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i de as and t ool s f or e d t e c h l e ade r s | J anuary 2 01 2 | $ 6
volume 32
number 6
4 The top 100 education Web sites for the classroom and beyond
4 What the changes in E-Rate rules mean for your district
How
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20
ways to make tech work in schools
WHaTs NEW
new gear for
the new year
WHEN IT COMES TO COLOR,
OUR TECHNOLOGY KEEPS IT BALANCED.
For optimum viewing experiences, be sure to ask for 3LCD and the
COLOR LIGHT OUTPUT specication before buying projectors for your
classrooms or other learning environments. The Color Light Output
specication is now being adopted by industry experts. More information
about that can be found at www.colorlightoutput.com.
www.3LCD.com
6 Editors Desk
Resolved
8 News & Trends

Top 10 Web stories

Top tweets

Blog Bits

5 Steps to Prevent Mobile
Device Theft and Loss

The Toshiba
STEMpowerment

Costs of Typical Online
School

Report from CETPA

Common Core Survey

Recycle for Dollars

Smartphone infographic

Top 100 Sites of 2011
tech & learni ng | 3
contents
January 2012 | vol. 32 no. 6
featuRes
sCHOOLCIO: 10 things schools Need
to Know about the New e-Rate
While the basic structure of e-rate has remained the
same, the fCC sixth Report and Order brought some
major changes to the program. schoolCIO spoke with
John Harrington, chief executive officer of funds for
Learning to gain insight into the latest iteration.
depaRtmeNts & COLumNs
40
SPECIal SECtIon HOW Its dONe
begINs ON page 25
the latest controversy in
the education press has
once again become a hand-
wringing, brow-furrowing
discussion on whether or
not technology works in
the classroom. Well, here
is the answer: it does work.
and what follows is how
you can do it.
Tech & Learning (IssN-1053-6728) (usps 695-590) is published monthly by Newbay media, LLC 28 east 28th street, 12th floor, New
York, NY 10016; pOstmasteR: send address changes to tech & Learning, pO box 8746, Lowell, ma 01853
periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Copyright 2012 Newbay media, LLC all Rights Reserved.
Scan here to access
the digital edition,
which includes
additional resources.
16 21 40 42
pROduCts
put to the test: T&L editors take some
new products for a test drive.
21 Adobe Photoshop Elements 10
21 Prentice Hall Writing Coach
Long Review
Last year, Tech & Learning followed the experience
of trentons Village Charter school as they tested
pearsons successmaker and dells desktops. this year,
two districts will put other products through this same
long-term trial: learning.coms stem curriculum and
Lightspeeds my big Campus.
Whats New
aerohive Network-branch on demand atomic Learning
assistive tech updates aVer u10 document camera
Califone-Wb80 whiteboard Canon-LV-8235 ultra-short
throw multimedia projector Certiport-ms OneNote
2010 certification exam dropbox for teams Hp slate 2
tablet pC Livescribe-pencasts VizZle player ipad app
NbC Learn-decision 2012 pbs teacherLine stem417
global warming class and more
21
22
42
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editors desk
Here it is again, that time of year
when we toast to auld lang syne, whatever that
means, and make promises we most likely cant
keep. For 2012, rather than fall back on the usual
diet and exercise attempts (no fun in that), I
will focus on a few resolutions concerning our
editorial coverage in Tech & Learning.
First, some semantics: This year we resolve to banish the phrase
professional development from these pages. Its a bothersome
expression that does more to confuse than explain. Instead we
will refer to professional learning when discussing education
for educators. A small distinction, perhaps, but one I hope you
encourage us to maintain.
Now, for something more substantial: I like to think that we do
a pretty good job of keeping it real around here. No breathless
announcements of how technology will solve it all. Very few
exclamation points punctuating revolutionary 21st-century
transformations, blah, blah, blah. Sometimes, however, the geek
does get the better of us. Thats why were using this months
cover story, How Its Done, as a benchmark for our future
editorial coverage. Expect the value of our stories to be not the
tech itself but how fellow educators use it to their advantage.
Finally, be ready for a new Tech&Learning look and feel both
in print and online over the coming weeks. We expect that our
redesigns will help tie together our day-to-day coverage on the
Web and our monthly print analysis. Also, what better time than
the new year for a makeover? As always, I would love to hear
your feedback. Email me at khogan@nbmedia.com.
Happy New Year!
P.S. Auld lang syne means times gone by. I Googled it.
Resolved
Kevin Hogan
Editorial Director
N THE WEB
www.techlearning.com
6 | tech & learni ng
1 Color - 0 Cyan / 100 Magenta / 99 Yellow / 4 Black
JANuArY 2012 | VoL. 32 No. 6
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Contributing editors: Judy salpeter, Gwen solomon
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8 | tech & learni ng
When assembling our 25 most-visited blog posts from
2011, we noticed that, with the exception of just three
posts, every one of our top stories was a list. We
present these to you here, and want to extend a special
thanks to bloggers David Kapuler and Vicki Windman
for sharing these tools with our readers. Enjoy!
1 A Catalog of iPad Apps for Teachers
and Students
2 Top 10 Sites for Images and Clip Art
3 Top 100 Sites of 2011
4 Top 10 Sites for Educational Games
5 Top 25 Web 2.0 Sites for Education
6 Free Education Apps
7 Web Tools that Every Educator Should
Have in the Bag
8 Top 10 iPad Tips & Tricks
9 Top 10 Predictions for 2011
10 Top 10 Alternatives to YouTube
11 Top 10 Sites for Educational Resources
12 Photo Ops: 10 Innovative Ways to Use
Visual Media
13 25 Free Resources from Discovery
Education
14 The Ultimate Web 2.0 Smackdown at
Tech Forum Boston
15 Top 10 Sites for Video Editing
16 Top 20 Social Networks for Education
17 A Math Haters Five Fave Math Resources
18 Top 10 Self Help Sites for Technology
19 Upgrade your KWL Chart to the 21st
Century
20 Back-to-School Apps for Teachers
21 Digital Storytelling Tools
22 Top 10 Sites for Creating Word Clouds
Follow us on Twitter (techlearning) and
Facebook (Tech&Learning Magazine) or
online at techlearning.com.
60%
No. As long as I
can align to my
state standards
16%
I would
much rather
do it myself.
24%
Yes. Its all I can do to
keep classes on track.
The lesson plans and
worksheets are essential.
See more polls at
techlearning.com.
T&LAsksReAdeRs
Given the resources available on the Internet, do you
need the expensive textbooks from major publishers?
2011
top Web StorieS
Edubeat: Closing the achieve-
ment gap, but at gifted students
expense: This post, by Fordhams
Mike Petrilli and AEIs Ri... bit.ly/
sBxPeW
kylepace: The role of the
teacher is to create the condi-
tions for invention rather than
provide ready-made knowledge.
~Seymour Papert
rmbyrne: New post: Math
Practice Flashcards for Android
Phones goo.gl/fb/tFfrD
rseneta: Google Chrome Adds
Multiple Profiles-and some other
stuff...Very Cool! goo.gl/JI8Q0
classroom_tech: The goal of
your leadership needs to be
increasing the success and well-
being of those you lead; not the
other way around.
While I believe schools should be
wired places where community
members can access the Internet,
I do not believe all students need
the same tool nor do I believe all
students need the government to
provide them with the learning
tools they deem best.
Lisa Nielsen
A lot of money is often spent as
schools or districts try to climb
aboard the Technology/21st
Century Skill wagon without first
identifying Purpose.
Bob Sprankle
What a teacher does in her class-
room everyday is directly related
to her beliefs about learning. No
amount of instruction or PD will
matter unless a teacher wants to
change.
Dean Shareski
Top
TweeTs
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See you at FETC
Booth #1031 and
TCEA Booth #2335
The Toshiba STEMpowerment
Project is a year-long cam-
paign tied to the 20th anni-
versary of the Toshiba/
NSTA Expl oraVi si on
Awards, the K12 science
and technology competi-
tion. The STEMpowerment
Project will kick off with
Mario Armstrongs DREAM,
CREATE, GO! STEM
Roadshow, a series of free
events across the country
designed to inspire teach-
ers, parents, and students
in STEM. This road show is being
presented in conjunction with the
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision compe-
tition, which challenges teams of two
to four students to research scientific
principles and current technologies to
see where those technologies will be
in 20 years.
Deadline: February 1, 2012
Details: www.exploravision.org
news k trends
10 | tech & learni ng
Costs of typiCal
online sChool
total per-pupil expenditure = $6,500
20%
Curriculum
24%
Technology
15%
Administration
6%
Board
Sponsor
3%
Faculty
6%
Community
Outreach
26%
Teachers
INTERNATIONAl ASSOCIATION FOR
K-12 ONlINE lEARNING, COSTS AND
FuNDING FOR ONlINE SChOOlS
5 steps to prevent
Mobile DeviCe
theft anD loss
1. Set Guidelines: update secu-
rity policies to set expectations
for use in and out of the class-
room. Equipment should be
locked at all times in areas open
to the public and at home, even
when in use.
2. Provide Information: Com-
municate the threats and conse-
quences of laptop theft. For
example, 58 percent of laptops
are stolen from the office and 85
percent of managers suspect
internal theft.
3. Demonstrate Proper Lock
Usage: Choosing an easy to use
and quick locking system is critical.
4. Have a Backup Plan: Physically
securing a device is just the first
line of defense against data theft.
Creating a comprehensive security
plan is the most effective way to
protect your school. For example,
recommend never leaving a laptop
logged onto networks, email, or
Web sites, and always shutting
down or activating a password-
protected screen saver.
5. Reward Compliance: Canvas
schools for proper use, rewarding
secure workstations and confis-
cating unlocked computers.
SOuRCE: KENSINGTON,IDC ExECuTIVE BRIEF:
lAPTOP ThEFTThE INTERNAl AND ExTERNAl
ThREATS AND FBI COMPuTER SuRVEy, ABAGNAlE,
F., MATT, B., & GlEN, A., ET Al. (2005).
Toshiba sTEMpowErMEnT projEcT
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TECHNOLOGY THAT
NEEDS AGUIDANCE
COUNSELOR.
The 51st Annual CETPA (CA
Educational Technology
Professionals Association)
Conference was held over
four days in Long Beach,
CA, this past November.
Networking opportunities
were everywhere, sessions
were powerful, the key-
note speakers were fantas-
tic, and the sold-out exhib-
itor show had something
for everyone.
The opening and general session
keynote speakers continued in the tra-
dition of fun and thought-provoking
speakers. Joel Zeff, a national workplace
expert, used improvisation and comedy
to provide insight on creativity, commu-
nication, balance, and teamwork. Howard
Behar, former president of Starbucks,
brought tears and laugh-
ter to the audience as
he shared his insights on
Servant Leadership.
More than 200 ses-
sions were offered under
the four strands: emerging
topics included cloud and
mobile computing, man-
aging shrinking budgets,
organizing for change,
desktop and server virtu-
alization, and e-textbooks.
CETPA offered three hands-on lab
environments focusing on desktop,
laptop, and mobile technologies on the
Windows, Mac/iOS, and Linux/Android
platforms. Members sat at their own
workstations to manipulate the tech-
nologies that were being taught in
the lab environments by experts. This
year also added three Technology
Shootouts. Each Shootout presented
three different vendors offering simi-
lar technologies on the same stage.
Vendors were given 15 minutes each
to present their solutions and then all
three sat together on stage to answer
audience questions.
All in all, the 51st Annual CETPA
Conference was a whirlwind of net-
working and learning and a good mea-
sure of surprise and fun.
Steve Thornton is the Director of
Technology for the Menifee Union
School district in Menifee, CA.
RepoRt fRom the annual Cetpa ConfeRenCe
news k trends
12 | tech & learni ng
What aspect of the Common Core
State Standards are you most
interested in exploring in depth?
Curriculum
27.33%
Assessment
24.16%
Implementation
22.34%
Lesson planning
12.46%
Adoption
6.62%
Im not interested in
common standards at this time
5.47%
Other
1.63%
ASCD SMArTBriEf. (2011,
DECEMBEr 1). HTTP://WWW.
SMArTBriEf.COM/NEWS/
ASCD/POLLS.JSP. rETriEVED
DECEMBEr 15, 2011, frOM
WWW.SMArTBriEf.COM
Recycling
FOR DOllARS
More than 3.2 million
tons of electronic
waste is piled into
U.S. landfills each
year. At the same
time, budgets at schools are being
slashed across the board. To help
with these issues, fundingfactory
is expanding its list of electronics
that organizations can recycle in
return for funding. fundingfactory
program participants can now
exchange small electronics such as
digital cameras, MP3 players, and
GPS systems for cash or points
redeemable for new technology.
The new qualifying items join inkjet
cartridges, cell phones and laser car-
tridges as items accepted as part of
the fundingfactory program.
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news k trends
14 | tech & learni ng
Build Core Skills That
Embrace the Digital World
Award-winning software and curriculum
for Mac and PC
Increased student
performance*
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See you at
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Visit toonboom.com/k-12
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By David Kapuler
1. Conduit Mobile: Without a doubt
the coolest, most innovative site I
came across this year. Ideal for blog-
gers, Web designers, and schools in
one-to-one environments looking to
create a great-looking mobile app
free (could be a great way to share
news or homework in a mobile
environment).
2. Gnowledge: One of the best
collaborative quiz/test-creation
sites around. This excellent-
looking site should be a main-
stay for years to come.
3. Google+: A great social
network and alternative to
Facebook. It really shines with
its control and visually stunning
video-chat (hangouts) features.
4. WatchKnow: An excellent place
to find free educational videos for
students. An easy site to navigate, as
everything is categorized by subject
and rated for age-appropriate levels.
5. muvee Cloud: A redesign of
the popular video/presentation site
Shwup. Easy to use, has
a nice, polished look, and is great for
creating projects with photos and vid-
eos. Best of all, muvee Cloud is free to
educators and students.
6. StudyBlue: A great site for making
flash cards and notes. Also, because
of its newly designed mobile app,
it makes studying a treat because
you can study anywhere, anytime.
7. YouTube Teachers: A wonderful
site designed to help teachers use
educational videos in the classroom.
8. PrimaryWall: A site similar to
Wallwisher, designed and built for
schools. A paid account filters the
walls (interactive bulletin boards),
which are easy to create. Also, there
are lots of free educational resources
to use for lesson plans and ideas.
9. Skype in the classroom: Designed
for education, this site brings together
teachers, projects, and resources from
around the world. It is also a free site
intended for videoconferencing and
global learning.
10. TXTNLRN: An innovative site that
teaches through text messaging. Even
enrollment is done via a text message.
Its great for those wanting to learn at
their own pace and try something new.
11. Webspiration Classroom: A won-
derful site designed for grades five
Top 100 SiTeS of 2011
The time is finally here for my annual list of favorite sites of the year. This year I decided to up my post to
the top 100 instead of 25 because of the number of sites that I reviewed and the popularity of the post.
I tried to cover a wide range of sites, from flash-card creators to digital storytelling, and of course social
networks, which really stood out in 2011. I hope everybody enjoys the list and has as much fun reading it
as I did creating it.
news k trends
16 | tech & learni ng
And Wed Just Like to Say, Thank You.
Tech & Learning 2011 Awards of Excellence
has named PD 360 winner of Best Updated
Product, and Observation 360 winner of
Best New Product for teachers. But in the
end, it is youAmericas educatorswho
deserve the accolades.
You are educations greatest asset, and we
are honored to assist you in any way we can.
For your hard work, your dedication, and
your unrelenting passion, we want to say,
Thank you.
Receive a FREE 30-day, all-access license to PD 360 and
request a free demonstration of Observation 360.
Visit us online or call us TODAY.

www.schoolimprovement.com | 800.572.1153
School Improvement Network School Improvement Network
Weve Done It Again.
news k trends
18 | tech & learni ng
through 12 by the creators of
Inspiration. Ideal for collaborat-
ing, brainstorming, and creating
outlines with a Web 2.0 interface.
12. PikiFriends: A great site
where students can learn Web
2.0 skills through communi-
cating with online pen pals in
a safe, filtered environment.
Teachers have lots of control
over student accounts, and an
abundance of resources show
how to implement PikiFriends in
the curriculum.
13. BoomWriter: A unique site on
which students can collaboratively
write online in a safe environment.
14. Sophia: A new (beta) social net-
work for education. Lots of great fea-
tures can be found here, such as free
lesson plans, private group (study)
creation, and online tutoring.
15. PlanbookEdu: A great site/app
for creating lesson plans on the Web.
More features, such as attaching files
and embedding in a site, are available
with a paid account.
16. Little Bird Tales: A site that has
been getting quite a bit of press lately
for digital storytelling. Great for ele-
mentary students looking to create
a story, add their artwork, and even
record their voices.
17. SoundCloud: An innovative site
for creating, recording, and sharing
audio/sounds for free. An ideal way to
share, embed, and document lessons
and lectures.
18. Springo Kids: A fun visual search
engine for kids that gives results in
thumbnails.
19. SlideRocket EDU: A great site
for creating stunning presentations for
schools.
20. GameUp: A fun site from the cre-
ators of BrainPOP. Educational games
are focused on BrainPOPs popular
animated lessons.
21. APPitic: A terrific site for find-
ing educational apps. There are more
than 1,300 apps reviewed by Apple
Distinguished Educators.
22. UsefulCharts: A wonderful col-
lection of charts on any number of
subjects.
23. Much Enough: An excellent site on
which educators can teach any subject
online via webcam and charge what
they want.
24. iCharts: A great site for creat-
ing an online interactive
chart either from scratch
or from a spreadsheet.
25. Tabblo: A nice site
created by HP for digi-
tal storytelling. Finished
projects can be shared
with others or viewed in a
slide show.
26. Studyladder: One of
the fastest-growing sites around,
this site offers lots of educational
resources, such as games, work-
sheets, and lesson plans.
27. Story Something: A fun,
interactive storytelling site on
which kids can read along with
stories and interact with them.
28. NBC Learn: More than
10,000 current event and his-
toric videos and resources
aligned to state standards and
mapped to K-12 curriculum.
29. ClassParrot: A safe way for teach-
ers to text students, allowing parents
to opt-in as well.
30. Study Stream: A wonderful site
for learning a foreign language by
using videos, articles, and blogs.
31. Paper Rater: A free site that
checks grammar and spelling, proof-
reads, and looks for plagiarism.
32. WebSlides: A site powered by
Diigo that turns bookmarks into an
interactive slide show.
33. Kideos: Great for finding videos
that are safe for kids and abide by
COPPA, this site organizes videos by
age level.
34. WhoTeaches: A new (beta) net-
work designed to bring students,
parents, and educators together
through collaboration and the abil-
ity to share documents and create
groups. Also offers high-level educa-
tion for online learners looking for
tutors or to study.
35. Weaving History: A new site that
is great for making timelines based on
history.
36. Lesson Writer: A nice site for
teachers to use to create lessons and
save them online.
37. ProProfs: A great all-in-one site
for education that enables users to
create quizzes, flash cards, polls, etc.
38. SlimeKids: A fun site that has lots
to offer elementary students, such as
book reviews, games, and trailers.
news k trends
tech & learni ng | 19
39. Quicklyst: A cool site for taking
notes and studying on a mobile device.
40. EmbedPlus: An innovative way
to edit YouTube videos. Its like having
DVD controls at your fingertips.
41. BetterLesson: A free social network
that is ideal for educators. Thousands
of resources can be found here, and
instructors can collaborate to find out
which teaching strategies work best.
42. Knovio: A great site for making
slide shows by syncing audio to a
PowerPoint. Ideal for those who like
to create Pecha Kucha presentations.
43. Word Hippo: An excellent online
dictionary and translator.
44. Conceptboard: An ideal site for
creating an interactive whiteboard
with many features, such as screen
capture and mobility.
45. Mind Leap: A great site for find-
ing and reviewing educational apps for
pre-K through middles school using a
five star system.
46. Big Marker: A free Web confer-
encing community that is ideal for
educators and students. A great place
to create a private room for collabora-
tion and document sharing.
47. Pikikids: A fun site for creating
online digital comics.
48. Quizilla: A terrific site where kids
aged 13 and older can create and share
quizzes, stories, poems, and polls.
49. StudyShuffle: A wonderful site
for creating flash cards that permits
student tracking.
50. Diipo: A wonderful new (beta)
social network similar to Moodle and
Gaggle. This network prides itself on
being social networking for your class.
This enables teachers and students to
not only collaborate with themselves
online through texting and blogging,
but collaborate with others as well.
51. Tutor Hub: A community in which
students can find online tutors who set
their own rates.
52. Fraboom: A free online museum
that has lots of fun features, such as
interactive books and games.
53. JellyCam: A free download for
making stop-motion animation on a
Mac or PC.
54. Study Stack: A excellent site for
creating flash cards and studying with
educational games. It has a nice mobile
app as well.
55. aMap: An interesting site to cre-
ate argument maps (debates) with a
simple visual format, and then embed
them in a Web site.
56. Everloop: An excellent social net-
work designed to teach students to net-
work appropriately. Ideal for education,
as it is monitored by parents and sup-
ported by organizations such as i-SAFE.
57. PhotoShow: Create stunning slide
shows with this easy-to-use site.
58. WeVideo: A great site for creat-
ing collaborative videos.
59. LearnBoost: An excellent
free online gradebook similar to
PowerSchool. Not only can a teacher
complete grades online, but there is
student tracking, Google Apps integra-
tion, lesson-plan creation, and more.
60. ClassDojo: Bring old-school ver-
bal feedback into the 21st century with
this nice online behavior-management
system.
61. 19Pencils: An ideal site for creat-
ing quizzes and Web sites, along with
student tracking.
62. Popplet: A graphic organizer that
is great for brainstorming and creating
mind maps, outlines, etc.
63. StudyBoost: A great way to study
using a mobile device.
64. VuSafe: A wonderful way to
show pre-approved videos in a
safe environment. Also works nicely on
mobile devices and is CIPA-compliant.
65. Huffduffer: A great site for cre-
ating podcasts from audio links from
around the Web.
66. Yacapaca: An interesting site free
to students and teachers. Ideal for
online assessments, it allows teachers
to create quizzes, surveys, and more.
67. slidestaxx: An excellent site for cre-
ating beautiful social-media slide shows.
68. FreshBrain: A neat site on which
educators and students can create
technology projects, such as a game or
YouTube video.
69. Watch2gether: A great way to
watch YouTube videos with others and
chat or share comments together
70. iGradePlus: A nice online grade
book that has lots of features, such as
attendance, grade management, and
news k trends
20 | tech & learni ng
parent notifications. Also, the price
varies according to which features suit
your needs best.
71. Desmos: A cool new site for creat-
ing interactive lessons.
72. K12 Advantage: A wonderful site
for finding educational resources, built
on a social network for collaborating
and sharing.
73. Story Time For Me: An excellent
site for grades K2 on which profession-
al actors read interactive stories to kids.
74. Webdoc: A cool new (beta) site
for creating multimedia-like blog posts
with comments.
75. Faux Flash: A great site for cre-
ating flash cards and studying. Also,
you can browse through lots of study
decks on a number of subjects.
76. Study Egg: An innovative site for
helping students learn a given subject.
77. edWeb: A wonderful social net-
work in which educators can browse
through Webinars they may want to
attend.
78. Learn 360: A cheaper alterna-
tive to Discovery Streaming. Ideal for
streaming/downloading videos, creat-
ing digital content, etc.
79. FunnelBrain: A great site for cre-
ating flash cards and quizzes and then
joining teams for studying.
80. ASCD EDge: Am educational
social network with more than
25,000 members. Members can
create their own blogs and share
news via a real-time news feed.
81. Memidex: An excellent free
online dictionary and thesaurus.
A nice place to find out the ori-
gins of words and other interest-
ing facts.
82. Tiki-Toki: A wonderful new
Web app for creating stunning-
looking time lines.
83. CK-12: A great site for free digital
textbooks aligned to state standards.
84. PodOmatic: An excellent site for
creating podcasts and adding audio
via iTunes.
85. Schoology: A content-manage-
ment system similar to Moople and
Moodle. While this is a free site, a paid
subscription gets users more features.
86. Fish Smarty: A terrific new site
for online learning through games,
digital comics, and coloring. There is
also an education portal that is ideal
for student tracking.
87. Plagiarisma: A great site for
checking to see if an item or document
is being plagiarized.
88. TeachAde: A social network
designed to enable instructors to share
educational resources.
89. TimeSearch: An innovative site
for searching for events on a timeline.
A great site for history teachers and
students looking for specific events .
90. Grockit Answers: A cool new
(beta) site for interacting with educa-
tional YouTube videos. This is done by
creating a public or private question-
and-answer session on a videos page.
91. Projeqt: A user-friendly site that
is great for creating nice visual pre-
sentations.
92. Present.Me: A wonderful site for
uploading a PowerPoint presentation
and then adding a narration. The fin-
ished product shows both the presen-
tation and the narrator, in side-by-side
windows.
93. Moople: A nice site designed
to help educators and students with
online learning. Users of Moodle and
Blackboard should have a feel for what
this site is all about.
94. Scrumblr: Create a fun interactive
whiteboard with online sticky notes.
95. Smore: A site for creating inter-
active posters and flyers.
96. ThumbScribes: A new (beta) site
for creating collaborative digital sto-
ries about a number of things, such
as poems, stories, and songs. Once
a piece has been created, it can be
voted on by other members.
97. DrawIsland: One of the better
digital-art sites around. Lets a user
create a custom drawing and even
animate it.
98. Dweeber: A social network
designed for students looking to col-
laborate on homework.
99. Catch: One of my favorite new
sites for taking notes. Enables a user
to capture anything on a site, such as
text, audio, and photos, and then share
with others. Ideal for those with mobile
devices.
100. Ptable: A wonderful interactive
periodic table. Displays all the ele-
ments and links them to Wikipedia,
which makes it handy for studying.
www. techlearni ng. com
Put to the Test
T&L editors take some new products for a test drive
tech & learni ng | 21
By Carol S. Holzberg
The latest version of Photoshop
Elements includes many new
photo-enhancing options and
guided step-by-step tutorials
that automate image editing and
processing.
Quality and EffEctivEnEss:
Image editing tools in Photoshop
Elements 10 operate like their
counterparts in Photoshop. Any
photo created or edited by Elements 10 can be opened
and edited by Photoshop (and vice versa). But Photoshop
Elements 10 has fewer tools and drop down menus than
Photoshop, and its colorful workspace has a friendlier more
inviting interface.
EasE of usE: Installation and setup proceed without a
hitch. Three simple options appear at launch: Organize or
Edit your pictures, or Sign In with your Adobe ID to register
and get access to backup and
sharing services. Both the Editor
and the Organizer user interfac-
es have an intuitive look. When
you open a picture in the Editor,
three tabbed menus appear at
the right: Edit, Create, and Share.
top fEaturEs: Two integrated
but separate digitalimage appli-
cations work together so that
users can easily edit their digital
pictures; text on a shape or path,
crop guides, new photos effects, and photo-fix tools give
users an excellent tool kit; helpful guided edits and video
tutorials provide step-by-step instructions.
ovErall rating: Adobe Elements 10 provides ordinary
users with a variety of digital touch-up tools for adjusting a
picture, adding a caption, changing a color, and fixing red-
eye while working in a Photoshop-like environment thats
not overwhelming.
44Product: Adobe PhotoshoP elements 10
www.adobe.com4retail Price: $99
By Jennifer Wagner
Prentice Hall Writing Coach is a digital grammar and writing
program for grades six through 12.
Quality and EffEctivEnEss: For the more experienced
student who can copy and paste his or her writing into the
software and get immediate feedback, this product is
genius.
The ability to set levels for student use is helpful, but
struggling writers would need support to use this software.
EasE of usE: The navigation in some areas is generally
user-friendly. A pop-up box would be helpful for answering
questions quickly.
top fEaturEs: The e-text book is well put together, effec-
tively written, and edu-
cationally sound; the
student can get good
feedback and make
changes to written work
before submitting it; this
product reinforces what
is already being shared
in the classroom, and it
is available to students
24/7.
ovErall rating: The
Prentice Hall Writing Coach will help the average user or
higher-level student become a better writer.
44Product: Prentice hAll Writing coAch
http://phwritingcoach.com4retail price: From $9.97
4My Big CaMpus
My Big Campus, from
Lightspeed Systems,
is an online service
that allows schools to
create an engaging,
collaborative online
environment. The standalone version of My Big Campus
is free and chock-full of some great features. You can also
purchase My Big Campus with a Collaborative Web Filter.
It only took me about two minutes to sign up and get my
free account and then I started creating my classroom.
Ive been using it since September and am finding it very
easy and useful. I have set it up with my resource library of
files that I usually post on my class Web site and links that I
usually put on my class blog. I also use the calendar feature
to input assignment due dates and more. I can easily assign
work or tasks to students and manage them, seeing who
has completed which assignments. The Your Stuff section
lets me upload files, photos, and links to Web sites. I like
that I can filter by type of resource and can easily search
all of my stuff.
The MyBigCampus Android App and EduTalk are rela-
tively new features. The Android app allows teachers to
access the MBC accounts from any Android device. EduTalk
is MBCs social network for educators. It is made up of
status updates from educators, not students, and allows
educators to share resources, tips, ideas, and more.
My AP Physics students have been using the chat and
discussion features to help each other with homework
problems and when studying. Its been so popular, the
honors Physics classes want to set up a discussion board
for homework and study help and have the AP Physics stu-
dents involved as tutors and mentors.
My Big Campus is turning out to be a very useful and
powerful tool. Ill be exploring more features each month at
techearning.com.
David Andrade is a Physics Teacher and Educational
Technology Specialist in Connecticut.
4Learning.CoM
Tech & Learning follows Illinoiss Oak Lawn-Hometown
District 123 through the school year as they implement
Learning.coms STEM curriculum in conjunction with the
districts new 1:1 computing initiative.
On the eve of our 1:1 Netbook rollout, I sit compiling the
ways to support our teachers as they transition into teach-
ing with a new digital STEM resource from learning.com.
This resource will provide all of our fifth grade teachers
and students with access to science, math, and technology
supplementary curriculum pieces. Here are the ways we
plan to create the groundwork for a successful rollout and
pilot of this curriculum:
Teacher leader blog showcasing creative teachers.
Professional Learning Community within Google Apps: We
created a private site for teachers to share information,
documents, and videos.
Instructional screencasts: All of the fifth grade teachers
say our tutorials have been the best way to learn.
Internal coaching positions: Each week, I send out my
Google appointment calendar and include a list of services
I can offer to teach that week.
Timed introductions: Once teachers feel ready, well roll
out the curriculum.
Ill set up each online classroom for the teachers, choose
parts of the curriculum, and start making screencasts of
how to use the program. I will also be making student vid-
eos that can be used to introduce the site to them. Check
back time to read more about the rollout.
Peg Keiner is an instructional technology coach for Oak
Lawn-Hometown District 123.
The Long Review
Last year, Tech & Learning followed the experience of Trentons Village Charter
school as they tested (and ultimately purchased) Pearsons Successmaker and
Dells desktops. This year, two districts will put other products through this same
long-term trial: learning.coms STEM curriculum and Lightspeeds My Big Campus.
productreviews
Read more about their experiences each
month at techlearning.com
22 | tech & learni ng
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 about
the future of education. Share your successes and address challenges
in an engaging and intimate setting, and leave with practical tools
and key contacts for continued rich communities of practice.
TENTATIVE TOPICS INCLUDE:
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BYO Devices
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Keys to Effective Online and Blended Learning
Everything Google
Evolving Models of 1:1
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The Best New Web 2.0 Tools for Schools
Technology-Based Assessment
Making the Case for Technology in Cash-Strapped Times
Ethics and Privacy in Social Networking
And many more!
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Manage Your Technology With One Point Of Contact.

Join Bob Campus and more than 500,000 users today!


Just go to www.mybigcampus.com/sign-up to create
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Its all on My Big Campus.
And its all Safe, Monitored, and FREE!
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Ways to
Make
Tech
Work
in
Schools
20
source
s
o
c
i
a
l
professional
n
e
t
w
o
r
k
Computing
Cloud
M
e
d
i
a
ebooks
Literacy
s
T
e
M
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e
c
h
Learning
b
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A
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Information
How its done
26 | tech & learni ng special section
Use the Web better
Joyce Valenza, a teacher-
librarian at Springfield
Township High School in
PA, found new strat-
egies for loosing
the strictures of
copyright. Her
first strategy is to use
Creative Commons, a world of voluntary content sharing
that allows content creators of all kinds the option of shar-
ing their work in a copyleft manner. Her second strategy
has to do with fair use practices. Valenza suggested we
rethink the use of copyrighted materials in the communica-
tion products students develop. She wrote that librarians
can better spread the word about fair use. Released in
November 2008, the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for
Media Literacy Education helps us understand when our
use of copyrighted material is fair.
Make vo-tech real
The Sioux Falls School District in South Dakota created its
Career & Technical Education Academy to give vocational
high school students industry-relevant education. When it
came time in 2010 to equip the newly built CTEAs media
production department, Sioux Falls pulled out all the stops
to create an all-HD TV studio facility. The results the district
achieved by working with systems integrator Alpha Video &
Audio of Minneapolis are a teachers wildest dream, says
Nancy Sutton Smith, the CTEAs media production teacher.
Because of the quality of the equipment and production
experiences our students have access to, they graduate
from here with their first year of college-level mass com-
munications already under their belts. The students here
get to work with technology that reflects what is current
in the industry, explains Jeff Little, the academys media
equipment specialist. That makes them attractive to
employers, who hire them directly after graduation.
teach yoUrself
With the help of an Enhancing
Education Through Technology
grant, Marla Davenport,
director of learning and
technology for TIES, a St.
Paul-based nonprofit con-
sortium of 36 Minnesota school
districts, helped create a Superintendent
Technology Leadership Academy (STLA) using CoSNs
Empowering the 21st Century Superintendent curricu-
20 ways to make
tecH work
in scHools
By James Careless
the latest controversy in the education press has once again become a hand-
wringing, brow-furrowing discussion on whether or not technology works
in the classroom. you may be hearing the same concerns in your school or
district. Well, here is the answer: yes, tech does work. and what follows is
how you can make it work, too. feel free to forward to the doubters.
lum, built around five themes with a day-long meeting per
theme. Mornings at STLA are reserved for private counsel-
ing and needs assessment with superintendents and their
teams. Each afternoon, we bring in national speakers via
video and also make time for discussions and planning, so
the district can look at each theme and how they can employ
technology to solve some of the problems they have in their
district, says Davenport. Davenport believes this approach
works well. Superintendents and their teams are so busy.
The time alone to think these different strategies through
is important. We hear over and over again, We never have
time to sit down and focus on these things.
Store It onlIne
Students at Memphis
City Schools use Gaggle
to collaborate on proj-
ects, communicate with
teachers, and get infor-
mation on e-school, or
online courses. Our
existing acceptable use
policy addresses email and other forms of communications,
which include Gaggle, says Jason Parrish, professional
development coordinator. Some of our fifth-grade com-
puter classes work on projects and use the chat features.
The sites digital lockers, which provide online file stor-
age, are extremely popular and are replacing flash drives.
Teachers really like GaggleTube (filtered YouTube). In five
years, Parrish would like it to be a part of everything they
do, not an add-on.
Create lIfe reSumeS
Students at White Oak (TX)
Independent School District
are creating and customiz-
ing e-portfolios for academic,
career, and personal uses.
To make the process easy to
manage, the district decided to
use blogs to house the e-port-
folios. I wanted it to be open source so
students could take their portfolios to another school and
use them after graduation, says Scott S. Floyd, direc-
How its done
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a district managed centrally.
To learn more, please visit us at
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How its done
tor of instructional technology. Third-,
fourth-, and fifth-grade students keep
their e-portfolios on flash drives that
they purchase as part of their school
supplies. Their portfolios include writ-
ing samples, artwork, and other proj-
ects. In sixth grade, they learn about
blogging and start their own blogs,
fine-tuning them in seventh and eighth
grade as they learn more about blog-
ging and continue to maintain their
blogs based on their career goals.
Floyd says the district doesnt refer
to the e-portfolios as an assessment
piece that will earn a grade. If we do,
theyll reject it, he says. We want
students to feel that their portfolios
are a safe place to put themselves
out there. By high school, they realize
what they are for and that, by gradu-
ation, theyll have a digital piece for
college or job opportunities.
Track your Tech
Like many school districts
that have brought lap-
tops into the classroom,
Detroit Public Schools
(DPS) found that they had
to take extra measures
to avoid becoming a vic-
tim of laptop theft. The
district began using Computrace by Absolute Software to secure their
laptops. That decision proved to be effective: since June 2009, DPS has
worked with the Absolute Theft Recovery Team and local police to locate
and recover nearly 400 stolen laptops. With such a high recovery rate,
they are one of the leading school districts in the nation to recover stolen
educational technology equipment. DPS has also been recognized for the
their role in uncovering and dismantling a major organized crime ring.
The forensic evidence collected from the DPS laptops led prosecutors
to charge ten suspects with multiple crimes. In September 2010, eight
of the suspects pleaded guilty, with two pending prosecution. The total
value of stolen technology in this one instance exceeded $150,000.
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Youre the
motivation.
Were the mode
of education.

How its done


32 | tech & learni ng special section
DIY BYOD
Six years ago, Miami-Dade
(FL) County Public Schools
couldnt afford to institute
a one-to-one laptop pro-
gram but knew that Internet
access would become more
available and less expen-
sive. Our strategy was to
lift the systems that were cli-
ent-server or site based and
bring them to an enterprise level and make them all Web
enabled, says Deborah Karcher, chief information officer.
Today every system, from grade books and scheduling to
instructional software, is Web accessible. Karcher designed
an interface so that all systems look the same online,
including the very old student information system, which
sits on a mainframe. She buys only digital textbooks, so that
students can access them at classroom portals. The district
refurbished old laptops and had wireless cards donated.
Recently it received a broadband stimulus grant that pro-
vides 10,000 Internet connections and 6,000 computers free
for the next six years.How do we get to one-to-one with
this? Karcher asks. We are tackling it in several ways. We
built our system for every platform except for iPad. Were
trying to make campuses wireless through eRate money so
kids can bring smartphones and use them. And were giving
out free laptops to people without access.
Make It safe
One of the biggest concerns with a BYOT model is how
to keep a district network secure. To address this concern,
Eric Willard, chief technology officer of Community Unit
School District (CUS D) 300 in Carpentersville, Illinois,
developed the following Willards Pyramid:
Funding and leadership. These crucial elements are the
base of the pyramid, he says. Without those in place, dont
bother going forward.
Technology planning and support. Make sure all stake-
holders are involved from the beginning. Figure out what
you have and where you want to go. Build a team that sup-
ports whats in place today or you wont get the credibility
to continue.
Standards and infrastructure. After the tech planning, its
time to develop a series of standards, including hardware,
software, instruction, networking, and infrastructure. At this
point youll know if you need fiber between buildings, and so
on. Then you can start buying hardware and software.
Make It clear
Lisa Nielsen posted a recent blog about the Acceptable Use
Policy Guide from The Consortium of School Networking
(CoSN), which offers administrators guidelines for revising
Acceptable Use Policies to reflect the current socio-mobile
learning landscape. The guidelines address topics such as:
How does policy differ from procedure and does the differ-
ence matter?; What are the two major approaches used to
develop district AUP policies?; Is the districts AUP a part of
or the totality of the districts technology policy?
What are the key federal laws affecting Internet access,
safety, and social networking in schools? You can visit the
complete guidelines and samples here.
IMprOve Math scOres
The Charlotte Mecklenberg School District in Charlotte, North Carolina
has substantially improved math score in schools where it has
deployed Texas Instruments MathForward program. For instance, at
Cochrane Middle School, 33.9 percent of 7th graders were ranked as
being proficient in math. In contrast, 8th graders who had experienced
a year of the MathForward program scored as 63.8 percent proficient
in math.
To get results, MathForward combines innovative teaching with
math-specific software and hardware technology. But what really made
the difference was the programs intensive teacher training, says Dr.
Cindy Moss, STEM Director at Charlotte Mecklenberg School District.
We did intensive PD during the summer and ongoing PD with our
teachers as the program rolled out, she says. In tandem with TIs
MathForward support, which included in-class teaching coaches, the
result is that my average teachers are now performing like super-
stars. Ideally, a teacher needs 80 hours PD annually just to change
their teaching style, Dr. Moss notes.
How its done
34 | tech & learni ng special section
Assist students with speciAl needs
In the Beach Park School District 3, Illinois, special ed.
teacher Brooke Turk uses the Epson Brightlink Interactive
Projector with her autistic students. The children can tap
out their writing using the interactive boardand they do
so without hesitation. The keyboard gives them a reason
to write, because its technology, she explains. Ive got-
ten a greater feel for their abilities because they are willing
to work hard for this incentive. Turk reports heightened
levels of excitement and engagement from her autistic stu-
dentsall thanks to assistive technology in her classroom.
Boost ReAding scoRes
More than 70 Mississippi schools and districts have improved
their K-12 students reading scores by taking a non-tradition-
al, software-based approach to reading education.
Using Lexia Reading software, the students individu-
ally work through activities that
improve their reading skills.
As each student learns, the
software increases the level
of difficultyusing the video
game model to help students
advance. In areas where they
are having trouble, more time
is allocated to them by the pro-
gram.
The results speak for themselves: We have seen our
students average a 12-point improvement in MAP scores in
less than three months, says Barbara Martinez of Madison
Elementary School; located in Madison County, MS.
MAking steM woRk
In Tech Valley High School near Albany, New York, their
STEM approach has been grounded in project-based, stu-
dent-centered learningand it is delivering results.
Specifically, Tech Valley encourages students to devise
projects that put them in contact with local businesses
and institutions. For instance, One student interested in
environmental science shadowed an exec at a paper-man-
ufacturing plant with a zero carbon footprint freshman year;
worked with a baker using applied sciences her sophomore
year; interned at an architectural firm for two weeks as a
junior; and completed a semester-long mathematical study
at a hospital her senior year, says Principal Dan Liebert.
Besides teaching students to direct their own lives and
become comfortable working with adults, Tech Valleys
STEM programs delivers real-world results: We have kids
in Cornell, NYU, University of New England, as well as SUNY
colleges, Principal Liebert reports.
pRActice whAt you pReAch
The Wind for Schools (WfS) program coordinates the instal-
lation of small wind turbines at K12 schoolsand the
students help to put the turbines in
place. It motivates students to apply
real-world science to learn-
ing in the classroom, says
Anne Seifert, K12 STEM
coordinator at Idaho National
Laboratory in Idaho Falls.
Aided by Chevron,
the East Side Union High
School District in San Jose,
California, has installed enough solar
panels to save the funding equivalent
of 30 teaching jobs. The panels are also
used in teaching: The class projects offer an understand-
ing of what solar energy is so they can value it and see how
it helps the school help the community, says Dan Moser,
superintendent of East Side Union.
get gRAnts
Dr. William W. Henderson Inclusion
Elementary School in Boston received
a $20,000 Funds for Teachers
grant by doing their homework.
Teachers Danielle Merdin and
Terri Wellner made sure that
their grant application fulfilled
all seven FFT categories; name-
ly fellowship rationale, project
description, teacher growth
and learning, student growth
and learning, benefits to the
school community, plan for
implementation, and budget narrative.
Fernbrook Elementary School in Randolph, NJ received
Besides teaching students to direct their own
lives and become comfortable working with
adults, Tech Valleys STEM programs delivers
real-world results.
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a $10,000 Optimum Lightpath Transforming Education
with Technology grant to fund a live TV newscast (dis-
tributed over the Web) produced by fifth grade students.
We won the grant because we created a hands-on
program which provides many creative and unique edu-
cational experiences for students, says Fran Lavin, the
Fernbrook PTAs VP of Grants.
Using AV to teAch esL
Robert Pronovost, an ESL teacher in Menlo Park CA, has
used the Luidia eBeam interactive whiteboard to share
images with his ESL students.
When we study Language Arts, the words that my ESL
students dont recognize verbally are made clear through
visual examples that I can pull up in seconds, said
Keep in toUch
New Yorks Croton-Harmon School District has simplified the parent
contact headache by adopting the K12 Alerts Electronic Emergency
Card system. The system lets parents update child information at any
time via an Internet enabled device/computer, smartphone, and/or
iPad. This ensures that schools can get in touch with parents quickly
when emergencies occur.
The new K12 Alerts system will help Croton-Harmon Schools
to save on administration costs, streamline operations and provide
its administrators with more update-to-date information, says Dr.
Edward R. Fuhrman, Jr., Superintendent of the Croton-Harmon School District. We are excited about the new system
and preliminary feedback has been very positive.
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Pronovost. Recently we studied animal camouflage in
nature. Some of the students found this concept difficult
to understand, but easily grasped it when I included
images and videos in my lesson.
Cut Costs with Cloud Computing
Thanks to tight revenues, Indianas Beech Grove City
Schools had to cut their IT budget by 75%. In order to
achieve this goal without affecting students, BGCS moved
to a cloud computing/thin client model. Their computer
applications were moved to a central server location for
remote access, with many of their PCs
being replaced by Wyse thin cli-
ents (very basic computers). By
doing this, the need to service
individual programs on indi-
vidual PCs dropped dra-
matically, thus reducing
staff requirements.
We used to need one per-
son to maintain every 200 desktops,
says Teresa Kratzer, BGCS director of technology. Now we
have one person for every 1,000 desk-
tops. This change saves the BCGS
$200,000 annually.
EBooks instEad of tExtBooks
Tampa Bays Clearwater High School
has found a way to relieve itself of the
weight of textbooks: The school has
instead issued Kindle eBook readers
to its students. The eBook readers
can provide students with access to
required texts, plus novels and local
newspapers.
As for cost savings? At $177 per
Kindle, the school saves a minimum
of $120 on each per-student book
cost. Factor in the availability of 100
novels and the per-student saving
hits $620.
On a regular book, a kid can-
not take notes, CHS Principal Keith
Mastorides told FOX News. They
cant highlight and they cant put any-
thing in the margins. On this, they can
because at the end of the year it can
be cleared and new materials can be
put on it.
go opEn sourCE
In the UK, Felixstowes Orwell High
School avoided an expensive upgrade
to a new Windows operating system
by moving to Linux instead. By doing,
this high school saved substantially on
software licensing fees and hardware
upgrade costs. Moreover, Orwell High
School moved to a thin client model
where most of the applications are
accessed via two central servers. This
allowed the school to avoid replacing
its older PCs.
How its done
38 | tech & learni ng
Welcome to the Lexia classroom.
The classroom of the future is about
teaching and learning NOT testing.
Lexia Reading is the only technology-based program proven to support foundational
reading development for students of all abilities pre-K through grade 4, and accelerate
reading development for at-risk students in grades 412.
It provides the industrys only norm-referenced, embedded performance measures that
predict performance and prescribe instructional intensity to improve reading achievement.
The award-winning Assessment Without Testing technology helps educators reduce
dependence on traditional testing and reclaim weeks of instructional time.
Lexia Reading provides:
Differentiated reading skills practice with more than 950 age-appropriate activities
Alignment to DIBELS and other common reading assessments
Structured lesson plans to support targeted instruction and intervention
To learn more, visit us at www.lexialearning.com/tld
1. CIPA compliance
changes
On August 12, 2011, the FCC issued an
order based on the Protecting Children
in the 21st Century Act, which updates
the Childrens Internet Protection Act
(CIPA). The order will become effective
on July 1, 2012. The additional require-
ments it contains focus on educating
minors about appropriate online behav-
ior, including interacting with other indi-
viduals on social-networking Web sites
and in chat rooms, as well as awareness
of, and response to, cyberbullying.
2. Gift-giving
restrictions
Applicants now must follow either their
own state and local laws regarding gift-
ing or the FCC rules, whichever are
stricter. Applicants and/or other school
personnel are prohibited from soliciting
and/or receiving gifts or anything of
value from a service provider that is par-
ticipating in or seeking to participate in
the E-rate program. Additionally, service
providers may not offer or provide gifts
to anyone involved in the E-rate pro-
40 | SChOOl CI O SPECI Al SECTI On
10 Things Schools Need to
Know About the New E-Rate
You already know that E-rate provides discounts on services and products that enable classrooms and libraries to receive
voice, video, and data communications. The amount of the discount depends on the schools location and level of pov-
erty, but it ranges from 20 percent to 90 percent.
To be eligible to receive discounts, a school or library must meet certain criteria. In general, a school is eligible to
receive a discount as long as it doesnt operate as a for-profit entity or possess more than $50 million in endowments.
Now, while the basic structure of E-rate has remained the same, the FCC Sixth Report and Order brought some major
changes to the program. Other FCC orders involving CIPA compliance and service-provider gifts have caused confusion.
SchoolCIO spoke with John Harrington, chief executive officer of Funds for Learning (www.fundsforlearning.com), the
E-rate compliance firm specializing in guiding applicants and service providers through the ever-changing E-rate regula-
tory process, to gain insight into the latest iteration.
c
o
o
l
i
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s
.
c
o
m
Strategies for K-12 Technology Leaders
cess. Modest refreshments not offered
as a part of a meal and items with little
to no intrinsic value, such as plaques and
certificates, are acceptable. An excep-
tion to this rule is that gifts and/or meals
are permissible if the total value of the
gifts and/or meals is less than $20 and
the total of gift/meals received do not
exceed $50 per employee from any one
source per calendar year.
3. Expanding eligibility
The rule mandating that requested ser-
vices be used solely for educational
purposes was overturned permanently.
The new rule states that services will
be used primarily for educational pur-
poses. The following conditions apply
to schools that wish to open their doors
after hours for the communitys use:
Schools may not request funding
for more services than are necessary to
serve the student population.
The public can gain access to ser-
vices only when school is not in ses-
sion: after school hours, on weekends
and holidays, and during summer vaca-
tion. Schools will determine whether
community access is allowed. (A box
will appear on Form 471 for entities to
check to indicate that they took advan-
tage of the rule change.)
Schools may not charge for the use
of services that are subject to a universal
service discount. Fees may be assessed
for additional electricity, security, heating,
and equipment not covered by E-rate.
4. Indexing the funding
cap to inflation
The FCC will use the gross domes-
tic product chain-type price index
(GDP-CPI) to adjust for inflation the
amount of funds available annually to
E-rate program participants. In practi-
cal terms, the cap for FY 2010 would
increase to $2.27 billion. The FCC will
continue to roll over unused E-rate dol-
lars to future years.
5. Dark fiber: Back again
Starting with funding year 2011, dark
fiber may now be purchased from any
E-rate service provider (vendors need
not be telecommunications carriers),
with the caveat that the applicant must
light the fiber immediately. While instal-
lation and maintenance of dark fiber will
be eligible, any special construction that
is necessary as a result of the fiber will
not be eligible for E-rate discounts.
6. Connectivity to
portable devices
The FCC authorized up to $10 million
for funding year 2011 to investigate
the merits and challenges of wireless
off-premises connectivity services.
Twenty schools were selected to par-
ticipate, and while the findings of the
project may not be released for some
time, the subsidizing of the research
indicates that E-rate funds may even-
tually be used for off-site learning.
7. Technology-plan
requirements
In an effort to streamline the applica-
tion process for smaller applicants,
the Sixth Report and Order eliminated
the requirement that applicants have
a technology plan to receive Priority
One services (telecommunications and
Internet access). A technology plan is still
required for Priority Two requests (inter-
nal connections and basic maintenance).
8. Disposal of E-rate
equipment
Applicants can now [dispose] of E-rate
equipment for payment or other con-
sideration, but no sooner than five years
after the equipment is installed. This
rule overturns previous guidance barring
applicants from reselling or transferring
ownership of E-ratefunded equipment
for money or anything of value.
9. Changes to basic
maintenance
Unbundled warranties were deemed
ineligible because they are purchased
as a type of retainer and not as an
actual maintenance service. Basic
maintenance requests must be for
actual work performed.
10. Item 21 deadline
Effective with funding year 2011, Item
21 attachments are now due before
the close of their respective filing
window. The Item 21 (or descrip-
tion of service) attachments help
with the funding process and provide
the Universal Service Administrative
Company with information needed
to make funding decisions quickly.
Incomplete or missing Item 21 will
delay the decision on an applicants
funding request. When the funding
request is reviewed, the applicant
may be contacted so that they may
provide the Item 21 information if it
has not been filed in time.
SChOOl CI O SPECI Al SECTI On | 41
Applicants and/or other
school personnel are
prohibited from soliciting
and/or receiving gifts or
anything of value from
a service provider that
is participating in or
seeking to participate in
the E-rate program.
Video Mount Products (videomount.com) has launched the
DVR-MB1 Mobile/Rackmount DVR Lockbox. The product can
be mounted on the left, right, bottom, and rear sides for mobile
applications, includes securing strips for DVR in mobile applica-
tions, and comes in a black static-resistant powder-coat finish.
4
4
Califone (www.califone.com) has introduced the WB80 interac-
tive whiteboard. It can be mounted on any surface, regardless
of whether there are electrical outlets or the strength of the
wall. The WB80 comes with sensor pieces that attach to any
blank wall, creating a 48-inch-by-64-inch interactive space. The
whiteboard runs solely on USB power, so its easily set up for
classroom instruction.
4
Hardware/AV
whatsnew
42 | tech & learni ng
For more of the latest product releases,
visit us online at Techlearning.com.
HP (www1.hp.com) has announced two new products for the
classroom. The Slate 2 Tablet PC (bottom) offers multi-touch
technology that enables easy navigation and better multitasking.
Its new Swype keyboard lets users enter data with one continu-
ous motion of finger or stylus across the screen. The HP 3115m
(top) offers up to 11.5 hours of battery life, flexible wireless capa-
bilities, an 11.6-inch diagonal LED back-lighted HD display, and a
high-definition Webcam.
Casio America (www.casiousa.com) has expanded its Pro
High Brightness Series of projectors with the XJ-H1700 and
XJ-H1750. They have 4,000-lumen output and feature the com-
panys Laser and LED Hybrid light source technology. This tech-
nology increases the color spectrum compared with a mercury
lamp life while lowering a projectors total cost of ownership.
The projectors are DLP 3-D ready and can display 3-D content
from a 3-Dcapable computer.
www. techlearni ng. com
tech & learni ng | 43
The Common Core State
Standards now include
keyboarding standards
as a step toward writing
prociency.
Enter the NEO 2

. Its an
affordable, mobile e-learning
device designed for
keyboarding, writing, and
classroom engagement that
has a battery life of up to 700
hours. NEO 2 also spreads
its capabilities across the
entire curriculum, including
practicing math facts.
Wireless.
Tireless.
For more information,
call (800) 338-4204,
ref. #18696 or visit
www.renlearn.com/lp/18696.
4
ViewSonic (www.viewsonic.com) has announced the latest addition
to its line of ViewPad tablets, the 7e. The Android-based tablet is
ideal for Flash video and Web browsing and has preinstalled Amazon
applications for delivering e-reading capabilities. It offers a seven-
inch display and Gingerbread 2.3 operating system and presents an
intuitive screen layout with holographic visual effects, thanks to the
ViewScene 3D interface.
AVer Information (www.averusa.com)
has launched the U10 portable USB
document camera. The ultra-compact
camera connects direct to a laptop or
desktop PC and displays live docu-
ments and 3-D objects. It presents
materials of up to 720p HD at
30 frames per second and pro-
vides both video and power flow
through the USB connection.
4
whatsnew
44 | tech & learni ng
Canon (www.usa.canon.com) has three new projectors ideal for classrooms. The 2500-lumen LV-8235 Ultra-Short Throw Projector (left) can
display an 80-inch picture from only 1.04 ft. The 2500-lumen LV-8225 (right) has Auto Set-Up Functions and a Wide-Angle 1.2x Zoom Lens.
The 3000-lumen LV-8320 (middle) includes an Intelligent Lamp Dimming System for extended lamp life and power-saving green operation.
All offer WXGA-resolution wide-screen 16:10 images. The LV-8235 and LV-8320 also include an HDMI digital input for projection of 1080p video
from Blu-ray players.
4
SMART Technologies (www.smarttech.com) has launched the
SMART Board 400 series interactive display overlay. It can be
added to any LCD or plasma flat-panel display to enable touch
and ink interactivity and features SMARTs DViT technology for
facilitating effective touch control and accurate writing. The new
overlay for education includes SMART Notebook collaborative
learning software to let users work together more effectively
in classrooms.
AmpliVox Sound Systems (www.ampli.
com) has announced an upscale redesign
of its Pinnacle Multimedia Lecterns. The
new models feature a hard-shell polyure-
thane exterior for more durability and
better performance. Divided front panels
are available in four classic wood finishes,
and a top grill cover camouflages a flat
reading shelf that has room for notes or
a laptop. A deep interior shelf supports
multimedia devices, water, and supplies.
4
4
Hitachi America (www.hitachi.us)
has announced the availability of
its CP-X3021WN and CP-X2521WN
networkable mobile projectors. Both
model offer versatile networking and
connectivity options for educational
applications. The 3LCD projectors
provide a variety of upgraded per-
formance and convenience features,
such as the companys new Intelligent
Eco, which automatically changes the
lamps brightness according to the
level of the input signal.
For more information on these brands and the many others offered from NewBay Media,
as well as subscription information for all of NewBays print and electronic products, visit www.nbmedia.com.
THE POWER TO REACH
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NewBay Media provides the information you need to know and the audience you need
to reach in the Broadcast & Video, Professional Audio, Musical Instruments, Systems
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I NPRI NT | ONLI NE | I NPERSON
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TWICE
K-12 EDUCATION
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SCHOOLCIO
TECH FORUM
half pg horizontal.indd 2 12/20/2011 3:00:29 PM
www. techlearni ng. com
Panasonic (www.panasonic.com) has announced the Toughpad family
of Android-powered rugged tablets. They include a 10-inch and a sev-
en-inch device and are durable enough for classroom use. Both tablets
meet durability certifications and ingress protection ratings consistent
with other Toughbook devices. The Toughpad A1 also offers optional
4G (LTE or WIMAX) mobile broadband as well as satellite GPS.
4
For more information on these brands and the many others offered from NewBay Media,
as well as subscription information for all of NewBays print and electronic products, visit www.nbmedia.com.
THE POWER TO REACH
YOURGOALS
NewBay Media provides the information you need to know and the audience you need
to reach in the Broadcast & Video, Professional Audio, Musical Instruments, Systems
Integration, and K-12 Education markets. Our services help readers, service providers, manu-
facturers, and associations reach their full potential, and exceed their expectations.
ONE COMPANY. ONE GOAL. YOURS.
We are here to help you succeed in any way we can whether it is through our unique online
and print media or our award-wining events and custom publications.
Learn more at www.nbmedia.com, or contact Steve Palm, CEO, at spalm@nbmedia.com.
I NPRI NT | ONLI NE | I NPERSON
BROADCAST/VIDEO
TV TECHNOLOGY
RADIO WORLD
VIDEOGRAPHY
DV
GOVERNMENT VIDEO
BROADCASTING & CABLE
MULTICHANNEL NEWS
AUDIO
PRO SOUND NEWS
PRO AUDIO REVIEW
AUDIO MEDIA
MIX
AUDIO SOLUTIONS
MUSIC PLAYER
GUITAR PLAYER
BASS PLAYER
KEYBOARD
MUSIC PLAYER NETWORK
ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN
AV/ CONSUMER
ELECTRONICS
SYSTEMS CONTRACTOR NEWS
AV TECHNOLOGY
RESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS
RENTAL & STAGING SYSTEMS
DIGITAL SIGNAGE
SDJC9V>9:DCDCIG68IDG
TWICE
K-12 EDUCATION
TECH & LEARNING
SCHOOLCIO
TECH FORUM
half pg horizontal.indd 2 12/20/2011 3:00:29 PM
Luidia Inc. (www.luidia.com) has teamed with NEC Display
Solutions Europe to feature Luidias eBeam technology in NECs
new NPO1Wi line of interactive whiteboard kits. The integration
enables NECs short and ultra-short throw projectors to deliver
advanced data interactivity to customers, allowing them to col-
laborate on projected content in real time.
Online & Software
ActivEngAgE MobilE
(www.proMEthEAnworld.coM)
Promethean has launched its first
mobile app for the classroom. The virtu-
al learner response system, designed for
use on the iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, and
Android, offers teachers an integrated
solution that streamlines instruction and aids in assessment.
AErohivE nEtworks brAnch on
dEMAnd
(www.AErohivE.coM/vip)
Aerohive Networks has announced
a Network as a Service (NaaS) solu-
tion that provides wired and wireless
access, performance, and security
management across districts. Optional 3G and 4G modem support
extends the enterprise network to several locations.
AtoMic lEArning AssistivE
tEchnology
(www.AtoMiclEArning.coM)
The company recently added content
to its online professional-development
suite. The Assistive Technology collection
now also includes Stages Assessment
SoftwareStage 6 tutorials. The expand-
ed library helps educators understand
the requirements for providing assistive
technology under IDEA as well as how to create forms and documents
that are accessible to students who use assistive technology.
brigAncE ipAd App
(www.curriculuMAssociAtEs.coM)
Curriculum Associates has developed
an iPad app that provides users of the
BRIGANCE Inventory of Early Development
(IED II) and Online Management System
(OMS) with an easy way to assess and
report on the educational strengths and needs of students performing
below the developmental age of seven. IED II then enables teachers to
upload the data into the OMS for tracking and management. The app
lets users record data and observations directly on their iPads and sync
the information with the OMS.
cErtiport Microsoft
officE spEciAlist
(www.cErtiport.coM)
The company has announced the avail-
ability of the Microsoft OneNote 2010
certification exam as part of the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
2010 certification suite. This software helps teachers draw on all the
features of Microsoft Office 2010 to validate their desktop skills.
coAchs EyE App
(www.tEchsMith.coM)
TechSmith has launched an iOS 5 appli-
cation for the iPhone and iPod touch. It
enables coaches, athletes, and parents to
capture, analyze, and share athletic per-
formance on video by using an everyday
mobile device. Coaches can use the app
for slow-motion frame-by-frame analysis,
telestrating, and audio narration. Teachers
can take advantage of AirPlay mirroring
to output content from their devices to a
television without cables.
collAborizE clAssrooM And topic
librAry
(www.collAborizEclAssrooM.coM)
Democrasoft, Inc. has
launched Collaborize
Classroom, a free online
learning platform with which
teachers can extend class-
room discussions to a struc-
tured and private online community. The company also launched Topic
Library, a free community resource that lets teachers share with other
educators the best individual topic-based lessons they create.
coMMoncorE360.coM
(www.coMMoncorE360.coM)
School Improvement Network
has launched a new Common
Core Web site. It provides a host
of free resources for educators
looking for ways to implement
and teach the standards and
will be updated with additional
material continually.
drAgon
rEcordEr App
(www.nuAncE.coM)
Nuance Communications, Inc. has
announced an app that is available free
from the Apple iOS app store. It lets Dragon
customers use an iOS mobile device as a
voice recorder, then transcribe their record-
ings, via iTunes or a wireless network, into
any application on a Mac or PC that has
Dragon speech recognition.
whatsnew
46 | tech & learni ng
www. techlearni ng. com
tech & learni ng | 47
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3LCD 2
Lexia 39
Lightspeed 24
Lumens 9
Motorola 28
Newtek 7
Netsupport 37
Pearson 30
RenLearn 43
SchoolImprovement 17
SoftwareShelf 27
TechForum 23
Texasinstruments 52
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Check techlearning.com for updates
Dropbox for Teams
(www.Dropbox.com/Teams)
Dropbox,afreeservicethatletsusers
transport their documents, photos,
and videos between computers and
mobiledevices,hasintroducedapaid
version that gives administrators new
features, including centralized billing,
phone support, and controls that let
themaddordeleteusersforagroupofcolleagues.
encyclopaeDia briTannica ipaD app
(www.sTore.briTannica.com)
Encyclopaedia Britannica is now available
asaniPadapp.Thefreeversiongivesusers
access to high-resolution images, maps,
100freearticlesandthefirst100wordsof
all articles, as well as the Britannica link
map. The paid version, $1.99 a month,
allowsusersaccesstoallarticles(morethan
80,000)inafullysearchabledatabase.
energybalance101.com
(www.energybalance101.com)
TheHealthyWeightCommitment
Foundation and Discovery
Education have teamed up for
the re-launch of this site, which
educatesstudentsandteachersaboutwellnessandbalancingcalories
andfeaturesavarietyofcurricularresources.Schoolscanalsoenter
theHealthyPlaygroundMakeoverSweepstakesforachancetowin
a $30,000 grant from Sports Authority and a new playground from
PlayworldSystems,Inc.
epals learningspace 2.0
inTegraTion upDaTe
(www.epals.com)
The company has announced that
the social learning platform now pro-
vides embedded access to third-party
applications, like Microsoft Office Web
Apps and Google Docs. Schools can
nowextendLearningSpacesenterprise-
gradeplatformbyincorporatingleading
applications and productivity tools in a
safe,controlled,andK12appropriateenvironment.
essay worksTaTion 2.1
(www.essaywriTingwizarD.com)
Niles Technology has released an essay-
writing encyclopedia and mobile writing
platform that teaches argument develop-
ment and directs students step by step in
howtowritebetteressays.Itisavailablefor
iPadandiPhone.
FASTe
(www.perFormAncemATTerS.com)
Performance Matters new
Formative Action System for
Teacher Effectiveness offers a dash-
board and analytics platform that
supports educators on a continuous
formative basis with actionable
information. Teachers can moni-
tor their performance against sev-
eral measures, connect to differentiated professional-development
resources, and receive summative rating reports at the end of the year.
Glencoe wriTerS
workSpAce
(www.mcGrAw-hill.com)
McGraw-Hill Education has launched its first online language-arts
program for middle school and high school students. It offers rigorous
instruction that meets the Common Core State Standards and stan-
dards of English-language proficiency and college/career readiness.
It also helps students handle the demands of high-level assessments,
like the ACT and SAT, and supports English-language leaders and
students in need of intervention.
iSTArTSmArT mobile
(www.hATcheArlychildhood.com)
Hatch has released a mobile version of its
learning system designed to improve criti-
cal skills for kindergarten readiness. The
system gives teachers access to a Web-based, password-protected
system for reporting childrens progress. The system offers more than
500 activities that guide children toward mastering 18 skills.
knowledGe delivery SySTemS
inTerneT SAFeTy And cyberbullyinG
courSeS
(www.kdSi.orG)
The company has developed
two courses on Internet safety and cyberbullying as part of its online
professional-development product suite. Cyber Savvy: Promoting
Students Safe and Civil Internet Practice offers teachers insights
into promoting safe and responsible use of digital technologies.
Cyberbullying: Empowering Students Against Digital Aggression,
Abuse, and Exploitation provides recommended strategies for pre-
venting risk and intervention initiatives for addressing digital dangers.
Courses can be purchased together or individually.
leArn360 video conTenT AliGned To
ccSS And 21ST-cenTury SkillS
(www.leArn360.com)
Learn360 has announced an
update of its online video content
to correlate with Common Core
Standards and 21st-century skills. Teachers, parents, and students
have been given access to this content to support fully integrating
technology into the classroom.
lecTorA SnAp! empower
(www.TrivAnTiS.com)
Lectora has added a social-networking
dimension to its e-Learning suite of
products that helps users easily publish
and share their presentations on social
networks and mobile devices. A static
PowerPoint slide deck can be spruced
up with Flash animation, video, and nar-
ration without the users having to learn
complex programming.
leTz TAlk inc.
(www.leTzTAlknow.com)
This new product line gives teens a creative
outlet where they can open up to the adults
in their lives and share their feelings and con-
cerns. It includes CareMail, which includes
age-appropriate cards for kids aged five
to 18. Used by organizations including Big
Brothers/Big Sisters, CareMail helps children
talk to parents and teachers to build supportive relationships.
liveScribe pencASTS
(www.liveScribek12.com)
The Livescribe K12 blog now includes pen-
casts. Teachers can record daily discus-
sions and lessons and make them avail-
able to absentee students to avoid having
to teach the same lesson again and so that
the students can hear, see, and relive the
notes the way they were produced.
mATh buddieS
(www.mymAThbuddieS.com)
Marshall Cavendish has introduced
a flexible online learning platform
developed to support the teach-
ing of Singapore Math in the US to
grades one through five. Math Buddies
includes multimedia lessons that
explain each concept, step-by-step
practice problems for independent and group learning, and compre-
hensive assessments for tracking students progress.
menTormob.com
(www.menTormob.com)
This new free Web site helps stu-
dents learn through a repository of
cultivated crowd-sourced educational content organized into step-by-
step directions. It aggregates and categorizes the online material, such
as YouTube videos and About.com articles, into intuitive how-to
courses called Learning Playlists.
whatsnew
48 | tech & learni ng
MyGovernMent
(www.cenGaGe.coM)
Gale, part of Cengage Learning, has
announced an online subscription-
based resource that provides key
information about U.S. elected officials
and political candidates and their main topics as well as on how the
government functions. MyGovernment provides detailed facts on rep-
resentatives at the federal, state, and local levels.
nBc Learn Decision 2012
(www.nBcLearn.coM)
The company has launched a spe-
cial collection that will help stu-
dents research and analyze the
2012 election by looking at the
candidates, the major issues,
events, and the process behind the
campaigns. The collection of NBC
News reports will be updated con-
tinually on weekdays through the inauguration in 2013.
new DiMension MeDia steM
streaMinG-MeDia proGraM
(www.nDMquestar.coM)
The company announced that it will offer an exclu-
sively STEM-focused streaming-media program in
January 2012 to help bolster students achievement
in these areas. The service will feature more than
300 programs from NDMs content catalog, includ-
ing standards-based programming from Bill Nye the
Science Guy and the National Science Foundation.
nitro pro 7
(www.nitropDf.coM)
Nitro has released the latest version of
its desktop product designed to Make
PDF easy. With it, users can create,
edit, secure, sign, and share PDF files
more intuitively. New features include
Redaction, QuickSign, and Digital
Signature Profiles along with support for
static XFA forms and Optional Content
Groups (OCG Layers).
note taker HD
(www.notetakerHD.coM)
Now available as an iPad app, Note Taker HD
enables users to write directly on the iPad
screen. Other features include a Zoom window
to let users focus on a portion of the screen
and highlight key text; the ability to write on a
PDF form that is stored, then save or email the
form; folders for organizing and storing docu-
ments; and pens of many colors and widths
that users can preset.
oBservation 360
(www.scHooLiMproveMent.coM)
This product has been upgraded to
offer extended features for the iPad.
Version 1.5 enables users to watch
PD 360 videos on the iPad, control
email and notifications, manage shar-
ing options, and more. The application works online or offline on the
iPhone, iPod touch, Android phones and tablets, and PC laptops and
desktops.
parentLink trusenD
(www.parentLink.net)
The ParentLink communication platform
enables school administrators to improve the
appearance, delivery, and management of
email messages. TruSend includes a set of
email templates and editing tools and presents
a series of email delivery reports.
pLato LearninG
vcourses
(www.pLato.coM)
The company has introduced rigor-
ous research-based courses that
are optimized for virtual programs.
They offer a streamlined workflow
for teachers and administrators, an intuitive user interface for learn-
ers, and support services to help schools implement an effective
virtual program quickly and cost-effectively. vCourses are aligned to
Common Core, state, and national standards, and they follow the iNA-
COL National Standards of Quality for Online Courses.
reaDinG eGGspress
(www.arcHipeLaGoLearninG.coM)
Archipelago Learning has
launched a Web-based reading
and comprehension program for
grades two through six. It pro-
vides learning resources, lessons,
motivational games, e-books, and reporting capabilities in an interactive
virtual environment.
rM easiteacH next Generation 1.3
(www.rMeDucation.coM)
RM Education has released
an update of the program for
Windows. Teachers can create and
deliver lessons and activities that
incorporate text, clip art, anima-
tion, video, Flash, and hyperlinks
using RM Easiteachs tools. The
update also lets users import files
directly from PowerPoint and includes the Integrated Download
Center, which provides thousands of lessons that can be downloaded
from www.easilearn.com.
www. techlearni ng. com
tech & learni ng | 49
whatsnew
50 | tech & learni ng
Safari BookS online new titleS
(www.SafariBookSonline.com)
The company has expanded the titles
from independent publisher Berrett-
Koehler that it offers in its online digital
library, pushing the number of books and
videos available through Safari to more
than 17,000. The Berrett-Koehler titles
emphasize business and leadership and are useful for professional
development.
SchoolwireS nimBuS
(www.SchoolwireS.com)
Schoolwires is launching a safe social-
learning environment designed to fos-
ter student engagement beyond the
classroom. Nimbus ensures that dis-
trict networking activity is structured
and secure. Administrators can manage
users, access, and settings; monitor network activity; and apply filters.
Reporting tools help guarantee compliance.
Shmoop Sat SuBject
teSt Biology e/m
(www.Shmoop.com/Sat-Biology)
The company has launched an online
course prep program focusing on both
ecology and molecular biology. It com-
bines two exams in one and incorpo-
rates pop-culture trivia to keep students
engaged.
Stem 417: gloBal climate change
education for high School
(www.pBS.org/teacherline)
PBS TeacherLine is offering an
online course for high school
teachers that is part of a series
of professional-development
resources on climate change.
Funded by a NASA grant, the
course is designed to engage high
school students in understanding
the causes and effects of climate
change.
StudyBlue moBile app
(www.StudyBlue.com)
StudyBlue has launched an updated
mobile app for iPhone and Android
devices that enables students to cre-
ate flash cards on their smartphones.
With the free app, they can snap and
insert photos and transcribe speech
to text directly into the flash cards.
Super duper moBile appS
(www.Superduperinc.com)
Super Duper has expanded its original Data
Tracker Mobile App to help educators gather on
their iPhone, iPod touch, and iPads even more
information about students progress. The new
features let users create many goals for each student, choose from
several types of response, undo the last recorded response, and
track correct and incorrect responses to questions discreetly and effi-
ciently. The company has also launched four new apps.
teachScape moduleS for leaderS
and teacherS
(www.teachScape.com)
The company has developed the
Data-Driven Instruction Series content
library, which has four new modules
for helping educators use data to plan
and implement effective instruction.
The Modules for Leaders help teachers get up to speed on using data
to engage in continuous improvement. The Modules for Teachers
focus on ways to collect and analyze data and on conducting alterna-
tive methods of formative assessment, respectively.
texthelp SyStemS cloud-BaSed
appS for moBile deviceS
(www.texthelp.com)
The company has announced the release of a
suite of Web Apps, including Read&Write Web
and eBook Reader for Bookshare eBooks. These
Web Apps work on the iPad, iPod touch, and
other mobile devices as well as PCs and Macs.
Read&Write GOLD users benefit from using familiar
features along with flexible mobility and instant
accessibility to these powerful web support tools.
vizzle player app for ipad
(www.monarchtt.com)
Monarch Teaching Technologies has
announced that the app is now available
for the iPad on the Apple App Store. The
app gives children with autism access to
visual support and lessons through a fun
multi-touch display and helps educators
retrieve important academic and social-
skill-building lessons.
weejot
(www.weejot.com)
Jadu, Inc. announces a service that
helps organizations publish apps to
the mobile Web. Schools can deploy
and manage mobile Web applications
based on apps and icons that can be
deployed to mobile devices supporting HTML5 and CSS3 standards.
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Source: San Antonio Independent School District, San Antonio, TX: Self-Reported Data 2011
Afterr 11 yyyeeeaarr off TTTII MMaatthhhFFFFoooooorrrwwwwa wwaarrd,,
GET STARTED IN YOUR DISTRICT
Contact an Education Technology Consultant at MathForward@ti.com
or 1-877-4MYMATH (469.8462). To learn more about the program, visit
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2012 Texas Instruments Image courtesy of Thinkstock. AD11511
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