Monitor that Saves on Power

If rising electricity bills have your budget in a bind, Lenovo’s latest monitors can reduce power consumption by as much as 35 percent without reducing brightness. The 17-inch L174, for instance, cuts power use by 25 percent, and there are also screens that measure 15-, 19- and 22-inches. The L174 sells for $240 and will be available in mid-April.
Specs: 15-, 17-, 22-inch LCD monitor
Bottom line: The Lenovo L174 monitor cuts expenses by using less power.

New Leadership Institute [NSBA NEWS, Orlando]

Reliance Communications, makers of SchoolMessenger, announced a new Leadership Institute, the RCLI Professional Development Series. The suite includes instructor-led courses, performance improvement tools, collaborative professional forums, research and information resources, and a research-based process for enhancing school district, parent & community involvement.

SchoolNet Launches New K12 Social Networking Community [NSBA NEWS, Orlando]

To celebrate their 10th anniversary, SchoolNet has announced a new social networking for K12 educators. The site is broken down into “viewpoints” where educators can share their opinions about issues that matter most to them; “ask the community” where the community can respond to specific questions; “discussions” where the community can have an online conversation; and a “K12 wiki” where educators can set up a wiki.
Bottom Line: The social networking site is clean and easy to navigate. A good source for ideas and issues that really matter to K12.

New Screening Software Includes Background Checks [NSBA NEWS, Orlando]

As teacher scandals hit the headlines, administrators are increasingly concerned about the background of their employees. This means the time is right for the launch of the new website, www.backgroundchecksforschools.com. This site, from security leader General Information Services, screens any potential school employee against a huge instant criminal database (KwikScreen) that includes sex offenders and a national watch lists with photos of offenders from 49 states. The site also re-screens all employees to make sure organizations remain compliant, since if you only run a background check on the initial hire date, you can miss a crime that an employee, parent or volunteer commits during the following year.
Bottom Line: Many schools currently run statewide checks to help promote the safety of their pupils and employees. A national check through the largest criminal screening database in the nation can provide more certainty that even transient offenders who have committed crimes in other states are identified and eliminated from the job or volunteer pool.

New Special Education/IEP Writer from Sapphire [NSBA NEWS, Orlando]

Special education has been described as “the monster in the closet,” and it’s certainly an issue most administrators need to address. K12 Systems, a provider of administrative software solutions, now offers the Sapphire Special Education Software/IEP Writer. This web-based special education software is specifically designed for special education programs. The product includes the following modules: referral, eligibility, IEP processing, 504 documentation, caseload management, and Medicaid reimbursement, with multiple levels of security within each application.
Bottom Line: The Sapphire Special Education Software/IEP Writer gives educators tools to manage IEPs and the overall special education process. As IEP data is entered, compliance requirements are automatically verified to help ensure paperwork is completed accurately and on time.

Army Offers Free Test Prep – No Strings Attached [NSBA NEWS, Orlando]

The Army wants a few good students – and they’re willing to offer some free test prep courses to prepare them. I was skeptical, but they were right: no strings appear attached to the March 2 Success mini course offerings. Students CAN choose to be contacted by an army recruiter, but they have to check a box if they are interested. The courses range from Comp English to SAT/ACT Prep to advanced science.
Bottom Line: Students simply answer a few quick questions for a free 45-day registration where they can access dozens of courses. The army rep states about 10-percent of the students registered request to be contacted by an army recruiter, so that’s the payoff for them.
Free

Technology Keeps Home-Bound Student in School

Are you looking for ways to reach out to your home-bound students? A story from Agnes Risley Elementary School is an inspiring model of how technology can be used to reach out to this population.
When Celest McCaskey had Leukemia, her chemo treatments left her too weak to attend classes. Her condition cut her off from her school and social community – until her fourth grade teacher, Brian Crosby, figured out a way to let her join in again. Crosby used Activboard interactive whiteboards, Logitech cameras, PCs, and VOIP (Skype) software to create a unique distance learning experience that made sure Celest remained an active part of the class. A little over a year later, Celest is back in class. This inspiring story is captured in Crosby’s blog and a mini-documentary. What kind of a difference would technology make to your home-bound students?

Triple Strength PC

If traditional PCs are bogging down on complex tasks, they may need some extra computing horsepower. AMD’s triple-core Phenom processor is now available in Dell’s Optiplex 740 series of desktop PCs. The chip balances power and performance with three computational cores and can protect the system with a special section to hold viruses before they can do any harm. The system can be housed in any of three different case sizes and starts at $700.
Specs: AMD triple core Phenom CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, 80-, 160- or 250GB hard drive
Bottom line: AMD’s Phenom triple-core CPU supercharges Dell’s Optiplex 740 PC.

Real World Math on Teacher Tube

Want to see the latest handheld device from Texas Instruments in action? Check out real classroom footage from Fayetteville Public School on TeacherTube. This new math initiative from TI and TeacherTube invited Fayetteville to be the first school to create videos for the Real World Math program that shows how the math lessons taught in the classroom are relevant to the real world. Fayetteville’s math teachers are posting their classes’ video submissions on at http://www.teachertube.com/ti.php. The two classes (one high school and one junior high) that produce the most creative and educational videos will each win a complete TI classroom technology makeover valued at $10,000 each.

Tablet Lets Teachers Write On

I’m sure I’m not alone in hating blackboard chalk and the smell of dry markers, so for me Qomo’s QIT 30 Prodigy tablet is a big step forward for interactive classrooms. This tablet uses wireless technology to connect with a computer, has an ultraprecise 2,000 lines per inch resolution and can run for 25 hours on a charge. The software can connect up to 30 tablets at once so a whole class can use them. Elementary schools in Bullhead City, AZ are using these tablets to create an interactive learning environment. The tablet sells for $400, and volume discounts are available.
Specs: 7.8 by 5.9-inch active area, 2.4GHz wireless link, lithium ion battery.
Bottom line: The Prodigy can connect an entire class.

ePals Introduces Applications for a Safe Online Environment

The affordable classmate PC is all the one-to-one rage, and now ePals, Inc. announces it will make it safer with a new educational application for the device that includes the ePals' Global Learning Community, SchoolMail and SchoolBlog. This application ensures educators and administrators using the classmate PC have a safe environment for building and exchanging knowledge. They can use protected email, blog, translation tools, and evidence-based curricula. 

Details: This program is part of the Intel World Ahead Program that aims to connect the next billion people to uncompromised technology around the world.

Bottom line: ePals safely connects more than 350,000 teachers from 200 countries and territories around the world, so this seems a good vendor for the popular classmate PC.

PREVIEW: Promethean Activboard+2 Upgrade

Promethean will show off its upgraded Activboard+2 interactive projector system at the NECC conference this summer. The name might be the same, but the revamped AB+2 will have a new short-throw projector that puts 2,000 lumens on the screen, one-third more than the original projector.  Plus, the screen and projector are now mounted on a belt, making it easier for small hands to adjust the height up or down as much as 24-inches. Sarasota County Schools uses the AB+2 interactive projector in 3,300 classrooms.

New Curriculum Teaches the Meaning of Words

Looking for a good resource to teach students the meaning in words? Foundations is a new program from Dynamic Literacy that teaches “morphology,” or the meaning of words. Just as phonics helps students “sound out” unfamiliar words, a mastery of Morphics helps a student “mean out” unfamiliar words. 
Grade Level: 3-5, but available for intervention in grades 6 and higher
Bottom line: This curriculum teaches students how English words are constructed by focusing on the meanings of prefixes, roots and suffixes, also known as morphemes. Once students learn the definitions of common morphemes, they gain the skills to decipher thousands of unfamiliar words, and their vocabularies increase exponentially.
Prices start at $9.95, with volume discounts to $5.95 for individual student activity books, plus $99 per teacher for software and instructional materials.

Freeing Student Data

Still using a clunky and expensive student information program that never quite does what you want it to? Miller Group’s Centre application uses open source software to help put student data exactly where you want it, and version 2.13 adds more detailed attendance records as well as the ability to personalize grade books. The best part is that it’s free.
Specs: Can handle student data, scheduling, attendance, report cards.
Bottom line: Centre can streamline a school’s operations for free.

Managing Bullying and Discipline

Administrators are faced with a unique challenge when it comes to school discipline and safety issues: proving they did enough to prevent these things from happening. This is especially tricky because accidents and discipline problems happen anyway. The PublicSchoolWORKS’ StudentWatch Suite can help with an automated web-based system for managing the tracking and reporting of student safety, accidents, and behavior issues.
Details: The Student Bullying Reporting System gives students and parents a 24/7 online and telephone system where they can report bullying incidents. It also allows schools to meet federal and state bullying requirement. The system automatically emails reports to administrators and tracks consequence resolution.
Bottom line: By quantifying the abstract concepts of discipline and safety – targeting where incidents happen and what the consequences were – administrators can use the system to prevent or decrease discipline issues, as well as provide solid reports to protect schools when bad things do happen.

Next Generation Lab Partner

Got a slew of science lab equipment that look like antiques? Pasco’s SPARK handheld can replace much of it with a single, easy-to-use handheld. The 21-ounce system fits comfortably in small hands, works with up to four sensors at once and display results on its 5.75-inch color touch-screen. The $300 SPARK system comes with 50 self-guided classroom activities and sophisticated analysis software for all sorts of lab write-ups on everything from examining the laws of motion to measuring pH. Specs: 21-ounce, 640 by 480 pixel color display, analysis software.
Bottom line: SPARK uses a variety of sensors and analysis software to teach science.

Going Green Blog through April

Tis the time of year to scramble for Earth Day lesson ideas, so let your teachers know about the new “Living Green” blog at http://sallyridescience.com. The “Living Green” blog will run through the month of April — just in time for Earth Day — with new postings each week. Teachers can introduce students to science topics such as climate change, and encourage students to think about ways they can help take care of Earth’s precious resources — air, water, land and other living things.

Bottom line: The “Living Green” blog provides teachers with interesting ways to connect the classroom to the outside world and discuss the many ways science is used in everyday life.

FREE

Email Archiver

Are emails disappearing right and left? Barracuda’s Message Archiver can create failsafe backups of a school or district’s entire email traffic. The rack-mounted Archiver, which sells for between $5,000 and $15,000, is a self-contained system that saves every email message and attachment, allowing for instant search and retrevial. The company offers free loaner units to try it out.
Specs: 500GB to 4TG storage, RAID level 1 or 5, monitoring screen shows activity and status.
Bottom line: The Message Archiver copies every email so none disappear.

Free Training Series on Google Docs through May 1

Google Docs is a free Web-based word processing program that allows users to keep documents up to date and allows selected individuals to update files from their personal computers. Atomic Learning is offering a free trainning series on the program, titled Google Docs – A Focus on Docs.
Details: Good for any teacher or administrator looking for a quick tutorial on Google Docs.
Bottom line: The training series includes more that sixty short, show-and-tell movies that guide users through the creation, implementation, and use of Google Docs. Topics include working with documents, organizing files, document options, sharing and publishing, working with collaboration, and utilizing the edit, insert and revision tab options.
FREE

In Touch With Student Response

Looking for a student response system that sends questions to students as well as their answers to teachers? iResond’s Touch can send and receive data wirelessly and display it on the handheld’s 160 by 160 pixel screen.  Along with the company’s Dashboard software, Touch has the ability to present kids with multiple choice, true/false, fill-in and other queries. It can even handle short essays as well as electronically taking attendance and handing in homework. Prices start at about $1,200 per unit.
Specs: touch-sensitive screen, 160 by 160 pixel screen,
Bottom line: iRespond’s Touch beams questions to students and answers to teachers.

Camera Free-Bee

Who says a camera has to cost hundreds of dollars? Corbis, the photo stock agency, has created five different cut and fold pinhole cameras. Called ReadyMech, all you do is download, print and put together. More than a great science project for a class, these no-cost cameras can take cool picures. Just add film.
Specs: Choice of five fold-together pinhole cameras
Bottom line: These pinhole cameras can teach optics and art skills.

Spot-On Screens

There’s nothing I hate more than spending a small fortune outfitting a school with large-screen monitors and still having teachers and kids squinting at them because they’re not properly adjusted. That’s where Joe Kane’s latest in the series of Digital Video Essentials DVD comes in. Along with a wide variety of set up and calibration screens, the HD Basics DVD contains a 97-minute overview of HD-TV basics. At $30, it’s a must-have DVD.
Specs: Available as a HD or BluRay DVD disc, audio and video calibration.
Bottom line: This disc can bring out the best from large screen monitors.

Homework Goes Handheld

Can’t get your students off those handheld games? Try sneaking in some learning. PLATO Learning has announced they will sell their popular PLATO Achieve Now program on the PlayStation Portable. The new program delivers this new educational content as a series of fun, interactive games. The software challenges students to practice, advance, and excel through games that target language arts, reading, and mathematics skills.
Grade: Elementary

Price: Starts at $725 per unit, but pricing varies depending on number of units purchased, titles purchased, etc.

Bottom Line: PLATO Achieve Now’s 57 games provide more than 2,000 hours of content, all aligned to state standards. Great for supplemental study tool.

Calling All Scientists

Do your students have what it takes to be America’s Top Young Scientists? Then check out the 2008 Discovery Education/3M Young Scientist Challenge. They are looking for a few great students and teachers to inspire others with their enthusiasm for science. Just create a short (1-2 min.) video about one of this year’s scientific topics, and your little Einsteins can win a trip to Washington, DC to compete in the YSC finals.
Deadline: June 15
To Enter: U.S. students in grades 5 through 8 may submit a video entry online at www.discoveryeducation.com/youngscientist.

Double-Duty Router

If your school’s wireless routers aren’t keeping up with the increased demands of the digital classroom, the Linksys WRT600N can help with top range and speed. This router uses the as yet unratified 802.11n spec to pump data out on two different frequencies to balance the flow of data. At $250, however, it’s premium priced.

The shiny black dual-band WRT600N router is distinctive looking with three antennas: a pair of standard stalks with a paddle in the middle. All can be aimed for peak reception, but you can’t replace them with more powerful ones to fill in dead spots. The WRT600N works on both the 2.4- and 5.0GHz bands, making it two routers in one. By targeting these data streams at different locations, a network administrator can optimize the supply of data to several classrooms or offices without any area getting shortchanged.

Straddling the old and new, the WRT600N worked well with 802.11b, g and n clients, has four gigabit per second wired ports and a USB plug for connecting an external hard drive for shared storage. It not only works with all popular encryption schemes, but its LEDs show activity and security status. On top of first rate set-up software, the router’s EasyLink Advisor software produces an iconic list of clients with IP and MAC addresses; inactive clients are gray. This allows an administrator to see at a glance who’s connected, but this bird’s eye view can’t run full screen for viewing complicated networks.

All this adds up to a winner of a wireless router with data throughput measured at 32.4Mbps and 43.6Mbps, over 2.4- and 5GHz, respectively. Several times the performance 802.11b gear, it should satisfy several classrooms or office cubicles, and clients were able to maintain a usable link at up to 140 feet.
 
For those worried that the 802.11n protocol is still in flux, the WRT600N works just fine and didn’t let us down over two weeks of intensive testing. Linksys will offer a downloadable file to upgrade its firmware when the spec is finally ratified. In the meantime, the $250 WRT600N gives administrators a jump on the rapidly changing world of 802.11n wireless routers.

Specs: 802.11n wireless, 4 gigabit wired ports, USB connector for external hard drive up to WPA2 encryption.

Bottom line: The dual band operation of the WRT600N is perfect for balancing wireless data flow among several clients.

A
Linksys WRT600N
$250
www.linksys.com

+ Dual-band operation
+ Excellent range
+ Can add hard drive

- Antennas are not removable
- 802.11n spec still in flux
- Monitoring software doesn’t run in full-screen mode

Sights and Sounds

Why replace a school’s worth of clunky desktop PCs when you can get the latest in multimedia from a notebook. Acer’s Aspire Gemstone Blue 6920 model has the most up to date hardware for creating and working with audio and video, from editing field trip clips to watching online movies. The system comes with a Blu-Ray DVD drive, up to a 320GB hard drive and the industry’s easiest audio-visual control panel to use. 
Specs: Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 16-inch display, nVidia GeForce 9500GS graphics with 128 of its own memory.
Bottom line: When you need the most up to date multimedia notebook, look no further than Acer’s Aspire Gemstone Blue 5920.

The $50 Classroom Computer

How low can computer costs go? Well, how about $50? That’s what the non-profit Innovations for Learning is charging for the TeacherMate. Easily the smallest and cheapest classroom computer, TeacherMate looks like a GameBoy, but has a 32-bit processor, half a gigabyte of flash memory and a 2.5-inch color screen, but no keyboard. It all comes together with the organization’s software for teaching math, reading and writing. With funding from a JPMorgan Chase Foundation grant, Chicago’s Jungman Elementary will get systems next month, followed by 250 schools in the city.
Specs: 200MHz ARM9 processor, 500MB NAND flash memory, color LCD.
Bottom line: Every penny counts with the $50 TeacherMate classroom computer.

Web Radio, Anywhere

Want to integrate Web radio into the classroom, but can’t spare the computers to tune in the world? The Phoenix WiFi radio from Com One lets classrooms listen to thousands of the world’s Web radio stations without tying up a computer. Able to connect with 802.11b, g or n networks, Phoenix includes stereo speakers and a built-in battery so it can go from room to room when needed. The best part is that with 8 preset favorites, the BBC World Service, Radio France and even the latest in podcasts are only a button away.
Specs: 802.11b, g or n, up to WPA2 encryption, built-in speakers
Bottom line: Bringing the world of Web radio into the class is easy with Com One’s Phoenix.

Bryan Independent School District Receives CoSN TEAM Award for Exemplary Leadership in Education Technology

Ten years ago, Bryan ISD formed a technology team, which at the time comprised just three members: a part-time secretary and two trainers. Over the years, the team grew and now boasts 41 members. Bryan also maintains an iSupport team -- a group of teachers who work with other educators to help them integrate technology in the classroom. Bryan has a similar program for principals called i3Lead. Technology is not only used in classrooms at Bryan ISD, but for school business operations and Web-based communications with the broader school community. This innovation received the recognition of CoSN during their 13th Annual K-12 School Networking Conference in Washington, DC, with the TEAM Award for Exemplary Leadership in Education Technology. This award celebrates the achievements and contributions of the team of educators at Bryan ISD who have successfully leveraged education technology to impact teaching and learning.

Tell the President You Don’t Want the Tech Funding Cut

You have probably heard the news: the President's proposed FY09Budget would zero out the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. This cuts education technology funding by $267.4 million. If you want to voice your opinion on the subject before the House and Senate put forth their budget proposals, click here to enter your zip code and send a letter to your representative. Time is running short; the House and the Senate are working on a budget resolution over the next few weeks.

The Digital Music Stand

Sick and tired of paper sheet music? With the Freehand MusicPad Pro, a school’s music department can kiss paper music goodbye, and never worry about where the score sheets for the spring concert is. The device can hold a file cabinet of sheet music and there’s even an optional foot pedal for junior soloists to turn pages themselves. At $899, it’s expensive, but schools can either buy digital music from Freehhand’s library of over 98,000 pieces or scan their own.
Specs: 12.1-inch display, 64MB of flash memory
Bottom line: A music department can go digital and save on sheet music with the MusicPad Pro.

Listen to This

Looking for a way to integrate digital audio and podcasts into your class? Califone has the answer with a digital music player designed more for schools than for jogging or power walking. The Califone MP3 Player is perfect for small hands with large control buttons and screen as well as a pair of headphone jacks for side-by-side listening. It’s also the only player that limits the volume to 85dB, the maximum recommended by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.At $148, it costs less than an iPod.
Specs: 512MB of internal flash memory and can hold up to a 2GB SD card
Bottom line: Califone’s MP3 Player is an inexpensive way to bring digital audio into the classroom.

New Science and Technology Education Resources by NBC News

Are you like most schools trying to increase the number of students interested in science and math? There's nothing like primary sources to get them interested. NBC News released a collection of science and technology videos spanning the greatest scientific milestones of our era and the latest scientific discoveries. Students and teachers can explore both historic and current developments in science, like the discovery of atomic energy, the beginning moments of the space race, and the latest findings about climate change. The Science and Technology curriculum includes more than 1,000 two-to-five minute clips of current and historic scientific discoveries and technological innovations. The videos are  available online at HotChalk.

CoSN Announces Resources for Small Districts

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) annoucnces a Small District Technology Leadership wiki designed specifically for the unique adminstrator challenges faced by small districts. The wiki provides a space for collaborative work around topics like effective planning for and use and implementation of technology. CoSN, in conjunction with a grant from SRI International and support from the National Technology Activities contract with the U.S. Department of Education, has created the Small District Technology Leadership wiki to develop a set of resources that fits the needs of small school districts (those with student populations of 2,500 or less).

Portable iPod Lab

Looking for a quick way to juice up your classroom’s iPods? The new case from PARAT enables secure storage, transport and quick access to iPods for applications like language labs. The iPod Case accommodates one MacBook (or similar notebook up to 17”) and up to 20 iPods (Classic or Nano) along with their power supplies and headsets.

The Incredible Disappearing Monitor

Face the facts, desktop LCD monitors can give students a place to hide, but Nova Solutions’ H-Class Trolley, monitors can be hidden below the desk when not in use. A low voltage motor raises the display when needed and lowers it out the way when not. The best part is that all its wires are hidden below the desk.
Specs: works with 19-inch displays that are less than 16 inches wide and 2.75 inches thick.
Bottom line: Nova’s H-Class Trolley makes monitors disappear for better eye contact with students.

Thin is In

Tired of carrying around a six pound notebook all day? Maybe, the next laptop you get should weigh half as much. At less than three pounds, it’s hard to believe that Lenovo’s ThinkPad X300 is a full-powered system with one of the most comfortable keyboards available anywhere. On top of a super-strong carbon fiber case, the X300 is perfect for the clumsy among us because rather than a fragile hard drive, the X300 comes with 64GB of rugged flash memory storage. It’s available with either Windows XP or Vista, and pricing starts at $2,550.
Specs: 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 13.3-inch screen, 64GB of solid state memory.
Bottom line: Thin, light and powerful, the ThinkPad X300 is rugged enough for school work.
www.lenovo.com

Network Management Can Prevent Crashes and Attacks

We all know when the network crashes, the school comes to a grinding halt. The GigaFin FlowLine 500-F lets IT administrators quickly detect, analyze, and prevent issues like excessive bandwidth usage, undesirable applications, and server attacks. Using  the FlowLine 500-F, IT administrators  can remediate traffic flows at high speed and protect their network from undesirable traffic and bandwidth drainage.

A video demonstration featuring the FlowLine appliance series can be viewed on YouTube. 

Fave Five

If you’re looking for to automate the hiring of substitute teachers while keeping up quality standards, Frontline Pacement’s Aesop now has a Favorite Five feature. This lets administrators and teachers hire their preferred subs while the program’s dashboard can show who’s been absent and which substitutes are hired most often. The service is used in the Philadelphia School district to fill in when any of its 14,000 teachers call in sick.
Bottom line: Aesop makes sure the right substitute teacher gets the job.

Wide View Wonder

Vizio squeezes a lot of classroom display into the VW46LF, a 47-inch monitor-TV that is just 4.7 inches thick. Capable of 1,920 by 1,080 resolution, the LCD screen can show full high definition broadcasts and HD DVDs as well as the output of just about any PC. With a 178-degree viewing angle, every child gets a great view. The $1,400 screen comes with a removable stand so it’s easy to mount on a wall. 

See Data Collection in Action

When the Hector Morales' high school Chemistry class tested LabQuest with the real science experts, they caught on fast. Students jumped into an acid-base titration experiment, and within five minutes they were collecting data in real time, navigating the LabQuest Application, and seeing their graphs displayed on the color screen. See the video at:

http://www.vernier.com/labquest/hector.html

A Stop Sign for Printing

Administrators and teachers looking to reduce ink and paper expenses from printing can cut costs with GenevaLogic’s Print Limit Pro 8.0. On top of setting quotas for individuals or departments, the software monitors all aspects of printing and produce reports on who’s printing what. The package starts at $1,495 for K-12 schools, and there’s a 30-day trial at the company’s Web site.

The Right Cable. Always

With Sima Product’s USB Multi Cable with FireWire, you can forget about fumbling around for the right cable to connect a printer, hard drive or other peripheral to a computer. The seven-headed hydra cable puts every conceivable FireWire and USB connector at your fingertips. It includes desktop powered USB and FireWire plugs as well as the smaller unpowered connectors that are popular with notebooks. At $70, the cable isn’t cheap, but it will come in handy, sooner or later.