The Reading Machine is an iPhone/iPod touch/iPad app that Diana created as part of her mission to:
- Give people of all the ages the power and desire to teach themselves to read
- Make reading frustration, shame, and failure a thing of the past, and
- Give children opportunities to read that will change their lives for the better.
Find out more at: http://www.sharpcuriosity.com
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ItzaBitza is the first product to emerge from a three-year project with Microsoft’s Incubation department in their Advanced Strategies Unit. In collaboration with longtime colleagues John Bransford, Nancy Vye, and Hank Clark (University of Washington), Diana served on the learning scientists’ team and was the project’s advisor on reading development. ItzaBitza was released in November 2008 by Sabi, a start-up company spun out of the Microsoft project.
"ItzaBitza would not have happened without Diana! Diana is simply amazing." Margaret Johnson, CEO, Sabi
Awards for the series include:
- BusinessWeek's top 50 tech toys for kids: "Adds a new dimension to children's artwork; when kids sketch a picture on their computer, on-screen avatars actually interact with it.”
- The Toy Man Award of Excellence and eChoice Award:
"ItzaBitza is a pioneer on the cutting edge of product development…The level of skill improvement with a player with ItzaBitza is astounding. It is literally beyond measure…The game shines well beyond anything ever expected." - 5-star review from Common Sense Media: “This is a truly fabulous game for kids who are learning to read…The reading within the game is also well thought out.”
- December 2008 Editor’s Choice Award, Children’s Technology Review. "It is a very strong early reading experience...If you're looking for a solid early language experience with a strong dose of creativity, don't pass over this innovative title, especially if you teach emerging readers."
- Top Game Recommendation from USA Today. ItzaBitza is a pioneer on the cutting edge of product development…The level of skill improvement with a player with ItzaBitza is astounding. It is literally beyond measure…The game shines well beyond anything ever expected.”
Burst Reading
Burst Reading was released by Wireless Generation (now Amplify) in 2009 as an early-literacy intervention package for elementary schools. Diana provided Wireless Generation with product design review and strategies in early phases of piloting and development. She also created some of the instructional activities, wrote some of the teacher materials, and authored a white paper to coincide with the product launch. In 2012, the Institute of Education Sciences awarded Wireless Generation with a four-year, $3 million grant to conduct research validating the program's efficacy.
PDFs and Brochures
Little Planet Literacy Series
The Little Planet Literacy Series combines software, video, print, and audio materials into a multimedia collection for accelerating literacy development in K - 3 children of all skill levels. Diana was the Research and Educational director for the series as well as a co-author, writing content for the learning activities and authoring over 40 books for young readers. By 1999, when the series was purchased by Houghton Mifflin, classrooms in over 10,000 schools in the U.S., Canada, and Japan were using the series as part of their early-grade literacy program.
Awards for the series include:
- Codie Excellence in Software Award: Best Curriculum Software for Early Education (Software Publisher's Association)
- Distinguished Achievement Award for the Best Curriculum-based Software for Early Education (Educational Press Association)
- Best English/Language Arts Program (Media & Methods magazine)
- Editor's Choice (T.H.E. Journal)
- Top Six Award (Technology & Learning magazine)
Take Me To Your Readers is a set of twelve videos for parents and children to watch together. The videos use engaging stories and parent tips to help families build literacy habits at home that will support children in becoming motivated, successful readers.
Diana created the concept for the series, served as the Research and Educational director, and also co-authored the parent tips.
Recommended by Library Video Connection, the video series is currently offered as a Curriculum Supplement by Connections Academy.