I'm at the office far too late on a Friday (I had all the lights turned out on me!). I'm out!

Have a great weekend!

Wes