Searchlight® Software is a division of Ocean East Publishing, a private publishing enterprise established in 1991 by Bill and Michelle Willis. Michelle serves as Ocean East Publishing's Director of Project Development and has been the creative force behind all of the Searchlight software programs.
Michelle has a Master of Education Degree in Adult/Community Education. She taught Middle School Health Education for 11 years, High School Life Management for 4 years, and was a Middle School Curriculum Coordinator for 3 years.
She also served as the Director of Religious Education for St. John of the Cross Parish in Vero Beach, Florida from 1992 to 2007. She holds a Professional Certificate in Catechesis from the Diocese of Palm Beach, and is a member of the Diocesan School of Christian Formation teaching staff.
While serving as DRE in her own parish, Michelle established a Catechetical Enrichment Center, a small integrated technology center dedicated to catechesis and Christian formation. In this center parish students made use of the interactive programs she was developing. "It was because of the successful use of the computer programs in my own parish that I decided to develop them commercially and make them available to the wider Catholic community," Michelle explains. So Ocean East Publishing launched a line of interactive educational software. These Searchlight® software products were faith formation interactives designed for use in Catholic schools, parishes, or home school settings.
The Searchlight® Virtual School now serves adults, as well as youth, and provides everything via the internet. The Searchlight Virtual School offers online Catechsit Certification for parish catechists and Catholic school teachers, along with online adult faith formation and Advanced Catechsit Certification.
Book 1: What Is Adolescence? provides a foundation for understanding the changes and challenges of the preteen years. This first book focuses on developing strong character, recognizing one’s natural talents and abilities, and building self-confidence. Growing Up’s content, in combination with its rich interactivity, promotes effective parent/child communication on important life issues. Ages 9-12 |
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Growing Up – Book 2: Why Do I Feel This Way? outlines some of the physical, emotional, and social changes young people can expect as they approach adolescence. Physical changes, such as growing taller, are covered first. Glands, hormones, the pituitary gland in particular, and the growth hormone all play important roles in the physical maturation process. (Please Note: There are no sexual references in this material.) Ages 9-12 |
Attractive animations and lively sound effects combined with simple recognition and comparison activities add to the learning adventure. As they progress children choose prizes and earn stars, which adds a dimension of fun and accomplishment to the learning process. Ages 2-5 |
Even preschoolers as young as two will find mastering colors both entertaining and fun. Along the way they meet Elizabeth who dreams of beautiful butterflies that promise to return if she can name the right colors. Young readers are asked to come to her aid. By choosing the correct colors, they help Elizabeth see her butterfly friends again. Readers are also introduced to simple concepts such as mixing colors to make new colors and identifying the “primary” colors. Ages 2-5 |
Information you need before using the Searchlight® online programs
• High Speed Internet Connection: Do not try to use these programs online with a dial-up internet connection.
• You will also need three of the most current browser plug-ins installed on your computer:
- Shockwave® Player: It is a free online download, and you can obtain it from Adobe®: http://www.adobe.com/downloads. Download the most recent Shockwave Player and be certain you are downloading the one that matches your system, either Windows or Mac. You can also make some specific choices for particular internet browsers.
- Flash® Player: It is a free online download, and you can obtain it from Adobe: http://www.adobe.com/downloads. Download the most recent Flash Player and be certain you are downloading the one that matches your system.
- If you need either of these, your computer may give you a message regarding these players and automatically connect you to the appropriate download location when you try to open a Searchlight program.
- Adobe Acrobat® Reader is required for opening the online class materials. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, it is a free download from the Adobe Website. Download Free Acrobat Reader
- Need help? Contact us.
• Playback Efficiency: How well these programs function online is affected by the speed and power of the computer used to access them. Allow extra loading time when accessing the Searchlight Programs with older or slower computers. If the buttons flicker when you try to click, allow a little more download time, then try again. Also consider the following:
- If the program's display is larger than your screen allows, resize your browser window or increase your screen resolution to 1024 X 768 or higher. Be sure your speakers are on!
- To move around in the program, use the program's built-in controls, not your browser's back and forward buttons.
- To Quit: The programs will open in a separate window, so simply close the program's page.
- Note: If you have technical questions regarding the use of these programs, contact the webmaster. For contact info, click here.
The Searchlight® Virtual School
Engaging Catholics in the study of their faith and preparing them for today's challenges ... ONLINE!
The Searchlight® Virtual School is a division of Ocean East Publishing.
The Searchlight® Software programs presented on this web site are the property of Ocean East Publishing.
© 2009 Ocean East Publishing
All rights reserved.
http://www.oepub.com
Webmaster: Michelle Willis
772-563-9457
E-mail the webmaster