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EdTech Show Daily 1 1 Thursday, January 25, 2018 To Lecture or Not to Lecture – That Is the Question By Shane Cox, Chief Executive Officer When you hear the word "lecture," an image comes to mind of a stuffy old pro- fessor in a worn out tweed jacket, glasses perched upon the tip of his nose, droning on at the podium in a monotonous song that slowly lulls you off to sleep. Schools have tried their best to distance them- selves from this image with bright shiny gadgets and slick software, sold on the promise of individualized self-paced learning. If I had a dollar for every time I heard the phrase "from the sage on the stage to the guide on the side" at an edu- cation technology conference, I could actually afford to live on a teacher salary. But 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. Looking back at my own education, it definitely wasn't sitting in the computer lab playing Oregon Trail that developed my love for learning, it was passionate teachers with the ability to bring subjects to life. So, how do we make classroom lec- tures more effective? The key is encour- aging active classroom participation. Think back through the many, many hours of professional development you've had the pleasure, or pain, of sit- ting through. What made the difference? Was the lecturer talking to you, or with you? Just like us, students will be more actively engaged the more they can give feedback, ask questions and share. In my experience, many times the most valuable part of the lecture came about because of a question posed by a student. So why is it so hard to get some students to participate? A couple of the reasons can be found on either sides of our head. Let me explain. Studies have shown that a teacher's voice loses up to 45 percent of its intelligibility by the time it reaches the back row, and that is when the teacher is facing them. Now, 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. So what happens when a student in the front asks or answers a question? Odds are, the students in the back are going to have an even more dif- ficult time hearing their peers than they do their teacher, especially 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 min- utes trying piece together what was said, rather than following along with the dis- cussion, potentially missing out on vital information. The student can then become so lost that they just check out completely. In order to help remedy this problem, we developed the Qball, 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. Come test out the Qball at booth #1552. For more information, stop by booth #1552 or go to www.buyqball.com. Troxell Buyback When it's time to refresh your school or districts 1:1 mobile program, consider the Troxell Buyback for its hidden money solutions. As schools adapt to growth and stretched budgets, a solid buyback program allows districts to mine their older assets and turn them into new devices. Meeting student needs and helping increase school achievement goes hand in hand with adopting new multimedia curriculums. School boards and teachers have found that new mobile resources like tablets, computers, laptops and note- books facilitate greater possibilities for students. Now Troxell can help your dis- trict improve its classrooms while stay- ing on budget. According to a review of state budgets by The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, at least 35 states are providing less school funding than they did a decade ago. Those very cuts hinder school districts' ability to deliver high-quality education and demand that every available avenue towards utilizing current assets be fol- lowed. A Win-Win Solution Obtaining the optimal classroom and lab materials is critical to student suc- cess. And knowing your new mobile devices have future value makes invest- ing in them much easier. The IT asset disposition program gives schools cash or credit for existing hardware and gives students a way to learn faster with the latest user-friendly devices. And, schools don't have to find a way to sell or dispose of their older models. Troxell does all the work. Of course, with more than 60 years of experience, Troxell has products for every room in a school. Complete technology solutions include on-site expertise for all areas from classrooms to computer labs and cafeterias to auditoriums. Troxell can even provide trained professionals to install new devices. Troxell's complete 1:1 mobile prod- uct offering includes all major brands of laptops and Chromebooks including Acer, Asus, Samsung, Toshiba, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and Google Management. Trusted leasing, assembly and white glove c o n f i g u r a t i o n services, as well as extended war- ranties, are also available. Meeting Your Classroom Goals Achieving your classroom learning goals starts with practical, reliable products. Troxell Buyback can accomplish higher budget returns by turning unused and underutilized items into cash and trade value for new Chromebook options like the Acer R751T with a 1.1 GHz speed, 11.6-inch screen size, WLAN and Bluetooth, or the ASUS C202 with 1.6 GHz speed. Both make great refreshes, are durable and ready to meet the daily rigors and intense usage of students. Many other great options are available. The Troxell solution starts with an inventory of current technology. In return, Troxell provides a detailed valua- tion report of the inventory assets. Reports include recommendations for utilizing the best mix of new products, keeping existing items and an estimated value for cashing or trading current inventory. Troxell then produces a conditional offer, which includes all costs to remove and ship devices to their facility. If needed, a team will be dispatched from one of Troxell's nationwide locations for onsite inspection. One Texas school district turned its older comput- ers into $150,000 towards the purchase of 467 new laptops. Imagine what Troxell can do for you! For more information, go to www.troxell solutions.com, call 855.TROXELL or stop by booth #535. Collaborating to Advance Concussion Safety As a global leader in the electronic com- ponents, sensors, wireless connectivity modules and power technologies space, Murata is committed to developing inno- vative solutions that help contribute to the quality of consumers' everyday lives and the advancement of society overall. With that as background, last year Murata began teaming with the Cleveland Clinic's Global Cardiovascular Innovations Center. Through this collaboration, an introduc- tion was made to a Minneapolis-based start-up that is taking on one of today's most pressing sports related injury issues – concussions. The company is Prevent Biometrics, and it has developed the Impact Monitor (IM) Mouthguard. This solution encom- passes a unique, real-time head impact monitoring technology. This product delivers an immediate benefit to players, their families and the future of helmeted and contact sports. It is derived from patented technology developed at Cleveland Clinic by top neurosurgeons and engineers and supported by grants from the National Institute of Health, the National Football League and others. How does the IM Mouthguard work? The mouthguard, which has embedded accelerometers, couples tight- ly to the upper arch of teeth, which are part of the skull. When there is an impact, algorithms calculate the force, impact location, direction and count. By pairing the IM Mouthguard with a proprietary mobile application, head impacts can be continuously reported and tracked chronologically. If any hit exceeds a dan- ger threshold, an alert is sent to coaches, trainers and parents via the app. the technology, can be fooled with a dummy finger fitted with a copied finger- print. The Finger Vein ID system is much harder to fool and it requires the finger of a living person to authenticate. SmartEntry represents a break- through in high security authentication for home or office use. This technology was once only available on high-end security equipment used by high tech companies. SecuRam Systems is the first security company to successfully incor- porate this very secure biometric authen- tication system into access control prod- ucts for everyday use. Simply touch the SmartEntry scanner and then the science goes to work to determine if you are an enrolled user. A positive match sends a signal to the SmartEntry door lock to open immediate- SecuRam (Cont'd. from p. 6) ly, allowing fast and secure access to your home or office. With optional Wi-Fi connectivity, you can manage and monitor your SmartEntry from your smartphone. SecuRam SmartEntry: Highly secure, easy-to-use biometric technology to protect those most precious to you. For more information, go to www .securamsys.com.