What search engine are you currently using? I might suggest that you branch out beyond Google and use Vivisimo or Kartoo. Vivisimo searches and then clusters the searches into topic areas. Kartoo searches and then provides the user with a web that shows the results of the search and how the sites are related. Depending on what you are looking for, how you wish to narrow your search, and the types of sites you are looking for will determine which site best meets your needs.

I know we are always seeking ways to make the Microsoft Office products more accessible to our students. This new software from Scholastic entitled Keys does just that. The program provides a template with "kid friendly" icons and an easy-to-use interface. It can currently be downloaded for a 45 day trial. Single copies cost $59.00 and discounts are available for multiple machines/schools. Check it out!!!

The National Council for Teachers of English produces a wonderful electronic newsletter called NCTE Inbox. Issues arrive weekly and contain "news, views, and ideas" for teaching language arts. Don't delay! Sign up today!

This week's issue contains great ideas for teaching vocabulary. The title of the article is called Break out your Dictionaries in honor of Dictionary Day. Dictionary Day celebrates Noah Webster's birthday! Included in this issue are research articles and a lesson plan from the Read Write Think site called An Alternative to Testing: Miss Alaineus: A Vocabulary Disaster.