St. Anthony Messenger Press and Ocean East Publishing have teamed up to make "Youth Update" available to Catholic teens in an interactive computer format, and everything is available online! |
What advantage does the association between St. Anthony Messenger Press and Ocean East Publishing bring to Searchlight® Software? Carol Ann Morrow, the former Assistant Editor for St. Anthony Messenger Press who oversaw the production of Youth Update, stated: "We always started with a topic rooted in the adolescent experience. There is no topic of concern to young people which is outside the Gospel message. We drew upon the wisdom of Scripture and the Tradition of the Church when crafting our Youth Updates. Additionally, Youth Update was created with the intention to empower, not condemn!" |
The rich Gospel content of the Youth Update is reinforced by the interactive learning system built into the software. |
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 interactive programs.
Michelle has a Master of Education Degree. 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.
Several years ago Ocean East Publishing launched a line of interactive educational software. The Searchlight® software products are faith formation interactives designed for use in Catholic schools, parishes, or home school settings. The Searchlight Virtual School is the company's latest undertaking.
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.
Ocean East Publishing has also developed a second line of Searchlight Software -- Searchlight On Character -- which was begun in 2003 with the introduction of Growing Up: A Character-Building Approach. This is an online character education program designed for pre-adolescents (Grades 5-6). While this program is non-religious, the values it teaches and the virtues it supports makes it a great supplement to any educational program.
Information you need before using the Searchlight® online programs • Need help? Contact us.
• 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
• 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.
© 2008 Ocean East Publishing
All rights reserved.
http://www.oepub.com
Webmaster: Michelle Willis
772-563-9457
E-mail the webmaster.