software & online
Atomic Learning Skills Assessment
(www.atomiclearning.com)
Atomic Learning has introduced an interactive skills assessment feature for its technology training solution. The assessments enable educators to gauge their progress through the Atomic Learning library of tutorials. The assessments offer different question types, including multiple select, multiple choice, matching, and hot spot.
Common Core Explorer
(www.commonsensemedia.org)
Common Sense Media has released Common Core Explorer, a new search tool that helps educators find digital learning products that are aligned to Common Core State Standards. The tool is the latest feature within Graphite, a free resource that makes guides for educators to apps, games, Web sites, and digital curricula for their classrooms through in-depth reviews and ratings determined by a rigorous rubric applied by a panel of educators and editors. Common Core Explorer lets teachers browse through all the Common Core State Standards and view which products are aligned to each standard.
Edgenuity Dual Credit Courses
(www.edgenuity.com)
Edgenuity has partnered with Sophia to offer dual credit, self-paced courses, enabling students to earn high school and college credit. Sophia’s “Many Ways to Learn” approach provides multiple tutorials for each topic, allowing students to identify teachers whose styles they prefer and follow those video instructors throughout the course. Topics include Accounting, Human Biology, Introduction to Statistics, Microeconomics, and Conflict Resolution. The courses are also accessible on mobile devices.
FuelEd Summer School Solution
(www.getfueled.com)
Fuel Education, a provider of personalized learning solutions, has released the FuelEd Summer School solution, offering 19 credit recovery courses and over 150 original credit core courses for middle and high school students. The program can be used in online or blended environments, with the option of using FuelEd’s certified teachers or having the company train district teachers in online instruction.
itslearning Standards Mastery and Recommendation Engine
(www.itslearning.net)
itslearning has added new tools that enhance personalized learning, communication, and development for administrators, teachers, and students. The main addition to the itslearning LMS is a Standards Mastery and Recommendation Engine. The engine offers immediate feedback, progress tracking, and a recommendation platform that provides teachers with suggested resources and content tailored to the requirements and learning styles of individual students and standards. A standards mastery report records each student’s performance on assignments, activities, and assessments.
JAMF Software Casper Suite
(www.jamfsoftware.com)
JAMF Software has introduced a new release of its Casper Suite. This new software release combines Apple’s recent enterprise deployment services with the functionality found in JAMF Software’s management solution. New features include a simplified device setup (especially in one-to-one programs) and automatic device fixes and increased device security by preventing users from removing profiles IT has set up.
Leading Edge Certification for the Professional Learning Leader
(www.leadingedgecertification.org)
Leading Edge Certification (LEC) has launched its fourth certification, Leading Edge Certification for the Professional Learning Leader. The 6-8 week course contains multiple modules, such as Professional Learning Environments and Developing Community, and offers a combination of face-to-face and online trainings. Professional Learning Leader is designed for those who provide professional development to educators across all curricular areas.
MackinVIA
(www.mackinvia.com)
Mackin has added over 32,000 digital audiobooks to its MackinVIA digital resource management system. The system now includes over 250,000 ebook titles for K-12 and nearly 100 databases. The platform is available for free, so users can purchase the audiobooks of their choice.
Mobento School Accounts
(www.mobento.com)
Mobento, provider of a free, curated library of video learning resources, has announced optional paid School Accounts with premium features. School Accounts enable districts to manage, centralize, and distribute their digital learning resources. Premium tools include the ability to create courses, analytics, mobile apps, and SIS and LMS integrations. School Accounts can be used as a stand-alone platform or in conjunction with other LMS platforms. Mobento. com now features over 4,300 educational videos, derived from organizations including Stanford, Yale, NASA, and Khan Academy.
MobileEther
(www.iboss.com)
iboss Network Security has released MobileEther, a mobile device management solution that combines traditional MDM features, such as data loss prevention, with Web and mobile malware protection, reporting, and directory-based user authentication. MobileEther also shortens the response time to remediation, which can decrease the financial impact of lost, stolen, or compromised devices. The solution ensures that mobile devices in the workplace adhere to CIPA, HIPAA, PCI and FISMA regulations, among others, along with acceptable use policies.
Naviance College and Career Readiness Curriculum
(www.hobsons.com)
Hobsons has released the Naviance College and Career Readiness Curriculum, a blended learning college and career readiness solution for students in middle and high school. The Curriculum uses multimedia lessons to address the necessary behaviors, college knowledge, and personal confidence to prepare students for college and career success.
Nepris
(www.nepris.com)
Nepris.com brings realworld relevance in STEM to the classroom through project mentoring and face-to-face interaction. Teachers submit session requests, which can be aligned to national and state standards, and then Nepris matches the request with qualified STEM professionals who interact with students through live, interactive sessions.
Panopto
(www.panopto.com)
Panopto, a video platform provider for the enterprise and education markets, has released an update that allows users to search for any word that is spoken or shown in their videos, and then to fast forward to that moment. Every video in the Panopto library can be searched for words that appear anywhere, including in text shown on-screen, handwritten words shown on whiteboards, words from PowerPoint and Keynote presentations, and words that are part of a video’s public notes or comments.
Tales2Go Lexile Measures
(www.tales2go.com)
Tales2Go Inc. has teamed up with MetaMetrics to add Lexile measures to its resources for early childhood education. These measures can be used as a reference point to help teachers find the right book for a student to listen to. Tales2Go is a Netflix-like subscription service that streams audiobook titles from popular publishers to desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. Now teachers can assign the same audiobook to an entire class or grade.
apps
Digital Citizenship App
(www.learning.com)
The Learning.com Digital Citizenship App, available for i0S and Android mobile devices, covers online safety, cyberbullying, and the ethical use of digital resources. The app is designed for middle and high school students, and provides administrators with the reports needed to meet the online safety and cyberbullying instruction requirements for E-Rate funding.
Discovery Education Science Techbook App
(www.discoveryeducation.com)
Discovery Education has launched a new iPad app for its Science Techbook series. The free app provides teachers and students with an active Science Techbook account to access Discovery Education’s digital content on the iPad, with or without Internet access. The Science Techbook series, currently available for K-8 science and high school courses, including Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, and Physics, offers students a multimodal digital learning environment that includes video, digital simulations and explorations, virtual and hands-on labs, and an interactive glossary with animations, audio, and video.
New Gaggle Android and iPhone Apps Further Supports 1:1 and BYOD
(http://gaggle.net)
Gaggle’s safe, online teaching and learning platform is now available for Android and iPhone. Features include: a secure, virtual file storage; GaggleTube (YouTube access with all content filtered and monitored) Gaggle email; assignment drop boxes, social learning walls, a digital grading tool, and more.
Practice Spanish
(www.mheducation.com)
McGraw-Hill Education has launched Practice Spanish, a foreign language learning game for college-level introductory Spanish. The 3D, multiplayer, personalized game provides a virtual “study abroad” experience and enables students to practice Spanish vocabulary, grammar, reading, and conversation. Through the mobile app, students solve problems, communicate, and navigate through various cultural scenarios and adventures, earning points and rewards along the way.
Virtual Nerd Mobile Math
(www.pearson.com)
Pearson released Virtual Nerd Mobile Math, a free math app that provides access to a video library of more than 1,500 high quality math tutorials. Now available on the App Store, Virtual Nerd Mobile Math’s interactive tutorials, aligned to the Common Core and other standards, review fundamental math concepts for middle and high school students. Organized by topic and standard, Virtual Nerd Mobile Math makes it easy to navigate and find the video on the concept a student needs to practice. Virtual Nerd’s on-screen instructors provide clear explanations; students and teachers can mark “favorite” videos so that they can instantly return to them in the future.
HARDWARE
Califone (www.califone.com) has updated its Listening First Headphones and Headsets to offer three black models with a variety of features. The 2800BKP Headphone features a right-angled 3.5 mm plug to connect with computers, tablets and smartphones. Two new headsets offer different plug connections. The 2800BK-USB Headset utilizes a 2.0 USB plug, and the 2800TBK comes with the 3.5 mm Califone To-Go plug, which enables students to listen and reply to audio content for an adjoining device. All three versions enable users to connect with iOS and Android-based mobile devices.
Bretford (www.bretford.com) has added the EXPLORE Chair with TabletArm to its series of seating products. Designed for classroom applications and open spaces in libraries and student commons, the EXPLORE Chair with Tablet Arm provides a compact work and writing space. It is available with casters or glides, and can be built with a tablet on either side to accommodate left-and right-handed students.
Phoenix Audio Technologies (www.phnxaudio.com) has released the Spider SIP-based IP conference phone. The Spider can also communicate (via USB) with any computer under any operating system. At a small 7” diagonal size, the Spider covers a large room with a pick-up range of over 200 feet.
Epson (www.epsonbrighterfutures.com) has introduced the PowerLite Pilot 2 Projector Connection and Control Box, a solution that consolidates connections and centralizes control of multimedia sources using Epson’s classroom projectors. The wall-mountable box delivers source switching and volume adjustments and also helps consolidate cables. The control box offers two HDMI ports, including one with MHL (Mobile High- Definition Link) support for connecting multiple digital devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and other portable devices.
Amplify (www.amplify.com) has created a ruggedized tablet for K-12 education. Available for the 2014-2015 school year, the tablet features a break- and scratch-resistant screen made of Corning Gorilla Glass, an advanced Wi-Fi radio, and a tethered stylus. The tablet is part of the Amplify Tablet System, which includes instructional software, content, and implementation support. The tablet is powered by a dual-core Intel Atom Processor Z2580 running at 2.0 GHz with Android 4.2, and includes both a front- and rear-facing camera.
Belkin’s (www.belkin.com) Secure and Charge station stores and charges up to ten tablets, Chromebooks, and ereaders at easy-to-reach angles, keeping them organized, available, fully charged, and ready for classroom use. An open setup facilitates access and wireless syncing. It also comes with a lockable security enclosure to deter tampering and theft.
InFocus (www.infocus.com) has introduced the IN120a series of projectors that can display content with or without a PC connection. The IN120a family includes the IN122a, IN124a and IN126a and the lamp lasts 7,000 hours. All projectors deliver 3500 lumens and feature a high 15000:1 contrast ratio. The projectors have 2 GB of internal memory and a USB slot. Each can display 3D content from Blu-ray, PC, or other devices and can present content such as Office documents, video, audio, and photos wirelessly from a laptop or mobile device. The IN122a has SVGA (800 x 600) resolution, the IN124a has XGA (1024 x 768) and the IN126a has WXGA (1280 x 800).
AOC (www.aoc.com) has announced four new Trade Agreement Act (TAA) approved monitors that are ideal for the classroom. Ranging from 20 to 24 inches, the LED displays are Energy Star certified and can be mounted to the wall for space efficiency. The 24-inch e2460Sd-TAA display offers a 16:9 aspect ratio, 5ms response time, a 20,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and DVI-D with HDCP input.
AmpliVox Sound Systems (www.ampli.com) has designed a two-piece version of its Line Array Sound Bar PA System for The Marvel Group’s Vizion presentation furniture line, placing the controls for the sound system at the presenter’s fingertips. The Line Array system provides 50-watt sound amplification and includes separate speaker and amp modules. The system is available in a number of Vizion products, including the Benchmark 4-Shelf Presentation Cart, the Mobile Multimedia Center, the Multimedia Lectern, the Presenter Mobile Presentation Cart, Mobile Flat Panel Stands, and the Teacher’s Multimedia Center.
HP (www.hp.com) has released the Color LaserJet ProMFP M476 mobile print solution, offering anytime, anywhere access to content and printing. Users can send print jobs wirelessly without a network, and the solution works from any mobile device. The M476 also offers single-pass, dual-head scanning, with the option of sending digital files directly to the cloud, email, or network folders. With the HP Flow CM Professional software, users can collaborate on, search, and share their content.
