Thank you for your continued support of StarrMatica! Packed into this issue, you will find information about new 3-6 resources, a resources search update, StarrMatica award information, interesting interactive websites, an interactive whiteboard challenge, an invitation to connect with fellow educators, grant opportunities, and new member updates. Enjoy!

Finding the right resource for your lesson just got even easier! When you log in with your teacher account and search for resources by state standard or grade level/subject/topic, your results are now separated into three groups. Virtual manipulates are shaded yellow, practice activities are shaded pink, and games are shaded green.

StarrMatica Learning Systems received the award for Best Use of Innovation in a Teaching Environment at the prestigious Prometheus Awards sponsored by the Technology Association of Iowa. This award recognizes an innovation that supports educators and improves educational opportunities for students. It was presented by Judy Jeffrey, Director of the Iowa Department of Education, at a black tie event held at The Meadows in Altoona on April 6th.

This month, take your students on an adventure with this blast from the past. Play the original Oregon Trail Game Online for a fun change of pace these last few days of school: http://www.virtualapple.org/oregontraildisk.html

The website below contains some fun interactive games great for IWBs and individual students; however, because of our no advertisements policy, we cannot include them in our resources section. Because the resources are excellent, we wanted you to be aware of them! http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/content/animals/kidscorner/kidscorner3.htm

Collaborate with peers and sharpen your interactive whiteboard skills as a challenger in the Interactive Whiteboard Challenge. You could win a StarrMatica subscription for your entire school!

This challenge involves participants creating videos and/or screencasts of some of the great things they are doing with their IWBs to share with teachers and students around the globe.

Read more about the challenge and sign up here: http://iwbchallenge.wikispaces.com/

Whether you are an avid user of social media or are looking to begin building your online PLN (Personal Learning Network), here are three vibrant online communities where you can connect with other technology using educators:

The Educator's PLN is a community dedicated to the support of a Personal Learning Network for educators: http://edupln.ning.com

Elementary Tech Teachers is a place to share plans, ideas, tools and frustrations related to teaching and using technology: http://elementarytechteachers.ning.com

The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution is a place for conversations that promote effective teaching with IWBs: http://iwbrevolution.ning.com

If you teach in an Iowa school district, your school has probably received funding through the Iowa Microsoft Settlement program to spend on a four year technology plan. StarrMatica is an approved product for this program. I invite you to speak with your technology director about a three year subscription while funding is available.

Check out this five minute application for a $200 Educational Technology Grant: http://www.weareteachers.com/web/500476/microgrant If you win this grant for $200 toward a StarrMatica classroom subscription, we'll donate the remaining $100 to make it happen! If you choose to use the $200 towards a $900 school subscription, we'll donate $300 toward the cause. That's a net cost to your school of $400 for an entire school building!

We welcome our newest members from Alhambra Elementary School District in Phoenix, AZ; Homestead Elementary School in Dailey, WV; and Gethsemane Lutheran School in Omaha, NE