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E d Te ch S h o w D a i l y M o n d a y, Ju n e 2 7 , 2 0 1 6 2 4 INTERESTED IN ACCELERATING STUDENT GROWTH? THE SOLUTION IS EMPOWERING TEACHERS It's simple: in order to accelerate student growth, we need to empower teachers. After all, when it comes to student achievement, teachers are in the driver's seat. Every day, a teacher helps a student who wasn't able to do something yester- day be able to do it today. Teachers make the impossible possible. However, teach- ers can't do it alone – and in Renaissance Learning's research, it has identified three key challenges that teachers are fac- ing all across the nation: Lack of Connectivity between Assessment and Instructional Resource Software Applications In Renaissance Learning's talks with teachers about assessment and data, they say that the fundamental struggle is that insight from assessment data doesn't connect to the curriculum they are using. Lack of Access to Relevant Instructional Resources The lack of software connectivity creates a second challenge. As you know, one size doesn't fit all when it comes to instruction- al strategy. You, your schools and your fel- low teachers make different choices about textbooks and supplemental curriculum. Increase in Time Spent on Lesson Planning Renaissance Learning knew teachers were spending a lot of time planning les- sons, but until it talked with some of you, it didn't know how much. Many told the company that lesson planning takes eight to 10 hours per week. Most teachers we spoke with fol- low a seven-step process, with each step consuming 20 to 70 minutes a week. That adds up to four full school days a month spent on lesson planning. Renaissance Learning wants to give you more time to spend with your students. That's why it is hard at work on a new digital platform, grounded in learning science and rich with assessment, resources and practice programs that all seamlessly connect. Score to skill to resource to assignment, for personalizing learning in a fraction of the time that les- son planning requires today. The result? Optimal growth for your students, and more time for doing what you love. The platform includes: valid, reliable assessments that determine student mas- tery in about 20 minutes, saving millions of instructional hours; a simple, powerful lesson planner that automates that seven-step process, signifi- cantly reducing weekly planning time, and helps teachers produce plans that reflect what each student needs to learn; seamless integration with the instructional capabilities you already use, including the core curriculum of your dis- trict, major textbook series and open edu- cational resources; data to create more effective practice for your students, uplift- ing your ability to assess how your stu- dents are doing; and recommendations for the right assignments at the right time, as well as ways to enhance instruction, based on the flow of student assessment, practice and growth data. Smarter assessments. Enhanced con- nectivity. Saved time. Seamless analysis of student growth. For more information, visit booth #2911 or go to www.renaissance.com. INTRODUCING THE LEARN ONDEMAND FULL COLOR POSTER MAKER The Learn OnDemand poster maker is a one click system to create four different sizes of posters and banners to any length. This system is the only system on the market to be awarded a provisional patent by the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office. The Learn OnDemand poster maker comes with: a 24-inch or 36-inch full color printer; 1,200 educational tem- plates (fully editable); full screen plug and play work station; high resolution scanner; supplies; template subscription (over 100 added each year at no charge); and weekly update subscription (a poster a week related to a current event). There are several ways to create posters and banners. You can start with a blank template and after three steps you have cre- ated your own poster. You can also scan an existing document to create a poster or bring your own creation in on a thumb drive. It's as simple as clicking the print button and in two minutes you have created your own poster or banner. The other method is to simply select one of the 1200 existing posters from the template library (edit it if you wish) and press the print button. The template library is divided into subject category, including (but not limited to) reading, writing, math, science, character educa- tion, motivational, parent involvement, Spanish and administrative. The system is simple, easy to use and sure to enable you to reach your visual learners by informing, instructing and inspiring. For more information, visit www.carolina posterprinters.com or call 800.729.2836. Stop by booth #111 and request a free sam- ple pack to be sent to your school. ALTERNATIVE TO LEGACY FAX MACHINES & PHONE LINES Faxing remains a trusted, secure and reli- able means for tr ansmitting documents. Fax machines and phone lines are not the most cost effective ways to send and receive faxes. With Multi-Function Printers (MPFs) and customized ATAs it is possible to send and receive faxes without phone lines. FaxCore's fax server can fax enable MFPs, legacy fax machines and desktop PCs while eliminating fax lines. Leveraging Modern Communications Tools One of the most powerful solutions a company can leverage, online faxing, can be used in a variety of different institu- tions. Education is a good example of a field where modern technology can make a difference. There are many reasons why com- panies seek out an online fax service, and many of them are also applicable for places like schools. Educational facilities often deal with a wide variety of situations and data – much of it sen- sitive and important. This is one reason why faxing is still required in schools. From financial records to student health files, there is a need for secure docu- ment transmission. Many forms of com- munication are being moved away from copper channels and onto IP lines. Voice is the most obvious example of this, with VoIP – voice over IP – being a hot topic of conversation. But faxing over IP – FoIP – has also been recognized as a powerful, modern tool that schools can benefit from. This is why the Plainfield Community School Corporation in Indiana turned to FaxCore when its landline fax capabilities were no longer cutting it. "The Indiana Department of Education still requires faxes for certain things," said PCSC Technology Director John Crum. "A lot of doctors' offices that we interact with for our special education people are dealing with practices that require faxes one way or the other. Our faxing needs have dwindled over time but it's still an important piece of operations." The implementation of online fax services within PCSC has, according to Crum, been a success thus far. Everything is working the way it was expected, and then some with the intend- ed switch from "plain old telephone serv- ice" lines occurring at an expedited rate. Stop by booth #3652 to learn about its on-premise, cloud fax offering and 'Partly-Cloudy' fax options. After the show, visit www.faxcore.com. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE PARTNERS WITH TIGGLY Professor Herbert Ginsburg from Columbia University's Teachers College has partnered with Tiggly to bring con- nected technology into early geometry education through a series of interactive and engaging stories and games. The result of the partnership is a unique inter- active animated story app called Tiggly Shape's Got Talent. The app will interact with Tiggly Shapes connected manipula- tives to bring a tactile dimension to chil- dren's digital play on tablets like the iPad. Study after study shows that many parents and even early childhood teach- ers believe they are not good at math and they find the subject matter very intimi- dating. This means they avoid teaching math concepts to children and when they do, they transfer their anxiety to the chil- dren. In fact a recent study showed that one in 10 adults suffer from math anxi- ety. Another study showed a significant factor in math anxiety, particularly for young girls, is math-anxious elementary school teachers. This has a huge negative impact on children's mindset about math, their achievement in math subjects and their later success in the STEM field. Early childhood experts are now try- ing to find ways to help parents and teachers overcome their anxiety and feel good about introduc- ing math to young children. Professor Herbert Ginsburg approaches this prob- lem by introducing complex math con- cepts to very young children through engaging and playful stories. Teachers and parents love to read stories to kids, so why not use story time to teach math in a really fun, tactile way? Tiggly Shape's Got Talent does exactly that! The app turns learning early geometry concepts such as shape identi- fication and shape properties into a fun- filled, humorous talent show. You'll meet "Star" who attempts to find the best shape by introducing challenges to various shapes. Children will learn about the properties of basic shapes as they solve Star's challenges. Teachers and parents can also record their own voice for vari- ous characters, making customized cartoons for their kids. The story and mini games in "Tiggly Shape's Got Talent" app are designed and written by Professor Herbert Ginsburg from Columbia University's Teachers College and edited by Emmy-award win- ning writer Jill Turner, the former writer of many of your favorite children's shows such as "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" and "The Good Night Show." For more information and to see Tiggly connected technology in action, visit booth #4223 or email educators@tiggly.com.