The State of the Internet

The backbone of any 21-st century school is its Internet connection, and the latest survey of America’s ability to deliver high-speed data is sadly lacking. The State of the Internet report by Akamai paints a sad picture for the broadband data that’s available for U.S. schools. South Korea leads the world with the fastest data connections with 64 percent of the country’s Internet connections delivering 5Mbps or faster. By contrast, only 20 percent were that fast in the U.S. In fact, we not only behind lagged Korea, but Japan, Hong Kong, Sweden and even Romania and Belgium.

Where’re the best and worst places to set up a digital school in the U.S.? Surprisingly, Delaware led the states with 96 percent of connections over 2Mbps. Washington state has the dubious honor of having the slowest connections in the U.S. with 21 percent at less than 256Kbps. Akamai plans on compiling this data every quarter, so we’ll be back in three months with an update.

Sneak Peek at Next Generation Adobe Software

Want a take a look and try out the next generation of Adobe’s creative tools look and act like? Well, the company just posted free downloads of CS4, which includes beta versions of Dreamweaver (Web design), Fireworks (image editing) and Soundbooth (audio editing). The trials last for 48 hours, but will remain usable for those who have active licenses for the current version of the programs. Unfortunately, you’ll need to download them separately at: Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth. Each download explains what's new in these versions.

Teacher Picks: Our Reviewer Tests Siboney Learning Group, Spelling Buzz

Diana Lawsky gives us her review of Siboney Learning Group's Spelling Buzz.

Description: Reviews the foundation of classroom instruction in spelling rules and is tied into each specific state’s curriculum standards.

Pros: It has a very bright and lively interface and the sound quality was excellent as well.  A bee called Buzz introduces each activity.  There is a program for grades K-3 and another for grades 4-6.  When using the product for K, 10 words with the short a sound were introduced.  A voice read the word, used it in a sentence, spelled the word, and read the word again.  In another exercise the student has to type the word that is spoken.  If she doesn’t do it correctly, she can press a hint button that uses the word in a sentence. If she gets it wrong a second time, the first letter of the word is filled in.  The third time wrong the word is put up on the screen and a voice reads each letter in the word.  This would help minimize frustration.  I really liked the worksheet generator.  The teacher can create worksheets on exactly whatever spelling rule the students need to practice.  Another activity lets students uncover a picture by spelling words correctly.  This is a really fun way to practice and learn an often boring subject.

Cons: None.

How would this product be useful in the classroom? This would be a great complement to classroom instruction.  Whenever the students are studying spelling, they can practice with this program.  It could be used as reinforcement whenever a student had free time. 

Price: Single license, $69.95.

New Mac OS

For schools that use Macs, it's time to download the latest update to Apple's Macintosh operating system. Available at Apple's Web site the software will boost any recent Mac to version 10.5.3, which includes a slew of changes. The big differences are changes that make Airport WiFi networks more reliable, allow smoother playback from video that's on a USB device and streamlines Spotlight searches.

Showing Video from all Sources

Once video has been fully integrated into a curriculum, it starts to come from many different sources, including a class of laptops, DVD players, cable TV and others. To quickly and efficiently put it all on-screen requires video switchers, like Extron’s SW8 VGA Ars and SW12 VGA Ars switchers, which have 8 or 12 inputs. The devices can not only sense what type of input is being used but they good for old-fashioned analog video as well as high-resolution video streams. The switchers also smooth out audio signals so everyone in the class can hear the show as well as see it.

Mars Attacks!

Your classroom, that is. At NASA’s Phoenix Web site, you can not only get a slew of information about the red planet, but the latest photos from the Phoenix Mars Lander. The probe recently landed and has started to beam back a slew of images from the northern polar region. Within a few weeks, it should start relaying the results of its search for water on the Martian landscape, a custom-made lesson plan on life as we know it. With this site, kids can check out the clock that started when the space ship landed, watch videos of the mission or take an in-depth look at the ship.

Teacher Picks: Our Reviewer Tests FLRT – a fluent reading trainer by MindPlay

Our teacher-reviewer Diana Lawsky of Lincoln School in North Bergen, NJ, gives us her review of MindPlay’s FLRT. See more teacher picks on our Instructor website.

Description: An online program designed to help students in grades K-12 read more fluently.

Pros: The word match looks very useful. The student hears a word spoken and has to click on that word on a screen with a bunch of different words. This is great practice for word recognition, using sight and sound. The eye tracking feature is excellent. It asks a student to follow a shape and tell how many times she sees it. It reinforces the proper way to read--left-to-right, top-to-bottom. The single line activity had the student watch a story line by line.  But each word in the line was only visible for a few seconds. This forces the student to read quickly. The multi-line feature uses the same idea, but a few paragraphs are put up on the screen and each word, from the top down, disappears after a few seconds. After these last 2 activities the student has to answer comprehension questions about the stories. All the activities build fluency.

Cons: None.

How would you use this in the classroom? This would be a great product for reading reinforcement.  I would use it during a guided reading session.  I’d have the students who are not working with me practice with the fluent reader on the computer.

Instant Math Tutor

If your students are having trouble grasping the concepts of algebra or geometry, Yourteacher.com’s online service can help. Aligned with popular textbooks, the site has hundreds of videos that explain and show how to work out problems in middle- and high-school math. Each lesson has a summary and a nearly unlimited number of practice and quiz problems, which has answers that are fully worked out and explained. Try out the sample lessons and the first month costs $5; after that the service costs $29.50.

Freeing Musical Software

If paying for music software doesn’t fit into your school’s budget, the HitSquad Web site can help with an excellent variety of shareware, freeware or demo software for PC, Mac and Linux computers. There’s everything from programs for teaching music to kindergarten students to a variety of digital metronomes. The best part is that it’s all free, although you’ll have to put up with ads on the site.

Are Your Schools Cyber-Safe?

You’ve got the latest filter that blocks proxies and IM and FaceBook. So, is your district cyber-safe? A new study released today from CDW Government (CDW-G) found that when asked to grade their own physical and cyber security, one-third of school districts say that they “need improvement.”  Those same districts also reported increases in physical and cyber security breaches in the last 12 months.

CDW-G’s second annual School Safety Index finds that generally districts nationally are more successful in their approach to physical safety, but IT safety still needs work.

Key findings include:

• More than half of districts are using network access control (NAC) to protect data and ensure that only authorized users and approved applications access their networks.  However, budget constraints, lack of staff resources and the need for more IT tools cancelled out districts’ efforts to improve cyber safety
• Nearly half of districts are utilizing mass notification systems, and 70 percent are using security cameras; 29 percent of districts report that security cameras have had a positive impact on district safety
• Districts should consider the instant access that IP security cameras can give their local police.  While more schools are using security cameras, only a small number of districts give their local police force the ability to access digital footage in real-time during an emergency

The study also finds that, measured on a scale from zero to 100, the national cyber safety average this year was 38.6, down 25 percent since 2007.  How does your district rank? Check out the complete study.

Do the Math, Online

We’re frankly amazed by the scope of lessons and activities that math teachers create for their classes with Key Curriculum Press’s Geometer’s Sketchpad. The $40 program will soon be augmented with Key’s LessonLink, an online extension of the program that will contain 500 different lessons when the online service debuts in September. Aligned to popular textbooks and state math requirements, the lessons are aimed at grades 3 through 12 to help kids visually reinforce key spatial relationships and math concepts. Seeing really is believing, regardless of whether it’s showing 7-year olds that triangles have three sides or exploring trigonometry for high-schoolers. The service costs $119 per teacher for a 1-year school site license.

Big Screen on a Budget

Think spending several thousands of dollars on a large-screen monitor for a classroom is expensive, outfitting an entire school or district with displays is nearly always budget buster. At $1,000 – about half the cost of comparable screen from Sony or Samsung – Westinghouse’s TX-42F430S provides a lot of display for the money.

A full-featured 42-inch LCD screen, it’s just as good as a computer monitor as it is as a TV. Based on Westinghouse’s 1080Pure technology, the TX-42F430S displays full high-definition programming as well as showing the output of a computer at up to a crisp 1,920 by 1,080 resolution.

The 42-inch display is big enough for most classrooms with about 20 kids; the company also sells a 47-inch version for larger rooms. With a 176-degree viewing angle, even those sitting on the sides of the front row will get a good view.

At just 6-inches thick, the monitor looks great mounted on a wall. The screen comes with a base for setting it up on a table, and its black frame and base will fit the décor of just about any classroom.

The back of the screen is chock full of connection ports, but most classrooms will only use one or two. Still, it’s good to know that there are 4 HDMI plugs for future use. Although the 10-watt speakers deliver surprisingly rich and full sound, it’s easy to hook up external audio.

Setting the TX-42F430S up is simple and most teachers won’t need to look at the instructions manual. Thanks to Westinghouse’s AutoSource technology, the screen can turn on by itself when an external DVD player is started. On the downside, it mysteriously changes inputs at random. Westinghouse is working on a software fix for the problem, and in the meantime I shut this feature off.

Over the course of two months, I used the screen for watching DVDs, TV programs and displaying the output of an HP notebook. It had even lighting, sharp imaging and more than enough brightness for leaving the lights on and the shades up for video-assisted lessons.

In normal use, the screen uses 230 watts of power, or an estimated annual cost of $43 per year, based on four hours of use daily over the school year. The screen’s E.Saver feature can cut its power use when not in use from 30-watts to below 1 watt. This can save more than $20 a year, but slows the TV’s start-up.

On the downside, the system emits annoying clicks and popping noises that the screen makes for a minute or so after turning it on. It takes a few seconds to change channels and the initial image of analog channels briefly stutters. Despite these quirks, the TX-42F430S is a winner at an unbeatable price that could teach Sony and Samsung a thing or two about school economics.

B+
Westinghouse TX-42F430S
$1,000

+ Inexpensive
+ Full HD resolution
+ Excellent assortment of input choices
+ Can cut electricity bill

- Clicks and pops when started up
- Image stutters when channel is changed

Christine: Linux will never be Windows

Christine:

There are some mininotebooks in Europe that use Windows in this price range but none are available here. The closest thing to a Windows based mininotebook in this price range are a $550 model of the Asus EeePC and a $600 version of HP's Mini-Note 2133. The EeePC uses XP Home while the Mini-Note uses Vista Home.

The big thing that you'll miss if you get a Linux systems is your favorite applications. While you'll be able to use many, if not all, of your Windows files on a Linux application, the actual programs you'll use will be different. You'll probably use Open Office instead of Office and LightZone instead of Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro.   

Whether or no a Linux system can prepare a child for the 21-st centruy workforce is debatable. The differences between the applications are pretty big, but they essentially do the same things in slightly different ways. I've sed several differentLinux notebooks and the software is jsut as reliable, and oten faster than what Windows has to offer. It does take a litte time to adjust to the Linux way of things, but many schools will find it worth it in order to save about $50 a machine.

Brian: What are the limitations of Linux-based laptops ?

Thanks, Brian. Are there any Windows-based models in the under $500 price range that you like? If most of these models are Linux-based, wouldn't that rule out a lot of applications for school use? Are these Linux-based laptops still truly preparing kids for 21st century learning if they aren't teaching them the same operating systems used in the business world?

Christine: Yes, there are good small notebooks, but ...

One of the most exciting and innovative areas in school technology of late is the current crop of small notebooks. It's an area that didn't exist a year ago, and now there are a dozen such machines available throughout the world.

Overall, these are systems that weigh 2 or 3 pounds and cost about $500, so they're perfect for small hands and small budgets. The typical school needing 200 notebooks could save something like $50,000, and that's not chicken feed. 

My two favorites are HP's 2133 Mini-Note and the Asus Eee PC. For basic tasks like email, Web work and some classroom applications these systems have more than enough power and good battery life. For instance, the EeePC and the Mini-Note can run for a full school day of stop and go computing.

As to performance, don't expect too much. In many cases they'll do everything that a teacher or administrator needs, but they're not going to blow you away with speed or graphics. Two things you might have to do without are Windows because many use inexpensive Linux instead and the peace of mind that a 3-year warranty provides.

Christine, the bottom line is that these are basic machines, but ones that should satisfy all but the most power-hungry users.

Hey Brian -- Should Admins Use Those Cheap Laptops?

I've been thinking about getting a cheap laptop to use for simple word processing and email, which got me thinking. Which one makes the most sense for business, if any? Like many administrators, I want something light, cheap and hardy that has the guts to tackle basic business functions. Have you seen any low-end laptops that fit that bill? Which models have you tested that really impressed you?

OLPC Goes Windows

The love-hate relationship between MIT’s One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) and Microsoft has shifted back towards romance with OLPC announcing that its XO school notebook will soon have a Windows XP option. Microsoft has spent a year adapting and squeezing the Windows code base so it would fit on the limited resources of the low-cost notebook. On the downside, it is said that the cost of the Windows version will raise the price tag to $200, double what the group’s original goal. Nicholas Negroponte, OLPC’s founder, said that there will also be dual-boot versions that can run either Linux or Windows.

Teacher Picks: Our Reviewer Tests Knowledge Adventure’s Activity Builder

Our teacher-reviewer Diana Lawsky of Lincoln School in North Bergen, NJ, gives us her review of Knowledge Adventure’s Activity Builder. See more teacher picks on our Instructor website.

Description: The Activity Builder is an online product that allows teachers to customize activities for various subjects.  Teachers can create worksheets, games, letter cards, flash cards, puzzles, sentence strips, word wall cards, homework assignments, and tests.

Pros: I love the idea that the teacher can customize the work and the site is very easy to navigate. The home page is uncluttered and laid out in an easy to understand style.  The left side of the screen lists FAQs, Instructions, Manuals, and Contacts.  Under Manuals are sample activities to give you an idea of what the product can do.  This is a really helpful feature for the first-time user. The right side of the screen consists of buttons to take you to activity builders for Letters, Numbers, Pictures, and Words. There are also buttons that take you to your Saved Lists and Black Line Masters.

I looked at Pictures (which include math activities), Numbers, Words, and Masters.  Masters had pre-made, non-customizable activities that touched on various math subjects as bar graphs and base 10.  Under Pictures you could create an activity for lessons in shapes, clock, money, etc.  Selecting fractions in the Pictures section, I created flash cards and a cube for the students to make representing ½, 1/3, ¼.  The Words category lets you select Words students need to know in each subject.  What’s great about this category (and the picture category) is that there’s a district link included.  At the moment, there’s only CA and PA listed.  Within each state, there are links to grade levels.  This would be an amazing tool for teachers when all states are listed.  In the numbers category, a large number of activities can be created using 8 different math operations.  For subtraction, I created an old maid game, a write 3X each sheet, and a test.

Cons: As mentioned above, this product would be much more useful if it listed every state’s requirements (at least NJ’s!).   Also, using fractions as an example, I wasn’t able to create activities for anything besides ½, 1/3, ¼.  (Although I was able to create a huge number of activities for those three fractions.) But perhaps this has to do with the grade levels targeted.

How would you use this in the classroom? This is an extremely useful product.  I would use it for in class exercises, homework, to create flash cards, to create activities that students would enjoy, and to create tests.  It would also be good for enrichment.  Whenever students have free time, they could do a word search or a puzzle and reinforce whatever is being taught in the classroom.

Sky’s the Limit

If you’ve ever wanted to bring the sheer delight of astronomy and space exploration into your classroom, Microsoft makes it easy and free. The company’s Worldwide Telescope program uses Web 2.0 Visualization software to give classes guided tours of the cosmos. On top of explanatory videos, the site has a rich array of digital images of the sky taken by a variety of world’s telescopes. Just download the 20MB beta application (and Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 if you don’t already have it) and buckle your seatbelts because your class might make a quick stop at one of Saturn’s moons on its way to Andromeda and beyond. Like all software that’s still being developed, Worldwide Telescope has its quirks and at times it surprisingly slow, but when it blast offs, it can propel a class of kids into outer space.

Minding the Office

Drowning in paperwork and files, and what school isn’t these days? Hunter Systems’ School Minder can help digitize an entire school’s activities to streamline its operations. The software has modules for creating class schedules, tracking grades, attendance and even an extensive section on discipline.

Talking Wikis

It’s no surprise in the K12 2.0 world, wikis are a hot way to go when collaborating with school peers, whether it’s for professional development or sharing projects with students from around the world. Take Mr. Bartels, a high school teacher in NC. He says wikis are a great way to improve communication with parents and share student work. He uses the free Wetpaint wiki tool, but there are plenty of other free wiki tools like PBwiki and WikiSpaces. Mr. Bartels explains why he likes wikis.

Why wikis & education?
With the current generation of students being more technologically savvy than ever before, digital space has become a viable and important tool for educators. Wikis supply digital publication without needing to have knowledge of coding or private server space. In other words, incredibly easily published web space.

It’s hard to explain to a parent why a student got a “B” on an essay when they can’t see the “A” students’ work. Well, now they can and they can see for themselves how students compare. It’s a real eye-opening experience for parents. The conversation then turns into, ‘how can I help my child versus why is he getting this grade.’ That’s huge.

Why Wetpaint wikis?
Creating and editing my Wetpaint classroom pages is just as easy as creating and editing a simple text document on my desktop. Wetpaint allows the user to decide how "open" he or she wants his or her page to be.

Finding Those Pesky Photos

Ever spent the better part of a class period searching in vain for a particular image you need for a lesson? Anyone who’s integrated digital photos into their classroom knows well the frustration of losing or not being able to find a specific photo. HP’s Simple Save Photo software can help by cramming as many as 2,000 pictures on a DVD rather than filling up your computer’s hard drive. The software finds and copies every photo and puts them on a DVD for safe keeping. A five-pack of SimpleSave DVDs costs $15, but the program doesn’t work with Macs.

Up to Date Mac Office

Why invest in expensive software and miss out on getting the latest version of it? The first thing I do when installing new software is to set the major programs to automatically download updates at night when students are (hopefully) sound asleep. A few weeks ago, Microsoft offered its AutoUpdate 2.1.1 for Mac, which funnels new Office software to Mac computers. Today, the company adds the first Service Pack for Mac Office 2008. The software is meant to improve performance, security and stability to the software suite. The download details are available at the Mactopia site, but if you use the AutoUpdate program, it can be done while you're snoring.

Meet the E-Learning Queen

We spend a lot of time searching the Web for the best resources for teachers and Susan Smith Nash’s E-Learning Queen site is a real winner. It’s appropriately named because she writes about such diverse topics as creating online courses and using cell phones to enhance learning in a clear and informative style. Check out her recently-posted tips for getting the most out of an online Webinar and don’t miss the photo of her friend’s Corgi, whose name is Gizmo. Very fitting.

Teacher Picks: Our Reviewers Test Kidspiration 3

Every issue of Instructor magazine includes a section called “Teacher Picks.” Our teacher-reviewers test these products in their classrooms and share their feedback. Here, our reviewer Diana Lawsky of Lincoln School in North Bergen, NJ, gives us her review of Kidspiration 3.

Description: A cross-curricular software program that allows students to understand subjects (reading, writing, math, social studies) visually.

Pros:  The interface is beautiful and colorful.  As you mouse over something, such as the tool bar, a woman’s voice reads what it is.  A student can highlight anything he/she wants read and click an icon that looks like an ear to have it read.  This way it could be used by kids who do not read yet or who are poor readers.  The toolbar also has a dictionary, undo and redo buttons, and buttons that let kids see their work in a picture view or writing view.  They can save their work, export it or even send it to a hand-held device.  It is very intuitive.  I tried the reading and writing activities first.  When a student is finished with a lesson he can type his name into a box and print out his work.  There’s a great clipart selection.  They can choose fonts, background colors, and more.

Cons: Visually it is stunning but the voice is a little tinny and stiff-sounding. Also, it didn’t seem to correct student work.  This is not necessarily negative.

How would you use this in the classroom? Much better than boring old worksheets or workbooks! If students could connect to it at home or work with it in a school lab, it could be used to create some really attractive reports.  ANY kind of practice work in ANY subject could be done in this program.

AntiVirus Upgrade

Administrators that use Symantec’s Norton AntiVirus 2007 to protect their schools’ computers will get a surprise free upgrade. All systems with up to date subscriptions will be able to download the 2008 edition of the program at no charge. The latest edition of Norton AV adds faster virus scans and one-click access to an online security expert if there’s a problem. The 60MB download automatically installs itself, although you might need to update the subscription information manually.

Document Camera for Close-Ups

If items get blurry when you zoom in on them with a document camera, you probably need a higher resolution camera, like Samsung’s SDP-6500DXA. With 1.5-megapixels at its disposal, this camera has a 12X zoom lens for extreme close-ups as well as the ability to send its images to a PC or directly to a projector or monitor. Chock full of features, the SDP-6500DXA has a timer for creating elapsed movies, Secure Digital flash card slot and shake reduction circuitry. Price: $3,600.
Specs: ½-inch charge coupled device sensor, 12X optical zoom, 15 frame-per-second video.
Bottom line: Samsung’s SDP-6500DXA provides the vision to get every detail.

….And More IRA Highlights

A couple of other quick peeks at some IRA new product announcements:

• Carson-Dellosa split the grade levels for their popular Four-Blocks series. Now literacy teachers can choose a series for their specific grade rather than buy grades 1-4. The model follows the four reading approaches: guided reading, self-selected reading, writing, and working with words.
• The new Junior Grade Books from the Great Books Foundation are high-interest, attractive, multicultural books that include improved teachers’ editions with more helpful classroom tools to inspire kids to read.
• Voices Reading is a unique literacy program from Zaner-Bloser that integrates core character development skills into books and activities.
• Super Kids is a super cute early reading program targeting K-2. Designed back in the 70s by Pleasant Rowland (known best for creating the mega-hit American Girl products), she got the rights back recently and re-launched the program with all new graphics and intuitive literacy development books.
• Word Warm-ups was just one of the reading programs being displayed by Read Naturally. This audio-supported phonics and decoding exercises program helps kids who need extra support when learning phonics.

Worksheet Central

Who hasn’t gotten into an all-too comfortable groove by using the same tired old worksheets every year. Ben Rimes of the TechSavvy Educator has a different and more creative approach to worksheets that are more accessible and keyed to the lesson. For a segment on local native Americans, he and his class made a series of worksheets with color images and short captions in a circular pattern around the central theme. I really like his matter of fact way of explaining how he made the sheets, which should inspire others to do the same. Sure, they take more time than photocopying the old standards, but it’s worth it when the kids’ eyes light up.

Instant Intercom and More

Here at Tech Tools, we love seeing innovative devices that let teachers forget about technology concentrate on, well, teaching. AMX’s MVP-5200i Modero ViewPoint can help by letting an instructor control the classroom’s lights, cooling and heating as well as a slew of AV equipment, including a projector. The device uses advanced voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology to create a use-anywhere intercom for a school. The center of attention is the MVP-5200i’s 5.2-inch color display, which lets a teacher control everything at the touch of a button. The system connects via WiFi and can handle everything but an unruly class.
Specs: 5.2-inch color screen, VOIP intercom, microphone and speakers, 128MB of flash memory.
Bottom line: The MVP-5200i puts the whole classroom of electronics at a teacher’s fingertips.

Service Pack 3 is back

It's back. After a little checking, Microsoft has resumed downloads of Windows XP's Service Pack 3, which consolidates thousands of individual operating system updates. They recommend those organizations that use Microsoft's Dynamic RMS (Retail Management System)for their accounting systems not to use update. A separate update will be ready by the end of the month, according to Microsoft.

IRA Today

The IRA conference in Atlanta is quite the hot spot to be. Here’s a snapshot of some new things I’ve seen:

For graphic novel lovers: ASDO announces their Spotlight series that focuses on good-quality graphic novels.

Nonfiction Reading Assessment: Recorded Books launched a companion to their Plugged into Reading courseware: the new Plugged into Fiction with high-interest titles for grades 5-12.

Differentiated Literacy Tools: Dynamic Literacy introduced online differentiated content for its WordBuild Elements series that helps kids in grade 4 and up break down words to increase vocabulary.

Free Stuff:Thinkfinity.com has been around a while but if you don’t know about it, check it out. TONS of free lessons, videos, and more.

Guided lessons and activities: the new ZoomIn from Curriculum Associates (launching Fall 08) gives teachers guided instruction and lessons broken down into helpful bite-sized pieces.

ETA/Cuisenaire adds standards-based Classroom Jeapordy! games for math, reading and science.

Free Books Penpal program: The ePals product, in2books.com, will offer Free books and online penpal correspondence to Title 1 programs.

Free PD: PBS Teacherline offers free instructional resources on developing effective questioning techniques.

Pair of Power Projectors

If your projector lessons get washed out by leaving the lights on or the shades up, Epson’s latest projectors are more than bright enough. While the Powerlite Pro G5350NL creates an XGA image and can blast a room with 5,000 lumens of light, the G5200WNL delivers 4,000 lumens and has a wide-screen WXGA resolution. That’s about double what the typical classroom projector provides. Both projectors use 3LCD screen technology and have network connections so administrators can centrally control them. The G5350NL costs $6,098 while the G5200WNL sells for $5,098.
Specs:
G5350NL—5,000 lumens, XGA resolution, LAN connections
G5200WNL—4,000 lumens, WXGA resolution, LAN connections
Bottom line: The latest projectors from Epson are bright enough for any classroom situation.

Filling in a School’s Inevitable Wireless Gaps

What school’s wireless network doesn’t have nooks and crannies that leave entire classrooms unconnected? Panasonic’s BL-PA100KTA can inexpensively fill them in without the expense of running networking cables. The system works by piggy-backing data onto the building’s AC power network, so data can flow anywhere there’s an outlet. It’s capable of moving up to 190Mbps, can be protected with advanced encryption software and has a list price of $150.
Specs: Top speed: 190Mbps, range: 450 feet, 128-bit AES encryption.
Bottom line: By using a school’s electrical wires, data can reach every room.

Free Scholastic Webinar on Teacher Retention May 8, 2-3

My partner in blog world, Brian, reminded me of another free resource that we just happen to be giving away at Scholastic. Inspired by the article on teacher retention by Pamela Shorr in our March-April issue, we assembled a group of top experts to tell you how to keep your teachers teaching – and this advice won’t cost you a nickel. Check it out on May 8 from 2-3 p.m. EST. Sponsored by NetOp.
Bottom Line: The webinar will discuss tech-literacy and how to keep the new generation of tech-savvy teachers challenged and satisfied in their jobs. What are effective ways in which these teachers can be encouraged to grow professionally, collaborate, build skills, and advance in their careers through technology? What role should administrators play in hiring and retaining teachers with an eye to this technology?
Details: Registration is free, but you have to do it by May 7!

Library Management System Lets Students be the Reviewer

Trying to get those library books off the shelves? Help your librarians get their kids reading by asking them what they think. Students are for more likely to check out a book recommended by their peers so the latest Follett Destiny Release lets kids rate their favorite reads using a five-star rating that includes a text review of the book that other users can read. The new release also features a Visual OPAC that lets students display larger text, simpler icons, and book cover images. The enhanced graphic search is designed to appeal to elementary-level students or emerging readers. The program even helps students who may have misspelled a search term by showing a “Did you mean?” prompt that gives up to five alternate term suggestions.
Bottom Line: “The ability to show the top 10 readers and classrooms is awesome,” said Paula Yohe, director of technology/library media center for Dillon School District Two in Dillon, S.C., one of the first districts to use Destiny 8.0. “The ability to promote top readers and top homerooms really helps to motivate students to read.” She thinks the student rating/review function is “just so cool. Letting kids see peer recommendations on books is just so meaningful to them. And for kids to be able to share their own ratings and reviews is great for their self-esteem.”

Teaching Teachers for Free

Here at Tech Tools, we love nothing better than to show you something helpful that doesn’t cost a penny. This time, it’s a free series of how to books about using Microsoft software in the classroom by Bernard John Poole, an associate professor of instructional technology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, PA. Education World has posted his latest effort, Essential Microsoft Office 2007, which has 10 tutorials. The chapters cover the basics as well as some sophisticated techniques and can help integrate this incredibly complicated program into a teacher's day. There are lessons on everything from how to create artwork to figuring out Excel’s formulas. Our favorite is a step-by-step sequence on how to create an attractive and functional grade book with Excel. Each lesson is aimed at teachers and packaged in an Acrobat .pdf file, making it easy for class use. The free book version as well as others are available at http://www.pitt.edu/~poole/onlinebooks.htm

Hold off on XP's SP3

A few days ago I told you that Microsoft released Windows XP's Service Pack 3. Now, there are reports that some of those who loaded the software update have had problems with point of sale computers. At this point all I can say is, you should hold off loading it on school PCs. Microsoft has suspended automatic delivery of SP3 and is looking at the software. We'll report back later when the situation has stabilized.

Cleaning up a Monitor’s Power Act

If you think you don’t need a surge protector for your classroom’s TV, projector or monitor, think again. The equipment is not only expensive but sensitive to electrical surges that Ultralink’s UltraPower PS-103 can protect against. In addition to three protected power outlets (one of which rotates), the device filters the cable signal to eliminate noise. The PS-103 costs $50.
Specs: 3 AC outlets, coaxial cable in and out, protects from surges of up to 1,080 joules
Bottom line: Protect your school’s AV investment with a TV surge protector.