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Noted Child Development Expert Names Inspiration 9 and Kidspiration 3 as Best Children's Vacation Products for Summer 2010 Noted Child Development Expert Names Inspiration 9 and Kidspiration 3 as Best Children's Vacation Products for Summer 2010Dr. Toy Endorses Inspiration Software's Premier Visual Learning Tools to Keep Children Engaged and Learning While on Summer Vacation PORTLAND, Ore. – July 20, 2010 The award program was developed by Steveanne Auerbach, Ph.D., (a.k.a. Dr. Toy) to provide parents with a resource for choosing safe, affordable, educationally oriented and stimulating toys and play products for children to use during vacation time at home or on the road. Products named to the list are carefully chosen, using Dr. Toy’s extensive criteria developed over many years. They are evaluated for safety, age-appropriateness, design, durability, lasting play value, cultural and ethnic diversity, good transition from home to school, educational value, learning skills, creativity, improvement in the understanding of the community and the world, value for the price and, naturally, fun. "As a childhood specialist for 40 years, I have seen the continuous, essential need for more year-round resources to help consumers identify and choose the most appropriate products for all children," said Dr. Toy. "Inspiration and Kidspiration were selected for the 2010 Best Vacation Products because they will provide children with exciting new learning opportunities that will help them not only do better in school, but also give them more constructive activities while traveling or at vacation destinations." Inspiration 9 for children in grades 6-12, the ultimate thinking and learning tool to comprehend, create, communicate and achieve more, adds this prestigious endorsement to the expanding lists of awards from the education, technology and parenting communities that it has garnered since its launch in January 2010. New capabilities in Inspiration 9, such as support for creating presentations and additional visual learning methodologies, provide an essential framework for thinking and help students develop 21st century skills. Kidspiration 3, the visual learning software for students in kindergarten through grade 5, supports young learners as they strengthen reading and writing skills, build conceptual understanding in math, and develop thinking skills across the curriculum. Kidspiration 3 has earned more than 20 awards since its launch in January 2008. "We agree with Dr. Toy – learning for children doesn’t stop when school lets out for the summer. Learners of all ages can use Inspiration and Kidspiration to visually explore, express and write about their vacation experiences in a creative and engaging way," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "Having our visual learning software named to the list of the Best Children’s Vacation Products offers parents the information that they need to pick learning tools for their children in the summer and year-round."
Inspiration 9 Honored by Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement AwardsUltimate Thinking and Learning Tool Sweeps New Awards Program Category PORTLAND, Ore. – June 22, 2010 For more than four decades, the AEP Awards have honored outstanding resources for teaching and learning. One of the largest and longest running recognition programs in the educational publishing industry, the annual AEP Awards mark the standard for quality, professional educational products and excellence in education marketing. "Teachers around the country are telling us that the new presentation capabilities and visual view in Inspiration 9 are allowing them to take visual learning in new and powerful directions for their students, helping them build the strong communication and thinking skills that are requisite for 21st century success," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "We are proud of the recognition that the ninth generation of our flagship software has earned from the educational publishing community." New in Inspiration is the Presentation Manager, which students use to create organized and compelling presentations to present and communicate their knowledge and work. The Presentation Manager automatically creates bulleted slides and graphics from a student’s diagram, mind map or outline. Students use this as the starting point to build their oral presentation and handouts and then add slides, speaker notes, talking points, graphics, video and sound to emphasize their points. Inspiration 9 makes it easy for students to include the graphic organizers they created in Diagram and Map Views in their presentations to effectively communicate concepts and ideas they’ve developed. Once their presentation is complete, they can play it directly from Inspiration 9 or from any Macintosh® or Windows® computer, using the Inspiration Presenter available on the installation CD and downloadable from http://www.inspiration.com. Inspiration also features more visual ways to think and learn, including Map View, which allows students to create and think in mind maps, another proven visual learning methodology that promotes better understanding of relationships and connections among ideas and helps students retain information. Mind maps capture information in a natural, free-flowing style. With Map View, students build visual models, adding ideas branching off a central topic with just one click, and reorganize ideas by simply grafting one branch to another. Graphic images, colors and fonts allow learners to embellish, differentiate and emphasize their ideas. Just like with idea maps, concept maps, graphic organizers and other diagrams created with Inspiration, the process of building a mind map is fluid and visual, complementing the natural way that students think and expand on ideas. As with other diagrams created with Inspiration, mind maps can be instantly transformed into outlines to support the writing process. For more information about Inspiration 9, go to http://www.inspiration.com/inspiration. About AEP AEP's thought leadership and market insight have created ground-breaking opportunities for its members to collaborate, network and partner with each other as well as to acquire a voice in the development of government education policy. Founded in 1895, AEP now assists its members in navigating the global realities of educational publishing in the 21st century. For more information, visit www.AEPweb.org.
Inspiration 9 and Kidspiration 3 Honored With Prestigious Recognition From Consumer Parenting OrganizationInspiration Software’s Visual Learning Software Tools Win 2010 iParenting Excellent Products Awards PORTLAND, Ore. – June 8, 2010 “From the youngest age, learners can build the critical-thinking and communication skills necessary for 21st century success with our visual learning software tools, Inspiration and Kidspiration,” said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. “Recognition for our visual learning tools from parenting organizations, such as this honor from iParenting Media, is a testament to the fact that parents around the country understand how effective Inspiration and Kidspiration are at helping children develop strong thinking and learning skills.” Inspiration 9 is the ultimate thinking and learning tool to comprehend, create, communicate and achieve more. This is the second honor from a parenting organization for Inspiration 9, the newest version of the company’s visual learning software for learners grade six to adult, which debuted less than six months ago. The visual learning software was also recently honored with the prestigious 2010 Software & Information Industry Association CODiE award. Inspiration 9 is designed to offer an essential framework for thinking – helping students use 21st century skills to achieve more in all subject areas. Learners use Inspiration to build graphic organizers, including concept maps, webs and idea maps; to visualize and develop ideas; understand and retain concepts; plan and organize work; and communicate and present knowledge. Research shows that visual learning is one of the best methods for teaching thinking skills. Visual learning techniques – graphical ways of working with ideas and presenting information – teach students to clarify their thinking and to process, organize and prioritize information. When students learn with Inspiration, they build strong critical-thinking, writing and organization skills, as well as good communication skills to effectively share their knowledge and understanding. Used by millions around the world, the software is considered the gold standard of visual learning tools. Kidspiration 3, the visual learning software for students in kindergarten through grade 5, supports young learners as they strengthen reading and writing skills, build conceptual understanding in math, and develop thinking skills across the curriculum. Launched in January 2008, Kidspiration 3 now boasts more than 20 awards and accolades from top parenting, education and technology industry organizations. In reading and writing, Kidspiration builds children’s word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension and written expression using visual tools that combine pictures, text and spoken words. With the visual math tools in Kidspiration, children build a strong mathematical foundation for reasoning and problem-solving by using visual representations to understand math concepts. Using the software’s library of more than 3,000 symbols, children can create graphic organizers including webs, concept maps and Venn diagrams to express their ideas, explore ideas and relationships, and develop understanding. The symbol search capabilities allow them to find the right symbols to express their thoughts and ideas. Students can also use Symbol Maker to create their own symbols, or they can import their own images.
Inspiration Wins 2010 Software & Information Industry Association CODiE Award for Excellence in Educational TechnologyCompany's Flagship Visual Learning Software Honored as Best Instructional Solution in Other Curriculum Areas PORTLAND, Ore. – May 26, 2010 "For more than 20 years, millions of students and teachers around the world have used Inspiration to build strong critical-thinking, writing and organization skills, as well as good communication skills," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "To have Inspiration recognized with this prestigious honor from our peers in the education technology industry demonstrates that they recognize what teachers tell us every day: Innovative technology combined with visual learning instructional strategies can transform teaching and learning for students." The CODiE Awards honor the software and information industry's finest products and services, and hold the distinction of being the industry’s only peer-reviewed awards program where companies have the unique opportunity to earn praise from their competitors. This year’s education CODiE winners were selected from more than 327 nominations submitted by 124 companies. "Now in its 25th year, the CODiE Awards continue to recognize companies that provide the best new technology products and services across a broad array of industries," said Ken Wasch, president, SIIA. "CODiE winners are a prolific testament to the power of technology to deliver innovative solutions to businesses and consumers. SIIA warmly congratulates all of the winners and nominees of the CODiE Awards, whose innovation is essential for continuing America’s leadership in the global knowledge economy." Inspiration is designed to offer an essential framework for thinking – helping students use 21st century skills to achieve more in all subject areas. Learners use Inspiration to build graphic organizers, including concept maps, webs and idea maps; to visualize and develop ideas; understand and retain concepts; plan and organize work; and communicate and present knowledge. Among the new capabilities in Inspiration 9 is the Presentation Manager, used by students to create organized and compelling presentations to present and communicate their knowledge and work. The Presentation Manager automatically creates bulleted slides and graphics from a student's diagram, mind map or outline. Students use this as the starting point to build their oral presentation and handouts and then add slides, speaker notes, talking points, graphics, video and sound to emphasize their points. Inspiration 9 ships with numerous ready-made, professional-quality themes to quickly develop a visually appealing presentation, or students can create their own themes to personalize their presentations. Once their presentation is complete, they can play it directly from Inspiration or from any Macintosh® or Windows® computer using the free Inspiration Presenter available on the installation CD and at http://www.inspiration.com. Teachers are also finding innovative ways to integrate the new visual view, Map View, into instruction. Map View allows students to create and think in mind maps, another proven visual learning methodology that promotes better understanding of the relationships and connections among ideas, and helps students retain information. Mind maps capture information in a natural, free-flowing style. With Map View, students build visual models, adding ideas branching off a central topic with just one click, and reorganize ideas by simply grafting one branch to another. Graphic images, colors and fonts allow learners to embellish, differentiate and emphasize their ideas. Just like with idea maps, concept maps, graphic organizers and other diagrams created with Inspiration, the process of building a mind map is fluid and visual, complementing the natural way that students think and expand on ideas. As with other diagrams created with Inspiration, mind maps can be instantly transformed into outlines to support the writing process. For more information about Inspiration, go to http://www.inspiration.com. About SIIA
Inspiration 9 Honored With The National Parenting Center's 2010 Seal of ApprovalNewest Version of Inspiration Software's Flagship Product Named to Prestigious List of Top Products for Children PORTLAND, Ore. – May 12, 2010 TNPC's Seal of Approval program, created in 1990, identifies the finest products and services being marketed to the parent/child audience. From educational and entertainment products and equipment to travel destinations, the consumer-oriented testing process solicits evaluations from parents and their children. More than 1.5 million parents will visit the TNPC Web site this year to read product reviews that will guide the decisions about the products they select for their children. "At Inspiration Software, our products are developed to put the power of visual learning in the hands of learners both in school and at home," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder. "This recognition for Inspiration 9 from one of the premier reviewers of products for children is a wonderful addition to the list of honors for the newest version of our flagship software." Launched in January of this year, Inspiration 9 helps learners build strong critical-thinking, writing and organizational skills, as well as good communication skills to effectively share their knowledge and understanding. Used by millions of students and teachers around the world, the software is considered the gold standard of visual learning tools. Inspiration is designed to offer an essential framework for thinking – helping students use 21st century skills to achieve more in all subject areas. Learners use Inspiration to build graphic organizers, including concept maps, webs and idea maps; to visualize and develop ideas; understand and retain concepts; plan and organize work; and communicate and present knowledge. Among the new capabilities in Inspiration 9 is the Presentation Manager, used by students to create organized and compelling presentations to present and communicate their knowledge and work. The Presentation Manager automatically creates bulleted slides and graphics from a student’s diagram, mind map or outline. Students use this as the starting point to build their oral presentation and handouts and then add slides, speaker notes, talking points, graphics, video and sound to emphasize their points. Inspiration 9 ships with numerous ready-made, professional-quality themes to quickly develop a visually appealing presentation, or students can create their own themes to personalize their presentations. Once their presentation is complete, they can play it directly from Inspiration or from any Macintosh® or Windows® computer using the free Inspiration Presenter available on the installation CD and at http://www.inspiration.com. Teachers are also finding innovative ways to integrate the new visual view, Map View, into instruction. Map View allows students to create and think in mind maps, another proven visual learning methodology that promotes better understanding of the relationships and connections among ideas, and helps students retain information. Mind maps capture information in a natural, free-flowing style. With Map View, students build visual models, adding ideas branching off a central topic with just one click, and reorganize ideas by simply grafting one branch to another. Graphic images, colors and fonts allow learners to embellish, differentiate and emphasize their ideas. Just like with idea maps, concept maps, graphic organizers and other diagrams created with Inspiration, the process of building a mind map is fluid and visual, complementing the natural way that students think and expand on ideas. As with other diagrams created with Inspiration, mind maps can be instantly transformed into outlines to support the writing process.
Inspiration Software's Family of Visual Learning Tools Takes Top Honors in 16th Annual Best Educational Software AwardsInspiration, Kidspiration and InspireData Honored for Building Thinking Skills PORTLAND, Ore. – April 28, 2010 The BESSIE Awards target innovative and content-rich programs and Web sites that provide parents and teachers with technology to foster educational excellence. This is the second time in eight months that Inspiration Software’s family of visual learning software tools has earned honors from a ComputED Learning Center awards program. In September 2009, the company was a triple-crown winner in the center’s 14th Annual Education Software Review Awards (EDDIE Awards), earning honors for Inspiration, Kidspiration and InspireData. "When our family of educational software is honored with awards chosen by educators, such as the BESSIEs, it demonstrates that teachers recognize what the research supports: combining technology with visual learning instructional strategies creates powerful tools for helping students build 21st century thinking skills," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "We are proud to add the 16th Annual BESSIE Awards to our list of honors for Inspiration, Kidspiration and InspireData." This is the second award for Inspiration since the January launch of the newest version of the best-selling visual learning software. With Inspiration 9, students in grades 6 through adult comprehend, create, communicate and achieve more. New capabilities in Inspiration 9, such as support for creating presentations and additional visual learning methodologies, provide an essential framework for thinking and help students develop 21st century skills. Inspiration was recognized in the "Thinking Skills" category for high school students. Kidspiration 3, the visual learning software for students in kindergarten through grade 5, adds to its growing list of honors and accolades with a BESSIE award in the "Thinking Skills" category for early elementary students. Kidspiration supports young learners as they strengthen reading and writing skills, build conceptual understanding in math, and develop thinking skills across the curriculum. This is the 19th award for Kidspiration 3 since its launch in early 2008. InspireData, the visual way to explore and understand data, won a BESSIE award in the "Data Exploration" category for upper elementary students. Students in grades 4 to 12 use InspireData to investigate, analyze, and represent data and information in dynamic graphs and charts.
Online Training Videos for Inspiration 9 Now AvailableMore Than 70 Video Tutorials Help Teachers and Students Learn How to Use Premier Visual Learning Software's Powerful Capabilities PORTLAND, Ore. – April 13, 2010 "At Inspiration Software, we believe that developing easy-to-use training resources to support our visual learning software is just as important as adding new capabilities that teachers need to help students take their critical-thinking and communications skills to the next level," said Mona Westhaver, president and co-founder, Inspiration Software. "This library of online training videos for Inspiration 9 was developed so that, at their convenience, teachers can use them to learn more about the software's powerful capabilities for supporting instruction – while they are planning a lesson or just before teaching it." Among the new capabilities in Inspiration 9 that teachers around the country are excited about is the Presentation Manager, used by students to create organized and compelling presentations to present and communicate their knowledge and work. The Presentation Manager automatically creates bulleted slides and graphics from a student’s diagram, mind map or outline. Students use this as the starting point to build their oral presentation and handouts and then add slides, speaker notes, talking points, graphics, video and sound to emphasize their points. Inspiration 9 ships with numerous ready-made, professional-quality themes to quickly develop a visually appealing presentation, or students can create their own themes to personalize their presentations. Once their presentation is complete, they can play it directly from Inspiration or from any Macintosh® or Windows® computer using the free Inspiration Presenter available on the installation CD and at http://www.inspiration.com. Teachers are also finding innovative ways to integrate the new visual view, Map View, into instruction. Map View allows students to create and think in mind maps, another proven visual learning methodology that promotes better understanding of the relationships and connections among ideas, and helps students retain information. Mind maps capture information in a natural, free-flowing style. With Map View, students build visual models, adding ideas branching off a central topic with just one click, and reorganize ideas by simply grafting one branch to another. Graphic images, colors and fonts allow learners to embellish, differentiate and emphasize their ideas. Just like with idea maps, concept maps, graphic organizers and other diagrams created with Inspiration, the process of building a mind map is fluid and visual, complementing the natural way that students think and expand on ideas. As with other diagrams created with Inspiration, mind maps can be instantly transformed into outlines to support the writing process. For a free 30-day trial of Inspiration 9, visit http://www.inspiration.com/freetrial. More information about Inspiration is available at http://www.inspiration.com/inspiration or by calling 800-877-4292.
Discovering New InspirationScholastic® I had a great reunion interview with Mona Westhaver, Inspiration Software president and co-founder. I hadn't spoken to Mona in quite awhile, so needed an information update on Inspiration 9. I began teaching with the original Inspiration software around 1988, and had used it up to the Inspiration 7 release. Here's a short audio clip of my interview with Mona Westhaver: During my demo, I noted wonderful additions to make Inspiration more of a self-contained, one-software, organizing, writing, and presenting solution. New features include map view for creating mind maps, adding sound and video anywhere, exporting to PDF, and the ability to share presentations by way of a thumb drive and presentation viewer. The highest praise I can give it, though, is that I know that I could walk into a class, or computer lab and teach with the updated software immediately. My recommendation is that this isn't one of those upgrades you should wait on either--it's that good. Diagramming, writing and organizing with text and searchable images, easily transfer to outline view with a click. And the presentations, themselves, have a PowerPoint slide show familiarity.
Administrators will be pleased that there's new site licensing:
There's also a special introductory price for upgrades for the new Inspiration 9 until June 30, 2010, a Single Upgrade from a prior version is only $29.95, and there are other special prices for volume license upgrades, based on the quantity.
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