Products

Awards of Excellence

12/19/2011 By:

Best NEW hardware

AVerComm H300 Video Conferencing System
www.averusa.com

This system allows users to collaborate with other schools, go on virtual field trips with a class, and access new content. It can connect four locations and records classroom experiences with the touch of a button. Judges found it easy to set up and loved the idea of being interactive with others outside the classroom.

www.averusa.com

The FlexArm document camera was designed to save teachers installation and prep time. Equipped with onboard annotation (just plug your mouse into the camera) and one-touch audio-video recording to a USB flash drive, the F50 helps teachers create engaging lessons. Judges reported that it was well built and sturdy and liked its easyto- use buttons and camera as well as its slew of interactive features.

www.dell.com

This Android (Honeycomb) seven-inch tablet has a wide-screen display for business applications and features a multi-touch display with Adobe Flash 10.1 capability. Judges loved the front and rear cameras and the accurate touch recognition. They also said that the product worked well as an e-reader.

Easi-Speak USB Recorder
www.learningresources.com

This fun and easy wireless recorder encourages even reluctant students to speak up. One button is used to record and then listen to up to four hours of audio. It charges and downloads via a built-in USB plug. Judges thought it was well made for elementary school use and liked the fun design, which includes large buttons.

eBeam Engage
www.e-beam.com

The whiteboard works on any flat surface and has integrated multimedia functions, such as speakers, record, and keyboard, enabling instructors to present a highly collaborative and compelling learning experience. Judges liked the one-touch recording feature and said that the Engage can easily be mounted on any surface to create a virtual-learning space.

HP Pocket Whiteboard
www.hp.com

HP offers an affordable and portable presentation tool that allows local and remote meeting participants to share a virtual interactive collaboration space. The product features a receiver that’s compatible with virtually any surface, including standard whiteboards, flip charts, and walls. One judge said that the Pocket Whiteboard was the most portable and smallest interactive whiteboard he had seen, and others liked the seamless, easy setup.

Inspiron Duo
www.dell.com

This fun and engaging 10.1-inch tablet’s flip-hinge design allows users to switch seamlessly from tablet to laptop. Flash-enabled visuals and an array of colors make it a great tablet for students and teachers alike. Judges appreciated the flip-screen feature and said that the Inspiron Duo has a solid build and an efficient battery life.

Epson DC-11 Document Camera
www.epson.com

The camera features a fivemegapixel sensor, 10x digital zoom, and 30-framesper- second video at full resolution for stunning image quality and performance. With its large capture area, the DC-11 can display up to two full pages with clarity of detail. Judges found it easy to set up and liked that it adapted to a variety of hookups. They liked that it was compact and featured an integrated microphone. The judges would have liked it if the unit were more portable.

Epson PowerLite 905
www.epson.com

This projector offers 3,000 lumens of color output and is equipped with a microphone input and 16W speaker, ensuring that all students hear the lesson or presentation. Users can quickly connect it to their laptops or Blu-ray players to add digital content to enhance presentations. Judges found the picture quality good for the price and said that the audio fills a regular-size classroom, eliminating the need for additional speakers.

Lightspeed Systems Suite
www.lightspeedsystems.com

The product integrates content filtering, spam management, bandwidth management, antivirus protection, reporting, email archiving, and mobile filtering in a single easy-to-use application. Judges loved the all-in-one filter application and found the system easy to set up and navigate.

Mobi View
www.einstruction.com

This mobile interactive whiteboard delivers all the functionality of fixed interactive whiteboards and provides many additional teaching and learning benefits through its interactive touch display. Judges loved the “tap tool window” and found that the product had great motion mapping. They also liked the included workspace software, which features many resources and images.

Livescribe 8GB Echo Smartpen
www.livescribe.com

The smartpen allows students to capture written and verbal instruction anytime, anywhere. Students access pencasts by tapping smartpen to paper or digitally via Livescribe’s desktop software. Judges were pleased with the sound quality and found the 8GB Echo a great way to take accurate notes in any setting.

Motorola AP 6511 Wall Plate Access Point
www.motorola.com

The product includes intelligent self-optimizing Controller AP code, which gives schools the benefits of a central controller— automatic adoption, central configuration and status, and automatic RF management— without the cost of a dedicated RF switch. Judges liked the aesthetically pleasing design and found the AP 6511 easy to set up.

NP-U310W
www.necdisplay.com

The 3,100-lumen ultra-short-throw (0.30:1 throw ratio) projector eliminates shadows on the screen and projected light in the presenter’s eyes. Its 3-D capability, Virtual Remote technology, and remote monitoring and control capabilities make it great for the classroom. Judges found the picture clear, whether up close or far away, and reported that it was one of the biggest short-throw screens they had seen.

NewTek TriCaster 850
www.newtek.com

Paired with the optional control surface, this product gives administrators a handson connection to the TriCaster interface. The system offers two network inputs for connecting to an unlimited number of external displays, including wireless iOS devices. Judges liked the hookups and storage space and raved about the variety of options available for video and audio inputs.

PLC-WL2503
www.us.sanyo.com

The wide-XGA ultra-shortthrow 3LCD interactive projector, geared to the educational presentation market, provides full functionality regardless of the projection surface. Judges liked the color resolution and brightness and found that the product could display a large projection for bigger classrooms.

PR-PRO4 Presentation Pro Remote Control
www.tripplite.com

The remote lets users control the mouse with simple hand movements and works at ranges of up to 65 feet. With RF, laser, mouse, and audio controls in one remote, it’s an easy tool for educators to use. Judges loved the portability, and one commented on the good range of the remote, which reached into the far corners of his classroom.

QuickPacks Classroom AV System
www.crestron.com

Blending AV technology into a comprehensive, simplified solution for classrooms, the system provides everything needed to install and control a ceiling-mount projector with three multimedia inputs and includes drop-in ceiling speakers and an amplifier. Judges called the speakers state-of-the-art and the QuickPack an overall “great-quality all-in-one complete classroom audio system.”

RoomView Connected
www.crestron.com

RoomView Connected devices feature built-in instant help-desk messaging and emergency broadcasting to provide safe and secure classroom environments. The software allows devices to be replaced with other models without any system reconfiguration or programming. Judges found the product a great management tool and noted that it can monitor projectors as well as PCs.

RM Slate
www.rmeducation.com

This Windows 7–based tablet allows teachers and students to surf the Web, shoot films, and run the applications they know and love. Judges liked its portability and noted that Microsoft Office compatibility was the product’s biggest bonus.

Samsung 650TS Touch Screen eBoard
www.samsung.com

This interactive whiteboard offers communication features such as screen synchronization and compatibility with Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe PDF, and other widely used applications. Its slim, sleek design accommodates classrooms of a host of sizes, environments, and needs. Judges liked the bright, sharp images (from many angles) and called the 650TS a great alternative to a projector.

Samsung Netbook NP NC110
www.samsung.com

This netbook has a sleek, clean design and weighs a mere 2.6 pounds, so teachers can carry it easily. It stays charged for 10.7 hours and features Fast Start technology, which allows users to open the lid and begin working in as little as three seconds. Judges found it well built and a nice size for young students and called it a good overall laptop with options for a variety of school situations.

Samsung Galaxy Tab
www.samsung.com

The lightweight, sleek Wi-Fi– only product runs on Android 2.2 (Froyo) and features a seven-inch thin-film transistor display. Offering 16 gigabytes of internal storage, the Tab supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to deliver an enhanced content experience with access to thousands of Web sites packed with complex Flash-based applications and content. Judges found it portable and student directed and liked the MicroSD storage space. They also commented on its fast and responsive touch interface.

Samsung SCX-5739 FW Printer
www.samsung.com

Enabling fast and efficient printing of student files, reports, and schedules, this comprehensive product is wireless and performs several functions for all areas of school administration. Features include a secure pull-printing technology, an embedded bar-code font feature, a print speed of 37 ppm, and extra-high-yield toner. Judges liked the SCX-5739’s compactness as well as its crisp blackand- white copies and noted its versatility in that it can scan, copy, print, and fax.

TI-Nspire CX Handheld
www.education.ti.com

The backlit color-display graphing calculator is the latest in this technology, helping students visualize math and science concepts better with full-color images. Judges liked the large, bright LCD screen and the product’s “endless feature set and options.”

Best NEW software

Blackboard Mobile Learn: Bringing Teaching and Learning to the Mobile Device
www.blackboard.com

The platform is available as a free app for Android and iOS mobile devices. Users can connect with their courses by accessing documents in many formats, read announc ement s , create discussion threads, and more. Judges easily navigated and uploaded media on the iPad2 and loved the app’s ability to modify content without difficulty.

Discovery Education Science Techbook
www.discoveryeducation.com

Built from the ground up to address individual state standards, Discovery Education Science Techbook features dynamic, interactive resources that support the 5E model of instruction to capture students’ attention. Judges found it easy to navigate and use and said that material can be chosen for many levels and styles of student learning and for learners’ varied needs.

BrainPOP Featured Movie App
www.brainpop.com

This app provides free timely and calendar- aligned digital content that rotates daily. It covers a range of relevant topics including current events, holidays, and historical figures. The app also features a daily movie and quiz. Judges loved its “extremely well-laid-out content” and the availability of movies about many subjects. They said that students will appreciate the ease of use and the content.

Doceri Software Suite
www.doceri.com

The interactive iPad software suite is designed for classrooms, conference rooms, and auditoriums. Teachers can control a Mac or Windows computer through the Doceri Remote iPad App and Doceri Desktop software for easy presentation and application launch as well as annotation tools. Judges found the package useful and practical in the classroom and especially liked the increased teacher mobility it provides.

Economic Education Live! Online courses
www.stlouisfed.org

This collection of new and improved resources brings economics to life with interactive activities, online courses, and podcasts. Content will continue to be updated and added. Judges raved about the variety of examples “using experiences today’s students have had.” One judge added that using this site could help students grasp economics, a subject they often find difficult.

eLibrary
www.proquestk12.com

Proquest K12’s product is a growing archive of nearly 80 million online documents, including one of the largest aggregated collections of bandwidth-friendly multimedia. It helps students go beyond “Googling” to find excellent images, maps, articles, videos, and more. Judges rated it a comprehensive product in terms of both content and available functions.

Juba
www.sixredmarbles.com

Juba, which means “fearless” in Swahili, is an online interactive learning game for children aged three and older that presents a “whole-brain learning adventure.” Judges were impressed by its quality and appreciated its innovative approach to engaging early-childhood and elementary students in interpretive, languagedevelopment, and basic literacy skills.

igotta by netTrekker
www.nettrekker.com

The personalized onestop workspace helps students find, analyze, organize, and use information to write reports, work on assignments, create presentations, and collaborate on projects. Judges liked the innovative use of note taking as a timeline feature and said that the program makes finding good information easy.

myOn Reader
www.myon.com

The personalized literacy environment engages students at all reading levels through an integrated library of more than 1,000 enhanced digital books. Judges liked the fact that the books are diverse and cover a range of subjects and thus are easily integrated into the curriculum.

myWorld Geography Digital Path
www.pearsoned.com

The digitally driven social studies program allows students to gain a deeper understanding of the world by making personal connections to places. Students complete a gamelike “online travel assignment” and explore regions through videos and stories. Judges loved the scope and quality of the program and rated it a powerful teaching tool. They also liked the detailed, clear, and concise lesson plans, including those covering 21st-century learning.

OASYS: The Observation and Appraisal Management System
www.mylearningplan.com

MyLearning Plan’s product is a Web-based observation- and appraisal-management system offering administrators a way to schedule, manage, complete, and report on all components of the process of evaluating teachers and staff. Judges found it straightforward and called it an “amazing product to use for evaluating faculty and personal learning plans.”

Observation360
www.schoolimprovement.com

This walk-through and observation tool assists teachers in control, customization, reporting, and training. It integrates effortlessly with PD360, the on-demand job-embedded professional-development platform. Judges also appreciated its seamless integration with the iPad and deemed it a valuable administrative observation tool for follow-up interventions.

myWorld History Digital Path
www.pearsoned.com

Another winning Web-based program from Pearson, this product helps students understand historical facts and figures through intriguing storytelling and a slew of video interviews. Students can capture their thoughts and record their observations as well as send assignments to teachers. Judges liked the streamlined interface and user-friendly design, features that make it a powerful tool for the upper-elementary/middle-school educator.

Operation: Tectonic Fury
www.jason.org

The online geology resource was designed to fit within school districts’ core curricula. It is available in print and free online editions and offers five to nine weeks of material with suggested lesson plans, extensions, interdisciplinary connections, and other educational resources. Judges liked the journal, deliverables, and state standards and found it easy to use overall.

Pearson Social Studies Apps
www.pearsoned.com

This product offers a fun way for students to create their own flash cards or study with hundreds of ready-made cards. It is available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, so students in elementary school through high school can study anywhere. Judges appreciated the variety of ways the apps provide to study and use test prep but would have liked to see more options in terms of games and ways to test.

PRIME Science—Life Science: Ecology
www.primelifescience.com

The program offers interactive and multimedia lesson plans for the whiteboard and beyond, helping teachers customize texts for a variety of types and levels of learning. Videos, pictures, and activities can be played individually or as a class. Judges loved the Content Cards, which give teachers a base on which to create comprehensive units that can be tailored to their individual learning environments.

Qtopia
www.qtopia.com

The online learning platform gives students access to thousands of ready-to-use activities, motivational games, avatar features, online homework access with auto-grading, in-class review models, and more. Judges appreciated the easy teacher and student interfaces and found that the adjustable avatar helped draw students in.

Sokikom
www.sokikom.com

The Web-based resource motivates elementary students to study math through an exciting and safe social-learning game aligned to NCTM focal points and Common Core State Standards. Judges could see the site being used to complement the classroom curriculum. They said that students could use it when they finish their class work and that teachers could assign activities as homework.

Rising Readers: Nursery Rhymes & Tales, Volume 2
www.newmarklearning.com

Each boxed set in Newmark’s Rising Readers series contains 72 leveled books that help teachers support content-area standards and emergent reading skills. Nursery Rhymes & Tales, Vol. 2 has been leveled for beginning readers. Each title matches a corresponding title in an Interactive Whiteboard Resources Volume to provide comprehensive literacy instruction. Judges loved the variety of features, including the option of covering words with a “shade,” and liked the fun animated illustrations.

TCI
www.teachtci.com

This K–12 publishing company, created by teachers for teachers, offers a wealth of resources including online lesson plans, student handouts, assessment tools, and enrichment tools for helping teachers employ their social studies curricula. Judges liked its ability to customize resources and found it easy to use overall.

Teacher Compass
www.pearsonpd.com

Pearson’s product allows administrators to enter teacher-performance data on mobile computers, disaggregate results rapidly, and generate easy-to-read reports for helping teachers with professional development. Judges liked the customizable full-featured educator-evaluation tool for administration and supervisory staff.

TeacherView
www.teacherview.com

This free online resource for teachers has a wealth of tools and tips for classroom instruction and lesson plans. Judges were impressed that teachers could monitor students’ connectivity and that the product could redirect students to certain Web sites.

Vocabulary.com
www.vocabulary.com

The Web site offers more than 40,000 questions for helping students improve their vocabulary. It creates a model of students’ knowledge with which to track their progress. Judges liked its ease of use and raved about the adaptive technology, which helps students learn tough words.

VuSafe
www.m86vusafe.com

This easy and secure way to find, organize, and share educational videos enhances current classroom curricula. Users can create their own video libraries and categorize them by keyword, age, and more. Judges appreciated that individuals assigned as administrators could see the videos being viewed by teachers and that videos were easy to upload.

Teacher Reach
www.parentlink.net

The product helps educators build and maintain relationships with parents, allowing them to send targeted messages on a variety of topics to help keep parents informed of their children’s progress in school. Judges said this product helped them create a conduit of communication between schools, teachers, administrators, and parents effortlessly. They found the mobile app and the use of voice mail and SMS messaging particularly effective.

WizTeach
www.wizteach.com

The interactive teaching software is designed to be used with any interactive whiteboard, interactive projector, or touchscreen hardware. It offers a collection of teaching tools in a range of subjects, and judges reported that the tools are easily integrated into core subjects.

Best upgraded hardware

Dell Latitude 2120
www.dell.com

This netbook helps teachers stay in touch with colleagues by using its embedded mobile broadband1 and Webcam options, and it simplifies multitasking through a multitouch HD panel and other options. It features a new Intel Atom chipset and improved screen resolution. Judges thought that it was well-built and durable and had above-average specs for an affordably priced netbook.

Epson BrightLink 455Wi (table clamp)
www.epson.com/brightlink

The interactive projector transforms a wall, whiteboard, or table into an interactive learning area. This flexibility enables educators to meet the varied needs of their students while maximizing the space in their classrooms. The heightadjustable wall mount can be operated with one hand, so many age groups can use it easily. Judges loved the audio and picture quality and found the product great for larger gathering areas.

M86 Secure Web Gateway
www.m86security.com

The product enables safe, productive access to Web 2.0 and social-media tools while ensuring compliance, minimizing data loss, and eliminating the risk of malware. A single interface gives administrators an easy way to manage, whether deployed as a traditional appliance, a virtual appliance, a hybrid cloud or any combination of those. Judges liked the social-media controls and appreciated the easy “safe search” control.

HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite Business PC
www.hp.com

The new PC features a 23-inch diagonal LED backlighted wide-screen display with a unique 60-degreetilt and 180-degree-swivel design for delivering advanced ergonomics and increased comfort when used for long periods. It has an array of collaboration tools and features, including an integrated two-megapixel adjustable Webcam with facial-recognition software and second-monitor capability through Display Port. Judges called this an “all-in-one space saver” and loved the way the screen tilts as well as the options for touch and regular navigation.

M86 Web Filtering and Reporting Suite 4.1
www.m86security.com

This suite helps schools enforce acceptableuse policies and comply with regulations. The solution sits outside the flow of network traffic to quickly and accurately filter Web sites in more than 100 categories without affecting bandwidth or productivity. Judges liked the small size (comparable to a DVD drive) and found the product easy to set up and begin using.

TI-Nspire CX Navigator System
www.education.ti.com

The product helps teachers manage and control handheld devices in the classroom. An instructor attaches the wireless network adapters to the top of each CX or CX CAS handheld to provide connectivity, and uses the access point to connect the teacher’s computer to students’ handhelds. Judges loved that this system can turn calculators into student-response systems and appreciated its sharing capabilities.

Vernier SpectroVis Plus
www.vernier.com

This product allows teachers and students to quantitatively measure the fluorescence spectra of compounds like chlorophyll, fluorescein, and GFP. Teachers can connect the product to a LabQuest or a computer running Logger Pro using a USB cable and see results in full color. Judges found it compact and user-friendly, and high school teachers thought that the wealth of data produced would be great for classrooms.

Best upgraded software

Acuity InFormative Assessment
www.ctb.com/acuity

This solution helps teachers diagnose, predict, report, communicate, and provide individual instruction. It’s now available as an integrated system that can be used starting in kindergarten and extending through high school. Judges liked that it could be integrated with a school’s existing data-management system. One said that Acuity is better for teachers in large districts that have built-in systems for testing and data collection as well as for standards alignment.

Adobe Acrobat X
www.adobe.com

The program helps teachers create, edit, and share basic PDF files. Users can convert paper documents to searchable PDF files or fillable forms and merge many types of files into a single PDF. Judges said that teachers could use the program to create and edit lesson plans if they want to move beyond Word documents to more-professional layouts.

Adobe Connect 8
www.adobe.com

This product offers new capabilities, including a more intuitive user interface, enhanced audio/video features, a new optional desktop client, and an enhanced software development kit for helping administrators with Webinars and Web-based training. Judges loved the variety of ways that users could view and collaborate on projects and liked the “breakout rooms,” which can be used for more-effective online learning.

Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection
www.adobe.com

The software delivers professional creative tools for helping teachers generate standards-based Web sites in HTML5, produce video faster than before, and design digital experiences, all in one package. Judges found this an excellent product, reporting that it aids teachers in constructing interesting visual aids for keeping students motivated.

Arcademic Skill Builders
www.arcademicskillbuilders.com

The educational video games improve students’ performance through engagement, corrective feedback, and increased time on task. Judges thought the games were excellent for novice learners and rated them an overall comprehensive resource for motivating students.

BrainPOP ESL
www.brainpopesl.com

This software uses lively, engaging content to teach English to speakers of other languages. Developed by experienced language educators, it features lessons that are built on animated movies and supported by interactive and printable features, including quizzes. Judges raved about the excellent how-to instructions as well as the lesson plans and supplemental materials. They felt that the consistency of the program’s navigation would make it easy for teachers as well as students to progress.

Discovery Education Streaming Plus
www.discoveryeducation.com

More than 150,000 of the newest learning objects, all designed for easy integration into a curriculum and correlated to state and national standards and assessments, are gathered into the curriculum. Judges appreciated that the scope had been expanded to include speeches and current events, and that teachers can search for information that has been drilled down to content standards.

CourseSites by Blackboard
www.coursesites.com

The program helps users create course Web sites, engage students through social learning, incorporate multimedia into classroom content, assess performance and manage grades, and more. Judges found this a well-designed, easy-touse, and full-featured tool for either teaching online courses or creating materials for live courses online.

Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance
www.kace.com

This easy-to-use, comprehensive and affordable product fulfills all the systems-management needs of organizations of all sizes. Judges liked the in-depth inventory-tracking system and found the software suite easy to set up and begin using.

e2020 Virtual Classroom Suite
www.education2020.com

This engaging online learning environment provides state- and Common Core–aligned comprehensive courses in all core subjects and general and career electives for grades six through 12. Judges said that the product could be used in a blended environment with proper classroom teach facilitation and liked the absorbing and easy-to-use interface.

Edline Learning Community Management System (LCMS)
www.edline.com

The product combines learning management with notification within a school’s or district’s Web site. Judges found the parent communications and teacher Website construction excellent and loved the software updates, which enable users to add blogs, stream video, and create slide shows in online classrooms.

Edmodo
www.edmodo.com

The product provides classrooms with a free, safe, and easy way to connect and collaborate, offering a real-time platform for exchanging ideas, sharing content, and accessing homework, grades, and school notices. Judges called it a “wonderful Web 2.0” tool that allows users to create a socialnetworking experience for students in a safe environment.

ePals LearningSpace
www.learningspace.epals.com

The cloud-based solution offers a safe social-learning platform for K–12 communication and collaboration, providing enhanced management of collaborative tools and storing school documents for anytime, anywhere access. Judges loved its broad scope: It includes wikis, blogs, assignments, discussions, email, calendar, and a robust management system.

In2Books by ePals
www.in2books.epals.com

The curriculum-based e-mentoring program matches students in grades three through five with adult pen pals. The students and adults read the same books and exchange teachermonitored online letters about topics raised by the text. Judges appreciated the comprehensive assistance for teachers, pen pals, and students alike as well as the extensive writing prompts.

LanSchool 7.5
www.lanschool.com

This tool, which provides various classroom computercontrol capabilities, offers new features and enhancements, such as real-time keystroke alerts and feature parity between Mac, Windows, and thin-client versions. Judges liked the ease of use, the computer control, and the great multi-platform support.

Gaggle
www.gaggle.net

This program supports collaboration, productivity, and engagement by using social networks and mobile and virtual learning tools within a safe online environment. Judges found it easy to navigate and liked its social aspect, and appreciated its “unique” online storage and collaboration.

LaunchPad 2011
www.classlink.com

The product has been redesigned to provide a seamless and customizable Virtual Academic Desktop for classrooms. Teachers can use a suite of tools to facilitate blended-learning experiences for their students, giving them the digital tools they need. Judges thought LaunchPad would be great for schools in a one-to-one laptop program and raved about the virtual desktop, which provides access to Microsoft productivity apps, cloud storage, email, calendar, and other customizable products.

Learn360 Web site
www.learn360.com

The fastest-growing mediaon- demand service for teachers, parents, and students, this product offers multimedia resources from awardwinning publishers including National Geographic, A&E, History, Bio, PBS, and Sunburst. Judges appreciated that curriculum areas connect to state standards, and they found the interface for adding students and classes streamlined and easy.

Learning.com Sky Digital Learning Environment
www.learning.com

The learning platform provides free and for-fee curricula and assessments that improve students’ learning. Teachers can streamline classroom management, differentiate instruction, and prescribe targeted instruction through educator-tested tools. One judge said that the upgrade has great added value for the basic data-management system, an example being the ability to design a variety of projects and assign them to students through a simple interface.

Lexia Reading V7
www.lexialearning.com

This product has new progressmonitoring tools to help teachers track students’ performance. The variety of reports available help provide monitoring data that guide educators in making decisions about the intensity and duration of instruction intervention within a Response to Intervention model. Judges said that it works quickly and offers great tools and reports.

Mathletics
www.mathletics.com

The program offers games and learning activities to help students of all levels improve their math skills in a fun and engaging online environment. Judges liked its global aspect and the game environment.

Mimio Classroom
www.mimio.dymo.com

This suite of products offers full integration of several technologies, including a document camera, an ink recording system, and an interactive whiteboard system. The tools are designed to work together using MimioStudio software, offering ease of setup. Judges liked the portability of all the items, which require no hard installations, and they loved the immediate-response systems.

MindPlay Reading Analysis & Prescription System (RAPS360)
www.mindplay.com

The unique teacher tool helps identify why a student is struggling. It meets RTI program requirements, provides a digital diagnostician for every student, and helps teachers create individual, customizable learning plans. Judges called it a great diagnostic tool and appreciated the fluency testing and phonics testing with video, which helps students see how words are formed.

My Big Campus
www.mybigcampus.com

This platform helps students prepare for college in an engaging online environment that balances educational use of Web technologies with student interaction. Judges liked the Facebooklike setting and appreciated that the Web site creates a safe learning environment while allowing for collaboration.

NovaNET
www.novanet.com

This courseware supplies personalized, comprehensive online learning paths to provide middle-school through adult learners, especially those students most at risk of falling behind, with the skills and competencies necessary for college and career readiness. Judges found the materials well-done and accurate and the program easy to use and navigate.

PD360
www.pd360.com

The latest version of School Improvement Network’s on-demand professional-development platform for educators offers enhancements including simplified reports, focus objective creation and organization, and improved community features. Judges loved the 5.0’s impressive array of professional-development features and intuitive, easy-touse interface.

Pinnacle Suite 8.0
www.globalscholar.com

The fully Web-based system allows administrators and teachers access to student information, curriculum, formative and summative assessments, and supplementary resources. Judges raved about the assessment record keeping and the analysis options, which are based on Common Core and state standards.

PebbleGo
www.pebblego.com

This reader research solution provides databases of expert-leveled texts and navigation designed for beginning researchers. It helps students build research skills through audio narration, easy navigation, and text highlighting. One judge called this his favorite product, praising the ways that it can increase engagement with science in the classroom. Other judges loved the layout and readability.

Read&Write 10 GOLD for Windows
www.texthelp.com

Texthelp’s literacy software seamlessly integrates with commonly used programs to give students access to the reading-, writing-, studying-, and researchsupport tools they need. Judges liked the wide range and variety of literacy- learning tools as well as the clear online video instructions.

RM Easiteach Next Generation
www.easiteach.com

This complete, whole-class teaching and learning application helps instructors make the most of their classroom hardware tools. It’s compatible with any interactive whiteboard and a range of class pads, voting systems, and multi-touch tablets. One judge called it a good hardware-agnostic IWB software app that has an innovative interface and several new features that make it easier to use.

School Loop Plus
www.schoolloop.com

A team information system designed for K–12, the product helps student-centric teams keep students on track by making sure they have the information and means to act together on projects. Teachers can also track trends in students’ attendance, progress, and more. Judges loved the level of detail and appreciated that School Loop Plus is part of a suite that can be used by all stakeholders in students’ success.

Shmoop
www.shmoop.com

The Learning Guides, Test Prep, and Teacher Editions balance a teen-friendly, approachable style with academically rigorous materials to help students understand how subjects are relative to their daily lives. Judges loved the overall content, particularly the advanced-placement guides and the teachers’- guide materials, calling them helpful for new teachers.

School Messenger
www.schoolmessenger.com

This fully hosted SaaS (software as a service) notification platform helps schools connect with parents, students, and staff through voice, SMS, email, and social media. It offers automation and integration with more than 130 data sources and helps facilitate posting to Facebook and Twitter. Judges liked the extensive reporting features, which help administrators tell whether a message was delivered and how the recipient picked it up (for instance, via phone or answering machine).

Seminars on Science: Climate Change course
www.learn.amnh.org

This online course explores the science of climate change. Students learn how climate works, what factors cause climate to change across time scales, and how all those factors interact. Students also learn the ways in which climate change today is different from past cycles and how new technologies are revealing global signals of a changing climate. Judges found the material rather advanced for K–12 but loved the dynamic use of technology to explore a subject.

StatCrunch 5.0
www.statcrunch.com

The product offers a variety of reporting and analysis tools and can be used in different subject areas. Some recently added features are logistic regression, regression diagnostics, and calculators for various probability distributions. Judges found StatCrunch easy to use and appreciated that it was Web-based, so that students could access it from home. They also said that it could be useful for collaborating on data sets.

Toon Boom Studio
www.toonboom.com

Judges said that the user-friendly 2-D animation software, which helps students learn about and create animation, provides applications in many classroom subjects and offers creative opportunities for engaging students in subject matter beyond traditional instructional materials.

VizZle
www.monarchtt.com

This Web-based autism/special-education software for creating, sharing, and organizing visual lessons and supports can be played interactively with real-time data tracking on tablets (iPad and Android), interactive whiteboards, touchscreens, PCs, and/or laptops. Judges called it an excellent product for special-education classrooms and noted that it is effective for creating engaging learning activities that incorporate images, text, video, and audio.

TechSteps
www.techsteps.com

This K–12 technologyliteracy curriculum effectively infuses technology skills into core instruction, promoting subject-area outcomes while teaching 21st-century skills. Judges liked the broad array of topics taught through technology and appreciated the pictures, graphs, and PowerPoint presentations, which help students understand concepts.

WayFind Teacher Assessment
www.learning.com

The product gives administrators data for understanding how well instructors grasp critical 21st-century-teaching skills. Users can implement prescription and included curriculum tools to assign the right PD to the right teachers. Judges reported that this would be an excellent tool for teachers in training or those who need remediation.

WriteToLearn
www.writetolearn.net

This Web-based literacy tool provides flexible, easy-to-use, and effective writing assessment and instruction. It includes additional tools for English-language learners but offers support for all students. Judges were impressed by the quality of the feedback to students and saw a real benefit to using the product in many grades across the curriculum.