EdTech Show Daily

CDI & Numonics Form Strategic Alliance To Power Interactive Learning In Education

CDI, North America's largest supplier of recertified, brand name computers to the educational market, and Numonics, the internationally recognized pioneer of the world's first pen-centric interactive whiteboard have formed a strategic alliance and preferred partnership to bring Interactive Learning to classrooms across the nation.

“This partnership enhances both CDI and Numonics’ offerings by allowing us to leverage our products to provide more cost-effective and flexible solutions for our customers”

As a result of the partnership, CDI’s recertified computers and Numonics’ Interactive Whiteboard – Digital Presentation Appliance DPA will be offered together giving classrooms specialized access to the best technology:

• CDI’s most cost effective recertified technology and computers 
• Numonics' high tech DPA Interactive Whiteboards

“More than ever, districts understand the need to implement a cost effective, holistic strategy to tackle the technology challenges they face. We provided 250,000 units to schools in North America last year and many of our customers asked us for help in getting cost effective interactive whiteboards and projectors into their classrooms,” said Saar Pikar, General Manager, CDI. “We looked at a number of interactive whiteboards and realized that while many solutions existed in the market few of them covered all the needs of our educators and came in at a reasonable price point. Numonics boards are sold at the best price point in the business, are sturdy, made in the US, and come with the industry’s best warranty and no questions asked customer support. All of these things convinced me that Numonics is the company we wanted to partner with.”

“This partnership enhances both CDI and Numonics’ offerings by allowing us to leverage our products to provide more cost-effective and flexible solutions for our customers,” said Mr. Alfred N. Basilicato, Chairman & CEO Numonics. “It was a simple choice to partner with CDI on this initiative, given the company’s collaboration leadership, excellent reputation and their desire to increase their value to their customers.”

CDI offers districts a solution to increase the availability of computers for students while dramatically reducing technology spending through their cost effective recertified technology solutions. CDI provides schools with current, reliable technology that is far less expensive than new equipment. This approach has revolutionized technology purchases and allowed many districts to dramatically improve their computer to student ratios.

Numonics offers students, educators, trainers and presenters around the world patented award winning Interactive Whiteboard technology that allows them to share their ideas easily without spending hours learning the product. They pioneered instructor-led web based training over five years ago and still offer it at no charge.

About CDI

CDI is the largest distributor of recertified computer equipment to the Education market in North America and our mission is to increase the availability of computers for students while dramatically reducing technology spending. Over 9,000 U.S. schools have already taken advantage of our industry leading service, longer-than-new warranty, brand name selection and customized financing. CDI's 100% focus on education can help you exceed your technology goals. For more information go to: 

CDI - North America's largest supplier of recertified computers to the educational market

About Numonics

Numonics Corporation is an ISO 9001 certified company with 30 plus years of design, development and manufacturing experience and is considered a technology innovator for interactive presentation products for education. Numonics introduced the first pen-centric interactive whiteboard in 1994 and led the way in alternatives to touch board technology, winning industry awards for product innovation, design engineering and computer productivity. Numonics’ products are available through an international network of systems integrators, OEMs, and resellers throughout the world.

For more information, visit CDI or Numonics.

Texas Instruments from the FETC Show!

From the FETC Show, Texas Instruments talks about some of their new issued products available at the show!

For more information, visit Texas Instruments.

Pioneering One-to-One Laptop District Selects Carnegie Learning Math Curricula For Core Classroom Instruction

Greene County, NC Purchases Research-Based Math Textbooks and Software for All Middle School and High School Students

The full suite of Carnegie Learning® Math Curricula Solutions has been adopted by Greene County North Carolina Schools for the District’s middle school and two high schools beginning in August. The 1800-student implementation includes Carnegie Learning® Blended Math Curricula Solutions which integrate interactive software, textbooks, and collaborative classroom activity supported by ongoing formative assessments and professional development services.

Located in rural Snow Hill in eastern North Carolina, Greene County Schools is an innovative leader in integrating technology in the classroom. In 2003, the District instituted iTECH, an initiative giving every middle school and high school student a laptop as part of the District’s mission to offer students challenging curricula to prepare them for the 21st century. iTECH has impacted End Of Course scores which rose from 67%-78% during the first year of implementation, and the college-going rate among Greene Central High School students has increased to 94% in the most recent school year, from 26% when the program was introduced.

“Technology is much more than equipment,” said Dr. Pat MacNeill, Assistant Superintendent of Greene County Schools. “We are committed to using our laptops and infrastructure to deliver engaging, effective curriculum that is rigorous and relevant to all students. Carnegie Learning® Math Curricula Solutions met these objectives, and we look forward to delivering individualized, self-paced programs that get our students excited about math.”

Students in Greene County will be using Cognitive Tutor® Bridge to Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II programs. The Cognitive Tutor® Software is based upon an artificial intelligence model that incorporates ongoing formative and summative assessments that individualize and differentiate instruction based upon students’ prior knowledge and needs. Carnegie Learning® Textbooks engage students in solving problems that encourage collaboration that strengthens both declarative and procedural knowledge of mathematics. Carnegie Learning® Textbooks will replace McGraw-Hill’s Glencoe math textbooks in the middle school and Pearson’s Prentice Hall math textbooks in the high schools.

Professional development services include implementation training and in-classroom support and coaching, as well as a leadership seminar for district administrators and principals providing an overview of data tools and strategies to support mathematics teachers using Carnegie Learning® instructional materials.

For additional information visit Carnegie Learning, Inc. 

INNEX SHARES SUCCESS WITH KIDS IN NEED

Videogame Distributor Donates Percentage to Kids in Need Foundation Helping Provide Free School Supplies to Impoverished Children

Innex, a major distributor of videogame peripherals and accessories, announced that it has signed a cause marketing license agreement with the KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION. Marathon Projects Ltd, the licensing agency for the Kids In Need Foundation negotiated the transaction. This will be the latest partnership agreement under the Kids In Need Foundation cause licensing program.

Believing that the meaning of success is the ability to help others, Innex, Inc. has announced that it will donate a percentage of its sales revenue to the KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION, a charity that provides free school supplies to impoverished children. Moving forward, Innex will allocate a portion of all revenue, including sales of its exclusive brands (Komodo, Retro-Bit, Exo-Flex) to KIDS IN NEED.

Innex was established by Titi and Joey Ngoy, brothers whose family fled to a Thai Refugee Camp from Cambodia in 1979 while the country was suffering from violent revolution and extreme poverty inflicted by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Titi and Joey’s parents arrived in America with nothing, but managed, through hard work, to provide their children with the education necessary to prosper.

“Through our own family experience, we are very aware of the importance of an education and the difficulties faced by impoverished children,” stated Titi Ngoy, President of Innex. “Teaming up with KIDS IN NEED offers us the opportunity to make a contribution to a charity that is near to our heart and will hopefully make a difference in the lives of kids who need an extra hand getting ahead.”

David Smith, Executive Director of the KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION stated, “KIDS IN NEED is very excited to partner with Innex since videogames are an important part of our youth’s culture. To be able to integrate Innex’s videogame peripheral and accessory program with KIDS IN NEED has fundamental appeal for both companies and helps strengthen KIDS IN NEED’S mission to provide school supplies for more children who need them.

Craig Kalter, President of Marathon Projects added, “As the momentum of the KIDS IN NEED FOUNDATION cause marketing licensing  program continues, we hope that more potential licensees will realize the multiple benefits that working together in such a program can provide.  It really can be a win-win situation for all.”

Research shows that when children are provided with basic school supplies their grades go up, their confidence increases and their attitude toward learning improves. KIDS IN NEED is the number 1 charity focused on America’s under-funded educational system. KIDS IN NEED provides free school supplies to impoverished children as well as curriculum grants to under-funded teachers.

For more information visit The Kids In Need Foundation or Innex.

NASBE Applauds Education Department’s Release Of “Race To The Top” & “What Works” Applications

The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) applauds the hard-work and efforts of the U.S. Department of Education to release for comment the draft applications and rules for the $4.35 billion Race to the Top Fund and the $650 million Invest in What Works and Innovation Fund today. These funds represent an unprecedented level of investment to drive education innovation and reform in the states.

NASBE supports the Obama Administration’s commitment to help states continue to increase the educational achievement levels of their students. NASBE members look forward to providing comments on the proposed rules and address any concerns with the Department going forward.

“These resources provide states with the means and opportunity to drive innovation in education and deliver the programs that will best serve all of our nation’s K-12 students,” said NASBE Executive Director Brenda Welburn. “We need to get this right.”

Also, NASBE members look forward to providing comments on the reporting metrics for the second round of State Fiscal Stabilization Fund grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). NASBE supports the Department’s intent to ensure transparency through the ARRA implementation process via the reporting metrics and to use quality information to advance education reform related to the four assurances.

State Boards of Education will play an integral role in ensuring their respective states meet or exceed the specific requirements under these grants as well as helping to ensure their respective states address the required assurances.

The National Association of State Boards of Education represents America's state and territorial boards of education. NASBE exists to strengthen State Boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for citizens and students. 

For more visit NASBE.

Educadium Launches EasyCampus Virtual School Builder

Convenient Web-Based LMS Platform Used by Schools, Trainers, and Teachers Around the World

Educadium announced a flexible and affordable learning platform called EasyCampus. The new Internet service helps schools, nonprofits, teachers, and trainers take control of their distance education and e-learning initiatives. Built on open source and tailored for smaller organizations, Educadium’s EasyCampus virtual school builder makes it simple to set up an online classroom, training program, or homeschool. Educadium first launched in beta in April, 2009 and now supports diverse learning organizations in several countries.

“Learning 2.0 has changed education forever,” said Todd Harris, founder and President of Educadium. “But it takes committed people to make a successful online school. We designed Educadium from the ground up with customer service in mind. We help busy teachers, trainers, and educators take advantage of online learning, which has been focused to date on larger institutions. With EasyCampus, we’re empowering a new generation of educational innovators.”

EasyCampus lets distance education administrators and knowledge experts set up a scalable and accessible online school in minutes—without the costly expense of hardware, consultants, or IT staffing. Campus owners can offer tuition courses for certification, instructor-led classes, and live webinars. The EasyCampus LMS also supports hybrid learning for existing on-ground classes. Online courses can be held in more than 75 languages. Pricing starts at $29.95 a month and includes access to Educadium’s unlimited customer support. There is a free 30-day trial available.

More than 20% of U.S. college students took at least one online course during 2007, according to the Sloan Consortium. Increasingly, vocational schools, nonprofits, religious groups, homeschools, websites, and trainers are turning to learning management services to reduce educational costs, improve training efforts, and reach new audiences.

"We’re excited to work with Educadium,” said Pacific Northwest Tax School President April Gutierrez. “Using EasyCampus, we can deliver the highest quality online tax education to CPAs, EAs, and other tax professionals throughout the country.” In 2008, the school launched an online version of its 80-hour Basic Tax Course, which has had an 80% pass rate on state board exams.

Educadium’s EasyCampus virtual school builder is available now at www.educadium.com.

Educadium is a next-generation learning management company, which helps organizations and individuals take advantage of e-learning and distance education. Educadium was formed in early 2008 by an experienced group of teachers and technologists. The Portland, Oregon-based company is privately held. Educadium develops the EasyCampus virtual school builder, a convenient and affordable LMS used by schools, nonprofits, consultants, and organizations of all sizes.

For additional information visit Educadium.

Teachers Get “Hands-on” With Science By Participating In Vernier Software & Technology’s Free Fall Workshops

Hands-on workshops in more than 40 cities show educators how to integrate data collection into the curriculum using the ‘LabQuest’ handheld

Beginning in September, science teachers in 41 cities can sharpen their teaching and technology skills gain experience in making science instruction hands-on by attending one of Vernier Software & Technology’s free Fall workshops. These hands-on workshops provide skills for integrating data collection and analysis as a part of teaching core science topics.

Teaching science with probeware such as Vernier’s technology has been shown to increase teacher effectiveness and improve student test scores. The 2000 NAEP Science Assessment study showed that students who used probeware to collect and analyze data scored significantly higher on tests than those who did not.

During the 4-hour workshops, Vernier trainers and attendees will explore the many ways that data-collection technology can be used to teach important topics in to enhance learning in any chemistry, biology, physics, math, middle school science, physical science or Earth science .classroom Participants will learn how to collect data both in the lab and out in the field using the LabQuest, the most powerful and intuitive interface ever designed by Vernier, to create real-world science investigations.  In addition, participants can earn CEUs and science graduate credit hours by participating in the workshops.

According to David Vernier, co-founder of Vernier and a former physics teacher, “When teachers have the opportunity to get their hands on technology and conduct investigations using probeware, they immediately see how transformative it can be for their students. Using data-collection technology, students are able to perform many new experiments with measurements not easily obtainable using more traditional methodologies.

Sessions are lead by current or former classroom science and math teachers.  Vernier’s group of 26 trainers together has 686 years of teaching experience and has won many prestigious awards. Collectively they have written more than 60 science books and lab manuals, including many published by Vernier. For more information about the workshops visit http://www.vernier.com/workshops

September Workshop Dates and Locations:

• September 9: Tulsa, OK
  
• September 10: Oklahoma City, OK
  
• September 12: Wichita, KS
  
• September 14:  Topeka, KS
  
• September 14: Fort Worth, TX
  
• September 15: Dallas, TX
  
• September 15: Kansas City, MO
  
• September 16: Austin, TX
  
• September 17: San Antonio, TX
  
• September 19: Corpus Christi, TX
  
• September 21: Houston, TX
  
• September 22: Lincoln, NE
  
• September 22: Houston, TX
  
• September 23: Omaha, NE
  
• September 24: Des Moines, IA
  
• September 26: Minneapolis, MN
  

October Workshop Dates and Locations:

• October 1: Indianapolis, IN
  
• October 3: Dayton, OH
  
• October 3: Madison, WI
  
• October 5: Columbus, OH
  
• October 5: Milwaukee, WI
  
• October 6: Chicago, IL
  
• October 7: Cincinnati, OH
  
• October 7: Chicago, IL
  
• October 8: Lexington, KY
  
• October 10: Charleston, WV
  
• October 14: Grand Rapids, MI
  
• October 15: Detroit, MI
  
• October 17: Cleveland, OH
  
• October 24: Pittsburgh, PA
  
• October 24: San Jose, CA
  
• October 26: San Francisco, CA
  
• October 26: Erie, PA
  
• October 27: Sacramento, CA
  
• October 28: Buffalo, NY
  
• October 29: Rochester, NY
  

November Workshop Dates and Locations:

• November 7: Portland, ME
  
• November 9: Portsmouth, NH
  
• November 10: Boston, MA
  
• November 12: Worcester, MA
  
• November 14: Providence, RI
  

For more information visit Vernier.

Pano Logic a& T.H.E. Journal Present Webinar Focused On Educational K-12 Deployment Of Virtual Desktops

Webinar to Highlight Westerly Public School District’s Virtual Desktop Deployment and How They Were Able to Improve Security and Repurpose Older Classrooms for Computer Labs

Pano Logic®, the leader in virtual desktops, today announced a joint webinar with T.H.E. Journal. The webinar will be presented by Mark Lamson, director of technology for the Westerly Public School District, and will review what led the school district to consider a virtual desktop solution and the drivers for their selection and deployment of the Pano SystemTM. The webinar will be held on July 29, 2009, at 2 p.m. Eastern / 11 a.m. Pacific and will be available until October 28. Registration can be found at www.panologic.com/thejournal.

“As traditional PCs reach the end of their lifecycle, desktop virtualization is an ideal way for K-12 schools to leverage their existing resources while providing students with access to the learning tools made possible by personal computing,” said Bryan Cox, executive vice president, worldwide field operations, Pano Logic. “This webinar will review common PC issues that can be found in K-12 schools and provide a real-world case study that illustrates how schools can save on desktop acquisition and management costs, reduce time spent managing desktops, improve security and, most importantly, repurpose existing resources like older classrooms and server infrastructure.”

The Westerly Public School District in Rhode Island is a progressive K-12 school system with a total of seven schools – five elementary, one middle school and one high school – serving more than 3,300 students and employing over 700 staff members, only five of whom work in IT. The school district IT staff supports from one to five desktop PCs in every classroom, as well as computer labs throughout the district. Faced with supporting large numbers of aging desktop computers and needing to setup new computer labs despite limitations in the physical space and electrical infrastructure of the district’s older buildings, Westerly began looking for a solution to these issues.

When initially deployed by the school district in September 2008, the Pano System quickly met Westerly’s needs, enabling the IT staff to transform older classrooms into computer labs, since the compact Pano Devices easily fit on desktops and run on as little as 3% of the electricity needed to power traditional PCs. In addition, Westerly has also been able to improve security and reduce time spent supporting desktops by centralizing desktop management in the data center. Lamson expects to see the Pano Devices pay for themselves in just three years just based on the cost of the energy saved. This not only let the school district make the most of their existing virtualization infrastructure and IT budget but also helped ensure that students and staff got access to the computers they needed.

“Pano Logic addressed many of our most important needs simultaneously,” said Lamson. “When selecting a desktop virtualization solution, I wanted to leverage the success and cost of our underlying VMware infrastructure investment in order to do more with less and best serve our student and staff needs. From the greening of the desktop to securing desktop data to having no moving parts, the zero-client Pano System has met our needs and offers a strong ROI from a management and efficiency standpoint.”

For more information visit Pano Logic.

TurningPoint AnyWhere 2.0 For PC & Mac®; Response Technology Users Communicate, Collaborate & Connect With TurningTalk

Turning Technologies LLC, a leader in the response industry, has announced the availability of several new products and services including the latest release of their popular TurningPoint AnyWhere software, TurningTalk – a social learning community for response technology users, as well as a redesigned corporate website.

To accommodate various presentation styles and technology integrations, TurningPoint AnyWhere combined with Turning’s ResponseCard® keypads or ResponseWare™, a web-based polling application, creates a wireless response and voting system allowing presenters to ask interactive questions within their preferred presentation application –PowerPoint® or Mac® Keynote® presentations, Word documents, Excel® spreadsheets, PDF content, web pages, multimedia, and more. 

Originally developed to accommodate users interested in a polling option that didn’t require PowerPoint, TurningPoint AnyWhere uses a floating toolbar to poll participants or students at anytime using any type of digital content. Results can be collected anonymously or tracked by individual with the use of a participant list. Educators also benefit from integration with popular LMS systems, including Blackboard and WebCT, that supports the ability to import class rosters and upload session results into a gradebook.

The 2.0 release of TurningPoint AnyWhere provides increased functionality and improved interface design to both PC and Mac users including:

• Question Lists – Presenters can create and store interactive questions in advance.
  
• Dynamic Charts – Real-time results during polling.
  
• Screen Shot Report – Automatic screen shots capture question content in other digital applications and correlate results on a question-by-question basis.
  
• Enhanced ResponseWare Support – Participants can respond to interactive polling questions using their web-enabled devices including iPod touch®, iPhone™, BlackBerry® smartphones, laptops, or desktop computers.
  

"TurningPoint AnyWhere 2.0 provides any presenter with extraordinary ease-of-use. Using any presentation application, presenters can engage participants, track results, and improve outcomes for any meeting or classroom environment with little to no learning curve," said Turning's CEO Mike Broderick. "TurningPoint AnyWhere is one of the simplest polling solutions in the response industry. I believe response technology users will be impressed with both its flexibility and powerful functionality."

Turning Technologies also launched TurningTalk, a new social learning community to provide its users with an open forum for the discussion and sharing of ideas and teaching strategies. To help customers improve the quality and effectiveness of learning as well as successfully integrate response technology, registered users can participate in forums, build their own blog, and download valuable content. TurningTalk can be found at www.Turning-Talk.com.

Dr. Eric Mazur, Harvard professor and the author of Peer Instruction: A User's Manual (Prentice Hall, 1997), a book that explains how to teach large lecture classes interactively, is a featured TurningTalk contributor. As Chairman of Turning Technologies' Instructional Strategy Advisory Group, Dr. Mazur will be posting a series of articles related to his Peer Instruction technique and its effectiveness in the classroom.

Brad Gant, Vice President of Turning’s Education Division commented, “TurningTalk is a community that helps educators create active learning environments using our interactive tools. Through sharing best practices and lesson plans, members help each other create significant gains in learning outcomes for their students.”

With the continued expansion of their product line and customer resources, Turning has also released a redesign of their corporate website, www.TurningTechnologies.com, for an improved customer experience. The user-centric design and content allow both new and experienced customers to quickly gather the relevant information and expands Turning’s support for their international customers.

For more information visit Turning Technologies.

StudyX: First General Purpose Study Software With Games

Generate Games, Practice Tests and Flashcards With the Click of a Button

Remember how much time you spend studying in school? Would you be surprised to find out that there is computer software that can cut your studying time and make studying more fun at the same time? A company called Jeff Computers, started by a Webster University student, has developed study software that makes creating digital or paper flash cards as easy as clicking your mouse. Best of all, it does not require a brand new computer. StudyX will work on virtually any Windows machine.

A typical user of the software can range from an elementary child to a graduate student. It is simple to install the software and then enter the study materials in a question and answer format. Once the notes are entered, you click on a game and start playing. While playing the game, questions will pop up. When you have mastered all of the questions, a message will congratulate you on your accomplishment.

In addition to games, the software allows you to create tests that you can share with your classmates. Creating these files is just as easy as creating the game, and they work directly in Internet Explorer. If you decide that your prefer paper, this is an option as well. StudyX allows you to print study sheets, note cards, fill in the blank tests, multiple choice, and even matching tests.

StudyX changes studying from a tedious and time consuming task, into something all together different. 

For more information visit StudyX.