Archive for category Book & Product Reviews
Collectorz.com: Book Collector
Posted by jlsgrant in Book & Product Reviews on November 5, 2010
What is this?
Collectorz.com provides software to help organize all of your home media. This intuitive, easy to use software will help you catalog your family’s library. You simply enter the barcode from the book, and in most cases it does the rest of the work for you! Once you have entered your books you will have a database that lists all your books. You can also add your e-Book and audio books to your inventory and once added you can access them right from Collectorz. Here are of the some of the key features:
Browse your home library by Title, Author, Genre, etc.
Loan Manager to keep track of books you loan out to friends
Print your book list or
Export to your smart phone using CLZ books (additional cost)
Create a wish list of books you like
View statistics of your library
Lists for insurance purposes with published prices
In our experience…
It was very easy to add books to the library. You simply type in the barcode, click “Search Now,” and a list of potential matches appears. After selecting the book that matches, you click “Add Checked” and it is added to your library database.
For example, here is a book that I added to my library:
A cover image and all the pertinent data available thru the Collectorz database is entered automatically into your library. Some books have more information available than others, but you can add notes and any other personal information you would like by clicking the book on your list. Take a look at the Edit Books window from the book I added above:
So from just the bar code, I was able to acquire the Title, Author, Subjects, Number of Pages and even the plot of the story! The other tabs in this window are: Details, Personal, Credits & Characters Contents, Plot & Notes, Covers, and Links. This is where you can add details until your heart is content. It appears they have thought of everything! There is potential for a great student projects in the Edit Book section. Why not have the kids enter the credits and characters, a plot if not provided, even a short synopsis and a rating. The ideas are as endless as your imagination!
A complete library looks something like this:

My Observations:
If you have a substantial home library there are obvious benefits to this type of inventory system. These are the top ones for me:
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Knowing what books I already have so I don’t re-purchase
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Being able to set up Genres and/or sort by time period or subject
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Ability to add my audio and e-books into one complete library
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Keeping track of books loaned out
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Setting up a wish list for future purchase or gifts
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If I really want to get physically organized, many of the books already have Dewey numbers…I’m not sure I’ve ever be THAT organized, but it’s nice to dream about
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Potential projects for students in making a more complete library and including their review
Purchasing Information:
There is tremendous versatility in purchasing options; most important being a 30 Day Free Trial! If you like taking things for a test drive before committing, this is a great way to get a feel for how it works and see what the software can do for you.
An annual subscription for $19.95 per year. With this option, your library is stored on the Collectorz servers and you can access it from anywhere you have internet access. There is also a Standard edition available for $29.95 and Pro edition with additional features for $49.95. To find a comparison of the features for Standard vs. Pro, go to the Collectorz Online Shop.
Who should consider this software?
I think anyone with a fairly substantial home library would benefit from this type of organizational system.
What other products are available?
Collectorz has different software for most types of media collections. In addition to Book Collector, there is Music Collector, Movie Collector, Comic Collector, Game Collector, MP3 Collector and even Photo Collector! (I don’t know about you, but I could really use a little help organizing my photos too!) If you own a smart phone and are considering the Pro edition, you should definitely check out CLZ Book. With CLZ app, your inventory is always with you when you’re on the go! (That’s one I’d really like to have when I’m at a home school convention, book store, or curriculum sale.)
This shows the app for iPhone, apps for other phones available
To purchase Book Collector or for more information:
More reviews on this product are available at:
Disclaimer: Members of the TOS Crew were given copies of Collectorz.com Book Collector Pro in exchange for their honest reviews of this product. No other compensation of any kind has been received.
LanSchool: Home Edition v7.5
Posted by jlsgrant in Book & Product Reviews on October 6, 2010
LanSchool is award winning, classroom management and monitoring software that has many great features that can be used in any family. Since it was designed for a teacher/student environment, it is especially valuable for home educating families. Originally developed in 1986, it is a tried and true software application.
Listen to what Lanschool has to say about this innovative software:
“Parents today are faced with the challenge and opportunity of using technology in the home. Computers are amazing educational and entertainment tools, but they can also be a huge distraction and danger to kids. LanSchool Home v7.5 allows parents to easily keep track and restrict what happens on the family computers.”
“Teachers today are faced with the challenge and opportunity of using technology to teach. Computers are amazing educational tools, but they can also be a huge distraction to learning. The Internet, instant messaging, email and games are a constant temptation for students.”
“LanSchool v7.5 removes these distractions so you can teach more effectively. No classroom management solution is simpler to install, easier to use or better suited for teaching in a 21st century classroom.”
For full information on all of the properties of this product:
LanSchool Home Product Brochure
We were truly impressed by this product and can see how this would be a tremendous asset in a large classroom with students on computers. But the question is, how valuable is it for the average homeschool environment? To answer that, I’ll tell you a little about the functions we used most frequently:
Test Builder – I enjoy being able to make up a short multiple choice or True/False Test to give them on the fly! (No, we did not study flies.) For instance, after reading Gilgamesh, I logged into LanSchool and greated a short ten question quiz. While generally I would just do this orally, but I think the kids had more fun with it on the computer and I got to keep the results.
Messaging/Chat – I enjoy this feature as an alternative to walking across the house, or yelling for a kid to come see me if I need something!
View mode – I love being able to see what they are working on or what website they are playing on from my office.
Monitoring online history and key strokes – This is the feature I use most frequently. My kids have been on the internet for many years and we trust them…mostly! They have been told and continue to be told frequently the dangers that are out
there. They are good, trust-worthy children. BUT… I like knowing, and it is my job to know, that they follow the rules we have set down. Not only can I see what websites they have been to, but I can see every key stroke they have typed when they are on the internet. Spying, you say? Maybe! But just knowing we can see what they’re saying, is a deterrent to the temptation. If you use this software for no other reason, this function alone makes it worth the price.
Internet Security – to add to the above, you are also able to block websites, apps, and the entire internet if you’d like. We haven’t had the need, but its a secure feeling to know that you can.
There are many other features available with this software that we haven’t had the need to use, so be sure to check out the link above for the LanSchool Home Product Brochure.
Lanschool Home v7.5 can be purchased at the LanSchool website
Price: $99 (License plus 3 yr support)
Product Type: Software
Other Products: Classroom Version

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Without any hesitation, I would give this product the full “five-rock” rating. The benefit of internet monitoring and security is the feature that makes it worth the cost for us. However, since it has MANY other features as well, it is much more than just an Internet Security package. If you take the time to read a few different reviews of this product, I’m sure you will find that each family used it in different ways.
To read more reviews on this product, please visit:
Disclaimer: Members of the TOS Homeschool Crew were given this software for free in return for an honest, written review. No other compensation has been received.












