Please join us in congratulating our BrainPOP advisors Teryl Magee and Robert Miller, on receiving NSBA’s 2009 “20 to Watch Award” for Emerging Technology Leaders.

Teryl, an instructional coach with Knox County School District in Tennessee, is passionate about integrating technology into the curriculum, thus preparing her students to be productive 21st-century citizens. Another passion of Ms. Magee’s is helping teachers, from kindergarten to high school, learn how to use technology in effective ways in their classrooms.

Robert, a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Port Orange Elementary School in Port Orange, FL is also an Apple Distinguished Educator. He’s passionate about integrating technology, including movie-making and web publishing, into his teaching.

You can meet these superstar BrainPOP advisors in our booth at the upcoming NSBA T+L conference, where they’ll answer questions and share technology integration strategies and tips.

Join us in congratulating Teryl Magee and Robert Miller!

I love librarians! A great librarian can be the heart of a school. Check out this fantastic opportunity to nominate your librarian (by answering 5 questions about how the individual has had an impact on them or their community). Up to ten librarians will each receive $5,000 and be recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by The New York Times at The Times Center in December 2009! The deadline is coming up quickly — October 9, 2009. Go for it!

Details at Grant Wrangler, a helpful, free resource to rely on when looking for grants and funding opportunities for education.

We hosted our first after school online chat on Friday. It was pretty great! We even had a special guest join in (hint - the woman behind the voice of Annie!).  Here are some ideas that came out of it.  We’ll continue these online chats every Friday after school. Join us this Friday, September 18, from 3:30 - 5:00pm, EDT. We’ll be happy to answer questions & brainstorm ideas for integration.

*Make sure you and your colleagues register on BrainPOP Educators so you don’t miss out on free tips, tools, and resources!

*Let colleagues know about BrainPOP ESL for second language learners, FREE during beta phase!

*Professional Development Resources:

Graphic organizers for planning out a BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. topic over an entire week, shared by Robert Miller
http://www.brainpop.com/educators/professional_development/

*Resources for new users:

http://www.brainpop.com/educators/new_subscribers/

*Grant Writing Resources:

- Funding BrainPOP

- BrainPOP Effectiveness Study

- www.donorschoose.org
- www.grantwrangler.com
- www.ing-usa.com

*Consider BrainPOP for after school programs!

*Familiarize yourself with all of the interactive features on BrainPOP with our webinars

*Ideas for BEFORE viewing movie:
-POP Quiz (pre-assessment)
-review Vocabulary activity page (BrainPOP)
-review Word Wall (BrainPOP Jr.)
-use FYI as shared reading in small groups or as a class
-Cassie & Rita comic (FYI)
-Belly Up comic (BrainPOP Jr.)

*Ideas for DURING the movie:
-print Activity Pages in advance - use for scaffolding, note-taking…
-Pause & discuss! Tons of opportunities to make students active participants while viewing
–> ask questions, make predictions, activate prior learning, etc…

*Ideas for AFTER the movie:

Here’s where we left off. What do you like to do after viewing BrainPOP movies? Share your ideas!

Welcome back to school, everyone. I hope you’re off to a fantastic start. I wanted to spend some time catching you up on our latest news and features, so you can take using BrainPOP to a new level this year! And it’s all FREE! A big part of me wants to go back to the classroom, just so I can use BrainPOP in all these new ways that I hadn’t thought of when I was teaching.

I’ll go into more depth with some of these features in the next few weeks, but for now, here’s a rundown!

Research - How does BrainPOP impact student achievement? Read the research.

BrainPOP ESL - Check out our newest product for English language learners and teachers. Free while in beta phase!

Getting Started - New to BrainPOP? We’ve got everything you need to be up and running in no time.

Spread the Word - Let your staff and community know you’ve got BrainPOP with our implementation tools.

Webinars - Whether you’re a new or experienced user, you are sure to gain fresh ideas from our webinars. RSVP for upcoming webinars or watch our archived webinars at your convenience.

Curriculum Calendar - Just published this summer, our calendar makes planning a breeze. Get a heads up on timely topics you can weave right into your curriculum, and access our Spotlights to help plan out your year.

Funding BrainPOP - Resources to help you fit BrainPOP into your funding strategy.

Spotlights - Find a ton of resources to launch into these important back-to-school topics: Digital Citizenship (free during September) and Science Skills.

Special Back to School Promotions - Upgrade, renew, and save on Media Lab and multi-year District and School Subscriptions. For details, please contact our District Relations team.

It’s crazy how quickly we have to shift from summer to school. I remember how intense and draining September can be. It’s my hope that the resources we offer on BrainPOP Educators can make your lives just a bit easier, while enriching your students’ education with a quality resource. Here’s to a happy, healthy school year!

We’re proud to share a comprehensive efficacy study conducted by SEG Research. The study included 1,100 students in 46 classrooms in Palm Beach County, Florida and New York City, and examined Vocabulary, Language, Reading Comprehension and Science learning gains. The report concludes that students in classes using BrainPOP make significant improvements compared to students in classes not using BrainPOP.

Teachers already using BrainPOP may not find the results of the study surprising. We’ve been hearing from educators for years that BrainPOP has helped to motivate and engage their students, as well as help them make Annual Yearly Progress. That said, when deciding which resources to integrate into your classroom, scientific based research helps to affirm you’re making a smart choice.

We’re excited to share this study with all the BrainPOP Educators out there. We’re particularly honored to read educators’ initial reactions to the report on Twitter and in the blogs. Check out Kim Cavanaugh’s fantastic post on the Palm Beach County Schools’ Educational Technology Weblog.

BrainPOP will continue to fund research to measure areas of effectiveness and explore how to improve our product. We’re committed to learning how BrainPOP impacts achievement and how we can best serve students.

Click here to read the research!

We’re extending this promotion until Wednesday, June 3! Last chance to save 20% on new Classroom and Homeschool subscriptions. Details below!

Teachers are our heroes here at BrainPOP Now more than ever, teachers play a critical role in the lives of their students, both in and out of the classroom. This National Teacher Day and always, BrainPOP appreciates all that you do. We’re pleased to offer you a 20 percent discount on new Classroom and Homeschool subscriptions to BrainPOP, BrainPOP Jr., and BrainPOP Español.

If you’re ready to subscribe and save now, simply visit our store and enter the promotional code APPRECIATE09 when paying (by credit card or purchase order).

Please note that this offer is valid only on new Classroom and Homeschool subscriptions purchased between now and May 31st, and may not be combined with any other promotions. This offer does not apply to Homeschool Solo Access subscriptions.

Questions? Email us at info@brainpop.com.

We’re excited to announce special promotional pricing for multi-year and multi-school subscriptions, valid through September 30th, 2009. There’s no better time to lock in great rates and ensure continuous, hassle-free access to BrainPOP Jr. (K-3), BrainPOP, and BrainPOP Español. Feel free to spread the word to your administrator or Technology Committee if you think they haven’t heard. We’ve also added a new Funding section, to help you figure out ways to fund BrainPOP.

Click to learn more about district pricing or single school pricing. Need help? Email info@brainpop.com, or call 866.542.7246.

We’re pleased to announce a new resource for you: Funding BrainPOP. Here, you’ll find great examples of how BrainPOP aligns with a variety of local, state and federal funding and grant objectives to support district and school initiatives. We’ve broken down a range of topics to help identify how our resources can best support your own instructional focus when writing a grant or applying for funds.

Topics include: Multimedia Learning Research, Reading, Math, Science, Assessment, State Standards, Technology Literacy, 21st-Century Learning, Multimedia Learning, Student Achievement, Health Literacy, Professional Development, Special Education, Family Connections, English Language Learners, Pre-Service Education, Self-Paced Learning, and After-School.

Explore these funding topics. We welcome your feedback. Is there an important topic you feel we missed? Does something require clarification? Please get in touch so that we can best support you!

I just read about this grant opportunity for NYC teachers. I was awarded one of these a few years ago. Teachers Network is a fantastic organization. Great opportunity to fund BrainPOP if you’re looking for funding options! Got any grant tips to share? Please post below!

Teachnet grants are awarded to New York City public and charter school teachers in grades pre-K through 12 who design outstanding curriculum units that integrate the Internet into an original project for the classroom.

Successful applicants receive $500 and publication on teachersnetwork.org.

Applications Due January 20, 2009.

Times are tough — especially with budget cuts in education. I am excited to feature one of our BrainPOP Election Lesson Plan Winners as today’s guest blogger. Peggy is a Gifted & Talented teacher at Mina Elementary in Bastrop, TX. She’s written and received two grants, and was kind enough to share some tips with us! Please add on to these by commenting below if you have some grant writing tips of your own to share.

*The more students who will be impacted, the better.

*Innovative and creativity helps

*Backing up what you say in the grant is really important.   This goes to figures and/or information that proves there is a need.  I  have used BrainPOP in the past a lot for Science.  So, I used that as a huge part of my approach. I found some articles written about how weak our schools are in the area of
Science, therefore showing a need for new programs and approaches.

*I found two teachers on our campus who were spending their own money on BrainPOP for classroom access.  One of the first grade teachers had a great lesson plan she had already used with BrainPOP and shared that with me.  Then I added that to the grant proposal.

*I always try and get someone to proof read before I submit.

Good Luck!  Peggy