By Diana Fingal

It's a scene that makes the hair on the back of your neck bristle: A teacher greets his students as they enter a high school classroom. A tall, athletic kid walks in wearing a scowl and sipping a Big Gulp.

"Hey, hey," the teacher says. "You know better than to be drinking a Coke in class."

The student looks down at his drink and then says, "This? This isn't Coke, it's 7-Up."

The other students snicker. But the teacher persists. "It doesn't matter what it is. You can't bring a drink to class."

The conversation escalates until the teacher, who is in a wheelchair, rolls out from behind his desk and approaches the student, demanding the drink as the kid pulls away with an aggressive look on his face.

The image is frozen as a voiceover warns: "Right now we have a dangerous situation. The teacher will not back down, and the student is very likely to throw the drink."

It is the opening scene from a professional development video on defusing anger and aggression. It's not your typical talking-heads DVD with charts and graphs and lots of guys in suits. And the man behind the video, Adam Wendt, the chief operations officer of IRIS Media, is not your typical ISTE member.

His company works with researchers to produce, evaluate, and distribute innovative PD resources for K–12 educators with an emphasis on positive behavioral interventions and support. IRIS Media also produces programs for parents and people with developmental disabilities as well as the staff and loved ones who support them.

Wendt joined ISTE in 2006 because he was working on new ways to deliver training materials to schools and staff using the Internet. "We felt that many teachers were using technology in their classroom instruction but were unable to access effective professional development resources for behavior and classroom management through anything but the one-time inservice," he says.

Wendt's productions span a wide range of topics. A father of three adopted children, he has produced videos designed to teach adoptive parents how to communicate with their children. And his videos on handling aggression in schools landed him a gig developing a training for bartenders on how to handle unruly patrons.

But his primary focus is on education and the schools.

"Most recently I have been interested in the ways that schools communicate with parents," he says. "How can we use technology to bridge the school–home connection?"

He's an at-large board member of ISTE's Innovative Learning Technologies Special Interest Group, which is made up of educators, researchers, educational reform leaders, and learning technology innovators who share information about promising and proven new learning technologies.

"They've helped me understand the barriers and opportunities of instructional technology for professional development," he says.

Wendt wasn't always on a technology path. He studied musical composition in college and fell into this career after he borrowed some recording equipment from his friend, Brion Marquez, to create a multimedia musical production. In return Marquez asked Wendt to help with the sound on a video he was producing. Wendt didn't know much about sound but agreed to help. The two ultimately became business partners and formed IRIS Media, which is based in Eugene, Oregon. A third partner, Nell Caraway, is the chief executive officer.

Wendt grew up in Wyoming, a state that he says strongly supports and funds education.

"The basis of my technology understanding comes from having opportunities at the schools I attended when I grew up," Wendt says. "It is my hope that through organizations like ISTE, we can make that a reality in every district in the country."

—Diana Fingal is senior editor of L&L

Learning & Leading with Technology, vol. 37, no. 7 © 2010, ISTE ® (International Society for Technology in Education), (www.iste.org.) All rights reserved. Visit the website for ISTE's Learning and Leading with Technology

Seeking Parents to Evaluate Online Program that Buffers the Impact of Divorce on Children

EUGENE, Ore. — Parents experiencing separation and divorce must act quickly to take advantage of a unique opportunity through IRIS Media Inc., a media development and behavioral research firm. The company is seeking parents to evaluate “Two Families Now: Effective Parenting During Separation and Divorce,” a new program aiming to support the health and well-being of parents and children. The deadline to apply for participation is May 17.

Because the program is in development, it’s free for participating parents. In fact, parents will receive $150 for their full participation in the study. The results will be used to help other parents and the study is completely confidential. Prospective participants can review eligibility requirements and complete an application by visiting the Two Families Now Research Study. Participating parents will learn effective skills to help protect their families from the stress of separation and divorce, and to strengthen ongoing relationships. The program teaches parents how to handle stress and co-parent conflict, and how to parent more effectively during this difficult time. The program offers perspectives on children’s developmental needs, on practically useful skills, and on satisfying court-mandated parent-education requirements. A five-hour time commitment is all that is required, with parents participating on their own schedule, using IRIS Media’s online videos, podcasts, interactive exercises, discussion forums, printable handouts and journaling tool.

According to Laura Jones, Ph.D, a developmental psychologist and co-investigator of the program, when families are split apart, often it’s the children who pay the biggest price. Separation and divorce can lead to feelings of loss, stress, guilt, anxiety and other intense emotions for children. “For an already taxed parent, dealing with a child’s emotional distress can seem like an overwhelming prospect,” she notes. “We hope to give separating and divorcing parents the tools that will ease their stress and equip them to improve the outcomes for their children.”

The program is funded by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

About “Two Families Now: Effective Parenting During Separation and Divorce”

An online program designed to help lessen the impacts of divorce on children, “Two Families Now: Effective Parenting During Separation and Divorce” is being developed by the media development and behavioral research firm, IRIS Media Inc. The program is funded by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Once completed, the program will help separating and divorcing parents protect and support their children through the divorce transition. For more information visit IRIS Media Inc.'s Two Families Now Research Study page

IRIS Media Inc. Now Recruiting Parents to Help Field Test and Finalize Development

Eugene, Ore. -- July 14, 2009 -- When families are split apart, often it’s the children who pay the biggest price. Separation and divorce can lead to feelings of loss, stress, guilt, anxiety and other intense emotions for children. For an already taxed parent, dealing with a child’s emotional distress can seem like an overwhelming prospect.

IRIS Media Inc., a media development and behavioral research firm based in Eugene, Ore., is offering a unique opportunity to parents who are navigating their way through the separation and divorce transition. The firm is seeking parents to evaluate “Two Families Now: Effective Parenting during Separation and Divorce,” a new program that aims to support the health and well-being of parents and children across the U.S.

“There are few practical, accessible, research-informed training resources for supporting the healthy adjustment of children from divorced families,” said Laura Jones, Ph.D, a developmental psychologist and co-investigator of the program. “This, in spite of the fact that over one million children in the U.S. experience family divorce each year.”

By evaluating IRIS Media’s program, parents will learn some effective skills to help protect themselves and their children from the stresses of separation and divorce and to strengthen ongoing relationships. The program is funded by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Because the program is in development, it’s absolutely free for participating parents. In fact, parents will receive up to $150 for participating in the study. The results will be used to help other parents and the study is completely confidential. Those interested in participating can review eligibility requirements and complete an application by visiting http://tinyurl.com/ptdonline.

All that’s required of parents is a five-hour time commitment. Parents can participate on their own schedule, using IRIS Media’s online videos, podcasts, interactive exercises, discussion forums, printable handouts and journals.

“We hope to give separating and divorcing parents the tools that will ease their stress and equip them to improve the outcomes for their children,” Jones said. “Although there is great diversity in children’s post-divorce adjustment, the negative effects can be significant and persistent. Fortunately, there are a number of practical steps parents can take that make a huge difference in children’s adjustment.”

The program teaches adults how to handle parental stress, parental conflict, and how to engage in effective parenting practices. The program also offers perspectives on children’s developmental needs, on learning practical skills, and on satisfying court-mandated parent-education requirements.

“The National Institutes of Health has funded this research project because they have identified divorce as a significant risk factor in family health and well-being,” Jones said. “Their hope and ours as well, is to learn more about how parenting can help protect children and parents from the stress of separation and divorce.”

About “Two Families Now: Effective Parenting During Separation and Divorce”

An online program designed to help lessen the impacts of divorce on children, “Two Families Now: Effective Parenting during Separation and Divorce” is being developed by the media development and behavioral research firm IRIS Media Inc. The program is funded by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Once completed, the program will help separating and divorcing parents protect and support their children through the divorce transition. For more information visit www.lookiris.com/research/current_projects/

About IRIS Media Inc.

Based in Eugene, Ore., IRIS Media Inc. is a media development and behavioral research firm that was started in 1999. The firm was founded with the intention of bringing research-based professional development to K-12 school staff and all educators, including teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, direct support staff, parent educators and parents. IRIS Media collaborates with leading educators and researchers on important topics to create video-based curriculums on DVD and online. For more information, visit www.lookiris.com and www.irisedonline.com

Contact: Sherrie Bandy, IRIS Media, sbandy@lookiris.com; Nell Caraway, IRIS Media, nell@lookIRIS.com (877) 343-4747; Monica Shovlin, The Ulum Group, (541) 434-7028, mshovlin@ulum.com

###

Eugene, OR -- February 11, 2009 -- How does an adoptive parent respond when their child asks, “Will I ever meet my birth mom?”Or more importantly, where would one learn the skills to respond confidently to a question like that?Many adoptive parents read books or attend classes to learn the skills necessary to discuss difficult topics, and now there is a video and internet resource available for them as well.IRIS Media, Inc. has just released its newest research-based media program, Adoptive Parent Training: Developing Communication Skills which incorporates video and additional online features such as interactive exercises, printable materials, journal questions and knowledge checks.Designed specifically for the parents of the estimated 1.5 million adopted children in the >U.S., this program was the brainchild of an adult adoptee and an adoptive parent.

“My wife and I found we were sometimes unprepared for questions from our children, or comments from people in the community, about the conspicuous nature of our family.We are white; they are black.Whether it was the things other kids said at school or the comments from people in the grocery store, I kept asking myself, ‘What am I supposed to say? How should I say it?’” said Adam Wendt of IRIS Media, adoptive father of three and co-author of the program.

IRIS Media teamed up with Portland-based Adoption Mosaic to develop, produce and test the program with funding from the National Institutes of Health.The program features real-life scenarios between adoptive parents and their children. In an effort to make the resources available to busy parents and those living in rural areas, the program was designed for delivery over the internet as well as on DVD. As part of the project, thirty adoptive parents participated in a pre/post evaluation of the program’s effectiveness with respect to parent’s knowledge and self-efficacy in communicating about adoption-related issues within the family system.

“In 16 years as an adoption trainer and educator, I have seen a huge shift from ‘let’s not talk about adoption’ to ‘we owe it to our children to let them know who they are and therefore must talk about adoption,’” said Astrid Dabbeni, co-author of the program, Executive Director of Adoption Mosaic and an adult adoptee. “For many adoptive parents, becoming comfortable and confident with talking about adoption takes practice, and yet there are very few resources that support building these skills. This program is a tool which helps parents approach the topic of adoption with their children while feeling confident and secure.”

Chris Reynolds, mother of Dabbeni, shared this view of the program, “As a mother of two grown adopted daughters from >Colombia, South America, I viewed this program wishing it had been available for us parents 37 years ago! It’s never too late; I learned so much from watching this program.”

Adoptive Parent Training: Developing Communication Skills includes a 27-minute DVD in a hard case and access to online features.It retails for $35.00.The full program may also be purchased in an online format at $30 for a 90-day subscription and $50 for a year subscription.All three are available at www.lookiris.com.

About IRIS Media

IRIS Media, Inc. is a leader in the field of educational media, providing resources for educators, parents and people with disabilities.Based in Eugene, OR, they are one of the few companies who develop, produce, evaluate and market their own programs and have received numerous national awards for their efforts.IRIS Media’s programs are available at www.lookiris.com and previews of the online programs and features can be experienced at www.IRISEdOnline.com.

About Adoption Mosaic

Adoption Mosaic, a non-profit organization providing education and support to all adoption constellation members with education being the focus not placement. While the practice of adoption has evolved over generations, the needs of the entire adoption community have gone largely unrecognized. Adoption Mosaic’s innovative vision and offerings are designed to address the unique needs of the adoption community, and to create a healthy, positive experience for everyone involved. For a full list of our workshops and services visit www.adoptionmosaic.org or DOWNLOAD a brochure

For additional information or a sample copy, contact:

Nell Caraway, CEO

IRIS Media, Inc.

Phone: 541.343.4747

Contact: nell@lookiris.com

www.lookiris.com

www.IRISEdOnline.com

###

• Joe, an eighth-grade student, refuses to give up his turn on the computer.
• Tiffany, a third grader, jumps up from her chair five times an hour.
• Nina, a first-grader, refuses to join her reading group.
• Sean, an 11 th grader, laughs and continues to mill around the room when the teacher asks everyone to take their seats.
• Helanah and Marta, high-school seniors, whisper to each other during class when the teacher is presenting assignments.

Student behaviors like the ones above can make teaching stressful. In fact, in surveys of current teachers, they cite inadequate training in classroom management as a one of their top job stressors. And former teachers cite it as a significant reason they decided to leave their profession.

Yet, much of the stress associated with these kinds of student behaviors can be avoided. As diverse as the students and behaviors described above seem to be, they have one thing in common. The challenging behaviors can be effectively addressed with a behavior management strategy designed to correct non-compliance and foster student cooperation.

In a new K-12 professional development video, Managing Non-Compliance: Effective Strategies for K-12 Teachers, from IRIS Media, nationally recognized behavior-management specialist, Geoff Colvin, Ph.D., lines out a three-part strategy that teachers and school staff can use to handle challenging and troublesome student behaviors.

Based on extensive educational research and current best practices, Managing Non-Compliance uses a combination of realistic wrong-way/right-way vignettes and Dr. Colvin’s expert commentary to clearly demonstrate how troublesome student behaviors escalate and how to intervene early to prevent them from developing.

Covering the most common forms of non-compliance, including defiance, resisting directions, not minding, insubordination, and oppositional behavior, this new video-based.

Training program is appropriate for teachers and school staff who work with students from kindergarten through high school. The variety of vignettes ensures that staff will be able to effectively use the strategy with students of all ages. A reproducible viewer’s guide provides background on issues of non-compliance, recaps issues presented in the video, summarizes key points, and provides discussion questions and resource information.

ISBN: 1-932969-01-2
Price: $100, plus shipping and handling

Packaged in a sturdy plastic case with lively video-jacket graphics. Each kit includes one VHS tape and viewer’s guide.

IRIS Media, Inc.
258 East 10 th, Suite B
Eugene OR 97401
Toll free: 877-343-4747
Fax: 541-683-4335
www.lookiris.com

IRIS Media has been awarded a two-year research and development grant by the National Institutes of Health to produce and evaluate, Systematic Supervision: Being Safe, Responsible, and Respectful in School, an online training program for elementary school teachers, staff and students.

The grant award will support the development and evaluation of four multi-media, online training programs designed to help school staff supervise and monitor common areas such as playgrounds, hallways, bathrooms, cafeterias and buses. Materials will also be developed for students to help them learn how to be safe, responsible and respectful at school. Because bullying, harassment, and other problem behaviors occur most often in school common areas, schools and teachers need effective, school-wide strategies to improve school climate and ensure that school common areas are managed in ways that ensure student and staff safety.

IRIS Media will collaborate with the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior at the University of Oregon to develop and evaluate the program materials. Brion Marquez of IRIS Media will serve as principal investigator. Dr. Jeffrey Sprague, director of the Institute, will serve as project consultant, and Stephen Smith, Institute trainer and evaluation coordinator, will serve as co-investigator.

Systematic Supervision, an approach to student supervision based on principles of Positive Behavior Support, was developed by Smith and Sprague and is being used in schools around the country where trainers from the Institute conduct regular staff training sessions. Teachers and staff learn to supervise crowded school common areas that have high rates of student activity. They learn moving and scanning techniques, how to be positive, how to respond to problem behavior, and how to communicate with students and each other.

The effectiveness of the Institute’s trainings over the past decade led to the idea of collaboration with IRIS Media to produce the online training. School staff will be able to access the training at times when it is convenient for them, and it gives them multiple opportunities to review and practice the techniques.

Marquez makes the point that, “Teachers are overworked and stressed. And while learning new behavior management skills can help reduce their stress, the reality is teachers don’t have a lot of time for staff development and they often remember only a portion of what they are taught. With an online training program, staff can learn at their convenience and they can review the training over time.”

After the development and production phase, the program will be evaluated in 36 schools in Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Calif., and Los Angeles, Calif. to determine program effectiveness and ease of usability. During the evaluation phase, school staff will use the online training and evaluate its effectiveness in helping them address problem situations positively, as well as improve overall school climate.

###

• 25 million American kids 17-years-old or younger are overweight or obese.
• The number of children in the U.S. who are overweight or obese today has more than doubled since the 1970s.
• Obesity-related Type 2 diabetes—seen almost exclusively in older adults in the past—is increasing faster in children ages six- to 14-years-old than in any other age group.

If experts agree that the current state of affairs is epidemic, there is less agreement on how to change a trend that could result in as many as 50 percent of American youth weighing in as obese by 2010.

While educators, health professionals, parents, and policy makers debate and discuss, IRIS Media Inc. has created a fun, multimedia program that can be used right now in schools and homes to educate young people about nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices.

Designed for students in grades three through six, Eat Right for a Long & Healthy Life: What Everybody Needs to Know in 9 Nutritious Lessons uses live action video, animation, and printable activity sheets (all available on one DVD) to help kids get started eating well and exercising. The perfect complement to standard textbooks, the information presented correlates with national health education standards and complements the subject matter presented in adopted health textbooks at the elementary school level. And best yet, it takes dry, complicated subjects, like reading food labels, and understanding metabolism and digestion, and makes them fun and memorable.

Here’s what viewers had to say:

“This program addressed the real reasons why we continue food and beverage choices that don’t promote health and it suggested good-tasting and practical alternatives. It was fun to watch good friends learn about nutrition so they could feel better and continue to enjoy eating. By the time I finished watching, I wanted to be friends with them, too!”
~Beth Naylor, M.S., R. D. Nutrition Faculty, Lane Community College.

In addition to its use in elementary-school classrooms, Eat Right for a Long & Healthy Life has been used with young adults who have developmental disabilities. It fared well with this group too:

“Excellent! Eat Right for a Long and Healthy Life has started us on a road to weight loss. Both my son and I have lost weight since we begin. Adam has lost 20 lbs. and I have lost 8 lbs. This came at a time in our lives when we really needed a wake up call and this program began us on this journey. I will be sharing the program with people I work with and with Adam’s pediatrician.”
~Allene and Adam Anderson, Ohio

“We have seen it more than once. Considering the average American diet – this was amazing in its emphasis on the importance of natural foods!”
~Gail Janke, California

“I thought all wheat bread was the same but learned that some are healthier than others.”
~ Pamela McGlothin, Ohio

“Great material. Always interesting and entertaining.”
~Ann in Oregon

To ensure this kind of appeal to both target audiences, the videos include a diverse cast of characters who come from all walks of life, represent diverse ethnic, racial, and age groups, and include people with varied cognitive and physical abilities.

According to Dr. Martin Sheehan, a member of the development team and an educator and research scientist with decades of experience in the field, the dual audience makes sense: “It’s a perfect fit. The cognitive levels of the two groups are very similar, and both can benefit from the way complex nutrition and lifestyle information is broken down and presented in interesting, manageable units.” This makes the program an ideal candidate for this audience, whose overall rate of obesity is significantly higher than the rate for both children and adults in the general population.

Funded with a research and development grant from the National Institutes of Health, Eat Right for a Long & Healthy Life is available in two packaging options to accommodate individual and classroom use.

End

Product Information
Title: Eat Right for a Long and Healthy Life: What Everybody Needs to Know in 9 Nutritious Lessons.
Age: Grades 3-6; young adults with developmental disablities and older
Running Time: 102 minutes
Language: English with English Subtitles
Release Date: September 2007
Two Packaging Options:
1) DVD only. ISBN: 978-1-932969-19-1 Price: $45 (Plus S&H)
2) School Kit – 3 copies of the DVD and a Teachers’ Guide. ISBN: 978-1-932969-7 Price: $85 (plus S&H)
SAN: 255-5042
Publisher: IRIS Media, Inc.
258 East 10th, Suite B
Eugene OR 97401
Toll free: 877-343-4747
Fax: 541-683-4335
www.lookiris.com

Questions: Contact Renee Garza (renee@lookiris.com) or Nell Caraway (nell@lookiris.com) by email, or at 541-343-4747.

Walk Your Way to Fitness is an instructional video program that features a fitness class where youth and adults with intellectual disabilities start a walking program and learn about healthy lifestyle activities. Students learn how to use a pedometer, how to overcome barriers to exercise, and how to encourage each other to get fit and stay fit. At the end of each session, the class presents a follow-along floor workout – dance, walk, or stretch & flex.

Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the program was developed by IRIS Media’s team of experts in fitness and developmental disabilities. Dr. Martin Sheehan, from IRIS Media in Eugene, Oregon, was the principal investigator and content developer for the project. Program consultants include Dr. James Rimmer, Director of the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Dr. Ken Pitetti, a professor and disability researcher at Wichita State University.

Product Information
Title: Walk Your Way to Fitness: Walk, Workout, Be Active for People with Developmental Disabilities
Age: 16 years and older
Running Time: 90 minutes of instruction, 180 minutes of workouts
Language: English with English subtitles
Release Date: September 2006
ISBN: 1-932969-14-4
Price: $60.00

Publisher:
IRIS Media, Inc.
258 East 10th Ave.

Eugene, OR 97401

Phone: 877-343-4747

Conference organizers expect about 1000 positive behavior support (PBS) practitioners from around the world to attend. The conference will provide families, professionals, support providers, researchers and school personnel with innovative PBS skills and the latest research findings on a variety of PBS topics.

Two IRIS Media staff, Brion Marquez and Adam Wendt, will be co-presenting workshops with Dr. Jeffrey Sprague from the Institute on Violent and Destructive Behavior at the University of Oregon.

Brion Marquez and Jeffrey Sprague will present, 7 Secretos Escolares (7 Secrets of School Success), a workshop that shows K-12 teachers and administrators how to set up a school/home study skills program for Spanish-speaking students and parents. Attendees will learn how increase parent involvement at school and how to support Latino parents in setting up a home study routine. Marquez and Sprague will share 7 Secrets research results and program materials.

Adam Wendt and Jeffery Sprague will present, Systematic Supervision for elementary, middle and high school. Systematic Supervision teaches K-12 school staff to apply school-wide PBS methods that will keep school common areas safe and school climates upbeat.

IRIS Media invites all conference attendees to stop by the IRIS Media table to view new professional development materials, browse PBS books, and give us their opinions on K-12 staff training issues.

Middle school teachers are invited to participate in an NIH-sponsored survey about using email for professional development. Middle school staff are encouraged to come by the IRIS Media table and pick up a survey. Participants will be paid $10 for their opinions!

We hope to see you there!

The donation of 37 sets of Systematic Supervision will be used to train K-12 teachers and staff to implement Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies. Positive Behavior Support, used by thousands of public schools nationwide, is an established approach to behavior management that helps students improve their difficult behavior. PBS removes punishment and coercion as a way of gaining student compliance, and instead focuses on the importance of each student's dignity, autonomy, and sense of self-control.

Dr. Sheila Williams-White, behavior specialist with Detroit Public Schools, said the Systematic Supervision donation will support many of Detroit's 256 schools as they begin implementing PBS. The programs will be used by the district's 12 behavior specialists, 10 PBS schools, and the (anticipated) 10 Michigan Integrated Behavior and Learning Support (MiBLSi) schools.

Systematic Supervision's school-wide strategies can be used by all staff with all students. Staff will learn how to monitor busy school common areas such as hallways, playgrounds and cafeterias using moving and scanning techniques, and how to recognize and reinforce appropriate student behavior. This helps keep the school mood friendly and minimizes problem behaviors.

Good luck, Detroit!

The shock of seeing his friend go down with chest pains during a bowling match, followed by a trip to the hospital heart-chamber has Jeremy dreaming of dancing fruit who sing: “Eat more fruit! Fantastic fruit!”

Fruit Rainbow: Healthy Eating for People with Developmental Disabilities, IRIS Media’s new Telly Award-winning video release, inspires teens and adults with mental retardation to boost their intake of fruits and juices, and to purchase and prepare healthy fruit snacks.

Fruit Rainbow, a video-based curriculum, is timely in its availability. Currently in the United States, 7.5 million adults with mental retardation are at greater risk than the general population of being obese and suffering from obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, arthritis and some types of cancer. Supported by a research and development grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, IRIS Media’s goal was to create an entertaining and practical resource that helps people with mental retardation make positive changes in their diets by adding fruit. This upbeat comedy, with affable characters and winning circumstances, does just that. Viewers learn the ABC’s of fruit vitamins and energy, and how to choose and ask for fruit.

IRIS Media is currently producing additional video-based modules that address healthy and unhealthy diet choices related to fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Fruit Rainbow comes on a DVD that includes:
· a 24-minute video
· a 15-page full-color printable activity book
· a printable fruit poster

A full-color, check-off card featuring over 20 kinds of fruit is included inside the DVD case.

Parents and group home staff who have watched Fruit Rainbow with their adult children and clients have this to say about the program:
Parent: “The video was well done. It was colorful, eye-catching, and had situations my daughter could relate to. I liked the variety applicable to different living situations and different people’s temperaments.”
Parent: “The video was good, the acting great, and it got the message across. The Activity Book is colorful and is presented in easy to understand format. I like having DD actors!”
Support Staff: "The video was entertaining, the disco song and fruit dancing was catchy, the hospital scene got people’s attention.”
Support Staff: “It gives good tips on healthy eating and assertiveness in getting more fruits in your diet. I could see many of my clients finding the video informative."

Product Information

Title: Fruit Rainbow: Healthy Eating for People with Developmental Disabilities
Audience: Teens and adults with developmental disabilities
Running time: 24 minutes; includes English subtitle track
Release Date: Fall 2006
Price: $35
ISBN: 1-932969-17-9
Packaged in a sturdy DVD case with a full-color jacket

Publisher

IRIS Media, Inc
258 E. 10th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97401
Toll free: 877-343-4747
Fax: 541-683-4335
www.lookiris.com
SAN 255-5242

Questions: Please contact Renee Garza (renee@lookiris.com) or Nell Caraway (nell@lookiris.com)

• The National Center for Education Statistics reports that five percent of students 12-to-18-year-olds avoided some school activities or locations out of fear.
• In an AARP study on teacher retention, teachers themselves identify working with challenging students as a significant reason they choose to leave the teaching profession.

Now, Systematic Supervision: A Positive Way to Monitor School Common Areas, a new video-based training program from IRIS Media, offers a complete training package that provides step-by-step guidance in how create safe and positive common areas. Developed with the Institute on Violence and Destructive Behavior at the University of Oregon, Systematic Supervision provides practical, easy-to-implement training that shows staff how to apply positive behavior support (PBS) strategies to:

• Build positive relationships with students
• Encourage positive behavior
• Respond appropriately to problem behavior
• Communicate effectively with all stakeholders (staff, students, and parents)

The Systematic Supervision training program is offered in two versions, one for middle school and one for high school. While the principles underlying each program are the same, the video program and related support materials are specific to grade-level and student needs, ensuring that staff can effectively use this PBS program with their students. Each program includes:

• training video on DVD and VHS
• 7-minute in-service training with co-author Stephen Smith
• 5-minute presentation and review about teaching rules and expectations (middle school only)
• trainer’s guide
• 20-page viewer’s guide
• set of five reminder cards
• online links to additional resources

For schools looking for a positive, school-wide approach to monitoring common areas, Systematic Supervision provides a complete training program that staff can begin using immediately. Perhaps staff who have used the program can say it best:

“Tried and true! We have found Systematic Supervision to be a useful, practical tool to assist school staff in their supervision of common areas. It has been used with multiple groups of people - administrators, teachers, classified staff - and has always proven to be tremendously successful.”
-Laura Zeff, Behavior Support Unit, Los Angeles Unified School District

"The Systematic Supervision video is a common sense approach for supervising hallways, the cafeteria, and other common areas of a high school. It provided our high school staff with straight-forward examples of positive reinforcement and how to deal with problem behaviors before they escalate. The two-minute rule is a nice reminder for all our staff, and I especially like how the authors diagram the moving and scanning techniques of active supervision."
-Charles Eisenriech, Assistant Principal, Technical High School, St. Cloud MN.

“....it has been really helpful to have access to these videos as we implement school-pbis in our state. They are very popular with our schools and timely in their availability.”
-Charlotte Ryan, Ph.D. State wide-PBIS Coordinator, Minnesota Department of Education

“As a trainer I have found this resource to be very beneficial to participants. It allows supervisors to connect with students in a positive manner that develops into a friendly connection with students. I recommend Systematic Supervision (Middle School) to be used with all school personnel who supervise students.”

“I highly recommend this learning tool (Systematic Supervision High School) for all educators, parents, and students. It is a practical learning tool that provides participants with strategies that they can use immediately in their school setting.”
-Kara Hill, State wide PBS Coordinator, Louisiana State University

Product Information

High School

Title: Systematic Supervision High School: A Positive Way to Monitor School Common Areas
Audience: All school staff, grades 9-12
Running Time: 27 minutes Language: English Release Date: Fall 2006 Price: $250
ISBN: 1-932969-15-2
Packaged in a sturdy plastic case with lively video-jacket graphics.

Middle School

Title:Systematic Supervision: A Positive Way to Monitor School Common Areas
Audience: All school staff, grades 6-8
Running Time: 30 minutes Language: English Release Date: Fall 2006 Price: $250
ISBN: 1-932969-16-0
Packaged in a sturdy plastic case with lively video-jacket graphics.

Publisher
IRIS Media, Inc.
258 East 10th, Suite B
Eugene OR 97401
Toll free: 877-343-4747
Fax: 541-683-4335
www.lookiris.com
SAN: 255-5042
Questions: Please contact or Renee Garza (renee@lookiris.com) or Nell Caraway (nell@lookiris.com) by email or at 541-343-4747.

7.5 million Americans with Intellectual Disabilities Get Help Fighting the US Epidemic of Obesity

It’s daily fare in the news:

• The number of overweight children six-years-old and up has tripled since 1980
• The number of overweight children two-to six-years-old has doubled since 1980
• Sixty-three percent of Americans are overweight or obese
• Only 37 percent of American adults participate in regular physical activity

We eat more, we weigh more, and we exercise less. And, as a result, our rates of serious disease have skyrocketed. Heart disease, now the leading cause of death in the United States, is twice as common in inactive people as in active people. Forty-one million Americans are pre-diabetic; most of these adults will develop Type 2 diabetes within ten years. Late onset Type 2 diabetes, once thought to be a disease of adults, is becoming more and more common in children and teens.

For most of us though, a solution is within reach. Research shows that as little as 30 minutes of exercise a day offers significant health benefits. Most adults and children have the intellectual ability to carve out some time and get moving by joining a health or sports club, following an exercise video, or reading a fitness book.

But for the 7.5 million Americans with intellectual disabilities, joining a club, reading a fitness book, or following along to a video is not so easy. Without programs tailored to this population’s needs and abilities, this group—with an obesity rate double that in the population at large—can find it difficult to find a fitness program that meets their needs.

The release of two new programs from IRIS Media:
• Work Out with Sonny and Pedro: Walk, Dance, and Stretch Your Way to Fitness and
• Walk Your Way to Fitness: Walk, Workout, Be Active for People with Intellectual Disabilities
has just made the job of finding an appropriate program a little bit easier. Both programs feature youth and adults with intellectual disabilities learning about and modeling healthy lifestyle and formal exercise activities.

Work Out with Sonny and Pedro is a nine-workout DVD that includes beginner and intermediate workouts, including walk workouts, strength and flexibility workouts, and dance workouts. Introduced by two animated characters, Sonny and her coach, Pedro the Pedometer, each routine provides a complete workout that tones the body and builds aerobic endurance. Each routine includes a warm-up, a workout, and a cool down.

Walk Your Way to Fitness is a three-disk program that includes two DVDs and one CD-ROM with a printable workbook. The first DVD features a walking class with two coaches who guide class members through nine group coaching sessions. Class members learn how to use a pedometer and strategies for maintaining a successful walking program. Animated characters, Sonny and Pedro, reinforce key concepts in a short cartoon at the end of each class. The second DVD includes the nine workouts featured on the Work Out with Sonny and Pedro DVD. The printable workbook on CD-ROM includes 80 fun activity pages that follow along with the nine walking-class sessions.

Funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, both programs were developed by IRIS Media’s team of experts in fitness and developmental disabilities and were evaluated by youth and adults with intellectual disabilities.

For families, public libraries, and schools or transitional living programs looking for well-designed programs tailored to the needs of youth and adults with intellectual disabilities, these two new releases from IRIS Media offer an engaging and effective option.

End

Product Information
Title: Work Out with Sonny and Pedro: Walk, Dance, & Stretch Your Way to Fitness
Age: 16 years and older
Running Time: 180 minutes
Language: English with English subtitles
Release Date: September 2006
ISBN: 1-932969-13-6
Price: $40.00

IRIS MEDIA AWARDED SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH GRANT TO DEVELOP "PARENTING THROUGH DIVORCE," AN ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAM

Eugene, Oregon, June 1, 2006—Divorce isn’t something that just happens between two adults. When children are in the picture, it’s the family that splits up, and it’s children who usually have the hardest time dealing with the loss, stress, guilt, anxiety, and upheaval of separation.

To help mitigate the impacts of divorce on children, IRIS Media, Inc., a Eugene, Oregon media development and behavioral research firm, has proposed and recently been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to develop and evaluate an online training program, Parenting Through Divorce. The goal of this program is to help recently divorced parents protect, support and educate their children while the family undergoes the divorce transition.

When complete, the Parenting Through Divorce online training program will allow parents to access an eight-module training course that integrates video demonstrations, interactive exercises, self-assessments and printable resources. The program will focus on family risk and protective factors, teaching adults how to handle parental stress and inter-parental conflict, and how to engage in proactive parenting practices. The program will also offer perspectives on child developmental needs, on learning practical skills, and on satisfying court-mandated parent-ed requirements

With over one million children in the United States experiencing family divorce annually, parent educators, child advocates, judges, lawyers, mediators working in the family court system are relying on parenting education as a way to protect and support children, yet little evidence-based materials are available.

Dr. Laura Backen Jones, Principal Investigator of the Parenting Through Divorce online training project, and a parenting educator herself had long noted this problem. “The court system in the United States is extremely concerned over the harm that children in divorcing families experience,” Dr. Jones notes. “As a result family courts frequently mandate parenting education when couples are in conflict. In spite of this, there are few practical, accessible, empirically-based training resources for strengthening and sustaining family processes associated with healthy adjustment of children from divorced families”.

Although there is great diversity in children’s post-divorce adjustment, the negative effects can be significant and persistent. Children aged five to 12 are especially vulnerable and often experience identity confusion, fears about the future, sadness, depression, struggles in school, and anger with parents. In the immediate months after parental separation, children grapple with changes in their life situation and in relationships within the family. Children face the risk of a loss of important relationships: close friends, extended family members, and, particularly, nonresident parents. Some children show enduring difficulties with approximately 20-25% of children of divorce showing serious mental health or life adjustment problems. In the words of Dr. Jones, “We hope to give divorcing parents the tools with which to remedy these problems and improve the outcome for children”.

Dr. Jones will lead a development and research evaluation team at IRIS Media. After producing the program, IRIS Media will conduct thorough field testing and evaluation by the target audience, divorcing parents, to determine program effectiveness and usability.

• Each year 200,000 children visit an emergency room hospital as a result of a playground injury.
• Every seven minutes a child is bullied at school.
• Children themselves report that the playground is the most common area where students are bullied.