Software & Online
ADOBE SLATE FOR THE WEB
(www.slate.adobe.com)
The iPad storytelling app, Adobe Slate, is now available in a Web-based version, enabling users to create professional-quality content with text and photos on the desktop. No design or coding skills are required, and projects automatically sync between the computer and iPad. Slate is available with Creative Cloud or as a free app.
ALL READING PROGRAM
(www.tobiidynavox.com/allsoftware)
Tobii Dynavox released a new software version of their Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL) reading program. The evidence-based reading program is designed to teach those individuals who require AAC and have complex communication needs and physical access challenges to learn how to read. Available as an app for use on the iPad, Windows operating systems, and Tobii Dynavox communication devices, the ALL software edition gives teachers and parents a straightforward way to deliver proven literacy instruction. The program provides systematic instruction in seven different reading skills, while encouraging shared reading through an included library of engaging books. Tobii Dynavox ALL continuously tracks student progress and includes periodic skill review sessions, so teacher and parents always know where the student is in the process. Additionally, the software enables students to bypass oral responses at all stages of instruction, giving non-verbal students access to reading instruction.
BEELINE READER
(www.beelinereader.com)
Start-up Beeline Reader makes online reading faster and easier by using a color gradient that guides readers’ eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. Tested with students in both general education and Special Education populations, the product consistently shows readers using Beeline outperform peers in reading fluency assessments. For instance, in the San Bernardino City Unified School District, general education primary-grade students reading with BeeLine’s color gradients outperformed by 75 percent students in a control group. And in a study with Bookshare, the world’s largest accessible online library for people with print disabilities, 86 percent of mentors who tested BeeLine with students reported that all or most of their students performed better with Beeline Reader than without.
CLASSFLOW CONNECT
(www.classflowconnect.com
Promethean launched ClassFlow Connect, a wireless classroom collaboration system that enables teachers and students to connect, interact, and instantly share ideas and information. Now an entire class can simultaneously interact or view and share resources from any mobile device, including smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, and notebook computers. Teachers can also create instant polls to measure student understanding by sending questions to students and having them respond on their device.
CLASSWORKS APPLIED MATHEMATICS
(www.classworks.com)
Classworks, by Curriculum Advantage, Inc., released Applied Mathematics, a math solution for grades K-8 that features problem-solving activities built to state and Common Core standards. Applied Mathematics is teacher-led instruction paired with purposeful student practice to help students develop conceptual understanding, reasoning skills, and mathematical communication. Each lesson is designed to be used over a week of direct instruction and contains differentiated problems across three levels of difficulty addressing the same grade level standard. Also included is an investigative problem to facilitate mathematical communication through analysis and critique of sample work, defense of correct answers, and error analysis.
EARLY READING TRIO
(www.mobymax.com/Curriculum/EarlyReadingTrio)
MobyMax, a provider of personalized and blended learning curriculum for K-8 students, released Early Reading Trio, a new Touch Curriculum subject. In the curriculum, students start by learning sound-letter correspondences. Next, they practice interacting with familiar words in stories. Lastly, students finish the Trio by dragging and dropping words and pictures to “write” their own stories.
The Early Reading Trio consists of three modules that work together to reinforce early reading skills—the Early Words module prompts students to practice the phonetic sounds they will encounter in Early Stories; the Early Stories module consists of four one-sentence pages where students drag into the sentence the correct word they learned in Early Words; and in Early Writing, students create stories by dragging words and pictures.
EDULASTIC DISTRICT ENTERPRISE
(www.edulastic.com)
Edulastic launched Edulastic District Enterprise, a premium version of the software platform designed for district and school administrators. Districts and schools that sign up to pilot Edulastic District Enterprise during this school year will receive free access for teachers and administrators for the remainder of the school year. Edulastic is a next-generation online assessment platform that allows K-12 teachers to track students’ progress toward Common Core State Standards. By providing a free, easy-to-use tool that allows teachers to create and share fully customized assignments, Edulastic helps guide instruction by allowing teachers to quickly discover what students have learned and identify areas of struggle to course correct their teaching in real time.
ELANCO FUNDAMENTALS OF ANIMAL SCIENCE CERTIFICATION
(www.icevonline.com)
CEV Multimedia teamed up with Elanco to offer the Elanco Fundamentals of Animal Science Certification, which supports CTE programs. Endorsed by Elanco and delivered through iCEV, the certification covers topics related to animal health and food safety. The online curriculum includes nearly 20 lessons, including Basic Animal Science, Basic Livestock Nutrition, Common Animal Diseases, Livestock Management Practices, and Animal ID Systems. Through iCEV, middle and high school students enhance their career training with certifications from industry partners like Elanco. Students earn the certifications by completing regular coursework through a series of pre-built, online CTE lessons.
GALE INTEGRATES WITH GOOGLE APPS FOR EDUCATION
(www.gale.com/google)
Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, has expanded the integration of Google Apps for Education – Gmail, Classroom, Drive, Docs, and more – into its most-popular product lines. Researchers can seamlessly log into many of their school or library’s Gale resources with their Google Account credentials and easily save, share, and download content (including bookmarks and their personal highlights and notes) using Gmail, Drive, and Docs. Additionally, the new Google Classroom share button is integrated with these resources, allowing educators to seamlessly link third party content, including Gale content, to classroom assignments. Users can also access the same Gale resources purchased by their subscribing institution through the free Chrome app versions available for download in the Chrome Web Store (and soon to be available in Google Play for Education in 2016).
HMH COLLECTIONS 2017 AND JOURNEYS 2017
(www.hmhco.com)
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt introduced the latest editions of its foundational programs Collections and Journeys. Together, the programs offer a complete K-12 language arts solution. HMH’s core reading and ELA programs feature shared digital resources and experiences, from personalized student and teacher dashboards to interactive note-taking and writing tools. As students progress, they engage with increasingly complex texts and sharpen close reading and analysis skills, while a rigorous instructional path helps them draw deep connections across genres.
INTERNET KEEP SAFE COALITION MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM
(www.ikeepsafe.org/copyright)
The Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe), a non-profit alliance committed to helping children thrive in the digital space, launched its new middle school curriculum, designed to help educators teach digital literacy. The lessons for grades 7-9 build on the elementary school curriculum launched in 2014, Copyright & Creativity for Ethical Digital Citizens. The online materials are part of iKeepSafe’s BEaPRO initiative, which aims to help parents and educators prepare students to create, collaborate, and share responsibly in the 21st century. The curriculum, which is available for free, includes lessons with videos that focus on students’ roles as creators and consumers online, as well as the role and importance of copyright. The lessons also provide practical tips for how to acquire online media legally and ethically, how to share content with others, and how to create new content using others’ work. Through project-based learning, the curriculum helps to ensure that the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom transfer to the real world outside the classroom, and in the workplace.
I-READY STANDARDS MASTERY
(www.curriculumassociates.com/products/iready/i-ready-standards-mastery.aspx)
In response to educators’ need for detailed insight into student understanding of the new standards, Curriculum Associates launched a major enhancement to the i-Ready program. i-Ready Standards Mastery enables schools and districts to get just-in-time information on students’ mastery of the standards and provides the instructional tools teachers need to address specific gaps and challenges. Built to cover Common Core standards for Reading, Language, and Mathematics, the new assessments complement the rich data offered by i-Ready Diagnostic by providing detailed information on individual standards as they are covered in the classroom.
ITSLEARNING PLATFORM UPGRADES
(www.itslearning.com)
itslearning recently released several upgrades to its platform. The new core functionality will bring curriculum management capability and content together into a one-stop-shop and ensure that units, lessons, resources, and assessments can be easily aligned to standards, utilized by teachers, and updated by curriculum staff.
KALTURA VIDEO PLATFORM ON SHARP AQUOS BOARD INTERACTIVE DISPLAY SYSTEM
(www.kaltura.com)
Kaltura (www.kaltura.com), a leading video technology provider, announced a new partnership with Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America (siica.sharpusa.com), a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) to bring the power of the Kaltura video platform to the Sharp AQUOS BOARD interactive display system. With smooth, effortless communication, Web pages, graphics, videos and more, the AQUOS BOARD display offers users endless ways to engage learners inside the classroom or boardroom. The AQUOS BOARD display’s highly responsive touch functionality also allows several people to write on the same touch screen at the same time. When paired with the Kaltura video platform, users can access new features, like screen recording through Kaltura CaptureSpace, directly from the AQUOS BOARD display. Big-screen learning experiences can also now be recorded, shared, and replayed from within the Kaltura platform anywhere, from any device.
LEARNING BIRD
(www.learningbird.com)
The latest release of Learning Bird supports teachers in offering differentiated instruction by allowing them to easily assign specific lessons to individual students or groups of students. Teachers can upload their class lists into the platform and then selectively assign individual lessons or playlists of lessons for students to complete. Teachers can also set due dates for lesson assignments and check back any time to see which students have completed the assignments and whether they found the assignment helpful or not. Learning Bird also made enhancements to the lesson viewer, allowing students to clearly see a different approach, and to see related lessons. Learning Bird lessons are presented as stories, presentations, songs, animations, role play, text, and more.
LEARN-VERIFIED WEB DEVELOPER PROGRAM
(www.learn.com/verified)
Flatiron School, an accelerated learning program for Web and mobile development, unveiled its Learn-Verified Web Developer Program, a new type of online education platform that teachers coding skills and is powered by Flatiron School’s open-source curriculum. The Learn-Verified program can be completed online on the student’s own schedule and at his or her own pace. Flatiron School’s placement staff will work to place Learn-Verified graduates in jobs where they can begin careers in the field of software development. Graduates of Learn-Verified are guaranteed to receive a full-time job offer within six months of completing the program and are eligible for a full tuition refund if they do not.
MAKERBOT DESKTOP 3.8
(www.makerbot.com)
MakerBot Desktop offers several different infill patterns that users can apply to optimize prints for strength or speed. The latest release, MakerBot Desktop 3.8, features the diamond infill pattern, which prints stronger and 30% faster than on MakerBot Desktop 3.6. The new speed improvements are a result of the diamond infill pattern in conjunction with the variable layer height feature introduced in MakerBot Desktop 3.7. With variable layer height printing, the inside of a 3D print, or the infill, can be 3D printed at a thicker layer height than the outer layers, or the shell. The more an object is printed at that higher layer height, the faster the print will be overall. Additionally, one-click printing in version 3.8 means a print will start immediately after the model is sliced.
MIMIOMOBILE FOR THE WEB AND “A HELPFUL GUIDE TO MOBILE DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM”
(www.mimio.com/en-NA/Products/MimioMobile-Application.aspx)
Mimio recently launched the newest version of its MimioMobile application, MimioMobile for the Web. The application enables educators to deliver collaborative lessons and assessments to an entire class. This release, coupled with the Apple and Android apps, allows the MimioMobile app to work on virtually any device the student may have in the classroom: tablets, smartphones, and laptops (including Chromebooks). Educators can try the software for free for 30 days—and to help teachers make the most of their trial, Mimio has created a Starter Pack of lesson samples, assessment questions, and tips. Mimio also published “A Helpful Guide to Mobile Devices in the Classroom, 2nd Edition.” The 16-page PDF, available for free from Mimio’s Web site, discusses the challenges that teachers face in incorporating mobile learning in their instructional practices. Educators can find insights regarding the benefits and limits of different devices, as well as the most promising mobile learning practices – from BYOD approaches to “flipping” formative assessment.
NEPRIS AND OC PATHWAYS
(www.nepris.com)
OC Pathways teamed up with Nepris to enable Orange County teachers, school counsellors, and work-based learning coordinators to bring business and industry partners into the classroom virtually and in real-time. Through Nepris.com, students can engage digitally with business professionals and industry experts to talk about potential careers, work on classroom projects, or take virtual tours of modern workplaces through interactive, cloud-based sessions. Teachers simply enter their request into the system, specifying the industry sector, topics, and learning outcomes. Nepris automatically matches each request with professionals’ qualifications and hosts the interactive sessions.
ODYSSEYWARE COURSES IN SOCIAL STUDIES, FRENCH, AND SPANISH
(www.odysseyware.com)
Odysseyware now offers dozens of additional courses approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As part of its Odysseyware Academy, the company has added courses in social studies, French, and Spanish to its online curriculum. NCAA-approved courses in English, science, and math remain available to all students. Like all Odysseyware courses, the new offerings are completely Web-based and customizable. In addition, the 36 NCAA approved courses provide Division 1 student athletes enough course options to complete their full core academic requirements.
ROSETTA STONE SPANISH I AND II
(www.rosettastone.com/k12)
Rosetta Stone Inc. has received A-G certification from the University of California, so high school students throughout the state can earn foreign language course credit through its virtual world language program. School districts now have the option of leveraging Rosetta Stone Spanish I and II as a for-credit alternative, enabling students to complete the two year language requirement for college admission using Rosetta Stone at school, home, or on their personal mobile device. The courses are built (module/unit/lesson) using Bloom’s Taxonomy and meet the highest national standards. Three levels of instruction support blended learning environments, traditional classrooms, and stand-alone courses.
SAS WRITING NAVIGATOR
(www.writingnavigator.com)
SAS Writing Navigator helps instill mastery in young writers by teaching students to ask themselves the questions experienced writers ask at each stage of writing: planning, drafting, revising, and publishing. The resource helps students understand the purpose of their writing, organize and convey their main points, spot missed opportunities and revise their work, and finally document sources and publish a final draft. Available for free from the Writing Navigator Web site, SAS Writing Navigator also remains available from the SAS Curriculum Pathways site, as an Add-On for Google Docs, and through iPad and Chromebook apps. All that’s required is a SAS Curriculum Pathways account.
TALES2GO
(www.tales2go.com)
Tales2go Inc. is now available on a worldwide basis. Tales2go supports the development of literacy skills during a student’s most critical early childhood and elementary school years. Repeated exposure to sophisticated words, spoken fluently and in context, drives vocabulary acquisition and retention, which is a key component of reading proficiency. The Tales2go service easily adds a listening component to classroom reading instruction. Tales2go works with leading audio book publishers ranging from Recorded Books, Scholastic, Weston Woods Studios, Blackstone Audio, Oxford University Press, and Oasis Audio, as well as established storytellers such as Bill Harley, Willy Claflin, Regi Carpenter, and Odds Bodkin.
TEACHER UPGRADE
(www.learningupgrade.com)
Learning Upgrade launched new whiteboard courses to provide a whole-class solution that make lessons convenient, rigorous, and collaborative for teachers. Teacher Upgrade courses offer a new way for teachers to engage with an entire class of students through interactive, whole-class activities accompanied by differentiated individual lessons. Each Teacher Upgrade lesson features songs, videos, and games that engage even the most reluctant students. Teachers play the lessons using a computer and a data projector or interactive whiteboard. Students solve problems by pressing buttons or moving objects on the screen with a pen or finger. With more than 500 standards-aligned lessons that support student mastery, educators can easily launch Teacher Upgrade from the “students” or “courses” tab on their teacher dashboard. Teacher Upgrade includes every lesson from Math Upgrade K–8, Pre-Algebra, and Algebra; as well as English Upgrade 1–5, Reading Upgrade, and Comprehension Upgrade courses.
TURNITIN AND WIKIPEDIA
(www.turnitin.com)
Turnitin announced a collaboration with the Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit that supports Wikipedia and its sister projects, and the Wikipedia community to help protect and preserve free knowledge. Turnitin’s software now runs alongside the existing bots on English Wikipedia, helping to screen pages and identify potential copyright violations on the site. Turnitin’s technology works along with a copy-and-paste detection program developed by the Wikipedia community named EranBot. Turnitin can more deeply match content from Web sources–including academic publications and journals–using its progressive algorithm. EranBot, with Turnitin technology, now looks at edits individually, and in near real-time, whereas previous technology could only evaluate entire articles.
Apps
DRAGON ANYWHERE FOR ANDROID AND IOS
(www.nuance.com)
Nuance recently released Dragon Anywhere for Android and iOS devices, bringing the professional productivity features of Dragon desktop speech recognition to mobile devices. Dragon Anywhere offers continuous dictation, voice formatting and editing, and customization features that can be synchronized across devices. Once a document is complete, it can be shared easily by email or through cloud-sharing services such as Dropbox, saved to notetaking apps like Evernote, or shared with virtually any app via the clipboard.
KNOWRE FOR SCHOOLS IPAD APP
(www.knowre.com)
KnowRe, an education technology company providing an adaptive learning program for middle and high school math students, launched the KnowRe for Schools iPad app. The native iPad app brings KnowRe’s rigorous content to students’ fingertips and supports them in building the critical foundational math skills to succeed in higher-level math and beyond. By simulating the one-on-one interaction between a student and a teacher, KnowRe is able to identify why students answer math questions incorrectly. KnowRe then addresses students’ learning gaps with scaffolded support and algorithmically created personalized review curricula. Comprehensive and easy-to-view reports provide teachers with real-time data and insights into each student’s strengths and weaknesses. And the handwriting recognition on the iPad app allows students to work out the solution and write answers directly on the iPad, eliminating the need for paper and pencil.
PINNACLE STUDIO AND STUDIO PRO FOR IOS
(www.pinnaclesys.com)
Pinnacle introduced Pinnacle Studio for iOS and Pinnacle Studio Pro for iOS, two new Universal apps that enable users to quickly edit video, audio, and images across all of their iOS devices. Pinnacle Studio for iOS delivers the precision of a full timeline to edit video, audio, and photos. Users can add transitions, speed and montage effects, create custom titles and build soundtracks. Once the project is complete, users can share movies directly to YouTube and Facebook. Pinnacle Studio Pro offers new advanced features such as 2K and 4K output, audio level meters, and built-in access to cloud storage services and social media sites.
SAFESTOP
(www.safestopapp.com)
The SafeStop app allows parents and school officials to securely track their school bus. The app also includes a real-time map feature that displays the location of their child’s bus, provides estimated arrival times at their bus stop, and provides parents with an alerts and messaging center. The messaging system eliminates the need for phone calls to schools or bus depots and serves as an extra communication channel alerting parents about important school news such as delays, closings, early dismissals, or upcoming school events. SafeStop is available in all 50 states and is compatible with any transportation provider, any GPS hardware, and any routing software. The service provides flexible payment options and can be a subscription service, parent pay, school/district pay, or sponsor pay.
Hardware
Epson’s (www.epson.com) WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank all-in-one printer comes loaded and ready with up to two years of ink in the box. Rather than relying on ink cartridges, the ET-4550 features super-high-capacity, refillable ink tanks, enough ink in the box to print thousands of pages, and ultralow cost replacement inks.
Trident Case (www.tridentcase.com) announced the expansion of its Cyclops (pictured) and Aegis Series for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. The Cyclops case offers rugged protection with minimal bulk, for everyday wear-and-tear, while the Aegis Signature Edition offers a sleek and premium leather finish option. The Cyclops case features water-resistant mesh that protects speakers and vents from dust and moisture, and sealed device controls and ports for superior protection. The Aegis Series Signature Edition features an interior is padded with a soft micro-fiber lining, keeping the device safe from everyday mishaps. Utilizing the Signature Edition’s pullout media stand, the device can be positioned for optimal viewing. Additionally, when the media stand is in use, a specialized nylon support strap keeps the device steady.
Califone International LLC. (www.califone.com) announced the release of two gaming headset models designed for an immersive educational-gaming experience. The GH507 Gaming Headset and the GH131 Gaming Headset feature surround sound and microphone-enabled chat features to support team video game play. Both models are customizable with industry-standard 5.1 and enhanced 7.1 surround sound that enables 3D sound effects, and feature cushioned earcups, an adjustable headband, and dual pivot points for comfort during gaming sessions on Xbox One, PlayStation, and PC gaming systems. The GH131 model features a lightweight design for transportable gaming. For added versatility, the GH507 includes a detachable microphone and inline controls that easily unclip for audio-only listening on any smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop computer or Chromebook.
Canon (www.usa.canon.com/projectors) interactive projector, the LV-WX300USTi Portable Projector. The ultra-short throw projector features interactive technology that allows users to create an engaging and collaborative experience. The LV-WX300USTi has 0.35:1 released its first throw ratio, DLP BrilliantColor Technology, 3000 Lumens, WXGA (1280x800) resolution, and a contrast ratio of up to 7500:1. The LV-WX300USTi allows for up to four interactive pens to write text and diagrams on the projected screen. The LV-WX300USTi projector is also packaged with software that provides functions for calibration, enhancing materials, and for capturing and sharing screens.
D-Link (www.dlink.com) introduced the HD PoE Day/Night Network Camera (DCS-3511). The robust IP Camera employs a traditional “box camera” form factor, but in a compact package. The new DCS-3511 is ideal for applications where a strong surveillance presence is required. The camera can be used indoors as is or outdoors with the addition of an enclosure, such as D-Link’s DCS-57. The DCS-3511 offers HD 720p resolution, an automatic infrared filter for day/night operation, a microSD card slot for “in camera” recording of video and image, and two-way audio with a builtin microphone. PoE (Power over Ethernet) is a key feature which enables a convenient single cable installation. Included with the camera is D-ViewCam, video management software lets users record, playback, and export video from up to 32 D-Link cameras. Additional ways to record video include the camera’s microSD card, a network attached storage box or online to an FTP server. And since the DCS-3511 is ONVIF-compliant, it can also be used with a large selection of third party network video recorders and video management software.
Kensington (www.kensington. com) introduced the newest product in its headphone portfolio, the Hi-Fi Headphones with Mic. Offering high-quality sound, a rotating microphone, universal comfort, and a robust design, the headphones are ideal for the increasingly multi-media rich learning and testing environments of K-12 education. The new headphones were built to be durable, with safe listening levels, and accommodate many different ages and head sizes. The rotating microphone, ideal for complying with the new learning and testing methods, allows for clear verbal interaction, and the flexible, boom-style arm can be positioned for optimal voice clarity or turned away when not in use.
Casio America (www.casiolampfree.com) is expanding its EcoLite lineup of next-generation LampFree projectors. The new EcoLite XJ-V2 offers 3000 lumens brightness and a lifespan of up to 20,000 hours. The projector is available at a price lower than the cost of a conventional mercury lamp projector of an equivalent brightness plus one replacement lamp. Casio also improved the dust resistance of the XJ-V2 by structuring the internal components into three blocks to shield the optical block from dust.
littleBits’ (www.littlebits.cc/kits/ggk) new Gizmos & Gadgets kit (which can incorporate LEGOs) yields up to 12 inventions, ranging from a sound-triggered bubble machine to a pinball game. The kit is made up of 15 electronic parts, a baseboard, a 9-volt battery, a project booklet, and access to the littleBits app, which lets kids incorporate their smartphones. The Gizmos & Gadgets kit will be used in littleBits’ new PD offering and it introduces the new littleBits Invention Cycle, which aligns to NGSS and 21st-century skills.
Gumdrop Cases (www.gumdropcases.com/collections/softshell) recently launched its line of SoftShell Chromebook cases, featuring a rugged, durable design made to custom fit each Chromebook model. The cases were tested to survive a six-foot drop test, and offer always-on protection. The cases are available for the following models: Dell Chromebook 11 3120, Samsung Chromebook v2, Acer Chromebook 11, Asus Chromebook 11 C200, HP Chromebook 11, HP Chromebook 14, Acer Chromebook C740, and Acer Chromebook C720.
