Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/335348
E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 2 7 S u n d a y, J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 4 Piles of Paperwork Are Not Easy to Search Project-based learning in practice can be more challenging than traditional chalk- talk without the right tools and training. Piles of project proposals, time logs and learning standard binders can weigh down teachers and students alike. Project Foundry streamlines the paperwork and validates the learning through an intu- itive user interface that parallels PBL best practices. With Project Foundry, you can spend more time with students and less time organizing stacks of paperwork or folders of spreadsheets. Generate Standard-based Transcripts Quickly Schools need to demonstrate that stu- dents are learning their respective state learning standards/outcomes required for graduation. Project Foundry helps dynamic learning environments demon- strate accountability by providing the Project Foundry ( Cont'd. from p. 1) ability to align and evaluate projects against state learning standards. In addi- tion, Project Foundry provides powerful tools for self and peer assessment along the way. As a result, schools using Project Foundry have a series of useful reports, a standards-based transcript and project-by-project drill downs that com- municate academic progress. Life Skills Are Part of the Learning Process The skills needed to succeed in the 21st century economy need to be practiced, refined and then refined again. Content mastery is no longer enough to remain competitive in the global economy. Hands-on, experiential, problem-based instruction gives students the opportuni- ty to practice and refine the life skills they will need to succeed. Project Foundry scaffolds best practices while reinforcing process improvement and short feedback loops. Visit Project Foundry at booth 1463. aligned to nation-wide standards. Our products provide effective tools for stu- dents to build skills for college and career readiness. ESD: What products are you showcasing at ISTE and what type of technology is required for the user? IT: At ISTE we are launching our C.A.R.E. 4D educational application to interact with our product suite. Our cur- rent product suite includes augmented worksheets, augmented workbooks and 3D virtual labs. These products utilize leading edge augmented reality technolo- gies to create a virtual learning experi- ence for students. The animated multime- dia lessons that are included in our sup- plemental materials are viewed through the C.A.R.E. app using any iOS or Android smart device. In addition, all of our content is available online. Students have the opportunity to engage with interactive materials and make real world connections. ESD: What is your company's value proposition? IT: Our value proposition is reinforcing lessons taught in class by creating engag- ing and interactive learning experiences that increase a student's retention power and knowledge. Our products differenti- ate instruction by providing individual- ized lessons. We are encouraging the infusion of technology and education to support and meet the 21st century learn- ing initiative. ESD: Are you introducing any new prod- ucts? IT: In addition to our current product suite, C.A.R.E. will be launching 4D- enabled augmented worksheets, work- books and virtual labs aligned to various C.A.R.E. ( Cont'd. from p. 1) nation-wide standards including Common Core. These materials will be accessible via our C.A.R.E. app built with DAQRI 4D Studio, the leading aug- mented reality creative tool. "I have worked with the team at C.A.R.E. closely over the last few years and believe that with DAQRI's creative tools, their dedication and enthusiasm for augmented reality and education will produce amazing results," said Brad Waid, 4D education evangelist at DAQRI. "C.A.R.E.'s products and virtual labs will provide a meaningful and rich learning experience for students," said Drew Minock, also with DAQRI. "We have seen the impact of augmented reali- ty and 4D in our own classrooms and we're excited to hear and see how C.A.R.E.'s new app and vision will impact education." ESD: How can our readers find out more about your company? IT: To get more information about our company, as well as our suite of products, readers can visit our website at www.coreared.org. Teachers and admin- istrators that are piloting our products in various school districts across the coun- try are offering a valuable insight to our product features by blogging their expe- riences in our Teacher's Lounge on our website. They can also request to sched- ule a demonstration that can be cus- tomized to meet their district's needs. They may also visit us at booth 1826 dur- ing ISTE to speak with one of our quali- fied team members. Readers can also fol- low us on Facebook, Twitter @core- ared_org, Instagram and LinkedIn to keep a pulse on all the new and exciting programs and events that C.A.R.E. is a part of. Visit C.A.R.E. at booth 1826. For more information, go to www .coreared.org, call 732-440-9453 or email admin@coreared.org. every school district in the nation will need to write new rubrics to drive cur- riculum, and new assessments on those rubrics are sure to follow – and almost all of them will be online. These assess- ments will force districts across the coun- try to rethink the way they handle net- working and computing in a number of mission-critical areas. The IT implications are significant. Almost every school district in the nation will need to write new rubrics to drive curriculum, and new assessments on those rubrics are sure to follow. Most of these will be online, forcing districts across the country to rethink the way they handle networking and computing in a number of mission-critical areas. Whether you're fine-tuning your district's assessment program or still trying to implement one, you must consider the entire computing infra- structure when administering a plan … not just whether you have enough Internet capacity. If you start with the top of the appli- cation stack and work your way down, the first consideration is to evaluate your mobile device environment. According to a preparedness study done by the Center For Digital Education, most districts have found they need more end user devices – no surprise. At the same time administrators are figuring out how to expand the device base, the thing connecting those devices to the testing application is the network, which can make or break the whole oper- ation. Generally speaking, there are four types of bandwidth that make up "the Comcast Business ( Cont'd. from p. 1) network": Internet, LAN, WAN and wireless. Some or all of these may need to be upgraded. For example, adding more WiFi access means more wireline capacity to support it. How much bandwidth will districts ultimately need? That depends on whom you ask. According to a 2012 report from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), the base numbers should be at least one gigabyte for every 1,000 students, faculty members and staff by the 2014-2015 school year, and at least 10 gigabytes for every 1,000 users by 2017-2018. Compounding matters is the fact the most schools are located in residential neighborhoods, miles away from where most of the fiber is, and fiber is needed to power the real bandwidth hungry appli- cations districts are now deploying, like desktop virtualization, distance learning and video surveillance. Add to the mix the need for profes- sional development (for IT staff and teachers) and funding, and this CCSS- triggered metamorphosis can be quite daunting. Comcast Business has part- nered with The Center for Digital Education to outline a preparation check- list to help schools manage or create a program (http://business.comcast.com/ ethernet/industry-solutions/education). To discuss how Comcast helped school dis- tricts upgrade their communications infra- structure to prepare for digital learning, and learn how Comcast can help your school district, visit booth 433. For more information, go to www.business .comcast.com or call 866-429-0258. other Network Directory systems. UMRA eliminates the need to manage user accounts via scripting or manual data entry. ESD: How exactly does UMRA make an impact? DW: UMRA saves time by allowing system admins to securely and rapidly make bulk changes to AD by referenc- ing CSV files or integrating with your information systems. The benefit is that it removes the need to manually manage and maintain complicated or cumber- some scripts, allowing your administra- tor to focus on more critical tasks. UMRA basically bridges the gap between the SIS or HRMS systems to Active Directory and other director services while creating accounts in downstream systems or the cloud. ESD: What do you mean by 'down- stream systems and cloud?' DW: Administrators are faced with hav- ing to enter data many times in several different formats for various other sys- tems. UMRA can be leveraged to create accounts in cloud-based systems such as Google Apps or Office 365 to synchro- nize with Active Directory and the stu- dent information system. We have worked with many other systems like Moodle, Skyward and Destiny, and have Tools4ever ( Cont'd. from p. 1) out-of-the-box connectors to many other systems. If you are curious about the con- nectors, please stop by booth 3661 and ask for me. ESD: You mentioned that UMRA cre- ates and manages accounts within Active Directory. Do you also work Novell? DW: Yes, we can indeed mange user accounts within e-Directory. I think that is where UMRA exhibits great flexibility by being able to work with many differ- ent platforms. We have had several implementations that keep data synchro- nized between AD and e-Directory. UMRA can also manage GroupWise and Exchange in these mixed environments. ESD: What distinguishes your company from the competition? DW: We have a very solid niche with the educational market. Tools4ever is nim- ble, responsive and focused on the client's needs and expectations. We are very entrepreneurial in nature, which allows us to be incredibly responsive to our client's technical needs. With this elevated level of customer service cou- pled with value-based price point, Tools4ever is considered the company of choice for school districts seeking a user management solution. For more information, stop by booth 3661, visit www.tools4ever.com or call 888-770-4242.