The school division of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill publishers has announced a new technology imprint designed to deliver “solid content through creative, innovative learning activities.” The McGraw-Hill School Interactive imprint is aimed at students in grades K-8 and makes use of CD-rom and Internet technologies.
Forthcoming titles will cover a wide range of topics, including reading, mathematics, and social studies. A program called ‘Tronic Phonics, for example, teaches the rules of phonics by way of a multimedia exploration of words, stories, and written exercises. Another teaches Spanish-speaking children to read in their first language through child-centered stories enhanced with interactive technology.
Over 100 McGraw-Hill School Interactive titles will be released before the end of 1997. Information on the imprint can be obtained by calling the publisher at (800) 678-2747, or through the imprint’s Web site at http://www.mmhschool.com.
Between 1992 and 1994, as the cost of tuition at the nation’s colleges and universities skyrocketed, the number of federally guaranteed college loans to undergraduates increased by 69 percent, according to the Minority Guide to Scholarships and Financial Aid. The guide, which includes more than 175 listings for various scholarships available to minority students, offers a helping hand at a time when the average cost of private college will require more than one-third of a typical family’s income.
Each entry lists information on the amount, source, and requirements for a scholarship, as well as contact and deadline information. The book represents the most comprehensive compilation of information exclusively for the minority student, according to its publisher.
The Minority Guide to Scholarships and Financial Aid is available for $7.98 from Tinsley Communications Inc., 100 Bridge St., Suite A-3, Hampton, Va. 23669.
Joining the hundreds of education publications designed to address weighty issues and serious topics is a new quarterly aimed merely at producing a good laugh.
Learning Laffs Quarterly Review includes cartoons, articles, and anecdotes that point out the brighter side of the classroom. Many of the features are submitted by teachers from their personal experiences. In a recent issue, for example, one history teacher tells of his frustrations with computer spell-checking--and includes samples of the comical errors these machines let slip by. “Tea was thrown into Boston Harbor by angry American columnists” found its way into one student’s paper. Another teacher lists “The 14 Things You Really Don’t Want to Hear Today,” which is headed by “The reporter from ‘A Current Affair’ is here. ...”
Learning Laffs costs $10 for a one-year subscription of four issues and is available by writing Learning Laffs Quarterly Review, 5428 Pleasant Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55419.
--DAVID FIELD
