VizZle(R) Wins Prestigious Best Educational Software Award (BESSIE) -- Judges Call it a Must for Every Special Education Teacher's Tool Kit
Version 3.2 Just Launched Making Information Easier to Access
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio, April 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The educational and special needs community is taking notice of VizZle, a new educational software designed by Monarch Teaching Technologies, that is helping children with autism better communicate and understand the world around them. VizZle received a BESSIE (Best Educational Software Award) for its content rich and innovative program for children with autism.
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"We are honored to receive this prestigious award. It further validates the impact we are having on children with autism," Terry Murphy, CEO of Monarch Teaching Technologies, creator of VizZle, said. "Educational tools for children with autism are becoming more important than ever as this population continues to climb." The CDC estimates that nearly one percent of children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a developmental disability without a cure or known cause. The rate rises to one in 70 for boys.
BESSIE's are awarded by the influential ComputED Gazette, based in California. In awarding the BESSIE, reviewers said, "VizZle should be part of every special needs teacher's tool kit."
Created by researchers from Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School and educators from the Monarch School for Children with Autism, VizZle is designed to help children with autism achieve by capitalizing on their visual processing skills and their inherent interest in computers, touch screens and electronic whiteboards. Research shows that children with autism pay more attention and retain more of what they learn when lessons are presented interactively on computers than when the lesson is presented in more traditional verbal/directive methods.
"Children who had great difficulty interacting, are now participating in group activities using VizZle and electronic whiteboards. The higher functioning children are becoming more engaged and able to understand more academic concepts. We are thrilled with how it is helping these children and their families," Lauren Stafford, director of instructional design for VizZle, said.
VizZle's new 3.2 version received rave reviews at the annual Council for Exceptional Children convention in Nashville last week. The new version includes many upgrades, including the ability for subscribers to share lessons with non-subscribing friends and parents for free.
VizZle, short for "visual learning", offers a library of thousands of visual lessons to teach academic as well as daily life concepts such as emotions. Today school districts in over 30 states are using the software and teachers are now sharing materials with peers and parents across the country adding to the library of lessons.
Based in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Monarch Teaching Technologies, Inc. (monarchtt.com) is committed to providing technology-enhanced solutions that can provide more effective yet cost-efficient support for children with special learning needs. After a four-year R&D collaboration with researchers from Children's Hospital Boston/Harvard Medical School and the Monarch Center for Autism, funded in part by NIH grants, the company introduced VizZle for the general market in 2009.
SOURCE Monarch Teaching Technologies, Inc.
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