We see it in our inboxes. We read it in our news articles. We can Google it and find countless studies and blog entries. The issue isn’t awareness any longer, the issue is how are we going to address our country’s literacy problem. Like hamsters on a wheel, this summer could mark the beginning of the United States’ 11th year with unchanged illiteracy rates.

For the record and to springboard into a discussion about solutions, let’s recap some dismal US literacy facts:

• 67% of students are not proficient in reading by the end of 3rd grade.
• Students who are not proficient by the end of 4th grade are 66% more likely to wind up on welfare or in prison.
• Students who don’t read proficiently by the 3rd grade are 4 times likelier to drop out of school.
• Students who are retained to repeat a grade will cost a District an average of $10,000 each.
• The US illiteracy rate hasn’t changed in 10 years.
• 85% of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate.

Prior to fourth grade, our educational system’s literacy plan is about learning to read; from that point, it’s about reading to learn. The basic system doesn’t cater well to deviations. Therefore, we have a countless supply of data around the failures. However, we do not offer many solutions to the crisis.

Unless you have lived under a rock, or have spent the last five years on your own private island playing Naked and Afraid, you know these stats about the lack of reading proficiency among our early learners and what the consequences are if not addressed. What you may not have heard is there’s a growing tribe of solution seekers looking for answers to the problem.

America has a plentiful supply of entrepreneurs hungering to invent the next widget that successfully resolves a problem; but not many who are aggressively pursuing the literacy crisis. Educators are increasingly looking for actions they can take in PreK to 1st grade as a proactive measure against failing academic and social futures; yet, they’ve been stifled by lack of funding, lack of solutions, and lack of proven curriculum.

It’s hard to solve any issue without finding, defining, and exposing the root of the problem. Teachers commonly cite student engagement as a major contributor to not learning and not retaining the presented information. In their personal lives, today’s children are exposed to so many neurological stimulants in an average day that a typical classroom curriculum simply doesn’t hold their attention. Therefore with low engagement, learning is hindered and retention of information is minimal. Studies show that the average attention span is now around eight seconds – and that is for adults.

A second, more challenging contributor to the literacy crisis is the variation in students’ individual learning styles and abilities. Some students learn by seeing; some by hearing; and others by doing. If curriculum is not presented in a blend of these learning styles, the inevitable occurs and the students enter the path to failure. Yet more often than not, a lack of resources can restrict a teacher’s ability to cater to and catch those who are falling behind.

As a mother of four, including two adopted sons from overseas, Cynthia has personally experienced the struggles with teaching children how to read. She tried everything on the market to help them but nothing worked. Faced with this challenge and in search of a “better way,” she was able to pull from her career experience as a CEO of an educational products provider. Having been introduced to Augmented Reality (3D without the glasses), she knew this could be the secret sauce we needed to capture young imaginations and increase engagement.

After two years of R&D, Letters alive was released as a Supplemental Reading solution for Pre-K to 3rd Grade and was our small contribution to the mission of improving literacy rates. Unfortunately, by the time the solution was ready, Cynthia’s youngest son was entering his teen years and becoming another illiteracy statistic. Cynthia knew then that we had a mission much bigger than herself and made a vow to do everything in her power to prevent this from happening to other children.

We aim to equip educators with engaging solutions that help young learners become proficient in reading and math by 3rd grade. We celebrate any other solution providers who can also deliver effective tools towards this cause. This is a nationwide crisis and requires a united effort to bring about literacy improvements.

Ultimately, we can research ourselves into oblivion hashing through the consequential social failures that occur as a direct result of not addressing this crisis; but until we get serious about tapping into innovative solutions that make a positive difference, we are just hamsters on the wheel of illiteracy.

Will You be Someone’s Favorite Teacher?

I was recently asked to name my favorite teacher. Now, considering it’s been over twenty years since I’ve had a teacher, it took me a minute to think. But even after chewing on it for a bit, I realized not only did I not have a particularly favorite teacher, I barely had any memorable teachers at all. Thinking through my 17 years of schooling, I could only recall about six teachers by name even though I’ve had well over 50. I remembered them because they were creepy, crazy, or creative… not necessarily because they were favorites.

What makes a teacher a favorite? I think the answer is pretty simple: a favorite teacher is one who singles you out with positive, individual attention and gives you a few direct compliments that are specific to your gifting. I’ve asked several people this question. Most people actually do have a favorite teacher; and their reasons are mostly the same. This singled out educator held a coveted position because he/she gave individual attention and directed words of wisdom and encouragement specifically to the student.
Why are most teachers forgotten? I think that answer is equally simple: most teachers are forgotten because they teach classes, not individuals. The students are treated as one body, with very little, if any, individual attention. I reflected more about my 17 years of schooling and certainly confirmed this fact in my own experience.

Throughout our school years, we are but mere chalkboards (showing my age) on which teachers can mark with wisdom. Some marks are beautiful, cherished, and protected from defacing. Other marks are scribbled, softly written, and blow away with time. Yet, there are also marks that are deep, hurtful and scar through the years. Teachers hold this power. They can shape, mold and build, or they can simply have no lasting effect at all. The best teachers, the ones that are recognized and remembered, know this to be true.

Will you be remembered? And if so, how? Who was your favorite teacher? Why were they special to you? Think about this and make these next few days/weeks count for each of your students. Leave a beautiful mark. Tell each of them how special they are and that you believe in them. You may be the only person to ever tell them this.

Teach, lead, love.

Most Pre-K to 3rd grade teachers have been bitten by the sun bug and have spring fever. They are just starting or finishing their Spring Breaks and have their eyes focused on finishing the school year. Well, some of them. There are a select few who are wrapping up budgets and are seeking the latest solutions for the Fall 2015 school year. It is this forward-thinking group who will learn about us first. Some already have.

At Alive Studios, we’re a unique bunch of teachers, graphic designers, code monkeys and entrepreneurs who have built something pretty amazing. 55% of US students are not proficient in reading or math by the 3rd grade. We set out on a mission to resolve this issue. Most of the teachers we’ve interviewed state the proficiency problem is caused by not having the right materials to engage the students. The common materials that teachers utilize for teaching basic reading and math simply do not engage today’s active minds.

We believe we’ve found the silver bullet. It’s called Augmented Reality, which is a “see-it-to-believe-it” technology that provides a 3D experience without the glasses. Our team has developed full-year, supplemental curriculums for reading and math utilizing this magical technology. Our supplemental curriculums are aligned to Common Core State Standards and are the first educational curriculums in the world to utilize Augmented Reality. An independent research study proves the effectiveness of infusing Augmented Reality into the lesson plans.

This technology, coupled with our interactive, animated animals, brings a new level of excitement into classrooms. Kids cannot look away. They are enthralled immediately by the motion, challenges, colors and sounds presented in the lessons; even second language and special needs learners are seeing huge improvements.

Our Letters alive Kit has become the anchor supplemental reading program for many classrooms across the country. Now, we are introducing the Math alive Kit. It includes 45 skill-based learning games, which have 41 3D activities. There are six units full of various activities that make it a blast to learn the required math skill sets.

To learn more about our unique programs, visit our website or be sure to look for Alive Studios at these upcoming trade shows:

National Head Start Conference
Washington, DC
March 29 – April 2, 2015
Booth 437 & 536

ISTE Expo
Philadelphia, PA
June 28 – July 1, 2015
Booth 1265

SDE 2015 National Conference
Las Vegas, NV
July 6 – July 10, 2015
Booths 10 and 11, Palazzo Ballroom, Level 5

Alive Studios announces the release of Learning alive, its innovative, supplemental reading and math bundled solution for PreK to 3rd Grade. This suite of software is injected with a hefty dose of Augmented Reality, an exciting technology that provides a 3D experience without the glasses. The goal is to have kids proficient in reading and math by the end of the third grade. Currently, 55% of U.S. students are not proficient in reading and math by the end of the 3rd grade.

The company is actually the first of its kind in the world to use augmented reality in a full year, supplemental educational curriculum. They have been introducing their software solutions across the country in many of the educational conventions and expos. Within a matter of hours, they have the attention of show attendees with their brightly colored booth, trumpeting animal noises and amazing software that enables plain-looking flash cards to jump to life with animated and interactive 3D characters.

“Everywhere we go, the common theme amongst teachers is how to engage students,” states Alive Studios CEO, Cynthia Kaye. “Shortly after seeing our reading and math solutions, and how we use music, sounds, animation, interactivity and the magic of augmented reality, they realize they’ve found their solution for engaging students,” she adds.

The Learning alive Suite, which is now shipping, includes the new Letters alive v3.0, the recently released Math alive, and the interactive digital stories included in Storybooks alive. “Delivering an amazing brand experience is very important to us,” says Kaye. The PreK – 3rd Grade software solutions are infused with 26 lovable characters that draw you into their safari world, and before long, you know each of them by name.

In the midst of all the interactive fun, an independent research study shows kids are learning letter sound fluency and letter naming fluency at a faster pace than those not using the software. “After all the flashy fun of engaging young imaginations, we are primarily focused on getting kids proficient in reading and math by the 3rd grade,” says Kaye.

Early childhood educators attending the National Title 1 Conference in Salt Lake City this week will be treated to a hands-on experience of the latest in 3D augmented reality (AR) curriculum.

Alive Studios has announced that it will launch and demonstrate their newly integrated Learning alive Suite of AR-based learning products that supplement reading and math curriculum for early educators. Administrators and district-grouped educators are encouraged to visit booth 535 early to schedule a hands-on demonstration.

Math alive, a full-year, game-based supplemental math curriculum, is the newest addition to the Learning alive Suite. Math alive uses AR to engage students in 7 essential units of math comprehension. The 3D technology engages children, who say they learn “without even realizing it.” The Lesson Plan Manual is directly mapped to Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten and makes classroom integration seamless. Math alive allows students to interact with some of the same animals from Letters alive, the flagship product from Alive Studios. The combination of reading and math makes the Learning alive Suite comprehensive over subjects and further engages students.

The full Learning alive Suite includes Letters alive, Math alive, and Storybooks alive. Both Letters alive and Math alive feature curriculum guides that make classroom integration effortless with lesson plans, worksheets and activities, enabling full learning integration. Storybooks alive includes captivating, digital, interactive stories that teach children honorable character traits.

39 STATES PIONEERING AUGMENTED REALITY LEARNING

Letters alive is already being used in Pre-school and Kindergarten classes throughout the United States. “We use Letters alive to reinforce what our children are learning in the classroom,” says Raquel Baldwin of Baldwin Academy in Tamarac. “To see the look on their faces when they see the animals come to life is truly amazing. The children seem to be much more engaged and focused on what they’re learning.”

Audra Cervi, K-3 Reading Resource teacher at Audubon Park Elementary in Orlando, agrees. Cervi says the students “love the new flashcards because the letters actually come alive! Children are 100% engaged, watching every movement on the board. They are so excited to learn about the letters and the sounds!”

Audubon Park’s primary Special Education Teacher Mary-Elizabeth Langston says her students benefit from this rich, positive learning experience. “I hear the children throughout the day repeating the sounds they learned. We’re starting to see the difference in how they form sounds and words… there’s a willingness to learn that we had not seen before.”

LETTERS ALIVE:

Letters alive is a supplemental reading curriculum currently in use by educators in 11 countries and in hundreds of classrooms across the United States. Letters alive was designed in alignment with Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten classrooms, as well as early childhood reading within grades 1 – 5 for ESL students, RTI students and students with special needs.

The curriculum gets students excited about reading by using the same mind-blowing, computer-generated augmented reality technology implemented by the Imagineers at Walt Disney World, only in the classroom, where 26 alphabet cards spring to life to help students grasp key concepts in reading.

Each card features an animal that corresponds to a letter in the alphabet, but these are not just simple flash cards or basic animations; These animals pop up in 3-D with no glasses needed, and seem intelligent as they amazingly respond to the questions and sentences that students will build. Even reluctant learners enthusiastically respond to the animals, sounds, and movement. [more]

MATH ALIVE:

Math alive gets students excited about math by helping teachers teach math to early learners in a new and engaging way. Lessons and activities are mapped to Common Core State Standards for Kindergarten. Math alive develops critical learning skills that children need to meet major milestones throughout the school year at Pre-K, Kindergarten and 1st Grade levels. Math alive uses 45 skill-based interactive games and the latest “mind-blowing technology” — Augmented Reality. [more]

STORYBOOKS ALIVE:

Storybooks alive makes reading fun and engaging for children with digital interactive storybooks. They can read the stories themselves or have the program read it to them. Children are able to interact with the pages of the digital book with the same lovable animals that are in Letters alive and Math alive. One character trait is incorporated in each digital story. (i.e., being on time, courage, or kindness) Each story has mini games and activities that are aligned to Common Core State Standards. [more]

ABOUT ALIVE STUDIOS:

Alive Studios is the world’s first augmented reality learning company, dedicated to engaging early learners for success in reading and math. Offering research-driven tools backed by a proven teaching methodology that kids love, Alive Studios delivers Letters alive, Math alive, and Storybooks alive  in 11 countries and in classrooms across the United States. More information at www.alivestudiosco.com

JOURNALISTS NOTE:

To receive interviewing contact information for parents, teachers, school, or district administrators, please contact Ian Bryan, 828.713.3310, pr@alivestudiosco.com.

For independent research:             http://bit.ly/K-12study

About Learning alive:                     https://alivestudiosco.com/

 

Our next stop on the trade show circuit was the FETC Convention in sunny Orlando, Florida. What a treat to have 60+ degree weather in January!

We selected FETC to be where we officially announced the newest addition to our educational software solutions, Math alive! On the heels of the successful, Letters alive – our supplemental reading program for PreK to 3rd Graders, comes our solution for early math learners. Like Letters alive, Math alive is infused with an amazing technology known as augmented reality. As expected, attendees who passed by our booth were stopped in their tracks; firstly, by the jungle noises accompanying our 26 animal characters, and secondly, by seeing our characters come alive and jump off the screen!

One of our booth visitors was Barbara, an LAUSD Common Core Math Specialist. She was glued to our booth and full of questions. Seeing so much potential in Math alive for her teachers, she gathered all the information possible to bring back to California.

Our faithful crew ran demos non-stop, which caused the crowd to consistently be 3-4 people deep. (We apologize if you had questions and we were not able to assist to you.) We had all kinds of magic going on and brought out all the stops; From our colorful Converse to Gerdy Giraffe roaming around the booth, we made every attempt to bring well-deserved attention to Math alive. We are on a mission to get children proficient in reading and math by the third grade, and FETC was another great stop on the crusade.

We cannot talk about the FETC Show without mentioning the two lucky winners of our Learning alive Suite! Our educational software bundle for reading and math is valued at $1,295. Jane, of Buncombe County Schools, and Debra, of Port Orange Elementary, had their names drawn from the entries and celebrated the win. Congratulations to both and we look forward to hearing how much your kids love learning with our beloved characters.

Our next stop is the Title1 Show in Salt Lake City. The crusade marches on!! Yay!!

OK, we’re back from Santa Clara! What an awesome time at the PK1 Show!

This two day show was small but power-packed. It is always so cool meeting like-minded people who get jazzed about teaching PreK – 3rd Grade children. We met so many fantastic folks from all facets within California’s PK1 initiatives. The demos of our Supplemental Reading and Math Solutions were such a blast! We never stop smiling thinking about people’s facial expressions when they first see our Augmented Reality characters jump of the screen and respond to the curriculum activities.

California has a real push behind TK-1, the transition of children from Kindergarten to First Grade. Thank goodness they recognize the importance of striving to get the kids proficient in reading and math early on; This establishes the solid foundation for their continued education. We hope to be a small part of that effort.

Our Supplemental Reading and Math Solutions are the first ever to infuse Augmented Reality into an educational curriculum. The level of engagement and excitement from kids is unparalleled and teachers are loving it in their classrooms. This is what we are attempting to convey during our demos. God bless the neighboring exhibitors who have to endure our 26 characters chirping, bellowing and roaring through the showroom aisles. Hah!

If you were one of the many who stopped by to see us, drop us a line and say “hello.” We’d love to hear from you and are so excited to have been introduced to the great things going on in California early education.

Oh! And a HUGE congratulations to Katie Uebner for winning our drawing for the FREE copy of the Learning alive Suite, our Supplemental Reading and Math Software Solution for PreK to 3rd Grade (valued at $1,295).

Oh my goodness, can we at Alive Studios just tell you guys how much fun we had at NAEYC’s Annual Conference! It was so awesome. We got to see and meet so many dedicated educators, it was truly inspiring. For all in attendance we hope you guys were able to get to Follett’s booth and see Letters Alive in action. We offered TWO Letters alive giveaways while there and had a phenomenal turnout for both giveaways.

Our first winner was Nikki Moeller from Victoria, TX. Nikki is one of three Pre-K teachers at Hopkins Magnet Academy. Victoria is a town whose population is majority Hispanic, with the town’s major employment industry being manufacturing. Historically many of Victoria’s students have underperformed in the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), with African American children and children with special needs performing below state average in reading. A program like Letters alive has the opportunity to bring great value to Ms. Moeller’s classroom.

Ms. Moeller in previous years applied through adoptaclassroom.org for additional funding for supplies. As many know school budgets are being reduced throughout the country. Alive Studios giveaway at NAEYC will provide this classroom with an engaging program that can supplement their established reading curriculum and help to engage the students who maybe falling between the cracks.

Letters alive offers a supplemental reading curriculum that can help to engage all student and give academically at risk children a better chance at success. With the use of augmented reality this program helps to give early learners a better foundation for reading comprehension and helps to build a strong academic foundation, which is essential for success.

Congratulations again to Nikki Moeller and her lovely Pre-K class.Letters alive has found a good home!

Cervi, who works with children reading below grade level, started using Letters alive because she hoped the technology would engage students who have had a hard time cultivating literacy skills in the past. The supplemental curriculum has indeed proven helpful to Cervi’s students, as well as the school’s 50 students with autism. The excitement of seeing, hearing and interacting with a menagerie of 3D animals keeps those students engaged and helps them overcome the challenges of learning to read. Cervi says her students “love the new flash cards because the letters actually come alive! Children are 100% engaged, watching every movement on the board. They are so excited to learn about the letters and the sounds!”

Audubon Park’s primary special education teacher Mary-Elizabeth Langston agrees that her students benefit from this rich, positive learning experience. “I hear the children throughout the day repeating the sounds they learned. We’re starting to see the difference in how they form sounds and words… there’s a willingness to learn that we had not seen before.

Sharon Campbell recently retired from an illustrious teaching career of over 30 years. Her teaching story stretches from Napa County Juvenile Offender programs, to alternative high school, to Youth Employment programs, and on to her last stretch of 23 years was as a Middle School teacher. Winner of several A+ for Education grants, she is best known for designing classrooms that meet the needs of today’s students. Her spacecraft (classroom) was used as the model for Project Based Education at the Global Educator’s conference in London, and featured in the Taiwan Commonwealth Educators Journal. In 2009, she was named California School Master: the oldest most prestigious California education award.

She recently posted her top 5 steps for effective teaching. We made slight adjustments for teachers all of ages. Enjoy Sharon Campbell’s Teacher’s Playbook:

1. Students are your customers. If you don’t sell your students on the value of what it you are offering first, you may be teaching, but they aren’t learning.
2. Remember your job is to open the doors of knowledge for your students, not act as though they are locked and you have the key.
3. Education is not a competitive sport. If given enough time and support, everyone wins.
4. The best teacher is one who remembers how up and down and confusing their own school days were.
5. The best teachers are like shepherds. They lead and protect but allow their charges to discover which grass is best by experiencing it.

Take a look at Sharon’s spaceship!

A new technology company designed to engage school children is expected to create 30 new jobs in the metro Atlanta area in the next three years.

Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development officials announced Monday the launch of Alive Studios, created by Cynthia Kaye, the former CEO of Logical Choice Technologies.

“This is a teacher-focused, research-driven team that is passionate about innovating great solutions to get our students engaged and excited about learning,” said Kaye, the company’s founder.

“We applaud Alive Studios on its launch and efforts to better improve how we educate the next generation,” said Gwinnett County District 3 Commissioner Tommy Hunter. “We are confident they will find the support, resources and connections in Gwinnett County that will ensure continued growth and success.”

The new venture is now the sole developer and supporter of the former Logical Choice Technologies’ flagship products: Letters alive®, Math alive™, and Storybooks alive™.

Read the full article from the Gwinnet Daily Post

 

Research shows gains in emergent literacy skill development using Letters alive®

Atlanta, GA – (June 16, 2014) – Pre-K and Kindergarten students made greater gains on two standard reading skill assessments when using the Letters alive® augmented reality program, according to research by Dr. Tamra Ogletree at the University of West Georgia. The Letters alive® curriculum is aligned to Common Core Standards and is best suited for early learners. 26 alphabet cards spring to life using augmented reality, aided by a broad library of lesson plans to help students grasp key concepts in reading.

While students using the full curriculum of Letters alive made the greatest gains, even those exposed to only a partial implementation showed greater improvement than students in classrooms with no implementation. The two measures taken were the AIMSweb® Benchmark Assessments for Letter Naming Fluency and Letter Sound Fluency. For both measures, the full implementation classroom showed on average more than twice as much improvement as the control classroom.

In her summary, Ogletree states:

“The scores from the AIMSweb® Letter Naming and Letter Sound Fluency Assessments (the quantitative data from this study) suggest that the Letters alive® curriculum positively impacts students’ early literacy skills. 100% of students in the full implementation classroom experienced gains on the Letter Naming Fluency Assessment, while 84.2% of students in the partial implementation classroom experienced gains on that assessment, followed by only 78.6% of students in the classroom with no exposure who experienced gains on the Letter Naming Fluency test. Additionally, 100% of students in the full implementation classroom and the partial implementation classroom experienced gains on the Letter Sound Fluency Assessment, while only 64.3% of students in the classroom with no exposure experienced gains.”

The most common reason teachers believed the Letters alive curriculum had been so effective was its power to engage even those students with the most notable attention difficulties. One pre-K teacher even admitted that it was nearly impossible to use the augmented reality features of Letters alive with a single student without catching the attention of the entire classroom.

Interviews with students included in the study told a similar story of excited engagement. The students reported loving “when the animals pop out” and having personal favorites among the animals. One student first said that she didn’t enjoy the animals, then admitted to liking the crocodile “because he scares us.” One said that the animals reminded her of going to the zoo.

The positive gains and effective engagement demonstrated by this study were made over only three months. The Letters alive® curriculum is intended to last a full school year, which suggests that even greater improvement could be achieved by completing the entire curriculum. The educators involved noted how perfectly Letters alive targeted their students’ emergent literacy needs and expressed excitement about implementing the entire curriculum in the next school year.

Summary & Full Study:                     http://bit.ly/K-12study

Learn More About Letters Alive:      https://alivestudiosco.com/

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ABOUT THE RESEARCHER

Tamra Ogletree has a PH.D. in Language and Literacy and a Certificate in Interdisciplinary Qualitative Research from the University of Georgia. She holds an L-7 certificate in Educational Leadership and a M.Ed. in Early Childhood and Middle Grades Education with an emphasis in Language Arts and Science education. She currently is an Associate Professor of Reading at the University of West Georgia. She is also the Regional Site Director of the GA Girl’s STEM Collaborative Project, Director of the Cherokee Rose Writing Project which is part of the National Writing Project, and leader researcher of the Applied Research Team for the U-Lead endeavor of the University of West Georgia. She has presented at regional, state, national, and international conferences.

ABOUT LETTERS ALIVE

Letters alive® is a supplemental reading program that gets students excited about reading. Alphabet cards spring to life to help students grasp key concepts in reading.  Letters alive® uses the same mind-blowing, computer-generated augmented reality technology implemented by the Imagineers at Walt Disney World. The lesson plans included in every kit align with Common Core State Standards for PreK and Kindergarten classrooms, as well as early childhood reading within grades 1 – 5 for ESL students, RTI students and students with special needs.

ABOUT ALIVE STUDIOS:

Alive Studios is the world’s first augmented reality learning company, dedicated to engaging early learners for success in reading and math. Offering research-driven tools backed by a proven teaching methodology that kids love, Alive Studios delivers Letters Alive®, Math Alive®, and Storybooks Alive ® in 10 countries and in classrooms across the United States. More information at www.alivestudiosco.com

APPROVED/RELEASED IMAGES

More images:              http://bit.ly/K-12study

JOURNALISTS NOTE:

To coordinate interviews with Dr. Ogletree, parents, teachers, school or district administrators, please contact Ian Bryan, 828.242.1868, pr@alivestudiosco.com.