EdTech Show Daily, Post Show ISTE eblast Issue

Katherine Messier,Director of Broad-band Services forMobile Beacon, satdown recently to dis-cuss her company’smany contributions to the field of educa-tion.

ESD: Tell us about Mobile Beacon’sbackground. What is your experience inthe education technology space?

KM: Mobile Beacon was founded by a

Bill Taylor, Presidentof Panasonic SystemNetworks Company,discusses a newsilent-alert securityfeature for their theirA+ Classroom Audio System.

ESD: What product did Panasonic spot-light at ISTE?

BT: Panasonic recently launched anultra-innovative classroom security sys-tem that uses equipment already in the

Ted Wakabayashi,President of HitachiSolutions America,Ltd., shares howaffordable technologycan make a differencein the lives of teachers and students.

ESD: What new products did you showoff at ISTE this year?

TW: We introduced our newStarBoardLink interactive whiteboardearlier this year and it has been well

Post-Show ISTE E-Blast IssueOser Communicat ions GroupJuly 2011

Arthur Pait, Pres-ident of AVerMediaInformation Inc.USA, talks about theirISTE lineup and thedrive to make class-room technology easy-to-use for teachersand easy-on-the budget for schools.

ESD: How is AVerMedia revolutionizingthe classroom?

AP: For years, we have heard teachersand schools voice two major challenges

Paul Harris, ChiefExecutive Officer atAurora Multimedia,tells us what makeshis company stand outfrom the competition.

ESD: Tell our readers about your compa-ny and what sets Aurora apart.

PH: Aurora has been in the control sys-tem business for over 14 years and hasbeen committed to developing cutting-edge technology at affordable prices. We

Steve ReineckeCPHIMS, SeniorDirector of Health-care and EducationIndustries at Ergo-tron, talks aboutErgotron’s newest innovations and theimportance of healthy computing.

ESD: What does Ergotron have to offerthe education market?

SR: Our platforms enable the seamlessconsolidation and use of classroom tech-

Do you want to reachbeyond traditionalmethods and easilyintegrate technologyinto your lessons?New from LearningResources®, the global leader of hands-on educational products for the class-room, Luna™ is a remarkably affordable3-in-1 technology tool incorporating aportable document camera, webcam andphoto/video camera. Its technologyallows educators to demonstrate manipu-latives in action, student work, real-life

One of the hottesttrends in schoolreform is the conceptof Positive BehaviorReinforcement andthe impact it has onboth scholastic performance and schoolimprovement. No one knows this betterthan Nikolai Vitti, AssistantSuperintendent at Miami-Dade CountyPublic Schools (M-DCPS), head of theEducation Transformation Office (ETO)Initiative, and the individual tasked withimproving the 19 schools that were

DavidYunger, CEO ofGreenBridge Comp-uting, Inc., talkedabout how his compa-ny allows teachers tobring technology intothe classroom at a lower cost.

ESD: GreenBridge is a recently launchedstartup―what inspired you to start thecompany?

DY: We are slowly emerging from theworst economic crisis of our lifetime.

EdTech Daily Newsspoke with Ji Shen,CEO of PathwayInnovations andTechnologies Inc.

ESD: Hello, Mr. Shen. Thank you forspeaking with me today.

JS: Thank you for having me.

ESD: So, what is Pathway Innovationsand Technologies?

2500 lumens | 3LCDtechnology | 9 lbs |LightPen3 software

The ProjectoWrite3 isthe third generation ofthe award-winning ProjectoWrite Series,which was the first interactive projectorto hit the market in 2007. TheProjectoWrite3 integrates HID technolo-gy into the interactive market: HumanInterface Device (HID) Technology. HIDtechnology bridges the gap betweenhuman motion and standard projection

A conversation withJerome Testut,Managing Director ofthe 3D companyVolfoni Inc.

ESD: What does Volfoni do?

JT: Volfoni is a designer and manufac-turer of innovative, state-of-the-art 3Dglasses and systems for professionals andconsumers. We began about four yearsago as a supplier of rental 3D glasses fortheaters and cinemas throughout Europe,

GREENBRIDGE: HELPINGSTUDENTS CROSS THEDIGITAL DIVIDE

ERGOTRON: FLEXIBLESOLUTIONS INCLASSROOM TECHNOLOGY

“MAKING IT EASY”: ANAVERMEDIA CLASSROOMTECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION

AURORA MULTIMEDIAMAKES CLASSROOMCONTROL AFFORDABLE

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MIAMI DADE COUNTYPUBLIC SCHOOLS SELECTPLASCOTRAC FOR PROJECT

LUNA INTERACTIVEPROJECTION CAMERA:TECH IN EVERY CLASSROOM

PROJECTOWRITE3 TAKESINTERACTIVE MARKETTO THE NEXT LEVEL

VOLFONI: “3D WILLREVOLUTIONIZE THECLASSROOM”

HITACHI IS COMMITTED TOPROVIDING AFFORDABLETECHNOLOGY TO SCHOOLS

INTRODUCING MOBILEBEACON: A NEW ISP WITHAN EDUCATIONAL MISSION

PANASONIC PRESENTSSAFETY TECHNOLOGYFOR THE CLASSROOM

THE HOVERCAM: DOCUMENTCAMERAS DON’T HAVE TOBREAK YOUR BUDGET

EdTech Show Dai lyJuly 20114

Crowded classrooms, leaky roofs andnoisy computer labs are now only mem-ories for students and staff at ManchesterEssex Regional Middle School and High

School. A new building that houses bothschools opened in September 2009 as astate-of the-art green facility. Integral tothe vision of making the building a model

of sustainability and efficiency was acomplete green IT strategy, whichincluded the installation of a virtual desk-top infrastructure (VDI) based on Wysetechnology and VMware.

“It’s a next-generation solution,”says Stephen Kwiatek, network adminis-trator for the Manchester Essex RegionalSchool District. “We wanted technology

SCHOOL DISTRICT WORKSSMARTER WITH WYSE CLOUDCLIENT COMPUTING SOLUTION

In recent years, news events on schoolcampuses have shown the importance ofdigital signage as a means of pushinginformation out to a broad student andfaculty base. From announcements,updates, reminders, upcoming events,video conferencing and more, digital sig-nage plays a significant role in deliveringvaluable content to the right audiencesthroughout the day. When evaluatingneeds, whether fixed or mobile, engageErgotron to help simplify the decisionand build a signage network with ulti-mate flexibility and functionality. Fromfloor to ceiling, Ergotron digital displaymounts put the messages right wherethey’re needed.

Choosing digital signage doesn’tneed to be complicated. Start by identify-ing the primary digital signage applica-

tions that cover the largest percentage ofsignage requirements. From there,Ergotron can help outline the benefits ofsolutions like large display mobile cartsand ceiling mounts or help narrow downthe choices from the broad offering offixed or cantilever wall mount orarms―solutions that will meet specificsite needs while helping to ensure smoothordering and installation.

Here are a few of the Ergotron prod-ucts that deliver information to the pointof need, helping to keep educators andstudents moving in crowded, busy schoolenvironments:

Ergotron’s cost-efficient Neo-Flex®

Mobile MediaCenter is ideal for mobiledigital signage, while also helping tostretch the IT team’s return on investmentby serving a variety of other projection

DIGITAL SIGNAGE: PRESENTINGBIG AND SMALL MESSAGES TOSCHOOL AUDIENCES EVERYWHERE

Lee M. OserCEO and Editor-in-Chief

Steve CoxLyle Sapp

Kate SeymourSenior Associate Publishers

Kim ForresterAssociate Publisher

Lorrie BaumannEditorial Director

Keith CooperDirk DeppeyJennifer Miller

Associate Editors

Valerie WilsonArt Director

Yasmine BrownGraphic Designer

Selene PinuelasTraffic Manager

Gabrell (Gabby) FelixPaul HarrisKevin JonesJames MartinBill Morris

Deborah YarbroughAccount Managers

Enrico CecchiEuropean Sales

EdTech Show Daily is published byOser Communications Group ©2011.

All rights reserved.Executive and editorial offices at:

1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715520-721-1300/Fax: 520-721-6300

www.oser.com / www.edtechshowdaily.com

European offices located atLungarno Benvenuto

Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy.

needs, including classroom instruction orpresentation, video conferencing, andtouch interactive. The mobile AV cartmoves easily around tight corners andthrough high-traffic hallways or space-constrained areas, transforming virtuallyany space into a multimedia or videoconferencing center. With 20” of heightadjustment and 30° independent displaytilt, this unit is ideal for both seated andstanding audiences.

If a fixed mount is the preferred solu-tion, there are quite a few options availablefor displays up to 70”, including articulat-ing arms, flush and tilting mounts, ceilingmounts (single and double), and even pro-jector mounts. Today’s smart schools relyon the infusion of useful, relevant tech-nologies to meet the demands of the schooland their multimedia, multi-linked staff,students and visitors. Learn more about allthe Ergotron digital signage mountingproducts at digitalsignage.ergotron.com orvisit movies.ergotron.com to see ourproduct videos.

Call 800-888-8458 or stop bywww.ergotron.com to learn more.



WizIQ’s powerful virtual classroom isnot only easy to use, but highly cost-effective and accessible to anyone with aWeb browser. No cumbersome down-loads or client software is required. Justlog in and start teaching.

Sound too simple? Too easy? This isthe sort of technology reserved for col-lege distance education programs orwell-funded research universities, right?While WizIQ can easily support thelargest of universities, allowing top pro-fessors to reach around the world withtheir lectures, WizIQ works just as wellfor a single tutor or an eighth-gradeclassroom teacher.

The idea of a virtual classroom maysound strange to someone accustomed toteaching in an actual physical classroom,but the shared whiteboards, shared pre-sentations and even shared desktopsmake the WizIQ Virtual Classroom use-ful whether your students are 10 feetaway or 10 time zones away.

Imagine that your school just pur-chased netbooks for students in a 1:1 pro-gram. While there are plenty of applica-tions to monitor and block student use ofthe computers during class, WizIQ givesyou new opportunities to engage the stu-dents. Start, for example, by sharing apresentation with the students, complete

the average classroom teacher, though, isthat all of those interactions wererecorded and available for later referenceand to ensure that students who wereabsent didn’t miss a thing.

Now step outside the classroom.Want to offer extended-day learningopportunities, evening homework help oroffice hours? Again, these are all enabledeasily with your virtual classroom. Howabout credit recovery courses, enrich-ment classes, remedial assistance or evengifted education outside regular schoolhours? Can do.

The WizIQ Virtual Classroom alsointegrates with Moodle and other com-mercial LMS products. You can sched-ule, launch and review virtual classroomsessions right from within your LMS.

WizIQ has plans for individualteachers and entire schools. What canWizIQ do for you? Stop bywww.wiziq.com and find out.

WIZIQ BRINGS VIRTUALCLASSROOM TECH TOANYONE WITH A WEB BROWSER

with all of your PowerPoint animations.No fussing, by the way, with a projector,lights or viewing angles. They can down-load the presentation later if they like.

Then, share your desktop to demon-strate a new application before the stu-dents begin using it on their own comput-ers. Take questions from students via chat(sent to the whole class or just privately tothe instructor), respond to students whoraise their virtual hands and clarify youranswers on a shared whiteboard.

Now give drawing controls to any ofthe students in your class, allowing themto share their own desktops, share a pres-entation they’ve created, or write on thewhiteboard themselves. Go ahead and tryhaving four kids write on an interactivewhiteboard at the same time. Not goingto happen. And Geometer’s Sketchpadgets a lot more interesting when studentscan instantly share their work.

Perhaps the most useful feature for

Making the classroom 3D-ready hasnever been easier.

Volfoni® is excited to present theirnewest product: SmartCrystal™ Pro.With SmartCrystal Pro, Volfoni now pro-vides a passive system that works withany single-lens 3D projector. Whenplaced directly in front of the projectorlens, the SmartCrystal Pro polarization

modulator generates 3D images onto asilver projection screen for viewing withpassive glasses. Volfoni will also bereleasing newly designed passive glassesthat are extremely comfortable, durableand lightweight.

An ergonomic design that combinesboth high performance with top-notchengineering, Volfoni’s SmartCrystal Prois suitable for both professionals and

consumers. It’s perfect for boardroompresentations, conferences, classrooms,lectures or any setting where high-quality simulation and visualization arekey. SmartCrystal Pro is easy to set upwith any single-lens 3D projector, there-by eliminating the alignment issues asso-ciated with dual projector systems.

This brand new polarizer, made upof a multi-layer stack of liquid crystalelements, based on Volfoni’s newlydeveloped Surface SwitchingTechnology, allows for high-speed opera-tion and optical efficiency, creating acrisp and bright 3D image. SmartCrystal

Pro operates at 120Hz, creating sharpimages, and utilizes circular polarizationto prevent loss of contrast should theviewer tilt his or her head. SmartCrystalPro can be connected directly to any suit-able 3D input source and works with pro-jector strength up to 10,000 lumens.Volfoni’s polarizer can also be connectedto a computer via USB cable, allowingthe user to adjust the settings of the LCDto optimize image quality for any venue.

This is Volfoni’s first entry into pas-sive 3D systems. SmartCrystal Cinema is

VOLFONI PROUDLY INTRODUCESSMARTCRYSTAL™ PRO



With new educational demands placed onour educators for 21st-century studentreadiness, an emphasis has been placedon technology-driven curricula to suc-ceed in a globalized world. Now is thetime to raise the bar with 21st-centuryskills to transform your school by incor-porating technology into every aspect ofteaching and learning.

In today’s technology-filled class-rooms, teachers are struggling to keep upwith paperwork and accountabilityrequires that we manage individual learn-ing plans on all students. 21st-centurytechnologies can help place learning ineach child’s hands without extra burdenbeing placed on our teachers.

Student participation and interaction

are key components of effec-tive learning and retention.Research shows that invest-ing in long-term profession-al development goals whichincorporate the use oftechnology increases theeffectiveness of the curricu-lum and boosts student engage-ment, leading to increased studentachievement. As Marzano’s researchindicates, a 16-percent point gain is madewhen students learn concepts from inter-active whiteboards.

STI’s i21Zone works closely withschool personnel to develop ongoingprofessional development integratingexisting technology effectively into cur-riculum and instruction. i21Zone incorpo-rates innovation, curriculum development,response to intervention strategies, interimassessments and modeling personalized

to meet the school’s needs.Collaborative customized les-sons and modeling are devel-oped to track teacher progressusing technologies that engagestudents. STI’s i21Zone

trainers encourage teachers toconsider new ways to “rethink”

how students learn and achieveusing the tools that exist in their class-

rooms as well as help teachers use tech-nology for 21st century learning.

Ensure your students are 21st-century ready by applying real-worldstrategies for classroom curriculum andinstruction. Spark creativity and innova-tion through lesson plans that will trans-form your classroom into a 21st centurynon-conventional learning environmentwith STI’s i21Zone.

For more information, call 800-844-0884 or visit STI at sti-k12.com.

TRANSFORM AN AVERAGECLASSROOM INTO A DYNAMIC,COLLABORATIVE LEARNINGENVIRONMENT USING THE 21st-CENTURY TOOLS YOU ALREADY HAVEIN YOUR SCHOOL WITH STI’s i21ZONE

ACCELERATING THE IMPROVEMENTOF TEACHING WITH THETEACHSCAPE REFLECT 360-DEGREEVIDEO ANALYSIS SYSTEM

Teachscape Reflect has the potential totransform American classrooms from iso-lated, private experiments between ateacher and her students into open labora-tories for educators to observe the teach-ing techniques that produce high achieve-ment across grades and subjects in school.New measures of effective teaching canprovide a common framework for analyz-ing teaching practice and create a com-mon language for educators to talk aboutteaching and learning. Teachscape Reflectcombines these frameworks with realclassroom practice to create the visualdictionary for that language.

Teachscape Reflect allows teachersto capture any classroom lesson andobserve themselves as they teach, whilesimultaneously observing their studentsas they learn. Reflect software enables

teachers to identify teachable moments intheir lessons, tag those moments, com-ment on them, discuss them with col-leagues online and score them against anaccepted teaching framework.Teachscape Reflect enables teachersacross a school or district to develop con-crete, visual definitions of effective teach-ing, with data to support these definitions.

Teachscape Reflect has profoundimplications for curriculum implementa-tion and refinement. While billions ofdollars are spent on new textbooks everyyear, teachers invariably teach these newcurricula in fundamentally differentways. Without Reflect, it is impossible toappreciate or assess the variationbetween the “bought curriculum” and the“taught curriculum.” Did variedapproaches to teaching a new curriculum

produce comparable variations in studentlearning? Does the district have a com-mon vision of what it means to teach aparticular curriculum with fidelity?

Teachscape Reflect makes it possibleto measure the impacts of a district’sinvestment in professional development.For the first time, a district can collect,analyze and score the ability of any groupof teachers to teach a particular subject orskill prior to and subsequent to a profes-sional development initiative. Changes inpractice can be collected, analyzed andscored over time. The data fromTeachscape Reflect will enable districtand school leaders to assess which initia-tives produced positive changes in teach-ing, against those that did not.

Finally, Teachscape Reflect creates

the potential for a fair, evidenced-basedsystem for giving teachers effective,actionable feedback to improve theirteaching. Teachscape Reflect creates avisual record of the lessons that were“assessed” to make professional judg-ments about individual performance.With Teachscape Reflect, teachers, peers,coaches and principals can all contributeto the evaluation process and know thatthey are all looking at the exact same les-son, without having to be in the class-room at the same time. TeachscapeReflect comes pre-loaded with the widelyused and highly respected CharlotteDanielson Framework for Teaching, pro-viding a research-based foundation for asystematic, scalable teacher evaluationsystem. Teachscape Reflect can eliminatemuch of the subjectivity of many per-formance review practices today.

Teachscape Reflect knocks down thewalls that obscure our understanding ofthe quality of teaching and learning thatoccurs in every classroom.

Visit www.teachscape.com to learnmore about how Teachscape Reflectcan support professional growth inyour schools.


Rich Rediker, CEO of RedikerSoftware, discusses how to increasethe number of applications you receiveby making it easier for parents toapply online.

ESD: Why is it so important for schoolsto use Online Applications?

RR: Schools in the 21st century mustoffer Online Applications or be leftbehind. Any private school should havean easy-to-find APPLY NOW button on

their website and make the applicationprocess fast and convenient for parents.Schools can create online forms forinquiries, applications, visitation daysand e-recommendations. All parts of yourcurrent application can now be filled outonline. Our technology has helpednumerous leading private schools aroundthe world increase the number of applica-tions they receive by allowing parents tosubmit them online. Is your APPLYNOW button missing in action? We canhelp your school get that APPLY NOW

tiple children. Forms are pre-filled forfamilies that have completed anotherform or are already registered.Applicants can submit documents elec-tronically, such as a transcript from aprevious high school or copy of a birthcertificate. Unlike other online forms,which may only produce a data file, ourOnline Application service is completelyintegrated with Admissions Plus Pro,our state-of-the-art admissions soft-ware, making it easy to track eachapplicant step by step through the entireadmissions process. Our admissionssoftware works with any SIS system.The integrated E-Mail and E-Portfoliosin Admissions Plus Pro, combined withour online forms, create a totally paper-

INCREASE ENROLLMENTWITH THE APPLY NOW BUTTONON YOUR WEBSITE

button on your site inabout a week! Don’tlet another day go bylosing applicants toschools with onlineapplications.

ESD: What makesRediker Software’sOnline Applicationsdifferent from other online applicationservices?

RR: Online Forms and OnlineApplications will truly set your schoolapart by providing the latest technologyto students and families. Schools main-tain total control of the forms and canmake changes in minutes. Parents cre-ate one account and can apply for mul-

By John Miewald

Does technology promote success in theclassroom? It’s hard to say what applica-tion or new device will lead to betterlearning, but there are some considera-tions that most educators would agreewith. We at HoverCam have developedtechnology for many concepts that willcontribute to the future of learning. Hereare several examples:

Video. Video has already impactededucation. Most modern students grewup with a television or computer in theirlives. Video is a familiar source of infor-mation―arguably more than books. TheHoverCam allows an educator to recordand play back a lesson on demand. Whilewe are strong supporters of reading, thereis no denying the power of video.

Real-time distance learning. Theability to hear and be heard over the

Internet is a cornerstone for any kind ofdistance learning. The HoverCamConnect feature makes distance learningeasy. Connect uses picture-in-picture sothat the teacher and the subject, book oractions being discussed can be seensimultaneously by the student.

Short attention spans. Visual stimu-lation is more important thanever―given the amount of content themodern student experiences daily. It’seasy to lose an audience if the presenterdoesn’t have a visual. Further, a singleimage―no matter howinteresting―becomes uninteresting overtime. The HoverCam allows an instructor

to display an image and switch the imageoften to make lessons come alive.

Rapid pace of change. Technologyis constantly changing. The HoverCam isa high-quality document camera. Despiteits low price, it is not a “starter” camerawhich will need to be updated in a fewmonths. Additionally, the HoverCamFlex software is continuously advancingto meet the needs of the modern teacher.

User-generated content. The popu-larity of sites such as YouTube andWikipedia prove the importance of user-generated content. With the HoverCam,

THE FUTURE OF LEARNINGTECHNOLOGY AND THE HOVERCAM



HITACHI: HELPING TEACHERSINCREASE STUDENT ENGAGEMENTAND MEET AYPAt Temple Heights Elementary School inOceanside, Calif., Principal ShariFernandez was looking for ways to meetadequate yearly progress (AYP) bench-marks, especially for the school’s largepopulation of English-language learners.

During a visit to a neighboringschool, she watched teachers use interac-

tive whiteboards, and she instantly sawhow the devices allowed teachers to tran-sition easily from one day’s lesson to thenext and helped students get moreengaged in the learning activities.

Scott Hill, Vista’s DistrictTechnology Coordinator, and his teamhad recently selected Hitachi StarBoards

as the standard-issue inter-active whiteboard for thedistrict. Unlike traditionalinteractive whiteboards,which require a battery-powered, hard-to replacestylus, StarBoards arecontrolled with a finger.

“We liked the StarBoard for its dura-bility, ease-of-use and affordability,” Mr.Hill said. With prices for the StarBoardline of interactive whiteboards starting at$749, it becomes very affordable to placethe devices in every classroom, which

was important to the educa-tors at Vista USD.

At the start of the 2010-11 school year, theStarBoards were installed inall 13 of Temple Heights’third, fourth and fifth gradeclassrooms. “I wanted all the

teachers in those grades to use it,” Ms.Fernandez said. “I didn’t want parentsasking why their child’s classroom wasn’tdoing the neat activities that another class



objects or book pages at a fraction of thecost of any other document camera cur-rently on the market. Luna is designedfor ease of use for both teachers and stu-dents, and, at less than $200, it is anessential technology tool made for everyclassroom.

Luna captures photos and videos to

document students’ thinking and toassess learning. It has a USB directplug to upload files to a digital portfo-lio to share with other educators orparents. Luna is compatible with inter-active whiteboards and projectors andfeatures easy “plug and go” functional-ity. It’s designed for ultimate porta-bility and can transition quickly fromprojecting one object to another,

Learning Resources (Con’t. from p. 1) making it ideal for busy teachers.Bendable gooseneck and auto-focuscapability also make the Luna easy toposition and view even hard-to-captureobjects. Luna projects from anywherein a classroom when connected to a PC,and the eight LED lights illuminatedark settings or images, eliminating theneed for replacement lightbulbs. Forstudents with special needs, there’s

even an SEN switch jack to accommo-date an adaptive device.

Its ease of use combined withdiverse usability, portability and afford-ability make Luna the next great additionto your classroom. Get it today and watchLuna document your students’ learningon a more interactive level than everbefore. For more information, visitwww.learningresources.com/ISTE.

A JOURNEY TO THE GREATBARRIER REEF AND BEYOND:A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVEON VIDEO CONFERENCING

By Michael Sbarbaro, Middle SchoolTeacher, San Jose, Calif.

I am a teacher; my name is MichaelSbarbaro. I teach middle-school science

and social studies in San Jose, Calif. I amin the business of connecting motivated,willing minds to the ever-evolving worldof knowledge. My students build electro-magnetic machines, conduct debates on

the greatest Industrial Revolution inno-vation and write about what inspiresthem daily. All of these endeavors allowthem to discover and explore; however, ifthere were a way to combine the kines-thetic application of education with thereality of the world, then that would bethe ultimate endeavor.

The ultimate is here and it is calledvideo conferencing. Recently my schoolwas able to acquire an AVerMediaAVerComm H300 video conferencingsystem. I heard a lot about how this tech-nology was finally affordable for

schools. I was also told that my studentscould visit the places they only readabout and could collaborate with virtuallyanyone, anywhere. They said that I couldeven tap into Distance Learning pro-grams. At first, all that just seemedwasteful. After all, we already had booksand computers. That was, of course, untilI used the AVerComm video conferenc-ing system.

This year, through this technology,my students participated in an e-Mission,


2011 Best of Show

EXTRON ELECTRONICS:BRINGING QUALITY MULTIMEDIAINTO THE CLASSROOM

Extron Electronics is the leading manu-facturer of classroom audio and videosolutions for the K-12 market. Since1983, Extron has been pioneering com-puter video interfaces, setting standardsfor matrix switching, signal processingand transmission, and simplifying thecontrol, installation and set-up of AV sys-tems. These efforts have resulted in solu-tions that meet the unique performanceand price point requirements of the edu-cation market.

Extron PoleVault® and WallVault®Systems are complete, centralized AV

switching and control systems that areeasy to install, use and support. Both sys-tems offer an easy-to-use configurablecontrol panel and a secure enclosure thatconceals and protects system compo-nents from tampering or theft. EachExtron classroom system includes all theprojector control, switching, amplifica-tion, speakers, wall plates and cablingneeded for a complete AV system. Allthat remains is to add the sources and avideo projector or display.

Extron VoiceLift® is an infraredwireless microphone system specifically

developed for K-12 classrooms. Studiesshow that voice amplification systemssuch as VoiceLift allow the teacher to beheard clearly, resulting in significantgains in student achievement. Extronoffers VoiceLift systems that integrateseamlessly into PoleVault and WallVault,or can be used as standalone classroomsound field solutions.

Flexibility is built into our systemsto support emerging trends in educationaltechnology. Solutions are currentlyavailable for HDMI digital video sourcesand for integration with assistive listen-ing, podcasting and Instant Alert sys-tems. Also, Extron provides networkconnectivity for its classroom systems.Robust resource management softwareallows administrators and support per-sonnel to monitor, schedule and controlsystems remotely. This provides

enhanced support capabilities as well asreductions in replacement lamp andenergy costs.

Extron’s aggressive grant program isjust one more example of our commit-ment to enhancing the K-12 learningenvironment. The program providesincreased visibility and expanded accessfor AV technology by supplying selectedpilot classrooms with advanced audiovideo solutions at no cost to the district.Each grant award includes installation ofExtron classroom system technology,along with complete training. To date,Extron has granted more than $4 millionworth of equipment to over 750 class-rooms in U.S. school districts.

For more information on Extronsolutions or programs for K-12, visitwww.extron.com/k12 or call 800-633-9876.


MOBILE BEACON DONATES $275,000TO HELP AT-RISK STUDENTS ANDPROMOTE SAFETY IN SCHOOLS

Mobile Beacon, a leading provider ofaffordable, high-speed mobile Internetaccess to the educational sector, is offer-ing two new grants aimed at helping edu-cational institutions meet targeted needsthrough broadband.

The first grant program includes adonation of up to 25 laptops and USBmodems to help schools serve disadvan-taged students by providing mobileInternet access and the ability to “sign

out” equipment for those who do nothave Internet access at home. If all 25laptops and modems are awarded, theestimated value of the equipment dona-tion is more than $15,000.

Additionally, as part of the grant,Mobile Beacon provides unlimited 4GInternet service through June 2012 foreach modem given to the selected schoolsor districts. This free Internet service periodrepresents an additional savings of

$3,000. At the end of the free serviceperiod, grant recipients are not obligatedto continue using Mobile Beacon’s serv-ice or return any donated equipment;though, they will be given the opportuni-ty to apply for ongoing broadband serviceat the heavily discounted rate that thecompany offers, currently $10/month.

The second grant program is for abroadband security camera system thatruns over Mobile Beacon’s 4G broad-band service. This grant includes a dona-tion of up to four professional-gradesecurity cameras, preconfigured serversand 19” server rack as well as compli-mentary installation services. The systemwas designed to help deter unauthorizedaccess in key areas of a school building

through 24/7 monitoring and a remotelive camera server. The estimated valueof this grant is over $4,000.

To date this year, Mobile Beacon hasdonated more than $275,000 in equipmentand services through the grants awardedfor these two programs. The companyanticipates it will award more than$500,000 in grants before the end of 2011.

These grant programs are currentlyavailable in more than 50 cities across 22states. To apply for a grant, an interestedschool or district should complete anapplication on the education section ofMobile Beacon’s website.

Learn more about Mobile Beacon’sproducts and services by visitingwww.mobilebeacon.org.

follow industry standards and try to stayaway from the typical proprietary methodswhich cause the end user to be trappedinto a specific company solution. I believethere is a right product for the job, and ourjob is to create products that fit the bill. Wedo this by putting as many features as pos-sible into a product without sacrificing thequality or breaking the bank.

ESD: How do Aurora products fit intothe education market?

PH: The typical classroom is no longerjust books and a chalkboard. Today’sclassrooms have projectors, document

cameras, computers, whiteboards, voicelift and more. For a teacher to manage allthis easily requires a control system. Thejob of the control system is to automateand simplify the process of turning ondevices, changing volume, selecting videosources and, overall, controlling anydevice that has the ability to be controlled.

ESD: Can you give an example of howyour products are utilized in classrooms?

PH: Aurora offers a variety of interfaceswhich can be wall, podium or cartmounted. We have touch panels, buttonpanels and Web-serving capabilities. Thetouch panels can have interfaces to lookand feel any way a customer chooses.

Aurora Multimedia (Con’t. from p. 1) Our button panels are unique as they arenot limited to just the amount of buttons.They have a small backlit LCD built intoeach button in the case of our WPADseries. This allows each button to changeits function and go layers deep makingthe one button the equivalent of many.No other company in the education mar-ket offers this type of button technologyand sets us apart. Since our products areweb server based, they are fully compat-ible with iPAD®, iPhone®, Android®

devices or anything else with a webbrowser. These devices can become aremote control for the classrooms ifdesired and at no additional cost.

ESD: How do your products work in

large installations?

PH: We have a software product calledTRACS, which is a global managementsolution. It can communicate with anunlimited amount of Aurora controlproducts. TRACS can schedule rooms toturn on or off at a specific time, keeptrack of usage, alert projector lamp hoursor failures, and much more. It is the onlysolution on the market that was designedlike a website so it can run on Linux®,Windows® or OS X®. TRACS is ITdepartment friendly.

For more information, call Aurora salesat 732-591-5800 or e-mail [email protected].

VOLFONI PRESENTS: EDGE

Volfoni’s line of EDGETM 3D glassestake learning to new heights.

As 3D movies and technologybecome widespread, more and more edu-cators see the benefits of using 3D as alearning tool. High-quality 3D glassesand systems have never been moreaffordable, and the stereotypes of 3Dglasses being bulky and cumbersome canofficially be laid to rest.

Volfoni®, a leading provider of

active 3D eyewear in Europe, haslaunched a line of active 3D glassescalled EDGE. EDGE glasses use a newliquid-crystal lens known as STN, allow-ing viewers to see the brightest, mostnatural colors possible. The glassesthemselves are extremely lightweightand comfortable, weighing in at only twoounces. EDGE glasses are ergonomicallydesigned and can easily fit over prescrip-tion glasses. The glasses come with

removable arms in three different sizes,so even the youngest students can com-fortably enjoy 3D. Not to mention thatthe glasses are highly durable againstcommon wear and tear. EDGE glassesuse a generic battery that lasts 300 hoursand is easy to buy and replace.

Volfoni’s EDGE line includes differ-ent models for different needs:

EDGE™1.0 is the original line ofactive, infra-red 3D glasses, workingwith 3D projectors in combination withVolfoni’s 3D Kit. There are three differ-ent 3D kits available, depending on

room size.EDGE1.1, using Texas Instrument’s

DLP®-Link™ technology, is designed towork with DLP-Link projectors andscreens. Additionally, Volfoni is develop-ing an emitter that allows DLP-Link pro-jectors to work with the infra-red ofVolfoni’s EDGE 1.0 glasses.

Coming soon is the latest model,EDGE 1.2, equipped with anti-theft RFtechnology, making security gates a thingof the past.

You can find Volfoni online atwww.volfoni.com.


identified as “persistently lowest-achiev-ing” by the United States Department ofEducation (USDOE) and FloridaDepartment of Education. The ETO wascreated by M-DCPS Superintendent,Alberto Carvalho, to sustain and acceler-ate the recent improvements in the Rising19 schools, as they are referred to by theETO team.

The PlascoTrac pilot has beendeployed at four of the Rising 19 schoolsin the district, and it is designed to be aphase of data collection and policy test-ing for the district. “The data we want tocapture in this pilot will help us makedecisions in the future as to what rewardsand, alternatively, what consequencesbest influence our students behavior,”says Vitti. “PlascoTrac is the only systemof its kind that allows schools to not justcapture, but also analyze this data andmake information-based decisions versusassumptive decisions in regards to theirstudent merit or discipline policies.”

PlascoTrac is widely known for itsinnovations in student behavior tracking

in schools. With over 1,500 users nation-wide, PlascoTrac is constantly collectinginformation from schools on student per-formance and the impact discipline poli-cies have on student behavior. PlascoTracwas also the first to introduce MeritTracking components into its product andtakes the lead in supporting nationalPositive Behavior programs. The guidingprinciples of Positive BehaviorReinforcement Programs ensure studentsare rewarded for their positive choicesand not just disciplined for their negativeactions. “I don’t know how we wouldcapture this information without a systemlike PlascoTrac,” says Vitti. “Sure, if wewanted to monitor one school we couldmake some assumptions, but PlascoTracallows us to capture data at multipleschools in our district, analyze that data atthe school level or the pilot level (basedon where we are now), and eventuallyextend that data analysis to the districtlevel. This dashboard allows me and myfellow administrators to have visibility towhat is REALLY happening in schoolsevery day. With this information, we canmake adjustments on the fly and truly

PlascoTrac (Con’t. from p. 1) optimize our policies ... thereby assistingour schools and our district to radicallyimprove our schools performance.”

“We couldn’t be happier to have thisopportunity to work with Miami-DadeCounty Public Schools on this pilot,”says Alan Mendelson, President ofPlasco ID, the developer of PlascoTrac.“We share the vision that Mr. Vitti has forschool transformation, and we believestrongly that the schools who introducePositive Behavior Programs usingPlascoTrac will recognize significantimprovements in their student culture.”

The pilot, deployed at one elemen-tary, one middle and two high schools, isintended to run through the remainder ofthe 2010-2011 school year. Results on theprogram will be made available throughMiami-Dade County and PlascoTrac.

Miami Dade County Public Schoolsis the fourth-largest public school districtin the United States. The EducationTransformation Office is made up ofpractitioners who were teachers, dynam-ic instructional coaches, and instructionalleaders that have successfully worked inhigh-poverty schools and have a proven

record of improving student achieve-ment. We are committed to transformingthe Rising 19, leading innovations thatcan be implemented across the district tobuild, sustain, and accelerate studentachievement. For more informationabout Miami Dade County Publicschools, visithttp://www.dadeschools.net

PlascoTrac is a student managementsystem that helps schools and school dis-tricts control tardies and other minor dis-ciplinary infractions on their campus.PlascoTrac was developed by Plasco ID.Since 1983, Plasco ID has been provid-ing customers worldwide with the latestin ID card-based technologies and inno-vative, industry-specific identificationand tracking solutions. Over the years,Plasco ID has provided strategic consult-ing services to thousands of corporations,government agencies, healthcare organi-zations, school districts, colleges anduniversities. To learn more aboutPlasco ID or the PlascoTrac StudentTracking System, please visitwww.PlascoTrac.com, call 888-457-5272.

ENGAGE TECH-SAVVY STUDENTSWITH BREAKTHROUGH TECHNOLOGY

According to the US National Center forEducation Statistics, nearly 50 millionstudents are heading off to approximately99,000 public elementary and secondaryschools for the 2011 fall term. Armedwith smart phones or mobile communi-cation devices, these students are wired24/7 with a huge appetite for data,videos and other media to entertain andto learn. When they reach the doors ofthe classroom, what are they likely to

find? 20th-century technology in their21st-century world? It’s a challengeevery school district must face. Can theybalance engaging tech-savvy studentswith evolving technology, while alsomaking it easy for IT to deploy andinstructors to incorporate into their cur-riculum? With the primary questionalways being, “within budget?”

That’s where the new ErgotronTeachWell® Mobile Digital Workspace

comes into play. Taking the headache outof technology integrations, theTeachWell Mobile Digital Workspaceacts as a technology hub in the class-room. It consolidates all the critical tools,like a laptop or LCD/CPU, keyboard andmouse, portable document camera, pro-jection device, and more onto one stableplatform. Clear out the clunky carts andspace-consuming desks. With theTeachWell workspace, any instructor caneasily dock their computer and startteaching, and with the telescoping liftengine, each can adjust the unit to theirergonomic needs, without blocking theline of sight to the students.

This game-changing cart moves withthe instructor as they require: up front forclassroom presentation, off to the side foruse as a desk, or through narrow aislesfor one-on-one collaboration. It can becustomized for laptop or LCD configura-tions or fitted with a projector shelf or asecure storage bin. With an open archi-tecture platform scalable for future com-puter equipment advancements andupgrades, the TeachWell Mobile DigitalWorkspace provides the kind of mobilesolution that can be easily shared acrossclassrooms and learning environments,


but we quickly saw a need for more tech-nologically advanced products in theindustry, so we began designing andmanufacturing our own 3D glasses andsystems.

ESD: What makes Volfoni unique in the3D world?

JT: We design and manufacture veryhigh-quality, but reasonably priced, 3Dproducts for use on all platforms. Thereare two technologies used for watching3D: active and passive. In the active sys-tem, glasses have an electronic compo-nent inside their frames, and lenses aremade of liquid crystal. In the passivesystem (which is what movie theaterscommonly utilize in the U.S.), glasseshave polarized lenses (with no electron-ics in the frame). We are one of the fewcompanies in the world providing 3D

glasses and systems for use on all plat-forms.

ESD: Which Volfoni products are perfectfor the education field?

JT: Our line of active 3D glasses, calledEDGE™, is perfect for the classroom orlecture hall. The glasses are comfortable,durable and come with adaptable “arms”to fit any head size. The glasses weighonly two ounces and can easily fit overprescription glasses. We also have a lineof EDGE glasses that use TexasInstrument’s DLP®-Link™ technologyand are designed to work with DLP-Linkready projectors and screens. Anotherproduct we are introducing is a polariza-tion modulator called SmartCrystal™Pro. Our polarization modulator takesany single-lens 3D projector and turns itinto a system that works with passive 3Dglasses. All you have to do is place it infront of the projector’s lens, and you can

Volfoni (Con’t. from p. 1) use passive glasses to view 3D images ona silver projection screen.

ESD: Why is 3D an important tool foreducators?

JT: As more and more 3D content is pro-duced, 3D is quickly moving beyondyour local cinema. Teachers and educa-tors have always wanted “smart” class-rooms, with the latest technology engag-ing their students. And it’s clear that 3Dwill revolutionize the classroom. With3D, the classroom comes alive, and stu-dents learn faster. Images in 3D can showthose hard-to-grasp concepts in ways thata textbook cannot. Younger students love3D because it makes learning “cool.”Suddenly, young students are concentrat-ing on a subject without realizing they’reconcentrating. Students see everythingfrom marine biology to the solar systemin a whole new way. Advantages of 3Dhave also been seen with children who

have learning difficulties. 3D opens awhole new world to them.

ESD: What’s next for Volfoni?

JT: We are focused on creating innova-tive products for the home consumer, theindustry professional, the educator andall those who see the unlimited possibili-ties of 3D to entertain, engage andinspire. We are particularly excited aboutour new hybrid 3D glasses, which workwith both active and passive systems.These hybrid glasses are also universal,so they can be used with all 3D projec-tors, TVs and PCs, regardless of brand.Another product in development: 3Dglasses with a multi-view option, mean-ing two people can watch two differenttypes of content on the same screen. Thepossibilities of 3D are endless.

You can find Volfoni online at www.volfoni.com.

less solution. It all starts with theAPPLY NOW button on your website.

ESD: How can Rediker Software’sOnline Forms and Applications saveschools time and money, while alsoincreasing enrollment and improvingrecruitment?

RR: By using our online applications,schools will save a significant amountof time and money as they will nolonger need to print and mail applica-tions. With a short online inquiry form,parents can quickly express interest,and the school can begin marketing toprospective students. They will alsosave time as data entered in OnlineApplications automatically flows into

Rediker Software (Con’t. from p. 14) our admissions management software,Admissions Plus Pro. This softwarehelps schools track and analyze all ofthe applicants. During the admissionsprocess, our E-Recommendationsstreamline the process of requesting andreceiving recommendations. A schoolcan even schedule visitation daysonline, making it easy for staff and par-ents to schedule visits.

ESD: How can schools find out more?

RR: To speak with a sales representa-tive, call 800-213-9860 or visit ourwebsite www.rediker.com where weoffer online demonstrations each week.Rediker Software is committed to sav-ing schools time and money, and oursoftware solutions have done that forover 30 years.


JS: I’m glad you asked. Pathway is a SanDiego-based company dedicated toadvancing school technology. We havedeveloped proprietary, patent-pendingeducation hardware and software, but ourprimary product is the HoverCam.

ESD: The HoverCam?

JS: The HoverCam. It’s a high-qualitydocument camera at approximately one-third of the price of other leading docu-ment cameras.

ESD: One third of the price? So, it’s abare-bones document camera.

JS: Not at all. In fact, the image qualityis better than most document camerascurrently on the market. Our T5 model,for example, has a five megapixel lens.Document cameras twice its price havetwo megapixel lenses. Also, we havemore software functionality than most

document cameras, including annotation,OCR, upload-to-cloud services and aconnect feature that allows the user to dovideo conferences directly through thedocument camera.

ESD: It sounds too good to be true.

JS: It’s true! But a lot of people are skep-tical, which is why we offer to do livedemos on our website, www.thehover-cam.com. Seeing is believing.

ESD: Who are your target users?

JS: Our most important customers areteachers.

ESD: What makes your product unique?

JS: The HoverCam is highly compact,more portable and higher resolution. Itoffers smooth and easy video recordingat an incredibly low retail price. Beingcompact may not seem like a big deal atfirst to some customers. However, if we

HoverCam (Con’t. from p. 1) take a look at what point-and-shoot cam-eras have done for digital photography,and what laptops have done for the PCmarket, it is not hard to imagine thepotential revolutionary effect HoverCamcan bring to the document camera field.

ESD: For the price of buying one docu-ment camera, a school can almost buyfour HoverCams. Does that mean thecustomer has to compromise in quality?

JS: No. Making the HoverCam accessi-ble and affordable for every classroom isour goal. Instead of compromising inquality, customers get even more func-tionality, such as video recording withaudio, snap scanning of books, and arbi-trary sized document, image and videoediting, and use their computer as anintegrated control console for bothPowerPoint presentation and video pro-jection.

ESD: If we asked them, what would cur-rent customers say about the product?

technology, using infrared transmitters toenhance the user experience.

The System on Chip technology fea-tured in the ProjectoWrite3 prevents lagon your computer by using the embeddedchip inside of the projector to process thedata instead of using your computer’sresources. This also attributes to a fasterresponse time and increased accuracy.When compared to other models on themarket, the ProjectoWrite3 exceeds theexpectations of the A/V industry. TheProjectoWrite3 is a 2500 lumen power-house that offers all of the functionalityof an interactive whiteboard at a fractionof the cost. Couple the projector withLAMPS 4 LIFE and get unlimited

replacement lamps for the lifetime ofyour projector for one small additionalfee.

The ProjectoWrite3 featuresLightPen3 interactive software, thenewest upgrade to the LightPen2 soft-ware found in BOXLIGHT interactiveprojectors. The newly enhanced softwareand hardware now allows the user toannotate over full-motion video andinteract on any flat surface more precise-ly than any other interactive projector onthe market. With a 60-frame-per-secondrefresh rate, the ProjectoWrite3 deliverstwo times the speed with unsurpassedaccuracy. The LightPen3 software pro-vides effortless annotating, and the sim-plicity of the design makes it even easierto engage your students. Simply respond

ProjectoWrite (Con’t. from p. 1) to a quick, four-point calibration and youare ready to interact with any flat surface.The ProjectoWrite3 is truly a projectoryou must see to believe.

About BOXLIGHTBOXLIGHT has been developing andmanufacturing award winning projectorssince its inception in 1985. We pride our-selves in offering industry leading techni-cal support and ISF Certified® serviceavailable 24 hours / seven day per week /365 days per year―for the lifetime of theproduct. BOXLIGHT is a finalist in theAmerican Business Awards for BestCustomer Service Department of theYear in 2011.

BOXLIGHT’s ability to respond tocustomer needs allows for personalized

service and an unbeatable relationshipwith dealers and partners. BOXLIGHT isable to build products to specification orcustomize product on an individual basis.

BOXLIGHT offers one of the bestservice and support packages available,with a three-year parts and labor warran-ty and a 90-day or 500-hour (whichevercomes first) lamp guarantee on all newproducts. “LAMPS 4 LIFE” lamp war-ranty program ensures BOXLIGHT cus-tomers always have access to replace-ment projector lamps. BOXLIGHT oper-ations encompass sales in the UnitedStates, Mexico, Taiwan and worldwide.

The ProjectoWrite3 is now ship-ping from our BOXLIGHT offices. Formore information, go to www.boxlight.com/interactive.

EASI-SPEAK USB AUDIO RECORDERSGET STUDENTS ENGAGED AND KEEPTRACK OF THEIR PROGRESS

Do you want to engage your students inlistening and speaking across various sub-jects while tracking their academicprogress? Easi-Speak™ is a full line ofsimple-to-use USB recording devices andaccessories from Learning Resources®,the global leader of hands-on educationalproducts for the classroom.

The Easi-Speak line is based on adigital wireless MP3 device in the funshape of a microphone that enables up to

four hours of audio recording time andincludes a built-in speaker for playback,a headphone jack for quiet listening and,most importantly, a USB connection toupload and share recordings. Easi-Speakis a great cross-curricular tool that helpseducators leverage technology into les-sons while documenting student learning.Teachers can upload student-created filesto digital portfolios for authentic assess-ment or to share with other educators or

parents. It is ideal for engaging studentsas young as four in storytelling, fluency,phonics, math facts and much more. Forgroup listening in early childhood set-tings, listening centers or media labs, theEasi-Speak Sound Station amplifies therecordings throughout the classroom.

The Easi-Speak USB Recorders areavailable in both standard and Pro versions.At $69.99, the Easi-Speak USB Recorderoffers 128 MB of built-in memory in a funmicrophone shape with simple two-buttonoperation for grades PreK+. The battery iseasily charged via a USB connector, elimi-nating the need to purchase batteries. Forconvenient charging of multiple Easi-SpeakUSB Recorders, an Easi-Speak ChargingHub is also available and sold separately.

The Easi-Speak Pro USB Recorderoffers all the same functionality andvalue with the added benefits of a built-inLCD screen for easier file management, afully integrated menu system, two head-phone jacks and a high-end professionalhandset design. At $89.99, the Easi-Speak Pro provides today’s educatorswith an affordable, multi-capability MP3recording solution for their own use orfor use by students in grades 3+.

Already field tested in thousands ofclassrooms, Learning Resources’ newEasi-Speak line helps today’s teachersand students reach beyond by makinglearning as fun as it is educational. Formore information, visit www.learningresources.com/ISTE.

JS: We have received overwhelminglypositive reviews. Customers love thehigh-resolution images, the added func-tionalities, the ability to record video andthe incredible savings. We are continuingto innovate to bring even more value toour customers.

ESD: What would you like to see happenin the future for HoverCam?

JS: We are working hard to make moreproducts with amazing functionality andaffordability for every classroom.

ESD: Where could someone go to buy aHoverCam?

JS: On top of selling the HoverCamsonline, we work with dealers who arepassionate about the HoverCam.

To learn more about PathwayInnovations and Technologies’HoverCam, visit www.thehovercam.com.

MOBILIZING THE EDUCATIONALSECTOR WITH LOW-COST4G INTERNET ACCESS

Mobile Beacon provides affordable,high-speed mobile Internet access toschools, school districts, colleges anduniversities through its technology assis-tance grant program. The program pro-vides unlimited 4G Internet service for areduced rate of $10/month and a choiceof customer-friendly equipment designed

for use by students, faculty and staff atschool, remotely or on-the-go.

Mobile Beacon was founded by oneof the largest national educational broad-band service (EBS) providers in theUnited States. Through an agreementwith Clearwire, a leading provider of 4Gwireless services, Mobile Beacon is able

to provide access to thesame advanced 4G net-work that industry lead-ers like Sprint andComcast use to providetheir 4G services, but forless.

“Experts have saidthat mobile broadbandhas greater potential totransform education thanany other technologicalinnovation in our life-time,” said Katherine Messier, Directorof Broadband Services.

“But there’s a veryreal digital divide in thiscountry, and its effects ineducation are keenlyfelt. Too often, evenwhere high-speed broad-band access is available,it’s cost-prohibitive forschools to deploy on alarge scale,” she added.“Our mission is to make4G mobile Internet serv-ice both accessible and



questions into consideration when devel-oping their latest innovation—the newErgotron Tablet Management Cart.

With its open-architecture design,the Tablet Management Cart can storeand simultaneously sync and charge upto 48 USB-charged tablets and eReaders(including the iPad®, the Barnes &Noble Nook® and Amazon Kindle®)through a multi-port USB power hub.The secure cable management drawerkeeps unruly wires out of sight whilelimiting student access to just thetablets. Available in a two module orthree module cart or as a single desktopunit, the unit is 43 percent smaller and35 percent lighter than competitiveofferings—making it easier to movefrom classroom to classroom and sharebetween teachers.

Once again, the face of technology in theclassroom is changing. Tablet sales arerapidly outpacing laptop and Netbooksales. Experts estimate that 2011 sales fortablets will be around 70 million, a num-ber that will triple by 2015. This risingpopularity of tablets in education haseverything to do with the extensive func-tionality they offer in the classroom.Students can access textbooks in full,record lectures or obtain hundreds ofeducational apps and more with just a tapof a finger. However, they can become aheadache from a school’s perspectivewhen considering large scale adoptionand integration into the existing networkwithin a school. How will the schoolsync and charge them for continuallyrotating classes? How much space isneeded to store them? How easy will it befor students to access them and teachersto manage them? Ergotron took all these

The world’s first 30-frames-per-secondwireless document camera brings free-dom and clarity to teachers who want tocapture the action, no matter where it isin the classroom.

AVerMedia’s AVerVision W30 is a rev-olutionary wireless document camerathat unleashes the learning environ-ment from a teacher’s curriculum to theclassroom and even outside. The sleeknew device includes a light and

portable document camera that commu-nicates seamlessly with a base unit thatreceives, records and displays thetransmissions―all at 30fps without anounce of lag. The W30 is clear, crispand consistent, within a 45-foot radiusof the base unit. This means that nomatter the size or location in the class-room, so much more can be displayed,from science experiments, large mapsand fragile art projects to a trail of antsoutside your window.

document camera image or video isinserted, educators can annotate, resizeand manipulate it as a natural part oftheir interactive whiteboard software.

Adding to the W30 are presentationfeatures that help keep students focusedby revealing what’s important and cov-ering up what’s not. Coupled with a bat-tery life that lasts an entire school day,one-touch recording to USB/SD cardsand all the specially designed softwaremake the W30 a groundbreaking wire-less document camera that transforms anentire classroom into a digital learningplayground.

For information about how theAVerVision W30 Wireless DocumentCamera can break the boundaries of yourclassroom, visit www.averusa.com.

AVERMEDIA MAKES A WIRELESSDOCUMENT CAMERA WITHOUTAN OUNCE OF LAG A REALITY

Designed to reduce the number ofwires and enrich the learning experience,the W30 eliminates restrictions withoutsacrificing quality or ease of use. Itincludes controls on the camera, a baseand a remote for ultimate mobility. Italso can operate in two modes―withoutand with a MAC/PC. Without a computer,it is the only document camera thatrecords and sends images to the projec-tor independently. With this flexibility,teachers can teach and capture students’work while they present from the com-fort of their own desks or workstations.

The new exclusive AVerVisionFlash App also allows the W30 or anyAVerMedia document camera to bedirectly integrated into any interactivewhiteboard software. Now, when a live

whiteboard technology to the school. Hisunderstanding of the positive effect thetechnology has on students and teachersalike is now being fully realized in theclassroom.

“The StarBoard is dynamic andallows our teachers to bring learning tolife,” stated Dr. Brake. “Our teachers arelearning to do more with the board eachday and they have become educational

The Norman Bridge Elementary School,once a low-performing school, has risen tobe a shining star in Chicago under thevisionary leadership of Principal Dr.Christopher Brake. His commitment toexcellence, along with the support of anoutstanding staff, has led to the creation ofan engaging school culture, and outstand-ing teacher and student performance.

Currently, the school is goingthrough the systematic installation andintegration of Hitachi StarBoard interac-tive whiteboards in all classrooms.Teachers unanimously agree that as theywork with the StarBoard, students aremore engaged and focused than everbefore. Additionally, they find them-selves inspired as “EducationalExplorers” to create a more interactiveclassroom environment.

Dr. Brake was the driving forcebehind the decision to bring interactive

MEETING 21ST CENTURYCLASSROOM NEEDS: AHOVERCAM CASE STUDY

School: Val Verde Unified SchoolDistrict

Location: Perris, CA and the south-ern Moreno Valley

Challenge: Provide teachers withbasic, affordable 21st-century presenta-tion and collaboration tools to increasestudent achievement.

Solution: The HoverCam®

Results: Classrooms throughout thedistrict outfitted with highly affordabledocument scanner/ document cameracollaboration tools at a fraction of thecost of alternative tools.

“Our society is so much more visual.You’ve got to give teachers the righttools. The majority of schools are stillteaching the 20th century, not the 21st.”

—Phil Harding, TechnologyIntegration Coordinator, Val VerdeUnified School District

Top Tools for Top SchoolsVal Verde is a 20,000-student district inPerris, Calif. in the southern MorenoValley, and several of its 22 schools canrightfully boast of being among the topschools in the nation.

Phil Harding works for a tight-kniteight-person department serving thedistrict’s technology needs. “As adepartment, we got behind it, saw thevalue of it and were really impressedwith the HoverCam team,” says Phil. “Iwould give them an A+ in customerservice,” he says. “They are veryresponsive.” In fact, the technologydepartment spends a lot of time dealingwith vendors from A to Z, as Phil putsit, companies from as large as Dell to asmall company that helps with theirwebsite. “You get different levels ofcustomer service,” says Phil, “ButHoverCam gives you knockout cus-tomer service,” he says.

Seeing is BelievingThe district currently has more than500 HoverCams throughout their class-

rooms and with a staff of 750, they’regetting close to the goal. The technologydepartment has even incorporated theminto their tech specs for principals, rec-ommending HoverCam as classroom-useful. “Our society is so much morevisual. You’ve got to give teachers theright tools. The majority of schools arestill teaching in the 20th century,not the 21st,” Phil says. “We talkabout the digital native. Well, they’rerunning amok!”

Teachers need these tools for a vari-ety of reasons—but most of all, for stu-dent achievement, Phil says. “Kids don’twant to hear a lecture for 10 minutes,much less 15. Even a whiteboard is notgoing to do it for them. They want itmore interactive, they want it targeted.They want to be able to see what the heckthey’re doing.”

affordable for educators.”One of the ways Mobile Beacon

delivers on that commitment is throughunlimited access. With no data caps oroverage charges, plus a much lower serv-ice price, Mobile Beacon’s service modeldelivers significant savings each year as

compared to commercial providers.For example, some commercial

plans charge as much as $75.00 permonth per device. Let’s do the math. If aschool needed 15 USB connections toprovide access to students who did nothave Internet access at home, at the$75.00 rate, the school would be paying$13,500 every year. With Mobile

Mobile Beacon (Con’t. from p. 22) Beacon’s rate of $10.00 per month perdevice, the annual service cost would beonly $1,800, a savings of 87 percent.

“Providing an affordable internetconnection is the baseline of what we do,but we’re more than an internet serviceprovider,” Messier said. “We work withschools on a 1:1 basis to help themimplement this service in a meaningful

way. Our service can help extend learn-ing opportunities beyond classroomwalls for students of all abilities, and itcan also help lower administrative costsby allowing for distance learning, onlinetutoring and online office hours.”

Learn more about Mobile Beacon’sproducts and services by visitingwww.mobilebeacon.org.

ERGOTRON TABLET MANAGEMENTCART TACKLES CHARGING ANDSYNCING WITH EASE

TEACHERS AND STUDENTSBECOME EDUCATIONAL EXPLORERSIN THE CLASSROOM

Continued on Page 32Continued on Page 30


currently in development for larger ven-ues. Volfoni proudly serves the educa-tion, cinema and home theater markets,

and is one of the few companies in theworld to provide a wide range of 3Dtechnologies and products.

You can find Volfoni online atwww.volfoni.com.

Volfoni (Con’t. from p. 10)

was doing.”To ensure that teachers are utilizing

the technology effectively, Ms. Fernandezis taking advantage of Hitachi’s free,unlimited training, which is provided by anetwork of former teachers. Training isboth on-site and web-based, and includesaccess to a library of videos on how to usethe StarBoards in everyday teaching.

“The StarBoards are really helpingus meet the needs of our second languagelearners,” she said. “It provides visualrepresentation for the language that theyare acquiring.”

Technology Coordinator Hill seessimilar benefits at other schools in thedistrict where the StarBoards have beeninstalled. “The teachers are getting way

more involvement from the kids, and theprincipals see it as a critical piece to con-tinuing the improvement of instruction attheir schools.”

That’s certainly the case at TempleHeights Elementary, where Ms.Fernandez says the StarBoards are con-tributing to improvements in both teach-ing and learning that she expects willlead to gains in test scores and AYP.

“My teachers are taking more timeto develop lessons, and they’re planningthose lessons together,” she said. “Andthe students are more excited than everabout learning. They’re more engagedand on task. And that engagement is thebest return on our investment.”

For more information about HitachiSolutions, visit www.hitachisolutions-us.com/starboard.

HItachi (Con’t. from p. 14)

nologies to create smart learning envi-ronments for collaborative connectionbetween teachers, students and peers.Ergotron’s broad portfolio of mountingand mobility products help educatorsfacilitate classroom presentation, videoconferencing and even touch interactive,while helping facilities integrate healthy,ergonomic workstations or critical digitalsignage throughout the campus. Thesekinds of feature-rich, highly flexiblesolutions are what the budget consciousindustry has been asking for and whatErgotron is uniquely qualified to deliver.

ESD: Does Ergotron offer any specialprograms for schools?

SR: Yes, Ergotron offers complimentaryproducts to qualifying educational institu-tions. We do this because we know that fordecision makers to really appreciate thequality and functionality of the productthey will want to try it in their own facili-ties. Getting the proper feedback helpsensure the solution is right for the schooland, ultimately, the unit is theirs to keep.

ESD: What new products did you show-case at ISTE?

SR: We had an exciting introduction,the Ergotron Tablet Management Cart,which is a modular syncing and charg-ing system for USB-charged tablets andeReaders―including the iPad®, theBarnes & Noble Nook®, AmazonKindle® and Samsung Galaxy® tablets.We also showed our TeachWell®

Mobile Digital Workspace and theWorkFit Sit-Stand Workstations pro-moted in our Just Stand Uprising. Inother words, a little something for everycorner of the facility.

ESD: Tell us more about the TabletManagement Cart. What makes itunique?

SR: The Ergotron Tablet ManagementCart is a modular syncing and chargingsystem with each module holding up to16 tablets or 48 in total if all three mod-ules are installed. The system chargesunits and syncs software through a multi-port USB hub and is being offered aseither a mobile cart or stand-alone desk-top option. What makes it unique is thatit is 35-percent lighter and 43-percentsmaller than competitive charging carts,making it an affordable solution ideal forclassroom or lab applications.

ESD: What is one way Ergotron is help-ing teachers integrate technology into theclassroom?

SR: We know investment of technologyinto Education is at an all-time high, but,still, educational facilities are trying toget the most for their purchasing dollar,right? Ergotron’s TeachWell MobileDigital Workspace is one answer to thisdilemma. This mobile solution for LCDsor for Laptops, gives teachers a heightadjustable hub to accommodate the tech-nology―their computer, document cam-era, DVD/DVR, even the projector. Withthis unprecedented flexibility, instructorscan deliver collaborative curriculumwherever needed about the classroom, aswell as offering the educational facilitiesa sharable resource across multiplespaces. It supports the teacher’s technol-ogy needs and requirements with lessreliance on IT resources. Learn moreabout it at teachwell.ergotron.com.

ESD: Tell us more about this Ergotron“Uprising.”

SR: The Just Stand Uprising is our pio-neering effort to educate people about thenegative health implications related to sit-ting too much at desks or in meetings, andthe healthy benefits of adopting sit-standworkstations. Sitting more than 6.5 hoursthroughout the day has been linked to mul-tiple disease states like cancer, diabetes andheart disease. Long-term clinical studiesreport the more you sit, the shorter yourexpected lifespan, regardless of other fac-tors like exercise and diet. Learn moreabout it, or join yourself, at juststand.org.

ESD: Why should someone join theUprising?

SR: This issue impacts everyone, from theteacher behind a desk to staff in the admin-istrative offices. If you find you sit longhours throughout your day, whether at yourdesk, in meetings or during your commute,you are at risk. Standing a little more eachday burns extra calories, tones muscles,improves posture, increases blood flow,and ramps up metabolism. The adoption ofsolutions like our WorkFit or TeachWellunits allow you the flexibility to movewhen and how often you want throughoutthe day while staying focused, energized,and productive. Why not join today?

For more information about Ergotron,join us on Twitter at @ergoedtech, con-tact us at [email protected] or visithttp://education.ergotron.com.

Ergotron (Con’t. from p. 1)

called Operation Montserrat, throughthe Challenger Learning Center in WestVirginia. Via the H300, and with scien-tific analysis skills that they learnedthrough the project, they successfullyevacuated the island of Montserrat fromthe impending doom of a hurricane andearthquake during a live, real-time sim-ulation. My students were so immersedin the activity that they forgot that thiswas education. The process completelymade the math and science come alivefor them.

Soon, we will be video-traveling to aclassroom in Texas for a class debate on

immigration and, later this year, we willvideo-journey to the Great Barrier Reeffor what is known as a virtual field trip.Although I was initially apprehensiveabout another confounding technologicalgadget, the AVerComm H300 video con-ferencing system is simple to use and aninvaluable tool in providing my studentsboundless knowledge. Just as the com-puter revolutionized the way we teachand learn, I cannot wait to see how videoconferencing enhances the educationalexperience.

(For information about how theAVerComm Video ConferencingSolution can break the boundaries ofyour classroom, visit www.averusa.com.)

AVerComm (Con’t. from p. 16)

an instructor can record and save his orher lessons. Now, when the class watchesa video, it’s not some impersonal store-purchased lesson―but one that is specif-ically generated for these students, thisschool and this class.

What is the future for HoverCam?Just like the world of education, theHoverCam is evolving. We are constantly

working to improve not only the productbut also the software used with the prod-uct. You will always have access to thelatest updates to HoverCam Flex as aHoverCam user.

No one can predict the future of edu-cation technology. We can only make aneducated guess. That’s why we are here:to learn from you. If you would like tolearn more about the HoverCam, pleasestop by www.thehovercam.com.

HoverCam (Con’t. from p. 14)

Aurora Multimedia has done it again withthe LXB-200 low-cost intelligent buttoncontroller. The LXB-200 is a new buttoninterface with LCD readout and controlports that sets a new standard for price andfeature set. Designed to fit into a standardtwo-gang electrical outlet, the LXB-200simplifies the installation and enhancesthe room with its elegant high-tech look,available in black or white, and is sizedperfectly for walls, podiums and carts.

Thirteen buttons make up the face ofthe LXB-200 along with a high-contrast,negative film 128x64 LCD display. Eachbutton can be backlit green or red toenhance user indication. Four buttons arefor navigation of the LCD readout toallow a user to go many layers deep offunctionality. The other four buttons arefor power, audio, input and functionalityselection. The five center buttons allowfor volume, channel, selection or naviga-tion control. Each button can be pro-grammed to do just about anything inrelation to the LCD screen. An IR receiveris also present to allow an optional IRremote to be used up to 40 feet away.

The LXB-200 has available anoptional IP Paging feature. By connect-ing the audio line output to the room’samplified speakers, paging can be madeto an individual room or to the entire

facility. Since it can play audio files,automated messages, music and morecan be heard by students when required.These audio files can be scheduled toplay as well.

There is also a built-in Web serverallowing webpages to be served on anydevice with a browser. That’s right; theuser does not have to be in front of thepanel to control the room. An iPad®,iTouch®, iPhone®, Android® or PC cancontrol the room as well from near orafar. As if that is not enough, Auroraoffers TRACS asset managementsoftware which can monitor/manage

AURORA MULTIMEDIA’S LXB-200SETS THE NEW STANDARD FORLOW-COST CLASSROOM CONTROLAT ONLY $749 MSRP



classroom. Our A+ Classroom AudioSystem is already known to improve stu-dent hearing and performance anddecrease teacher voice fatigue and sickdays, but now there is a new silent-alertcapability in the equipment focused onsafety in the classroom. In the event of anemergency, the teacher presses a buttonon his/her pendant microphone wornwith a lanyard, and a signal is automati-cally sent to designated security officials.In addition, the response team can viewwhat’s happening in the classroomthrough the classroom’s network cameraand even bring up audio from theteacher’s microphone.

ESD: What distinguishes Panasonicproducts from the competition?

BT: Panasonic is always looking to pro-vide solutions to our customers by lis-tening to what they need and building it

into our products. That’s why Panasonicis the only manufacturer to have theirsilent-alert button built in to theteacher’s microphone. For a school thatis already benefiting from the use ofPanasonic classroom audio systems,there is no additional equipment need-ed. In real-life situations, a teacher con-fronted by a student with a gun can notnecessarily get to a wall-mounted callbutton. Nor can they wait to simply bediscovered. This system is proactive yetdiscreet and helps lead an incident toresolution, rather than escalating into apotential tragedy.

ESD: Why are these Panasonic productsand their technology needed in the cur-rent market?

BT: School security has unfortunatelybecome an increasingly pressing issuenationwide. Criminal acts in schools arehappening at an alarming rate of sever-al per week, sometimes even several a

Panasonic (Con’t. from p. 1) day. Districts have expressed that theyneed and want ways to address the safe-ty of their students and teachers. Whilethe system can not prevent crime, thesilent alert in the teacher’s microphoneallows them to quickly and inconspicu-ously notify officials of an incident,enabling them to send the appropriateresponse team.

ESD: Can the Classroom Audio andSecurity System be integrated with otherdevices?

BT: The system is flexible and scalable,and can work in conjunction with ournew Panasonic UB-T880 interactivePanaboard and, of course, our securitycameras. It is so flexible that it can alsoaccommodate add-ons such as a visualand audible alarm device for the securitydepartment (made by a partner company)and ViewPath (made by SAFARIMontage). Incorporating ViewPath willenable teachers to use the Panasonic

classroom system to record their lessonsfor home-bound students, professionaldevelopment, and review and behavioralissues within the classroom, among manyother uses. Panasonic has continued tobuild upon its products, using feedbackfrom actual teachers and districts, tomake the school day more productive,safe and enjoyable for teachers and stu-dents alike.

ESD: You mention a Panaboard. Why isit worth checking out?

BT: What’s exciting about the UB-T880is that it’s the only interactive whiteboardto allow three simultaneous touchpointswithout restriction on the touchpointlocation. It also has multiple USB portsfor incorporating multimedia and severalother features that make teaching ANDlearning fun again.

For more information, visit www.panasonic.com/aplus.

Across the country―and across the globe,schools are struggling with budget cuts.Many schools are laying off teachers. Andif we can’t pay our teachers, how can wepossibly afford technology? I spent the pastseveral years at Microsoft addressing thisquestion. I saw a massive opportunity tobridge the digital divide―globally as wellas here in the U.S.A. I also saw teachersand school IT staff struggling to deploycomputing technologies. There is a hugeneed to provide affordable, plug-and-playsolutions that dramatically decrease hard-ware costs for school classrooms and labs.

ESD: What do you do?

DY: Our mission at GreenBridge is to

‘sustainably bridge the digital divide’ formillions of students by providing schoolsand libraries with top quality computerworkstations at a fraction of the cost ofconventional PCs. Our solution results in50-percent upfront hardware cost sav-ings, up to 80-percent energy savings anda 66-percent decrease in Total Cost ofOwnership―without the need for costlythin clients/zero clients.

ESD: How does it work?

DY: Today’s CPUs have become so pow-erful that the typical user consumes lessthan 5 percent of their PC’s capacity. Thisopens up an exciting opportunity: usingone server, multiple students can simulta-neously share the same host machine,each with their own monitor, mouse and

GreenBridge Computing (Con’t. from p. 1) keyboard, each with an independentWindows computing experience. Weoffer a familiar Windows 7 environment,delivered via Windows MultiPointServer (WMS) 2011.

ESD: How is GreenBridge different fromother WMS solutions?

DY: Greenbridge is the only WMS solu-tion partner delivering a ‘direct connect’solution. Translation: We eliminate theneed for costly thin client devices, whichrun anywhere from $200-$400each―including server and peripherals!At that price, where are the hardwaresavings? Our solution is a custom-builtserver that delivers unsurpassed videoquality and system performance, includ-ing hardware, software and remote

support at around $400 per workstation.

ESD: Where can we learn more aboutthis? Are there any case studies?

DY: Forrester recently released a TotalEconomic Impact study (available on ourwebsite), articulating the hardware, ener-gy and TCO savings schools can realize.One of the key interviews informing thestudy came out of a school lab wedeployed in Haiti. Forrester andMicrosoft also have articulated that‘video-based applications may run betterwith this [direct-connect] option.’

To learn more about what GreenBridgecan do for your classroom, [email protected] orvisit www.greenbridgecomputing.com.

received in the education market. With anincredibly low price of $749, it makesinteractive technology affordable to vir-tually everyone.

Attendees had the opportunity to be con-testants in our live game show, for achance to win interactive technology fortheir schools. Attendees also watcheddemonstrations of our multi-touch, fin-ger-driven interactive whiteboards:StarBoardLink and StarBoardTRIO.

ESD: Does Hitachi Solutions offer anyspecial programs to educators?

TW: Hitachi introduced theStarBoardTRIO Try and Buy programthis year, which offers qualifiedschools the opportunity to try ourStarBoardTRIO interactive white-boards in their classrooms. After the30-to-60 day evaluation period, theyhave the option to purchase the boardsat a 50 percent discount.

Hitachi has developed special end-usertraining sessions that teachers can attendat no charge. Our goal is to make it easyfor participating schools to evaluate ourStarBoard interactive whiteboards,ensure that each teacher has an enjoyableexperience and provide the participating

HItachi (Con’t. from p. 1) schools with an incredible purchase offerafter the evaluation.

ESD: What distinguishes your productsfrom the competition?

TW: Price, ease-of-use and training.Not only are our interactive whiteboardsmore affordable than other brands, theyinclude StarBoard Software with life-time upgrades at no charge. Our interac-tive whiteboards are finger-driven andoffer multi-touch and multi-user capa-bilities at an incredible price. Our goalis to bridge the gap between the educa-tion funding crisis and the need for tech-nology in schools.

ESD: How does StarBoard technologyimpact teaching and learning in theclassroom?

TW: StarBoard technology is making anenormous difference by providing a multi-sensory approach that enables even theyoungest of students to better understandconcepts. Teachers can use StarBoard todevelop concepts visually for all students.The ability to associate the content withvisual representations can tremendouslyincrease comprehension.


while accommodating tight budgets. Thebase unit has an MSRP of $599.

There is no doubt that technologymay be one means to unlocking studentpotential, connecting both teacher andstudent to their immediate and globalpeers in ways never dreamed possible.Suddenly the world quite literallybecomes the classroom, bringing criticalconcepts to life through a variety ofmediums. It’s not unreasonable to thinkthat the instructor may also feel like astudent when trying to adopt technologycomfortably into their curriculum.

Breakthrough products like TeachWellcertainly go a long way in simplifyingtechnology usage for the instructor, whileoffering the added benefit of lighteningthe load of potentially overburdened ITresources.

In a TeachWell classroom, theinstructor is supported by the technology,not enslaved by it. There is room to roamwith quick access to tools and learningthat engages the digital mind. Take timeto learn about creating active learningenvironments that inspire and excitetoday’s tech-savvy students and theirinstructors. Visit teachwell.ergotron.comto learn more.


thousands of rooms at one time. TRACScan control, alert, schedule and reportactivity within a school or district. It is theonly asset software written in PHP, so itcan run on Windows®, Linux® and OS X®.

The rear of the unit has a 10/100POE LAN, three RS-232 ports, two IRports with one-way RS-232 capability,digital I/O with A/D capability, tworelays and audio line-in/out for volumecontrol, all while drawing less than twowatts. So what does that all mean? It cancontrol projectors, DVD players, light-ing, document cameras and more. As

long as the device allows remote control,the Aurora LXB-200 can control it. Ifyou need more ports, Aurora’s controlproducts have nearly unlimited expand-ability using the variety of available add-on control modules.

There is no product offering thatmatches the performance and affordabilityof this powerfully advanced control solu-tion. We are pleased to see room automa-tion made available for virtually anybudget.

For more information, call Aurorasales at 732-591-5800, [email protected] or visitwww.auroramultimedia.com.

Aurora Multimedia (Con’t. from p. 26)


that conserved power, optimized our useof space, simplified our IT infrastructureand maintenance, and enabled staff andstudents to be as productive as possible.”

Virtual desktops help teachers man-age their time more efficiently by allow-ing them to keep their sessions active andaccess them easily as they move betweenrooms for each new class period. The

speed of response, efficiency and avail-ability is the same for students, whoaccess a pool of virtual desktops in class-rooms and labs. “If students are acciden-tally disconnected,” explains Kwiatek,“they can reconnect and resume wherethey left off because the virtual machineis waiting for them.” Teachers andadministrative staff can also work offsiteusing any PC with an Internet connectionto remotely access their virtual desktops.

Wyse (Con’t. from p. 4) Whether they’re working on lessonplans, grading or scheduling, the flexibil-ity and convenience of 24-7 accessimproves efficiency and morale―and theaccess is secure. Thin clients eliminatethe chance of theft or loss possible with amobile PC, and, with all content residingin the datacenter, files and applicationsare secure from unauthorized access.

An infrastructure that relies onshared, virtualized resources alsoimproves IT staff efficiency. “We can doupgrades of nearly any magnitudeovernight, after students and staff haveleft for the day, and it takes just minutes,”says Kwiatek. Troubleshooting time hasalso been reduced by 80 percent. Withremote management of the thin clients,IT staff can diagnose the problem in twoto three minutes and, if necessary, re-image the computer instantly, since allapplications are stored and delivered

from the server, eliminating the need formanual updates of individual systems.And, unlike PCs, downtime with thinclients is nearly nonexistent. If a thinclient needs repair, the staff can easilyswap it out with another unit.

Manchester Essex Middle School andHigh School were among the first organi-zations in the state to do a large-scalerollout of a VMware VDI using Wysetechnology. “I have only good things tosay about the Wyse solution,” saysKwiatek. “It has given teachers, adminis-trators and IT staff the ability to do theirjobs effectively and conveniently, and ithas improved the learning environmentfor students.” The district is now consider-ing expanding thin clients into its two ele-mentary schools due to the positiveresponse and the reliability of the solution.

For more information, please visitwww.wyse.com.

501c3 nonprofit organization and one ofthe largest national educational broad-band service (EBS) providers in theUnited States. Collectively, we havemore than 20 years of experience servingthe educational sector. Mobile Beaconwas formed for the purpose of providingtechnology assistance grants to educa-tional and nonprofit institutions.

ESD: What is the mission of MobileBeacon?

KM: Our mission is to make next-gener-ation, high-speed mobile broadband serv-ice accessible and affordable to the edu-cation and nonprofit sectors. Whilebroadband has been said to have greaterpotential to transform education than anyother technological innovation in our life-time, too often it is cost-prohibitive foreducational entities to deploy on a largescale. Our mission is to help change thatby making unlimited 4G mobile accessavailable at a significantly lower cost.

ESD: What types of educational entitiesdo you serve?

KM: We provide service to K-12 institu-tions, secondary or intermediate schools,colleges, universities and other nonprofitorganizations with an educational mission.

ESD: What areas do you serve?

KM: Our service is provided primarilythrough Clearwire’s 4G national net-work. That network covers over 130 mil-lion people in over 70 commercially-deployed U.S. markets. We also offer 4Gservice exclusively to schools within alimited coverage area in an additional 38cities, bringing our total to more than 100cities across 36 states.

ESD: Tell us about your grantsprograms.

KM: We offer a technology assistancegrant that provides unlimited 4G accessfor a dramatically reduced rate of$10/month. We estimate it saves organi-

Mobile Beacon (Con’t. from p. 1) zations up to 87 percent off the cost ofother commercial providers.

Additionally, we offer two targeted grantsto educational institutions in 50 citiesacross the country. The first grant includesa donation of up to 25 laptops and modemsto help serve disadvantaged or at-risk stu-dents. The other grant provides a broad-band security camera system, whichincludes a donation of up to four profes-sional-grade security cameras to help deterunauthorized access within schools.

ESD: What are some of your successesto date?

KM: As a mission-based organization,we define success as providing technolo-gy services that make a meaningful dif-ference to those we serve. In the first halfof this year alone, we’ve donated over$275,000 worth of equipment and broad-band services to K-12 schools and highereducation entities.

Each grant recipient has a unique story.

We’ve helped many institutions throughthe laptop and security system grants pre-viously mentioned. But there are manyother examples of successful applicationssuch as creating mobile computer labs,supporting the professional developmentof teachers and staff, and we’ve evenequipped a university’s campus securityvehicles with laptops and modems toimprove efficiency on-the-go.

ESD: Why did you choose to sponsor theISTE 2011 Conference?

KM: Mobile Beacon is like a hiddengem―we don’t have the same exposureas commercial providers with largeadvertising budgets. As one of theworld’s premier educational technologyevents, ISTE is a perfect match to helpus get the word out to educators aroundthe country that we’re here and we’reable to help.

For more information, [email protected] or visitwww.mobilebeacon.org.

Simply put, tablets provide an inter-active learning experience, giving stu-dents and teachers more time to engagein the classroom. Having a tablet man-agement system that guarantees fullycharged and synced tablets when neededwill save educators time and free up

space. The Tablet Management Cartships fully assembled and will be avail-able in September, 2011. MSRP starts at$899, dependent upon configuration. Thetablet is expanding the creative genius ofeducators all over the world. Ergotron ishappy to support that activity. Stop bywww.ergotron.com to see the TabletManagement Cart in action.


PROPELLING MATHFORWARDPreparing for middle school, high schoolalgebra success

Middle grade mathematics is critical inlaying the foundation for future successin more challenging academic courses.Unfortunately, those mathematics classesare often the classes where studentsstruggle most. The work becomes morechallenging, and it’s not uncommon forstruggling students to disengage. As aresult, many continue through theremainder of their academic career with-out the critical skills they need to be suc-cessful in high school and beyond.

The TI MathForward™ programresponds to a pressing need for middleschool algebra readiness and high schoolalgebra success while enhancing teachercapacity for increased student engage-ment. This program enables schools toturn around student achievement inmathematics and create a basis for sus-tained progress over the long term.

TI MathForward is designed toincrease student achievement in mathe-matics across diverse student populations

by integrating research-based instruc-tional practices with enhanced curricularcontent, classroom technology and form-ative assessments.

Many schools want to build on theirexisting investments in curriculum andtechnology. Adopting the TIMathForward program does not require aschool to change its core curriculum―itinstead works by augmenting and inten-sifying the existing curriculum. Further,schools want a program that helps all stu-dents learn more, not just studentstargeted for intervention.

Through the appropriate use of tech-nology such as TI’s Nspired Learningsolution, educators are able to gauge eachstudent’s level of understanding at anypoint during the lesson to allow immedi-ate adjustment in instruction to ensureeach student is able to progress in theirlearning. The technology component ofTI MathForward is key in enabling thisformative assessment and instruction.The technology also encourages studentengagement, participation in mathemati-cal discourse and exploration of concepts

while creating a safe environment thatallows for diverse thinking strategies.

The program’s professional develop-ment components are designed toincrease teaching effectiveness and pre-pare teams of teachers within the districtto carry on the training of colleagues,creating systematic change. The TIMathForward program achieves theseobjectives by providing coaching andcontent knowledge to teachers, assistingteachers to effectively utilize theexpanded class time―daily 100-minute“power block”―and facilitatingprofessional learning communitiesduring common planning times.

The Tyler Independent School Districtin Texas serves as a case study for TIMathForward classroom achievements.

With 1,400 sixth-, seventh- andeighth-grade students in the program,

the school district is now in its secondyear of its TI-MathForward implemen-tation. The district’s self-reportedresults show steady improvement from2009 to 2010, the first year the programwas implemented.

Before the program was implemented,less than 10 percent of the district’s seventhgrade students met math expectations onthe Texas Assessment of Knowledge andSkills (TAKS) test. In 2010, almost 40 per-cent of the district’s seventh graders met orexceeded expectations on the TAKS test.Similar results were found in the eighthgrade where about 15 percent of the stu-dents met TAKS expectations prior to theprogram implementation. In 2010 after oneyear of implementation, 43 percent ofeighth grade students met or exceededexpectations on the TAKS test.

Texas Instruments developed the TIMathForward program specifically tostrengthen middle school students’ alge-bra readiness skills. With a solid founda-tion in place, students can moveconfidently through future mathematicscourses and achieve greater success intheir academic goals.

To learn more about MathForward,visit www.timathforward.com.


explorers as a result.”While Dr. Brake gives all the credit

to his dedicated faculty, which includessix National Board Certified Teachersand one Kohl-McCormick EarlyChildhood Teacher Award Winner, itcannot be overlooked that he has creat-ed a culture of educational excellencethat is a source of pride throughout thecommunity.

“When you have the best teachers in

the field, you need to provide them withthe best resources. For technology, thatmeant making sure we had a HitachiStarBoard in every classroom in thebuilding,” added Dr. Brake.

Fourth grade teacher Juan Cardona,one of the school’s earliest users of theStarBoard, shares the multiple ways inwhich the dynamic of his classroom haschanged since he began using the tech-nology everyday. He points to concreteexamples that show a positive differencein his students’ classroom behavior.

Hitachi (Con’t. from p. 24) “My students’ attention span has cer-tainly widened, they are more engagedand more focused. I’m finding that thedesire to use the board has made all ofmy students more likely to participateand ask for help,” stated Mr. Cardona.

For other teachers at BridgeElementary, the StarBoard hasn’t justaided in their lessons, it has changed theway they teach and conduct their classes.Mary Louise, a second grade teacher,enthusiastically explained how using theStarBoard has allowed her teaching style

to evolve.“It’s changed my life as a teacher.

The Starboard makes for a more student-centered approach. Concepts can now bedeveloped visually for all students, espe-cially English language learners. Theability to associate the content withvisual representations has tremendouslyincreased comprehension,” stated Ms.Louise.


in incorporating new technology into theclassroom. First, it’s frustrating for teach-ers to learn yet another new system andthen trying to integrate that into alreadyexisting technology. Second, schoolswant to provide educators with the bestnew technology, but are stymied withbudgetary concerns.

What if integrating and using technologywas so simple that there was no learningcurve? And that the technology was soaffordable that every American schoolcould really afford it? We are revolution-izing classroom technology by making iteasy, easy to use, easy to integrate andeasy on the budget.

ESD: So what are the solutions that aremaking classroom technology easier?

AP: We are excited to introduce theAVerVision Flash App Software. With

one download, educators can not onlybring live images and video into any les-son-planning software with Flash, theycan also use the same software to fullyannotate, re-size and manipulate the doc-ument camera images directly. No needto pull up the document camera softwareor be locked into one particular brand of“compatible” interactive white board orlesson-planning solution. TheAVerVision Flash App ensures that thereis one less step and software program forthe teacher to learn while giving schoolsmore freedom when purchasing class-room technology.

We also have the only wireless documentcamera, the AVerVision W30, that candisplay and record at 30fps. Teachers caneasily move about their rooms withoutany wires to hinder, while broadcastingsmooth video from any corner of theirclassroom. The W30 can even displayvideo without a computer. Now everyclassroom desk and surface can be a

AVerMedia (Con’t. from p. 1) digital learning ground.

We also demoed the AVerVision F50 thathas onboard annotation, so that teacherscan simply plug in an AVerPen or amouse and annotate directly from thedocument camera itself―no computernecessary.

Speaking of the AVerPen, the secondgeneration was launched at ISTE. Pickup the newly re-designed ergonomicAverPen, and you will instantly noticethe dramatic difference when you areholding, writing or just mousing aroundwith it. Add to it the wireless control ofany PC or Mac, plug-n-play installation,a $199 MSRP, and you have one power-ful accessory that makes controllingclassroom technology effortless.

ESD: That’s great! What other solutionsdid AVerMedia demo at ISTE?

AP: The AVerComm H310, H.323 HD

Video Conferencing system generated agreat deal of interest. Not only is it filledwith features that are catered to educa-tors, but this form of technology is final-ly accessible to any school in America.

ESD: Tell us more about easy-on-the-budget.

AP: AVerMedia has always believed inquality technology being a right and not aprivilege. We have chosen to make ourcompletely revolutionary AVerVisionFlash App―free. Our second generationAVerPen and AVerVision U10 documentcamera are priced at $199 MSRP, givingschools the ability to afford brand namesolutions backed with superior serviceand support. With the AVerComm H310,schools now have access to video confer-encing technology, usually priced at10K-12K, at under $4,500 MSRP.

For more information, visitwww.averusa.com.

WHAT IS A “HOVERCAM”?What is a HoverCam? If you are unfa-miliar with document cameras, the exactnature of the HoverCam could be a bitcryptic. The HoverCam is a documentcamera. A document camera is a real-time image capture device for displayingan object to a large audience. A documentcamera can be attached to a projector, tel-evision or monitor to display lessons to agroup of students. Whether you are solv-ing a math problem or dissecting a frog,every small step can be shared with the

entire classroom.The HoverCam is unique for docu-

ment cameras in that it offers high-endvisual quality, decent video refresh rate anda long list of advanced software functionsin a highly affordable package. For exam-ple, an educator can annotate on an imageor video with the HoverCam Flex software.This annotation includes circles, highlights,text and the ability to mask answers. It doesalmost everything that an interactive whiteboard does. However, if you have an

interactive white board already, it worksseamlessly with most IAWBs.

HoverCam can record lessons insmall files. In fact, a teacher could virtu-ally record all day long and then decidewhether or not to keep the recordedvideo. If the file is worth keeping, aninterface in HoverCam Flex allowsupload to a cloud service such asDropBox. From these file sharing servicesthe video could be viewed by an absentstudent, the whole class to review orsaved for playback by a substitute.

There are numerous other features.There is a video conferencing tool, a digital

signature tool and OCR (Optical CharacterRecognition), which means the HoverCamcan “read” a printed page. The Catapultfeature allows an instructor to drag ascanned image into email, PowerPoint oran interactive white board. The Stack fea-ture enables an instructor to create a singlefile out of several scans, essentially build-ing a booklet. It is truly a device that needsto be seen to be believed.

HoverCam’s high quality image andfunctionality is found in devices threetimes its price. It is a wise and economicpurchase for any school. Please visit the-hovercam.com to learn more.

AURORA MULTIMEDIA’S NXT-350PROVIDES AFFORDABLE TOUCHSCREEN CLASSROOM CONTROLAT $999 MSRP

The NXT-350 3.5” color touch panelwith integrated control system sets a newstandard for classroom control. It is arevolutionary development, integrating acontrol system processor with multipleports into a web-browser based touchscreen while drawing less than 3.5 watts.Designed to fit into a standard two-gangelectrical outlet, the NXT-350 simplifiesthe installation and enhances the roomwith its aluminum front bezel, availablein micro-finish black, white, or natural(silver), and is sized perfectly for walls,podiums and carts.

The front-panel touch control can bedesigned to have a look and feel specific

for a room. The same control on the frontpanel can also be viewed on any net-worked device with a browser. That’sright, the user does not have to be in frontof the panel to control the room. AniPad®, iTouch®, iPhone®, Android® orPC can control the room from near orafar. The NXT-350 also has an optional IRremote for control up to 40 feet away. Asif that is not enough, Aurora offersTRACS asset management softwarewhich can monitor/manage thousands ofrooms at one time. TRACS can control,alert, schedule and report activity within aschool or district. It is the only asset soft-ware written in PHP, so it can run on

Windows®, Linux® andOS X®.

What makes theAurora control systemstand out more than anyother system on themarket is the non-proprietary/non-platformspecific hardware topol-ogy. Aurora uses industry standard lan-guages and hardware connections, so any-one who can program a website can writecode for the Aurora control system prod-uct line-up. This means the Aurora tech-nology operates like a web appliance, sonetwork administrators will feel right athome. If you are not a programmer,Aurora has drag and drop tools that gener-ate web code to be used on the system.Set-up and diagnostics are all built into theNXT-350, and no special software everneeds to be installed in remote devices.

The rear of the unit has a full com-plement of control ports. It has two RS-232 ports, IR capable of one way

RS-232, digital I/O, 10/100POE LAN, and a stereo audioline-in/out for volume controland MP3 playback and voiceprompting. So what does thatall mean? It can control projec-tors, DVD players, lighting,document cameras and more.As long as the device allows

remote control, the Aurora NXT-350 cancontrol it. If you need more ports, Auroracontrol products have unlimited expand-ability using the variety of available add-on control modules.

The NXT-350 is part of the growingline up of Aurora low-cost, high-performance touch panel interfaces rangingfrom 3.5” up to 10.1”. There is no doubtAurora Multimedia has created a touchpanel series with revolutionary features andpricing that is unmatched by competitors.

For more information, call Aurorasales at 732-591-5800, [email protected] or visitwww.auroramultimedia.com.

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