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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y Tu e s d a y, J u n e 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 6 SCIENCE FICTION BECOMES REALITY: THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS LEARN WITH REAL WORLD VIRTUAL REALITY FROM ZSPACE The real world virtual reality experience grabs their attention, and the possibilities keep them hooked. That's what's happen- ing for more than 15,000 students in the United States whose learning environ- ments have been transformed by zSpace. In the last few years, more than 50 school districts have added zSpace STEM Labs for students ranging from third grade to high school – and the num- ber is growing every day. These labs include a set of student virtual reality sta- tions and a teacher station, each outfitted with an interactive stylus as well as a wide variety of educational software ranging from science and physics to engi- neering. Virtual-holographic images can be "lifted" from the screen and manipu- lated with the stylus. Some applications provide multi-sensory feedback; for example, students working with a virtual heart can see it pumping as well as feel it beating. Unlike head-mounted displays, made popular by Oculus Rift, students learning with zSpace wear trackable eye- ware. They're able to collaborate in teams and use critical thinking skills to solve complex challenges on virtual real- ity desktops. They can perform highly engaging tasks that are often too expen- sive and dangerous for the classroom. Students can even interact with virtual environments to discover concepts, from troubleshooting a quad- copter to building a jet engine, in ways often impractical or impossible in the real world. Teachers and admin- istrators see real learning beyond the "cool" factor. With zSpace, students col- laborate and innovate. They can learn about concepts that are difficult to conceptualize in the real world, such as zero gravity, by modelling it in a virtual world. And they keep talk- ing about the lesson long after the class is done. "It's not often that I walk down a hallway and hear middle school girls pos- itively chattering about the class they just attended using zSpace and how they wished they had more class time," said Jill Gierasch, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District in New York. Already, zSpace has won wide- spread recognition from the ed tech industry, including being named the Best Digital Device for Education in the 2015 Bett Awards; winning a Best New Product Award from 2014 Tech & Learning Magazine's Awards of Excellence; and being chosen as Cool Vendor in Education for 2014 by Gartner Inc. In addition, news media from all over the country have been wowed by zSpace's virtual technology. The Los Angeles Times said that zSpace made science class look like an "Iron Man" lab, and local TV news stations from Colorado to Pennsylvania have laud- ed zSpace for its futuristic approach that is revolutionizing the way stu- dents learn. For more information, stop by booth #300 or visit www.zspace.com. PUT STUDENTS AT THE CENTER OF THE CLASSROOM WITH QOMO INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGY By Michael Swierz, Educational Committee, Qomo Student Work at the Center At heart, teaching is an activity centered on the place where learning begins and ends: the students themselves. Teaching practices and curriculum that speak directly to students help make school rel- evant for their lives, encouraging them to retain lesson content and successfully apply the knowledge they learn to their daily lives. QOMO interactive class- rooms solutions offer easy tools to build student-centered classrooms and self- paced curriculum by allowing both stu- dents and teachers to wirelessly display wide-ranging work on QOMO's high- definition LED interactive panels, through the use of our QConnect wireless sharing device. QConnect A cross-platform, wireless screen shar- ing device, QConnect Wireless Interactive Presentation System allows every student in class to broadcast their own work before their peers from any- where in the room. As many as 40 stu- dents (plus the teacher) can simultane- ously connect their smartphones, tablets, laptops or any other mobile device, and the teacher can choose as many as four different students to appear on the board at once. With a built-in Android annota- tion overlay on both the Journey interac- tive panel and the QConnect Plus, teach- ers can visually comment on student work. Best of all, QConnect is not limit- ed to any single brand of technology: iPads, Android devices, Chromebooks and Windows computers can connect alike as part of a seamlessly inte- grated BYOD classroom envi- ronment. Student-Centered Success For over a decade, QOMO has gone to great lengths to provide classrooms across America with engag- ing and accessible technology that stim- ulates and captivates students of all ages and subjects. Today's kids spend more time than ever in front of laptops, tablets, cellphones and computers. To learn their best, students need a school environment that is up to date and pace with the high-tech world where they spend most of their lives. Technology not only influences how our students spend time outside of school; it also determines who they are. At QOMO, our goal is to provide leading edge edu- cational equipment that makes class- rooms as "real to life" as the world we are training them to lead. Allen County Technical Center is just one shining example of how QOMO is changing the way our educational system teaches our youth. "The kids are more motivated with the new technology," says teacher Cindy Scott of Allen County, Ky. "I like being able to share the students' work on the big screen. I feel like I've come out of the Stone Age into this new technology world." Both in Allen County and many other districts across America, QOMO interactive technology is allowing edu- cators to engage the students with dynamic lesson presentations, collabo- rative group projects and greater team- work. Students feel motivated to partic- ipate because they see themselves at the center of the schoolroom, up on the big screen. For more information, visit www.qomo.com, call 866.990.QOMO (7666), email info@qomo.com or stop by booth #2652. STUDY SHOWS HIGHER MATH ACHIEVEMENT AMONG STUDENTS WHO USE TIGGLY'S MATH LEARNING SYSTEM A recently released study found that the use of Tiggly Math Learning System is associated with higher math achievement and engagement out- comes for four and five year-olds who played with the math manipulatives and apps (Chef, Addventure and Cardtoons). Specifically, the study found that after only two weeks of play, early number of children skills improved by as much as 71 percent for those who paired the apps with the learning manipulatives. Children had an overall increase across a battery of math skills, improving an average of 21 percent. Conducted by the independent research firm PlayCollective (located in NYC), the study examined the results between a pre- and post-test, based on selected items from the Standard Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA), focusing on basic math skills and exam- ining knowledge and application of math concepts in children. Research was con- ducted through two rounds of individual sessions with 47 children in the metro- politan New York City and Washington, DC areas. "Such improvement in a relatively short amount of time is very impressive for any learning tool," said Dr. Alison Bryant, Co-CEO and Chief Play Officer of PlayCollective. "These find- ings suggest that Tiggly Math has a positive impact on early learning success." Along with increased math understanding, children who used the Tiggly Math Learning System showed greater engagement with the apps. The vast majority of parents reported that their child found the content exciting, with children spending extended periods of time playing – reach- ing over 20 minutes per session with the Tiggly Chef. Tiggly's approach rests on bridging digital learning with physical play to give games the tactile dimension that kids crave and child development experts say is vitally important. According to a recent publication by Chip Donohue (2014) of the Erikson Institute, technology should complement the natural play of children and meet each child's develop- mental stage. "We believe there are a num- ber of important early childhood development milestones that are best reached through the engaging gameplay we are pioneering," said Dr. Azadeh Jamalian, Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer of Tiggly. "We want to create a learn- ing journey that can be used both in the home and classroom that has a lasting impact on children ages two to nine years-old. Those are the age groups where physical play is critical to the development of motor and spatial skills." Visit Tiggly at booth #139 to see how you can get a free sample to try in your classroom! For more information, visit www.tiggly.com, email educators@ tiggly.com, follow on Twitter @TigglyLearn or stop by booth #139.