Is the display technology in your school not making the grade?

Enter NEC’s $25,000 technology makeover contest and your school could move to the head of the class with high-tech display products.

Between now and February 28, 2011, schools can submit their technology-deficient classroom video to NEC for consideration. The top 5 will be chosen and then posted online for public voting. The winner of $25,000 in NEC display products will be awarded in April.

To be eligible, schools must be registered with NEC’s Star Student program. Not a member? Visit www.necstarstudent.com today!

A hearty congratulations to our friends at InFocus. Their InFocus 3916 projector received a Head of the Class award from Scholastic. The InFocus 3916 and the iPad were the only two of thousands of classroom gadgets to “have the potential to radically change the way students learn and teachers teach.”

Wow!

From Scholastic:

The InFocus 3916 is a projector that can make digital interactivity simple, straight-forward and inexpensive. Forget about getting and calibrating a projector and interactive board because it’s all in the IN3916. The result is a $1,400 projector that can save a school as much as $750 per room because a smart board is no longer needed. Almost like magic, it can turn any screen or wall into an interactive one.

The secret to its success is the projector’s wireless wand. It can be used to draw on the screen, tapping items or even controlling them from afar. On top of pinpoint control and the inclusion of WizTeach software, the projector has an excellent control panel, can double as a class-wide public address system and comes with a school-friendly 5-year warranty. In other words, it’s just what’s needed to turn any room into a digital classroom.

ClassroomMagic makes high-tech education easy and affordable. To take advantage of our spectacular savings on the InFocus 3916 and other classroom technology, call (866) 559-6454.

Hitachi recently came by to show off their new WT-1 wireless tablet. This lightweight interactive tablet is a perfect solution for educators.

Intuitive and easy to use, the Hitachi WT-1 allows you to interact with your audience as you present and edit Word Docs and PowerPoint Presentations. No more presentations spent chained to the computer or laptop!

The Hitachi WT-1 was designed to allow a more natural way of communicating your thoughts. With the WT-1, you can quickly and easily write notes, mark up digital documents and videos, make quick sketches, and sign your name.

Compact and portable, the WT-1‘s design allows you to present up to 30 feet away from the computer. The easily accessible function keys on the top of the tablet provide quick access to software shortcuts that minimize dependence on the keyboard for uninterrupted work sessions.

Now you can mark up Word documents, videos and PowerPoint presentations with digital ink. Then save your notes and recall them later when you regroup with the class or your team. Genius!

Hitachi WT-1 specs

• Up to 16 hours of wireless operation
• Recharge battery via USB/AC adapter
• Wireless pen, 2 customizable buttons
• Multiple pairing up to 7 devices
• 16 software shortcut buttons
• Built-in LCD indicator panel
• 2.4G Radio Frequency connection
• Includes StarBoard Software

ClassroomMagic makes high-tech education easy and affordable. To take advantage of our spectacular savings on the Hitachi WT-1 wireless tablet and other classroom technology, call (866) 559-6454.

Perfect for the classroom, Gyration‘s new wireless Air Mouse allows you to control your presentation with just a flick of your wrist.

The Air Mouse works like a traditional wireless desk mouse, but with the push of a button becomes a fully functional – and customizable – remote control.

How the Air Mouse works

The Air Mouse‘s gyroscope and accelerometer-based technology allows your natural hand movements to drive the show. It is the longest-ranging mouse in the world today, capable of controlling devices up to 100 feet away without line-of-sight limitations.

The Air Mouse Elite makes it easy to engage your students with interactive, multimedia lessons. And, since multiple Air Mouse Elites can connect to one computer, you can distribute them to the class and allow students to better interact with you, each other, and the subject matter.

• Turn the mouse cursor into a highlighter, laser pointer or pen, or gently swipe it in-air to activate embedded media and other special effects in your presentation
• Search, browse and navigate the web, or play your digital media content on your projector

Check out Gyration‘s video below to see the Air Mouse in action.

ClassroomMagic makes high-tech education easy and affordable. To take advantage of our spectacular savings on the Gyration Air Mouse and other classroom technology, call (866) 559-6454.

“So cool!”

“I thought the diaphragm was a flat muscle!”

“It is more lifelike which makes it easier to grasp the concept.”

These were just some of the student comments overheard by Guardian reporter Jane Wakefield when she sat in on a 3D biology lesson at the Abbey School in Reading, England. The students were watching a 3D display of the chest muscles in action.

In her article, Wakefield said she could see why teachers reported significantly higher test grades on material presented in 3D.

“Biology lessons are a distant memory for me but if they had been anything like the one I’ve just sat through at Abbey School in Reading, I think I may have remembered a little more,” Wakefield wrote.

Read the rest of the article here»

ClassroomMagic makes high-tech education easy and affordable. To take advantage of our spectacular savings on 3D-ready projectors and other classroom technology, call (866) 559-6454.

The Abbey School in Reading is one of several UK schools currently involved in a pilot 3D curriculum program, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. Classrooms traded their traditional projectors for 3D-ready models. PowerPoint presentations on biology and history were transformed into three-dimensional immersive lessons.

The results were impressive. Instructors at the Abbey School reported a 70% increase in students’ retention on lessons taught in 3D versus two-dimensional formats.

Based on interviews with instructors and technology directors, the Guardian offered these 10 tips for integrating 3D into educational settings.

3D in the classroom, 10 tips for success

1. 3D projection need not take much lesson time: 10 or 15 minutes should be sufficient. Swift usage is the best way to have maximum impact.
2. Use 3D images to enhance teaching and learning. Don’t focus on the technology.
3. Make time to investigate the best software to use. An increasing amount of content is available for a range of subjects.
4. Evaluate potential 3D glasses and projectors. There are many 3d-ready projectors on the market.
5. Ask staff and students to help evaluate your 3D glasses. Different brands offer varying degrees of clarity – and comfort.
6. Start small. There is no additional cost in replacing an older projector with one that is 3D-compatible.
7. Take a strategic approach to the investment in 3D. Analyze the need, plan the implementation, and then evaluate the outcome to map out the next moves.
8. Form partnerships with other schools using 3D. Pooling ideas can help to create useful school resources.
9. Remember the practical issues. Glasses need cleaning with hygienic wipes; batteries might need replacing. Have a couple of spare pairs of glasses ready.
10. Engage your whole school community (including parents) in the 3D work you are doing. Parents will be interested in learning how their children are using new technologies to enhance their learning.

ClassroomMagic makes high-tech education easy and affordable. To take advantage of our spectacular savings on 3D-ready projectors and other classroom technology, call (866) 559-6454.

Do you agree with the infographic below? Would you say the statistics about projectors and interactive whiteboards hold true for your school or university? Feel free to comment below and interact with other educator opinions of how you use technology in the classroom!

(original source: http://www.OnlineCollegesandUniversities.net/)

Taking traditional education far beyond the classroom walls

ClassroomMagic recently had the opportunity to take part in Media Planet’s Back to School supplement for USA Today, focusing on green AV technology in the classroom.

“Utilizing interactive whiteboards, projectors and document cameras can reduce the reliance on paper handouts, all while increasing retention by providing a hands-on multimedia experience,” said Robert Moss, vice president, education sales. “Increasing student engagement through educational technology has been shown to improve student motivation and promote enthusiasm for learning – in addition to reducing the school’s carbon footprint. Interactive whiteboard notes can be saved and electronically distributed to students, keeping the students engaged with the lesson and reducing the need for handwritten notes.”

If you have not received the USA Today 21st Century Classroom edition, you may download it here in electronic format » The Back to School supplement is chalk full of great articles and learning tools for today’s 21st century teacher!

Enjoy! ~ClassroomMagic team

Educators in Norwalk, CT are on the cutting edge of classroom technology, according to a new article on thehour.com. The district’s goal is to streamline the way that teachers teach and students learn with interactive response systems.

Interactive Response Systems in the Classroom

With interactive response systems, educators are able to see individual student’s quizzes and test results in real time.

Instead of waiting until a test is completed, turned in and graded, teachers can gauge how students are doing on the test as they take it.

“If you see a student is getting a 60, a 70, you can walk over and make a teachable moment out of what used to be dead time,” Robert Polselli, the Norwalk district’s director of information technology, told thehour.com. “Have you ever heard of teaching during a test before?”

During their training session on interactive response systems earlier this month, Norwalk educators found themselves in their students’ shoes.

Polselli quizzed the teachers on their knowledge of the system; they inputted their answers into wireless remote controls. Polselli instantly knew what areas his group had mastered and where he needed to focus more in future lessons.

Norwalk instructor Sara Vogel said the interactive response system technology was unlike anything she’d ever seen.

“The power of instant assessment is, for any teacher, so wonderful,” she said. “It can only make it better,” Vogel said. “It won’t necessarily change teaching, but it will change how you teach.”

ClassroomMagic makes high-tech education easy and affordable. To take advantage of our spectacular savings on interactive response systems and other classroom technology, call (866) 559-6454.

Enterprising educators have big plans for Apple’s new tablet

Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Kamuela is experimenting with the iPad and many apps—Star Walk for astronomy; Molecules for biology; iTranslate for language classes; SignalScope for physics classes—that teachers hope will make learning more interactive.

How schools are putting the iPad to work »