Oser Communications Group

EdTech Show Daily ISTE June 29 2014

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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 1 1 S u n d a y, J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 4 PBS OFFERS SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS A CUSTOMIZABLE LEARNING EXPERIENCE This month, PBS LearningMedia is turn- ing three years old. In just three short years, this new kid on the block has evolved into a robust, thriving digital solution for innovative educators nation- wide. With thousands of digital resources, industry recognition and 1.5 million users with registered access, PBS LearningMedia has evolved into a lead- ing source of digital learning tools that help build math, science, social studies, arts and literacy skills. Since it first launched in 2011, PBS LearningMedia's library of digital resources has grown by leaps and bounds. What was once a collection of several hundred resources is now a virtu- al treasure trove of curriculum-targeted videos, lesson plans, essays, self-paced activities, archived webinars and interac- tive games. Resources are aligned to standards and contextualized to support lesson planning, stimulate classroom dis- cussion and ignite students' curiosity. Although three years is a milestone, PBS LearningMedia's commitment to education goes well beyond its three year history. As America's largest classroom, PBS has been delivering trusted, innova- tive media to teachers and students for over 40 years. PBS LearningMedia extends PBS' educational mission into the digital space by providing high-qual- ity digital media available to classrooms on demand. Building on the legacy of the Basic version of its service, PBS is proud to offer its new LearningMedia Custom solution. This new sub- scription service provides a low cost, high quality classroom technology plat- form that expands the capabilities of the free Basic Service by offering user manage- ment tools, premium PBS resources not available through the free service, deep reporting and analytics capabilities that track engagement and usage plus the option to manage and add content locally. PBS LearningMedia's high quality content, robust functionality options and ease of use have made the service into an essential must-have resource for educators. For more information on the Basic service, please visit pbslearn- ingmedia.org and create your free account today. For information regard- ing the Custom subscription service, please send inquiries to learning mediacustom@pbs.org. PBS LearningMedia: Fast Facts PBS LearningMedia, a partnership of PBS and WGBH Educational Foundation, is the destination that provides PreK-12 educators with access to free digital content for their classroom designed to improve teacher effectiveness and stu- dent achievement. 1.5M+ educators currently have reg- istered access to PBS LearningMedia content. Offers thousands of digital resources aligned to National and Common Core State Standards. The PBS LearningMedia Basic Service offers educators and students free access to digital content; the Custom Service offers enhanced features and functionality including additional con- tent, reporting and analytics, and state standards alignment for a low annual subscription based fee. For more information, go to www.pbslearningmedia.org or email LearningMediaContact@pbs.org. EVOLVING SECURITY FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY AND ASSETS Due to the upsurge in school tragedies and violence, more schools have begun increasing their campus security meas- ures. While the priority of any campus is to ensure the safety of students and facul- ty, 21st century schools are now faced with new challenges. With increased classroom technology and with the grow- ing value of copper, schools are prime targets for thieves. As 1:1 initiatives continue to grow, the value of student devices such as tablets and laptops housed in a typical classroom can exceed $16K. Multiply that by 30 classrooms, where device assets could total almost $500,000. These devices are relative "sitting ducks" for thieves as reported by recent cases – 400 iPads stolen from an Indiana school. Three hun- dred iPads stolen from a Chicago school. Two hundred Chromebooks stolen from a California school. The list continues as district investments in education can be turned upside down in one night. IP sur- veillance cameras not only allow clear monitoring of suspicious activity, but can act as a highly effective deterrent. Although schools are catching on and additional measures are being made to protect students and classroom tech- nology, a new trend in metal theft is catching schools off-guard. For example, a school in New Mexico was forced to shut down for repairs after $10K worth of copper was stripped from their facility. Proven to be an easy task, thieves suc- cessfully targeted 10 other schools in the same district. With the increas- ing value of copper, thieves are taking to unprotected schools at a relentless rate. Recognizing the vulnerability of their cabling infrastructure, more schools are including surveillance cameras outside the schoolhouse walls. When considering surveillance cam- eras, determining which brand to use can be the most difficult part of the process. With similar specs, features and func- tions, it can be hard to decipher the best overall campus security solution. Since typical surveillance systems were designed for your neighborhood conven- ience store, education-centric solutions were hard to come by, until now! With over 20 years developing sustainable technol- ogy solutions for education, AVer understands the unique requirements schools have to help protect students, faculty and essential assets. AVer's high quality IP security cameras were designed specifically for school campuses. With education-centric pricing, AVer ensures enhanced campus security is affordable. AVer's exclusive SafeLearning education warranty and service program adds unmatched protec- tion to your investment, ensuring reliable campus security over the long term. For more information about AVer's full line of IP surveillance solutions for edu- cation, visit booth 1948 or www.averusa.com/campus-security. THE CIRCLE OF (ASSESSMENT DEVELOPMENT) LIFE By Bonni Graham Gonzalez, Senior Manager Marketing Communications, Scantron Corporation How can educators create and maintain an assessment development process to deliver tests that truly measure student achievement? The key is having a stable strategy that follows a continuous improvement cycle. Although your assessment develop- ment cycle may vary in complexity, typi- cal cycles include some or all of the fol- lowing phases: Assessment Blueprint The assessment blueprint (sometimes called a test development plan) lays out the overall goals, grade levels, subjects and other assessment specifications. Item Development Item development identifies and creates the specific questions and answer choic- es that will appear on assessments. This phase also includes researching reading passages and creating any images or other media required by the test items. Item Review Reviewing items ensures they contain appropriate content, support the right grade or difficulty level(s) and are free from bias. In addition, some teams deter- mine scoring points or rubrics during this phase. Assessment Development Assessment development assembles completed items into the test forms or assessment banks you intend to present to students. This phase may include field testing of some or all items. It may also include operational testing to ensure your assessment delivery mechanisms run smoothly and efficiently. Reporting Reporting delivers the ultimate purpose of assessment: results you can use to drive instruction. This phase may include research to determine a variety of factors, including whether your assessments accurately predict student performance and the impact that instruction and assessment are having on student outcomes. Throughout the assessment develop- ment cycle, Scantron provides a full spectrum of support: Build Capacity Within Your Team Your team is your human capital; no one knows your district's needs better than those working within it. In addition to providing blueprint, item or assessment deliverables, Scantron offers extensive professional development so you can grow or expand your own internal expert- ise. Help Develop & Deliver a Complete Plan Scantron Assessment Services can help you with your complete plan. We can guide you through best practices, create blueprints, develop comprehensive item suites for a variety of subjects and design assessments to measure student achieve- ment. Incorporate Research to Demonstrate Results Educators know that detailed research validates assessment efforts. However, shrinking budgets and time constraints mean many districts no longer have the staff to conduct these studies. Scantron's team can help with a variety of research studies. Scantron has a deep track record providing services to help thousands of customers succeed in their assessment programs. The company has helped districts with workshops and consulting on content development processes, as well as working with cus- tomers to provide high-quality, aligned content. Scantron has validated educator assessment efforts and demonstrated pos- itive impact to student learning with research studies ranging from determin- ing growth targets to predictive validity studies. Whether you want to do it your- self with in-house experts and just need a little support or whether you need a part- ner to guide you through the process, Scantron can meet you where you are and help get you to where you want to be. Visit Scantron at booth 934. For more information, go to www.scantron.com, call 858-349-9488 or email bonni .graham@scantron.com.

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