Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/255556
E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 4 5 Fri d a y, Fe b ru a r y 7 , 2 0 1 4 MP: I first became interested in tech- nology through an intro to mechanical engineering course. We were chal- lenged to create various types of robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS and program them to achieve tasks. From that point on I became involved in leading similar activities in local K–12 classrooms. ESD: What led you to this career path? When did you first start working with tech? MP: I started my career as a mechanical engineer with Disney Imagineering. However, even at a place like Imagineering, I noticed a lack of females and members of the younger generation entering the fields of engineering. I real- ized that similar experiences for children could excite and incent them to enter the technology fields. This drove me to even- tually launch iCreate. ESD: Did you experience any personal or systemic setbacks at any point of your academic or professional career? MP: I grew up in a rural Montana town and didn't have access to a lot of the aca- demic opportunities offered in more pop- ulated areas. This made it tough as I entered college, where many of the intro to math and science classes were new to me. Luckily, my tenacity kicked in, I worked extremely hard, and out-per- formed most of my peers. ESD: Whom do you look to as mentors and/or sources of inspiration? MP: Successful entrepreneurs that build strong revenue-generated businesses from innovative product offerings inspire me. I seek mentors who challenge my thinking. I've met these mentors through a local business incubator, former jobs and networking. I am inspired by those who seek to go far beyond the creation of a website and product. iCreate ( Cont'd. from p. 1) ESD: Tell us about iCreate. MP: iCreate was born out of my passion to engage kids in problem-solving and creative thinking. I was fortunate to have access to many different types of tech- nology and curricula while at Tufts University, and discovered a project that had both inspirational and commercial potential. Through this project and the launch of iCreate, the prototype was built into a viable product for K–12 integra- tion. Since launching mid-2010, we have focused on providing simple tools that put students at the center of learning through creation. Our goal is that every child, at home or school, has an opportu- nity to drive their own learning. ESD: Why is getting women and young girls involved with technology and com- puter sciences important to you? MP: During both my studies in mechan- ical engineering and experience working for a defense contractor and roller-coast- er design company, I found myself to be one of only a few women. We need women in the field to balance the per- spective. Women's thought processes bring a rich dynamic to any design table. Giving girls early opportunities to under- stand that design, aesthetics, finances, etc. can be integrated with technology is a first step. Our software and app at iCreate do a great job of this. ESD: Anything to add that you haven't had a chance to mention? MP: One of the best things I did was launch iCreate. While entrepreneurship is tough, finding one's true passion and working towards its fulfillment has rewards that go far beyond any formal education, training or position. Determining one's passion rarely hap- pens overnight. My patience paid off; every day I am thankful that I started iCreate. For more information, visit booth 2528. ability to run a pre-existing wired system concurrently with a new wireless clock system. Synchronized time is a huge benefit for schools. When all of the clocks dis- play the same time, it helps optimize the flow of students throughout the building, reduce tardiness and improve efficiencies with bus schedules. Our system can even control other areas of a facility, such as lighting, HVAC/cooling and door locks. This removes the need for manual activa- tion of systems at exact times, which saves a huge amount of time, personnel and energy costs. ESD: What is your role? AP: I am the sales director for the south central region. I live and work in beauti- ful Austin, Texas and oversee all of the sales within my multi-state region. ESD: What are some of your biggest markets? AP: We have been serving the K-12 industry for more than 30 years, and they continue to be a strong part of our busi- ness. We are also growing quickly in the higher education market, healthcare and manufacturing. We are aiming to signifi- cantly expand our presence in this region in 2014. ESD: What was the most significant trend or event to affect American Time in the last year? AP: We recently announced the launch of our newest offering: Wi-Fi clocks. These clocks don't require a system con- American Time ( Cont'd. from p. 1) troller or any extra infrastructure that a wired or wireless timekeeping system needs. Instead, the clocks arrive precon- figured to a customer's Wi-Fi network. They are literally plug-and-play. They have a five-year battery life, update auto- matically for Daylight Saving Time, and have staggered wake times so the impact on the network is unnoticeable. We are really excited about the Wi- Fi clocks, because they open up the ben- efits of synchronized time to schools that require clocks to show the same, precise time but may not have the budget for investing in the infrastructure needed for a more comprehensive system. ESD: Discuss the position of your prod- ucts and technology compared to the cur- rent market. AP: American Time's SiteSync IQ offers a timekeeping solution that can run both a pre-existing wired system and a new wireless clock system. It can also inte- grate with other areas of a facility and control when they turn on and off, such as security, lighting and door locks. We are extremely proud that our innovative products are American-made, and that we provide quality jobs here in the U.S. ESD: Anything else you want readers to know? AP: I would love to meet them in person! Anyone can stop by booth 407 and receive a free gift when they mention this article! Visit American Time at booth 407. For more information, go to www.atsclock.com, call 800-328-8996 or email theclockexperts@atsclock.com. had similar levels of experience but had not used Science Techbook. Additionally, fifth grade English Language Learner (ELL) students whose teachers used Science Techbook for instruction were 66 per- cent more likely to score at the profi- cient level or higher on the FCAT, compared to ELL students whose teachers were not using Science Techbook. Other key findings from the study include: at the fifth grade level, FCAT scores were on average 4.36 points higher among students whose teachers had more than one year of teaching experience and used Science Techbook than for students with sim- ilar teachers who did not use Science Techbook; at the eighth grade level, FCAT scores were on average 16.54 points higher for students whose teachers had more than one year of teaching experience and used Science Techbook than for students whose teachers had similar levels of experi- ence who did not use Science Techbook; and fifth grade ELL stu- dents with teachers who used Science Techbook scored about 14 points higher on the Science FCAT on aver- age than ELL students whose teachers Discovery Education ( Cont'd. from p. 4) did not use Techbook. "We are proud to partner with Discovery Education to provide our teachers the high-quality resources creating the dynamic learning environ- ments we know are critical to student success," said Dr. Kamela Patton, Superintendent of Collier County Public Schools. Discovery Education Science Techbook series is a complete digital solution that replaces traditional text- books and features compelling video, interactive text, digital simulations and explorations, virtual and hands-on labs, and an interactive glossary with anima- tions, audio and video. The series is available for K–8 science and high school courses including Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science and Physics. "When educators have the resources to create interactive learning experiences that support a variety of learning styles, abilities and languages, they can create an environment that supports academic success and the skills necessary for col- lege, careers and global citizenship," said Andy Schaefer, Vice President, Discovery Education. Visit Discovery Education at booth 2145. To review a full copy of the study, visit www.discoveryeducation.com/collier. uses wireless USB for interactivity, instead of a standard USB cable required by most other vendors. The one-of-a-kind LCD projector features integrated whiteboard technology with very accurate, easy-to-calibrate and durable metal pens. "BOXLIGHT had better picture quality and a more accurate pen than other vendors we looked at," said Shuman. "But what set BOXLIGHT apart was their ability to set the teacher free in the classroom with a tablet, and be able to connect with the projector while being in control of the audio and video wirelessly." Before the technology could be deployed, however, Dallas and BOX- LIGHT had to solve the network connec- tivity challenge. The projector's software was originally designed to work with smaller networks instead of one like DISD's, which has controllers on differ- ent subnets. The robust network required BOXLIG HT ( Cont'd. from p. 4) a nontraditional solution to work in the 223 schools. With the new school year just a little more than two months away, the BOXLIGHT engineers got to work. "Our software didn't have the ability to work for their specific need. So we had to customize the program so the projec- tors could work on the district's net- work," said BOXLIGHT's Business Development Manager Art Davis. To date, BOXLIGHT interactive projectors have been deployed at elemen- tary and middle school levels. Dallas ISD plans to make interactive projectors stan- dard technology in all 11,000 classrooms, which serve 158,000 students. "BOXLIGHT's willingness to step in and be a partner and make changes to their product lines to meet our needs was impressive," said Shuman. "That's what made the difference." Visit BOXLIGHT at booth 2149. For more information, visit www.boxlight .com, call 360-464-2119 or email sales@boxlight.com.