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EdTech Show Daily 2 5 Wednesday, February 8, 2017 Instead of lecturing students during class, Nancy began to record lectures and had the students take them home to assist with their homework assignment. "As a result, day-to-day classroom activities were available for students to view at home as a tool for solving their challenging homework problems. Before I began using HoverCam, this required a tremendous amount of my time because I had to make videos on every topic I was teaching. HoverCam changed all that. "I found that when students had trouble with a problem, I was able to record on the fly. It was ideal for students who were absent, or for those who were struggling and needed something to refer back to for help." In the classroom, instead of having her students gather around as she does a demonstration, "I now use my HoverCam, so they have a video of the experience they can view at home. We rarely use books in class, but I still like to show an image to display the concept we're talking about. Having a document camera means I can do that easily," says Foote. She can also record any and every lesson – critically important not just for HoverCam (Cont'd. from p. 1) absent students, but for students who may benefit from re-watching what was done. "The HoverCam allows us to take our experiences and quantify them so that everyone can see what's going on. The HoverCam allows me to have time to focus on doing science. I don't have to repeat a problem over and over, so that every student can understand it. They have the ability to learn at their own pace. The pace of the learning is in the hands of the student. HoverCam allows me to do that," says Foote. "There are many tools that I use to get my students emotionally engaged with the material we are studying. The HoverCam allows students to be mas- ters of their learning, to be able to learn at their own pace and not the pace I have set for them." Nancy believes that the HoverCam could be helpful in any science class. "I can especially envision its use in biology. If you are dissecting something, you can zoom in with a HoverCam. Also in chem- istry – if you're working with a substance that is potentially dangerous, the teacher can do the demo but the students can see it very clearly." For more information, visit booth #2435. were recruiting," Rodeheaver says. "After a lot of studies, talking to thou- sands of soldiers and learning a lot about Millennials and how they learn, I wrote a paper titled 'Screenagers,' in which I pointed out that these were virtual learn- ers, from multiple inputs and platforms, in an asymmetrical and ever changing environment, and we needed to re-write our training that way." Dr. Carroll Lastinger, Chief Scientist and Vice President of Vizitech, agrees. "Young people today use their cell phones, their tablets and computers and enjoy the virtual reality experiences they have seen in the futuristic movies such as 'Iron Man,' 'Star Wars' and even 'Minority Report.' This is the way they absorb and process information today." ViziTech USA bring significant learning insights and training improve- ments developed in the Army to K-12 schools. ViziTech USA provides more than 3,000 programs in virtual reality, mixed reality, interactive 3D and aug- mented reality platforms, and is truly "Changing the Way America Learns." "Our program is simple. We provide ViziTech USA (Cont'd. from p. 1) learning platforms and programs that match the way the young people of today already are using to learn and grow," Lastinger says. "We are most proud of the significant changes we can document in the schools using our programs – 33 percent gains in test scores, higher levels of under- standing and comprehension, faster devel- opment of complex problem solving skills and more excitement and engagement than we have seen in schools in a long time. Our products build better students, closer to career-ready than ever before." ViziTech USA is headquartered just east of Atlanta in Eatonton, Georgia. Sales offices are located in Atlanta, Savannah, Nashville, Tampa and eastern Texas. "We will provide you better serv- ice and customer care than you have ever experienced, provide products for the careers of tomorrow to your students today, and save you time and money along the way," Rodeheaver promises. Visit ViziTech USA at booth #206. For more information, call 404.725.5104 and talk to General Rodeheaver or call Texas Sales Director Joe Hutcheson at 706.818.5632. Visit online at www.vizitechusa.com. LocknCharge identified that up to 25 percent of the lesson time (10 minutes and three seconds for 30 devices) was lost during this process alone when devices are stored in a traditional cabinet- style cart. The ability to hand out and pack up devices safely by using Baskets by LocknCharge takes less than half the time (four minutes and 50 seconds) as the alternative method. When a 30 unit LocknCharge cart is fully utilized each day, the company estab- lished that a school can save up to two hours of handling time per week. This translates to teachers gaining an addition- al 70 hours of teaching time per year for LocknCharge (Cont'd. from p. 1) every cart that is used in the school. To comprehend the significance of this, in a larger school, using more than 10 LocknCharge carts on a daily basis is giving schools back around 700 hours per year. That's 700 additional hours invest- ed back into actual teaching and learning with the devices. Every decision made at LocknCharge in regards to product design involves the team asking the question: will this make students' and teachers' lives easier? When it designed Baskets by LocknCharge, the answer was a resounding yes. Visit LocknCharge at booth #1935. For more information, go to www.lockn charge.com. TO LECTURE OR NOT TO LECTURE - THAT IS THE QUESTION When you hear the word "lecture," an image comes to mind of a professor in a tweed jacket, glasses perched upon the tip of his nose, droning on at the podium. Schools have tried to distance themselves from this image with gadgets and soft- ware, sold on the promise of individual- ized self-paced learning. The truth of the matter is that lecture still has tremendous value within the classroom. There is a reason that TED talks have become wildly popular. It isn't sitting in the computer lab that develops a love for learning; it is passionate teach- ers with the ability to bring subjects to life. How do we make classroom lec- tures more effective? The key is encour- aging active classroom participation. Think back through the hours of profes- sional development you've gone through. What made the difference? Was the lecturer talking to you, or with you? Students will be more actively engaged if they can give feedback, ask questions and share. Many times the most valuable part of the lecture can come about because of a question posed by a student. So why is it so hard to get some students to partic- ipate? Studies have shown that a teacher's voice loses up to 45 per- cent of its intelligibility by the time it reaches the back row, and that is when the teacher is facing them. On average, where do the students that typically par- ticipate in classroom discussions tend to sit? At the front, right? And students that don't typically participate? Yes, that's right, in the back. What happens when a student in the front asks or answers a question? Odds are, the stu- dents in the back are going to have an even more difficult time hearing their peers than they do their teacher, espe- cially if they are already distracted. This can create a vicious cycle. Rather than raise their hand and ask to repeat what was said, the student can spend the next couple of minutes trying piece together what was said, rather than following along with the discus- sion, potentially missing out on a vital information. The student can then become so lost that they just check out completely. In order to help remedy this prob- lem, the Qball has been developed – a throwable wireless microphone. The Qball is a fun, hands-on approach to get- ting students to actively participate in classroom discussions, while making sure their voice is heard. LA CROSSE TECHNOLOGY OFFERS PROFESSIONAL WEATHER STATION La Crosse Technology's newest Professional Weather Station allows you to monitor your home and backyard weather conditions using one vibrant, easy-to-read LCD display. New to this model is the enhanced Wi-Fi connectable option that enables your station to trans- mit its data wirelessly to the world's largest personal weather station network, Weather Underground. Experience the convenience of hav- ing your personal weather information with you on the go, without any wires or confusing software. With its easy setup, this station is the first of its kind that can literally be set up and ready to use within minutes. The station's wireless multi-sensor transmits wind and rain data over 330 feet, and includes a convenient self-emp- tying rain gauge along with a solar panel to extend its battery life. Pairing all this with its integrated mounting options make this sensor a necessary tool for any weather enthusiast. The separate thermo- hygro sensor allows for appro- priate placement and more accurate temperature and humidity readings. This sensor includes an easy access battery compartment and LCD dis- play that toggles between out- door temperature and humidity. The weather station's colorful LCD display now includes four different forest scenes that change based on the season (spring, summer, fall and winter). When connected to your home Wi-Fi network, the station will automatically be synced to display the internet time and date infor- mation. Some additional fea- tures include: animated forecast icons; daily high and low out- door temperature and humidity; current indoor and outdoor tem- perature and humidity; inde- pendent alerts for both indoor and outdoor temperature and humidity; current wind speed, top wind speed for the past hour; inde- pendent alerts for top wind speed; wind direction; feels like temperature; rainfall total, which can be displayed for the past hour, 24 hours, seven days, one month or one year; independent alert for 24-hour rainfall; and an adjustable backlight with high, low and off settings.