Oser Communications Group

ISTE15.July1

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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 2 7 W e d n e s d a y, J u l y 1 , 2 0 1 5 shared; PINs are easily forgotten, swapped or stolen. Also, visual identification is a poor solution, especially with today's con- siderable security concerns and reporting issues. By using biometrics for identifica- tion, the problems and costs associated with the current methods of student iden- tification can be avoided and new stan- dards of accountability can be put into place. As a former school principal, I've shared the day to day administrative chal- lenges. The identiMetrics Finger Scanning ID System™ was specially designed by educators to meet the unique needs of schools. It integrates with the school's existing software to provide a student ID platform that will work with one application or with all the applica- tions throughout the school or school dis- trict wherever indisputable proof of stu- dent ID is required. ESD: How does it work? JF: The finger is scanned. Unique points, whirls and swirls are identified. These points are converted to a binary number. The numbers are encrypted and equal the student's ID number. The template is stored in the biometric database. When the student returns to be identified, the finger scanner again scans the finger. The com- puter software now compares the new tem- plate with the other templates in the data- base. When a matching template is found, identiMetrics (Cont'd. from p. 1) the student is identified. This identification and matching process takes about one sec- ond to complete. At no time is a fingerprint image ever stored and fingerprints cannot be recreated from the template. ESD: What about privacy concerns? JF: Overall acceptance of biometrics has risen substantially over the past few years especially due to the biometric security and payment features on smartphones and a better understanding of biometrics in general. Most people now recognize that biometric technology actually protects their privacy. identiMetrics is a proud sig- natory of the Student Privacy Pledge; we take student privacy very seriously. There is a big difference between finger scanning used for simple identifi- cation and finger printing that is used for law enforcement purposes. There is a lot of talk about what can be done theoreti- cally. But practically, you cannot recreate a fingerprint from an encrypted digital template. However, there are still some who are fearful of "someone stealing my fingerprints." I used to be afraid of the monsters under my bed; that didn't pan out either. For more information, visit booth #438 or go to www.identimetrics.net. Enter GoldKey Secure Email. Secure GoldKey Secure Email manages authentication via a custom USB hard- ware token for PCs (a GoldKey) or a GoldKey Soft Token downloaded onto a mobile device – plus a PIN that is cre- ated by the user. GoldKey never asks for the user's email address and never sends the user's PIN over the Internet. In addition, GoldKey Secure Email never stores copies of email on the device – it's all stored, encrypted, in the cloud. This means that simply removing the GoldKey or Soft-token and signing out makes it impossible to access the data – including all those private messages, pictures and personal information. Convenient Not only is GoldKey Mail secure, but it is also has some attractive convenience fea- tures. One of those is logging in. Just get- ting into and out of email accounts can be a hassle, especially if security is the goal. Instead of requiring the email address, password, and text message verification, GoldKey simply requires the user's PIN. Another convenience of GoldKey Mail is its GoldKey Groups. This feature allows users to create different groups – e.g., work, family, friends – and invite candidates to join. This makes it possible for GoldKey Mail users to easily send announcements and messages, or have group discussions with everyone in a given group. Clean One of the surprise features of GoldKey Mail is that it is clean. GoldKey has refrained from using email data for GoldKey (Cont'd. from p. 1) advertising, so GoldKey Mail is com- pletely ad-free. Along these same lines, GoldKey Mail has a unique way of fighting spam. It creates an Inbox that can only be reached by invitation or by another GoldKey secure email account. Uninvited senders find their messages "junked" by GoldKey. GoldKey Mail users can go into their junk folder and retrieve legitimate emails to their Inbox. In the future, emails from these senders go into the secure Inbox, while the real junk never gets through. GoldKey Secure Email has elegantly addressed three significant and much- needed email features: Secure. Convenient. Clean. For more information, visit www .goldkey.com. AG IREPAIR: DEVICE REPAIR AND PARTS FOR K–12 DIGITAL LEARNING INITIATIVES AG iRepair is one of the largest and most advanced repair facilities in the nation, spe- cializing in Apple and Chromebook device repairs. It is currently partnered with more than 700 school districts, providing repair solutions for iPad, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and various Chromebook models. In addition to repair services, AG iRepair also offers an extensive line of replacement parts for school districts that manage their own repairs in house. The company has more than 15 years of experience in the LCD repair industry and its technical knowledge, coupled with its advanced testing and repair equipment, allows it to perform highly specialized repair services successfully. At its 84,000 square foot facility, all repairs are per- formed in four class 10,000 clean rooms, which creates an environment free of dust and debris, ensuring the highest quality repair experience. AG iRepair is also well known for its ability to handle high vol- ume repairs at ease and currently supports individual school districts with more than 40,000 iPads. AG iRepair offers school districts numerous advantages that sets it apart from the competition, offering the high- est quality with the best educational pric- ing, a one to two day repair turnaround time, a one-year warranty on all repairs, and free inbound and outbound shipping. All of these advantages are becoming increasingly important as more and more school districts are starting to fund their own repairs, versus purchasing an insur- ance policy or a warranty to cover their devices from accidental damage. AG iRepair also offers its customers an advanced website that allows school districts to track all current and prior repairs. With its time stamped order man- ager system, districts can see when their order was received, if it is in production, when it was completed and shipped, and automated tracking numbers are emailed to whoever creates the order so they can track it all the way back to their district. The site also provides a reporting system that can track how many devices were repaired throughout the course of a year, which can be very important information for budgeting and board meetings. If interested in trying out AG iRepair's services, it offers to perform your first MacBook Air or iPad screen repair for free. This incentive is offered so potential customers can experience the simple online work order process for sub- mitting repairs, but more importantly, to experience the quality of its work, turn- around time and customer care. For additional information, visit www.agirepair.com. EDCO'S BROADCAST STUDIO SOLUTIONS EMPOWER STUDENTS TO CREATE USING COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY By Shea Michelle Allen Communication is changing. Newspapers profit mainly on web subscriptions. People rely on technology for their news more heavily than ever. K–12 Education is not exempt from this trend. Schools are looking to broaden their curriculum and improve their use of technology in a way that empowers students. Broadcast studios give students the ability to create video content that shares news, streams live events and digitizes school communication. Simultaneously the students stay engaged when given creative control and the ability to direct production and editing. That leaves administrators charged with integrating the latest technology in a way that best empowers their students to tackle the rapidly changing world. One of those administrators is Darius Sanders, Vice Principal at South Broward High School. Sanders explains that with the right resources, students have infinity possibility. "You give the students the right materials, the technology and the oppor- tunity and the sky's the limit as to what they can create," said Sanders. EDCO's engineers went to work on the project. South Broward was equipped with a state of the art broadcast studio that gives students the ability to create while simultaneously streamlining the school's communication system. Their K–12 Broadcaster simplified the video production and made streaming the video easy and practical for K–12 use. Finally, the School Studio Suite brought in the editing and broadcast software necessary to create a professional final product. Sanders is following the trend of more and more in the K–12 industry. But with new technology comes the inevitable troubleshooting. That is where Sanders says EDCO stands out from the crowd. For more information, visit www.edco education.com.

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