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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y Fri d a y, Fe b ru a r y 7 , 2 0 1 4 4 4 Odysseyware is grammar- and vocabu- lary-based, because reading comprehen- sion and effective communication will forever be the foundations to learning. We also adhere to a chunked-learning model to enhance comprehension and retention. Even though I'm a long way from teaching alternative ed in Texas, I still love what I do today because I'll always be anchored in my roots as a teacher. ESD: Odysseyware is a privately-owned brand founded on family values. How does this benefit your customers? KY: Being privately-owned allows us to be responsive to the educators and stu- dents we serve – and not to shareholders insistent on profits. If a customer says 'I need technology that lets me customize courseware,' for example, we can jump on it without going through committees and a cost-profit analysis. We just roll up our sleeves and deliver, which is what lit- erally happened with our Teacher Authoring Tool. We turned that technolo- gy around fast! ESD: Expand on that responsiveness. Are there any other examples you're proud of? KY: Well, Odysseyware always has our finger on the pulse of what's happening in education, and our team is very good Odysseyware ( Cont'd. from p. 1) at thinking three or four steps ahead. With Common Core, for example, we were first to the marketplace with our Common Core-aligned Assessment and Remediation Tool. It has been critical for thousands of our customers in assessing and prescribing tailored lessons on a stu- dent-by-student basis. It always feels good to get there first. ESD: Is your technology developed in- house at Odysseyware? KY: Yes. When we partnered with Glynlyon Inc., Odysseyware inherited the finest team of curriculum developers and IT professionals in the industry. The teamwork and commitment of our people is absolutely inspiring. ESD: What's the newest, hottest thing coming out of Odysseyware? KY: That would have to be our newly- designed student interface. Quite liter- ally, it is the 'face' of Odysseyware. Clean, intuitive, bright, friendly, easy, helpful...it's all the things Odysseyware represents for the educa- tors and students who trust our brand. Naturally, there are a lot of other excit- ing things in development too, but you'll just have to sit tight before we unveil those. Visit Odysseyware at booth 2139. For more information, go to www.odyssey- ware.com, call 877-795-8904 or email nisswa@glynlyon.com. recently surpassed the pivotal milestone of 1.3 million users with registered access. ESD: How do you stay competitive in today's ever-evolving digital world? AL: I believe that the quality of our con- tent and the strength of the PBS brand make PBS LearningMedia an invaluable go-to destination for teachers. The serv- ice is also highly responsive to the needs of both teachers and students in this age of digital learning. Throughout the year, we offer specialized initiatives that target teachers' interests and professional development needs through live webina- rs, guest speakers, online screenings, how-to guides and thematic newsletters. Each week, our homepage spotlights timely resources relating to key curricu- lum themes and notable events like National Engineers Week and Black History Month. Every day, PBS NewsHour provides current events resources for our 'Daily News Story' col- lection. We are constantly growing the PBS LearningMedia content library with new resources and teacher-friendly tools. ESD: Have you recently introduced any new features? AL: Just last year, we launched PBS LearningMedia Custom, a premium tier available to schools, states and districts nationwide that offers enhanced features and functionality. This service is already seeing success in multiple districts across the country, along with statewide distri- PBS LearningMedia ( Cont'd. from p. 1) bution in Kentucky, New York and South Carolina. ESD: What are the benefits of upgrading to PBS LearningMedia Custom? AL: The free service is incredibly com- prehensive, but PBS LearningMedia Custom takes it to that next level, with features like local content management and state standard alignment. PBS LearningMedia Custom users have access to an additional 800 hours of full-length programs from the PBS library, including content from Arthur, NOVA and American Experience. Administrators are also given tools to manage their local users and review enhanced analytics, resulting in a greater understanding of community needs and interests. ESD: How are you addressing the great- est needs of your audience? AL: Our research shows that limited budgets are one of the biggest obstacles preventing teachers from using digital tools in the classroom. We are proud to offer our basic service at no cost, and have made the PBS LearningMedia Custom service available to schools, states and districts for an extremely com- petitive premium. The best way to learn more is to visit us at our booth during TCEA. We will be happy to suggest the service that makes the best sense for your classroom and district. Visit PBS LearningMedia at booth 1923. For more information, go to www.pbslearn- ingmedia.org, call 703-739-5017 or email LearningMediaContact@pbs.org. If you look at the last 30 years of education research, one thing that's shown again and again is that instruction becomes more effective and leads to deeper learning as it becomes more per- sonalized. Digital education tools create the personal, highly interactive, engaging learning environment that leads to more classroom discussion and fosters a deep- er level of understanding required by the Common Core. McGraw-Hill Education sees this time of change as an opportunity to work with schools and teachers to combine the right content, the right technology and the right instruction to help students per- sonally engage with the content, learn most effectively and succeed in the world that awaits them. Last year, McGraw-Hill Education partnered with Time To Know to deliver a personalized learning solution that is aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Time To Know is a fully digi- tal learning system that harnesses the power of technology in the most dynam- ic and engaging way possible. The pro- gram uses data and instant feedback to allow the teacher to differentiate instruc- tion and group students based on needs in real time, while still maintaining control over their instruction style and class- room. Because the program follows an McG raw-Hill ( Cont'd. from p. 1) inquiry-based approach, Time To Know encourages group discussion, teacher-led exploration and student experimentation to support the Common Core State Standards' goal of developing critical, high-order thinking in students. McGraw-Hill Education's SRA FLEX Literacy, a comprehensive reading and language arts intervention system for students in Grades 3-8, is an example of how digital technologies are being inte- grated in new programs that are designed to meet the Common Core State Standards. SRA FLEX Literacy was built from the ground up to specifically help at-risk students learn the critical reading and writing skills required to meet the Common Core State through research- based, intensive, explicit instruction. To truly improve education through the Common Core requires a significant investment, not only in the curriculum and technologies used in the classroom, but in professional development and teacher training. The best technology in the world won't make an impact unless we make sure that educators feel comfortable using it and understand how the technology meshes with their preferred style of teach- ing. It's important to remember that the return on this investment will be critical to the success of our country's greatest asset: our children. Visit McGraw-Hill Education at booth 1339. EDCO IPTV SOLUTIONS FIT EVERY BROADCASTING NEED The K12 Broadcaster™, brought to you by EDCO, can replace outdated coax broadcast equipment. There is a solution just right for you. The Enterprise Solution is designed for the school district that wants the ability to provide centralized programming delivered through the WAN to the school's LAN. TV LaunchPad software located on the teacher's computer offers every class- room access to the full menu of avail- able channels. The addition of the Mobile Broadcast Solution gives cen- tral administration the ability to pro- vide down streaming of live broadcasts and training directly to the classroom. The Local Solution is a school level solution designed for schools that want the ability to provide centralized programming delivered through the school's LAN. This building level solution incorporates all of the chan- nels down-streamed from the central administration office plus whatever local channels the school decides to add to their sub-system. Site-specific TV LaunchPad software on the teacher's comput- er offers every classroom access to the full menu of available chan- nels. The addition of the Mobile Broadcast Solution gives schools the ability to provide their own live broad- casts including morning announce- ments, principal broadcasts, remote broadcasting from around the school and training directly to the classroom. The product is fully scalable; the num- bers of available channels are based upon available bandwidth and the video quality desired. The Mobile Broadcast Solution is a fully configured standard definition or high definition Mobile Broadcast Solution that includes cam- era, tripod, dolly, broad- caster box (enclosed in locking metal box), soft- ware license, installation, delivery and training. A Mobile Broadcast Solution gives administrators, teachers and stu- dents the ability to produce live broad- casts from any location around the school that ties in to the LAN. At the central office level, supervisors and trainers can use the Mobile Broadcast Solution to provide curriculum specif- ic training to the school staff without the costs associated with having train- ing at a central location. This product is also fully scalable.