Over the past several years, our modus operandi has been to release a major software update in August, available just in time for the new school year. This summer, as we approached the final stages of development on a major, bottom-up redesign of Noodlebib’s citation management software, we realized we need more of a key ingredient – YOU.

While we have always welcomed customer feedback, between now and December we will be creating an Advisory Council of teachers and librarians who would like to spend some extra time evaluating NoodleBib’s powerful new look and feel. In September, Council members will receive early access to a beta version of the new user interface and teaching materials, to insure that the changes are useful and user-focused. If you are interested in an invitation, please submit a request using this form:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/advisory_registration

We’ll also be posting information on our blog, along with links to screencast tutorials that will help librarians, teachers and students become acquainted with the new teaching and learning interface. Later this Fall, we’ll be conducting webinars to teach some of the existing features of this powerful program.

Over Christmas break, the new version will be made available to all schools. If you are not ready to migrate to the new interface, there will be an administration option to continue using the old interface through the end of June 2012.

So. welcome back to school! For the first time, you won’t see any changes in NoodleBib when you return. But get ready – learning how to cite accurately will never be easier!

Thanks,
Amy Rogers
NoodleTools

Our users know that NoodleTools is unique because we focus on helping teachers and students learn. Not mindless fill-in-the-blanks software, NoodleBib is a powerful and accurate citation and notetaking program where students get the support they need when they need it. Throughout the research process students are learning to investigate analytically, think critically, articulate ideas clearly and document their evidence accurately.

Sharing these goals, Pearson Education recognized that we were the right partner for the next generation of their writing software. We’re delighted to announce that NoodleBib is seamlessly integrated into the new version of Pearson’s MyCompLab, a writing instruction environment. From the MyCompLab composing space, a student can click the “Cite sources” link in the Writer’s Toolkit to open NoodleBib, create a source list and notecards, and then import that work directly back into the MyCompLab editor. Users will find NoodleBib a slick fit with MyCompLab’s intuitive composing space and writing instruction resources.

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About Pearson: Pearson Education is the global leader in educational publishing, providing scientifically research-based print and digital programs to help students learn at their own pace, in their own way. “The new MyCompLab empowers student writers and facilitates writing instruction by uniquely integrating a composing space and ePortfolio with proven resources and tools. In this revolutionary application, students receive feedback within the context of their own writing—encouraging critical thinking and revision while honing their skills based on individual needs. Administrative features developed specifically for writing instruction bring instructors closer to their student writers, make managing assignments and evaluating papers more efficient, and save instructors time.” More…

NoodleTools’ Online Opportunities for Young Writers Web page was just selected as one of Writer’s Digest’s 10th annual 101 Best Sites for Writers in 2008. Used by teachers of English, history, and science as well as elementary school teachers in collaboration with the school librarian, this site describes authentic opportunities for student writers in online publications. Each publication is described in a critical annotation that includes age range, guidelines, and reader focus.

To suggest additions, we encourage you to write to debbie[at]noodletools.com.

The new (3rd) edition of the MLA Style Manual is now available. We’re really happy to see that they’ve simplified the citation of Web-based content (in particular removing the distinction between different “types” of databases that has confused students and teachers alike). We had several discussions with the MLA editorial staff about this, and they listened! In fact, we’re acknowledged by the editor (David G. Nicholls) in the Preface!

The changes introduced in the MLA Style Manual need to be implemented in NoodleBib, of course. There are some changes (like the absence of URLs for most Web citations) that we need to give some thought to and discuss with MLA, given that K-12 teachers are going to still want to see specific URLs for sources used by their students. We’ll need to verify with MLA that the changes in the MLA Style Manual will also end up in the MLA Handbook, since the intended audiences of these two style guides are different. The next edition of the MLA Handbook will not be coming for a while (Spring 2009?), so we also need to figure out the best timing for making these changes in NoodleBib. We’ll keep you posted on these decisions.

A good article titled Preventing Plagiarism in this month’s Cable in the Classroom magazine — with a NoodleTools mention, of course!

NoodleTools was reviewed and described as “highly recommended” in the June 2006 issue of CHOICE. The article has been reproduced here with permission from the American Library Association.

[Visited Mar'06] The NoodleTools site provides a wealth of free teaching tools on citation format and information literacy, primarily aimed at grades K-12 but useful for lower-division undergraduates as well. A subscription provides access to NoodleBib 6, a Web-based tool that assists in the process of generating, editing, and publishing an MLA works-cited list or an APA reference list. NoodleBib acts more like a wizard for creating bibliographic citations than a full-fledged bibliographic management software program. Such programs (e.g., ProCite, Reference Manager, Endnote, Biblioscape, and RefWorks) provide filters for importing information from subscription databases and modules for creating in-text citations as well as output in a wider range of citation formats. However, users need grounding in the elements of citation creation to input information by hand or to clean up the bibliographic output when filters are faulty. NoodleBib walks the user through the process of inputting citation information with clear, simple instructions that differentiate between source types with ease.

NoodleBib’s range of source type options is remarkable, and much clearer than any bibliographic management program this reviewer has used. The completed reference list can be output in .RTF format to any word processor, e-mailed, or sent to a teacher with a school or class subscription. NoodleBib does not have import or text citation functions, but it does offer guidance in creating parenthetical citations for specific entries. Although it lacks the power of true bibliographic management software, NoodleBib 6 outputs extremely accurate citations much more easily than such software programs. It could be an excellent teaching tool in lower-division undergraduate programs. Alternatively, the free tool NoodleBib Express (accessible from NoodleTools’s home page) might fulfill that teaching function just as well. Although it can output only a single source citation at a time, it has the same input and help functions as the full-featured NoodleBib. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and two-year technical program students. — M. F. Jones, East Tennessee State University

? American Library Association. Reproduced with permission, August 2006. Contact permissions@ala-choice.org for permission to reproduce or redistribute.