Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/335351
E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y Tu e s d a y, J u l y 1 , 2 0 1 4 2 2 TACKLE MOBILE DEVICE MANAGEMENT WITH APPDIGIO Mobile devices are everywhere we look these days. They have transformed the way we consume, distribute and manage content, by increasing accessi- bility through smart devices and mobile applications. This mobile device revo- lution can be seen in the enterprise, SMB and increasingly, in our educa- tional institutions. At the surface, this all sounds great, but at the root of it comes new challenges as they relate to managing this new ecosystem. As more and more software com- panies and manufacturers leap into the mobile device and application manage- ment space, IT administrators are often times overwhelmed with which solu- tion will be the best fit for their organ- ization. Educational institutions face an even bigger challenge as it relates to coupling both the technical aspects of MDM and MAM with the curriculum side of the equation. Jim Crocco, President of Appdigio Inc., recently said, "After countless meetings with some of our key accounts, we realized that we needed to devel- op a solution that tackles the mobile device management issue at all levels in our schools. By getting IT, administra- tion, instructional technology and just as important, teachers and end users involved, we found that the real issue was tying the entire organization together. This meant creating func- tionality that addressed the technical aspects of what IT managers need with the spend and app approval processes that administrators, curricu- lum and end users desired." A p p d i g i o doesn't stop there, however. Their custom App Store and Addigio suite also allows insti- tutions to raise money directly on their own app store by selling ad space and featured ad placements on their sites. This helps drive program dollars for additional technology or other programs they deem necessary as a built in feature right within Appdigio. Visit www.appdigio.com for more infor- mation, or call 972-695-8600 x5018 or email info@appdigio.com. STUDY SHOWS HIGHER ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG STUDENTS USING DISCOVERY EDUCATION TECHBOOKS A recently released study found that usage of Discovery Education's digital science textbook is associated with higher achievement scores. Specifically, the research suggests that the Discovery Education Science Techbook™ increases student science achievement and bolsters the effective- ness of instruction when teachers with one or more years of experience use it in classroom practice. Conducted by independent research firm Merola Research, LLC, the study reviewed results on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in science for fifth and eighth grade students in Collier County, Fla. During the 2011-2012 school year, Collier County Public schools partnered with Discovery Education to implement Discovery Education Science Techbook, a digital textbook for their science curriculum. Included in the implementation was in-depth, cus- tomized professional development from Discovery Education's professional development team, which supported educators as they integrated the Science Techbook into classroom instruction. The researchers concluded that stu- dents whose teachers had one or more years of teaching experience and used Science Techbook for instruction scored higher on the FCAT than students whose teachers had similar levels of experience but had not used Science Techbook. Additionally, fifth grade English Language Learner (ELL) stu- dents 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, com- pared to ELL stu- dents 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 stu- dents whose teachers had more than one year of teaching experience and used Science Techbook than for students with similar 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 students with teachers who used Science Techbook scored about 14 points higher on the Science FCAT on average than ELL students whose teachers did not use Techbook. "We are proud to partner with Discovery Education to provide our teachers the high-quality resources cre- ating the dynamic learning environments 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 college, careers and global citizenship," said Andy Schaefer, Vice President, Discovery Education. To review a full copy of the study, visit www.discoveryeducation.com/collier. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT FROM NETSUPPORT An interview with Marcus Kingsley, CEO, NetSupport Inc. ESD: Tell our readers about your compa- ny. What's your main line of business? MK: We're in the business of classroom management software. Rewind a few years, and that would have been translat- ed as monitoring student activity on their desktops. Fast forward to today, and the term has evolved to include not only monitoring tools, but also student assess- ment tools, cost saving features, instruc- tion tools and much more. ESD: Are you introducing any new prod- ucts? MK: We introduced a number of enhancements throughout 2013, most notably addressing the ongoing chal- lenges of BYOD. With NetSupport School v11, we extended the platform to support Android devices as well as extending our Google Chrome OS support. In terms of functionality improve- ments, a powerful question and answer module was added to improve student assessment, a powerful iOS app was introduced, allowing teachers to utilize their tablet devices when providing instruction, plus overall improvements to wireless support and file distribution per- formance. This product evolution is now continuing into 2014 with the newly launched iOS app, offering support for student iPads and iPhones. Now NetSupport School is truly unique in the classroom management space by offering genuine 'any platform' student compatibility. In addition, we repositioned our IT asset management solution, NetSupport DNA, to be not just a preferred choice in the corporate space, but also a viable and competitive option for the education segment. ESD: What distinguishes your products from the competition? MK: Aside from offering the broadest feature set with the con- tinual BYOD focus, NetSupport School also offers the widest level of platform support. With full compatibility for Win, Linux and Mac platforms as well as Terminal Server, Thin / Zero Client, Virtual Desktop and shared resource computing environments, NetSupport School continues to set the standard in classroom management soft- ware, especially now with the added iOS, Android and Chrome support. NetSupport products are also about simplicity. Everything is included as standard, with no hidden fees or addi- tional components to purchase. You pur- chase once and own forever. No repeat annual subscriptions, no remote hosting and no sending sensitive student data via third party services. ESD: How do you see the next year in terms of economy, sales, technology and product evolution? MK: In terms of economic forecast, the fiscal challenges will continue, although we are seeing some marginal improvement in confidence, which is positive. For the education mar- ket outlook, the BYOD buzz will continue, especially with increas- ing adoption of the iOS, Android and Chrome platforms. Decisions to invest in BYOD should be paired with a suitable strategy to identify how to achieve ROI and how these pro- grams will help influence the attainment of Common Core principles and similar. ESD: To what do you attribute your com- pany's success? MK: First and foremost, I think we have achieved some measure of success by concentrating only on what we know best. You can't be everything to every- one. We remain committed to mastering the classroom management space. We've been leading this space now for over 20 years and have secured the largest global installation base. Visit NetSupport at www.netsupport school.com or www.netsupport-inc.com, call 770-205-4456 or email sales@ netsupport-inc.com.