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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y S u n d a y, J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 4 6 CUSTOM TIMEKEEPING FROM AMERICAN TIME An interview with Amber Prescott, South Central Region Sales Director, American Time. ESD: What does American Time do? AP: American Time manufactures and markets integrated, custom timekeeping systems and accessories for education, healthcare, government and manufactur- ing organizations. We are the only compa- ny that offers a master controller clock, called SiteSync IQ, which has the ability to run a pre-existing wired system concur- rently 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. ESD: What was the most signifi- cant trend or event to affect American Time in the last year? AP: This year, we launched our newest offering that has proven to be extremely popular: Wi-Fi clocks. These clocks don't require a system controller or any extra infra- structure that a wired or wireless time- keeping system needs. Instead, the clocks arrive pre-configured to a school's Wi-Fi network. They are literally plug-and- play. They have a five-year battery life, update automatically for daylight saving time and have staggered wake times so the impact on the network is unnotice- able. We are really excited about the Wi- Fi clocks because they open up the bene- fits 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. We've seen huge demand and lots of excitement around this technology! ESD: Discuss the position of your products and technology compared to the current 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 integrate 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 2760 and receive a free gift when they mention this article! For more information, visit booth 2760, go to www.atsclock.com, call 800-328-8996 or email theclockexperts@atsclock.com. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ONLINE Teachers today are busier than ever. McGraw-Hill Education's Professional Learning Environment (PLE) for grades K-12 empowers you to control your professional learning quickly and right from the start. Premiering at ISTE 2014, the online Professional Learning Environment is relevant, practical and directly connected to select McGraw- Hill Education programs. Best of all, teachers can access it 24/7. 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The Professional Learning Environment includes: online program implementation with foundational training to support effective program use; back-to-school MOOCs connect- ing participants with a community of program experts and peers in a massive open online course (MOOC) focused on the tools and activities needed dur- ing the initial weeks of school; point- of-use support offering professional development resources within lesson planning tools and aligning effective teaching strategies with content; and ongoing profes- sional learning to build teaching mastery through modeled instruction, applied practice and collaboration. Explore Professional Learning Now Gain a deeper understanding of program strategies, collaborate with other educa- tors and get better results in the class- room. The Professional Learning Environment from McGraw-Hill Education gives you the power to inspire a new generation of students to lead and succeed. Visit McGraw-Hill Education at booth 1532. 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