Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/629673
E d Te c h S h o w D a i l y 3 3 F r i d a y, F e b r u a r y 5 , 2 0 1 6 new school collections, curriculum mate- rials and more for schools and libraries. Our free digital content management system, MackinVIA™, provides dis- tricts, schools, students and libraries with free reader apps for a variety of mobile devices and desktop computers, and free content to start. MackinVIA has been recognized by Tech & Learning as a 2015 ISTE Conference Best in Show Winner and is the recent recipient of their Award of Excellence as an outstanding technol- ogy education product. These awards are validation of the effort Mackin has put into making a supreme product for users in education. We also have a free funding source for schools and libraries called 'Funds4Books & eBooks.' Hundreds of schools utilize this free program because it is a hassle-free, online donation pro- gram that allows schools to collect dona- tions and spend 100 percent of the pro- ceeds on any resource Mackin sells. ESD: What trends are you seeing in the library and classroom market? RH: Today's school library market is presently enduring the largest paradigm shift it has experienced since the intro- duction of the stand-alone online auto- mated catalog. K-12 school libraries are being challenged to remain relevant in a world that is quickly transforming into a digital platform, and I believe that this is the very biggest opportunity ever for school libraries and professional school librarians to showcase their importance and relevancy within the educational process. Teacher Librarians must seize the moment and take the lead as purvey- Mackin (Cont'd. from p. 1) ors of knowledge and vital information sources and resources that will serve to accelerate and increase the ability of every classroom teacher and administra- tor to improve and enhance learning. ESD: How do you view your role as an educational resource vendor in today's market? RH: Our role is more crucial than ever as we provide schools and libraries with the most economical and versatile resources they need. Mackin has taken that involve- ment a step further with the formation of the Transform Your School Library (TYSL) Movement. We have assembled an accomplished board of professionals who are fully engaged in providing sup- port to librarians focused on transitioning their library to meet the educational chal- lenges of the future. Librarians looking for support and information can learn more at www.mackin-tysl.com. ESD: In addition to visiting the Mackin booth, how can people learn more about your company? RH: Visit our website at www.mackin.com for full information about Mackin or to start a live chat. Find us on Twitter, @Mackin_Talk and @MackinVIA, and on Facebook (Mackin Educational Resources). For additional questions, email us at mackin@mackin.com, or call us at 800.245.9540. Every phone call is always answered in person – 24 hours a day, every day – and we pride ourselves on the fact that here, true customer serv- ice still exists. For more information, visit booth #311. really needs to take the time to learn, understand and fully evaluate the differ- ences before making an informed long- term decision. ESD: Why is it important to think long term for a charging cart? BK: You shouldn't base a purchasing decision only on the e-learning devices you have now or will soon purchase. Think further down the road. Consider what will happen in three or four years when you want to update your technol- ogy. What will the form factor of that next device look like? The cart or lock- er that you choose should have the flex- ibility and design that either allow shelves to adjust or comes with shelves that provide adequate headroom should your device of choice be larger in the future. ESD: Is a charging cart warranty some- thing users should consider? BK: Absolutely. Some manufacturers offer very limited warranties, while oth- ers offer very comprehensive lifetime warranties. Read the fine print. What is covered and what isn't? Limited liability workmanship-only warranties don't cover the same thing as all-inclusive war- ranties. Black Box (Cont'd. from p. 1) ESD: What other cart specifications are important to consider for cost savings? BK: The design of the cart. Being that these solutions are in the classroom, a safe design is extremely important. There is no price tag to keeping children safe in the classroom. When evaluating, look to see if the charging/storage solution has pinch points, launch points or tripping points. External hinges, large stabiliza- tion feet and pullout drawers are all potential hazards in schools. Also, how is the cart constructed? Light carts easily tip when force is applied to the open door. I suggest a durable, 100 percent steel cart that can withstand applied weight. One should also keep in mind that swinging doors can serve as a carnival ride in the classroom. Options are available for slid- ing doors. ESD: What other mistakes have you seen schools make when choosing 1:1 solu- tions? BK: Not clearly specifying cable man- agement, forgetting mobility, not under- standing power draws, not considering cart assembly and forgetting about deliv- ery costs. Make sure to avoid these mis- takes when evaluating 1:1 solutions. For more information, visit booth #2243, go to www.blackbox.com/TabletCarts or call 800.355.8004. that all charging systems are safe, but this is not always true. In fact, all device charg- ing systems are not created equal. Therefore, it is important to choose a charging product that has been safety cer- tified by a third-party organization and that the system is being evaluated as a complete and integrated system. It is important to require this of your supplier to ensure the safety of your devices, your facilities and your students. Some manufacturers use individual components that are safety certified, but then combine them into a larger charging system that is not certified. Charging sys- tems that are not evaluated and certified may exceed allowable load limits, there- by causing electrical arcing, facility problems and/or interaction and interfer- ence with other equipment. Safety certifi- cation also ensures that mechanical haz- ards such as user "pinch points," tipping, sharp edges and crush/cut potential are mitigated. What are the risks of using non-cer- tified products? You may be surprised at how many there are. Here is a list of con- siderations when choosing the right charging systems for your campus: Critical materials are not fire resist- ant: this is a potential fire hazard if a bat- tery or electrical fault occurs. Electrical hazards are not physically enclosed: shock hazards exist if ener- Ergotron (Cont'd. from p. 1) gized circuitry can potentially be touched either directly or if exposed metal is not safely grounded or properly isolated. Other fire hazards can exist if the enclo- sure can potentially let out flames or molten metal if an electrical fault occurs inside of the enclosure. Mechanical hazards are not mitigat- ed: if not properly tested and certified, pinch points, tip, crush or cut, sharp edges and moving parts can injure stu- dents and staff. Equipment ratings must meet National Electrical Code: non-evaluated systems may exceed allowable load lim- its, causing electrical arcing, facility problems and/or interaction and interfer- ence with other equipment. No manufacturing factory quality surveillance: product quality and consis- tency must be managed and ensured. Whether you are a choosing a small desk- top charging unit for a back office, a wall charging unit for an AV center or a full charging cart for laptops, tablets, Chromebooks or netbooks in the class- room, safety should be a number one pri- ority for all the stakeholders involved. Technology is meant to open up new worlds to the students, not new headaches for teachers and IT staff. Look for the cer- tified safety labels or documentation and be sure the whole system is safe. For more information, visit booth #1333. now, making it more difficult for every student to master math skills. Do we real- ly know what is expected and what is available to us? This is where the educa- tor must begin. Instructional and assessment meth- ods must reflect variety. A variety of instructional and assessment practices include paper/pencil, oral communica- tion, performance-based, gamification, observation and much more. Digital assessments have become much more prevalent in recent years, proving to be beneficial and very time efficient for busy teachers. When teachers have easier access to student performance, instruc- tional decisions can be made quickly. Digital math applications such as LoveMath™ provide teachers the option of assigning lessons to students based on their skill level in real-time. These les- sons also include a digital assessment that teachers can use to make immediate, necessary adjustments to individual instruction. The expectations are high, but cer- tainly not unattainable. We must be cre- ative in our approach to achieve extraor- dinary results. In fact, educators must understand that we have new tools avail- able to us for instruction, learning, differ- entiation and assessment. Ensuring each student receives the personalized learn- ing they need begins with us. ESD: How does LoveMath make person- alized learning easier for teachers to achieve? SJ: LoveMath meets students at their GPA Learn (Cont'd. from p. 1) current skill level, as determined by an initial placement assessment. LoveMath is 100 percent adaptive to each student, allowing for remediation, review and/or advancement. The com- prehensive instructional design, creat- ed by our in-house state certified teach- ers, is not just a drill and kill tool. Each lesson contains three components: Instruction, Practice and Assessment. In all three areas we model and practice the 'Concrete,' 'Representational' and 'Abstract' sequence of instruction to ensure the student receives a solid foundation, all based on their current skill level. There are so many amazing features and benefits of LoveMath for teachers, so I'd love to mention a few: graded home- work and quizzes; real-time dashboard views of progress by class/student, pre- sented by topic or math standard; cus- tomizable rewards for individual and/or class achievements; a safe, encrypted communication network so teachers, stu- dents and parents stay informed on progress and achievement; access to all PreK-5 grades, powering remediation, review or advancement; and a self-paced lesson map. ESD: Who can purchase the application? SJ: Districts, schools, teachers, PTA/Os and parents may purchase the product. We are happy to provide classroom or school pilots for those who would like to try LoveMath. For more information, visit booth #2051, go to www.gpalearn.com or call 404.507.2571.