Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/698898
E d Te ch S h o w D a i l y Tu e s d a y, J u n e 2 8 , 2 0 1 6 4 8 BH: Diverse options for charging sys- tems will continue to be a strong require- ment for educators and we are excited to show off our entire family of Ergotron charging carts, wall cabinets and desk- tops, especially Ergotron's YES series charging systems built with Anthro- DNA. Whether a school is using Chromebooks, iPads ® or Windows tablets today, or a new device platform tomorrow, the newly combined line of charging systems now offers educators and schools the most diverse and "future- friendly" furniture and charging systems all in one place – with the charging and managing capabilities schools require. The combined strengths and resources of both Ergotron and Anthro manufacturing, design and distribution capabilities help ensure devices will be secured, stored and charged efficiently and safely, in high-quality and attractive formats for any environment on campus. ESD: How has the education community been responding to the "active class- room" concepts introduced over the last several years with your LearnFit™ Standing Desks for students? BH: The response has been fantastic from teachers, district leaders, students and parents. "Game changer" is one term used in describing not only the student response to having the oppor- tunity to choose whether they sit or stand throughout the day, but also how educators teach with it. They admit there is more time for teaching, less disciplinary time, quicker classroom reconfiguration, more focus and less fatigue as students self-manage their sleepiness. The experience is intuitive for teacher and student alike, and the ramp up time for classrooms to be pro- ductive with the desks is fairly short. Ergo tro n (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) We've been gratified to see the reac- tion of the community as well in the form of many awards since its launch, including an International Interior Design Association Award (IIDA) and a Tech & Learning 2015 Award of Excellence. Hear what is being said at www.ergotron.com/spotlight. ESD: What is the primary benefit of the LearnFit Standing Desk for students? BH: Introducing low-level physical activity into the classroom, such as standing, has a positive impact on stu- dent health, classroom engagement and academic performance. Standing more throughout the school day increases blood circulation, burns more calories and helps maintain muscle tone and insulin effectiveness. This means the LearnFit format can be an integral part of a school environment designed to improve student health and academic outcomes. ESD: Is there any new research being released about standing desks in schools? BH: Study findings published by the Journal of Public Health from pilots con- ducted in the United Kingdom and Australian primary schools confirmed incorporating Ergotron's sit-to-stand desks into classrooms effectively reduced class- room sitting time in a diverse sample of children. The combined research in schools is proving that getting students moving more throughout the day encour- ages the kind of healthy behavior that leads to physical and academic improvements, better metabolic health and consequently, to more alertness and engagement. Learn more at research.juststand.org or see us in booth #1515. For more information, visit education .ergotron.com or stop by booth #1515. visual learners? RH: Approximately 65 percent of stu- dents are visual learners. Eighty per- cent of curriculum is delivered orally. The Learn OnDemand poster maker is a great way to reach your visual learn- ers. ESD: How does it do that? RH: By creating curriculum-based sup- porting posters and banners to support the material being delivered orally. One example would be a lesson on the bones of the body. A large poster of the skeletal system would be displayed with blank lines for the instructor to fill in as the les- son proceeds. ESD: Do you have any other examples? RH: Let's say you are teaching a unit on the solar system. Having a large poster sized template of the solar system would certainly be helpful for the students to visualize the solar system. If you were teaching a unit on a math concept, a large poster template of the concept with formulas would reinforce P resentatio n Systems (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) the subject. ESD: How can the Learn OnDemand poster maker help specifically with this? RH: The Learn OnDemand poster maker comes with over 1,200 curricu- lum based templates to choose from. The poster templates are divided by subject, including (but not limited to) reading, writing, math, science and character education. All a teacher needs to do is select the template, click once and the poster tem- plate prints in about two minutes. The templates are fully editable. ESD: Do you have any new additions to the templates? RH: Yes. We have now converted over 100 templates into Spanish. We also have a new section called administrative tem- plates. The templates allow school administrators to track progress of stu- dents in a large visual environment. For more information, visit www.carolina posterprinters.com or call 800.729.2836. Stop by booth #111 and request a free sample pack to be sent to your school. CG: LEGO Education is part of The LEGO Group, and we share the LEGO brick and values, but our focus is on developing educational resources for educators. LEGO Education was started over 30 years ago, when we found that many educators were using LEGO in the classroom. Our kits have evolved over time, but we continue to deliver experi- ences that are at our core: bringing hands-on and minds-on educa- tional solutions to educators and students through playful learning. We believe that expanding knowledge along with build- ing academic and 21st century skills will create active, collaborative lifelong learners. ESD: How does LEGO Education address the needs of 21st century stu- dents? CG: The ability for students to identify a problem and find a creative solution is more important now than ever before because the jobs they will hold haven't even been created yet. We need to pre- pare our youth to ask questions, define problems and design their own solutions so that they can be prepared for whatever comes their way. We all need to inspire the innovators, engineers and entrepre- neurs of the future. One way we strive to do this is through our two robotics kits, WeDo 2.0 for elementary students and LEGO MINDSTORMS ® Education EV3 for middle schoolers. Teachers can use real life scenarios and then ask their students to build and program robots to solve a real life problem. It is amazing to watch how students take on the challenge and then develop really amazing solutions using critical thinking and creativity. Students see there isn't only one right answer. L EG O Educatio n (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) ESD: Can you tell us a little more about WeDo 2.0? CG: LEGO Education's WeDo 2.0 is a hands-on, robotics solution that engages elementary students in science-related subjects, in addition to engineering, tech- nology and coding. Students get to build projects including Milo the Science Rover, Plants and Pollination, Robust Structures and more! They gain an under- standing of core science concepts that are built on the Next Generation Science Standards, but above all, they are having fun while doing it. ESD: LEGO Education North America recently moved its headquarters to Boston. Why did you choose Boston? CG: We chose Boston for its unique edu- cation industry ecosystem, unmatched education partner network and strong digital innovation environment. All of these things support our long-term strate- gy. We are very proud to be a part of the city and can't wait to see what's in store. Boston and the surrounding communities have been very welcoming. ESD: What can we expect to see at the LEGO Education North America booth? CG: We actually have two booths here at ISTE! At both booths, you will see some really cool robots that you can learn to pro- gram and code. Learn more about our ele- mentary robotics solution WeDo 2.0, at booth #2707, and learn more about our mid- dle school robotics platform, LEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3, at booth #4215. We hope that you are able to stop by. For more information, visit www.lego education.com, call 800.362.4308 or stop by booths #2707 and #4215. over 1,500 Chief Executive Officers from 60 countries and 33 industries worldwide found that creativity is the most important factor in the ability to navigate an increasingly complex world. In corporate and military environments, critical creative thinking forms the foun- dation of progress, whether it's bringing a new product to market or addressing homeland security issues. In the field of education, teachers and administrators benefit significantly from creative strate- gic problem solving as they face 21st century challenges to provide equitable and effective education. Increasing technological advance- ments for seamless wireless connectivity, mobile computing and game-based learn- ing is changing the ways that we learn, communicate and teach. Tech-savvy stu- dents and emerging adults who grew up with digital media have different expec- tations for learning. They value interac- tivity, creative expression, collaboration, hands-on experiences, games and social networking. Recognizing this fundamental shift in thinking and learning, Drexel's School D rex el U niversity (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) of Education combines the Learning Technology with Creativity and Innovation in its academic offerings to bring together faculty with the expertise to develop learning technology leaders in business and education. The collabora- tion results are the improved preparation of corporate and education leaders who are creative thinkers and problem solvers able to exploit learning technologies to better identify and innovatively solve learning and performance problems through a transformational model of change and foster creative environments within their corporate, military or educa- tional work setting. Students in the both Drexel's M.S. in Learning Technologies and its M.S. in Creativity & Innovation participate in a core set of course work in their respective disci- plines. Students are able and encouraged to include the foundational courses of the other program to serve as the Professional Elective component of their degrees. For more detailed information about the programs, email Jamillah Moore at jam596@drexel.edu or visit Drexel University's School of Education's web- site, www.drexel.edu/soe.