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CONTENTS
S E
FEATURES
20
30
20
40
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By Sascha Zuger
Jim Flanagan, ISTE Chief Learning Services Officer, chats
with T&L about the new ISTE Standards for Students.
By Ellen Ullman
Here are three stories about schools that are reinventing
rooms and spaces to accommodate many types of learning.
PRODUCTS
40
34
WHATS NEW:
NEW TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS
DEPARTMENTS &
COLUMNS
4
TRENDING
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EDITORS
note
SEPTEMBER 2016
BACK TO IT
VOL. 37 NO. 2
Kevin Hogan
Content Director
khogan@nbmedia.com
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dreambox.com
10 years of proven success
NEWS
TRENDING
ANDTRENDS
THE LATEST NEWS & STATS AFFECTING THE K-12 EDTECH COMMUNITY
top10
WEB STORIES
From techlearning.com
10
F I N D L I N K S AT W W W.T EC H L E A R N I N G .CO M /S E P 1 6
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BLOG BITS
TOP
TWEETS
Andrew P. Marcinek @andycinek:
Follow #GoOpen to learn about
the great work educators are
engaged in to support equitable
access of open educational
resources #edchat
@techlearning: More students in
California take pottery classes
than coding Robert D. Atkinson,
President, ITIF #ITIFDNC
@EducationNext: Too often, when
we talk about #edtech, technology
takes the lead and instructional
models play a supporting role
Thank you
the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory
powergistics.com
(844) 205-1217
TRENDING
SITE WE LIKE
BY ADAM SCHOENBART
Here are five big ideas Ive been thinking about for
my classroomthe seeds of innovation I intend to
develop this year.
1. Rethinking Grades Im leaning towards a system
with more project-based work, where students set
their own goals and deadlines and self-assess and
peer-assess.
2. Portfolios, Publishing, and Growth This year,
I want students to document their own growth, reflection, and successesmaybe through
individual student blogs, class blogs, or a Google Sites portfolio.
3. Project-Based Learning Ive moved from direct instruction towards a student-centered
approach, but I want to create an environment where students can actively create and manage
meaningful learning experiences.
4. From Engagement to Empowerment I can keep my students engaged, but empowerment is
another story. I want my students to have the power to direct their learning, to want to have that
power, and to want to learn.
5. Failing Forward (no one left behind!) I want my students to embrace iteration, creation, and
growthand sometimes that means failure. I want a classroom culture where failure is never an
endpoint, growth and innovation are the norm, and everyone succeeds.
F O R T H E F U L L STO RY G O TO : H T T P : // W W W.T EC H L E A R N I N G .CO M /S E P 1 6
This interdisciplinary
program uses animation
to introduce students to
the history of many of our
favorite foods, as well as
how and where theyre
grown and processed and
how they get to us.
20%
6080%
15%
4060%
2%
2040%
6%
49%
8099%
F O R M O R E S U R V E YS , V I S I T W W W.T EC H L E A R N I N G .CO M /S E P 1 6
| S E P TE M B E R 2016
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8%
All of them
goguardian.com/director
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EXPORT SELECTED
goguardian.com/teacher
Inventory Management
TRENDING
HAS FACEBOOK
SOLVED
PERSONALIZED
LEARNING?
Facebook has helped develop the Summit Personalized
Learning Platform, an online tool that the social media
giant built collaboratively with Summit Public Schools,
a nonprofit charter school network with headquarters in
Silicon Valley. The new Summit Personalized Learning
Platform reportedly allows students to select their own
projects and work at their own pace. The initiative began
with a partnership between Summit Schools and Facebook
Diane Tavenner
in 2014 and will expand this year to more than 100 new
schools. In a Facebook post, Diane Tavenner, CEO of Summit Public Schools, writes,
Bringing personalized learning to classrooms is hard work and people should expect
that it will take more than one year to see progress.
APPS OF THE
DAY FROM
TECHLEARNING.COM
App of the Day picks are selected from the
top edtech tools reviewed by Common
Sense Education.
Photo App
Promotes Creative
Learning Across
Disciplines
With ChatterPix Kids, a creative and easyto-use app, elementary students can share
learning by making anything talk.
71% use Facebook daily for personal use, 33% use Google+,
32% use Pinterest, 27% use Instagram, and 18% use Twitter.
69% use Pinterest weekly for personal use, and 67% use
it weekly for professional purposes.
44% use Facebook weekly for professional purposes
(vs. 82% for personal use).
ISTOCK/
THINKSTOCK
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| SE P TE M B ER 2016
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
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TRENDING
FIVE CYBERSECURITY
SAFEGUARDS FOR
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
as school lunch menus, graduation
rates, and calendar information does
not need to be protected.
CLASS
TECH
TIPS
19 Tools for Tech-Savvy Teachers: Content, Assessment,
and Creation
This collection of tools will help you and your
students access and interact with content and ideas,
check understanding, share products, and more.
G E T M O R E C L A S S R O O M T E C H T I P S AT T EC H L E A R N I N G .CO M
12
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S
ATE
D
P
U
FOR
6
201
TRENDING
FROM THE
T&L LIVE
LIBRARY
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| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
Mobile Computing
Beyond the which hardware
conversation, educators share their
wisdom on best practices for learning
with 1:1 devices and BYOT/BYOD.
NetSupport DNA provides a complete overview of all your IT assets and activity throughout the school or entire school
district. Tracking, monitoring and managing your IT assets with ease, it helps support the effective management of your
schools technology from a single point.
NEW screen monitoring
Available as a standalone solution or integrating seamlessly with NetSupport School, our award-winning classroom
management software, your school can benefit from a single solution to manage your technology and support your users.
BIG IDEAS
ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
2. ENGAGING STUDENTS
WITH TWITTER
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| SE P TE MB ER 2016
1. LEARNING FIRST
Why a Twitter chat? I liked the idea because
it was tech-forward and innovative, but I needed
to make sure that the Twitter chat was the best
activity, based on solid learning objectives. In
the middle of our first attempt I revised my
questions because they were too closed and
didnt lead to higher-level thinking. The students
werent engaged and participating enough, and it
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
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http://www.launch.lightspeedsystems.com
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BIG IDEAS
ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
WHEN TRANSFORMING
AND INNOVATING
YOUR SCHOOL SEEMS
HOPELESS: THREE
THINGS YOU CAN DO
By J. Robinson
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PRODUCTREVIEWS
TECH & LEARNING EDITORS TAKE SOME NEW PRODUCTS FOR A TEST DRIVE
OVERALL RATING:
With its combination
of thoughtful design,
flexibility, reasonable cost, and
multiple features, the Z20t is an
excellent addition to any schools
technology fleet. Teachers and
students equipped with the Z20t
will have the tools they need
now with the ability to add
the ones they want in the
future.
By Frank Pileiro
TOP FEATURES
| S E PTE M B E R 2 01 6
19
DIGITAL CURRICULUM
Tech & Curriculum Leaders in Partnership
By Tara Smith
St. Vrain Valley School District elementary students collaborate on iPads with their teacher.
OBTAIN
St. Vrain Valley School District elementary students with iPads, ready to participate.
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| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
Is your school
looking to offer eBooks?
Library
Home
DIGITAL CURRICULUM
changes in order to be a world-class 21st-century
school system. But obtaining technology had
to be done in the context of a larger, thoughtful
framework. Haddad says hiring talented people,
like McBreen, who have in-depth knowledge of
both technology and instruction, was key, as was
expanding their bandwidth and establishing a
permanent funding stream.
While SVVSD benefited from winning
a Race to the Top grant, sustainable funding
was accomplished through a 2012 Mill Level
Override supported by voters. Community
support is critical, and a 33-member committee
made up of teachers, parents, administrators, and
others created the districts Learning Technology
Plan and review it biannually. Haddad
emphasizes that learning comes first, technology
second. If the left arm is technology, McBreen
says, the right arm is curriculum. And the
curriculum department has taken the lead in the
districts digital curriculum initiatives.
TRAIN
SUSTAIN
Mountain Brook Assistant Principal Christy Christian and School Technology Coordinator Sharon Mumm
explore the prospects of introducing Google Exploration into Mountain Brook Elementary Schools.
rollout plan and a four-year device replacement
program, Haddad notes that each time they
scale up they increase their capacity for growth
while maintaining their focus on training and
sustainability. Outpacing capacity without
support, he says, results in a train wreck.
With a seventh-grade daughter in the district,
McBreen is particularly well placed to witness
the advantages of digital curriculum. She has
caring, dedicated teachers at school, and if she
hasnt quite absorbed a lesson she can remediate
at home because shes milliseconds away from
world-class experts. Its a winning combination.
22
4 Infinite Campus
4 Reading Plus
4 Lexia
4 Schoology
4 McGraw-Hill
ConnectED
4 SPRK Lightning
Lab
4 myON
4 HEAT LANrev
4 OverDrive
4 Think Through
Math
4 HMH Collections
ELA
4 Vista Higher
Learning
| SE P TE MBE R 2016
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
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Sponsored by:
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DIGITAL CURRICULUM
with technology leaders before purchase and
technology leaders discuss curriculum needs
with curriculum leaders to determine upgrades,
devices, etc. Devices, she notes, are selected
based on digital materials selected during the
curriculum adoption process.
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JUST DO IT
On April 21, 2014, Rowan-Salisbury (NC)
School System (RSS) made the bold decision to
go 1:1. We were a low-performing district with
a high poverty rate and we knew we couldnt
wait to make drastic changes, says assistant
superintendent of curriculum and instruction
Julie Morrow.
Five weeks later, on the last day of school,
they distributed devices to teachers and
rolled out a new literacy framework that was
housed digitally. Morrow and Andrew Smith,
director of digital innovation, describe this as
an instructional paradigm shift that involves
technology. Some say that were crazy to move
as fast as we did, Morrow says, but sometimes
you have to plan and do at the same time.
Proven solutions
for student success.
CurriculumAssociates.com/Research
Personalized Learning
DIGITAL CURRICULUM
TOOLS THEY USE
ROWAN-SALISBURY
4 Achieve 3000
4 Discovery Education
Techbooks, Streaming Plus,
Assessment
4 iPads (K8)
4 MacBook Airs (912)
4 MathSpace
4 Schoology
THE HOW
TAKING DIVERSITY
TO A NEW LEVEL
The advantages of a differentiated digital
curriculum and unified LMS are obvious for
a district with 103,000 students speaking 147
different languages in 137 schools. But when
Gary Brantley assumed the position of CIO
at DeKalb County School District (DCSD) in
metro Atlanta five years ago, the district was on
the verge of losing its accreditation and there was
no clear vision for technology, no curriculum,
and everyone was complaining.
The first order of business was to invest
in building relationships and to develop a
shared vision, values, and strategic plan. Teams
ONE VOICE
26
| SE P TE MBE R 2016
A Hall County student uses live security camera footage and Adobe Creative Cloud
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
Thrive powered by Time to Know offers purely digital, core curriculum for ELA, Math,
and Science, that is research-based and proven to improve student learning in the 1:1
powered classroom. It blends advanced technology with multiple proven teaching practices
to create a rich standards-based digital learning experience. Thrive allows you to easily plan
and manage your 1:1 classroom, and provide differentiated instructional support.
To learn more about Thrive, visit mhethrive.com/TL
DIGITAL CURRICULUM
subject-area content coordinators, the CIO, the
deputy of curriculum and instruction, and the
director of PD, as well as media specialists and
key personnel from IT, special ed, and project
management. They focus on the learning aspect
of the initiativeand then they look at the tools
that will facilitate what they want to accomplish.
The discussions are lengthy, and sometimes
difficult, but Brantley emphasizes that its critical
to be on the same pageand to keep the focus on
learning.
DCSD has partnered with itslearning for
over a year and renamed their platform VERGE
(Venturing into Engagement, Rigor, Growth, and
Excellence). For a district this large and diverse,
having everything housed in one placefrom
submission and collaboration to formative
assessments and PDis imperative.
LOOKING FORWARD
CROWDSOURCED AND
CURATED RESOURCES
Hall County (GA) School District
(HCSD), northeast of Atlanta, is a district
of 33 autonomous schools, says assistant
superintendent for technology Aaron Turpin.
The linchpin for their digital ecosystem is the
portal they built themselves, called LaunchPoint.
The app ensures interoperability and is
customized for each school, and potentially
grade level, but offers the same user experience
for their highly mobile population of 28,000
students.
One of the initiatives Turpin is most excited
about is the districts multi-year project to
crowdsource and curate resources for digital
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| SE P TE M BE R 2016
Hall County (GA) built their portal for digital resources, called LaunchPoint.
curriculum in a repository embedded with
standards and best practices. In partnership
with Safari, teachers in different content areas
are working to curate the best OER and other
content. Last year, for example, all HCSD
math teachers in their professional learning
communities gathered the best math resources,
and this year science teachers are doing the
same.
Its important to be aware, Turpin says, of
the three different audiences for these digital
curriculum resources (students, parents, and
teachers). Everything needs to be easy for all
three audiences to access. Its also important,
he says, for schools to build big ideas for parents
who want to know what to use to help their
children at home.
BILINGUAL EDUCATORS
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
WhiteBoardScreen Series
W H I T E B O A R D & P R OJ E C T I O N S C R E E N
STREAMLINING ACCESS
One Districts Pioneering Efforts
IDENTIFYING NEEDS
In 2012 we began a digital curriculum pilot
with about 6,000 students in three elementary,
three middle, and one high school. We decided
then that curriculum, and not technology, would
drive our digital curriculum journey. Another
critical decision that helped to shape our digital
ecosystem was to substitute, where possible, the
digital form of the textbook for the paper-based
one. This meant that students and teachers
had to use their new 1:1 devices to access core
curriculum materials.
As we toured schools those first few weeks,
we witnessed how the lengthy log-in process
to access instructional materials from each
publishers Web site repeatedly took away from
instructional time. We realized that access to
digital resources through a single sign-on (SSO)
method and rostering was not a technology
imperative but an instructional onebecause
time wasted logging in was time not learning.
The different SSO and rostering
requirements of each publisher created further
unnecessary delays to access. I will never forget
the frustration we felt when, after working to
solve an issue with the enrollment file for one
publisher, we couldnt use the same solution
to solve a similar issue with another publisher
because they used different file formats. As
the number of digital resources grew, we knew
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CONTRACTS AND
COMMUNICATION
Moving publishers from their proprietary
file formats to the open OneRoster format
is one of the major challenges in building a
digital ecosystem. As weve worked with our
procurement department to add OneRoster
support requirements to new contracts, weve
also worked with existing publishers (as well as
those who contact the district to gauge interest
in their product) to encourage their support for
OneRoster.
Internally, weve worked to reduce the number
of teams making roster files and the number of
places from which that information is pulled. This
in turn simplifies the troubleshooting process and
shortens the time needed to solve access issues.
Were in constant contact with our IT partners and
often include them in meetings with publishers
so that were providing a united front to anyone
who wishes to do business with the district.
Importantly, weve also worked to communicate
the importance of rostering, SSO, and Thin
Common Cartridge to our curriculum leaders.
STREAMLINING ACCESS
with them to provide Thin Common Cartridge
files for our LOR. Thin Common Cartridges are
files that give us access within our LOR to search
the publishers Web site for resourcesjust like
we would search resources that we own. When
we find a resource thats helpful, such as an
ebook or video tied to a standard, we can add
that resource to our collection of Web links,
SAFARI resources, and self-created files. When a
teacher clicks on the resource, the Thin Common
Cartridge connection between our LOR and the
publishers Web site allows seamless viewing
without the need to log in.
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
THE STANDARDS
ARE DESIGNED TO BE
MEASURABLE, BUT
NOT FOR HIGH-STAKES
ASSESSMENT. THAT
SAID, MY HOPE IS
THAT THE STANDARDS
CAN INFORM NEXT
GENERATION
ASSESSMENT
SYSTEMS TO INCLUDE
RECOGNITION OF
REAL PROJECT WORK,
NON-COGNITIVE
COMPETENCIES
AND HIGHER ORDER
THINKING SKILLS.
WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
| S E PTE M B E R 2 01 6
33
RE-DESIGN ON A DIME
The middle school Google Apps innovation
team at Richland (SC) School District Two
who call themselves the Google Geekswanted
to update the schools computer lab. The team
got access to a portable space and worked with
an art teacher to solicit donations and purchase
low-cost items. Students painted furniture,
repurposed tables and chairs, and turned it
into an attractive space. Its not necessary to
buy expensive things on wheels, says Donna
Teuber, director of technology integration and
innovation. Our library/media specialist put
casters on old tables and painted them with
whiteboard paint so we can write on them.
To tie in with curriculum, students researched
caster size and weight ratio.
As Richland Two moves to a blended
learning model, Teubers team hosts day-long
professional development classes to help
teachers see how blended learning calls for a
different environment. We tell them, You need
to decide what kind of learning you want and
then reconfigure the classroom to match that,
says Teuber.
The district also runs a three-hour learning
spaces workshop in which teachers use the
design thinking process, discuss extreme types
of users in their classes, and collaborate on ways
to design an environment that will meet their
needs. Many teachers split the room into various
zones, including a project zone with a big table,
an independent seating area, and a space for the
teacher to do small group instruction. Teachers
learn how to use bookcases, crates, and other
items in the class to separate the areas. Some
teachers use whiteboard markers right on the
student desks and then erase it. We encourage
that kind of low-cost creativity.
Teuber is looking forward to expanding
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| SE P TE MBE R 2016
Richland students and teachers painted and repurposed items to create enticing learning environments.
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
Classroom (LMS)
4 Hapara Teacher
Dashboard
4 iSafe
4 Kahoot
4 Khan Academy
4 Lenovo, Dell
and Samsung
Chromebooks
4 Pixton Comics
4 Plickers
4 PowerSchool
4 Remind101
4 SMARTBoards
4 Socrative
4 StoryBird
4 VoiceThread
4 Padlet
4 WeVideo
4 PearDeck
4 YouTube
Fair Haven students tinker, build, and create with the latest technology in their Innovation Lab.
the innovation incubator this year and plans to
do redesign workshops on location. We want
teachers to see low-cost examples and realize
that they dont have to buy expensive items to
make this happen. We talk about getting couches
donated and how to search on Pinterest for
ideas.
4 Explain
Everything
4 Audacity
4 Beeline Reader
4 Black Menu for
Google
4 Blogger
4 Camtasia
4 Codecademy
4 Chrome
4 Dell
4 Dropbox
36
| SE P TE MBE R 2016
4 Fusion 360
4 Google Apps for
Education
4 iExplorer
4 Meteor
4 Pear Deck
4 Periscope
4 Poll Everywhere
4 Print Studio
4 Project Ignite
4 Raspberry Pi
4 MinecraftEDU
4 Schoology
4 MIT App
Inventor
4 Scratch
4 TinkerCad
4 Newsela
4 Unity
4 Overviewer
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
Full Color
Simplified
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Valid from 9/1/16 through 10/31/16. Visit www.casioLampFree.com/swapLamp and register to schedule an onsite demonstration of Casio LampFree projectors with a Casio representative.
After completion of the product demonstration the Casio representative must receive 5 unused Mercury projector lamps in sealed packaging to receive a LampFree XJV1 projector within
30 days. Limit one Swap per person/demonstration. See Casio representative for additional details.
www.casioLampFree.com/swaplamp
Casco Bay 10th-grade students learn about the latest happenings in augmented and virtual reality.
in which students will be employees and
stockholders who decide where to invest the
money they earn.
PARTNERSHIPS ON LOCATION
For a few years, Casco Bay High School in
Portland, Maine, was perfectly content with
its makerspace. Then, thanks to some major
grant money and help from a Silicon Valley
entrepreneur who spends summers in Maine, the
school was able to upgrade its makerspace with
3D printers, 3D mills, and other state-of-the-art
technology. He helped us secure $30,000 in
grants, says Michael Hale, director of college,
career & citizenship + innovation. We were able
to create a DIY Marketplace where students are
making jewelry, signs for school offices, parts
for wind turbines that are tested in engineering
classes, and more.
Two years ago, Hale started the N+1
mentoring program, which connects students
with local community members who do coding,
engineering, and STEM design. Our students
are working with people who use technology that
is on the cutting edge, he says. Its important
for my students to have access to mentors who
can help them learn by leaps and bounds.
In the past, students interned at the Gulf of
38
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| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
WHATSNEW
TECH & LEARNING ROUNDS UP A SUMMARY OF NEW TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS
40
| SE P TE MBE R 2016
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
hardware
Tripp Lite (www.tripplite.com) recently
introduced WorkWise solutions,
a line of height-adjustable desk tops,
bases, and desktop workstations that
help enhance efficiency and productivity
while allowing the user to stand for a
portion of the workday. These solutions
provide the flexibility to change the work surface height with just the press of a button
or one touch of a lever. Adjusting the height of the surface is also a simple way to
customize workspaces shared by multiple users. Desk tops are made in the USA from
environmentally-friendly recycled wood fibers certified by the Sustainable Forestry
Initiative, and all WorkWise products are compatible with Tripp Lite accessories,
including display mounts and a clamp-on surge protector with USB charging ports.
WHATS NEW
WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
| S E PTE M B E R 2 01 6
41
apps
ON DEMAND
Check out the following resources from
our partner sites:
GLOBILAB APP
WEBINARS
Sponsored by Waggle
APPLETREE
(www.goappletree.com)
Appletree is
a new, free
communication
tool that partners teachers with parents
and engages them in their childs classroom
life. Formerly known as BuzzMob, the
newly released Appletree gives elementary
school educators a complete toolbox of
features to help them establish a consistent
line of communication with busy parents,
including class-wide updates, direct
messaging, progress reports, and a fully
integrated calendar. Appletree features
also include private and group messaging,
interactive volunteer invites, instant
updates with photos and videos, and
emergency alerts. Teachers can easily send
from their handheld device or desktop, and
parents receive the information however
they prefer: in the Appletree app, via email,
or SMS.
AD INDEX
COMPANY
Boxlight
PAGE
32
Casio
37
CDW-G
52
Comcast Business
Curriculum Associates
Dreambox Learning
11
25
5
Elite Screen
29
Full Compass
43
GoGuardian
31
Lightspeed Systems
17
MakerBot
35
27
NetSupport
15
OverDrive Education
21
Pearson Education
PowerGistics
2
7
(www.globisens.net)
Boxlight and
Globisens
unveiled the
GlobiLab
app for
Chromebook
laptops. GlobiLab software communicates
wirelessly with Labdisc multi-sensor
compact devices, allowing for full setup
and control of the devices. Graphical and
meter displays present data in real time,
enabling students to quickly measure their
world and analyze data samples. GlobiLab
also merges the latest sensor, Internet, and
satellite technologies so that students can
plot measurement data over a Google map,
allowing them to map local pollution or
weather conditions and compare their data
with other schools.
(www.vernier.com)
Vernier Software & Technology developed
a free iOS app to enable students to study
thermal energy concepts by analyzing
images and video captured with the FLIR
ONE Thermal Camera for iOS. Using the
Thermal Analysis for FLIR ONE app,
as well as new investigations created by
Vernier, students can measure temperature
changes on the skin, illustrate convection,
track heating due to friction, compare heat
conduction in different materials, analyze
the transparency of materials in infrared
versus visible light, and more.
Tab Pilot
47
51
Typing Agent
13
42
| S E P T E MB E R 2 01 6
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
(www.alma-technologies.com)
Alma
Technologies,
Inc. has
expanded its
integration
with Google
Classroom to include the new Coursework
API. Alma is a student information system
and learning management system that
allows districts, schools, and teachers to
use Google Classroom from the initial set
up of classes to managing assignments to
reporting grades, without ever entering
data twice. The partnership combines
Googles free toolset for teachers and
students with Almas all-in-one district
platform .
(www.scilearn.com)
Scientific Learning
Corp. released
its neurosciencedesigned Build
English Fast, a
combination of Fast ForWord and Reading
Assistant, to help ELLs accelerate their
English language acquisition. Using the
principles of neuroplasticity, Build English
Fast addresses three critical steps for
English language proficiency. It prepares
the brain to hear the sounds of English;
then it provides individualized, intensive
practice in English vocabulary, grammar,
and reading skills; and finally it uses
advanced speech recognition technology
to give students the opportunity to practice
speaking and reading aloud, while receiving
real-time corrective feedback.
CLASSFLOW MARKETPLACE
(www.classflow.com)
ClassFlow announced a new feature that
allows teachers to earn extra cash during
the upcoming
school year. The
new ClassFlow
Marketplace is an
open community
where teachers
can buy and sell original teaching resources
such as digital lessons, unit plans,
assessments, teaching guides, worksheets,
and more. All teaching resources purchased
in the ClassFlow Marketplace can be
delivered to students in the classroom,
at home, or on-the-go using ClassFlows
free delivery features. To get started
earning extra cash on the new ClassFlow
Marketplace, teachers can upload their
original digital content, set a price, and
receive funds when their materials are
purchased.
(www.classworks.com)
Classworks
fully integrates
ACT Aspires
assessment
results, giving teachers an efficient tool
to individualize learning while also
reducing the testing burden in classrooms.
Classworks integrates ACT Aspires
assessment results and delivers customized
lessons for students based on that data,
eliminating the need for an additional
assessment. Students can instantly engage
in Classworks skills-based instruction
matched to their needs. Teachers have the
flexibility to customize the instructional
path for each student.
(www.dudesolutions.com)
Schooldude
and parent
company Dude Solutions, Inc. recently
unveiled its Mobile Device Management
WHATS NEW
EDGENUITY GRADEBOOK
AND DIGITAL LEARNING
ACCREDITATION
(www.edgenuity.com)
Edgenuity
launched
a new
Gradebook tool that enables teachers to
monitor student engagement, progress,
and achievement in real time. Edgenuitys
data capabilities allow teachers in blended
learning classrooms to view a range of
details about each students work at a
glance. Additionally, the tool allows
teachers to view key metrics for all students
at once. Edgenuity also achieved Digital
Learning Accreditation from AdvancED,
an international community of education
professionals consisting of over 34,000
schools and school systems across 72
countries.
EDTECH PRIVACY
EVALUATION PLATFORM
(http://privacy.graphite.org)
Common Sense
Education, in
collaboration with
over 70 schools and districts nationwide,
launched its K-12 Edtech Privacy
Evaluation Platform to support educators
in their effort to make informed decisions
about the educational software being used
| S E PTE M B E R 2 01 6
43
WHATS NEW
(www.apperson.com)
Apperson
announced
updates to its
Evo Social &
Emotional
(SEL) online assessment tool. Evo SEL
2.0 introduces a new look, streamlined
functions for both administrators and
educators, and improved efficiency, making
it easier to screen students for social and
emotional competencies. Evo SEL 2.0
allows administrators to assign and control
the assessments and lock and unlock what
educators can see. It graphically shows
all educators levels of completion of the
assigned assessments. A new workflow
screen makes it easy for educators to see
what is required of them and when these
requirements are due.
FOLLETT PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT SERIES
(www.follettlearning.com)
Follett recently
launched a new
Professional
Development
series for
educators to help
them make the most of Follett technology
and products through hands-on experience
and real-life examples. The series, available
now to PreK-12 school districts, supports
the implementation of national and
statewide programs and teaches educators
how to help students build key 21st-century
skills. The on-site courses range from three
to six hours, are targeted for a broad range
of educators, and cover a full range of topics
in educational technology.
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| SE P TE MBE R 2016
(www.hmhco.com)
Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt (HMH)
launched the first
HMH Field Trips for
Google Expeditions
for students grades K-12. HMHs offering
currently includes four field trips aligned
to select HMH science and social studies
curriculum, which are now available via
the Google Expeditions Android app.
More than 20 additional HMH Field
Trips, as well as iOS availability of the
Expeditions app, are planned for release
over the coming months. As a Google
content partner, HMH has developed
field trips that go hand-in-hand with
HMH curriculum. Relevant programs
will contain free teacher guides for HMH
customers, including student activities and
lesson plans, which will enable educators to
integrate the virtual field trips seamlessly
into their classrooms.
KURZWEIL K3000
(www.kurzweiledu.com)
Kurzweil Education
announced new
features for its k3000
class of software
across all platforms. The new additions
will simplify the user experience, deliver
offline access, and provide more reading/
study tools. New voices, editing tools, and
dictionaries give students more options for
decoding content. The k3000 line also now
offers Google Drive support, PNG support,
and zone editing improvements.
MINDPLAY LITERACY
UNIVERSAL SCREENER
(www.mindplay.com)
MindPlays research- and evidence-based
online program includes a K-12 Universal
Screener that analyzes gaps or deficiencies
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
in reading that
may indicate
dyslexia. The
Universal
Screener diagnoses literacy difficulties in
students up through 12th grade, and creates
a customized learning pathway through the
MindPlay curriculum. MindPlay Literacy
is adaptive, guiding learners through
prescriptive lessons and re-teaching skills
with fresh explanations and lessons until
mastery is achieved.
MYON 3.3
(www.myon.com)
myON announced new additions to its
literacy toolkit and newly designed literacy
environment, myON 3.3. The expanded
literacy toolkit gives educators the freedom
to create full assignments complete with
ONCAMPUS
(www.k12.blackbaud.com/oncampus)
Blackbaud announced that its onCampus
LMS is Learning Tools Interoperability
ORMIBOARD
(www.exou.com)
Exo U launched
Ormiboard, a firstof-its-kind frontof-class visual creation and collaboration
WHATS NEW
PERFORMANCE MATTERS
PLATFORM
(www.performancematters.com)
Performance Matters
recently announced
its next-generation
Performance Matters Platform. The
new platform merges the Truenorthlogic
professional growth platform with the
Performance Matters assessment and
analytics platform. Now, educators can
access professional growth tools and
student assessment tools with powerful,
integrated analytics capabilities in one
platform.
PERSISTENCE TECHNOLOGY
IN MICROSOFT SURFACE 3
(www.absolute.com)
Absolute recently announced that
Microsoft will enable Persistence
MAKING
CONNECTIONS
Teaching with Technology
SEPTEMBER IS MIC MONTH!
Visit fullcompass.com/micmonth
to check out the great deals!
45
WHATS NEW
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT FOR
DREMEL IDEA BUILDER
(http://3dprinter.dremel.com/education)
PD Learning
Network
(PDLN)
announced a
partnership
with Dremel to provide badge certified
K-12 teacher professional development for
the Dremel Idea Builder printer. Access to
a PDLN badge certification training course
accompanies the purchase of every Dremel
Idea Builder 3D40-EDU kit. Courses
include videos, articles, lesson plans,
school case studies, and hands-on learning
opportunities that provide a pathway to
help educators master implementation of
3D printing in instruction.
SAFARI MONTAGE
INTEGRATION WITH
GOOGLE
(www.safarimontage.com)
SAFARI Montage
announced
integration with
Google Drive,
Google Apps for
Education, and
SMITHSONIAN LEARNING
LAB
(www.learninglab.si.edu)
The Smithsonian
Center for Learning
and Digital Access
introduced the
Smithsonian Learning
Lab, an online toolkit
that enables users to
find, customize, and share digital museum
resources with others. The Learning Lab
offers free digital access to more than a
million diverse resources from across the
Smithsonian along with simple-to-use
tools to organize, augment, and personalize
these assets. As users build and publish
the resource collections and activities they
have created, the Learning Lab becomes a
more collaborative community.
TABPILOT MDM
(www.tabpilot.com)
TabPilot recently announced the
availability of free mobile device
management for macOS computers in
schools. Schools that choose TabPilot
to manage their iPads can now add their
macOS devices to TabPilot at no additional
charge, up to the number of iOS licenses
TRUENORTHLOGIC
OBSERVATION
(www.performancematters.com/
observation)
Performance
Matters released
Truenorthlogic
Observation, an
intuitive, online solution for conducting
classroom observations, collecting
evidence, and sharing feedback. It gives
K-12 districts the tools to configure,
customize, and streamline the observation
process, eliminating the need for paperdriven processes. With Truenorthlogic
Observation, districts can design
observation templates that match existing
observation instruments, rubrics and
ratings scales, and highlight desired
teaching practices. School leaders can
easily schedule formal observations or
classroom walkthroughs, or start one on
demand.
TURNITIN REVISION
ASSISTANT
(www.turnitin.com)
Turnitin announced a multi-year extension
of its work with the College Board that
will connect its formative writing tools to
College Board programs like SpringBoard
in an effort to expand and promote
productive student writing practice. The
addition of Turnitins writing instruction
technology, Revision Assistant, will give
46
| SE P TE MBE R 2016
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
WAGGLE
(www.gogetwaggle.com)
Wagglethe
adaptive
practice
platform that adapts the learning
WHATS NEW
WALKABOUTS BY ACTIVED
(www.activedinc.com)
Walkabouts by
ActivEd helps teachers
create movement-rich
Pre-K through
second grade
lessons. Educators
can create and
execute dynamic lessons with the intuitive
platform in just a few clicks, a standardsbased activity is created and correlated
in real-time to the users specific state
standards. Lessons can then be played
using existing classroom infrastructure,
such as typical computer and digital
whiteboard combinations. Other product
features highlighted include integrated
tools for assessment and coordinated
Walksheet PDFs that help facilitate more
active, embodied learning offline.
| S E PTE M B E R 2 01 6
47
AceReader
Boxlight
Boxlights P12 line of projectors provides
four different solutions for bringing
interactive technology to the classroom:
standard, laser, laser HD, and laser ultrawide projectors. This series provides
schools and districts with the ability
to create large-scale collaborative and
interactive learning spaces at a lower
cost than comparably sized flat-panel
displays. In addition, the projectors save
time and resources with no lamps to
change and a 20-year laser life span.
All projectors come equipped with the
award-winning MimioStudio software
and multiple MimioMobile connections.
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| SE P TE M BE R 2016
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
EMX-I-AMP
The EMX-I-AMP is a 4K HDMI Audio
Extractor with EDID management and
a built-in 50 watt audio amplifier for
direct connection of 8 ohm speakers.
The device also provides separate
analog audio input for connection of
line-level mics or other audio inputs.
Volume control from the front panel,
RS-232, IP or external digital rotary
pot (encoder). A second RS232 port
controls auxiliary devices or stores On/
Off commands for TV/projectors power.
Stand-alone control system or add on to
existing system.
http://www.hallresearch.com/page/
Products/EMX-I-AMP
BUYERS GUIDE
Filewave
Founded in 1992, FileWave provides
education, enterprise, and government
institutions from around the world with
multi-platform endpoint management
software to assist IT teams throughout
the entire lifecycle process of imaging,
deployment, management and
maintenance.
FileWaves all-in-one, highly scalable
solution solves the many challenges
of managing a diverse and growing
population of users, devices, and
content by ensuring organizations have
a comprehensive solution that supports
both client (desktop) and mobile
devices across Mac, Windows, iOS and
Android.
i-Ready
Powergistics
Go Guardian
This has been the best money I have spent
on my takehome 1:1 Chromebooks.
Eddy, Public School Director of Technology
WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
| S E PT E M B E R 2 01 6
49
BUYERS GUIDE
MackinVIA
NetSupport School
Nepris
hello , education.
meet industry.
Roscoe ISD
NetSupport DNA
NetSupport DNA is an IT asset
management solution designed to provide
complete visibility and support for all
school or district IT assets. In addition to
all the traditional features school leaders
expect from an ITAM solution, including
HW/SW Inventory, SW Distribution,
Software License Management, and more,
NetSupport DNA combines these with
a range of unique safeguarding features
designed to offer students protection
against any adverse external influences.
NetSupport DNA is easy to install, provides
the tools to discover PCs and deploys
agents onto them that monitor the network
to automatically warn when new PCs or
SNMP devices (such as printers, routers, or
switches) are added.
VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM/BUYERSGUIDE
50
| SE P TE M BE R 2016
| WWW.TECHLEARNING.COM
Yup Technologies
Yup is Americas leading provider
of 1:1 support for students both
in and out of the classroom. Yup
partners with schools to provide
subsidized, 24/7 homework help
and test prep from highly qualified
tutors at the touch of a button.
Backed by Stanford University,
our teaching pedagogy focuses
on (1) getting students engaged,
(2), building student confidence,
and (3) developing conceptual
understanding. Sessions are
conducted over our secure, messagebased mobile app so students can
reach a tutor as easily as they can
Snapchat. Our tutors include teachers
from top prep schools, and graduate
students from elite colleges like
Stanford and Princeton. Over half-amillion students use Yup today and
as a Back-to-School offer, we will be
conducting free pilots at schools like
yours. We are committed to closing
the achievement gap by providing
subsidized access to Title I schools.
If interested in a free pilot, email
michael@yup.com or visit www.yup.
com/schools.
TOP EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONALS
REGISTR
AT
NOW OP ION
EN!
JOIN US ON
THE 2016 TOUR
Dont miss the chance to join Tech & Learning magazine for a
high-end, information-packed one-day event designed especially
for district and school administrators and technology leaders like
you. This is your chance to network with others who care deeply
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challenges in an engaging and intimate setting, and leave with
practical tools and key contacts for continued rich communities
of practice.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
MKT13910_4143 2016 CDW LLC. CDW, CDWG and PEOPLE WHO GET IT are trademarks of CDW, LLC