Join the Literacy Ambassador on XM 170!

XM 170
January 31, 2009; 7:30-7:45 p.m. EST
Join Cathy Puett Miller, the Literacy Ambassador, on XM 170 as she offers parents tons of information about reading with children AND exciting upcoming news from TLA, Inc., Home of the Literacy Ambassador. Cathy's book, Ready to Read: Fun, Anytime Activities for Parents and Children, will be released by Maupin House in the fall of 2009.

What's so new about RTI?

RTI seems to be the latest rage, but really, what's all that new about it? As I understand it, the basic principle is "to provide high quality instruction and intervention matched to student needs, using a level of performance and learning rate over time to make important educational decisions to guide instruction." OK, but isn't that what good teachers do all the time? Maybe I am missing something, but is it really necessary to spend a bundle of hard-to-come-by bucks to conduct RTI as long as teachers use research-based lessons and have a way to routinely assess progress? If you agree, then supplemental books like the ones Maupin House publishes will work for a fraction of the cost of a full-fledged commercial RTI program. We'll be posting a list of our RTI-supporting titles, and I'd love to hear your comments on whether you think supplemental books like the ones we publish can function to support your RTI efforts.

-Julie Graddy, publisher

Hormone Jungle wins again!

Hormone Jungle by Brod Bagert won a 2009 Gold Mom's Choice Award for being one of “the best in family-friendly media, products and services in 2009.” Congrats again, Brod!

New tools for a new year

I’m not going to write about resolutions or the economy, but I would like to offer a round-up of new, budget-friendly (free!) tools we’ve used at Maupin House that have made our lives and our jobs easier. As always, if you have feedback on anything or want to make your own recommendation, please post a comment.

• Free file sharing at www.MediaFire.com. MediaFire lets you upload, share, and store files up to 100 MB each for free. The free access doesn’t even require you to sign up or download any software. You can create unlimited folders and have an unlimited number of uploads and downloads, so this is a great, user-friendly way to share large files that are too big to email (book files, ads, media files, etc.). Uploading is fast, so files are generally available for downloading the same day. Upgrading to the paid MediaPro service lets you share larger files up to 10 GB each and offers more security and service features. Business packages allow even larger files and provide additional support.
• Free file conversion at www.Zamzar.com. Need to turn a a PDF into a Word doc or an mp4 into and mp3? You can convert five different types of files quickly and for free with Zamzar: document, image, music, video, and other formats (such as compressed files). Free access lets you convert files of 100 MB or less and run five concurrent conversions simultaneously. Paid options allow for larger files, online storage, and faster conversion times. As with MediaFire, you don’t have to sign up or download any software, and files are usually converted within a day.
• Free online document publishing at www.Issuu.com. Documents you’d normally find in print, such as magazines and catalogs, can be turned into online publications you can share, integrate with your website, and get reader statistics on. You will need to sign up and have Flash on your computer, but uploading and using Issuu is free. The paid IssuuPro offers more professional design features and Google optimization (for higher search engine rankings). Issuu might not replace your print catalog just yet, but it’s a nice way to share your products online and expand your audience.