Re: LM_NET Digest - 14 Jul 1996 to 15 Jul 1996

[Carol Van Hook <Hook2025@AOL.COM>]

Dear Debbie,
Your message was for information about:
Subject: Accelerated Reader and Electronic Bookshelf

>Please help.  I have searched the Lmnet archives and found lots of
information about how wonderful both of these programs are.  Please send me
directly any negative comments about either program.  Also, does anyone know
about the long term effects of these programs; do kids continue to read as
much after they have completed the programs?

I did a comparison study of the two programs in the Spring.  We will use both
in our district this year.  I cannot tell you the difference from actually
having used the two yet.  But, what I do know is:

Price:  EB and AR are the same initial cost.  EB charges an extra $20 (or
$30, I can't remember) for each additional machine installed on.  Those
differences I think are minor.

Program:  EB was developed by educators and AC was developed by commerical
source, thus the educational differences are rather important.

Educational:  EB allows you to hard copy test to use for study guides (either
partial test or full test).  The test for EB come from a pool of 30
questions.  You can set up to have 5, 8, 10, etc. questions on a test.  The
questions are pulled randomly.  My test will look different from your test.
 AR simply puts the answers in random arrangement with the same questions
coming up each time.

Management:  If I don't pass in EB, the teacher may have set the options that
I can retest 2 or more times; whereas, in AR, the teacher has to go into
management and erase the fact that I didn't pass before I can retest.

Can you guess the program that I like the best?  I have selected EB for one
elementary and for the Junior High where I will be moving into this year.  We
have another elementary that went with AR for next year.  All other five
elementaries are considering the program for reading motivation next year.

AR does do a fantastic publicity.  Both programs are referenced in many of
our media publications as being very good.  Please, please send me any other
interesting comments you receive from our media friends.  I want to be on the
right track about this, too.

I think we must enthusiastically sell this program to our students.  I have
seen the kids get excited when I lived in another state as they came to the
mc and tested and passed.  The media clerk rewarded with an end of the year
sleep over.

I hope the program will get my jr. high kids wanting to read.  My main
purpose is to support our Iowa Teen State Award Books with this program.  The
newest diskettes are ready for purchase, but you must call the 800  number to
get their catalog number.  They are not in the catalog yet.

Hope to hear back from you.
Carol VanHook
hook2025@aol.com
SE Polk Schools
Des Moines, IA