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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 1 1 W e d n e s d a y, J u l y 1 , 2 0 1 5 OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT BOOSTS TECHNOLOGY-BASED LEARNING WITH HIGH-PERFORMANCE ETHERNET NETWORK By Tomas Yanez, Director of Enterprise Marketing, Comcast Business In a time when education resources are moving online at a rapid pace, the Oakland (California) Unified School District (OUSD), a national leader in the community schools movement, has deployed an Ethernet network to provide high-capacity, reliable Internet service and expanded bandwidth for its learning curriculum and applications. OUSD has nearly 35,000 students and 5,000 staff members across more than 100 sites, and the Ethernet network, provided by Comcast Business, will enable staff members and students to access learning resources and streaming HD video from multiple locations. Ubiquitous wireless broadband and a variety of devices will deliver online resources to teachers and students, help- ing to ensure equitable access for all. Comcast Business Ethernet will increase OUSD's network performance from 50 Megabits per second (Mbps) to one Gigabit per second (Gbps) to the elementary schools and five Gbps to most of the middle and high schools. OUSD has implemented a number of technology initiatives to enhance teaching, expand learning and reduce costs. The district is designing and implementing next-generation learning systems that provide individualized, technology-based learning models to match each student's specific needs, preferences and perform- ance. The customized delivery of learning resources takes into account interests and learning styles in order to increase student engagement and academic performance. It also allows students to work in a col- laborative setting, increasing the depth of their school experience. "Our goal is to prepare our students for the future and provide them with the educational tools and resources that will help them succeed," said John Krull, Information Technology Officer, Oakland Unified School District. "Our use of Comcast Business's technology and infra- structure is enabling us to create an equitable, supportable, customizable learning environment that empowers our students and our staff to drive the learn- ing experience and ensure Oakland's schools are competitive with the best in the world." By investing in a flexible and scala- ble network infrastructure, OUSD can ensure the adoption and effectiveness of various learning environments. For more information, visit Comcast Business at ISTE booth #846, visit www.business.comcast.com or call 866.519.2313. THECONNECTEDU: THE NEW AGE OF DIGITAL SIGNAGE FOR EDUCATION Samsung, Google for Education and Hypersign have joined forces to create theconnectEDU, the next generation of digital signage exclusively for educa- tion. This partnership has created an innovative and reliable digital signage solution to easily display and distribute messages within a school or university – from standard campus messages (announcements, events, etc.) to emer- gency alerts. The package consists of four parts: Innovative Digital Signage Hypersign is a 100 percent cloud based, easy-to-use digital signage plat- form that allows users to manage and publish a wide range of content, which can be distributed throughout your entire sign network, all from one cen- tral dashboard. High Quality Displays Samsung Commercial Displays make an impact on your audience, not your wallet. Deliver dynamic, engaging messages using commercial grade components and an extensive range of sizes from 10 inch- es to large video walls. Incorporate the best design, efficiency and picture quali- ty into your campus. Powerful Chrome Devices The Chromebox seamlessly connects your digital sign environ- ment. Display important information quickly and securely. Easy Device Management Google's Chrome Device Management allows administrators to manage their campus's Chrome devices from a central dashboard which can be accessed any- where at any time, provided an Internet connection. Ben Fuller, Broadcast Technology and Desktop Publishing Teacher at Gaffney High School in Gaffney, South Caroline, shared his experience implementing dig- ital signage and how it affects campus life. "Hypersign allows us to communi- cate important information to our stu- dents and faculty at any time. We enjoy using it to promote extracurricular activ- ities and events going on around campus. Teaching broadcast technology, I incorporate digital signage into my les- son plans daily. Students create content for the school displays, and I grade them on their work. They're learning and leav- ing a remarkable impact on students and faculty through their individual creativi- ty. It's a win-win!" Campus communication is easier than ever with theconnectEDU. To learn more about how this digital sig- nage solution will benefit your campus, stop by Hypersign booth #2658, Samsung booth #3002 or Google booth #1808 to talk to a theconnectEDU representative. For more information, visit www.the connectedu.com, call 864.735.0710 or email sales@hypersign.com. SPORTSPAY'S BOOSTER PAY RAISES MONEY FOR SCHOOLS, CLUB DISTRICTS AND ORGANIZATIONS American Credit Card Processing Corporation, through its SportsPay divi- sion, specializes in providing low cost credit card, debit card and e-check pro- cessing for non-profit organizations, schools, churches, clubs, sports organiza- tions and activities. As one of the largest privately held payment processing companies in the nation, it specializes in saving its clients money on their cashless payment pro- cessing needs. The SportsPay division works directly with non-profit organiza- tions, charities, schools, districts, clubs, etc. to provide them with low cost, easy to use methods of accepting payments for any of their payment needs. This includes accepting payments with mobile technol- ogy, such as phones, tablets or mobile credit card terminals. They are able to accept payments over the internet via their website or in conjunction with a software provider they use, in addition to traditional credit card terminals. Organizations that choose to partici- pate in the Booster Pay marketing pro- gram receive donations to their school, club, district or organization equal to a percentage of the profits on the business they refer to ACCPC via the Booster Pay program. The businesses they refer save money on their payment processing. It doesn't cost them anything to switch, and the referring organization receives dona- tions ongoing throughout the year for their efforts. It is truly a win/win for all parties involved and there is no product to sell. For more information, visit www.sports pay.net or www.ACCPC.com. EMBRACE A PHILOSOPHICAL CHANGE Most technical personnel feel that engag- ing a managed service equates to relin- quishing control and that any self-pro- claimed managed service is just the "same old thing." But it's time for dis- tricts to step away from the idiom and embrace a philosophical change. Instead of the old-school tradition of break-then-fix, Impulse operates on the belief that it is better to proactively manage the life cycle of the system. Its BYOD solu- tions, coupled with this proactive service, work in a seamless manner with little to no management. For example, when a new iPhone is introduced to the market, Impulse fingerprints the device months in advance and updates the district's system. When this new device shows up on a campus, it is automatically recognized and assigned the appropriate access. The value provided is significant because users do not experience any disruption of service, there are no fran- tic calls to the help desk, and management can focus on other areas. Impulse provides continuous (24 hours a day, 365 days a year) proactive monitoring and support, including hard- ware appliance and software maintenance and future feature enhancements. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits is problem determination and resolution ownership; network managers are not left on their own to research and solve any problems. Impulse's Standard Service Delivery and Support Services include the following: Daily Updates to the System At the rate mobile technology is chang- ing, it is imperative that systems are updated frequently. Impulse delivers a 48-hour or less SLA for new devices, operating systems and AV version soft- ware, where other BYOD security providers take weeks or months to deliv- er and require the customer to apply the updates. Free Hardware Refreshes Forever Impulse will never require a customer to ever purchase replacement hardware as part of its managed services offering. It will refresh the hardware for free as new features are rolled out. There is no End of Life (EOL) concept with Impulse. If a hardware device no longer supports the most recent application requirements, Impulse ships out a new hardware appli- ance to the customer and facilitates the upgrade at no-charge. Free Software Updates and New Versions Impulse provides customers with new versions of software at no charge, and owns the task of upgrading customers. Unlimited Bursting Licenses SafeConnect allows customers to tem- porarily burst beyond their existing device license tier with no financial penalties. This allows for the spikes in users and devices (especially around spe- cial events). For more information about BYOD security solutions and managed serv- ices, call 863.802.3738 or email tevans@impulse.com.