EdTech Show Daily Feb. 8

An independent publication not affiliated with TCEA

Wednesday, Februar y 8, 2012

BLENDEDSCHOOLS.NET EMPOWERS SCHOOLS TO TRANSFORM CLASSROOMS AND CURRICULUM

Jed Friedrichsen, CEO of blendedschools.net, sat down recently to discuss how of the nation’s largest notfor-profit organization for online and blended learning is helping schools.

ESD: Asked to build an online solution for schools, why didn’t you build a cyber school?

Oser Communications Group

UNPARALLELED CUSTOMER SERVICE AND VAST PRODUCT SELECTION SET MACKIN APART

An interview with Randal Heise, President, Mackin Educational Resources, highlights how Mackin’s customization, innovative products and free services have saved educators time and money for more than 28 years.

Austin

TEACHING ESL WITH ENO

BY POLYVISION IS SEAMLESS AND EFFECTIVE

Angela Brotherton, an ESL Teacher at Pittsburg Primary School, Texas, talks about teaching English as a second language with ēnoTM.

ESD: How can you best describe Pittsburg Primary?

JF: A decade ago, private companies, state and regional cyber schools and universities provided most of the online learning opportunities for students. Schools entering online education purchased course enrollments.

RH: Mackin provides PK-12 schools with high-quality educational resources including print books in all bindings, e-books, online databases, audiobooks, video resources, classroom and leveled libraries, curriculum

AB: Pittsburg Primary is located in a small town in Northeast Texas. Our school is comprised of over 400 prekindergarten through first grade students. With several bilingual classrooms and four English as a second language [ESL] classrooms, the population at Pittsburg Primary is representative of our community’s diversity.

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TEACHER ENHANCES CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE WITH QOMO HITEVISION

By Beth Berens, marketing specialist at QOMO HiteVision

Special Education Team Leader and a School Tech Coordinator, Kim Iseral, of Boone County High School in Florence, Ky., wanted to find new ways to engage students in a stimulating academic environment.

Boone County is the third largest district in the state, with over 20,000 students. She wanted to be able to assess student knowledge quickly and use that information to drive instruction in her classroom. Iseral needed a tool to maximize her capacity as a teacher and increase the learning capacity of her students.

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VISION SECURITY SOFTWARE OFFERS A SINGLE INTUITIVE INTERFACE

Ed. Tech. Show Daily interviews Victoria Newsome, President of Vision Security Software about the company and their line of business.

ESD: Tell our readers a little about your company. What’s your main line of business?

VN:Vision Security Software (VSS) specializes in producing video security software that integrates existing video and other security systems with new technologies in a single user interface. Our video security software for education product, VSS AlloyTM, enables K-12 school Continued on Page 56

ESD: What does Mackin offer?

HOW VIVITEK CAN MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT AT YOUR SCHOOL

David Jacobson, Executive Director of Technology at Friendswood ISD, and TCEA Vice President of Records and Finance, discusses the process they went through evaluating new technology, why they chose Vivitek, and how it has impacted their school and the students learning process.

Ed. Tech. Show Daily interviews David Jacobson, Executive Director of Technology, Friendswood ISD &TCEA Vice President, Records and Finance about choosing Vivitek’s projectors.

TI-MATHFORWARD FOSTERS ACHIEVEMENT IN MATHEMATICS

TI-MathForwardTM prepares students for middle school, high school algebra success

ESD:What were your main technology objectives

Middle grade mathematics is critical in laying the foundation for future success in more challenging academic courses.

Unfortunately, those mathematics classes are often the classes where students struggle most. The work becomes more challenging, and it’s not uncommon for struggling students to disengage. As a result, many continue through the remainder of their academic career without the critical skills they need to be successful in high school and beyond.

FIVE CLASSROOM RESPONSE SYSTEMS PUT TO THE TEST, AND THE WINNER IS…

FORTRES GRAND DESKTOP SECURITY SOFTWARE IMPROVES COMPUTER SECURITY AUDIT

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Robert Prater, IT Director, Florida State University Schools, talks to Ed. Tech. Show Daily about how he tested five classroom response systems and chose 2Know!

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EdTech Show Daily interviews Wayne Rickman, Technical Administrator for Brockport Central School District.

ESD: Can you tell me about your security audit?

ESD: How did you test the five Classroom Response Systems for your research school?

RP: I asked one of our most tech-savvy teachers to test five different systems in his classroom for one month each and give me feedback. Some didn’t have the flexibility we needed, and at the end, the 2Know! system Continued on Page 49

WR: Our district hired a company to do an audit of all our technology. Our security software, Fortres 101, Clean Slate, and Central Control, rated as excellent. After seeing how secure our computers are, the auditing company started recommending Fortres Grand software to other schools.

ESD: What is the benefit of Fortres 101 and Central Continued on Page 49

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WIZIQ BRINGS IMPRESSIVE NEW FEATURES TO COST-EFFECTIVE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM Christopher Dawson, VP of Business Development

WizIQ rang in 2012 by releasing major upgrades and improvements to its virtual classroom.

WizIQ’s great features and aggressive pricing easily put it on teachers’ short lists of e-learning tools to try this year.

Virtual classrooms are no longer just for college distance education. While WizIQ can easily support the needs of the largest of universities, WizIQ works just

as well for a single tutor, an eighth-grade classroom teacher, or a virtual parents’ night The idea of a virtual classroom may sound strange to someone accustomed to teaching in a physical classroom, but the shared whiteboards, shared presentations, and even shared desktops make the WizIQ Virtual Classroom useful whether your students are 10 feet away or 10 time zones away.

The latest release of our fully-hosted virtual classroom now includes several

HOW EMBODIED LEARNING CAN HELP STUDENTS

By Mina Johnson-Glenberg, Ph.D, Chief Learning Officer, SMALLab Learning LLC

The phrase “embodied learning” is coming into vogue, but it has different meanings for different stakeholders. For learning scientists, it has a very specific meaning: comprehension and retention are affected by sensory motoric input. At SMALLab Learning, we create educa-

tional content that taps into embodied learning using the latest advances in motion capture technology.

A long research history supports the efficacy of Self Performing Tasks (SPT).

For example, in one study there were three groups.

One group merely heard a list of unrelated action

EdTech Show Daily new features that make it even more attractive for teachers in a variety of settings: Six-way video, switchable by the instructor (upgraded from four-way); Active noise cancellation (no need for headphones and perfect for bringing guest speakers into the classroom or conducting PD with teachers in different locations); Breakout rooms; Improved tools for managing attendees; Improved screen sharing with the ability to share a single window or a single application, as well as your entire desktop; Beta versions of iPad and Android apps.

Imagine that your school just purchased netbooks for students in a 1:1 program. Now how do you change your teaching to take advantage of them?

Start, for example, by sharing a presentation with the students, complete with all Continued on Page 21

phrases (“lift the hat”), one group performed the actions without the object, and one group performed the actions with the object. The participants who performed the action consistently recalled more of the phrases. An accepted explanation involves the use of codes. That is, a memory trace, or ‘‘code,’’ is established for the content and adding the motoric component Continued on Page 21

An independent publication not affiliated with TCEA Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief Lyle Sapp Senior Associate Publisher Director of Sales Steve Cox Kate Seymour Senior Associate Publishers Kim Forrester Associate Publisher Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director Naima Simi Dirk Deppey Associate Editors Valerie Wilson Art Director Kelly Hess Graphic Designer Selene Pinuelas Traffic Manager Paul Harris James Martin John McQuaig Conrad Mendoza Deborah Yarbrough Account Managers Enrico Cecchi European Sales EdTech Show Daily is published by Oser Communications Group ©2012.

All rights reserved.

Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520-721-1300/Fax: 520-721-6300/www.oser.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy.

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EdTech Show Daily

DISTRICTS SAVE MONEY WITH TOOLS4EVER’S SELF SERVICE RESET PASSWORD MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE James Lozano-Byerly, Enterprise Sales Manager with Tools4ever, discusses how the Self Service Reset Password Management (SSRPM) software is being used by school districts to create savings.

ESD: How does the Self Service Reset Password Management software enable districts to save money?

JLB: You can read any market research or browse tech help forums on password management and quickly see that the process for resetting or unlocking directory passwords is both time-consuming and cumbersome for end users and help desk personnel alike. The process is a drain on resources and opportunity for district staff. The Self Service Reset Password Management (SSRPM) empowers end users to reset their own passwords without having to call the help desk for support.

ESD: What are some of the concerns with an elevated volume of help desk calls?

JLB: Districts face security concerns along with costly employee downtime, increasing frustration and an underutilized support staff. The help desk resources should be tackling more critical issues rather than resetting or unlocking accounts. SSRPM provides a simple 'Forgot My Password' button on the Windows login screen and/or an ASP Web Interface, prompting the end users to answer a series of challenge questions to reset or unlock their accounts. It is a very simple process.

ESD: What do other school districts say about how SSRPM and how it helped them?

JLB: Well, SSRPM really touches many areas within an organization. For example, SSRPM helps with password fatigue and end-user frustration. There are fewer instances of users placing sticky notes under their keyboards.

Support for the reset is instant, which means they do not have to wait to be productive―especially when the staff or teachers need access to conduct classroom activities. I often hear how nice it is at the beginning of each school year or after a holiday not to have to reset as many passwords.

ESD: How do SSRPM and Tools4ever differ compared to similar solutions?

JLB: We have a very solid niche with the educational market. Tools4ever has been called nimble, responsive and focused on the client’s needs and expectations.

SSRPM meets a very specific need, setting the stage for immediate ROI. It also has optional plug-ins to extend functionality for multi-platform support such as Google Apps or Live@edu password sync or other systems.

We are entrepreneurial in nature, which allows us to be incredibly responsive to our clients' technical needs. With this elevated level of customer service coupled with value-based price point, Tools4ever is considered the company of choice for school districts seeking user management and password management solutions.

ESD: Is it possible to test or review this solution? If so, how?

JLB: Network Administrators that are interested can visit our website at www.tools4ever.com. We offer a 30-day evaluation period and conduct WebEx demonstrations. You can also see us at booth 2427.

SCHOOL WEB LOCKERS OFFERS COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION THROUGH CLOUD-BASED STORAGE Now that technologically-demanding projects have become standard in the classroom, many schools and districts hampered by data storage restrictions have begun to examine ways for students to store and submit their vital work.

Instead of investing in expensive flash drives that can be easily broken, lost or bring threatening outside viruses into a school’s IT system, they look towards affordable options that offer a safe and secure location for students to store their documents online.

School Web Lockers is a leading provider of a cost-effective solution offering cloud-based storage and collaboration tools to not only help minimize paper and administration expenses, but

increase productivity inside and outside the classroom.

With School Web Lockers, all users are provided with their own personal web-based locker with unlimited space to store all of their school-related documents. The platform was designed specifically for K-12 schools with the concept that students could begin their work at one location and save it to their locker to be completed later from any Internet-connected computer.

Additional features include digital drop boxes, E-Portfolios, shared folders, calendars, blogs and message boards.

The company also introduced a new addContinued on Page 21

RESULTS SHOW WHY AWARD CHOSEN FOR TEXAS COMMISSIONER’S LIST AWARD Reading is represented in Texas

by ProComputing at TCEA In 2010, Texas approved AWARD Reading as one of the electronic ELA programs to be used for digital instruction across the state. As schools move forward to embrace new learning resources, AWARD helps meet the increasing demand for innovative online instruction with proven research results.

AWARD Reading was specifically developed for electronic instruction that would teach and motivate digital natives.

The term “digital native,” along with “digital immigrant,” is being more and more used to explain the differences between those born after the “tech movement” and those born before it. It doesn’t necessarily mean that “natives” are technically expert but their thinking is different.

A study of kindergarten and first grade students in Texas, New York, and New Jersey coordinated by Cathy Collins Block, Ph.D and Professor of Education at Texas Christian University, reviewed outcomes based on the use of AWARD Reading and control subjects using standard basal reading programs. Results showed that after only 20 weeks, the AWARD program significantly improved subjects’ abilities in phonics, continuous reading and attitudes toward reading.

Increases in positive attitudes toward reading were especially profound with African American students (48 percent increase) and Hispanics (15 percent). The students showed more enthusiasm for reading and they engaged positively with the animated and interactive texts and activities.

AWARD Reading significantly improves reading abilities in the critical early school years, in particular with ELLs, students with disabilities, those from low socio-economic backgrounds and students who benefit from accelerated learning opportunities. Published by the balanced literacy publisher that first brought big books and guided readers such as Mrs. Wishy Washy to U.S. classrooms, AWARD Reading offers teachers and students an opportunity to interact

with technology in new ways, ensuring ongoing motivation and reading achievement.

One reason why AWARD has proven so successful in creating readers and changing attitudes to reading and learning lies in the richness of the texts.

They are creatively crafted to take advantage of what a digital format can uniquely deliver. They are animated and fully voiced for students to hear the words and understand the instructions. Each text is designed to be developmental appropriate and the over 700 interactive connected activities support and extend learning of the essential skills.

The U.S. Department of Education sparked a national discussion around digital learning with the release in 2010 of The National Education Technology Plan. Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology calls for applying the advanced technologies used in daily life to our entire education system to improve student learning, accelerate and scale up the adoption of effective practices, and use data and information for continuous improvement. AWARD’s instructional materials parallel the recommendations of this plan and its principles connected to learning, assessing and teaching.

Teachers appreciate the program’s unique strengths. “AWARD is balanced literacy with a twist of technology and ELL scaffolds all in one package. It is not a scripted program but rather a treasure chest filled with authentic, engaging materials teachers can pull from in order to best educate the students,” said ELL teacher Kathryn Castellano. “It never feels like traditional, antiquated schooling but rather learning through exploration and fun!”

AWARD Reading is represented by ProComputing, TCEA booth #831

PEIMS DATA PLUS LIBERATES DATA FOR LOCAL EDUCATION Texas Local Education Agencies (LEAs) expend an enormous amount of resources to satisfy regulatory data collection mandates, resources include―but are not limited to―software, hardware and staff expense. According to the 2009 TDCARSI study (TEA Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting Systems Investigation) conducted by the Texas Education Agency, the projected annual cost of data collection to all districts in Texas is in excess of $320 million annually.

While the majority of resources are focused on the collection and submission of data, few have been focused on the usage of data at the LEA level. A void exists with respect to tools that allow LEA staff to access their own data. That’s not to say report writing tools don’t exist,

but in reality, how many LEA administrators have the time, inclination and desire to become trained report writers?

In recent years, one solution has come forward to this problem, PEIMS Data Plus.

PEIMS Data Plus is, hands down, the simplest tool available for LEA staff to access the data they are so desperate to have. What exactly is PEIMS Data Plus?

“PDP,” as it is commonly referred to, is a Continued on Page 44

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EdTech Show Daily

BRITANNICA SMARTMATH PERSONALIZES LEARNING

WHAT YOUR ANTI-VIRUS IS MISSING

For schools and districts looking to help students improve their math skills, Britannica Digital Learning offers SmartMath, an online math practice and formative assessment tool. Britannica SmartMath encourages math practice by making it fun, adapting to each student’s performance for truly individualized instruction.

Dealing with differences in student skills has always been a challenge, particularly in math. But SmartMath’s adaptive platform builds differentiation into every question by adjusting difficulty based on each student’s performance. In this way, teachers reach all students, from those who are falling behind to those who are well ahead. The result is that students achieve success in math and move through each topic at their own pace until the material is mastered.

A highly interactive program, Britannica SmartMath uses amusing cartoon characters and an award system to create a fun, game-like environment that engages students. Students have fun practicing math, meaning more time-ontask and a greater mastery of the subject.

SmartMath is designed around NCTM focal points and correlated to the Florida Sunshine State Standards and the Common Core standards.

Formative assessment is also an integral part of SmartMath. Teachers

Anti-virus is crucial, but it simply doesn’t prevent everything.

With over 60,000 unique malware samples that are engineered every day, it becomes impossible for “blacklisting” anti-virus solutions to keep up with the exponential rate of malware growth.

Since anti-virus relies on a file signature in order to detect and deter a virus or other malware, it is only effective if a malware piece already has a signature attached to it.

One technology that is gaining increasing attention is application whitelisting.

Application whitelisting employs the opposite approach to blacklisting. Rather than attempting to identify and block the infinite number of malicious applications that are attacking your network, whitelisting focuses on the limited number of approved applications, allowed to run in your network. For example, when a user is surfing the web and accidentally stumbles on a malicious website that attempts to silently install a keystroke logger on an endpoint, this spyware will simply not execute because it is not on the whitelist.

While whitelisting technology has actually been around for many years, it hasn't received the same attention as its counterpart, anti-virus software, until recently, thanks to increasing threats like

and administrators have access to reports to inform instruction according to an individual student’s needs or the progress of entire classes and grades.

These assessments drive differentiation without putting an extra burden on teachers. There is less grading to be done and more time for teachers to respond to student results.

“This is the future of math instruction,” says Michael Ross, a Senior Vice President and General Manager of Britannica Digital Learning. “It’s fun and engaging for students and a powerful, easy-to-use formative assessment tool for teachers. It’s on the cutting edge of incorporating feedback into the learning process. Educators, parents and students now have real-time measurable results of student performance and a better way to track student progress.”

SmartMath joins the company’s mathematics-instruction portfolio alongside the Mathematics in Context middle school core mathematics curriculum.

Ross says that the two initiatives exemplify Britannica’s expanding product line that focuses on the needs of 21st century classrooms.

Schools interested in Britannica SmartMath or any of Britannica’s products can go to http://info.eb.com/smartmath or call 800-621-3900. Britannica can be found at TCEA booth#2334.

By Kelly Batke

zero-day exploits and spear phishing.

A strong application whitelisting solution, like Faronics Anti-Executable, can also ensure license compliance by limiting the version and type of applications allowed to be installed and run.

Additionally, since only approved applications are allowed to execute, unwanted programs such as messaging and games can simply be blocked, ensuring no drain on productivity.

There is also another integral layer that often gets overlooked: Instant system restore. An instant system restore solution, like Faronics Deep Freeze allows an instant recovery to a known pristine state without losing user data or personalized configuration settings. This also gives the ability to recover from non-security events, like user error and software misconfiguration.

Benefits of multiple security layers: Keeping Data Safe. Instant system restore and application whitelisting ensure cyber criminals and malware are deterred from infecting and stealing data from endpoints. Ensuring Regulatory and License Compliance. One of the least Continued on Page 21

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EdTech Show Daily

OKI SHOWCASES COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS YOUR SCHOOL’S PRINTING NEEDS Michael Garofola, Sr. Marketing Manager, Channel Development and Education for OKI Data Americas, talks to Ed. Tech. Show Daily about printing.costs for schools.

ESD: Studies suggest that color output enhances students’ learning, but can schools afford the costs associated with color printing? Is it possible to bring color into the classroom affordably?

MG: I am familiar with these studies and agree that colorful educational materials really do improve a student’s learning experience. Recognizing the benefits of color, OKI developed Color Access Policy Manager (CAPM), a no-charge SMALLab Learning (Con’t. from p. 4)

enriches the memory code beyond just the visual and auditory trace. More recent fMRI research that when reading words related to action, areas in the brain are activated in a somatotopic manner. For example, reading the word “pick” actually activates brain areas that control the hand. This activation is part of a parallel network representing meaning and it shows that the traces do not fade away once adulthood has been reached. It follows that using action while learning new content may result in deeper, longer lasting memory traces.

SMALLab Learning content is designed to map students’ actions and gestures during the learning or encoding phase onto the content. This is what we mean by embodied. The enhanced code leads to increased content retention, we hypothesize that it is this retention that translates into higher test scores. During the design process, we incorporate multiple modalities to help learners strengthen the traces. As an example of the kinesthetic in a physics scenario, a student walks through the space and is tracked in real time, we give the learner immediate feedback as to whether they are using constant velocity or not. In addition, the learner receives feedback on rate and position sonically, visually, and through WizIQ (Con’t. from p. 4)

of your animations. No fussing with a projector, lights, or viewing angles.

Then, demonstrate an application from your computer. Take questions from students via chat and respond to students who raise their virtual hands. Place students in virtual break-out rooms for group projects and then bring the class back together so that the groups can present their work. Let as many students as you wish simultaneously work on a virtual whiteboard.

Or take a different approach altogether and use the recording features. Record a lecture a day in advance, complete with slides, YouTube videos, and full audio/video and assign students to watch it for homework. The next day, engage

rights-based software application that allows schools to implement cost-effective color printing while eliminating waste. With CAPM, schools can control which documents are printed in color, black and white, or not printed at all.

Printing privileges can be assigned to a user level or an application level, including specific websites and URLs. CAPM also includes a job log so that administrators can see what types of documents are being printed.

ESD: Sometimes school district administrators tell me that half of their IT budgets go towards printing. I know printed Continued on Page 44

their bodily sensations. We install costeffective motion capture technology in the classroom and make sure that all students get a chance to experience it.

All content is designed to be collaborative and facilitate peer-to-peer interaction. In this way it differs profoundly from traditional technology-based products. Up to four students can be tracked in the active space. Students who are observing are given tasks to perform, such as writing hypotheses and predictions on mini-whiteboards or iPads. We see engagement of the entire classroom―and classroom management issues decrease.

New technologies require committed professional development, on this end we offer PDxDesign. Teachers work from concept to a final product. Along the way they define student-learning goals, critique existing tools, examine prototype designs, and develop evaluation metrics.

PDxDesign is a highly interactive, handson program that is enabled by teleconferencing, and results in a co-designed, embodied lesson you can use in your classroom!

Several peer-reviewed articles support our impressive learning gains and we invite you to visit www.smallablearning.com, call 323-798-5367, email sales@smallablearning.com, or visit us at booth #304 at TCEA. students in class with project-based work.

These same recording features can capture live classes, ensuring that students who are absent don’t miss a thing.

Want to offer extended-day learning opportunities, evening homework help, or office hours? How about credit recovery courses, enrichment classes, remedial assistance, or even gifted education outside regular school hours? Can do, with just a PC and a web browser.

The WizIQ Virtual Classroom also integrates with Moodle and other commercial LMS products. You can schedule, launch, and review virtual classroom sessions right from within your LMS. Check out WizIQ’s virtual booth at http://www.wiziq.com/tcea to learn more, sign up for a free teacher account, and test the virtual classroom for yourself.

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IRVING INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT GAINS NEW TECHNOLOGY THROUGH TYLER’S EARLY ADOPTION PROGRAM For Irving Independent School District (ISD) in Irving, Texas, maintaining their financial data and processes on the latest technology is important―and one of the main reasons the Business and Finance Office entered into Tyler Technologies’ Munis Early Adoption (EA) program in 2011, moving from Version 7.5 to Version 9.1, a Microsoft® SilverlightTM solution. Tyler a unique Evergreen employs Development philosophy, meaning products and features are continually enhanced throughout the year without additional fees. By participating in early adoption, Irving ISD would have access to the latest and greatest Munis features and technology before anyone else, a huge enticement to join the program.

During the transition to Version 9.1, Tyler staff worked closely with Bonnie Russell, senior programmer/analyst, to minimize the impact it had on the end users, ensuring processes continued uninterrupted. “Tyler staff put in a lot of effort to get the system up and running as School Web Lockers (Con’t. from p. 16)

on feature earlier this year, DirectSave, which allows users to save their work directly to their locker without having to first save the document locally and then upload it to the locker. This is eliminating the need for H Drives altogether.

In addition to hosting documents, School Web Lockers boosts productivity by streamlining the means in which teachers and students send documents to each other. Class digital drop boxes are a fast and efficient way for teachers to distribute assignments and for students to turn in their finished work. Students can’t see each others work, so teachers and administrators don’t have to worry about students cheating on the system.

Teachers can grade student work from this same location and send marked-up files back to individual students.

Instead of printing multiple handouts to assign homework, teachers can upload Faronics (Con’t. from p. 20)

recognized and appreciated benefits of these two solutions is the ability to achieve regulatory and software compliance. By understanding who is executing which applications, IT can gain strong visibility into licensing situations.

Reducing IT Costs: IT support tickets costs time and money. Additional layers of protection reduce IT support tickets and help decrease degradation of systems, keeping machines up and running at all times. IT support staff can therefore

quickly as possible and address any issues,” explained Russell, leading to noticeable support for the upgrade, both in and outside of the department. Only a week after go-live, processes were running smoothly and users were already starting to see benefits.

Benefiting from Munis Version 9.1’s Advanced Features Munis Version 9.1 offers Irving ISD users access to new features for maintaining, analyzing and reporting on financial data in an easy-tonavigate system. New role-based dashboard templates for the Tyler RoleTailored Dashboard―which provides easy access to comprehensive information and tools for informed, strategic decision making―have helped the district see a significant improvement in user efficiency. By using these templates, Russell’s team was able to successfully move 400 users to the dashboard at once.

“Our users have adapted to the new dashboard without hesitation,” she emphaContinued on Page 44

a document to the class folder and all students in that class will have access to the file. In addition to money saved on paper and toner, teachers save time that would have otherwise been spent printing and organizing hard copies of assignments.

This allows more time and energy to be focused on achieving success in the classroom.

School Web Lockers is compatible with both Macs and PCs and can be accessed through any Internet browser.

All files are virus-scanned before being uploaded. If a virus is detected, it cannot be uploaded to the site.

Because School Web Lockers is hosted in a co-location center, schools not only reduce its investment in technology infrastructure, but eliminate expensive maintenance and administration costs.

For more information, go to www.schoolweblockers.com, call 1-866499-6527 , or visit booth #1143. focus on strategic projects rather than fighting fires. Exploring options beyond blacklisting should not only be of interest to IT but also to those involved in budgets due to its direct impact on the bottom line. The implementation of these two layers can offer numerous ways to not only reduce the cost of security expenses, but to also satisfy increasing industry regulations.

To learn more on how to protect your educational organization, go to www.faronics.com, and visit us at booth #2145.

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A JOURNEY TO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF AND BEYOND: A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE ON VIDEO CONFERENCING

By Michael Sbarbaro, Middle School Teacher, San Jose, Calif.

I am a teacher, my name is Michael Sbarbaro. I teach middle school science and social studies in San Jose, Calif. I am in the business of connecting motivated, willing minds to the ever-evolving world of knowledge. My students build electromagnetic machines, conduct debates on the greatest Industrial Revolution innovation and write about what inspires them daily. All of these endeavors allow them to discover and explore; however, if there were a way to combine the kinesthetic application of education with the reality of the world, then that would be the ultimate endeavor.

The ultimate is here and it is called video conferencing. Recently my school was able to acquire an AVer H300 video-conferencing system. I heard a lot about how this technology was finally affordable for schools. I was also told that my students could visit the places they only read about and can collaborate with virtually anyone, anywhere. They said that I could even tap into Distance Learning programs. At first, all that just seemed wasteful. After all, we already had books and computers. That was of course until I used the AVer video-conferencing system.

This year, through this technology my students participated in an eMission, called Operation Montserrat, through the Challenger Learning Center in West Virginia. Via the H300

PEIMS (Con’t. from p. 16)

Web-based software application which allows LEA staff access to their data submitted to the state. LEAs may choose to load historical PEIMS data from as far back as 1997-98. Additionally, LEAs can load TAKS, TELPAS, EOC, GADF and Co-Hort data files.

Thelma Hackler, former PEIMS Specialist for Region 4 ESC in Houston, joined the PEIMS Data Plus team in 2010. “After many years of working with LEAs to submit quality data, PEIMS Data Plus is the best product I have seen that allows such simple universal access to data for LEA staff. But don’t listen to me; listen to our customers.”

Dr. Julie Joubert-Guillory, Current Executive Director of Student Services, Spring ISD: “The goal of any district should be to empower, encourage and educate district officials and educators on methods to improve data quality and data integrity. Districts must begin to put data ownership on those who create, edit and submit data on a daily basis.

The purchasing of PEIMS Data Plus software has allowed Spring ISD to

and with scientific analysis skills they learned through the project, they successfully evacuated the island of Montserrat from the impending doom of a hurricane and earthquake during a live, real-time simulation. My students were so immersed in the activity that they forgot that this was education.

The process completely made the math and science come alive for them.

Soon, we will be video traveling to a classroom in Texas for a class debate on immigration, and later this year, we will video journey to the Great Barrier Reef for what is known as a virtual field trip. Although I was initially apprehensive about another confounding technological gadget, the AVer H300 video-conferencing system is simple to use and an invaluable tool in providing my students boundless knowledge. Just as the computer revolutionized the way we teach and learn, I cannot wait to see how video conferencing enhances the educational experience.

For information about how the AVer Video Conferencing Solution can break the boundaries of your classroom, visit www.averusa.com, or stop

by TCEA booth #1829. improve data quality before PEIMS submissions, limited scope audits or compliance hits occur. The ease of usage has allowed Spring ISD to embrace PBMAS and other out-ofcompliance matters. Ever involved in getting data accurate, the Student Services Department of Spring ISD uses PEIMS Data Plus to avert coding issues which ultimately improves financial matters for the district. The support staff of PEIMS Data Plus has been superb!”

Brenda Richmond, Assistant Director of MIS, Hays CISD: "PEIMS Data Plus is the perfect complement to our existing student and finance software. Information that previously took days to aggregate can now be retrieved within a few seconds! Our Administrators feel that they cannot survive without this product. In addition, obtaining information for grant applications has never been easier."

Take a look for yourself. Visit the PEIMS Data Plus booth 1844. After the show, you can learn more by visiting www.peimsdataplus.com online or by calling 361-485-0004.

EdTech Show Daily

DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION WITH ESPRESSO ELEMENTARY

By Kathleen Laya

Espresso Elementary is a pre-K to fifthgrade teaching and learning site with a wide range of interactive, multimedia resources that inspire children to learn.

It takes a “real world” approach to learning and empowering students with familiar examples to reinforce a learning objective.

Espresso is built around “learning modules,” a unique collection of resources including video clips, interactives, games, photos, printable worksheets, multimedia fact files, fun lively characters and more, all working towards the achievement of state and Common Core curriculum standards.

Recognizing that students have different learning styles and abilities, here are three examples of how Espresso can support in implementing your strategies to differentiate instruction.

Tyler Technologies (Con’t. from p. 21)

sized. According to Russell, one Irving ISD user put it best: “I really want to use this―it helps me do my job faster.”

In addition to the dashboard templates, Irving ISD was also one of the first clients to use Tyler’s business intelligence cubes. Made up of predefined and organized sets of data fields, cubes offer a multi-dimensional look at the information contained in Munis. Using Microsoft Excel TM PivotTables, Irving ISD staff can select, drill into, rearrange, summarize, report on and analyze their financial data in new, highly useful ways.

Easy to use, Irving ISD staff were trained to use the new general ledger OKI (Con’t. from p. 21)

materials are important to the students’ education, but the costs have been overwhelming. Can you offer any cost-effective printing solutions?

MG: It sounds like they may be having issues managing their print fleet, and OKI can help them with that. OKI conducts a free comprehensive Rapid ScanTM assessment, which analyzes device usage as well as the level of color and mono printing, in order to better understand a school’s printing habits. We then propose a strategic plan of action that will help the school better manage its printing operations and help save money for their school/district. This may consist of removing underutilized products, consolidating devices and/or replacing expensive printers with cost-efficient OKI products to significantly improve overall performance. Recently, OKI saved an East Coast school district more than $300,000 per year as the result of a Rapid Scan assessment. Every school is unique, so we take a personalized, consultative approach to identifying ways to reduce a school’s printing costs without sacrificing quality or productivity.

Lesson Planner The “Lesson Planner” enables teachers to adapt one of our suggested “Lesson Ideas” or create their own path of Espresso resources, add quizzes, and then assign to their students for completion either in school, or at home. It’s easy to assign work to one, some, or all of your students and then assess understanding of a learning objective.

This tool has the ability to pull together any combination of resource types, and then add objectives, notes and instructions for the students. It is perfect for creating a differentiated path that your students can work through at their own pace, personalizing the Espresso Continued on Page 45

cubes in less than two hours. “We really saw the value in the cubes,” said Russell. “During our first training session…you could see [our Financials staff] was already thinking about how to start using the cubes as soon as possible. Immediately they knew these would make processes and tasks, such as preparing monthly reports, faster and easier.”

A successful experience, Russell would volunteer for the Munis EA program again. “This was without a doubt the smoothest upgrade I have ever done with Munis.”

For more information visit www.tylertech.com, email info@tylertech.com, call 800-772-2260 or visit them at booth # 2259.

ESD: Let’s say that a school district needs new printers for administrative areas and its computer labs. Most printouts are black and white, but it still needs the option for color. Maybe its IT budget was reduced, so they’re looking for affordable options. What can you suggest?

MG: OKI has affordably-priced devices that are tailored specifically to meet multiple printing needs and accommodate reduced IT budgets. In addition to our lineup of durable monochrome devices, OKI has an entire color product line with multifunction capabilities including banner printing capabilities that are versatile, fast, and have low, operating costs for maximum efficiency. What’s more, OKI offers FollowMeTM printing technology from Ringdale that allows a school district the ability to account for all printing activity, as well as optimize and streamline the printing environment, all to help administrators bring color into those areas as needed, but to do so cost-effectively.

For more information on OKI’s broad portfolio of printing solutions and how OKI can help your school/district, visit us at www.okidata.com/education.

Wednesday, Februar y 8, 2012

EdTech Show Daily

MCGRAW-HILL EDUCATION AND APPLE: COMBINING EXPERIENCE AND INNOVATION TO OPEN A NEW CHAPTER IN EDUCATION

By Lisa O’Masta, VP of STEM, McGraw-Hill Education

When the iPad® launched in 2010, the education community instantly recognized the value this tool could bring to the classroom. Until now, teachers, students and parents alike have been grappling with how best to use this technology to transform the educational experience. At McGraw-Hill Education, we’ve gone directly to the source. We’re working with Apple to introduce interactive K-12 books specially designed for the iPad to truly transform classrooms and bring education to life. McGraw-Hill Education has released five high school math and science titles designed specifically for the iPad to be sold through the iBookstore. We expect to double our program offerings for the iPad during the year. By combining our more than 100 years of proven experience and innovation in education with the power of Apple’s technology, we’ve furthered our efforts to bring educational material to life for today’s tech-savvy students and help improve learning outcomes. iBooks offers an easy way to download and learn the same great curricula you’ve come to expect from McGrawHill but that goes far beyond what’s offered by the traditional e-book. To start, iBooks includes the iBookstore, where students can download the latest titles from McGraw-Hill Education―day or night. And the iPad’s slim, light-weight design enables students to take their learning anywhere and lightens their backpacks at the same time.

Learning on the iPad makes reading and understanding course material more engaging than ever. You may hold an iPad like a book and flip the pages like a book, but once you tap open the first page, you’ll see it’s nothing like a book.

The bright LED-backlit display of the iPad brings crisp and colorful detail to every page, without using illumination.

So illustrations and images―and videos come to life just as our authors intended.

With McGraw-Hill Education’s titles on the iPad, students enter an unprecedented multimedia learning experience. They can jump to any chapter right from the table of contents, touch

and hold a word to look it up in the builtin dictionary or Wikipedia or search for it on the web or inside the book.

With image galleries, what used to be a single image are now often a series of images that provides multiple example and/or views. Interactive images and 3-D objects allow students to tap labels in a drawing or image to zoom or reveal information and rotate objects to examine them from multiple perspectives.

McGraw-Hill titles made available through iBooks also include keynote presentations with highly interactive features as well as interactive quiz questions that allow students to test their knowledge by answering questions in multiplechoice and drag-and-drop formats.

And the multimedia elements―including full-screen video and animations―are truly stunning.

Does this sound like a traditional ebook to you? We don’t think so.

The initial group of McGraw-Hill Education titles made available through the iBookstore includes State Standard editions of Algebra 1 and Geometry, as well as, Biology, Chemistry Matter and Change, Physics Principles and Problems with more to come.

This work with Apple represents our latest step in bringing our researched, proven content to a wide variety of platforms and devices to enhance teaching and learning and lead the digitization of education. When we debuted CINCH Learning last summer, McGraw-Hill became the first educational publisher to launch an all-digital, cloud-based program for the K-12 market that is accessible on any tablet, computer or mobile device.

And that’s just one example of how we are bringing our experience to K-12 classrooms to create the most engaging and effective learning experiences for today’s students. Experience matters.

Visit us at booth #1339 at TCEA to learn more, or test the new titles for yourself by downloading a sample directly through the iBookstore.

COMMON CORE STANDARDS— THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY

By Jared Heath, content manager at School Improvement Network

With regards to the Common Core Standards, the good news is great, the bad news is terrible, and the ugly... well, it’s unthinkable. Whether good, bad, or ugly, the Common Core Standards are exactly what we make of them, and the Standards depend entirely on how we

map them. Allow me to explain: Continued on Page 49

45

ISIP MATH IDENTIFIES STUDENTS IN NEED OF HELP ISIPTM (istation’s Indicators of Progress) Math is a computerized, Web-delivered assessment designed for 4th through 8th grade students. Aligned to national content standards specified in the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum Focal Points published in 2006, ISIP Math consists of quick, student-friendly, easy to administer tests that identify students in need of intervention.

While supporting RTI as a benchmarking assessment, ISIP Math helps teachers identify students’ needs within a three tier model of instruction.

Assessments and immediate scores are provided for an entire classroom in approximately 30 minutes. Student performance data is accessible to educators online in real time. These reports group students by need, make recommendations for additional targeted, differentiated instruction, and provide teacher-directed resources for use in small groups. Reports are specially designed to allow for instructional decision making.

Items in the ISIP Math bank align with research presented by the National Research Council (NRC) Adding It Up Report and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guide for Struggling Students in Math (K-8). ISIP

Math measures conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, and problemsolving, using cognitive engagement levels that students must develop to gain proficiency in mathematics.

Because formative assessments and intervention programs are most frequently designed to support students who struggle, addressing the needs of these students in the design and delivery of these materials is of the utmost importance for making valid decisions. ISIP Math was built on the principles of universal design to create an assessment that is optimally accessible to students with disabilities.

ISIP Math is authored by Leanne Ketterlin Geller, Ph.D. Dr. Geller is an Associate Professor in Education Policy and Leadership at Southern Methodist University. Her research focuses on the development and validation of formative assessment systems in mathematics that provide instructionally relevant information to support students with diverse needs. Her work is centered on using technology to provide accessible assessment systems through the integration of accommodations and principles of universal design.

For more information, visit www.istation.com. or find istation at booth # 1327 at TCEA 2012.

TURN AN ORDINARY WHITEBOARD INTO AN INTERACTIVE ONE WITH MIMIOTEACH MimioTeach makes interactive learning easy and practical. The Mimio Interactive Whiteboard Solution, MimioTeach, transforms already existing whiteboards into interactive whiteboards.

While other interactive whiteboards require an installation of an actual board, MimioTeach is a bar that is placed on an existing wall or board and interacts with a projected computer image. The MimioTeach bar uses infrared and ultrasound technology to communicate with a stylus pen.

Espresso Education (Con’t. from p. 44)

experience and addressing different subjects, learning styles and abilities. You can track individual usage of each Espresso lesson. And, with the reporting feature on quizzes, you can determine any gaps in learning to identify areas for remediation or intervention.

Interactive Whiteboards The full-screen video, combined with engaging interactive activities, provide a visual, hands-on experience that your students will instantly respond to, especially visual and kinesthetic learners.

Show a video full screen to introduce a lesson or topic area. Play a small group learning activity for reinforcement of key concepts. There are hundreds of resources on Espresso that will instantly

Because the MimioTeach can adhere to any whiteboard, teachers do not have to sacrifice their whiteboard space and can still use the area for teaching when the interactive whiteboard is not in use.

Doug Pennekamp, CEO of Education 2000, an authorized Mimio reseller, says that technology should not get in the way of instruction.

“MimioTeach is easy to integrate into everyday classroom lessons and Continued on Page 49

make your whiteboard come to life and help you get the best value out of it!

Accessibility settings Espresso’s aim is that our site should be accessible and easy to use, for everyone, at any level. Espresso’s interface can be customized to further support special education. For example, pages can be simplified (removing graphics and animation) to help students focus on the important information on the screen or the color scheme can be changed for those who require high visibility contrast.

Espresso can even be programmed to use with an assistive Switch.

Visit us at booth #830 to see these tools for yourself and find out how you can easily differentiate lessons with Espresso, or go online to www.espresssoeducation.com.

Wednesday, Februar y 8, 2012

EdTech Show Daily Fortres Grand (Con’t. from p. 1)

Control?

WR: To deny access to the C drive.

Fortres 101 locks down the desktop to limit student’s access. Once we installed Fortres 101, our support calls went down ESD: Why did you add Clean Slate?

WR: Specifically to clear spyware and viruses. Clean Slate clears computer changes at log off and reboot. We have been using Fortres 101 since 2000. In 2004, web-based spyware started to hit so we added Clean Slate which eliminated the spyware issues. I remember there was a virus that was spreading like wild2Know! (Con’t. from p. 1)

surpassed any other system we evaluated.

Hands down, it did everything we needed it to do for our secondary deployment.

ESD: What were the decisive factors in choosing the 2Know! system?

RP: We wanted a system that was simple enough for a kindergartner and powerful enough for a high school senior taking AP classes—one technology students could use from grade to grade.

At the secondary level, we can’t be limited to multiple choice questions. The texting feature is a big bonus. We have a tight budget, so cost was a factor, but we didn’t want to sacrifice capabilities.

Two guiding principles drive all our technology purchases: it has to signifiMimioTeach (Con’t. from p. 45)

activities,” Pennekamp said. “Teachers should be able to work with technology, but often times teachers find themselves working around technology.”

Since the MimioTeach adheres to a regular whiteboard, the dry-erase marker is still a valuable tool.

“With the MimioTeach teachers can still walk up to their whiteboards and use a dry-erase marker without worrying about damaging an expensive interactive whiteboard,” Pennekamp said. “Sometimes, it is more efficient and convenient to take a dry-erase marker to write on the board or School Improvement (Con’t. from p. 45)

The Good Our first charge vis-à-vis the Common Core is to redefine the connotations behind the word “standards.” Do we have a common purpose? Are we working toward the same goal? If so, then we have a standard. Gone are days where we live from class period to class period, praying that enough of our students pass. If we are measuring students on a pass/fail rubric, then we are intentionally labeling some students as failing.

The Common Core Standards give us an opportunity—a choice—to reclaim the classroom and the learning process and do what we are so passionately involved in doing. But the Common Core Standards as they are

fire. We just rebooted the computers in the classrooms and the virus was completely gone. Even now, I will get support calls about a virus. I just tell them to log off and that always fixes the issue.

ESD: What do you like best about Central Control?

WR: Central Control is a huge time saver. I can just sit at any computer in a classroom to make a change and with Central Control the change gets pushed out to the entire district. The change is made and pushed out to the entire district in minutes.

ESD: What do you like better about Clean Slate over reboot to restore products?

cantly improve student learning, and it has to help teachers teach better without having to re-learn everything they know and do.

WR: Making changes on the fly. We don’t have to shut down the computer to make a change. Everything is quick and easy. With other products, you have to reboot computers to make a security change. When Clean Slate and Central Control are used together, the change I make is instant for the entire district. I was helping another school who switched from a reboot-to-restore product to Clean Slate. They commented to me that they are happy they switched to Clean Slate and I was smart for going with Clean Slate from the beginning. I also like the ability to have different security for different users based on the user login.

ESD: Do you have anything you want to of the class worked on their lessons.

ESD: How did the IT department like the 2Know! system?

49

add?

WR: Support is great. When I call support, I talk to someone in Indiana. I can understand them and they are easy to talk to. If support can’t fix the problem while on the phone, they keep working with us until we get the issue resolved. Not to mention that the support is included in the purchase price so there is no yearly cost. In addition to the great products and reliable support, the fact that support is free is huge.

For more information on Fortres Grand Corporation Desktop Security Software please visit www.FortresGrand.com, call 800-331-0372, or visit Fortres Grand at TCEA booth # 514. product features are released, we can upgrade at no charge. We don’t have to replace all the responders like you have to with some systems.

When we started seeing the capabilities of the 2Know! system, we joked that we should call Renaissance Learning and ask if they knew how much this thing could do. We actually had a classroom with different students in different grade levels doing different work at the same time, all on the 2Know! system simultaneously. No other system could do that. We could upload questions onto the device for field trips, and the kids could enter their answers as they did their field research and upload it for scoring back in the classroom. Or a student who missed a test could make it up in a different room while the rest

RP: When we have problems with technology, I hear about it from the teachers, and we didn’t hear any concerns about 2Know! All the feedback from teachers has been very good. We had to set up installs from servers for 77 secondary classrooms over the summer, and our technician got great support from Renaissance Learning and had it set up in no time. I was expecting two weeks of work, and he came in after a few days and said it was done. All he had left to do was show the teachers how to log in. I couldn’t believe it. It’s also important that the firmware is upgradeable. When upgrades or new

point something out, than it is to go through all the steps with the interactive whiteboard tools to highlight, underline and erase something.”

Education 2000 realizes that schools often have tight budgets. “ One of the things I really emphasize to schools is that the MimioTeach Interactive Whiteboard Solution will do the same thing as other interactive whiteboards but for considerably less,” Pennekamp said. “The lower cost allows schools and districts to buy more and can therefore impact more students.”

Schools can also save money on installation fees with the MimioTeach.

Installation for the MimioTeach is simple, it is ready to use straight out of the box. The MimioTeach is easily placed on a magnetic whiteboard with built-in magnets. If the board where the MimioTeach will be used is not magnetic, magnetic plates are included that can be attached to the board or wall.

Along with the built-in magnetic strips, the MimioTeach is compact in size and lightweight, making it easy to use in multiple locations.

“The MimioTeach is portable and can be moved easily from classroom to classroom if needed,” Pennekamp said.

“The MimioTeach works with any projec-

tor and the interactive space can get larger or smaller depending on the projected image. The MimioTeach does not take up a lot of space in a classroom, it does not get in the way of instruction and there are no legs or stand for students or teachers to trip over. When schools realize the benefits of the MimioTeach along with the more affordable price when compared to other interactive whiteboards, the MimioTeach becomes the ultimate interactive whiteboard solution.”

For more information, visit www.edu2000plus.com, call 866-2904646 or contact mimio@earthlink.net.

Or visit Education 2000 at booth #730.

written on paper are useless—I repeat, useless—without a breathing, customizable plan or map that changes year by year or even day by day to answer the needs of our students.

The good news is that teachers have more authority and power to mold a classroom around what they know they need to teach rather than following mandates. With effective curriculum mapping, teachers are using the Standards to turn classrooms around.

For many it will require a different kind of pedagogy, philosophy, and strategy, but we have already seen enormous benefits from it.

work in isolation, or at least they do not collaborate effectively and frequently.

Teachers working in isolation cannot use the Standards or their curriculum maps to the fullest potential, and teachers are not using assessments to improve teaching methods.

The irony is that teachers work together across grades, subjects, and departments every day, whether they do so intentionally or not. The constant flow of students necessarily carries enormous implications, and teachers are not capitalizing on one of the greatest opportunities to intentionally impact student learning. The Common Core Standards—and sustained student learning—require teacher collaboration to survive.

do to our students is to simply comply with the Standards instead of embracing them.

Compliance alone is indicative of not understanding how closely the purposes of the Standards are aligned with your own—to prepare students for college and a career. Issuing a book labeled with “Common Core” is not enough, because it will never answer the needs of each student. Love or hate the Standards as you will, but do not let your students’ education pass them by.

The Bad The bad news is not that students will be assessed according to the Common Core. The bad news is that teachers

The Ugly The most unthinkable thing that we can

ESD: After a few years of use, how has 2Know! performed?

RP: The teachers adapted very quickly to what the system did, and it didn’t take them long to realize how much it could do. 2Know! has made them better teachers, and it has accelerated learning for our students.

For more information about Renaissance Learning please log on to www.renlearn.com, call (800) 338-4204 or email answers@renlearn.com or visit booths # 1417 and 1038 at TCEA Convention and Exposition.

We invite you to discover more about curriculum mapping and how to successfully implement the Standards by visiting www.CommonCore360.com.

Please drop by booth # 2687 at TCEA 2012 for more information on School Improvement Network.

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Wednesday, Februar y 8, 2012

VSS (Con’t. from p. 1)

districts to scale and integrate security without the budgetary demands of replacing existing equipment, as well as the ability to scale video security without changing the users’ security environment.

ESD: What distinguishes your product(s) from the competition?

VN: VSS Alloy integrates security applications, as well as non-security applications, such as facilities management products, sex-offender look-up sites, and other applications into a single, intuitive interface that is well-received by non-security professionals, such as principals, school administrators, and educators. VSS Alloy is often used by school districts as a comQOMO (Con’t. from p. 1)

Iseral found her answer with QOMO HiteVision’s Classroom Solutions. With the QOMO QRF900 Audience Reponse System, she enhanced the classroom experience in several ways.

“We have used it to take surveys to questions, we use it to gather information on what students know about a topic and then develop lessons to address what the students are interested in or what topics might need more development,” Iseral said.

She sets questions along with their TI (Con’t. from p. 1)

The TI MathForward program responds to a pressing need for middle school algebra readiness and high school algebra success while enhancing teacher capacity for increased student engagement. This program enables schools to turn around student achievement in mathematics and create a basis for sustained progress over the long term.

The TI MathForward program is designed to increase student achievement in mathematics across diverse student populations by integrating researchbased instructional practices with enhanced curricular content, classroom technology and formative assessments.

Many schools want to build on its existing investments in curriculum and technology.

Adopting the TI MathForward program does not require a school to change its core curriculum.

Instead, it works by augmenting and intensifying the existing curriculum.

Mackin (Con’t. from p. 1)

materials and more. To provide this full spectrum of educational resources, we work with over 18,000 publishers and have a database of nearly 2 million titles―the largest selection in the nation.

We have created a free funding source for schools called Funds4Books. Hundreds of schools have already used Funds4Books because it’s a no-hassle, online donation program and schools get to spend 100 percent of the donations.

Our new MACKIN VIA portal provides one-login access to the school’s e-books and databases (see below for details).

Both of these innovative programs are

EdTech Show Daily

plete management tool because it neatly packages all of a school district’s needs in a single, easy to use environment. Maps of a school district and individual schools within the district in the Alloy interface are integral to our commitment to keeping safety accessible to all users through VSS Alloy. The maps allow any authorized user to see live video at any time by simply hovering their cursor over a camera icon. This allows faculty and staff to track an intruder through a hallway, or to see that the parking lot is clear and safe after hours. Additionally, the Video Paging feature in Alloy allows a user to trigger an alarm that sends video and alerts designated authorities of the incident associated with that camera.

VN: VSS Alloy is available directly from VSS and is also available through the Cisco Systems, Inc. pricelist. Our sales team works directly with K-12 district managers to develop the best video security solution that meets their specific needs and goals. VSS also consults on the physical security specifications for a district that is implementing a Cisco Systems infrastructure.

ESD: What is the nature of your distribution?

VN: Our goal at TCEA 2012 is to demonstrate to educators and administrators that they can be connected to and be a part of the safety tools in their school, in any classroom, at any workstation, at any

school reading, so she has immediate feedback of the students’ comprehension.

Because of this, Iseral can reread and discuss material before moving on in the lesson.

She conducts quizzes and tests using the clickers, saving paper and grading time. With the immediate quiz feedback, Iseral can see who struggled and remediate those students the same day. Timed testing with the clickers also allows the students to improve their skills working under pressure, preparing them for tests like PLAN and ACT. Students use technology like cell

phone and gaming systems every day, so the Audience Response Systems is not only easy to learn, but students have a level of fun that a paper quiz can’t compete with, she said.

Iseral added that her students enjoy using the clickers, and love that it’s not a traditional “study guide” or written work.

Many teachers worry about the ease of learning an Audience Response System and incorporating the technology into the classroom. As Iseral points out, that doesn’t have to be the case.

“The training was wonderful! They

came with beautiful printed directions that are easy to follow and were very patient and willing to answer questions about the system,” she said.

With in-person, over-the-phone, or online training, QOMO customers are left understanding the products and the many uses for them.

“They are just an email away if we have questions and they had everyone in the building using the new technology after that training,” Iseral said.

For more information, call 248-9600985. go online to www.qomo.com, or visit booth #409.

Further, schools want a program that helps all students learn more, not just students targeted for intervention.

Through the appropriate use of technology, such as TI-NspireTM and TINspire NavigatorTM technology, educators are able to gauge each student’s level of understanding at any point during the lesson to allow immediate adjustment in instruction, helping ensure each student is able to progress in their learning. The technology component of the TI MathForward program is key in enabling this formative assessment and instruction. The technology also encourages student engagement, participation, mathematical discourse and exploration of concepts, while creating a safe environment that allows for diverse thinking strategies.

The program’s professional development components are designed to increase teaching effectiveness and prepare teams of teachers within the district to carry on the training of colleagues,

creating systematic change. The TI MathForward program achieves these objectives by providing coaching and content knowledge to teachers, assisting teachers in effectively utilizing the expanded class time―daily 75-100minute “power blocks”―and facilitating professional learning communities during common planning times.

The Tyler Independent School District in Texas serves as a case study for TI MathForward classroom achievements.

With 1,400 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students in the program, the school district is now in its third year of its TI MathForward implementation. The district’s self-reported results show steady improvement from 2009 to 2010, the first year the program was implemented.

Before the program was implemented, less than 10 percent of the pilot program’s 93 seventh grade and 106 eighthgrade student cohort met math expecta-

tions on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKSTM) test.

In 2010, almost 40 percent of the students in the pilot cohort met or exceeded expectations on the TAKS test. Similar results were found in the eighth grade where about 15 percent of the students met TAKS expectations prior to the program implementation. In 2010, after one year of implementation, 43 percent of eighth grade students from the pilot cohort met or exceeded expectations on the TAKS test.

Texas Instruments developed the TI MathForward program specifically to strengthen middle school students’ algebra readiness skills. With a solid foundation in place, students can move confidently through future mathematics courses and achieve greater success in their academic goals.

For more information about TI MathForward, please visit education.ti.com/mathforward. Or drop by booth # 2421 at TCEA 2012.

provided free of charge to our customers.

More free services include custom library collection development and analysis, custom shelf-ready processing for books and videos and even shipping.

ESD: What would you say makes your company unique?

customers and providing products and services that are customized to meet their individual needs.

ESD: What’s going on at the Mackin booth at TCEA?

RH: If you ask a Mackin customer why they choose Mackin, they’ll say, “It’s the people and outstanding service.”

Our personalized customer support and customization services are renowned and unparalleled. Our employees truly care about helping schools get exactly what they need. All phone calls are answered in person 24/7. We serve as a partner in education―listening to our

ESD: Tell our readers about your trade show objectives, plans, products, promotions, etc.

ESD: Are you introducing any new products?

RH: We are introducing some exciting enhancements to our recently launched MACKIN VIA ebook/database portal. With VIA, schools only need one login and password to access and manage all their eResources.

Mackin’s e-books and databases are multi-user, unlimited access products, which provide an enormous cost savings over time to schools. Stop by our booth to check it out!

time they choose. We have found that faculty and staff who feel confident about their safety and the safety of their students are the most empowered to be truly great teachers and guides.

ESD: To what do you attribute your company’s success?

VN: Without question, our success is the result of our team of engineers and product specialists whose dedication to providing a superior product matches the dedication of K-12 school districts’ to the safety of their students and faculty.

For more information go online to www.vsscorp.com, email info@vsscorp .com, or visit us in booth #2684.

RH: We’re excited to let people test drive the MACKIN VIA portal and show them its exciting new features, including individual student backpacks that allow students to save e-books and view them later.

ESD: How can our readers find out more about your company?

RH: Stop by our booth #2418, take a tour at www.mackin.com, call us at 800-245-9540 (we always answer the phone in person) or email us at mackin@mackin.com.

Wednesday, Februar y 8, 2012

EdTech Show Daily blendedschools.net (Con’t. from p. 1)

At blendedschools.net, we felt schools should be empowered to teach online.

We decided to integrate online learning technologies and quality K-12 online curriculum, and package it with professional learning, to help schools easily offer engaging online learning using their own teachers.

ESD: How does your package solution for online and blended learning help schools transform themselves?

JF: For a single userband price, schools receive unlimited copies of blendedschools.net’s 160-plus K-12 online courses in a complete Blackboard Learn system, including Collaborate, Content System, Community Portal and Mobile Learn. We provide training on how to use Blackboard tools, how to teach online and blended PolyVision (Con’t. from p. 1)

ESD: What type of technology is employed in your school?

AB: Our district utilized state technology allotment funds and a Rural Schools grant to purchase ēno interactive whiteboards and ēno mini slates. All kindergarten and first grade classrooms at Pittsburg Primary are equipped with ēno interactive whiteboards.

ESD: Why is PolyVision technology the best choice for Pittsburgh Primary?

AB: Our school’s principal and several members of our IT staff felt that PolyVision ēno interactive whiteboard’s features and ease of use were important and second to none.

With comparable whiteboards, all of the technology resides inside the whiteboard and the school principal was concerned about the long-term costs of repairs and replacements. She decided to move forward with ēno when she learned that our school can count on the boards for a lifetime, thanks to PolyVision’s Forever WarrantyTM.

ESD: Before implementing ēno, what

Vivitek (Con’t. from p. 1)

when planning for the new junior high school?

DJ: We had to build a complete infrastructure that met both our technical and instructional objectives. We had the rare opportunity to design a campus from scratch and place some of the best technology available. In addition to the standard infrastructure needs, like the wired and wireless networks and telephone systems, we focused on the instructional technology available to students and teachers in the classrooms and labs. This included networked mounted projectors, interactive whiteboards, document cameras, and of course computers.

ESD: What was the process in evaluating new technology?

DJ: We set minimum standards that we

learning classes, and how to plan and implement your online and learning initiative.

We encourage our member districts’ teachers to create their own online courses and to modify copies of our courses to meet their instructional needs. To help, blendedschools.net provides training, an expansive learning objects library and access to the vast video and instructional resources of NBC Learn.

In addition, blendedschools.net is a network of schools. We host BSNtube, a video-sharing library; BSNShare, a Ning social network for educators; and frequent free webinars about blended learning, online learning, and member schools’ best practices. Perhaps the biggest benefit of joining blendedschools.net is it is a community where schools learn from each other and teachers share resources across districts.

challenges did you face as an ESL teacher?

AB: My ESL class is comprised of 15 Spanish-speaking students. I face the same challenges as other teachers; such as, maintaining student engagement, creating strong lesson content and managing classroom time efficiently. However, as an ESL teacher, I have to tackle the additional challenge of communicating in a way that students and parents can comprehend. Although my students are intelligent and academically motivated, they were performing poorly on learning assessments because of their limited understanding of the English language.

ESD: How does ēno help you overcome challenges in your classroom?

AB: My students struggled specifically with social and academic vocabulary. I spent years explaining the definitions of words and showing pictures to illustrate concepts, but I knew deep down that my students needed visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning experiences to make memorable connections to the English language.

With ēno, I can utilize websites and inter-

certainly hoped to exceed, which we did with nearly all our purchases. We researched and evaluated several different technologies and devices. We read reviews, talked to educators and support people, and did head to head comparisons. In the end, we didn’t always purchase the cheapest products but we always chose the best values.

ESD: With all the projectors to choose from, what was it that made you choose Vivitek?

DJ: The Vivitek projectors simply provided the best value to the district. They had all the features important to us, including more than adequate lumens, HDMI and other connections, and networking and 3D capabilities. All this was offered with the excellent pricing we got from Troxell.

ESD: How important is support and training from your technology manufacturers?

EDS: How are schools using blendedschools.net to transform themselves?

JF: Our broad set of tools, textbookfree courses and professional learning opportunities is helping 165 school districts each solve their unique challenges. Three-quarters of the districts use blended learning to enrich classroom instruction. Rather than pay a provider, more than 40 districts save money by teaching their own cyber academy. One-half of our districts use blendedschools.net to provide online summer schools, service home-bound students, deliver alternative education and expand course offerings for students. As these numbers show, schools that join blendedschools.net for help with one challenge, find our resources helpful for other needs, translating into cost savings while expanding and enriching learning. active tools to bring vocabulary lessons to life for the entire class to see, hear and touch. I check for progress and understanding by passing the ēno mini slate around and asking individual students to circle the word that matches the picture. Now, my students are mastering new vocabulary words in minutes rather than days!

ESD: How do you use ēno to improve classroom efficiency?

AB: In our district, ESL teachers are required to post daily objectives so that when students arrive to class, they can view the words, math facts or historical figures they will learn about. With ēno, I create electronic objectives by linking all of the vocabulary pages, websites, songs, etc. that I will use in my lessons into one document. I have everything organized that I am going to need throughout the day. So, I can move with ease from one task to the next with a simple click of the stylus. I am absolutely amazed at how much content I can teach effectively in one day. This strategy has been so successful in my classroom that all of the first grade teachers at my school are using the electronic objectives I created as a template to deliver their lessons.

DJ: Support and training is critical. With as big as a rollout as we had, which included not just our new junior high but also additions and renovations to our high school and other campuses, we rely on our vendors to provide the support we need above and beyond what our limited staff could provide.

ESD: How do you define good customer support?

DJ: Good customer support means going above and beyond what the customer expects. This includes not just during purchasing and installation but after the work is done and the checks have been cut. Good customer support is not just about completing a transaction but about building relationships between customers and providers.

ESD: How has the new technology improved the learning process of the stu-

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Q: Why is blendedschools.net a not-forprofit company?

Jed: blendedschools.net is a not-forprofit company founded by schools to help school adopt and implement online and blended learning initiatives. As a network of schools dedicated to transforming themselves, being a not-forprofit was a natural fit. As a corporation, we function as a cooperative focused on helping schools and teachers use the newest and best online curriculum and technologies to increase student engagement, and expand learning opportunities. Our mission is to minimize costs and maximize resources for schools. Your teachers will transform your district with blendedschools.net’s technology and curriculum.

For more information, visit us at booth #2557 at TCEA 2012.

ESD: How has PolyVision technology impacted teaching and learning in your classroom?

AB: As soon as ēno was installed in my classroom, I noticed a change in my students’ behavior. During lessons, every child was excited and engaged at a higher level than ever before. Many of my students come from low-income households and they do not have access to technology outside of school. The hightech skills and increasing confidence they are gaining through their interactions with 21st century technology will benefit them throughout their lives.

Just as I was wondering if I had chosen the right career, ēno transformed my classroom into a completely different learning environment and motivated my students and I in ways that I never realized were possible. With ēno, my classroom has become exactly what I have been trying to build for the past five years—a seamless, efficient and fun learning environment!

Meet Angela and experience a day in the life of her classroom with ēno at www.polyvision.com.or drop by booth # 1217 at TCEA 2012 for more information. dents?

DJ: While learning will always depend on the student and teacher, all the new technology has provided students and teachers with new tools for learning and teaching. The technology gives our students and teachers exciting ways to collaborate, research, plan, and present.

ESD: What was the biggest lesson you learned in the planning, evaluation, and implementation of the technology in the new school?

DJ: Do your due diligence to be sure that you are choosing the right technology and the right vendors.

For more information go to www.vivitekusa.com, call: 205-500-1654, email: bart.wood@vivitekcorp.com, or visit us at booth #2121 at TCEA.