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E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y T h u r s d a y, F e b r u a r y 4 , 2 0 1 6 1 4 ZORTRAX M200: NO. 1 RATED 3D PRINTER For two consecutive years, the Zortrax M200 3D printer ranks No. 1 in its class, according to reviews from 3D Hubs. These results are based on feedback from more than 5,000 verified 3D printer own- ers located in 150 countries around the world. The rating criteria include reliabil- ity, print quality and ease of use, making the M200 exceptionally professional and hassle-free. This makes the Zortrax M200 the 3D printer of choice for busi- nesses and educational professionals throughout the world. The Zortrax products, however, were not always so readily available to cus- tomers in the United States. Zortrax S.A. originated in Poland, and gained an ini- tial reputation and following through a kickstarter.com campaign in 2013, rais- ing more than $100,000. After two years of research and development and a suc- cessful Kickstarter, the first version of the M200 was ready to ship. Many cus- tomers ordered from the United States, but some experienced delayed shipments and communication frustrations in regards to customer/technical support. Consequently, Zortrax S.A. formed an agreement with U.S.-based company 3D Proshare to facilitate local sales and distribution. Through this agreement, 3D Proshare is able to offer fast shipping, warranty protection and technical sup- port for all customers in the United States. It also shields customers from poten- tial inconveniences such as time-zone dif- ferences, customs fees and language barriers. This mutually benefi- cial agreement allows Zortrax to continue offering a superb product, while continu- ously improving the overall customer experience. Since the release of the M200 in 2013 and the distribution partnership with 3D Proshare, Zortrax has seen tremendous growth in the educational sector. The M200 printer and Z-suite software (included with purchase) allow students to engage in the creative processes of 3D printing, as well as develop fundamental problem-solving skills. The Zortrax ecosystem also pro- vides a comprehensive way to fulfill the CTE learning objec- tives and incorporate the Standards for Technological Literacy in the classroom. Now you can experience the magic of the Zortrax 3D printer in your own school. Whether it be architectural design, prototyping, manufacturing or engineering, there is a home for the Zortrax in your school. Students will engage in the design process, create inno- vative solutions and solve everyday problems. What's the price? Only $1,990. Meet with the company or use the coupon code TCEA2016 when purchasing the M200 online, and receive educational pricing. For more information, visit booth #115 or go to www.3dproshare.com. HYPERSIGN AND SAMSUNG: A CONNECTED CAMPUS Samsung, Google and Hypersign have joined together to offer a cutting edge solution for education. That is where the name theconnectEDU comes from. Hypersign's theconnectEDU offers a total digital signage solution that is as easy as creating PowerPoint files. Today, many educational institutions are utilizing digital signage. However, some digital signage software systems make things more difficult than they should be and do not come with an alert feature in case of an emergency. Samsung created an article regarding the effectiveness and importance of emergency alerts on school campuses through digital signage. Samsung stated, "When emergen- cies happen, colleges and universities have a responsibility to inform their populations quickly and efficiently. This is often a difficult task, as commu- nications must reach all students, facul- ty and staff, regardless of their locations around campus. As a solution, many educational institutions are turning to digital signage to improve commu- nication of cam- pus issues and emergencies in a quick and efficient manner." Time is of the essence in an emer- gency situation, and individuals need to act quickly to save lives and keep others out of danger. During a crisis or emer- gency situation, faculty, staff and stu- dents need to be aware of their surround- ings and possible evacuation plans. School administrators can easily create content using Hypersign and theconnectEDU to develop slideshows using PowerPoint files and utilize evacu- ation route maps to notify everyone in the case of an emergency. A Google Chromebox is used to connect the displays with Hypersign's easy to use cloud-based soft- ware. Within the Hypersign system, it is easy to create and share messages on beautiful Samsung commercial grade smart signage displays. Samsung stated, "By bringing together easy-to-use, indus- try-leading tools, this system is an afford- able and powerful solution that makes digital signage for education an integral part of an overall emergency communi- cation plan." For more information, visit booth #607. STREAMING VIDEO MADE SIMPLE, AFFORDABLE BY TELESTREAM Whitney High School, based in Rocklin, California, has won consecutive major student-produced media awards for the last six years, including US Education TV's "Best Overall Network," the ESE Network's "Platinum Award" for having one of the top programs in the country and STN's Excellence Award for "Best Daily-Taped" show in the nation. Led by teacher Ben Barnholdt, the Whitney broadcasting program produces a daily news show called "Unleashed" on WCTV19, (www.wctv19.com). The live streaming production soft- ware they use is Wirecast, by Telestream, which gives them the production and live streaming tools necessary to produce their daily shows. The software gives stu- dents the opportunity to experiment and learn valuable video production tech- niques that can lead them into rewarding careers. Wirecast is affordable and pow- erful, yet easy enough to use that students and volunteers can be trained to use it in just a few minutes. Wirecast has functionality that you'd imagine could be possible only with the purchase of expensive hardware: live switching, transitions, titles, lower thirds and more; but because it's a software solution, it's affordable and flexible, and can be used on existing computer hard- ware that the school owns. With Wirecast, you can switch between multiple live camera feeds, enhance your show with graphics keyed into a greenscreen background, add high-quality audio, create text captions and other professional touches. Broadcasts created with Wirecast can be streamed to all the places you want to reach. It's an effective way to keep students, staff and the public informed about school activi- ties and achievements. For more information or to download a free trial, go to www.telestream.net/wirecast. HOVERCAM'S ULTRA 8 SETS NEW STANDARD FOR DOCUMENT CAMERAS HoverCam, a leading document camera manufacturer based in San Diego, California, has once again set a new standard for high performance of docu- ment cameras at a price within the reach of most Texas school districts. The company's new Ultra 8 is the first doc- ument camera incorporating an 8.0 megapixel sensor, LCD preview screen and HDMI, VGA and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 outputs. Ultra 8, on display at booth #2435, is the company's first document camera with HDMI and VGA outputs so it may be used in classrooms without a comput- er and connected directly to a large screen display or projector. "We are already seeing many sales to universities and K-12 districts that require HDMI output," said HoverCam's Craig Justice, Vice President of Sales. "The benefits and cost savings of our technology are now available to schools and districts that want to use document cameras without a computer." The first thing users notice about the Ultra is the image clarity and speed. Ultra 8 incorporates an 8.0 megapixel sensor in which all pixels are active and the refresh rate is 60 frames per second over HDMI. The Ultra 8, with a footprint of less than 40 square inches, is significantly smaller than other high-end document cameras with HDMI and VGA outputs. One reason the HoverCam is smaller than traditional document cam- eras is because zooming is done with the high-resolu- tion sensor, and not bulky and expensive optical components, according to the manufacturer. HoverCam calls it ASR Zoom for Adaptive Sensor Resolution, which allows for fast digi- tal zooming without any loss of image quality. Ultra 8 is the only document cam- era under $1,000 that includes an LCD viewing monitor. This makes it conven- ient for teachers to see what they are showing the class without turning around to see what's on the big screen behind them. Ultra includes an 8GB SD card so teachers can take photos and capture video to the SD card without a computer. Another unique feature of Ultra 8 is the USB 3.0 output for teachers who want to bypass the SD card and record video directly to the com- puter. Ultra 8 can record no-lag, full-motion HD video over a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 cable to the computer's hard drive, where it's easy to edit or share right away. An optional HDMI-in loop-through and VGA-in loop-through adapter is available for schools requiring HDMI or VGA pass through. In Texas, HoverCam products have been adopted by Allen, Denton, Ft. Bend, El Paso, Cy-Fair and Klein ISDs. Ultra 8 is available through a number of education technology resellers with a price to schools of $449. HoverCam manufactures a full range of document cameras priced from the $99 Z5 to the $449 Ultra 8. For more information, visit booth #2435 or go to www.thehovercam.com/ultra8.