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December 15, 2006 2006 Awards of EXCELLENCE WinnersKristen Kennedy, Paul Jackson, and the T&L editors Page 6TOOLS FOR COMMUNICATION, COLLABORATION, AND SYSTEM MANAGEMENTAMX Meeting Manager Judges were impressed by the easy-to-use interface of AMX Meeting Manager, software designed to help manage shared resources. In a school environment, these would primarily be meeting rooms and audio-visual equipment. The system uses simple calendar and checklist formats to schedule rooms and equipment and then monitors equipment usage and reports faults to the help desk in real time. Judges saw value in this system for schools that have a lot of meeting room activity. "This would eliminate scheduling conflicts in my school," said one judge. Connect-ED "The ability to send calls in more than one language" was a big hit with our judges, who also were impressed with Connect-Ed's ease of use and extended feature set. This service forwards recorded phone calls or e-mail to groups of recipients without user intervention and tracks success rates with its built-in reporting system. Extended features include survey capability and the ability to create groups and subgroups. According to the publisher, the product is SIF compliant and works with several student management systems. Encore! Judges were thankful for this answer to the challenge of managing all aspects of the IEP process for teachers of special student populations, with the greatest aid coming to individual teachers in the classroom who can use the program to improve their ability to keep up with the learning needs of special education students according to mandated timelines. One judge called it "the Turbo Tax of special education management. It organizes legal forms and makes it easy for educators to keep track of student progress." EPALS SchoolBlog EPALS puts the power of personal and school blog publishing into students' and teachers' hands. For use in any discipline and in myriad, creative ways, SchoolBlog lets teacher and student bloggers alike collaborate and write online, screen their blog entries, and then securely publish them. Recognizing the learning potential of blogging technology, one judge wrote, "Students will be excited about writing and make the effort to do their best knowing that it will be published for others to see." GenevaLogic Print-Limit Pro This management software program specializes in diagnosing exactly how schools lose thousands of dollars every year because of unnecessary or accidental printings. Simple and elegant, Print-Limit Pro easily installs on a school's print server and begins working immediately to record exactly which printers are being used the most and by which computers. Management features then tell administrators how they can cut costs based on a school's printer use and even set print limits to minimize expenditures and encourage responsible printer use. Qwizdom Interactive Learning System Quizdom is a personal response system. Teachers set up sets of questions (quizzes, tests, and polls), and students respond to these questions using a handheld device. Students receive immediate feedback to their responses. The system also records answers to import into a grading system. The judges found the system to be easy to use, especially for students. "[It] engages learners effectively and increases in-class participation," said one judge. Several judges commented on the superior ergonomic design of the handsets, allowing students to "focus on the content rather than the technology." SchoolCenter Web Tools Judges raved about this "really slick" program that makes setting up a school, district, or classroom Web site a no-muss, no-fuss affair. This "complete product" caught our evaluators' favor because tech-savvy skills are not required. As one judge wrote, "Any teacher can build a Web page with this interface." Homework assignments, school calendars, and other data-rich files can be easily published to a Web site that can be hosted on your school's or SchoolCenter's servers. School Recruiter School districts looking to streamline and manage the job application process need to look no further. Judges described School Recruiter as a "very useful" program that serves schools by making it easy to post job openings, collect and aggregate applicant data for screening and evaluation, and even begin the interview process online. Applicants can easily search for job openings, build and maintain their personal job profiles, and apply for jobs online. Judges welcomed this "one-stop service for job applicants and hiring staff." Wyse Streaming Manager Our technology judges particularly liked how much easier managing a network or computer classroom could be with Wyse Streaming Manager. The program takes commonly used applications off individual computers and securely organizes them for streaming off of a single, central computer, making it easy to update, manage, and service any thin client from one location. Offering "a great alternative to desktop pricing," this affordable application manager optimizes the speed and efficiency of broadband delivery. MUSIC AND ART INSTRUCTIONMusic Ace Maestro "This program presents some difficult music theory topics in a fun and easy to learn package," wrote one judge. Designed with both the novice and experienced musician in mind, Music Ace Maestro delivers 48 lessons on topics ranging from pitch and ear training to harmony and tempo. Customizable lesson plans, data management features, and playful graphics all contributed to making this well-rounded, "intuitive" program a hit with judges.
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