EdTech Show Daily

UBM TechWeb's Cloud Connect Supports Bay Area Public Schools

Cloud Connect, produced by UBM TechWeb, today kicks off a program with DonorsChoose.org that will benefit Bay Area public schools' science and math projects in order to support STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education.

Cloud Connect, the premier technology event for cloud computing, featuring the latest technologies, strategies and innovations within cloud computing, will take place March 7-10, 2011 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, Calif. For more information, visit http://www.cloudconnectevent.com/charity/.

Arkansas Department of Education Receives $35,000 Grant From Verizon

The Arkansas Department of Education has received a $35,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation to train teachers to use the free educational resources available on Thinkfinity.org and raise awareness of the resources. With the grant, announced Wednesday (Feb. 23), the Verizon Foundation has now invested $70,000 with the education department to provide innovative online resources and professional development for teachers throughout the state.

Verizon's grant to the education department will be used to:

• Raise awareness of the Thinkfinity portal with educational institutions in Arkansas.

• Promote integration of technology into the curriculum, improvement of the teaching practice and improved student achievement in the standards-led curriculum.

• Provide demonstrations on how to use the Thinkfinity portal in the classroom.

• Modeling of technology integrated lessons and resources in the Thinkfinity portal.

• Share with small and large groups the work in the area of 21st century skills, in preparation for the NAEP 2014 Technology Literacy Assessment.

• Collaborate with the regional service centers, higher education institutions and educational associations to provide training in the use of the Thinkfinity portal.

 

Sacred Heart School-Winnetka Captures Prestigious Technology Award for Second Year

For the second straight year, Sacred Heart School-Winnetka, Ill. has been named an Apple Distinguished School in recognition of its commitment to integrate state-of-the-art technology into its learning environments across all grades.

Included among the technology enhancements are SmartBoards in all teaching classrooms, a large computer lab with iMacs, skills reinforcement in Kindergarten through third grade using iPod touch and shared notebook computers in fourth and fifth grades. Most recently, Sacred Heart-Winnetka implemented a program providing each junior high student use of his/her own MacBook to fully support the learning environment.

Additionally, Sacred Heart-Winnetka has implemented keyboarding accounts that track student’s progress both at school and at home, kid-safe educational search engines, Discovery Education Science, math resources and a host of sites that teachers have tailored to meet classroom needs. The school also utilizes PowerSchool software. Both parents and students can see academic progress in real time, greatly enhancing organization and accountability for schoolwork.

 

Unicon and Kaltura to Host Webinar on Open Source Full-Video Solution

Unicon, Inc. has announced that it will host an interactive webinar, “Kaltura Online Video Solutions for the Campus and Classroom in Higher Education,” featuring special guest Leah Belsky, Vice President of Strategic Development for Kaltura. Kaltura is the creator of the leading open source online video platform for education. This webinar will discuss how online video impacts the needs of education professionals, and how the Kaltura Video Platform meets the rich-media needs of faculty, staff and students.

Join Unicon at 2:00 p.m. EST (11:00 a.m. PST) on Tuesday, Feb. 22, to experience live demos of the Kaltura Cross-Campus Media Suite (a full-video solution), including the Kaltura MediaSpace™ application (an internal campus “YouTube”). Attendees will also discover how the Kaltura Video Tool integrates with the Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment, in an exclusive demo from Aaron Zeckoski, Software Engineer at Unicon.

 

VMware and Wyse Technology Bring Desktop Virtualization to More Classrooms

VMware, Inc. and Wyse Technology, the global leader in cloud client computing, today announced growing momentum for desktop virtualization in the classroom with VMware View™ and the Wyse portfolio of industry-leading thin, zero and cloud PC client solutions.

Universities and school districts are using the combination of VMware View™ and Wyse client devices to enable the computing freedom that educators and students want, while delivering the control and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) advantages school IT administrators require.

By modernizing their desktop infrastructure with VMware View™, school IT administrators can centrally manage all of their virtual desktops in a school’s datacenter, significantly reducing the maintenance time and costs associated with legacy PC deployments. In addition, the desktop virtualization solution from VMware and Wyse is an energy-efficient alternative to traditional PCs.

New HP MultiSeat Computing Devices for Educators and Businesses

A year after the first DisplayLink^™ zero client solutions made their way into the hands of global educators, the company announced their virtual graphics chip is designed into the updated HP MultiSeat Thin Client device.

In combination with a display, keyboard and mouse, the HP MultiSeat t150 along with the Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 operating system (OS) will allow a user to experience an individual computing session from a notebook or PC as the server, as well as combine for up to 10 seats. Additionally, the HP MultiSeat t150 features a dedicated USB port for private viewing of data from USB drives/keys.

The combined offering provides a true zero client experience that eliminates the need for an operating system, CPU or memory at the systems’ end points—and just requires peripherals, a thin client and a familiar standard USB 2.0 cable instead of any proprietary connection technology. And thanks to DisplayLink USB virtual graphics, no extra video cards need to be installed. No system administrator needs to be devoted to installation. It’s truly plug and play.

Yahoo! to Support Safer Internet Day on February 8, 2011

Yahoo! Inc. today announced that it is launching Yahoo! Safely worldwide, demonstrating its longtime commitment to fostering safer online experiences. Through Yahoo! Safely (http://safely.yahoo.com), users across 26 countries and 14 languages can now access information and advice on making smart choices online. This global resource aims to inform parents, educators and young people in their own languages about important topics, such as managing digital reputations, avoiding cyber-bullying and learning how to minimize risks on mobile devices.

In support of Safer Internet Day on February 8 (www.saferinternet.org) Yahoo! is joining forces with Insafe, the network co-funded by the European Commission, and offering these five tips for online gaming and social networking:

• Think before you post. How you represent yourself online—the way you play games, the photos and texts you share, the design of your avatar, and what you have on your profile—all add up to who you are. Invest in your online image.

• Be a good sport. Virtual games can be fun, but remember to treat other players with respect. If you wouldn’t do it on the field, don’t do it online either.

• Take action and report bullying. If you stand by and watch, laugh or do nothing when you see bullying happen, you become part of the problem. Take the opportunity to create positive change.

• Spread smiles with your phone. Texting is core to staying connected with your friends, and half of you send more than 1,500 texts a month. What you text is a reflection of you, so be thoughtful about what you say so you can be confident that your texts portray you the right way.

• Unplug and connect with your world. We live in a 24/7 digital world, but don’t forget to unplug sometimes. Get out and connect with your friends in the real world.

 

HP Announces Interactive Tools for Teachers and Students

HP announced the HP Digital Learning Suite along with new education solutions to help schools prepare students for greater achievement and success in education, internships and the global workforce.

The HP Digital Learning Suite brings together technology solutions to fit a variety of diverse learning environments and encourage student collaboration, interactive learning and enhanced management capabilities in the classroom.

The suite helps school districts improve student achievement with tailored solutions focused on three areas: early childhood and elementary education (pre-K-4), secondary education (grades 5-12), and blended learning environments and the cloud (pre-K-12).

Among the new components of the HP Digital Learning Suite:

• HP Digital Sketch wirelessly connects to a teacher’s notebook or desktop to allow control of the lesson plan while walking around the classroom.

• HP Pocket Whiteboard turns almost any classroom surface into an interactive learning space.

• HP Classroom Manager software empowers teachers and administrators to keep students on task while improving collaboration, pushing content and gaining formative assessment data to improve and differentiate instruction.

• HP MultiSeat t150 Thin Client allows up to 10 students to simultaneously share a single host computer using a simple USB connection, so schools can maximize the number of computer seats without increasing their technology budgets.

• HP Presentation Station 1000 unchains educators from a fixed teaching location by putting all of their technology tools within easy reach; teachers can move anywhere in the classroom to deliver a collaborative curriculum.

• HP 20-Notebook Charging Cart and 20- and 30-Notebook Managed Charging Carts provide easy charging and management of notebooks in the cart regardless of brand, from Mini PCs up to 15.6-inch screen-size notebooks.

HP will be showcasing these products and more at the Texas Computer Education Association in Austin, Texas, Feb. 7-11.

CSI Technology Outfitters Showcases Newest Education Cloud Tecnology at TCEA

CSI Technology Outfitters recently announced their inclusion of Hosted VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Services into the existing CSI@K12 Education Cloud. The inclusion of VoIP technology into this already existing hosted suite of products adds to the cost-effective technology currently being offered for K-12 and higher education institutions. CSI Technology Outfitters is reaching out to school systems across the country by educating K-12 institutions about cloud computing technology and showing the efficiency, flexibility and cost-effectiveness of next-generation computing during the TCEA 2011 show.  

The CSI@K12 Education Cloud provides the education community with enterprise class-hosted voice, hosted e-mail and hosted Web—available individually, but provides a triple advantage when combined together. You get a solution that is inexpensive to operate and provides a complete unified communication and collaboration environment.

With the CSI@K12 Education Cloud, tools that help communities connect and share resources are hosted and supported by CSI. As a result, educational institutions do not have to purchase software and hardware that have limited use, invest in technologies that are quickly outdated, or invest time in supporting these solutions. Because of this, these services become highly scalable and reduce the time and complexity of deploying these services within the current technology environment. Additionally, these tools become available from anywhere through a Web browser or a rich client, allowing people to exchange information and work together from anywhere in the world.

CSI Technology Outfitters will be exhibiting at booth #2790.

Rugged Convertible Classmate PC Design Moves The Way Kids Do

Latest Intel-Powered Convertible Classmate PC Offers Durable Design for School Children Around the World

 

Supported by local computer manufacturers, Intel unveils the latest Intel-powered convertible classmate PC design.

The new convertible design is more rugged and flexible, providing school children around the world with custom-built technology to help advance education.

 

Intel Corporation today unveiled the most flexible and durable Intel-powered convertible classmate PC reference design yet. Supported by local computer manufacturers which are part of the Intel® Learning Series, this new addition combines aesthetics with ruggedness, full PC functionality with enhanced e-learning capabilities and improved performance with energy efficiency.

Building on the success of the clamshell and convertible classmate PC designs, Intel and the Learning Series’ members provide classrooms around the world with a custom-built solution for primary school education.

Featuring the Intel® Atom™ processor and a 10.1-inch LCD monitor, the new convertible classmate PC includes increased memory and storage to run education applications that help students excel in their studies and build skills for the future. The new design can change instantly from a clamshell to a tablet PC, allowing students to naturally switch form factors as they move between activities and locations in the classroom, an observation that Intel ethnographic researchers have termed “micro-mobility.”

"Our ethnographers have spent countless hours understanding how technology can help school age children here in the U.S. and around the world build the skills required for the future," said Kapil Wadhera, acting general manager of Intel’s Emerging Markets Platform Group, which developed the Intel-powered classmate PC reference design based on ethnographic research. “At Intel, we believe that education has the power to transform the lives of individuals, villages, cities and nations, and we understand that technology is one of our greatest tools to advance education around the world.”

Built to move the way kids do, the new Intel-powered convertible classmate PC features a touch-screen with a user interface optimized for eReading applications, water-resistant keyboard, touchpad and screen, improved ruggedness with drop test from desk height, bump and scratch resistance surfaces and structures, and an optional anti-microbial keyboard. In tablet mode, the “palm rejection” feature ignores the touch of hands resting on the screen, allowing students to write and draw intuitively.

In addition to being powered by the power-efficient Intel Atom processor, the new classmate PC features a rechargeable battery with up to 8.5 hours1 of battery life so students and teachers don’t have to worry about plugging in. It also includes integrated wireless connectivity with WiFi and provides the options of 3G, GPS and WiMAX for easy network and Internet connections.

More than 300 vendors – including hardware, operating system, software vendors and enterprise solutions providers – are developing applications, peripherals and services optimized for Intel-powered classmate PCs as a part of the Intel Learning Series offering. This cost-effective, end-to-end solution will be brought to students by an extensive network of local OEMs including CTL, Equus and M&A in the United States, MDG in Canada and local OEMs in Australia, Argentina, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, in addition to Benelux region.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live.

For more information, visit Intel.