from Technology & Learning
Get up to speed on the latest product releases in the education market.
Wireless
Hitachi's CPX2 3LCD projector expands on its predecessor, the CPX1, with networking and wireless capabilities. It offers 2000 ANSI lumens of brightness, a wide-angle lens, XGA resolution, and a contrast ratio of 500:1.
QuickerTek now offers an 802.11n wireless upgrade for Mac Mini users. The wireless networking card installs into the AirPort card slot, and the upgrade also provides a second antenna for increased speed.
EAccess Solutions' seven-ounce BlackBerry keyboard communicates via a wireless Bluetooth connection and features programmable hot keys and a full-size QWERTY keyboard layout with tactile feedback and dedicated number keys.
Applied Voice and Speech Technologies' updated CallXpress 7.9 features new SIP integrations, new Web PhoneManager features, flexible deployment options, and compatibility with Microsoft Outlook 2007 and Vista Business.
Panasonic introduces three fixed-installation LCD projectors equipped with a wireless local-area network. The new PT-F100 projector series deliver between 3,000 to 3,200 lumens of brightness and are optimized for color, brightness, and contrast. The projectors come equipped with closed-caption capability, can stream video, and have a hermetic dust-free optical system.
The BoomTube Treo Speaker System from eAccess Solutions can be used with a Treo smartphone or a portable device like an MP3 player. It features more than 40 watts of power and up to five hours of battery life.
Web 2.0
Created by former Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger, the free online encyclopedia Citizendium requires contributors to use real names in an effort to improve accountability. The user-generated site features over 180 expert editors and behavior monitoring "constables."
LQ Wiki, a free, collaborative open-source Linux database offering over 3,000 articles, now features OpenID, a distributed identity system that creates URLs from user names and safely stores passwords.
PB Wiki offers free 10 MB of storage space, an unlimited number of password-protected pages and visitors, and the ability to make pages public or private. Premium wikis feature access controls, where users can be designated as readers or contributors.
Management
Deep Nines has announced a strategic partnership with SurfControl to combine content filtering and proxy-blocking solutions. The new hybrid Web-filtering product will address the concerns that students can circumvent conventional filtering methods by using proxies.
Saba-Centra Live for Blackboard extends the integration of the Saba-Centra Live virtual classroom and real-time learning software, allowing educators to schedule and launch live online classes directly from their Blackboard Learning System.
Tirminial is a single-client file transfer application that allows for secure, unlimited, point-to-point file transfers of any size. The base application is free, but it is also available in fee-based premium editions.
Moonwalk's Moonwalk 6.0 data-management and protection suite automates and manages the migration, copying, and movement of data transparently. The software combines user-defined classification and migration policies across all major file systems.
Corel Painter X Curriculum is designed for educators to easily integrate the digital-art studio into high-school art and photography classes. Divided into 45-minute courses, instruction includes tool introduction, composition, and image transformation.
Curriculum Resources
OER Commons includes more than 8,000 free classroom materials for educators and learners (K-12 and higher education) culled from more than 60 educational collections worldwide, including Harvard, MIT, and the NASA Kids Science Network.
Available in fall 2007, Saxon Publishers new version of its Saxon Math elementary program includes performance tasks for all grade levels. The revised series features the Benchmark Assessment Generator to help educators track standards.
Worksheet Station contains a free library of teacher-created curriculum-based worksheets in various subjects for programs including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Educators can also upload their own worksheets to share with others.
Don Johnston's Incite Learning Series contains a 13-DVD set of short films designed to develop students' critical-thinking skills, with content matching state standards in social studies and language arts.
I Learn Express offers parents and teachers affordable downloadable learning activities for K-5 students. Current and former educators created the activities, in subjects like math and spelling, to quickly reinforce specific learning objectives.
Heartwood Institute's T.R.U.E. Choices ethics education program has expanded to cover grades 6-8. Lessons include language arts, social studies, and conflict resolution skills and content and are designed to meet national standards.
PBSTeachers, the new pre-K-12 educator Web site from PBS, offers resources for educators of all grade levels and subjects. Features include a technology blog, free lesson plans and activities, and on-demand streaming video.
Laureate Learning Systems' LanguageLinks is a comprehensive, six-level syntax designed to help special-needs children become better communicators. The program ranges from the early two-word development stage through the mastery of a broad range of syntactic forms.
The online educational suite Pokémon Learning League has added animated, interactive lessons on relationship building, pro-social behavior, and bullying prevention for students in grades 3-6.
