"Technology is not a magic bullet. If you have a computer but you don't have the content and you don't have teachers who know how to design good classes - it's not going to make a difference."

-President Obama, speaking at Bell Multicultural High School in Washington, D.C. on March 28.

FOLLETT SOFTWARE

TetraData v8.5

Pricing varies

Follett Software's newest version of its comprehensive suite of K12 data-management, analysis and vision-alignment tools includes a variety of enhancements. A more intuitive user interface and improved search functions aid users in finding data quickly, new security reminders protect student information more effectively, and expanded analysis and reporting capabilities aid districts looking to monitor performance against benchmarks, item level and standards data.

CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES

Phonics for Reading

$39.95 per five pack

Newly revised for 2011, Curriculum Associates' Phonics for Reading is a three level instructional resource for teaching foundational reading concepts to students in grades 1-8. The series covers skills such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, spelling and reading comprehension, while using modern illustrations and content appropriate and helpful for struggling older students as well as young beginning readers.

CALIFONE

Wireless Tablet Interface

$194

Classroom audiovisual manufacturer Califone's new Wireless Tablet Interface has been designed for the needs of educators. The product enables users to wirelessly control a PC that is connected to a projector from anywhere in the classroom, up to 50 feet away. The tablet can act as a mouse, or users can annotate, magnify or capture screenshots of projected images. A range of available frequencies allows multiple tablets to also be used by students in the same classroom without interference.

ENGAGE EDUCATION

Mootup

Pricing varies based on number of users

New software company Engage Education has just launched its debut product, Mootup. This Web-based program aids the instruction of argumentative writing, by enabling teachers to create and assign debate-based writing projects and providing students with a forum in which to debate topics with an anonymous classmate in an interactive and structured environment. Teachers can customize the number of rounds or students in a debate, and participation reporting helps in grading assignments.

SCHOOLBRAINS

School Alert System

Starts at 99 cents per student

Data management, data analytics and assessment provider SchoolBrains has recently enhanced its services with an emergency notification product. The School Alert System can integrate into SchoolBrains' student information system or be packaged separately and used with other systems, and it enables administrators to send e-mail, voice or text messages of important announcements to thousands of students, parents and staff members instantly via a single Web-based interface.

The 2010 Readers' Choice Top 100 Products have been announced! www.DistrictAdministration.com