Scholastic TrueFlix

Grade Level Scholastic TrueFlix is for students in grades 3—5. Cost List price is $795, reduced to $595 for schools. Multi-year discounts available. An early bird price of $395 applies to orders placed before May 31, 2011. Visit http://bit.ly/fNOB8N to request a free 30-day trial. Call (800) 387-1437 to find an account exec near you. Overview TrueFlix is the web-based counterpart to Scholastic's True Books series. The site provides access to the ebook versions of 47 True Book titles across eight commonly taught science and social studies categories, along with lesson plans. Students can read True Books online through a built-in ereader and access a host of additional resources for each title, including video, related links, and activities. While BookFlix, another Scholastic online resource, is geared toward younger students, pairing fiction and nonfiction titles, TrueFlix is all-out nonfiction. Look and Feel Logging in gets users to the TrueFlix home screen. Eight main topics—Continents, Ancient Civilizations, U.S. Government, Westward Expansion, Natural Disasters, Space, Human Body, and Ecosystems—are presented along the sides (People, Places, and History on the left, Science and Nature on the right), with a large area in the middle displaying True Books covers. Students can click on any cover to access the content for that title or click arrows to visually browse through other available titles. The page is well laid out, clear to read and navigate. In fact, it's pleasantly distraction-free. Animation, loud background patterns, unexpected audio—TrueFlix has none of it. All buttons use the comic sans font. While much derided, the informal typeface is appropriate for this audience. Overall, the look is fresh, with plenty of white space and clear icons. A Resources and Tools link in the top right corner of the home screen brings up a page that allows users to browse all the titles in alphabetical order, or by subject, category, or reading level. This is a good way for kids to get an overview of what TrueFlix has to offer. How It Works The navigation is pleasingly no-nonsense. After clicking on one of the eight broad topics from the home screen, users are taken to a page with more specific choices. Choosing Natural Disasters, for example, returns a page listing Earthquakes, Floods, Thunderstorms, Tsunamis, and Wildfires. The choices are presented visually, showing the covers of each True Book. Selecting from this page brings up the meat and potatoes: content. For those who may have made a wrong turn, the main categories appear on the left side of the page. This is a helpful consideration for younger students. Each topic page is laid out in the same way. The focus is on the ebook and accompanying video, with both prominently displayed at the center of the page, with bright, bold type encouraging users to Watch It and Read It. Categories for additional information run down the left side of the page. When visited in order, these form a sort of webquest-like succession of relevant information. This will allow students to be self-directed learners, as they make their way through the content. The video comes first, providing an overview. The ebook comes next, giving more depth. This is followed by sections that give learning extension opportunities (Explore More, Explore the Web) and allow for hands-on and interactive experiences (Project Idea, Activity Center). It's easy to see students becoming mini experts after digesting all this additional content. Those familiar with online resources (digital encyclopedias, for example) know that multimedia elements (images, videos) can be hit or miss. Common topics typically have related videos, while more obscure subjects are often lacking. Which do you think kids prefer? I was pleased to see that each and every entry in TrueFlix contains a video. These short clips all clock in at just over a minute and provide a nice overview of the topic. All videos start with an "Is it true..." question, mirroring the format of the books. Each video ends with a message to find out more by reading the book. The video quality is passable, with slight pixilation that becomes more noticeable when viewed in full-screen mode. Higher definition video is quickly becoming the norm, here's hoping TrueFlix keeps pace. Clicking Read the Book opens the ereader environment. The controls are limited, keeping the focus on the content. The books are all around 50 pages and written at a level appropriate for students in grades 3—5. Each title opens with two statements—one true and one false. Students must read the book to find the answers. The font is large and pages are loaded with images, diagrams, time lines, and maps. Call-out arrows deliver facts and highlight important information. Back matter includes key statistics, suggested reading, places to visit, glossary, index, and of course, the answer to the true/false questions posed on the first page. Overall the tone is informal and engaging. Arrows at the bottom of each page allow readers to turn the page. An orange table of contents button sits just above the "fold." When clicked, the table drops down and links directly to each section of the book—a very useful feature for quick navigation. The read-along feature is effective, with clear, natural speech. Less accomplished readers will appreciate the ability to listen to a book's audio version. When activated, words on the page are highlighted as they are read, allowing students to follow along. A minor concern: the narration doesn't apply to all parts of the book. Students are on their own with the table of contents, stats, resources, and glossary sections. While there's a handy on/off button to pause the narration at any point, you can't begin the read-along mid page—narration starts at the top of the page only. One tool that would improve the ereader experience is high-quality zoom. Some maps and captions have small print that's difficult to read. In this regard, it would be better to have the actual book in your hands—a feeling one shouldn't get while reading an ebook. When users mouse over bold words, a pop-up provides the definition right then and there. This is a simple, but useful feature that shows how technology can truly enhance the reading experience. A useful Explore More section offers additional info, such as links to Grolier online encyclopedia articles, profiles of important people (such as a bio of James Richter in the section on earthquakes), primary sources, stories, poems, charts and tables, and multimedia. It's an impressive collection that will help extend learning. Students can select Project Idea for step-by-step guidance on creating diagrams, games, and reports. Some projects are basic, such as a "memory" style game using the facts and vocabulary learned. Others are ambitious, such as the disaster relief plan suggested for the page on tsunamis. The Activity Center has quizzes and a word match game related to each topic. The quizzes contain 10 knowledge level questions in multiple-choice format. At the end of the quiz, the number correct out of 10 is displayed. I was disappointed to learn that there was no way for students to see the correct answers for the questions they missed. The word match game tests vocabulary. Players are presented with a clue, and must select the correct answer from a group of nine virtual cards arranged in a 3x3 grid. Each correct answer flips the card, revealing part of a picture. Students work to uncover the entire thing. This is a simple and effective way to reinforce vocab skills. Selecting Explore the Web brings up a list of web links. These are a bit of a mixed bag. Most lead to reputable sites with engaging information. For instance, the Explore More links for black holes include the kid-friendly NASA site and a Hubble site containing a multimedia explanation of black holes. Occasionally, however, the links lead to content that is for older audiences and might go over student heads. Finally, each topic page has a More button, which directs users to other titles in the same category. While many of these sorts of video resources are available elsewhere (Discovery Education's streaming service comes to mind), they are well organized here and unquestionably kid friendly. Prospective subscribers should note that this is not a one-stop shop for all things social studies and science related. I suggest educators test drive before they buy to get a feel for the topics covered and how those match up with curriculum. The science section in particular is limited, with no coverage of some major topics, such as plants, simple machines, and the water cycle. For Students, Teachers, and Librarians An obvious advantage for students is access. TrueFlix is available 24/7 from any computer with a DSL, cable modem, or higher connection, making the site useful for homework. Teachers and librarians who've had students bring unverified research from home can testify to the importance of this anywhere, anytime availability. Lack of effort isn't the most common cause of poor research—it's lack of easily accessible sources. There are resources for teachers as well. Every topic comes with a lesson plan, which includes small group activities and project ideas. These plans are fairly generic. Each lesson includes a basic discussion of the video, a review of vocabulary, and a small group activity. While most teachers will likely pass these over, opting to incorporate TrueFlix into their already existing lessons, they may come in handy for beginning teachers, or those looking for ideas. TrueFlix is touted as an excellent resource to use with students via interactive whiteboard. This makes sense, as the videos and quizzes would work well for whole class consumption and participation. I can envision teachers pulling up the TrueFlix page to introduce a topic to students. Those familiar with online resources know that generating awareness of a product can be the most critical step in its success or failure. TrueFlix smartly provides downloadable materials to help spread the word. Desktop icons and widgets are available for student computers and library/school web pages, allowing one-click access to the program. Parent, teacher, and library patron letters provide instructions on accessing TrueFlix from home computers. For schools that use the Lexile framework for determining reading level, each of the titles has a Lexile value assigned. Teachers could use this information to help guide students to titles that best fit their reading skills. For the data geeks among us (guilty), user stats are available. Librarians can use these numbers for informing staff and administration about the overall use of the product. It also helps for getting a handle on staff awareness of the product. The videostreaming capabilities will depend on bandwidth. Institutions with slower connections may have to check the tech specs before diving in. Verdict While the TrueFlix library covers many common science and social studies topics, there are some gaps. However, if your school's curriculum is a close match to the content, this could be an online resource with a lot of value. With helpful ereader capabilities and plenty of additional resources, TrueFlix has clear advantages over purchasing True Books in print. And maybe that's the best way to look at TrueFlix—as a set of nonfiction books taken to greater heights through technology.