from Technology & Learning
Get up to speed on the latest product releases in the education market.
To help detect—and prevent—hearing loss in school-age children, teachers and parents can now visually monitor the volume in a child's headphones with the Hamilton HA-31 Guardian Wired Headphone. The headphone is equipped with LED lights that indicate if the sound is too high. Additional features include rechargeable batteries and a fully adjustable headband.
Events & Contests
Win a $15,000 interactive classroom makeover by participating in Interwrite Learning's video contest. Participants are asked to create a short music video, parodying a song of their choice. Winners will also receive a $1,000 cash prize. Deadline is October 21, 2007.
Elementary, middle, and high school students are invited to be part of space exploration by growing seeds flown in space in the NASA Engineering Design Challenge. Students will design, build, and evaluate lunar plant growth chambers and will get a chance to compare space-flown and earth-based control seeds.
"Changing the Course of Education" is the theme at the 2007 Virtual School Symposium November 4–6 in Louisville, Kentucky. Sponsored by the North American Council for Online Learning, this conference highlights cutting-edge work in K–12 online education. Virtual school leaders will learn about the latest trends, products, challenges, and opportunities in e-learning.
Software
Educational Systemics, in partnership with North Plains Systems Corp, has launched two new products—TeleScope for K12, a digital asset management system, and MatchMaker K12, software that allows seamless exchange of information between publishers, Learning Management System providers, and educational institutions. This product suite will help educators find appropriate materials that address the needs of their school and their students.
Teachers using SANAKO's language learning software will have an easier time monitoring, communicating, and assisting students with the new Study 500/1200 v.2.60. Improvements include enhanced Internet controls. Study 500 is a classroom management tool, and Study 1200 helps students learn foreign languages by recording and playing their voice as they practice.
Teachscape helps teachers integrate 21st-century skills with its Professional Learning Series, which includes the new Online Program Manager. Products are now organized into Professional Study Programs and Institutes, allowing schools and districts to use the online manager's suite of communication, content, data reporting, and other work management applications.
Yamaha's new portable PA system, the STAGEPAS 500, is a 500-watt, 10-input portable stereo featuring two 2-way loudspeakers and a 10-channel stereo powered mixer.
Internet
School Web Lockers offers Web-based storage "lockers" that provide users with online data storage for school-related files that can be accessed through the Web. Each student is given 100MB of storage; teachers and administrators get 1GB. Cost is $1 per user per year, with a one-time initial set-up fee of $1,000, and there is no user or system administration because it is all done with outside hosting.
