The full product catalog for ClassroomMagic.com has now been released to the website featuring Califone Listening Centers, Epson projectors, Anchor Audio, Luidia eBeam Interactive Whiteboards, Document Cameras by Elmo and more! The site sells education technology (available for purchase via credit card or purchase order) and offers a variety of educational resources for teachers.

“Focusing on the classroom teacher, Classroom Magic is a different experience than the average product sales site; we see it as a learning destination for classroom technology,” said Robert Moss, vice president, education sales. “Being a learning destination means we will continually offer valuable resources for schools and teachers, from product evaluations to training videos.”

ClassroomMagic’s star is the new AVI-SPL Mobile Magic AV Cart, an all-in-one, portable multimedia solution for the classroom. The standard Mobile Magic Cart includes a high-definition projector, DVD player and powerful sound system with handheld microphone. The cart is customizable and can be upgraded to include a wireless microphone, document camera, PA-type sound system and wireless interactive pad.

“Not only does ClassroomMagic offer the best selection of advanced classroom tools at great prices, but we also reward teachers and schools with something extra with every order,” Moss said. “Teachers receive points for each order with our Galileo Rewards Program. These points can be exchanged for other great classroom technologies, stretching the educator’s budget even further!”

School is back in session! Check out ClassroomMagic products now »

From pre-school to post-college, today’s students are more tech-savvy than ever. Staying up-to-date on the latest classroom technology trends can be a time-consuming process for educators who already have enough on their plates.

Fortunately, we’re here to help. Here are the top technology trends in education, according to SVConline.com.

Technology trends in the classroom

Increased Reliance on I/T

As workplaces become more advanced, the need to train students on “real world” equipment has come to the forefront, especially in arts and media classes.

“They understand that their graduates will be stepping into some very sophisticated work environments, and they have to be prepared for that by the school,” Atlanta-based integrator CTG Vice President Steve McCormick told SVConline.com.

The challenge is to integrate the technology into the physical classroom, as well as make it accessible for multiple students to use at a given time. Schools will have to beef up on their I/T staff to accomplish these goals.

Ensure your classroom has up-to-date technology

ClassroomMagic features everything you need to deliver larger than life images and superior audio at your school. We also sell video cameras, as well as complete bundles that take the guesswork out of classroom technology.

ClassroomMagic makes educating today’s high-tech students easy and affordable. To take advantage of our spectacular savings, call (866) 559-6454.

A short throw projector allows users to create big pictures in tight spaces, without concerns about shadows obstructing the image or light shining in the presenter’s face.

Short throw projectors have very short throw ratios, the distance from projector to screen compared to the screen size. For example, a projector with a 1.5:1 throw ratio would have to be 7.5 feet back to project a 60-inch diagonal image. Short throw projectors like the Hitachi CP-A100 (pictured), which boasts a 0.37:1 throw ratio, can project the same large image from just 1.4 feet away from the screen.

They were designed with educators in mind.

“Education is the main driving force behind the short throw market,” Keith Yanke, NEC Display Solutions’ director of product marketing, recently told Gearlog.com. “Installation and integration is usually cheaper when using a short throw model because you are installing the projector to the wall and not on the ceiling. This means lower mount costs, lower cable costs and less labor.”

In addition to cost-savings, short throw projectors are also more flexible than their traditional counterparts. Educators can use them at the front of the classroom, rather than the back. No more worries about little feet tripping over the cables.

Short throw projectors are made with a higher quality lens than traditional projectors, according to Gearlog. They may also employ a chipset that “pre-warps” the image so it can be projected from a short distance.

Epson America recently partnered with Discovery Education, the leader in digital content and professional development for the classroom, to provide interactive learning courses for teachers, educators and administrators that take advantage of Epson’s latest technology, the BrightLink™ 450Wi interactive projector. These courses will demonstrate proven instructional strategies and techniques for using the new BrightLink 450Wi interactive projector with interactive presentation tools, Google™ tools, Web 2.0 applications, and Discovery Education’s digital content to engage today’s students in rich learning experiences.

“The Epson BrightLink 450Wi interactive projector transforms the education market because it provides an interactive solution that is open – allowing any school or teacher to leverage the content, tools and applications that bring classroom lessons alive and help each student live up to their fullest academic potential,” said Scott Kinney, vice president, global outreach and learning initiatives, Discovery Education. “Discovery Education and Epson believe it is not enough to provide educators the latest digital content and tools. To maximize these resources takes effective professional development as only Discovery Education and Epson can provide.”

Discovery Education offers engaging digital resources to schools with the goal of empowering educators, engaging students, and ultimately improving student academic achievement. Available in June, Discovery Education will add four additional professional development courses to their repertoire focused on training teachers how to effectively use and integrate the Epson BrightLink 450Wi into their classrooms instruction. These courses include:

• BrightLink and Web 2.0 applications
• BrightLink and Discovery Education digital content
• BrightLink and interactive presentation tools
• BrightLink and Google™ tools

“Too often districts invest in new technologies and do not appropriately train teachers to take advantage of all that these technologies can offer in the classroom. Prior discussions on interactive whiteboards were often around how the boards were under utilized instead of how they were transforming education,” said Rajeev Mishra, director, Epson Projection, Epson America. “By partnering with Discovery, we are enlisting some of the most enlightened professional development experts in education to share cutting edge tools for making classrooms interactive, 21st Century learning environments.”

The Epson BrightLink 450Wi is an intelligent, interactive projector that allows educators to turn any standard whiteboard or smooth wall into an interactive learning area. This innovative classroom tool delivers a cost-effective solution for educators to easily integrate interactive capabilities and eliminates the need to purchase and install dedicated interactive whiteboards (IWB).

The BrightLink 450Wi features 2,500 lumens color light output and 2,500 lumens white light output(1) and helps advance the classroom with networkability, wireless features and advanced connectivity. It also delivers WXGA resolution (16:10 aspect ratio) for full compatibility with widescreen notebooks and movie content, and can easily meet the space needs of any classroom by projecting images from 55-inches diagonal to up to 96-inches diagonal (WXGA) and up to 85-inches diagonal (XGA).

For more information about the Epson/Discovery Education professional development courses call 800-323-9084. Epson and Discovery will be running hourly seminars at ISTE from Saturday, June 26 through Wednesday, June 30. Visit www.epson.com/brightlink for more information.

Tech & Learning recently posted a fantastic article on using projectors in the classroom. Check it out below.

True tech integrators know the digital projector can be used for much more than projecting. Here is a sampling of some creative ways to use your projector in any curriculum.

• Reading/Writing.  Display images, words, or phrases for writing prompts in creative writing or poetry class. Model savvy formatting and editing skills by giving live demonstrations in your word-processing software. And put away those old flashcards—young students love singing karaoke to practice their pronunciation and identify targeted sight words.
• Mathematics. Utah State University’s National Library of Virtual Manipulatives offers hundreds of multi-sensory games, illustrations, exercises and puzzles for K-12 students that explore numerical operations, algebra, geometry, measurement, and data analysis. (Free online, $39.99-44.99 for enhanced desktop version).
• Science. Ask students to add their experimental data directly to your spreadsheet and project graphs of their results for everyone to see – you’ll identify those pesky outliers in no time. Protect your eyebrows and your budget by showing videos of dangerous chemistry demonstrations.
• Social Studies. Google Earth works wonders but loves to crash on older computers. Try the University of Texas at Austin’s renowned Perry-Castañeda Library Virtual Map Room for a wide array of PDF maps from around the globe.
• Timer, Stopwatch, Countdown. Using a simple freeware program like TimeLeft, students will see exactly how long they’ve been working on a project, how much time is left, or how many days until the ice cream social after your final exam.
• Games and Quizzes. Turn those groans to glee come quiz-time with hyperlinked PowerPoint presentations that mimic popular quiz games like “Jeopardy!” or “You Don’t Know Jack.” Free Sheppard Software has dozens of interactive games that will have your students begging for more.
• Board Work. Standing at the whiteboard terrifies many students. Why? Writing large print on a vertical plane isn’t easy for everyone and little handwriting slips can turn into big, embarrassing mistakes. Ask students to do the work on a sheet of paper, fire up your doc camera, then project their results. No more stage fright!
• Graphic Organizers. Online diagramming software like Gliffy (free basic membership, premium account varies by number of users) or Bubbl (free) can make creating lively instructional flowcharts, cluster diagrams, and spider maps a breeze.
• Guest/Substitute Lectures. Live streaming or podcast lectures from guests will give your students access to experts around the world without footing for an airline ticket. Record your own lectures with software like Camtasia ($299) or upload your Powerpoint presentations to Slideshare (free) and you’ll be the toast of the substitute teaching pool. Best of all, students can access these lectures for future reference.
• Drama/Theater. Want to do some on-the-fly improv theater? Hang a white sheet, place the projector behind the sheet facing your audience, and let your students perform inexpensive miniature theatrical productions. Project image “backdrops” from your computer and you’ll have the fastest set changes in history.

For almost eight years, Ron S. Doyle served as a teacher, technology coordinator and Director of Studies at a charter high school for youth in crisis in Boulder, Colorado. He left his beloved career in education in 2008 to care for his two young daughters full time.

Casio’s new Green Slim projectors are environmentally friendly, bright, lightweight and only 1.7 inches thick! Best of all, they provid over 20,000 hours of use without a single replacement lamp!

The mercury and lamp free design features a light source that lasts 10 times longer than conventional projectors employing mercury lamps. The Green Slim technology cuts costs, as well as the time and effort involved in lamp exchange, while maintaining clear, high-quality images over an extended period. It is backed by a comprehensive 3 year warranty, including the light source. Users can expect reliable, worry free operation from the Green Slim.

The Green Slim projector features quick startup and shutdown. The projector reaches its maximum brightness in 8 seconds and requires no cooling down period — an advantage for keeping presentations focused and smooth.

The hybrid light engine combines a laser and an LED to create a mercury-free hybrid light source capable of generating high brightness (2000 lumens). Your sales representative can make sure that your school stays on the cutting edge of technology, while potentially saving hundreds of dollars per year with the Casio Green Slim!

See Casio projectors for the classroom »

Dazzle Your Students with a PowerPoint 2010 Video!

A new feature in PowerPoint 2010 allows savvy educators to transform their everyday presentations into attention-grabbing videos that can be burned to a DVD or uploaded to YouTube. All it takes are a few flicks of your wand…or mouse.

Step 1:

Save your presentation. Then click File > Share. Choose Create a Video. (See screenshot »)

Step 2:

Where do you want to display your creation? The default option is Computer and HD Display, which works best for creating DVDs. The Internet option is best for uploading videos to YouTube.

Step 3:

Now it’s time to decide whether you want to use recorded timings and narrations within the presentation. If you don’t have any, don’t worry, the default setting shows each slide for 5 seconds. You can also adjust that time if you would like. (See screenshot »)

Step 4:

Click Create Video and then pat yourself on the back for a job well done. Depending on the size of the presentation, it may take a while to save it in video format.

Step 5:

The video will be saved as a .WMV file. It will load on your default media player when selected.

Step 6:

Hit play and listen as your students ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’.

Don’t have PowerPoint 2010?

Download a free beta version at Office.com »