Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/777462
EdTech Show Daily 2 9 Wednesday, February 8, 2017 students to use, connects to a lightning fast 4G network – with Verizon – and costs approximately $15 to $20 per stu- dent per month. Any Wi-Fi compatible Chromebook, Netbook, laptop or tablet they connect with is filtered specifically for school assignment use; inappropriate and non-education content is blocked and cannot be accessed. Increased Test Scores Providing connectivity to students at home with Kajeet provides them with more than just Internet. In Chicago Public Schools, it means increased math test scores for fifth graders. The final results from a three-year-long study, which evaluated the benefits of a 1-to-1 tablet implementation along with and home Internet through Kajeet, showed that students with Internet access at home had the highest percentage of fifth graders scoring at or above the national average RIT (Rasch Unit) in math com- pared to similar Chicago schools, accord- ing to the Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress ® assessment scores. More Parent Involvement In District of Columbia Public Schools, Internet at home means parent engage- ment. Families are able to go online, check grades and communicate with Kajeet (Cont'd. from p. 1) teachers. With Internet access the par- ents know what their children are doing, so they can have informed conversa- tions about book reports or math assign- ments and not wait until the report cards arrive. "They may not be able to explain the Pythagorean Theorem, but they can com- municate with their child's teacher and understand the learning process," said Marcia Cole, Technology Instructional Coach at DCPS. Higher Graduation Rates Better student engagement, more parent involvement and higher test scores all contribute to an increase in graduation rates. High school students who have broadband Internet at home have gradua- tion rates six to eight percentage points higher than students who don't, accord- ing to a study by the Federal Reserve. Richland School District Two is tracking all these metrics in connection with their Kajeet devices. "We are able to look at test scores, grades and graduation rates to measure the results, and we've seen some good results so far. Using Kajeet SmartSpots gave these kids avenues to complete all their homework. We even had some students who were able to bring their grades up to honor roll status from so-so grades." Visit Kajeet at booth #623. For more information, go to www.kajeet.net. portability. "UP mini 2 has the latest features available on the 3D printing market and it has also fine tuned those features to provide the best 3D printing experience," said Allen Guo, Tiertime's Chief Executive Officer. "We have given much thought about intu- itive user interfaces to create a more con- sumer friendly 3D printing environment." Features include enclosed printing with New UP Flex™ build-surface. Full- enclosure in tandem with UP's propri- etary multi-purpose, easy-to-clean and re-useable print surfaces ensure the high- est quality output. The UP mini 2 oper- ates in near-silence and utilizes UP ClearAir™ technology – Tiertime's inte- grated HEPA filtering system. The UP mini 2 includes the powerful UP Studio™ software, a simple-to-use, feature-rich software that is easy for 3D printing novices yet advanced enough for professionals. The UP Studio software features Smart-Support™ technology. The indus- try-leading support-generation algorithm automatically places a support structure only where it is needed, then breaks away with ease, allowing you to print complex models. Another feature is auto-calibration with Level-Lok™. UP's auto-nozzle detection feature in conjunction with Tiertime's Level-Lok fixed level calibra- tion means that printing is consistent and trouble-free. UP mini 2 (Cont'd. from p. 1) The UP mini 2 also includes UP Active-Resume™. If a print job needs to be stopped, UP Active-Resume allows you to seamlessly complete your print job where you left off. UP 3D printers also come with inte- grated Wi-Fi connectivity that lets users send jobs with ease from iOS, Android or PC devices. The UP mini 2 features onboard con- trols with UP Touch™. View, select then print queued jobs directly from your UP mini 2 using the integrated LCD touch- screen. No computer is required. Teachers can scroll through a list of student jobs on-screen for ultimate print management. The UP Studio software also sup- ports variable temperature control with upCTRL™. This allows the temperature for both the extruder as well as the build- platform to be controlled depending on the type of material being printed. Supported printing materials include ABS, ABS+ and PLA. "As a world leading 3D printer man- ufacturer, Tiertime's greatest motivation is to meet the increasing demand for con- sumer 3D printers on the global market," Guo said. "We believe that UP mini 2 will become the best entry level 3D print- ing gadget for students at schools, kids at home and 3D printing fans everywhere." Contact your local UP Trusted Partner, Education 2000, to learn more. For more information, visit booth #831, call 713.683.8061 or go to www.edu2000plus.com. IQ robots up to the metal VEX EDR sys- tem, earning an elective credit in a course that utilizes the free VEX EDR curricu- lum. The high schools participate in the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC), the best robotics competition, and the first robotics competition. All told, we have 23 out of 26 ele- mentary, nine out of 10 intermediate, and six out of seven high schools using robot- ics. We also create a competition within the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Principles of Engineering course, where 120 teams across the district compete using a modified version of that year's VRC game. ESD: How has VEX helped shape your robotics program? LM: As a former teacher, ease of use was most important for me. I needed some- thing that could be integrated with mini- mal disturbance to the classroom and be used by any teacher without expensive tools or shops. VEX fits that mindset – a couple of desks put together are perfect for building a robot. As for tools, VEX EDR basically provides everything you need. That was crucial to me, and was a key contributor to VEX's growth throughout my district. For elementary, we've had program- ming nightmares in the past due to incon- sistencies in battery life or motor strength. It was frustrating to try learning programming concepts without getting the same results every time. When VEX VEX (Cont'd. from p. 1) IQ solved that problem, it was a no- brainer for us. ESD: Have you witnessed robotics' impact any particular students? LM: Absolutely. We recently had a stu- dent who had trouble with the law, had dropped out of school and was kicked out of his house. He came to our alter- native school and joined the VEX course. After his first competition, he came to my office asking for torque and gear ratio lessons – his robot wasn't performing the way he thought it should, and wanted to learn how to improve it. We have a 'no pass no play' policy, and this student is now main- taining all As and Bs so he can stay in the robotics program. It's truly a driving force for these students, and we shape our programs around them. ESD: What advice would you give to an educator looking to get started with robots in their classroom? LM: In my opinion, VEX nailed robotics education. Most platforms expect users to meet the needs of their product. Instead, VEX looked at what would ben- efit teachers, students and the district, and developed a product to meet those needs. It's cost effective and it does not require vast mechanical resources. My advice would be to go with a platform that is teacher-friendly and easy to implement – that's VEX! For more information, visit booth #1149. LIMITLESS INNOVATIONS' NEW CHARGEHUB MODELS COMING SOON In October 2012, with four flourishing businesses and over 150 patents in vari- ous industries, the entrepreneurial Smeja family created a consumer product com- pany engaged in the design and develop- ment of various cutting-edge, retail mer- chandise. That is when Limitless Innovations, Inc. was born. Limitless Innovations is located in Chicago's northwest suburb of McHenry, Illinois with a purpose that is simple: to provide the consumer with the most innovative solutions for everyday problems, and do it with style. Limitless Innovations identified a need and an opportunity in the technol- ogy market and developed the ChargeHub ® , a multi-port USB charg- ing station with a unique set of fea- tures, not previously seen in any off- the-shelf products. The innovative, patent-pending design and capabilities of the ChargeHub hit the red carpet at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), one of the largest technology shows in the world. Then, among thou- sands of new products in the field, it was the ChargeHub under lights and fanfare that was awarded Best of CES 2014 and again Best of CES 2016 by iPhone Life Magazine as one of the most innovative new iOS- related products. The ChargeHub X7 model provides seven USB dedicated charging ports and 44 watts of total power delivery to charge up to seven simultaneously connected phones, tablets and other USB devices. It also includes patent-pending SmartSpeed ® Technology to allow any port to charge the connected device at its maximum charging speed, regardless of whether it is an Apple iOS or Android device. Coming soon by pop- ular demand are the new ChargeHub X3 and X5 models. From early 2015 to current, the ChargeHub can be seen on home-shop- ping cable networks, available in-store and online, and is now being utilized in businesses of all kinds, including major hotels and casinos throughout the country. Additionally, the ChargeHub can be cus- tomized with any logo or image of your brand, and is available as a promotion- al or fundraising item through one of its approved distributors in the ASI/PPAI market by providing #67563 or #645216, respectively. Limitless Innovations is also a licensed Apple MFi Developer. CableLinx ® are short-length USB charge and sync cables for the four most common types on the mar- ket today, including Lightning™, 30-Pin, Micro and Mini to USB. The modern, flat cables are designed to be used with the ChargeHub or any USB device. To view additional products offered by Limitless Innovations, visit www .limitlessinnovations.com.