SUNBURST TECHNOLOGY INTRODUCES THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE
WRITING PROGRAM ON THE MARKET WITH ITS NEW WRITE BRAIN™

Write Brain's research-based, next-generation writing curriculum for grades 2-8
engages students in a way consistent with their native digital lifestyles

SAN DIEGO, July 5, 2006 - At the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) today, Sunburst Technology announced "Write Brain™," a comprehensive new Web-based writing program for students in grades 2 to 8. Co-developed by Sunburst and DigitalXperts, a leading online learning development company, the program is accessible over the Internet at school or home, 24 hours a day. Students build writing skills through Write Brain's research-based process of text production that includes word processing, writing strategies, self-evaluations, peer and teacher-Assessments based on six-trait rubrics, and collaborative writing. The program enables teachers to intensify their writing instruction with limited classroom time, providing students with critical preparation for high stakes writing tests. Write Brain is live online and available for purchase now as an annual subscription.

Write Brain complements any language arts curriculum as well as teachers' instructional interventions in the classroom. It addresses individual students' learning needs by providing a range of differentiated instruction, formative Assessment tools and research-supported best practices and strategies, which improve writing performance. Write Brain supports students as they develop into writers and provides teachers with an easy way to advance students through the research-based process of text production.

Leading the writing category of educational software programs, Write Brain provides the scaffolding needed to increase students' writing competency as well as produce more interesting and sophisticated writings, correlated to the writing standards of all 50 states. It comprehensively teaches every stage of writing, including brainstorming, organizing, drafting, editing, assessing and revising in many different genres. It also features a recursive process that allows students to easily go back and forth between writing process steps.

"Write Brain is the most comprehensive writing application available to elementary and middle schools," said David Wolff, Sunburst Technology's Sr. Vice President of Development. "It creates a strong cognitive learning environment through its unrivaled capabilities. The program also gives teachers a major advantage in preparing students for high-stakes writing tests by extending time outside the classroom for students to complete assignments at home or using the Internet."

Product Features

Featuring more than 150 educational writing prompts that cover 11 genres of writing, Write Brain was developed with input from expert educators. The program provides a progressive and complete presentation of writing skills with writing prompts that directly align to all 50 states' standards.

Teachers can select from engaging prepared lessons, create their own lessons and writing prompts through an easy-to-use tool, or edit existing lessons from their school, district or the Write Brain Community, correlating each of these new or edited lessons to state standards.

Write Brain provides guidance, key strategies, and instruction to students for all steps of the writing process, including brainstorming, organizing, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing. It uses peer-collaboration, self-Assessment, and self-regulation, to support students through the revision phase, which is the most complex and abstract step of the writing process.

Developed to directly improve student achievement, Write Brain provides critical differentiated instruction using purely research-based curriculum tied to all 50 states. Write Brain features multiple Assessments, including self, peer and instructor, enabling students to learn critical thinking and Assessment skills in addition to writing skills. The program aggregates standards-based reports at the student, teacher, school and district levels.

It maintains analytical and holistic rubrics, such as Six-Trait, and features high-stakes testing environments, including explicit test preparation components at the appropriate grade levels. A dedicated "text prep" area moves students away from the supports and guidance and into time-testing situations, much like state exams. Write Brain also helps improve student reading by linking reading and writing through the use of sample texts, using the vocabulary of text structure, organizing collaborative groups and through peer-Assessment.

The program helps students learn to write effectively through scaffolded instruction. Write Brain has flexible tools that the teacher can make available for specific lessons or assignments to whole or small groups. The teacher can scaffold instruction by gradually removing the supports as students become more competent. These tools include key strategies and instruction within a genre, templates for different text structures, vocabulary and image banks, and links to other print and Web resources. It includes specific strategies for each of the components of the writing process such as brainstorming for planning, concept maps for organization, and self-Assessment for revision. Students can also click and drag text produced in one part of the writing process to another. Write Brain also contains a text-to-speech component for students with limited English proficiency.

Write Brain is Web-based, allowing students to use the product at school, at home, or any other location with an Internet connection, broadening the use and accessibility of this learning tool. The online feature encourages communication and collaboration among the entire Write Brain Community. The Web environment allows Write Brain users to maintain a digital, online portfolio, providing a means for monitoring and reflecting on a student's growth as a writer over the years. Digital portfolios collect students' finished work and produce a positive context in which the teacher and student can determine the next learning goal. All users, no matter their location, are able to save, view, transfer, share and publish completed assignments, lesson plans and a number of other writing resources. Schools that participate in the Write Brain community can also transfer the digital writing portfolios of migratory students at anytime.

Pricing & Availability

Write Brain is compatible with both Macintosh® and Windows® formats and is available now through Sunburst Technology. It requires an Internet connection and a Web browser. Minimum requirements for Macintosh are: Mac OSX 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and either the Netscape 7.2, Firefox 1.5.0.1, Safari 2.0.3 (on OSX 10.4), Safari 1.3.2 (on OSX 10.3), or Safari 1.0.3 (on OSX 10.2) browser. Minimum system requirements for Windows are: Windows 98, 2000, or XP and Internet Explorer 6, Netscape 8.1, or Firefox 1.5.0.1. The Flash Player 7 and Shockwave Player 10 plug ins are also needed and available free for download from Macromedia.

Write Brain is sold as an annual subscription on a building-level basis only, starting at $2,000 per building for up to 500 users (as little as $4 per student). Teachers are not included in this user count. Write Brain includes toll-free technical support, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, every business day. For sales and ordering information, customers can call Sunburst at 800-321-7511. Additional information and resources, including a demo, a free 30-day trial (coming soon), and online ordering for this program are also available on www.sunburst.com/writebrain.

Company Background

Sunburst Technology publishes award-winning instructional software and the QuickMind.net online learning environment for the K-12 school market. Proprietary series in the Sunburst lineup include HyperStudio®, Key Skills™, Tenth Planet, and Little Planet. Top selling titles include HyperStudio, Key Skills Series, Type to Learn, Hot Dog Stand: The Works, Easy Book Deluxe and A to Zap! The publisher, a company of Thayer Capital Partners, is headquartered in Elgin, IL, with its development center in Valhalla, NY.

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