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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 4 SCHOOL DISTRICT INVESTS IN 1:1 TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE WITH BLACK BOX Seeking to provide its students with the skills they need for the 21st centu- ry, Bethel Park School District began its 1:1 technology initiative with the 2014-2015 school year. The District's four-year implementation will provide 1:1 computing devices for all K-12 students. The devices will allow stu- dents to participate in collaborative activities and access many of their online textbooks and a variety of edu- cational programs already in use in the District, such as Compass Odyssey, Study Island, Spell City and Math Counts. The District selected Chromebooks and needed affordable, well-built Chromebook carts to support the technol- ogy initiative for students in grades K-6 where students are too young to take the computers home. The District needed to store the Chromebooks safely and securely in every classroom and have them readily accessible to students. The Solution Bethel Park School District chose Black Box, a P i t t s b u rg h - b a s e d global provider of charging and stor- age solutions, as its solution for Chromebook storage and security. "Working with a local, high- quality and affordable vendor operating in the District just made sense," said Director of Technology Services Ron Reyer. Since the District's plan is to pur- chase computer items through 2018, a functional cart that could grow with them THE CLASSROOMS OF THE FUTURE NEED THE RIGHT FURNITURE By Bob Hill, Global Education Manager, Ergotron While there is little doubt that classrooms have become more sophisticated and dig- ital, the physical classroom setting and furniture hasn't necessarily evolved at the same pace. The tablets and devices that are transforming the learning process still sit on top of the same style desks from the 1950s. The blackboards and chalk may have been replaced by interac- tive whiteboards connected to a comput- er or projector, but far too often, students still sit in stagnant rows looking up in the same direction at the teacher for the daily lesson. While curriculum modernizations create opportunities for teachers and stu- dents to use the classroom space more effectively, traditional classroom furni- ture does not. In order for the classroom to truly evolve, teachers, principals and district administrators need to address the entire classroom environment. It may not always be the first priori- ty, but classroom furniture at the most foundational level should enhance the educational tools and technology it's support- ing. At an aspirational level, it should also sup- port the teachers' curricu- lum, the students' health, comfort and learning styles. This requires a fun- damental change in think- ing as schools adopt 1:1 technology, requiring analysis of what else is chang- ing in association with the technology. Facilitating the move from tradition- al lectures to more group-based, collabo- rative and active environments requires adjustable and highly mobile furniture for both students and teachers. Continued on Page 37 Continued on Page 37 Lee M. Oser CEO and Editor-in-Chief Jules Denton Kim Forrester Associate Publishers Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director Jeanie Catron JoEllen Lowry Greg Gonzales Associate Editors André Gressieux Art Director Yasmine Brown Krystal Robles Graphic Designers Sarah Glenn Freda Epum Customer Service Managers Stacy Davis Kimberly Stevens Show Logistics & Distribution Randal Fisher Rob Romeo Account Managers Enrico Cecchi European Sales EdTech Show Daily is published by Oser Communications Group ©2016 All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300/Fax: 520.721.6300 www.osercommunicationsgroup.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy