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EdTech Show Daily 2 9 Tuesday, June 27, 2017 inherently organic design; the medium uses the same spatial views we are accus- tomed to when viewing our world. This technology elevates learning and brings content to life. Three hundred and sixty degree video and virtual reality content allow educators an illustrious new tool to give context, build understanding and entice students to engage with curricula. "Genius Plaza believes that technol- ogy has a pivotal role to play in democ- ratizing education," says Ana Roca Castro, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Genius Plaza. Through this emerging medium, the company has cre- ated and curated 360-degree virtual real- ity experiences, which transport stu- dents to the work locations of inspiring Learning Champions™. These original videos are nested in the company's award-winning teaching platform, mak- ing Career Day any day on Genius Plaza. Educators and students can select from an array of STEAM professions to read eBooks, learn associated vocabu- lary and immerse within the profession of their choice in English and Spanish. Learning Champions are as diverse as the students in your classrooms, and share their personal and professional journeys on the Genius Plaza platform. Students can take an entire lesson Genius Plaza (Cont'd. from p. 1) around an individual Learning Champion. The company offers compre- hensive lessons and virtual reality teach- ing content in both English and Spanish. Three hundred and sixty degree video and virtual reality lessons come with an associated eBook, printable worksheet, online assessment and sit-down inter- view with each professional. When students observe, for them- selves, the day-to-day work and techno- logical processes of various STEAM careers through the 360-degree virtual reality experiences, they make gains in their depth of knowledge on the plethora of options for their own futures, and edu- cators see greater engagement and par- ticipation. This unique tour teaches learners a combination of spoken and simulated information, inside virtual learning experience. Genius Plaza is leading the way with STEAM career content, bridging the gap of access to high profile professionals and special- ized careers. Students will dream as far as their imaginations will allow. With 360-degree video and virtual reality career content, their aspirations are primed for exploration, in full view. To learn more about Genius Plaza, visit booth #2152 where the company is giving away virtual reality headsets, Kindles and more. Learn more at www.geniusplaza.com. growth-mindset-inspired pedagogy to vir- tual tutoring, nearly one million students have been able to not only complete their homework successfully, but also learn and build confidence in the process. More recently, Yup has challenged the tradition- al academic support options that schools provide for students by tailoring its own tutoring solution for schools and districts that includes affordable, unlimited access licenses to Yup's 24/7 tutors. Yup believes in a world where every student has access to quality, one-to-one instruction at the touch of a button, and staying true to that vision, the Yup for Schools program was born to help stu- dents in private, online and charter schools across America get better access to quality instruction on their own sched- ules. Since then, schools all over the country have been adopting Yup's tutor- ing solution to save tens of thousands of dollars, while improving student scores. Yup has already seen incredible results. Claudia Weintraub, Director of River Oaks Academy Charter, said, "Our math scores went up 27 percent this year and we believe adopting Yup this year is one of the main reasons why." In stark contrast to the traditional Yup (Cont'd. from p. 1) tutoring-in-school model where tutors are hired part-time by the school for cer- tain hours of the day to help students at an educator:student ratio of up to 10:1, Yup for School's model provides one-to- one unlimited instruction for all students, 24/7, which dramatically reduces the time it takes the school to vet and sched- ule tutors, all while being a fraction of the cost to bring on in-person tutors. One of the most exciting parts of Yup's new tutoring model is the compa- ny's data-driven approach to learning. With a digital record of every tutoring session, Yup shares insightful data with schools on student usage and students' learning trajectories via online dash- boards. While traditional tutoring is a black box for schools, Yup's school model sheds light on what approaches work for individual students and how much students are using tutors for sup- port. Because of this transparency, school leaders can better evaluate Yup for their school, and teachers can use valuable stu- dent reports to better understand their students' progress and better tailor their instruction for class. For more information, visit www.yup.com/schools or stop by booth #2132. Business, Marketing, Finance, IT and Media; Career Exploration; Family and Consumer Sciences; Health Science; and Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security. Each product consists of pre-built courses and lessons. Each lesson fea- tures either a video or slide deck as the main instructional vehicle. Also, each lesson has project-based learning ideas and templates as well as interactive activities and assessments. Finally, each product contains industry certifications students can earn to increase career readiness. iCEV is the most comprehensive online resource for CTE educators and students offering learning-on-demand features, video clip streaming, along with testing and grading capabilities to any device with internet capabilities. Through iCEV, students can earn indus- try certifications across multiple areas of CTE that prepare them for college and beyond. ESD: What is your goal for the show? DM: We want to make contact with CTE Teachers, CTE Directors, Curriculum Directors and other school administrators to learn about their CTE programs and how our products can serve their teachers and students. iCEV (Cont'd. from p. 1) ESD: What is your company most proud of? DM: We are the nation's leading produc- er of CTE educational materials. Recently we participated in the Texas Instructional Materials Adoption where we had 87 courses approved by the Texas State Board of Education. Through the adoption districts, we have been able to implement iCEV by utilizing the instruc- tional materials fund. This has lead to an exponential increase in subscribers, as almost all districts are using iCEV for multiple courses. ESD: How do the CTE products and services help your education clients? DM: iCEV products provide pre-pack- aged courses and automatic grading along with abundant resources to help reduce teacher workloads and improve performance. Also, our engaging multi- media content, paired with interactive coursework, makes learning fun and interesting for students. Finally, with iCEV, students can work toward their career goals and gain essential skills while earning industry certifications. We also provide free professional devel- opment for any district implementing iCEV. For more information, stop by booth #2626, visit www.icevonline.com or call 800.922.9965. Even when professional learning time for K-8 math teachers is in place, the development sessions are often focused more on data analysis, imple- menting curriculum or learning the textbook – rather than deepening teach- ers' understanding of mathematics. Ideally, professional learning happens throughout the school year with coach- ing, classroom observations and time to reflect – so that teachers can immedi- ately apply what they're learning to help students. Research has shown that a classroom teacher's "mathematical knowledge for teaching" – a specific type of understanding that specifically relates to how students develop mathe- matical ideas and conceptions – improves student achievement more than a teacher's ability to deliver a scripted lesson (www.thelearning exchange.ca/wp-content/uploads/2005 /11/BallF05.pdf). DreamBox is developing a new Math PD (Cont'd. from p. 4) model of professional learning in which teachers use up-to-date student progress and proficiency insights to identify pro- fessional learning objectives that are spe- cific to their students and classrooms. Teachers then decide what they need to learn in a self-directed, modular PD cur- riculum that's available online, anytime, anywhere. Initial research shows a promising association between how often teachers accessed PD modules and how much their students progressed. DreamBox will soon be publishing extensive data for grades three, four and five. The strength of this technology-enabled PD model will be judged by its impact on student learning. DreamBox believes that when teachers deepen their own mathematical knowledge for topics that are based on students' current demon- strated learning needs, everyone bene- fits. For more information, visit www .dreambox.com or stop by booth #520. subjects well above their chronological grade level. This is easy for the students because the three schools are connect- ed. The students use QOMO's presenta- tion system to individually review their class work and collaborate with the teacher and fellow students. They have 12 career paths, from cosmetology to culinary. Special needs students run a resale commerce program called TBay, which is their version of eBay. In the middle school, there is an animation program where students create and sell animation to local businesses. Cook gave an example of a student who wanted to drop out. Any student who wants to drop out must bring their parents to a meeting with the superin- tendent. Cook just says no. He finds the reason why the student wants to drop out and works with their needs. "If he wants to be an auto mechanic, we can give him QOMO (Cont'd. from p. 4) classes in math and science as it applies to the internal combustion engine, the history of the automobile, and English as it applies to repair manuals." Every student, every day is the mission statement of the school system. What that means is that every teacher must encounter every student of theirs every day. Students can change a class just because they don't work well with a teacher. They match up the student with the teacher. Students have access to the classes 24/7 because classes are recorded. The teacher can review their own performance. With Q-Connect stu- dents can connect with the Touch Board with any smart device. With the inclusion of QOMO's technology, teachers have more time during class to interact with student work. Teachers can better follow individual student progress and more quickly address areas that need attention. For more information, stop by booth #1908 or go to www.qomo.com.