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28 Tuesday, June 25, 2013 Ed Tech Show Daily compared to their districts. THE SCIENCE OF THE SUDDEN SCHOOL TURNAROUND By Cameron Pipkin Improvement Network of School Have you been asked to produce a miracle in your school or classroom: to do twice as much with half the resources; to double, triple, or quadruple student test scores? You're not alone. The average American educator carries higher expectations on her or his shoulders today than any generation before. The stakes keep rising while money dries up, and like you, most are questioning if it's even possible to accomplish what's being asked. It would be nice if there were a magic bullet that would instantly produce higher test scores, but this is education: things are more complicated than magic bullets. There is, however, some good news. The technology that's facilitating the current rise in expectations and accountability is also producing entirely new tools that are helping improve schools in unprecedented ways. One of the most powerful of these tools is an innovation called "on-demand professional development," which gives teachers 24-hour access to subject-specific instructional videos, downloadable lesson plans, online support communities for educators, and experts from all over the world. In just a few short years, ondemand PD has already helped turn around hundreds of schools in states all over the country. As evidence of this fact, Dr. Steven Shaha of the Center for Public Policy and Administration has conducted research demonstrating that schools who actively engage in on-demand professional development elevate student test scores quickly and dramatically―by as much as 20 percent in a single year. Dr. Shaha's research is compiled in a study called "Predictors of Success," where student outcomes in 734 schools in COGNITIVEDGE CLASSROOM CREATES YOUR IDEAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT As touch-enabled devices quickly become instrumental in the modern educational system, teachers, content providers, and administrators alike seek an efficient way to leverage the benefits of these devices while minimizing the time needed to manage their use. The CognitivEdge Classroom provides an inexpensive, teacher-centric tool to facilitate Android™ tablet and smart phone usage in a classroom setting while providing control over distraction. Teachers can distribute apps and digital content in real-time and control the state of all devices in the classroom from a single teacher-controlled device. Administrators are able to manage and monitor deployments of any size with the bundled CognitivEdge IT Administrator Tools. Innovative technology skills are crucial to the success of subsequent generations, as demonstrated by the widespread reliance on computers in the workplace. As a result, technology is an integral member of the modern classroom. The role of technology in the workplace has ignited a perpetually-evolving relationship between technology and education that is highly influenced by advances in innovation and accessibility. From computer labs full of desktop PCs to laptops in the classroom to interactive whiteboards and, now, touch-enabled tablet devices, successful assimilation of new educational tools into existing methods of MIMIOTEACH: MAKING ORDINARY WHITEBOARDS INTERACTIVE MimioTeach makes interactive learning easy and practical. The Mimio Interactive Whiteboard Solution, MimioTeach, transforms already existing whiteboards into interactive whiteboards. While other interactive whiteboards require an installation of an actual board, MimioTeach is a bar that is placed on an existing wall or board and interacts with a projected computer image. The MimioTeach bar uses infrared and ultrasound technology to communicate with a stylus pen. Because the MimioTeach can adhere to any whiteboard, teachers do not have to sacrifice their whiteboard space and can still use the area for teaching when the interactive whiteboard is not in use. Doug Pennekamp, CEO of Education 2000, an authorized Mimio reseller, says that technology should not get in the way of instruction. "MimioTeach is easy to integrate into everyday classroom lessons and activities," Pennekamp said. "Teachers should be able to work with technology, but often times teachers find themselves working around technology." Since the MimioTeach adheres to a regular whiteboard, the dry-erase marker is still a valuable tool. "With the MimioTeach teachers can still walk up to their whiteboards and use a dry-erase marker without worrying about damaging an expensive interactive whiteboard," Pennekamp said. "Sometimes it is more efficient and convenient to take a dry-erase marker to write on the board 211 districts across 39 states were analyzed year over year to measure the impact of the resources in School Improvement Network's on-demand professional development delivery system, called the Educator Effectiveness System, on student learning and educator effectiveness. The results show that whenever educators used the tools effectively in the Educator Effectiveness System, student test scores rose many times over, year after year, and schools improved across the board: Improved Student Performance: Reading Scores up by 18 percent Research shows that all schools using School Improvement Network's Educator Effectiveness System improved reading assessment scores significantly, with higher frequency users raising assessment scores by 18 percent, or at nearly four times the rate of improvement developing young minds is a challenge that CognitivEdge was designed to help conquer. There is no question that touch-enabled devices have opened floodgates to new ways of engaging students, but it has left teachers, IT administrators, and content providers with a myriad of questions. The biggest barrier to entry for a large-scale tablet deployment in school systems is hardware cost. By design, the CognitivEdge Classroom is purchased separately from hardware, enabling schools to determine their hardware needs independent from the management solution. Pricing for the CognitivEdge Classroom is based on a one-time, perdevice license and a monthly maintenance fee calculated upon the size of the deployment. The CognitivEdge Classroom was designed around the philosophy that no two schools have identical needs, so why should each be limited to just one hardware option? Our research has shown that technology deployments or point something out than it is to go through all the steps with the interactive whiteboard tools to highlight, underline and erase something." Education 2000 realizes that schools often have tight budgets. "One of the things I really emphasize to schools is that the MimioTeach interactive whiteboard solution will do the same thing as other interactive whiteboards but for considerably less," Pennekamp said. "The lower cost allows schools and districts to buy more and can therefore impact more students." Schools can also save money on installation fees with the MimioTeach. Installation for the MimioTeach is simple, it is ready to use straight out of the box. The MimioTeach is easily placed on a magnetic whiteboard with built-in magnets. If the board where the MimioTeach will be used is not magnetic, magnetic plates are included that can be attached to the board or wall. Improved Student Performance: Math Scores up by 18.9 percent As in reading, all schools using the tools in School Improvement Network's Educator Effectiveness System achieved improved math scores, with higher frequency users improving by 18.9 percent―over 30 times the rate of improvement compared to their own districts. Fewer Dropouts: Down by 20 percent Dropout rates decreased by 20 percent in schools that frequently used the tools in School Improvement Network's Educator Effectiveness System. More Students College Bound: Up by 9.6 percent The number of students who said they planned on attending college increased by 9.6% in schools with a higher frequency of use. To learn more about on-demand professional development, visit www.schoolimprovement.com, or stop by booth 12104 at ISTE. struggle to gain traction when there simply are not enough devices per student to be effective tools. For this reason, we have seen many classrooms with expensive laptops gathering dust on shelves rather being utilized by students. When the success of a technology initiative is on the line, purchasing power is king. Designing a tablet solution utilizing Android devices can improve purchasing power dramatically. Recently, a surge in competitive innovation and pricing has saturated the market with a selection of form factors, performance levels, and price points. When comparing Android and iOS™ devices by available form factor and price point, it is quickly apparent that Android-based devices offer significant advantages for customizing deployments and can yield tremendous cost savings for school districts. For more information, visit booth 10049 at ISTE. Along with the built-in magnetic strips, the MimioTeach is compact in size and lightweight, making it easy to use in multiple locations. "The MimioTeach is portable and can be moved easily from classroom to classroom if needed," Pennekamp said. "The MimioTeach works with any projector and the interactive space can get larger or smaller depending on the projected image." MimioTeach does not take up a lot of space in a classroom, it does not get in the way of instruction and there are no legs or stand for students or teachers to trip over. When schools realize the benefits of the MimioTeach along with the more affordable price when compared to other interactive whiteboards, the MimioTeach becomes the ultimate interactive whiteboard solution." For more information about Education 2000, an authorized Mimio reseller, visit www.edu2000plus.com.