ABCmouse.com Review and Giveaway

I was recently contacted by ABCmouse.com and offered a generous ONE YEAR subscription for one of my lucky readers. I don't have any young children at home so I asked my daughter, Cindy Phelps Thomas, to try this site with my granddaughter for one month.

Cindy is my guest blogger today and tells you about her experience with ABCmouse.com.

ABCmouse.com is a computer-based learning program for young children, ages 3-kindergarten. My daughter is 18 months, but I decided to try this program. The program is personalized, it is set up to your specified age group and even says hello with your child’s name at the beginning of each session.

There is a classroom setting to start. From there you can enjoy the variety of activities they have available, including games, songs, personalizing your classroom, and learning geared toward your child’s age group.

There are multiple themes that you can choose including the beach, the farm, the seashore, etc. In each of these settings there are courses that include learning through puzzles, electronic coloring sheets, songs, math, and more. There are lesson builders available also, if you want to design a particular lesson for your child. As you finish each activity there is a reward of tickets that your child can cash in for prizes.

Although my daughter was a little young for the program, she thoroughly enjoyed learning about zoo animals and listening to the songs. We were able to learn about the specific zoo animals and listen to the sounds that they make. The songs had various settings to listen and sing along with the words. We decided to choose the bouncing ball to guide us along in the song; my daughter was able to point to the ball as it went.

I highly recommend this program to parents of children in these age groups. ABCmouse.com is a great resource for parents to use with their children to encourage the learning process and prepare them for future grade levels. Parents can track the process on this program too. The best part is that the program is not expensive! I will definitely continue to work with my daughter through ABCmouse.com!

How To Win An Annual Subscription to ABCmouse.com
One lucky reader of this blog will win a subscription code for 1 year free use of the ABCmouse.com educational service.

I will conduct a random drawing at 12:00 noon on Thursday, August 29.

To enter the drawing for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this blog post. All you have to say is "I want to win ABCmouse.com!"

Please leave an email address with your comment. I will email the lucky winner on August 29 with the 1 year subscription code. I will annouce the winner on this blog the following week. Good luck to everyone!

Book Review: Webinar Manifesto; Never Design, Deliver Or Sell Lousy Webinars Again

Webinar Manifesto: Never design, deliver, or sell lousy webinars again

Authors: Matthew Murdoch and Treion Muller

Publisher: FranklinCovey Publishing

Date: October 8, 2012


About The Author
As FranklinCovey’s Global Director of Online Learning, Matthew Murdoch has worked with clients around the globe.
Treion Muller is an author, blended learning authority, social learning expert, and eLearning thought leader.

Declaring War on Bad Webinars!
A "webinar" is defined as a seminar or other presentation that takes place on the Internet, allowing participants in different locations to see and hear the presenter, ask questions, and sometimes answer polls.  (Dictionary.Com)

This book is designed for HR professionals, trainers, instructional designers, marketers, salespeople and anyone who is interested in teaching, educating and training.

The authors present the following seven principles to help you captivate your audience, push the limits of your technology, and transform webinar design and delivery:

• Connect or Die
• Don't Default
• Shut Down the Ugly
• Captivate or Alienate
• Humanize the Screen
• Crack the Feedback Code
• Cage the Monsters

Webinar Manifesto offers fresh insight and practical tips on designing, delivering and evaluating online learning experiences.

My Thoughts
Webinars offer students an opportunity to learn and interact with others in the comfort of their home. There will be continued demand for high-quality educational opportunities that are delivered on the Internet.

This book was written by experts in the field of online learning and instructional technology. They have worked with thousands of individuals and companies in a quest to design a webinar that meets the needs of online students.

I think the information in this book could be used to improve the quality of face-to-face presentations as well as online sessions. The authors are passionate about making their lessons relevant, interesting and interactive.

This book includes an abundance of fun graphics that make it an easy and pleasant reading experience. The book can be read in one sitting but the information should be studied and applied to your projects.

The authors offer their readers a free audio recording of 2 chapters of their first book "The Learning eXPLOSION" and The Webinar Manifesto poster.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in transforming your presentations into effective, efficient and productive learning tools.

My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5

This book is being offered as a FREE Kindle download on Amazon TODAY ONLY.
Grab it now...this is a real bargain!

I would love for you to FOLLOW this blog. You may use either the Google Friend Connect or the Networked Blog widget to show your support and encouragement.

Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below.