EdTech Show Daily

ESU School District Deploys Xirrus Wi-Fi

Xirrus, Inc., the only Wi-Fi Power-Play that can replace Ethernet workgroup switches with Wi-Fi as the primary network connection, has deployed a high performance Wi-Fi network across Eastern Sierra Unified School District (ESUSD).

The ESUSD deployment will cover all seven schools and the administration facilities spread across eight towns in Northern California.

Situated south of Reno, Nev. and east of Mammoth Lakes, ESUSD services the students of Topaz, Coleville, Walker, Bridgeport, Lee Vining, June Lake, Benton and Chalfant. Though extremely rural, ESUSD strives to bring top notch staff and technology, to its students.

The district-wide Wi-Fi deployment is part of an overall technology upgrade that includes over 300 Apple MacBook® computers and Internet connectivity for students and faculty in order to further enrich the district's curriculum, online project collaboration and extend reference materials to students where libraries are limited.

“In addition to offering wireless access throughout each school, the Xirrus Wi-Fi network will also provide the students of the rural communities with Wi-Fi Internet access,” says Bob Hurst, Director of IT at ESUSD. “Because our Wi-Fi network will be the primary connection for all of our students, we needed a reliable network that would give us the flexible security to manage student access times. We choose Xirrus because it gave us the greatest coverage, bandwidth and student capacity with far fewer devices to deploy and manage—zero frustrations.”

“The forward-thinking leadership of the Eastern Sierra Unified School District has provided a state-of-the-art wireless network for their students and surrounding communities,” says Charles Bettinelli, Regional Sales Manager at Xirrus. “They now have a powerful Wi-Fi network that is capable of supporting a wide range of educational tools both now and in the future, and we are glad to be a part of it.”

Xirrus is an approved E-Rate Service Provider - SPIN Number 143030824.

Why Do You Need a Remote for a Successful Presentation?

Are you using PowerPoint or Keynote in the classroom? If you deliver presentations using these programs you can move forward to the next slide with the keyboard or the mouse and be stuck at your desk during the entire presentation. You need to have a wireless presentation remote control that will free you from your desk for more effective presentations.

With a long-range Wireless Presentation Remote from SMK-Link Electronics, you can walk around the room, interact with your students and monitor the class to check who is paying attention.

Choosing a Remote Presentation is Simple
Here are the key features you should look for when selecting a presentation remote that will best suit your needs:

• Easy to use – plug and play.
• Wireless technology RF.
• Wireless range.
• Ergonomic design.
• Built-in mouse.
• Built-in laser pointer.

SMK-Link Electronics Remotes

• Model 6450 Pilot Pro – 50-foot wireless range with slide control, full mouse control, plug-and-play for PC or Mac and a built-in laser pointer.
• Model 6410 Communicator Suite – 30-foot wireless range, keyboard, mouse, presentation remote, all in a plug-and-play form factor for PC and Mac.

For more information, visit www.smkusa.com.

Pepperdine: Preparing Educational Technology Leaders for 25 Years

By Cyndi Stratton

The Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) has been a pioneer and leader in the field of educational technology since 1983 when it launched its first educational technology program.

Proudly, it continues to prepare technology leaders in the fields of education and industry. Innovators in the field attend Pepperdine for the opportunity to develop, expand and refine their skills. The master’s and doctoral programs offer in-depth exposure to advances in learning technologies, along with a supportive environment provided by faculty, staff and colleagues. At Pepperdine University, students gain a solid education and are prepared to embark onto successful careers upon graduation.
Lani Fraizer is a current Educational Technology doctoral student and technology innovator. She is a current member and past president of the Association for Computer Machinery (ACM), an academic club and resource available to Pepperdine students to promote professional development through networking with other educational technology professionals.

Pepperdine’s graduate school provides students with the opportunity to build and expand their professional networks. Since the master’s and doctoral programs are largely distance-learning formats, ACM is an important vehicle for students to network professionally.

“Most of the ACM members live away from the Pepperdine campuses,” Fraizer says. “Through the support of GSEP, we rely on our technology resources to communicate from a distance. One technology in particular is Linden Lab’s Second Life. Access to Pepperdine’s ‘Malibu Island,’ where we meet in Second Life, gives us a platform to convene together virtually.”

Through ACM, students have access to journals, conferences and a digital library where they can engage the educational technology community.

“In addition to regular meetings in Second Life, we plan local events and provide connections to resources and opportunities through the larger ACM organization,” Fraizer adds. “We are regular presenters within the academic and professional circuits, such as the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education, International Society for Educators and Scholars, and League of Innovations for Community Colleges. ACM is a great resource for Pepperdine’s computer science, information technology and educational technology students.”

Fraizer is an involved student who makes the most of the opportunities opened to her through Pepperdine, as well as, creating her own. She and fellow students Cathleen Deckers and Vicki Suter were invited to present a paper at the Paris International Conference on Education in France this summer, 2008. With the help of “Pepperdine Travel Awards,” they will attend the conference and present on topics related to distance education and virtual learning environments.

Fraizer continues to be actively involved in the educational technology community.  She serves as chair of Women in Technology and Engineering for the Association for Computing Machinery's SIGITE International. She is collaborating with the state of Missouri to explore Second Life as a venue to increase awareness for information technology careers. She is also working closely with the state’s chief information officer and Office of Administration and Education.

Tech Ed Exclusive: Learning Objects' Zahra Safavian

Zahra Safavian, Director of Product Development for Learning Objects, Inc., talks about the Campus Pack.

ESD: What is Campus Pack?

ZS: Campus Pack is a suite of social learning applications inclusive of blogs, wikis, podcasts and other Web 2.0 technologies. Together these applications support strong pedagogy, encourage reflection and provide a medium for collaboration.

ESD: Who Uses Campus Pack?

ZS: Campus Pack is used by nearly 350 educational institutions around the world. In higher education, Campus Pack users range from large to small institutions including Maricopa Community Colleges, Duke University and CSU Channel Islands.

ESD: How are colleges and universities utilizing Campus Pack?

ZS: Professors are using blogs for private journaling activities, peer review and to foster classroom discussions. Wikis are being used to develop capstone projects, build Web sites, create course knowledge bases, generate annotated bibliographies and construct collaborative papers. Podcasts are being used to present supplemental materials and archived lectures.

ESD: How does Campus Pack address the needs of the higher education community?

ZS: Technology is a core component of the standards of learning that drive course curriculum decisions. Colleges and universities actively search for the best way to support student learning through the use of technology that includes ease of assessment and ease of use.

ESD: What makes Campus Pack education specific?

ZS: Campus Pack applications are education specific because they provide the ability to assess learner performance, integrate into an institutions learning management environment and contain pedagogical features oriented toward teaching and learning.

ESD: What determines new product development at Learning Objects?

ZS: User feedback is the key driver of product innovation and transformation at Learning Objects. We continually collect feedback from our customers and provide systematic ways for our clients to request new features and product enhancements.

ESD: What new features are upcoming on your product roadmap?

ZS: Our upcoming product roadmap will focus on improving the student experience through increased usability and the capability to create and share more kinds of content, such as student-created and owned podcasts. More customization options will be a major theme, with features such as system-wide, user-specific and site-specific skins or themes and more granular permissions for any type of site. You will also see tagging, threaded comments and synchronous communication options to improve collaboration when creating content using our applications.

Expand Your World of Teaching With International Schools Services

Since 1955, ISS has grown into a dynamic educational force in the overseas community. A nonprofit corporation dedicated to excellence for children attending overseas schools worldwide, ISS is the world's leader in providing a comprehensive range of quality educational services for schools, educators, families and corporations. The company invites you to explore the rich and diverse expertise ISS offers through specialized service areas.

Teachers, administrators, and other educational specialists are actively sought for positions in American and international schools abroad. To assure both candidates and recruiters a superior service, ISS uses the following criteria in the selection of ISS candidates:

• The minimum educational requirement is a four-year bachelor's degree.   
• An advanced degree for specialist, guidance counselor and department head positions is required.
• Certification is not required by ISS, however, most schools served by ISS DO require certification.
• Teaching teams (or teaching/administrative teams) are welcomed. 
• Most schools do not consider candidates with more than two nonteaching dependents. The rule of thumb is often one dependent per full-time contract. 
• Initial contracts are typically for two years. Round-trip transportation, at the beginning and end of the contractual period, is usually provided for staff members and their families.  This varies among schools and is determined by the school.
• Candidates should be willing to consider at least two large geographic areas (e.g. continents) for placement.
• Recruiting for administrative positions in international American schools is competitive. Factors which may strongly affect the selection process for administrative positions are overseas work experience, previous administrative experience, and recent graduate work in curriculum and/or administration.

The Application Process

Apply online at www.iss.edu. Review online for a list of international schools served by ISS, questions and answers frequently asked about overseas recruitment, and international recruitment center details and registration procedures.

Distance Edu Learning: The Future of Online Learning is Here

Distance Edu Learning, founded by educators and programmers, has developed the Learning Centered Framework (LCF) to manage and deliver course content to students, provide an intuitive student to instructor interface and manage student learning outcomes and assessment. The newly released software is called FINTELO, (a combination of words – telos, Greek: at a distance and Fin, latin: end, last).  It is designed with the latest technologies and has the most advanced features in the industry. 

Key features of FINTELO include:

• A product that is visually engaging with a highly developed graphic user interface built on Flex.
• Intuitive and very easy for both students and instructors to use.
• Maximum availability of wizards.
• Easy transition from your existing LMS to FINTELO.
• Outstanding technical support.
• Priced to meet your budget needs.

“FINTELO is experiencing unprecedented interest from the field,” says Jim Pulliam, Chief Executive Officer for Distance Edu Learning. “It has already surpassed our initial plans and this has been prior to its release!” 

Faculty, students and administrators are searching for a better way to deliver online learning that will meet the needs of all learners regardless of their generation. FINTELO, with its commitment to customer service and support, competitive pricing, and its feature-rich superior product has already developed a high level of interest from all educational sectors.

FINTELO offers programs to a variety of markets, including higher education, K–12 education, military and corporate. K–12, corporate and military can provide classes and training on demand for their students through the Application Service Provider model, without having to maintain expensive hardware and software.

Colleges and universities have a unique feature offered to them through the national and regional center concept. By developing regions and partnerships within the regions, FINTELO has branded a support plan that will give FINTELO the edge over other providers of online learning software. This special feature will provide timely, well trained technical support without waiting for a call from another time zone.

The early feedback Distance Edu Learning has received from all educational sectors has shown a high level of interest. 

Nancy E. Stetson, an online instructor, states “From my point of view, the major difference between Fintelo and other online management software is that it is thoroughly grounded in current learning theory. It also makes it easy for online instructors to create student learning outcomes and assessments that are in alignment, that ‘match.’ Everyone will appreciate this:  students, instructors, administrators and—very important in the age of accountability—accrediting commissions and funding agencies.”

Linda Watkins, a retired community college president, agrees. “Throughout my career in the community college, my passion has been to see students achieve their goals. Fintelo energizes the learning environment for students, for faculty, and for administrators. It is visual, engaging, and intuitive. It brings us together as a learning community to make our dreams become real.”

For more information about the benefits FINTELO can offer to online learning, visit www.fintelo.com.

Digitarium System Offers Powerful, Immersive Digital Technology

Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc. proudly announces the Digitarium® Gamma digital planetarium system, the latest addition to their best-selling Digitarium line of all-digital planetarium systems. The Digitarium Gamma joins the company's best-selling, lower resolution Digitarium Alpha 2 system.
The Digitarium Gamma combines a high resolution, high brightness DLP projector with a proprietary fisheye lens and a specialized computer control unit. Integrated planetarium and media display software is easily controlled with a unique backlit remote control that works from anywhere in the dome.

The Digitarium Gamma projects a 1050 pixel diameter circle over a full dome with the highest image quality available in a Digitarium system. The Digitarium Gamma is recommended for use in domes up to approximately 17m/56 ft. in diameter.
The Digitarium Gamma will be demonstrated in booth 1005 at the TechEd conference here in Ontario, Calif.

Digitarium systems are ideal for colleges, universities, schools, school districts, astronomy outreach programs, science centers and more. Educators can simulate the sky from anywhere on Earth or other solar system bodies; show constellations from many cultures; demonstrate phenomena such as transits, eclipses and meteor showers; label or zoom in on any object; and much more.

Educators using Digitarium systems can project images or videos on any subject or play prerecorded, immersive full-dome movies. They can create prerecorded segments or even entire shows using the software's powerful scripting capability.

Digitalis also sells inflatable planetarium domes in several diameters for a complete portable solution.
Learn more about Digitalis, Digitarium projection systems and Digitalis inflatable domes at http://digitaliseducation.com.

ELMO USA’s P30S Jumps to the Head of the Class

Building on the features that made its P30 document camera a favorite of educators nationwide, ELMO USA Corporation proudly announces that the upgraded P30 “S” model is now available. Delivering more image power and clarity through 30 FPS (frames per second) capability, XGA/SXGA/720P HD selectable output, and 16X optical zoom, the P30S keeps the popular attributes of its predecessor—lightweight, versatile, and easy to use—while delivering sharper, crystal clear resolution  of both moving and still images, all at the industry’s best price.

“The P30S is the ultimate classroom presentation tool. It combines the highest standards in design, number and types of features, and effective and efficient use of technologies,” says Howard Winch, ELMO USA Vice President of Sales. “Equally important, we’re offering the P30S at a very attractive price point. The P30S is an exceptionally affordable option for colleges, universities and other higher education users who wants to add impact to presentations, and boost the interest, comprehension and retention of students.”

Popular features include advanced progressive camera system and 16X optical zoom capabilities that capture the finest details with stunning clarity; a free-angle camera arm and lamp for flexible, custom positioning and lighting; lightweight, compact and attractive design for easy portability and confident handling; and a user-friendly interface that helps presenters avoid the distractions and disruptions caused by operating more complex systems. The P30S’s versatile output accommodates both PC and analog sources, providing virtually unlimited creativity and spontaneity. Smooth, vivid images can be presented live or saved to a PC for future use. Using bundled software programs, presenters can choose from a wide variety of presentation aids, including annotation tools to draw lines in a variety of colors to enhance screen images and split screens for comparison purposes.

The P30S is equally effective without a PC, thanks to its SD memory card-ready feature. The SD memory card storage holds up to 2,048 image files of presentation data, such as PowerPoint® files and digital camera images. In addition, the P30S comes with a slideshow adapter to display conventional slides, a value-added capability that can help an organization make the most of its legacy slides until new presentation material can be created. ELMO USA’s P30S meets (or exceeds) many ADA requirements and is a *green friendly* product that complies with all applicable restriction on the use of hazardous substances (RoHS) directive 2002/95/EC regulations.

ELMO USA has been an innovator in the manufacturing and distribution of electronic and optical products for more than 80 years. The company continues to lead the industry with cutting-edge technologies that shape the future of security and visual communications.

For more information on ELMO products, visit www.elmousa.com or call 800-947-ELMO (3566) or 714-828-8457.

Concentsus Online Backup Helps Customers Store Critical Files Reliably, Affordably

eFileCabinet, an innovative provider of electronic file management systems, recently launched its new service offering, Concentsus Online Backup. The Concentsus solution includes three distinctive service plans that enable home, small business and enterprise users to automatically backup their PCs, laptops and servers in a secure, remote location. Concentsus is based on EMC®’s Fortress™ suite of online backup services.

“Home and business users are becoming increasingly aware that data stored on local PCs and networks is vulnerable to natural disaster, hard drive failure and theft,” says Matt Peterson, COO of eFileCabinet. “Concentsus online backup is designed to store valuable data safely and reliably off-site so that in the event of a disaster, it’s still retrievable. Users can access their encrypted files from any computer with an Internet connection.”

Concentsus makes online backup simple for anyone—whether you’re a home user needing to secure their digital photo collection, or a corporate IT administrator requiring off-site storage of valuable server data. Concentsus provides an additional layer of protection that is an affordable alternative to expensive subscription services, external hard drives, tape or disc storage. Backup can be configured to run automatically, delivering true set-it-and-forget-it functionality and peace of mind.

“We’re pleased to work with eFileCabinet, as they bring proven technology expertise and a winning track record of sustainable customer relationships,” says Roy Sanford, Vice President of Marketing and Alliances for EMC’s Software-as-a-Service business unit. “This new relationship with eFileCabinet demonstrates our continued focus and ability to swiftly execute in bringing new software-as-a-service [SaaS] offerings to market.”

Pricing & Availability
Concentsus Online Backup is available immediately through www.concentsus.com and from the eFileCabinet network of value added resellers. Three specialized plans for home, small business and enterprise customers start at $3.95 per month.

About Concentsus
Concentsus, a service of eFileCabinet makes online backup secure, flexible and affordable. Consisting of three distinctive service plans, Concentsus enables home, small business and enterprise users to automatically backup their PCs, laptops and servers to a reliable, off-site location. Concentsus delivers total data security with advanced encryption technology and superior performance—making it the trusted online backup system for a global customer base. The company is headquartered in Provo, Utah and can be reached at 888-889-9949.

Creekbed: Laptop Programs for Your Faculty and Students

By Ty Cobb

While laptop programs are becoming common among east coast schools, they are still a new and seemingly overwhelming idea here in Southern California. Our company smoothes out the road for you and helps you through the whole process. 

From Interest to Conception

• Did you know you can afford laptops for your faculty and staff and students? Your campus’ budget is not the deciding factor.
• Did you know that most of the logistics can be handled by others? 
• Did you know that 14,000 schools in the U.S. have some type of laptop program for students? Some are district-wide and some even statewide.

From Conception to Implementation
We offer a complete, hassle-free collection of installation, software configuration, encryption and delivery services so that when your students and faculty turn on their computers on your campus everything works right out of the box.

From Implementation to Satisfaction

• We offer onsite service for students and staff.
• We offer a free computer loan program if we can not fix it on site. Your students will never have to be without a computer even while their computer is being repaired.

From Satisfaction to Prestige
A one-to-one laptop program makes your school distinct and distinguished. It gives your students an advantage in learning. The cutting-edge schools who have adopted laptop programs have also benefitted from increased student enrollment, both public and private. (1:1 Learning: Laptop Programs that Work)

For more information about Creekbed Technology, Inc., call 818-541-0000 for a free one-time consultation or visit www.creekbedtech.com.