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William Allan Kritsonis, PhD & Tyrus L. Doctor - PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PV, Texas A&M University System

DOCTORAL FORUM

NATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PUBLISHING AND MENTORING DOCTORAL RESEARCH

VOLUME 6 NUMBER 1, 2009

 

Ayn Rand: To be Selfish or Not to be Selfish-

 That is the Question

 

Tyrus L. Doctor 

  PhD Student in Educational Leadership

Whitlowe R. Green College of Education          

 Prairie View A&M University

Prairie View, Texas

Associate Principal  

Mansfield Independent School District

  Mansfield, Texas 

 

 William Allan Kritsonis, PhD    

Professor and Faculty Mentor

Whitlowe R. Green College of Education

Prairie View A&M University

Prairie View, Texas

Member of the Texas A&M University System

Visiting Lecturer

Oxford Round Table

University of Oxford, Oxford, England

Distinguished Alumnus

 Central Washington University

College of Educational and Professional Studies

 

         

________________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                                                      

ABSTRACT

 

Ayn Rand’s The Virtue of Selfishness (1961) is comprised of a philosophy that defies the entire premise of what our education system is and shall be built upon.  The “Objectivist” perspective has depicted a clear distinction between the “Have’s” and the “Have Not’s” or the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.  The “Objectivist” perspective believes that the “Have’s” are entitled to that which others are not, which alarmingly includes education. The “Objectivist” philosophy would be detrimental in an already deteriorating educational system and would thus take part in its total demise.

________________________________________________________________________

 

Introduction

 

            In Ayn Rand’s The Virtue of Selfishness (1961), “Objectivists” view the education system as being doomed and irreparable. In their opinion, education is wasted on the Proletariat or working class and is essential to the Bourgeoisie or elite. They view the education system as a great entity like the engine invented by John Galt:  Here today, gone tomorrow.  This perspective that education is wasted on the poor or working class is in opposition to the entire American educational philosophy. As educators, our goal is to educate every child, so we relentlessly review data and develop programs that will assist us in reaching the needs of every child.  In education we often ask the complicated question: how can we effectively educate all students? With increased accountability for educators across the board due in part to “No Child Left Behind”, many educators are asking themselves whether that question is logical.  According to Chrisman (2005), many U.S. schools are being identified as low performing on the basis of low test scores.  So the question remains: “How can we improve the quality of education our students are receiving?”  Rand’s “Objectivist” answer would be if they can pay for school let them stay. If they can not, put them to work.  In the field of education and as an educator, to have this perspective would be to set up both our educations system and our students for failure. My position on education is that of an altruistic perspective and I am in opposition of the “objectivist” perspective having any place in education and having anyone involved in the process of educating others.

                                                         Purpose of the Article

             The purpose of this article is to discuss and provide readers with different altruistic practices that may be used by educators to improve our education system. This article will incorporate practices that will provide a positive outcome for our students.

We Can Improve

            We can improve the quality of the type of education students are receiving and the motivation behind their learning with the following: data-driven decisions, student engagement, educational values, character education, strong and positive educational leaders, competent and compassionate teachers, students feeling a sense of ownership with their school, and increased parental involvement.

 

 Data-Driven Decisions

 According to Ayn Rand (as cited in the Ayn Rand Institute, 2009, par. 4), “In order to live, man must act: in order to act, he must make choices; in order to make choices, he must define a code of values; in order to define a code of values, he must know what he is and where he is.”                                    

In order to determine the path you must take to achieve the ultimate goal of educating each child, you must “define a code of values”; you must interpret information to analyze where you are and where you must go.  Rand (as cited in the Ayn Rand Institute, 2009, par. 4) stated that one must “Know his own nature.”  We believe achieving the ultimate goal is imperative in education.  We seek strong, positive, and data-driven educational leaders. Strong educational leaders prepare their teachers by making sure they are teaching concepts and content, not “the test”.  This would be a perfect time to practice some of Ayn Rand’s ideologies of “selfishness”, but instead principals provide teachers and themselves with ample opportunities for staff development and other types of continued education. Educators understand and embrace the importance of educating all and providing those directly involved with educating our students with opportunities to develop new skills. Students’ educational and social needs change from day to day, so it is highly important for any person involved in the education of students to develop an epistemological sense of awareness. This sense of awareness will give us the instructional knowledge, determination, and foundation to become life-long learners, not just of our subject area, but of our students and their needs.  Valerie Chrisman (2005) observed schools in California to determine the similarities and differences between low performing schools that were able to improve test scores and low performing schools that were not able to improve.  When conducting this study, she asked principals from schools who improved student performance what they did to improve student achievement.  They stated that they let the data drive their decisions.  Becoming a data-driven school and educational leader is imperative for the success of students, teachers, educational leaders, and school districts. The data is factual; if you ignore it, you are simply ignoring the facts. 

Rand (1961) addressed the importance of debating or determining an objective by utilizing factual information, rather than emotional or illogical information (in the case of education) to determine the validity or need for certain programs.  To argue without facts or data would be an “ad hominem”, or a “fallacy consisting of attempting to refute an argument by impeaching the character of its proponent” (p.162).

Not only is it important for educational leaders to be data-driven, but teachers should utilize the data as well.  Schools in Chrisman’s study (2005) found that teachers were more successful when they used data from their students’ assessments to determine which instructional strategies and instructional environments encouraged student learning. These assessments provided teachers with the information needed to insure that students had the best opportunities for success.

 

Student Engagement

1. Blum (2005) agrees that establishing and holding our students to high expectations will help increase a sense of school connectedness.

It is my opinion that all of this will be null and void if we can not get our parents involved in the educational process of our students.  Students seek their parents’ approval and acceptance; if the parents are not there for this reinforcement, students will seek it from another source, and unfortunately, that source is usually not a positive one. 

Ayn Rand explains “individualism”, in any form, “is an objective requirement of man’s proper survival” (p.158).  Adopting this perspective will be detrimental to the entire school community. It is my interpretation that Ayn Rand believes that we must not “sacrifice” ourselves at the benefit of others, but to incorporate the lifestyle of that of a barter.  To have this “Survival of the Fittest” perspective will create a sense of division within the school community.  This form of division is predestined to cause low academic performance and possible violence within the school environment.

With strong, data-driven intervention programs and professional development opportunities for educators and actively engaged students, educational systems will improve the quality of student learning.

                                                    Educational Values

 Turn on the television, watch the news or any random television sitcom, open the newspaper, or go to the mall and you may be bombarded with the thought, “Where is John Galt” or "What has happened to our Axiology as a culture?" Have we determined that our values are no longer necessary to make appropriate decisions? Are we no longer concerned with metaphysics? It is no surprise that moral and ethical educational issues are of increasing concern. I have read several articles that discuss the importance of educators addressing the issues of moral standards and ethical decision-making skills, which Ferrero (2005) supports with his assertion that a student gaining a sense of self empathy and empathy for others is non-negotiable. The crime rate has risen in many cities across the world because some students and adults do not have the skills needed to make ethical decisions.  According to Ayn Rand (1961), “Every living being is an end to himself, not the means to the ends of the welfare of others” (p. 30).  It is this type of mentality that floods the minds of criminals.  This laissez- faire attitude toward the well- being of others is, in my opinion, the underlying cause of the increasing crime rates in most American cities, which unfortunately filters into our school systems. It is Ayn Rand’s (1961) own statement that a person’s “…senses…do not tell him what will benefit his life or endanger it, what goals he should pursue and what means they will achieve them, what values his life depends on…” actually supports the necessity for schools to implement values and ethics into educating the whole child (p.21).

 

Character Education

 

            There is no time like the present to teach character education and moral education. If we have never needed this before, we need it now. Some of our youth are not equipped with the skills needed to make quality decisions. In the time of conflict, many students turn to violence to solve the issue. Even Ayn Rand (1961) asserts that “…what [man] will consider good or evil…what he will love or hate…depends on his standard of value” (p.31).  It makes sense that in adopting the concept of character and / or moral educations, districts are equipping their students with the skills needed to handle conflict appropriately since one’s reaction to a conflict depends on one’s “standard of value.”

Conflict resolution skills provide students with a nonviolent alternative to resolving issues with others. Joseph and Efron (2005) group this as a component of “peace education” (p.528).  The purpose of peace education is to introduce students to conflict resolution, peace studies, environmental education, global education, and human rights education. In essence, “They will examine the causes of war, develop a sense of appreciation and respect of those who are different from them, and understand basic human rights" (Joseph & Efron, 2005, p.528). These components are extremely important in developing ideal citizens for our communities. Students who have been introduced to these components will, in my opinion, gain a sense of empathy and respect for others.

            Although I believe that character/ moral education is a key factor in developing students' moral values, I also know that character education alone will not complete the task. As David Ferrero, (2005) states in Pathways to Reform: Start with Values, "philosophy" is a crucial and highly overlooked source. Ferrero (2005) explains philosophy as "the beliefs and values that create a sense of what makes life worth living, and therefore what is worth teaching and how we should teach" (p.8) The concepts and content that should be discussed and taught according to our Texas Essential and Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) are important, but should not be the end of our educational process of students. We must address the whole student. As educators, we are ineffective if we do not develop educated and productive members of society. We must strive to do both: educate on content and educate on values. I can not recall one educator, as Ferrero states, who went into education with the thought of increasing test scores. I decided education was my calling because I wanted to become a positive influence on students; it is my interpretation and perspective that I can not do this if I fall true to the “Objectivist” perspective identified in Ayn Rand’s The Virtues of Selfishness (1961).

 

What Can Educators do to Help Students Become Caring, Morally Responsible People?

 

            It is important to model that of altruism, the perspective which emphasizes the idea that “self-sacrifice and service to others is the highest moral duty” (Rand, p. 38).  Providing students with opportunities to see others act in unselfish ways will give them more positive and resourceful means to emulate.

           

Concluding Remarks

 

1. We all must recall the reasons that we chose education as our field of study and career. Hopefully, we all come to the conclusion that we are here for the students. We must not betray them by neglecting the entire person. We must develop both their desire to achieve a higher education and a desire to be a productive and positive member of society. We must guide each student, as Ayn Rand states, to develop into a “…rational being through the whole of his lifespan—in all those aspects of existence which are open to his choice” (p. 26).                                               

 

References

 

Ayn Rand Institute (2009). What makes Ayn Rand’s philosophy unique?  Ayn Rand Education. Retrieved February 7, 2009, from http://aynrandeducation.com/Ideas.php

Blum, R. (2005, April). A case of school connectedness. Educational Leadership, 62(7), 16-19.

Chrisman, V. (2005, February). How schools sustain success. Educational Leadership, 62 (5), 16-20.

Ferrero, D.  (2005, February). Pathways to reform: Start with values. Educational Leadership, 62(5), 8-15.          

Gray, H. (2007, March). As diversity grows, so must we. Educational Leadership, 64(6), 16-22.

Joseph, P. B., & Efron, S. (2005, March). Seven worlds of moral education, Phi Delta Kappan, 86(7), 528.

Rand, A. (1961). The virtue of selfishness. New York: Signet.

 

1. Formatted by Dr. Mary Alice Kritsonis, National Research and Manuscript Preparation Editor, National FORUM Journals, Houston, Texas   www.nationalforum.com

About the Author

Dr. Kritsonis Recognized as Distinguished Alumnus

In 2004, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis was recognized as the Central Washington University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies. Dr. Kritsonis was nominated by alumni, former students, friends, faculty, and staff. Final selection was made by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Recipients are CWU graduates of 20 years or more and are recognized for achievement in their professional field and have made a positive contribution to society. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Central Washington University among the top elite public institutions in the west. CWU was 12th on the list in the 2006 On-Line Education of “America’s Best Colleges.”

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HALion 3.1 Educational Edition $149.99 HALion means a revolution in the world of virtual studio samplers. Never before has a software sampler been more intuitive and productive. A new, unprecedented navigation system and drag and drop makes working with your samples faster and easier than ever. Pristine sound quality is achieved through 32 bit support and various filter types with a cutoff slope of up to 24 dB. Sample accurate timing and seamless integration with Cubase VST makes HALion the perfect sampler for optimizing your workflow within the VST system. Features include: 16 way multitimbrality 12 virtual outputs waveloop editor Over 1600MB sample content from (:wizoo:) and eLAB AKAI, E MU, REX, SF2, LM 4 Script, SDII and GIGA import

Animate (Educational) for Mac,Win $269.95 The digital animator's natural companion Toon Boom Animate is a unique end to end vector based animation software that includes content creation, compositing and delivery to audiences across media. Ideal for professional animators, boutique studios, students and educators, it's a complete digital animation application. The easiest way to Animate Toon Boom Animate adapts to your creative ways whether you are trained in traditional or digital animation. It also supports most standard formats for seamless asset transfer and multi channel digital output An easy addition to the existing arsenal Toon Boom Animate user friendliness and advanced creative capabilities make it a cool addition to your animation toolkit. Its shortcut sets fit so nicely into your friendly circle of Adobe products and animation techniques that you will feel comfortable in minutes. The best animation toolset, period Animate brings together the most advanced animation feature set available on the market, all embedded in a flexible environment: vector, bitmap, symbols, pegs, camera, morphing, inverse kinematics and advanced lip sync to name just a few.

Leapster Educational Game: The Incredibles $20.95 Boost your brainpower when you join the Incredibles in a top secret mission to save the planet. In this action packed learning game, you'll enter five worlds with the superhero family and use math and spelling to defeat a treacherous plot. All Leapster games work with all Leapster Learning Game Systems (Leapster, Leapster L Max and Leapster TV). © Disney Enterprises, Inc/Pixar Animation Studios

RM Easiteach Educational Games for Win $55 The RM Easiteach Games content pack contains 14 fun and exciting educational games that have been especially designed for use with interactive whiteboards and which are targeted at the Elementary School grades. Some are word games, some practice math skills, and others test students knowledge. To win the games, you will need to use logic and strategy! RM Easiteach Games are flexible to use. Teams, individuals or groups of students can all play either at the whiteboard or on a PC. Students can even create questions for other students to solve. Word Wall Can you build a wall of words? Word Wall challenges students to use a set of letters to make as many words as possible in the time limit. Word Wall is a fun way to practice spelling and to learn new vocabulary. Number Bingo Number Bingo brings fun and teamwork to practicing arithmetic. It isn't just a case of ticking off numbers you must first do the calculations to find out what the numbers are! Line of Four Line of Four is an absorbing strategy game for two players or teams, easy to learn but subtle to play. Outsmart your opponents in the race to place four crosses in a row! Trapdoor Trapdoor is a tense and exciting game that requires quick fire math skills. Two competing teams must correctly answer questions as their own time clock runs down. The team whose timer runs out first is set for the drop! Find Five Find Five is a math game. And a Language Arts game. And a Social Studies And... well, it can be about anything you want, either using the content provided or creating your own questions. Each team must pick all five correct choices inside the time limit, or the challenge passes to the other team. Now, which of those choices were incorrect? Pirate Ships Pirate Ships is a word strategy game for two teams or two individual players. The goal is simple: find your opponent's ships and sink them all! However, hitting the targets isn't just a matter of luck the teams need to use their knowledge of words and spelling rules to win. Hit the Target Can you hit the target? When it comes to strategies for addition and subtraction you need to be right on target. You can adjust the difficulty level and time limit to provide an exciting challenge for two teams or two individual players. The Lost Jungle This journey through the jungle is fun for both younger and older students. Younger students can count aloud as they move from square to square; older students can be challenged with timed tasks. Pyramid Puzzler Pyramid puzzler challenges you to put a set of items in the correct order as quickly as possible. You can play this versatile game with the examples provided or create questions of your own. Word Search Creator Word search creator is a quick and dynamic tool for creating and playing interactive word searches. You can play the game with the examples provided, or create and save word searches of your own on any topic that you choose. System Requirements: For Windows: Microsoft Windows X

RM Easiteach Educational Games for Mac $55 The RM Easiteach Games content pack contains 14 fun and exciting educational games that have been especially designed for use with interactive whiteboards and which are targeted at the Elementary School grades. Some are word games, some practice math skills, and others test students knowledge. To win the games, you will need to use logic and strategy! RM Easiteach Games are flexible to use. Teams, individuals or groups of students can all play either at the whiteboard or on a PC. Students can even create questions for other students to solve. Word Wall Can you build a wall of words? Word Wall challenges students to use a set of letters to make as many words as possible in the time limit. Word Wall is a fun way to practice spelling and to learn new vocabulary. Number Bingo Number Bingo brings fun and teamwork to practicing arithmetic. It isn't just a case of ticking off numbers you must first do the calculations to find out what the numbers are! Line of Four Line of Four is an absorbing strategy game for two players or teams, easy to learn but subtle to play. Outsmart your opponents in the race to place four crosses in a row! Trapdoor Trapdoor is a tense and exciting game that requires quick fire math skills. Two competing teams must correctly answer questions as their own time clock runs down. The team whose timer runs out first is set for the drop! Find Five Find Five is a math game. And a Language Arts game. And a Social Studies And... well, it can be about anything you want, either using the content provided or creating your own questions. Each team must pick all five correct choices inside the time limit, or the challenge passes to the other team. Now, which of those choices were incorrect? Pirate Ships Pirate Ships is a word strategy game for two teams or two individual players. The goal is simple: find your opponent's ships and sink them all! However, hitting the targets isn't just a matter of luck the teams need to use their knowledge of words and spelling rules to win. Hit the Target Can you hit the target? When it comes to strategies for addition and subtraction you need to be right on target. You can adjust the difficulty level and time limit to provide an exciting challenge for two teams or two individual players. The Lost Jungle This journey through the jungle is fun for both younger and older students. Younger students can count aloud as they move from square to square; older students can be challenged with timed tasks. Pyramid Puzzler Pyramid puzzler challenges you to put a set of items in the correct order as quickly as possible. You can play this versatile game with the examples provided or create questions of your own. Word Search Creator Word search creator is a quick and dynamic tool for creating and playing interactive word searches. You can play the game with the examples provided, or create and save word searches of your own on any topic that you choose. System Requirements: For MacIntosh: OSX 10.3.9 or lat

Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, 4th Edition $82.95 This new edition of Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, 4th edition, by M.D. Roblyer, provides hands on practice with technology tools to illustrate how to integrate technology into the curriculum to support and shape learning. The author's five part Technology Integration Planning Model (TIP Model) shows teachers how to create an environment in which technology can effectively enhance learning. For this 4th edition, the author has developed a cohesive, comprehensive technology integration framework that builds on the strong research, the TIP model, and the numerous integration strategies of previous editions, and includes powerful classroom video clips of effective use of technology to shape learning. Author: Margaret D. Roblyer Published: July 2005 ISBN: 0 13 119572 7 480 Pages

Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice, 8th Edition $99.95 The Eighth Edition of this popular text from renowned educational psychologist Robert Slavin translates theory into practices that teachers can use in their classrooms with a further inquiry into the concept of intentionality and a thorough integration of standards. This edition continues to have in depth, practical coverage with a focus on the intentional teacher by presenting up to the minute research that a reflective, intentional teacher can apply. An "intentional teacher," according to Slavin, is one who constantly reflects on his or her practice and makes instructional decisions based on a clear conception of how these practices affect students. To help readers become "intentional teachers," the author offers a set of questions to guide them and models best practices through classroom examples. Firmly rooted in research, up to date theory, and classroom tested applications, Educational Psychology prepares teachers as no other text does. It teaches them to think about how students develop and learn, to make decisions before and during instruction, and to consider what constitutes evidence that their students are learning and succeeding. This edition includes a new focus on reflection, new cases, sections on brain research, programs for language minority students, technology, No Child Left Behind, and after school and summer school programs. It contains new critiques of assessment and accountability strategies and a substantially updated treatment of programming for students with special needs. Author: Robert E. Slavin Published: May 2005 ISBN: 0 205 45531 X 640 Pages

eno mini Interactive Slate (with Complete Stylus Kit and Educational Software) for Mac,Win $499.95 eno mini Interactive Slate (with Complete Stylus Kit and Educational Software) for Mac,Win

MacSpeech Dictate (Educational Edition) for Mac $169.95 Welcome to the brand new MacSpeech Dictate, the premier speech recognition solution for the Macintosh. Written from the ground up for the Mac, MacSpeech Dictate's features, accuracy, and capabilities make it as fun, productive, and intuitive to use as the Mac itself. #### Amazing Accuracy MacSpeech Dictate will astonish you with its accuracy. You simply talk and leave the recognition to MacSpeech Dictate. Minimal Training Require MacSpeech Dictate provides astounding accuracy and productivity. With just five minutes or less of training, you'll be using MacSpeech Dictate's superior capabilities. #### Essential Command Capabilities Instead of using your mouse to select menu commands or your keyboard to type shortcuts, just speak a command. MacSpeech Dictate executes it for you. What could be easier? #### Uses the Legendary Dragon Speech Recognition Engine by Nuance At the core of MacSpeech Dictate is the world renowned Dragon speech recognition engine by Nuance. It's the brains and brawn behind MacSpeech Dictate's phenomenal accuracy capabilities. #### Works With The Apps You Already Have Microsoft Word, Adobe Photoshop, QuarkXPress, and more. And MacSpeech Dictate works great with Apple's applications as well, including iChat, Mail, iPhoto, Keynote, and more. #### Comes With Everything You Need, Including Headphones There are no hidden costs. MacSpeech Dictate includes everything you need to be instantly productive as soon as start using it, including a high quality headphone/microphone unit. #### Built Especially For The Mac Mac users expect only the best from the applications they use on their Macs. MacSpeech Dictate was built from the ground up to ensure the ultimate experience for Mac users.

Sibelius 6 Educational for Mac,Win $249 Sibelius 6 is a giant leap forward in notation software – with amazing new features and improvements for educators, students, composers, arrangers, copyists and musicians of all kinds. Features: Magnetic Layout takes care of almost every detail of score layout for you so effortlessly, you'll hardly notice. As you write, it gives everything just the right amount of space and avoids collisions – producing beautiful results. This one feature saves you up to half your writing time. Track changes and compare versions: Have you ever written something better the first time around? Versions keeps track of revisions to your score, lets you look back at earlier versions of it, and see what changes were made since. Collaboration becomes a joy, and you can even add sticky Comments to leave notes for yourself, or others. Conduct your scores It's time to take to the podium! Live Tempo lets you conduct the playback of your score to produce a nuanced, musical performance. Simply tap a key on your computer keyboard, MIDI keyboard or foot pedal, and Sibelius follows your beat. Great new sounds – in no time High quality playback now needs no set up at all – just hit the space bar, and Sibelius plays back using amazing sampled sounds. High quality playback is more seamlessly integrated than ever, thanks to the latest technology from Digidesign's AIR team. Sync with sequencers and DAWs Add a live performance to an audio recording, or sync a recording with your score playback. You can do all of this and more thanks to ReWire support, which lets you sync Sibelius playback with products like Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, GarageBand and more. Beautiful Keyboard & Fretboard windows If you prefer using a keyboard or guitar to notation, these beautiful new windows are ideal. Simply click on the keys or frets to input notes and chords – or ‘play' your computer's QWERTY keys just like a piano! They're great for teaching, too. Easy chord symbols & guitar diagrams Chord symbols and guitar chord diagrams can now be created quicker than ever from your computer keyboard, MIDI keyboard or MIDI guitar. They also feature many enhancements and extra notations, including guitar scale diagrams. Unrivalled pro engraving Sibelius 6 lets you produce scores so stunning, they're virtually works of art. Slurs are now the most beautiful and controllable of any program. Stemlets and beamed rests can be added and positioned instantly, as can arpeggio lines. Sibelius 6 will even include cautionary accidentals automatically – helping you produce performance ready scores every time. Sell your scores around the world Only with Sibelius: The brand new SibeliusMusic.com makes it even easier for you to earn an income from electronic sales of your scores around the world. Or you can just share and exchange scores with fellow musicians and Sibelius users. People have been asking for years about inputting music from a microphone – and AudioScore lets you do just that! Developed by Neuratr

AmpliTube 2 (Educational) for Mac,Win $229.95 AmpliTube is a powerful new tool for guitar players that puts a virtually unlimited array of tones and effects at your fingertips. AmpliTube's stomp box, post effects and amp simulation capabilities make it easy to craft everything from rich, vintage tones to unique cutting edge sounds. IK's unprecedented all range buy one get one free! From November 15th till December 31st 2008, every IK user that purchases one full or crossgrade version from IK's full range of products will receive one product of equal or lesser value free via download from IK website. Please download and read the promotion information sheet located to the right in the additional resources box. AmpliTube includes 3 Powerful Modules: Amp module Stomp Boxes module Post FX module More possibilities than any other amp simulator! AmpliTube offers1260 astonishing amp combinations! NO OTHER HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE allows you to combine amp models like AmpliTube. For example, you can blend a Fender Super Reverb's Pre Amp and EQ with a VOX AC30 Amp AND a Marshall 4x12" cabinet to get amazing guitar sounds. Powerful Amp Module with Pre Amps, Power Amps, EQs, Cabs and Mic Models! The Amp Module is the heart of this advanced audio software. The Amp Module makes it easy to combine 7 different Pre Amp models, 5 EQs, 4 Power Amps, 9 Cabinets and 2 Mic models to precisely craft your favorite amp sounds. The most acclaimed modern and vintage amp emulations are all built in, and AmpliTube's friendly interface makes it easy to create a mind blowing 1,260 different configurations with combinations of any of these settings! The AmpliTube Amp module uses sophisticated modeling techniques based on vintage and modern must have amps including Marshall, Fender, Vox, Mesaboogie and many more. Its 32 bit floating point processing ensures the most accurate amp emulations and offers an incredible realism ranging from solid state to true tube amps modeling. The Amp module also includes a Tremolo and Spring Reverb, making it easy to add these essential effects. Built in Mic Modeling for Accuracy and Flexibility! The axis and placement of recording microphones is a critical factor in tailoring final amp sounds. AmpliTube ensures the most accurate emulation by allowing users to select the type (condenser/dynamic), axis and placement of the recording microphone for maximum sonic quality and flexibility. Integrated Effects Expand Your Sonic Landscape AmpliTube features 10 classic, analog stomp and rack style effects to add an arsenal of unlimited sonic possibilities to your bag of guitar tricks. With multiple amps, premium effects and complete control over your sound, AmpliTube provides all the tools you'll need to create original sounds that will take your music to new levels. System Requirements Macintosh HTDM, RTAS A Digidesign qualified G3 or G4 Power Macintosh (G4 suggested) running Pro Tools 24 MIX, Pro Tools 24 MIX Plus, Pro Tools 24 Mix (with Pro Tools software 5.1 or later), Pro Tools HD (w

Ampeg SVX (Educational) for Mac,Win $159.95 Ampeg, a pioneer of bass amplification, and IK Multimedia, a leader in amp modeling plug in technology, have teamed up to provide you with legendary, signature Ampeg bass amp tones in a software plug in. IK's unprecedented all range buy one get one free! From November 15th till December 31st 2008, every IK user that purchases one full or crossgrade version from IK's full range of products will receive one product of equal or lesser value free via download from IK website. Please download and read the promotion information sheet located to the right in the additional resources box. Mix and match between amps and cabinets of the most sought after Ampeg gear to produce 24 amazing bass amp combinations. Plus, you'll have a complete bass pedalboard with 6 fully configurable stomp effects. In addition, select among 8 classic bass effects crafted after classic Ampeg stomps and other must have vintage gear. Add a tuner and separate direct/amped signal path for a complete software bass rig. It has over 20 bass gear emulations, including classic Ampeg bass amp models like the SVT Classic, B 15R Portaflex "Flip Top", BA 500, and SVT 4PRO. Select from Ampeg stomps like the SPC OCT Octaver or the SCP OD Overdrive, or cabinets like the SVT 410H or SVT 810E, powered by AmpliTube's unique DSM (Dynamic Saturation Modeling) technology. For the first time any musician, songwriter, and producer can have a complete, "all in one" solution for bass recording. Not just for bass players, Ampeg SVX will give you that great bass sound you just can't get by plugging directly into a console or computer. IK Multimedia Ampeg SVX Plug in Education Edition Specifications: System Requirements: Power PC based Macintosh Minimal: 866 MHz G4 processor, 512 MB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.4 or later. Suggested: dual 1.25 GHz G4 or G5 processor, 1 GB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.4 or later. Supported Plug in formats: AU, VST, RTAS. Ampeg SVX RTAS requires ProTools 7.0 or later. Intel based Macintosh Minimal: 1.5 GHz Intel Core Solo processor, 512 MB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later. Suggested: 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 1 GB of RAM, Mac OS X 10.4.4 or later. Supported Plug in formats: AU, VST, RTAS. Windows Minimal: Pentium 1GHz / Athlon XP 1.33 GHz, 512 MB of RAM, Windows XP. Suggested: Pentium 2.4 GHz / Athlon XP 1.33 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, Windows XP. Supported Plug in formats: VST, RTAS. Ampeg SVX RTAS requires ProTools 7.0 or later. IK Multimedia Ampeg SVX Plug in Education Edition Features: 4 Modules: Tuner, Stomp, Amp, Cabinet+Mic selection and placement 4 signature Ampeg bass amps modeled 6 signature Ampeg cabinet models 6 Microphone models 24 bass amp combinations 8 analog modeled stomps High precision Tuner Ultra accurate analog modeling with DSM technology Plug in and standalone version Includes X GEAR

RiffWorks Standard (Educational) for Mac,Win $79.95 Riffworks guitar software makes recording fun and easy with an intuitive recording interface, InstantDrummer, effects, online jamming, and instant podcasting. Riffworks lets you capture ideas at the moment of inspiration. Set a tempo and start recording by strumming your guitar. Experiment with song structure using a simple riff based workflow. Tracks are created automatically as you play. Record multiple takes or layer parts without stopping the creative flow. IK's unprecedented all range buy one get one free! From November 15th till December 31st 2008, every IK user that purchases one full or crossgrade version from IK's full range of products will receive one product of equal or lesser value free via download from IK website. Please download and read the promotion information sheet located to the right in the additional resources box. RiffWorks is an inspiration platform with a familiar interface that looks like fun gear, not like a complicated DAW. RiffWorks is easy, fun and productive because the focus is on playing, not engineering. Record efficiently, stay creative, produce high quality songs, jam online, and podcast your tunes without ever putting down your guitar. Add tempo matched backups with the included InstantDrummer, Rex player, ReWire mixer, and metronome. InstantDrummer provides easy access to full kit studio drum recordings—no programming necessary! Include up to 7 studio quality effects per layer including wah, multiband distortion, modulation, delay, reverb, compression, and British style EQ. Rifflink online jamming Record and collaborate with musicians from all over the world using the RiffLink interface integrated into RiffWorks. Any musician can join your session and work with you at the same time on the same song. There's even a built in chat client. Each layer is instantly streamed to other current users as well as saved on the server for users who wish to contribute later. Riffcaster broadcasting Instantly podcast your songs using the free RiffCaster broadcasting service that is integrated into RiffWorks. Mix Options: WAV (.wav) files perfect for burning a CD, or using a third party program like iTunes to convert to mp3 OggVorbis (.ogg) files a modern, free replacement for the mp3 format. Most sound player applications either have support built in or there are plug ins available Mix to Riff bounce multiple riffs down to one layer in a single riff Riff based Workflow Record a complete song in bite sized pieces (Riffs). This unique and fun way to record facilitates experimentation with song structure. Each Riff can include different backups, effects, tempos, lengths, and layers Automatic Track Creation & Loop Recording A new layer is created each time you start recording as well as each time a Riff loops. Stack layers on top of each other (bass, guitar, vocals) to create a full Riff sound. Use this looping feature to quickly double up your tracks, do multiple takes, etc. Each layer has several controls

StealthPlug Educational Edition for Mac,Win $89.95 StealthPlug is a simple solution for getting your aspiring music students introduced to the world of software based amp/effects modeling and recording. It's the first audio interface for guitar and bass integrated into a convenient 1/4" jack to USB cable with full input/output processing for your PC or Mac. It's so easy to use, your students can plug it into a computer as they would plug into an amplifier, and they're essentially ready to rock. IK's unprecedented all range buy one get one free! From November 15th till December 31st 2008, every IK user that purchases one full or crossgrade version from IK's full range of products will receive one product of equal or lesser value free via download from IK website. Please download and read the promotion information sheet located to the right in the additional resources box. StealthPlug includes the new, easy to use, award winning AmpliTube 2 Live standalone and plug in for whatever recording software you teach on. Fully MIDI controllable, it has 5 guitar and bass amp combinations of the most sought after gear, 11 effects, mic modeling with 2 microphones and position controls, a built in tuner, and more than 128 customizable user presets. Plus, the standalone version also offers the new SpeedTrainer, an integrated audio player with pitch and speed control for playing with or learning popular songs. Four additional software and sound packages bundled with the StealthPlug make it one of the most affordable and complete hardware/software solution for playing, practicing, and recording on the market. First there's Tracktion 2.1 by Mackie which allows for composing and recording with a full audio/MIDI sequencer. Secondly, students can fine tune their work with IK's acclaimed T RackS 6 band mastering EQ. The third bundled item is IK's SampleTank 2 SE sound workstation and its 64 sounds which help with writing and arranging MIDI tracks. Last, but not least, it has a staggering 500MB of Sonic Reality loops with guitar, bass, and drum loops to use within songs or play along with. Free AmpliTube X Gear download StealthPlug users can now download for free AmpliTube X GEAR, a completely expandable guitar amp and effects modeling software system available as a plug in and standalone version for Mac/PC. It allows mixing and matching between all the gear models from all current and future "Powered by AmpliTube" products in a single host interface; providing seamless control over every parameter directly from IK's StompIO USB floor controller and audio interface. X GEAR gives users the ability to build the ultimate mega rig of truly custom guitar and bass tones, live and in the studio. Moreover, by purchasing this education edition of the StealthPlug you will also be eligible for upgrades/crossgrades to the the full versions of the included software and the entire IK range at highly reduced prices, making the StealthPlug a great value for any music teacher. IK Multimedia StealthPlug Education Edition Features:

ARC System (Educational) for Mac,Win $469.95 In the world of music recording, the combination of monitoring audio speakers and the room's acoustics can be the biggest barrier to accuracy. Instead of hearing the music you are producing, you actually get a distorted sound created by the partial absorption of output reflected in the walls, ceilings, furniture, and surrounding objects in the recording studio. With many Digital Audio Workstation home recording situations, this is especially troubling, until now. IK's unprecedented all range buy one get one free! From November 15th till April 30th 2009, every IK user that purchases one full or crossgrade version from IK's full range of products will receive one product of equal or lesser value free via download from IK website. Please download and read the promotion information sheet located to the right in the additional resources box. IK Multimedia and sound equalization solution leader, Audyessy, have teamed up to give you the first room correction system in a plug in form for DAW studios, the ARC System. What is it? Using Audessey's MultEQ technology, the included calibrated measurement microphone, measurement software, and multi platform correction plug in measures acoustical information throughout the listening area of your studio. It sniffs out the sweet spots and dead area then combines this collected information to correct both time and frequency response problems, so you'll get a clearer, more reliable representation of your musical mix. With the ARC System, the improvement in your studio sound will be fairly instant and can be adjusted when new bodies, instruments, and other objects change the acoustic properties of your recording space. Finally, you'll be able to trust that what you hear is what you're recording. This means faster recording schedules, more honest mixes, and better results all the way around. IK Multimedia ARC System Features: ARC System includes Easy to use, step by step, room measurement software for Mac/PC VST, RTAS, AU correction plug in for Mac/PC most popular DAWs Professional 1/4" precision measurement condenser microphone ARC System Measurement Software Automatic multi point room measurement system, wizard based, based on Audyssey MultEQ technology Measurement precision when used with ARC System microphone: +/ 1.5 dB Requires 48 kHz operation (only for measurements) Requires ASIO Audio Hardware on Windows Vista or XP, CoreAudio on Mac OS X Saves Measurements sets to be opened on the ARC System Correction Plug In ARC System Correction Plug In Multi platform high quality frequency and time correction processor based on Audyssey MultEQ technology Correction precision when used with ARC System microphone: +/ 1.5 dB Correction processor resolution: 32 bits floating point Correction processor supported sampling rates: 32 kHz to 96 kHz Four target curves Graphic Frequency response display IK Multimedia ARC System Specifications: Power PC based Macs Minimum: 866 MHz G4 processor, 512 MB of RAM, Mac O

Auto-Tune Evo Native - (Educational) $279 Hailed as a "holy grail of recording," by Recording magazine (and adopted worldwide as the largest selling audio plug in of all time), Auto Tune corrects intonation problems in vocals or solo instruments, in real time, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive nuance of the original performance with audio quality so pristine that the only difference between what goes in and what comes out is the intonation. All with a user interface that is a model of clarity, speed and ease of use. For most common pitch problems, Auto Tune Evo's Automatic Mode instantaneously detects the pitch of the input, identifies the closest pitch in a user specified scale (including minor, major, chromatic and 26 historical and microtonal scales), and corrects the input pitch to match the scale pitch. A Retune Speed control lets you match the retune rate to virtually any performance style. For meticulous tweaking, the Graphical Mode displays the performance's detected pitch envelope and allows you to specify the desired pitch using a variety of graphics tools. This mode gives complete control over the correction or modification of the most elaborate expressive gestures. Auto Tune is used daily by thousands of audio professionals around the world. Whether to save studio and editing time, ease the frustration of endless retakes, to save that otherwise once in a lifetime performance, or to create striking special effects, Auto Tune Evo is the tool of choice. What's New in Auto Tune Evo While Auto Tune's patented technology has always provided unmatched speed, accuracy, and audio quality, for Auto Tune Evo, Dr. Andy's gone back to the proverbial drawing board to create a seriously evolved voice processing technology that takes advantage of the hugely more powerful computers that are now the norm for digital audio recording. The result is Evo Voice Processing Technology, offering powerful new features and capabilities along with pitch detection and correction that is substantially more accurate and reliable over a much wider range of audio input quality. Key Features Dramatically enhanced core technology: Evo Voice Processing Technology takes advantage of the power of today's computers to provide powerful new features and enhanced tracking and correction capabilities. Redesigned user interface: Continuing the process begun with Auto Tune 5, we have again refined the Auto Tune user interface to allow for smoother, more intuitive workflow. Reorganized common controls: With the addition of the new pitch shifting, formant correction, and throat modeling capabilities, we have reorganized the common control area to ensure that all of the parameters used by both Automatic and Graphical correction modes are easily available at all times. System Requirements: Macintosh Version Pro Tools 7.x or later Pro Tools 7.2 or later required for Graphical Mode sync Mac OS 10.4.11 or later as required by your version of Pro Tools PC Version Pro Tools

Auto-Tune Evo TDM - (Educational) $454 Hailed as a "holy grail of recording," by Recording magazine (and adopted worldwide as the largest selling audio plug in of all time), Auto Tune corrects intonation problems in vocals or solo instruments, in real time, without distortion or artifacts, while preserving all of the expressive nuance of the original performance with audio quality so pristine that the only difference between what goes in and what comes out is the intonation. All with a user interface that is a model of clarity, speed and ease of use. For most common pitch problems, Auto Tune Evo's Automatic Mode instantaneously detects the pitch of the input, identifies the closest pitch in a user specified scale (including minor, major, chromatic and 26 historical and microtonal scales), and corrects the input pitch to match the scale pitch. A Retune Speed control lets you match the retune rate to virtually any performance style. For meticulous tweaking, the Graphical Mode displays the performance's detected pitch envelope and allows you to specify the desired pitch using a variety of graphics tools. This mode gives complete control over the correction or modification of the most elaborate expressive gestures. Auto Tune is used daily by thousands of audio professionals around the world. Whether to save studio and editing time, ease the frustration of endless retakes, to save that otherwise once in a lifetime performance, or to create striking special effects, Auto Tune Evo is the tool of choice. What's New in Auto Tune Evo While Auto Tune's patented technology has always provided unmatched speed, accuracy, and audio quality, for Auto Tune Evo, Dr. Andy's gone back to the proverbial drawing board to create a seriously evolved voice processing technology that takes advantage of the hugely more powerful computers that are now the norm for digital audio recording. The result is Evo Voice Processing Technology, offering powerful new features and capabilities along with pitch detection and correction that is substantially more accurate and reliable over a much wider range of audio input quality. Key Features Dramatically enhanced core technology: Evo Voice Processing Technology takes advantage of the power of today's computers to provide powerful new features and enhanced tracking and correction capabilities. Redesigned user interface: Continuing the process begun with Auto Tune 5, we have again refined the Auto Tune user interface to allow for smoother, more intuitive workflow. Reorganized common controls: With the addition of the new pitch shifting, formant correction, and throat modeling capabilities, we have reorganized the common control area to ensure that all of the parameters used by both Automatic and Graphical correction modes are easily available at all times. System Requirements: Macintosh Version Pro Tools 7.x or later Pro Tools 7.2 or later required for Graphical Mode sync Mac OS 10.4.11 or later as required by your version of Pro Tools PC Version Pro Tools

MiniMoog V2 (Educational) for Mac,Win $174.95 The Minimoog is probably the most famous synthesizer ever. Countless hits have been driven by its remarkable tone. In 2004, Arturia managed to come up with a high fidelity reproduction of this legendary instrument. The sound was so close to the Original that Dr. Robert Moog himself endorsed the product. Today Arturia comes back with a pumped up Minimoog, loaded with exciting and innovative features. Arturia Minimoog V2 lets you combine innovative sound design tools, such as the vocal filter or the motion recorder, to unleash your creativity. You will also be able to navigate through presets in a new and innovative way using the Sound Map, which morphs up to 4 different presets. Sound MAP: Explore hundreds of sounds using our revolutionary Sound MAP. Locate areas you like and pick a sound that will stimulate your creativity. Morph sounds on the MAP by clicking anywhere you like. Add filters to make your search easier, or get back to the traditional list of presets, by sound designer or by type. Be creative, be funky, be a sound traveller. Vocal Filter: Did you ever think of making a Minimoog talk? Well we thought of it and came with a very exciting solution called the Vocal Filter. Sonic results can be spectacular, similar to those sounds from Kubrick movies. Circuitry improvements: While we built around the core Minimoog structure, we also added a few options in the circuits. The Keyboard Follow can now be deactivated on VCO2. In addition, we extended the modulation matrix and added a few sources and destinations. The Pan and Vocal Filter can now be used as destinations. Two random signals based on a Sample&Hold are added as inputs. We also allowed for using the voice number (from the polyphonic range) as a discreet source, which proved very interesting to control different parameters. Automation: What if a Minimoog offered automation not as a control option but as a sound design tool? Pick up to four parameters and record realtime changes within the preset. This is an entirely new sound palette that will arise, just by the traditional Minimoog scenery

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