Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/993077
EdTech Show Daily 2 3 Tuesday, June 26, 2018 Touchjet Transforms Flatscreen TVs into Touchscreens An interview with Helen Thomas, co- Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Touchjet. ESD: What does Touchjet have to offer to classrooms? HT: With Touchjet's latest hardware, the WAVE™, we can transform flatscreen TVs into giant touchscreens to enable teachers and students to collaborate digi- tally in the classroom. ESD: How is Touchjet's solution differ- ent from the other touchscreen technolo- gy that is currently available? HT: Touchjet offers an affordable touch- screen alternative for the classroom. Touchjet combines hardware with cloud- based mobile software that makes class lessons digitally interactive. Compared with much more expensive solutions that costs thousands of dollars, Touchjet can digitalize multiple classrooms for the cost of one. The price of the Touchjet WAVE is $299.99. ESD: How does the WAVE connect to the TV and how does it work? HT: The Touchjet WAVE has built-in WiFi and Android OS, and connects to the TV via HDMI. The WAVE turns the classroom TV into an Android tablet that is touch enabled. Teachers can access their lesson plans via the cloud and use apps directly on the WAVE for additional math challenges, geography games, etc. ESD: How does the WAVE help with collaboration in the classroom? HT: With the WAVE, the classroom TV is now a giant Android tablet allowing small group collaboration that is engag- ing and fun. Students can actively exchange, debate and negotiate ideas within groups. Students learn to think critically by engaging in discussion and tak- ing responsibility for their learning. The WAVE engages a wide range of active students using differ- ent apps to reinforce class lessons in a fun and collaborative environment. ESD: Since the WAVE is an Android device, is it iOS compatible? HT: Besides using touch to navigate les- son plans, apps, videos, etc. on the WAVE, we have a mobile app (Touchjet App) that allows teachers to use their iOS or Android tablet as a smart remote con- trol. Teachers have the option to use touch or use their tablet to control the WAVE. ESD: How is the Touchjet WAVE com- patible with existing tablets already in the classroom? HT: Touchjet enables the teacher to deliver rich media content – presenta- tions, documents, videos – on a big touchscreen and simultaneously on a tablet as the teacher walks around the classroom. Each student actively participates using their iPads or Android tablets to share answers, comments and annotations – all are simultaneously dis- played on the Touchjet interactive screens. Imagine the teacher pulling up a lesson plan or a math problem on the WAVE on the TV. Students can solve the math problem on their tablets and have it shown on the big screen, making the classroom truly collaborative. ESD: How can schools get a demo of the WAVE? HT: Touchjet is located in the San Francisco Bay area and we'd be happy to schedule a video call or Skype video to demo the WAVE. For more information, please email Touchjet at education- sales@touchjet.com. For more information, go to www .touchjet.com. Trinseo Performance Plastics Takes Technology Products to Market As consumer technologies evolve, prod- uct developers and designers need to con- sider materials that they may not have considered in the past. Plastics have emerged as an important solution to vari- ous new-product challenges in that they enable properties such as portability, durability and appealing aesthetics while allowing additional characteristics such as biocompatibility, ignition and chemi- cal resistance, and/or various degrees of transparency. Trinseo, a global manufac- turer and compounder of performance plastics, has been helping customers find just the right solution. According to Trinseo material scien- tists, ideally, plastics should be selected upfront, when an application is being designed. It is important at an early stage to gain an understanding of how a prod- uct will be used as well as the critical mechanical and aesthetic characteristics necessary to prevent delays in commer- cializing the product (including obtaining required regulatory approvals) and pro- vide the best chance of success when it is ultimately introduced to the marketplace. Take for example, a property such as color. Color can address a number of usability and consumer acceptance issues. Color not only makes products more attractive, but also can provide important indicators of function. Color has long been known to impact emotions. While bright, vivid colors can tend to be attractive and invigor- ating, cooler colors such as blue and green have a calming effect. Color can also alert a customer to proper usability. For exam- ple, what is the top; what is the bottom? Opposing colors can provide this clue. Instructions can also be indexed with color to ensure proper understanding. One of the challenges from a materi- als perspective when considering the property of color is to create parts that are "of true color" consistently. Trinseo offers a solution to customers with its acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) – its MAGNUM™ ABS Resins – which are produced using the company's pro- prietary mass polymerization technology. This method of production results in exceptional whiteness in the base materi- al, which is ideal for achieving colors that are as vivid or as light as they are meant to be. Whether pure ABS is used or if it's blended with polycarbonate (PC) for additional performance properties, the Trinseo material provides a distinct advantage. As you develop your design and sourcing strategy, consider Trinseo as one of your partners for taking your products to market. The company is focused on delivering custom performance plastics solutions and helping customers across a wide range of end-markets with their material challenges. This includes their needs for bio-based plastics with a certain percentage of recycled content. For more information, visit www .trinseo.com. Success Story: Delivering 1,300 Carts in Six Weeks Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), with more than 146,000 K-12 students in 168 schools, is the second largest school district in the state and the 18th largest in the United States. As part of its mission to maximize academic achievement, CMS initiated its Strategic Plan: For a Better Tomorrow. To achieve its Strategic Plan, CMS began equipping each of its 30,000 mid- dle school students in 30 different schools with a Chromebook™ laptop. The next year, grades 5, 9 and 10 were added. The roll-out of the digital devices will contin- ue to all grade levels through 2018. Challenge: How to Manage Digital Devices Students at CMS do not take their laptops home. The students pick up the devices at the beginning of the school day and return them for recharging at the end of the day. With such a large investment in technology, the IT team at CMS decided to use charg- ing carts to charge, store and secure the e- learning devices. After evaluating a wide array of options, CMS turned to Black Box, a leader in charging and storage solutions. Result: 1,300 Carts in Six Weeks, Plus 500 More Black Box kept its commitment to CMS's quick turnaround schedule. Black Box worked hand-in-hand with Applied Data Technologies (ADT) for procure- ment management, configuration and deployment services for the carts. Black Box delivered 1,300 standard charging carts in June and July, and then another 500 carts during the school year. For more information, go to www.black box.com/carts or call 877.877.2269.