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E d Te ch S h o w D a i l y W e d n e s d a y, J u n e 2 9 , 2 0 1 6 3 6 inspire students to invoke their inner inventor and simply have fun getting cre- ative. This came on the one-year anniver- sary of his Nation of Makers initiative – a call to give students greater access to new manufacturing technologies, such as 3-D printers, desktop tools and software design programs. The president's hope is that the maker movement will work its way into K-12 classrooms around the country, eventually leading to a boom in American manufacturing, an industry that has yet to make its mark in the era of globalization. That is, a new generation of well-trained students with a mind for creative design could potentially solve many of the manufacturing problems our nation faces today. One year into the Nation of Makers initiative, more than 150 leaders in edu- cation have already committed to broad- ening their participation in the maker movement. For students, this will mean expanded access to tools and courses C ox B usiness (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) intended to teach them how to leverage new technology to impact the world. Of course, this movement would not be possible without expanded access to affordable technology in the class- room. Thanks in large part to E-Rate funds made available for many schools, access to affordable technology is more attainable than ever. Additionally, many companies are making products tailored for K-12 school systems. As a matter of fact, Internet-connected Chromebooks currently dominate the education mar- ket, representing more than half of all devices sold for U.S. classrooms, due to the Google product's tremendously competitive price. Their affordability has made all the difference to school districts working within strict technolo- gy budgets. Once a school has a solid technology foundation for educating students, the maker movement can take hold there. With ubiquitous access to computers and high-speed connectivity, administrators can offer students advanced technology courses, such as code writing, to supple- ment their regular schoolwork. This will help pupils develop skills to support real- world initiatives. For example, students with a proclivity for hacking might one day lead the way to building more-secure national networks. Another great example of how affordable classroom technology is enabling the maker movement can be seen in the evolution of 3-D printing in the education realm. This new model for printing allows students to practice digi- tal design of objects. The skills devel- oped can then be applied across all STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) courses. Higher levels of classroom connectivity also give students access to such educational tools as online open-source 3-D projects to complete, and – if the printer needs repairs – video tutorials on how to perform what could otherwise be costly maintenance tasks if they were outsourced. Schools that provide access to technology in the classroom can move forward with President Obama's Nation of Makers initiative, producing students with higher levels of critical thinking, innovative mindsets and skill sets. This will help them successfully advance in the world, hopefully strengthening American manufacturing capabilities as they go. But in order to provide that technology, school dis- tricts on a budget should first look at how they can properly leverage their e- Rate funding. This will require a part- ner with experience customizing solu- tions to meet the needs of growing school districts, whether its data, inter- net, voice, connectivity or managed services. As technology takes an increasingly larger role in the classroom, preparing kids for their future has as many advan- tages as it does challenges. Providing the speed and quality that students and teach- ers need is something we at Cox Business are very proud to do. We can help design a system for your school that's tailored to the needs of your students, teachers and administrators, all while accommodating your budget. For more information about Cox Business education solutions, visit booth #1341 or go to www.coxbusiness.com/education. Safeware for product protection? BS: Simply put, we find the specific coverage that works best for your school, your students and your budget. Safeware's programs are unique to our industry, because as a fully licensed Insurance Agency and Third Party Administrator for Extended Service Plans, we are able to offer more robust coverage options to our customers. These can include theft, accidental dam- age, product failure and more. ESD: What unique support does Safeware offer to its customers? BS: We are proud to offer the support of our specialized K12 team, which works with schools to educate users, monitor the overall performance of one-to-one programs and provide recommendations to improve the success of educational technology initiatives. We've designed our program to accommodate a variety of coverage, deductible and term options. ESD: Why should a school work with Safeware instead of self-insuring or working directly with a repair facility? BS: Self-insuring your assets can be a tremendous risk, which could result in catastrophic financial loss when the unforeseen happens. While we'd like to Safeware (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) think that children will take great care of their technology, these are kids; accidents happen, and a single drop can render a device completely unusable. As an administrator, why worry when Safeware could assume that risk? Moreover, we work with a national network of certified repair facilities that use certified parts. A local repair shop may not have access to the necessary parts, or the means to quickly handle a volume number of repairs. We pay for all shipping to and from our repair facilities, and have certified techs ready to handle high repair volumes. ESD: How do you accommodate schools having a difficult time finding budget dollars for laptop/tablet repairs? BS: We understand that schools want protection for their technology invest- ment, but may not be able to afford that protection because of budget constraints. That's why we've developed the Safeware Parent Enrollment Portal, a secure portal that allows parents to select and pay for coverage for their child's device. Safeware then collects the enroll- ments and creates a single policy in the school's name. By utilizing this quick and easy online capability, schools no longer need to find additional budget dol- lars or deal with the administrative chal- lenges of collecting money from parents. Visit the Safeware team at booth #3850 with questions or to learn more. IDENTIFY AT-RISK STUDENTS, APPLY INTERVENTIONS WITH ACTIONABLE DASHBOARDS WITHIN AN INFORMATION SYSTEM In the age of standardized testing and assessment, many educators continue to search for ways to monitor student suc- cess, but most importantly, reach students before it is too late. Even with the afore- mentioned standardized testing and assessment tools, districts continue to use a variety of measurements to student suc- cess, including attendance, discipline, grades, grade book activity, program par- ticipation and college preparedness, just to name a few among many other indicators. While these indicators will demon- strate that a student is on the path to suc- cess, there is a critical need for the ability to reach students before failure. Educators are now looking beyond standardized test scores and focusing on true multiple measures to determine if a student is at risk. With Aeries Analytics, districts now have a real time reporting system for data analysis that is fully integrated with the Aeries SIS. Districts will have the ability to track critical academic indicators addressing all aspects of student learning and are able to provide an in-depth assessment addressing student needs. Moreover, Aeries Analytics has led to the development of an 'Early Warning System' which provides districts with actionable dashboards to identify students most at-risk within the student information system. Aeries Analytics Dashboards and Early Warning System creates an environment of making at-risk and achievement data actionable by iden- tifying and dynamically assigning appro- priate interventions within the live stu- dent data and dynamically assign the appropriate intervention needed. Ultimately, with Aeries Analytics, educators have the ability of fore- sight and are able to identify stu- dents who are trending towards failure depending on the individ- ual parameters set by the district. Districts have the ability to set an unlimited number of indicators that are specific to their own needs, including state and local tests with sub- strand support, gradebook, report card and transcript integration, and attendance percentages and thresholds, all in cus- tomizable and dynamic dashboards. With Aeries Analytics, it is now easier than ever to proactively identify those stu- dents who need the most help and put those students on the path to success. For more information, call 805.610.4823 or go to www.aeries.com.