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software tools our students use to publish
Canvastic LLC has announced the update of their Macintosh and Windows software product, Canvastic, an integrated writing, graphics and publishing tool for students in grades K-8 to version 3.5. Developed by a former classroom teacher and computer coordinator, Canvastic was specifically designed with classroom use in mind and provides the correct mix of fun and productivity. The program allows students to publish pages, books, presentations and more.
Version 3.5 continues and expands on the concept that software tools our students use to publish should be flexible. Teachers can customize their students' work environments even further than before. Many new features, refinements and fixes are included in this release.
* Canvastic's new Audio Tool allows for voice recording, iTunes integration, and inserted sounds. The audio can be played in the document or in presentations.
* Canvastic is now a Universal Binary application for use on PPC and Intel Macintosh computers.
* Canvastic now supports transparency and color tones in its graphics and text.
* Spell checking has become the best in the student publishing genre. Teachers can enable it or not. The "Learn" button can be enabled or not. Custom words and lists can be added then locked preventing students from corrupting the user dictionary.
* New brush shapes provide more artistic control but still keep the choices to a manageable level, which is a Canvastic signature philosophy.
* Digital photographs can be included easily, just use the new Open Folder... command and they come in, scale themselves to a useful size and are ready to be captioned and used.
* Templates, backgrounds and art that support curriculum standards have been amended.
These additions have all been designed to work with the "Grows With the User" feature that presents a customized interface for students at any level. This enhances the publishing experience and the time on task for students.
This is a free upgrade for all paid registered users. Registered users that did not pay for their copy of Canvastic may upgrade for 50 percent of the posted educational prices. Canvastic runs natively on Windows and Macintosh computers. It is purchased and downloaded from the web site. Pricing starts at $39 USD for a single user license. An unlimited school building license is $949 USD. There are various lab pack prices as well. Any school can continue to pilot Canvastic for up to 60 days on as many computers as desired. Many school districts still qualify for a free site license for 50 percent of their schools.
Canvastic Website: http://www.canvastic.com
Canvastic Info
Direct Download Link: canosx35.dmg
Canvastic LLC is the coming together of two companies to develop and market the software Canvastic. FlatTop Technology, Inc. builds custom software applications for businesses in a wide variety of industries and was the lead technical developer of the Canvastic software. TeachTech Inc. is a consulting firm founded by Steve Gandy that specializes in school and small office training and support. Full product information is available at the Canvastic website.
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