Brain Workout

Looking for a workout for your noodle? The Core Mind Builder CD-ROMs promise some mental pushups with hundreds of hours of intelligence testing designed by top MENSA puzzle editors and test experts. The software builds abstract and logical reasoning powers with hundreds of challenging questions and brain teasers. The Core Mind Builder Pro includes four interactive CD-ROMs that include verbal and math tests, and IQ and Aptitude Builders. Not bad for less than forty bucks.

Cheap Thrill

At $150, DXG’s 566V is quite possibly the best bargain in video for schools. Whether it’s for a field-trip movie or graduation clips that will be distributed on a Web site, the camcorder delivers with 30 frame-per-second videos at 1,280 by 720 resolution. It has a 3-inch fold-out viewing screen and the DXG 566V doubles as a high-quality 5-megapixel still camera. Rather than using bulky tapes or optical media, the 566V puts its stills and clips onto inexpensive Secure Digital flash memory cards.

Epson Joins Short Throw Projector Party

Epson is the latest projector-maker to introduce a short-throw digital projector, and the PowerLite 400W can fill a 7-foot screen from only 3.5-feet away. It can not only work in small rooms, but reduce shadows for a teacher who works close to the screen. The wide-screen projector uses three LCD panels to produce 1,800 lumens of brightness, has a 10-watt speaker and can show high definition movies and TV. The projector has a 4,000 hour lamp and features network monitoring and control.

Win a Document Camera: Contest Runs Through April 18, 2008

Do you have a winning a document camera lesson? AVerVision’s Lesson Plan Contest asks educators to submit a lesson plan relating to one of six subjects that includes a document camera as the primary technology or demonstration device. One new AVerVision document camera and $1000 will be awarded to the winner of each subject category.  Subject categories include: Mathematics, Science, English/Language Arts, History/Social Studies, Art/Music, and Other. The contest runs between January 25 and April 18, 2008. Winners will be chosen and announced by May 2, 2008.

Big Class, Small World

When Celestron starts selling its LCD Digital Microscope (LDM) in March, it will allow science teachers to not only talk about the inner works of bacteria and cells, but show it to the entire class as well. With its own flat screen, the LDM’s 2-megapixel camera can show the micro world up close. The kit comes with everything needed to explore a micro world, including three objective lenses that can yield up t o 400X magnification, which can be raised four-fold with the microscope’s digital zoom. A preview of the microscope can be seen at www.celestron.com. 

Leapfrog Blends Fly and Leappad in New Handheld Tool

The new Tag School Reader from Leapfrog debuted at FETC, and it is a very cool little device. Kids log into this pen-like device and simply scan the tip over text in a series of Tag Readers to hear the words read aloud. The Tag Reader library will include popular storybooks, kids’ classics, and transition readers, including high-interest titles like Miss Spider’s Tea Party, Cars, Spongebob, and I Spy. Thanks to a high-tech pattern printing using Composer software, the pen automatically recognizes each new Tag title simply by scanning the pages. Another perk: all reading activity is automatically logged into a management system that evaluates things like time on task and which words students scanned repeatedly. Pricing is expected to be about $500 for a center pack (includes 8 readers and software); $1300 for classroom kit (includes 24 readers and software). A consumer version will release this spring; the education version of Tag starts shipping in August.

Free Whiteboard Lessons

A new SMART microsite launched this month offers free Notebook collaborative software lessons. The theme this quarter is math & science, featuring five original Scholastic-branded lessons – all aligned to standards. The site also includes contests and plenty of other helpful links, articles, and how-tos for both new and experienced whiteboard users. Watch for upcoming themes: Earth Day lessons in April, and back To School lessons in August.

The Need for Scanning Speed

The latest development in high-speed scanners for schools is Pearson’s iNSIGHT 30, a tiny device that’s capable of turning up to 75 pages a minute into color and grayscale digital documents. It can not only handle a variety of page sizes and paper weights but the ScanTools software automatically orients the image for the operator. Perfect for inputting and reading automated tests, grading, attendance and employment records, the iNSIGHT 30 is a cost-effective way to turn paper into pixels.

FETC Numbers are In

According to RB Oppenheim Associates, the PR firm handling FETC, FETC had about 8,000 attendees (about the same as last year) and 480 exhibitors (up from 450 in '07). The workshop attendance almost doubled from last year (from 950 to 1850), with impressive speakers like our own Alexander Russo taking an inside look at NCLB.

SAFARI Montage Integrated with Promethean Activboard

Educators can now present content from SAFARI Montage’s video-on-demand digital media management system on the Promethean Activboard. Users can freeze frame video and annotate over it by using the pen to write notes and hightlight information. SAFARI Montage lets users save, meta tags and share Promethean lessons, saved on flipcharts, on their district’s central server.

NetSupport Notify Desktop Alert Mass Notification System

Need to notify your school community on the fly? Mass notification systems are an easy way to do this (see our coverage of this topic in Administrator). The new NetSupport Notify desktop alert mass notification system sends instant alerts across a LAN or WAN. Unlike most LAN-based messaging solutions, NetSupport Notify provides a dedicated notification gateway that allows the message to be delivered across multiple network segments without network modifications or switch configuration.

CTB/McGraw-Hill Releases White Paper Showing Benefits of Acuity Assessments

Schools are all about the research, so CTB/McGraw-Hill released a white paper that highlights the benefits of technology-enhanced formative and interim assessments, including CTB/McGraw-Hill’s Acuity suite of assessments, in supporting student achievement. “Promoting Student Achievement Using Research-Based Assessment with Formative Benefits,” delves into independent research studies to show that technology-enhanced formative assessment can be an effective solution to accelerate student performance and meet achievement goals -- including low-performing students.

Best Practices Guide to One-to-One Computing Released

Want to start a one-to-one program, but not sure how to get started? The Center for Digital Education and MPC Gateway released the K-12 2.0: A Complete Guide to One-to-One Computing in the K-12 Environment. The handbook includes expert information and real-world examples about designing and supporting one-to-one programs. K-12 2.0 features results and analyses of successful and replicable one-to-one deployments from across the nation, and offers guidance on budgeting for one-to-one initiatives and potential funding streams. Professional development and classroom management tips also included.

Discovery Education Introduces Media Management and Content Collaboration Service

Teachers love to integrate video clips into lessons, but managing all that media can get unwieldy. Discovery Education’s new MediaShare web-based media management service allows administrators, media specialists and teachers to upload, correlate, manage, and distribute user-created or licensed digital content. Using MediaShare, educators can upload content to either locally hosted servers or to Discovery Education servers, allowing teachers, parents and students to access digital content from anywhere.  Once content is uploaded, administrators have the flexibility to set sharing permissions to ensure users have the correct level of access to digital assets.

Alio Update on the Way

Just half a year after its launch, Weidenhammer has updated its flagship alio software suite for schools to provide administrators with more ways to streamline the human resources aspects of a school or district. Version 8.2 not only includes automated processing of employee W-2 and vendor 1099 forms, but adds a section on handling and tracking grants. Staffers will likely find that the software’s new variable column format gives them more control over the program and the ability to create more meaningful reports.

Funds For Learning Releases E-rate Report

Were you one of 2007’s 23,000 applicants vying for e--rate funding? See how you match up with the other schools submitting in a new Funds For Learning report titled, "The Average E-rate Applicant."  In this report, Funds For Learning creates a profile of the average E-rate applicant based on funding requests received for the 2007 Funding Year, looking at issues like site averages, funding request averages, and average request by category.

HP Announces Mobile Thin Client Computer, Teacher Community Site

HP had three big announcements, but I can only tell you about two (the last biggie comes on tax day, April 15, so stay tuned).

The first is a mobile thin client computer – which means everything, even the operating system, is delivered to the thin client, but stored on the school network. This makes the HP Compaq 6720t Mobile Thin Client more secure, easy to update, and green-friendly since they require less energy than a traditional notebook. Although your IT folks will have to help get these up and running, teachers and admins should like it with a little training.

The other news is an online community being developed “By Teachers, For Teachers.” HP is asking for the help of teachers to share their lesson plans videos, projects, and more to populate the Teacher Experience Exchange site with content and develop an online community. The official launch will be June-ish, but teachers can hop on now to send their ideas.

Leapfrog School Launches New Online Version of Link to Lessons [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

Link to Lessons, Leapfrog’s database of preK-2 lessons, is now online. Teachers can find more than 6000 skill-based, standards-aligned activities for individualized instruction and tracking student progress. This is the news I can tell you about. There is a much bigger announcement – but I’m sworn to secrecy until Monday, so check back then!

Qwizdom Announces Free Digital Learning Network [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

Qwizdom, known best for the student response systems, has added a new online content sharing digital learning network – and it’s FREE. Qwizdom Connect gives educators quick access to peer-created materials, along with reporting features, thousands of images and other media, games, and more. Teachers can quickly make their favorite lesson interactive, share it with their peers, and even make a quiz.

Compass Announces Odyssey High School Program [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

As schools begin to get more pressure to offer credit recovery and intervention programs at the high school level, Compass reponds by offering a new program to support secondary market. The high school Odyssey program integrates its management and assessment features into eight core subjects, ranging from Algebra to U.S. Government.

CDW-G Launches 21st Century Classroom Microsite [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

The digital classroom has many faces depending on your school size, budget, training, etc. CDW-G offers a look at this ideal 21st Century classroom on its new microsite. While mostly a shopping list of the products they offer, there are some good lessons on integrating technology into the classroom, like creating digital stories, movies, and podcasts.

Engage and Prosper

Pearson today introduced its innovative Engage Response System today at the FETC show in Orlando. Developed with Renaissance Learning, Engage is capable of being integrated with the company’s Prosper assessment software, creating a complete tool for teachers to fully assess student progress. Students can answer with a number, yes-no, true-false or with letters A through E for multiple choice questions. An Engage classroom kit starts at $2,200.
More info is available at the Engage site

New Edition of Voyager Passport Reading Intervention Program [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

The latest release of Voyager Passport Reading Intervention Program -- the company's reading intervention program for K-5 students -- adds a reading technology component called Ticket to Read, a website  designed to increase reading speed, comprehension and vocabulary through a reward system that promotes reading practice.  Students read high-interest passages at increasing levels of difficulty and take passage quizzes to demonstrate they understood what they read -- all while earning points to use in customizing their personal clubhouse.

Adaptive Curriculum Launches at FETC

Educators continue to search for new ways to improve math and science instruction for their students. Adaptive Curriculum is an online learning system that debuted today at FETC. The online learning system offers a library of Math and Science Activity Objects aligned to national and state standards, enabling students to participate in virtual experiments, engaging simulations, scientific inquiry, and problem-based learning.  Adaptive Curriculum also includes a flexible online environment, MyAdaptiveSpace, containing simple, and tools for managing instruction.

FETC Keynote: Schools Can Save the Planet

At an early Q&A with the press, keynote speaker Jeff Corwin of Animal Planet
says, "There is no more important moment in our time where education needs
to shine. It will be interesting to see how our country will think about how
our children become future consumers of the world." Through upcoming
productions with Discovery, Corwin hopes to launch educational programs that
can spread the message of our "Planet in Peril," where problems like
amphibian extinction loom (Corwin says of the 6000 species of amphibians,
3000 may become extinct within a few decades). Watch for Earth Day like
these on the Tech Tools blog.

Hang In There

Equipping classrooms, lunchrooms and hallways with big screen monitors is just the start because to do it right you’ll need to wall-mount them. Made of sturdy powder-coated steel parts, the K4-A1-S from K2 Mounts can securely hold any 45- to-60-inch flat screen monitor on any wall while allowing the display to be moved horizontally and tilted so every student gets a good view. Designed for displays that weigh less than 198 pounds, the K4 mount comes with all the hardware needed and sells for $550.
If you’d like to see specs and design ideas, go to www.k2mounts.com

Redesigned Teacher One Stop Lesson Planner from Holt [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

In response to teacher requests for more help in designing lessons, Holt McDougal today released a completely redesigned Teacher One Stop. The latest release on DVD comes with documents, tools, and multimedia to help teachers add content to their lessons. New search tools make it easier to find what you need for just about any lesson. Teacher One Stops also lets teachers edit, adapt, search, and expand the collection of Holt resources that come with a particular curriculum.

Combining Data with IEPs [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

Are you drowning under mountains of data, and not sure how to use these tools to improve student achievement? You’re hardly alone. Siboney Learning Group’s PracticePlanet is a new tool designed to make this connection by linking standards-based test results to individual learning plans. The latest release of this program integrates Orchard’s Assessment and Assignment Builder. Now administrators and teachers can use data from Orchard assessments, state tests, and activities to customize interventions to specific student needs.

Color Laser All-in-One

Lexmark breaks the $1,000 barrier with a color laser multi-function printer that scans, copies and faxes, making the X560n perfect for a small school or a departmental office within a larger one. The system includes built-in networking, a 50-sheet feeder and can convert scanned images into Web-friendly Acrobat .pdf files. Whether it’s for a hand-out, test report or take-home flyer, the X560n is able to pump out up to 31 pages per minute in black or 22 pages in color.

The Answer is at Hand

Promethean introduced its innovative two-way Activexpression student response system today and can be seen at booth 1102 of the FETC show in Orlando, Florida. With 8 intelligent hot buttons, 4 navigation controls and a 12-key texting pad, the small wireless handheld not only lets students respond with the expected yes/no, ordering and multiple choice answers, but they can write short phrases as well as use symbols and numbers in their responses. The teacher can even send feedback messages to individuals or the entire class. With the company’s Activexpression software, the handheld dovetails with Promethean’s interactive boards and instructors can create innovate tests and quizzes on the fly. An online interactive demo is available at http://www.prometheanworld.com/uk/server/show/nav.5176

Job Site for Educators

Excuse a bit of self-promotion here, but Scholastic’s new jobs site for educators is a pretty cool resource. It’s Scholastic’s first help wanted service that lists openings for teachers, administrators, librarians, and coaches, and reaches the 1.5 million unique visitors each month who use Scholastic.com already. School Jobs Now offers access to a national database of (obviously) school job openings. Job seekers can search for school- and district-level jobs by location, category, type, or salary, receive personalized alerts for jobs, and get expert advice on everything from how to have a great interview, to how to secure the best offer. Employers can gain access to a database of qualified job candidates, post jobs, manage responses, and access "Free Resume Match" for help finding candidates.

SMART Sneak Peek [FETC HIGHLIGHT]

Scholastic got an advanced look at what SMART will be revealing at FETC this week, so we thought inquiring minds may want to know:

SMART Board 600i interactive whiteboard system: This second-generation integrated system combines the SMART Board 680 interactive whiteboard with the new Unifi 45 projector -- and costs 25 percent less than the original system. 

Notebook software 10:

The latest release of this collaborative learning software offers over 30 new features. Teachers who previewed the new software at BETT especially liked the ability to make tables, record pages, use a "magic" shape pen to create spotlights and more, and create fun animation.

SMART Board 685 interactive whiteboard:

The new wide-screen interactive whiteboard – featuring a 16:10 aspect ratio -- gives teachers more work space.

SMART classroom audio system:

In keeping with ASHA requests for better audibility in classrooms, the SMART classroom audio system includes a teacher microphone, student microphone, an amplifier, speakers, and more.

Leave a Message

eBoard’s online messaging board can not only get the message out but it means that teachers, administrators, students and parents can all interact and effectively communicate without playing phone tag. With pre-made templates for everything from a classroom calendar to the school nurse, it can help every elementary school run more efficiently.
More info and a free trial are available at www.eboard.com

Free Lesson Plans for Black History Month

Looking for resources to use in February to commemorate Black History Month? RaceBridges has six free lesson plans available, including "From Flint, MI to Your Front Door: Tracing the Roots of Racism in America" that features storyteller La'Ron Williams. Williams recounts his experiences growing up as an African-American child in an area that underwent a transformation in the 60s from an all-White neighborhood into one that was all-Black. Williams recalls the impact upon his life of the 1955 death of Emmett Till, an African American teenager from Chicago, who was murdered in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. All lessons are designed for middle school and high school, and all of the materials that teachers and counselors need to conduct the lessons are included on the RaceBridges website.

Sanity in a Power Mad World

The Belkin BG108000 8-outlet surge suppressor may look like any other power strip, but it can actually save money by reducing phantom power. Most electronics device uses electricity, even when they’re turned off, and the Belkin power strip has a wireless remote control that can cut power to 6 of the 8 outlets. This can save anywhere from 2 watts for a computer monitor to nearly 30 watts for a notebook, potentially saving hundreds of dollars a year per room. The best part is that the BG108000 can protect sensitive electronics from power spikes and comes with a $100,000 equipment replacement warranty.
More info about the device is on the Belkin Web site

New RF-Based Response Pads

Response pads are all the rage. Teachers love them because they provide instant classroom feedback; administrators love that they can quantify that feedback, whether it’s measuring classroom performance, or identifying one struggling student. TurningPoint’s been a player in this market for a while, and they’ve released the ResponseCard XR. The ResponseCard XR is radio-frequency based and has a multi-line LCD display, two-way response verification, and alphanumeric entry. Educators will especially appreciate that participants can now submit essay and short answer responses to interactive questions using the ResponseCard XR. 

Thin is In

This one may be just for the principal or supervisor but Apple’s MacBook Pro Air is sure to be the envy of the entire district. Measuring just .76-inch thick, the Macbook Pro Air is razor sharp, yet has a 13.3-inch wide-screen display and weighs about 3 pounds. Powered by a 1.6- or 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, the MacBook Pro Air comes with 2GB of system memory, an 80GB hard drive and 802.11n WiFi wireless networking and Bluetooth. Look for it to appear at Apple’s stores and retail outlets by the end of January at a base price of $1,800. 

Atomic Training Version 2.0 Released

Atomic Learning, known for their short online training videos, released a new version of their latest product, Atomic Training. Atomic Training lets schools manage and deliver training videos, procedures, and other information that needs to be shared throughout the school. Network administrators will like that this latest release lets them designate users to specific groups, so they can decide who sees what information.

SMART Learning Marketplace Offers Millions of Copyright-Cleared Resources

Ask most teachers what they want more of, and the answer is usually: time. SMART Learning Marketplace can’t add hours to the day, but it can add mega content to your teachers lessons – more than one million copyright-cleared resources like video files, images, audio files, or manipulatives. The SMART Learning Marketplace is the result of an alliance between SMART and Cambridge University Press (the world’s oldest printer), and it’s fully integrated with SMART’s Notebook collaborative learning software.

The Power of 8

The latest from the MacWorld show in San Francisco is that Apple’s new Mac Pro is a speed demon. It’s just as good as a workstation for a digital art department, video editing or for a variety of purposes. Based on a pair of Intel’s latest Xeon 5400 quad-core processors, the Mac Pro has 8 individual processing engines and streamlined system architecture. With  speeds of up to 3.2 GHz, an innovative graphics processor and room for as much as 4Terabytes of data storage, the Mac Pro delivers roughly twice the performance of the server it replaces, according to Apple. The base model costs $2,799.
See it and other MacWorld introductions at Apple’s Web site

School Storage Central

These days, even the smallest schools seem to be drowning in data, with test results, administration software, videos, podcasts and a variety of digital art work by students. While the answer at most institutions has been to create pockets of storage with external hard drives, there is a better way. DLink’s DNS-323 can create a secure online storage system that is dependable, expandable and is available any place in the school or via the Internet.

Think of the black and silver DNS-323 as a self-contained file server that can hold two 3.5-inch SATA hard drives. It comes empty, so you have to buy and install the drives yourself, but its capacity can range from a few hundred gigabytes to 2 terabytes of storage potential. The drives slide in quickly, are locked in place with a lever and the temperature of drives are monitored and cooled with a built-in fan.

To get started, plug the DNS-323 in and run the company’s EasySearch software, which locates and configures it. You have the choice of static or automatic IP addressing, setting new passwords and setting up groups with a variety of access privileges for reading or writing data. This allows you to let the office staff to work with the calendar, teachers see their grade books and the principal update student discipline files of students, for example.  Because you can make the DNS-323’s contents available online via its built-in FTP server, the device is an inexpensive way to distribute documents to parents, teachers and staff.

A snag for some will be that the DNS-323 does not use the familiar Windows NTFS or FAT 32 formatting. The device does, however, give the choice of using the Linux-based EXT 2 or EXT 3 formatting depending on whether you want top performance or stability. We used a variety of Windows, Macintosh and Linux computers to read and write data.

The device is not only password protected, but can send email alerts if the drives start to fill up, fail or begins to overheat. The whole system can be remotely managed via any connected Web browser and the unit’s handy Status screen summarizes the system’s most important settings in one convenient place. A big bonus is that the DNS-323 can be used to add a USB printer to the network.

After a two-month workout with a pair of 350GB hard drives, the DNS-323 never lost a byte of data. It was able to read and write at an average of 37.1Mbps, about 15 percent faster than the SimpleShare NAS, and easily handled data requests from multiple computers without bogging down. The best part is that unlike any other self-contained network file server in its price range, you can set up the DNS-323’s drives to act independently, mirror each other’s contents or stripe the data across both drives. In other words, it’s one of the cheapest places to safely store a school’s stash of data.

A-
DLink DNS-323
$100
www.dlink.com

+ Inexpensive LAN storage enclosure
+ Good performance
+ Excellent software
+ Built-in print server

- Does not include drives

Pearson Awarded Three-Year Contract to Administer California Teacher Licensure Testing

Pearson’s Evaluation Systems group has been awarded a three-year contract to continue managing teaching certification testing for the state of California. Under previous contracts, the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson collaborated with the Commission on the development of these teacher certification examination programs. The CBEST tests basic reading, mathematics, and writing skills found to be important for the job of an educator.

Up Close

With the ability to put 3,300 lumens of brightness on a classroom screen, Benq’s MP771 projector is not only one of the most powerful classroom projectors, but its short-throw lens means it can be set up close to the screen. Capable of filling a 6-foot screen from just 39-inches away, the MP771 uses a digital imaging chip with a 6-color wheel and Brilliant Color technology. The MP771 can put bright, vibrant images on a traditional screen, blackboard or plain old wall. The projector sells for $2,500 and doesn’t require the replacement or cleaning of air filters, which lowers maintenance costs.
More information about the projector can be found at the Benq site.

Blackboard and Wimba Partner to Distribute Suite of Collaborative Online Learning Tools

Blackboard, the academic darling of online communication and content, will now distribute Wimba Collaboration Suite Express. This suite gives Blackboard K-12 community online access to voice, video, and instant messaging tools, and includes limited versions of Wimba Classroom, Wimba Voice, and Wimba Pronto.

Build Your Own Widget

Widgets are a quick way to get school info right to community desktops, whether it’s an emergency situation, or the latest trivia on the varsity football team. Widget Realm provides a desktop-ready communication tool that lets schools push information right to users’ desktops. This includes streaming video & audio, sending surveys, and updating school news and calendars. No more hoping parents visit the school Web site to check on school closings (or worse, call to get the information). Schools use this tool to push the closing details to an icon on the parents’ desktops. Those attending FETC can check them out at Booth 410.

The Price is Right

Admit it, Wal Mart may be the best place in town place to get groceries, soda and toilet paper, but notebook computers? Well, Everex announced that they will start selling their CloudBook laptop at the national discount chain store. At $400, the price is right for the two-pound system that uses a 7-inch screen. Based on a 1.2GHz Via C7-M processor, 512MB of RAM and a 30GB hard drive, the CloudBook is squarely in the camp of the Asus Eee PC, OLPC’s XO and Intel’s Classmate in the rapidly growing field of small notebooks for schools. The system uses the gOS Rocket Linux operating system, comes with a slew of applications and even base systems have WiFi wireless networking. Look for it in stores by the end of January.
Check it out at the Everex Web site.

…And More Buying; Houghton Mifflin Company Completes Acquisition of Harcourt Education, Harcourt Trade and Greenwood-Heinemann Divisions

The world of K-12 just got a little bit smaller… again. Houghton Mifflin Company completed the acquisition of the Harcourt Education, Harcourt Trade and Greenwood-Heinemann divisions from Reed Elsevier, making it one of the biggest educational publishers in the US. The acquisition combines Houghton Mifflin’s and Harcourt’s elementary, secondary and supplemental businesses, renamed Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Will this Goliath offer more goods? We’ll have to wait and see.

What Happens in Vegas, ...

Along with a slew of phones, gadgets and sore feet, this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has yielded a pair of innovative school presentation systems that push current technology to the limit. While Samsung’s 2263DX combines two LCD screens for a variety of educational opportunities, Sanyo’s PDG DWT 50L could be the best digital projector for an auditorium or large room. As is the case with new technology, high flying specs and features come with high price tags, so you might want to reach for the closest slot machine handle.
• Samsung 2263DX does a two-for by attaching an auxiliary 7-inch screen alongside a 22-inch monitor, giving the class a tag-team display. With a pair of independent views, the 2263DX opens new possibilities, like showing a physics experiment on the big screen while monitoring the data on the small screen or allowing a teacher to face the class while watching the on-screen action. The key is that the small screen can be mounted on the main display’s bezel or on its own and gets its data and power from a USB cable. On top of a pair of speakers, the system has a 2-megapixel Web Cam and microphone. The monitor sells for $550.
Information, specs and features are on the Samsung Web site.
• By building the PDG-DWT50L projector around two lamps, Sanyo has created what might be the best large venue device for schools. It is not only able to fill a 42-foot screen but its dual-lamp system pumps out 4,500 lumens of brightness and has a 2,100:1 contrast ratio. Based on a Texas Instruments Digital BrilliantColor Light Processing imaging chip, the projector can use either a four-segment color wheel for peak brightness or a six-segment wheel for color accuracy. The projector has a list price of $7,000
More info is available at Sanyo’s Web site.

Cheap to Keep?

Following in the footsteps of Zonbu’s inexpensive desktop PC, the company’s first notebook is dirt cheap, but there’s a very big financial got-cha. The price tag may be a hard to beat at $279, but you’ll need to add in the $15 a month per system Zonbu charges for support. Built by Everex, the Zonbu Notebook uses a 1.5GHz Via processor, has a 15.4-inch screen and built-in wireless networking. The key is that it comes ready for the classroom with 20 Linux programs that range from the expected word processor, Web browser and spreadsheet software to the bonus of  music programs and games. At 5.3-pounds, its light enough for elementary students to carry around, and its battery can run for about 2.5 hours.
Take a look at www.zonbu.com

One-Stop Administration

Rather than picking and choosing from a confusing menu of modules, SchoolMation software is the rare school administration progr