Hot Stuff

Credit: William Duke

Nova5000

Fourier Systems; $400 and up
www.fourier-sys.com

This nifty little tablet PC fills the gap between a portable laptop computer and a handheld personal digital assistant. The machine fits comfortably into a backpack or the crook of your arm and provides word processing, spreadsheet, and email functions as well as Internet access; users simply handle a small yellow stylus to enter data via a 7-inch touch screen. The 2.7-pound Nova5000 is designed to be employed in an educational environment, so it easily integrates science and mathematics software. Maintenance issues are low, and the operating system (Windows CE 5.0) is tough on viruses. The company claims four hours of battery time, but figure a little less, just to be safe. The Nova5000 is not cheap, but it's a great package for the student on the go.

Credit: William Duke

At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater

By Elizabeth Swados; $16; Faber and Faber; 312 pages

This guide to improvisational theater for middle school and high school students is a must-read for anyone looking to direct a show -- or teach a class. Swados suggests activities that help students develop and explore not only all things theatrical (voice,movement, and character, for instance) but also everything academic: Exercises in writing and focused discussion encourage critical thinking and analytical skills,while investigations of space and time challenge assumptions and develop new vocabularies and perspectives. A slew of other improvisation techniques, each with clear aims, help free student imaginations, inspire creativity and self-confidence, and produce raw, student-driven art that is genuine -- and genuinely enjoyable.

Credit: William Duke

Virtual History: Ancient Egypt

Knowledge Matters; $195-$595 www.knowledgematters.com/products/vhe

With this interactive, multilevel computer simulation, students pay a virtual visit to a Nile River settlement in 2063 BC. And they don't just observe: Players assume the role of village leader and direct each activity necessary for the community's survival, from digging irrigation ditches to planting crops, from forging tools to constructing dwellings. The package, which comes with a CD-ROM as well as training videos, lesson plans, and built-in assessment tools, is aligned with both state and national curriculum standards. (A variation, called Settling America, is due this month.) Now, students won't just learn about history -- they'll make it.

Credit: William Duke

Dimenxian

Site-license and per-student fees vary www.dimenxian.com or www.tabuladigita.com

"Learn Math, or Die Trying" is hardly what you'd expect to hear in a traditional, textbook-based math class. But when algebra students tackle Dimenxian, a sleek new 3-D video game, that slogan fits well: Players are racing to dismantle a "bio-digital" virus that threatens to infect and destroy the globe -- a dire end that may or may not happen, depending on the player's math skills. Not only is Dimenxian action packed and graphically engaging, but users who complete the game -- by locating coordinates on the x and y axes, identifying quadrants, graphing linear equations, and more -- will be fully equipped to pass their state algebra exam.