Tech & Learning's Best of Show Awards at ISTELive 2026 are back to celebrate the products, and businesses behind them, who are transforming education in schools around the world. The awards have been running for a number of years and have increased in popularity, proving to be a must-have for any companies looking to maximize their exposure at the show.

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Companies now have until 11:59 PM ET on Fri, June 19 to submit their nominations HERE.

We're welcoming entries from any company that has announced and/or launched an edtech product since ISTE 2025, or any company who has brought a significant new feature, upgrade, or variation to a product since the last show. Entrants are required to have a presence at ISTE, whether this is at the manufacturer's booth, a partner booth, demo space, or a session.

The Best of Show accolade is awarded to those who show the greatest promise to the industry, judged by some of the U.S.'s most tech-savvy and knowledgeable educators, and awarded by one of the leading names in the education technology industry.

Benefits of entering:

• Winners will be announced during ISTE on techlearning.com. All award winners will be featured in a special digital issue distributed to the Tech & Learning audience, reaching 72,000 school district decision makers.
• Crystal glass trophies will be sent directly to winners after ISTE, so you can continue celebrating your success after the show.
• All winners will receive a winner's marketing package. This will include a fully licensed winner's badge for in-house promotion, a social graphic, and press release.
• NEW for 2026! Winners will receive a marketing toolkit, with tips and tricks on how to utilize your winner assets, as well as a template press release.
• NEW for 2026! Receive a testimonial from our judges for in-house marketing purposes!

Why should you nominate your product?

• Nominating a product is easy. No shipping of products or setting up guest user accounts. Just complete a simple form that includes your product's name, image, and a brief description.
• Winning a Best of Show award signifies that your product has, or will have, an incredible impact on teaching and learning experiences. Our judges are looking for the best of the best in edtech innovation.
• Winners of the Best of Show award will be featured in Tech & Learning’s digital magazine, reaching industry professionals who will see your product showcased in a special section of educator-endorsed products.

FAQ

What are the ISTE Best of Show Awards?

The program recognizes products exhibited at ISTELive 26 which are believed to be changing the way we educate around the world. Winners are selected by a panel of professional users and editors based on product descriptions provided in the nomination form, as well as on judges' inspection at the show.

Who can enter?

Entrants are required to have a presence at ISTE, whether this is at the manufacturer's booth, a partner booth, demo space, or a session. You don’t need a product that’s already shipped — but it must be a product that’s been shown publicly either before or during June 2026. Previous entrants are welcome to enter this year's program. If you have any questions regarding your eligibility please email beckie.sirs@futurenet.com, and we'll be happy to assist.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: When are entries due?

All entries must be submitted by 11:59 PM ET on Fri, June 19. A single entry costs $625, with discounts available for multiple entries. We reserve the right to consider late applicants as circumstances dictate

What are the entry categories?

The categories are broken down into Primary (Tools for K-6 grade education), Secondary (7-12), and Higher Education. You may enter the same product into multiple categories.

May I enter more than one product?

Yes, there is no limit to the number of products you may nominate. Each requires a nomination form and entry fee(s).

How are the products evaluated?

All entries are reviewed by a panel of judges and editors - chosen in advance by the editors of our publications - who will review nominations and choose the winners on a points score against a range of criteria. Judges use a combination of on-site inspection and the online nomination information to build their scores.

What do I get if I win?

If selected as a winner, you’ll receive:

• A physical winner’s trophy shipped directly to you after ISTE
• A digital winner’s pack, including badges, graphics, and banners for your in-house promotion
• Features in online articles, social posts, and newsletters with Tech & Learning

Winning a Best of Show award is a great accomplishment for any organization, and the benefits go far beyond just an announcement at the conference. For more information, contact Beckie Sirs, beckie.sirs@futurenet.com.

ISTELive25 was another energetic and inspiring conference, held in San Antonio this year with hundreds of sessions and exhibitors enjoying the learning and networking.

The exhibit hall showcased hundreds of new products and services, and our Tech & Learning judges culled the show floor to review the many nominated products for this year’s Tech & Learning's Best of Show awards at ISTELive 25 awards. The evaluation criteria included: ease of use, value, uniqueness in the market, and proof that the product helped make teachers' lives easier and supported student achievement.

"While AI continued to dominate discussions at ISTE this year, we were truly impressed by the nominated products that bolster the core of teaching and learning while also thoughtfully integrating emerging technologies," noted Christine Weiser, Content Director for Tech & Learning. "Our judges selected the innovative products they believe support classroom and district needs. Congratulations to all our winners!"

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Acer America, Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 (model CPE794-1N-797A)
"The Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 offers excellent multitasking power with Intel Core Ultra processors, crisp visuals on a 14" touchscreen, and AI-enhanced video/audio tools for teaching and conferencing."

Acer America, Acer Chromebook Spin 512 (Model R857TN-P5QA)
"Purpose-built for elementary students, the Acer Chromebook Spin 512's flexible 360-degree hinge, Wi-Fi 7 readiness, optional LTE, and replaceable components make it an adaptable and sustainable classroom companion. With Chrome Education Upgrade support, it's also easy for IT teams to manage at scale."

ActiveFloor, ActiveFloor
"This is an innovative, portable solution that utilizes movement for learning."

Avantis Education, ClassVR from Avantis Education
"ClassVR is the total package when it comes to bringing and scaling Virtual Reality use for schools to adopt this technology. ClassVR not only has made the hardware and management of that hardware easy for schools to adopt and implement, it has also created a phenomenal software platform to complement this amazing system."

Beanstack, Beanstack
"I really like their approach to reading and comprehension. The use of AI as well as other ways of tracking and discerning comprehension is very well thought out. Also, the data reporting capabilities is a huge help."

BenQ Education, RP04
"These boards and are excellent. They have a great feature set and are very easy to use and manage."

BirdBrain Technologies, Inc., Hummingbird Robotics Kit for Primary Ed
"The Hummingbird Bit Robotics Kit offers an exceptional, research-backed platform for inclusive and creative STEM learning. Its blend of accessibility, flexibility, and cross-curricular applicability make it an ideal tool for engaging students in meaningful, long-term robotics exploration."

BookBreak,BookBreak
"BookBreaks is an amazing platform that connects real-world authors in realtime to classrooms. This is a great tool to ignite the passion of reading and writing in students of all ages."

BrainFreeze, BrainFreeze by Airia
"This new BrainFreeze AI Literacy Platform is just "what the doctor ordered"! It comes just in time for the explosion of AI tools that have come on the market and provides a beacon of safety and sanity when it comes to helping students, teachers, parents, and community navigate the AI complexities of today's world."

ClassLink, ClassLink Suite
"The ClassLink Suite has been a tremendous asset in boosting both learning access and operational efficiency across schools. Its intuitive design, especially features like QuickCards and LaunchPad, makes digital access seamless for younger students while maintaining strong security for older users."

Clear Touch,Sho Software
"Clear Digital's Sho Software offers a modern, scalable approach to digital signage, perfect for schools seeking dynamic communication tools. Its creative integrations and safety-focused features make it both practical and engaging."

Clear Touch, Connect Software
"Connect Software has addressed a pain point for educators that may teaching a variety of settings outside their classroom."

Clear Touch,Next Hub
"I like that NEXT Hub is trying to keep older technology working in schools instead of disposing. This is a very nice solution that not only upgrades software and security, but adds a camera and video capability to older interactive panels."

Cricut, Cricut Explore 4
"Cricut Explore 4 is a fast, user-friendly cutting machine that makes high-quality crafting more accessible. It’s a great tool for education and creative environments, blending ease of use with the flexibility to produce professional-looking custom projects."

CTL, CTL Chromebook PX121E
"CTL Chromebooks are very well made and the addition of free provisioning and quick service turnaround are great additions."

Curriculum Associates, i-Ready: Clear data and connected instruction
"This is a very comprehensive solution. I like i-Ready’s adaptive diagnostic features and the fact that it is a connected ecosystem and not a set of disparate tools."

Edmentum,Exact Path for Primary Education
"ExactPath by Edmentum is a really nice tool for taking assessment scores and standards from annual and quarterly summative assessment companies and projecting a unique learning path for students to improve their areas of deficiencies."

Edmentum,Edmentum Virtual Tutoring
"I like how this product first identifies gaps in prerequisite skills that indicate standards readiness and then focuses on mastery of the on-grade skills. This product also emphasizes the need to quickly close gaps in a student's learning by providing targeted remediation based on that student’s needs."

FACIL'iti MYdys, FACIL'iti MYdys
"MYdys EDU, an assistive technology app, helps students with dyslexia read and comprehend text more easily."

Forward Edge, Edge•U Badges Primary Education
"EdgeU Badges is an innovative professional learning platform that brings a game-based approach to educator growth. We’ve used it to streamline PD and keep it focused, personalized, and engaging. The badge system motivates teachers while clearly showing progress in their learning journey. At the elementary level, educators especially appreciate the incentive-based format, as it mirrors the reward systems they often use with their own students making the experience both familiar and motivating. It’s a creative and effective way to build educator capacity while fostering a sense of accomplishment and continued growth."

HMH, HMH AI Tools
"I like HMH's use of AI to help automate tasks as well as their approach to data privacy which is an issue in the AI space."

HoverCam / Pathway Innovations, Inc., HoverCam Orbit Trio
"Teachers can use Trio to show student work from anywhere in the classroom without being tied to a desk or projector. Its wireless document camera and AV-over-IP casting let teachers share student thinking in real time."

IXL Learning, IXL
"IXL is a great product that they keep working on to improve. The feedback and help students get "un-stuck," are very good. The data reporting is also a great tool for the teachers."

JAR Systems, Open6 Charging Station Automated by Go-Box
"Go-Box has always been a great tool for IT Departments. It makes provisioning and refreshing Chromebooks so fast and easy. This design is even better and takes up less space with less cords."

Kahoot!,Kahoot! AI Generator
"I like how Kahoot! has grown. Their AI features are a huge time saver for teachers. The ability for students to get feedback as well as generate their own study content is terrific."

Kai's Education, KaiBot and Market Math
"KaiBot with Market Math is a playful, engaging tool that effectively combines early math skills with hands-on coding for young learners. The UDL-based design ensures all students can access and enjoy the content"

Kibeam Learning, Inc. Big Readers Start Small: The AI Wand That Transforms Paper Books Into Interactive Learning Adventures
"This is a very innovative and creative use of AI with a device that has no screen. The ability to interact with books both as an entire page, or just a word is very good. Plus the kinetic and interactive features make it more than an tool that reads a book to you. And the data feedback to teachers is great."

LG Electronics USA, LG CreateBoard Core
"This is a very competitive space, but LG has included preloaded operating system feature that helps them stand apart from the competition. I especially appreciate like management and an OPS slot for customization."

LG Electronics USA, LG CreateBoard Prep
"This is a really good tool and the fact that it allows you to import a variety of file types like, .notebook and .flipchart is terrific. The fact that it is free and can be used without a interactive board is great."

Mackin,MackinVIA
"I really like this product's comprehensive resources and features. It is an excellent addition to for the education space."

Magic EdTech, MagicBox
"MagicBox has addressed both end user and administrative and data privacy issues. They allow for integrations with LMS and SIS solutions. Feedback and the use of AI helps improve productivity."

MagicSchool, MagicSchool AI
"MagicSchool AI has been at the forefront of reliable, trustworthy AI tools for teachers looking to dig into AI and experience the "Magic" when it comes to using AI to save time and make learning more meaningful for their students."

MAXCases, MAXCases Extreme Shell-FL Case for Chromebooks & Laptops
"This MaxCases Extreme Shell-FL is MAXCases the best case yet. They have learned from the demands that cases have gone through during the past years and have found solutions and made fixes on the feedback of their users. "

MIND Education, Seeing is Believing: InsightMath Makes K-6 Math Click
"I'm impressed with the neuroscience behind this product and the interactivity and multi-modal methods of instruction."

MIND Education, ST Math: See Math. Learn Math. Know Math.
"ST Math is a powerful visual learning program that supports deep conceptual understanding through spatial-temporal reasoning. Its emphasis on problem-solving over rote memorization makes it especially valuable. A must-have resource for districts focused on strengthening math instruction."

Otus
"Otus stands out for its comprehensive, AI-enhanced data and assessment tools that help educators make smarter decisions with speed and clarity. Its integration with Discovery Education greatly broadens its reach and impact."

OverDrive, Sora
"With built-in tools like dyslexia support, reading goals, LMS integration, and real-time reading analytics, Sora not only makes accessing ebooks and audiobooks seamless—it also fosters a love for reading and student ownership over literacy growth."

Ozobot, Ozobot Ari
"I have always like Ozobot's approach and the improvements on this device are really great. I especially like the touchscreen."

Play Piper LLC, Piper Computer Kit
"The Piper Computer Kit is an inventive STEM tool that allows students to build their own computer and explore coding and circuitry through interactive, story-driven activities. By blending physical assembly with game-based learning, it introduces complex concepts in a hands-on, engaging way that makes computing accessible and exciting for students in grades 3–8."

Play Piper LLC, Play Piper's Enhanced Base Station Curriculum
"Play Piper’s Enhanced Base Station Curriculum stands out for its educator-first design, adaptability, and hands-on approach to STEM learning. It's a well-rounded tool that lowers barriers to classroom integration while still sparking curiosity and technical growth among students."

Pocketalk
"The Pocketalk system for on-the-spot translation of over 92 languages is nothing short of amazing. Perfect for students to use on field trips and using with parents who speak a language other than English when they come into school to speak with teachers and other building staff."

Prodigy Education, Prodigy
"Prodigy is a zero-cost, game-based learning platform that combines engaging adventures with standards-aligned math (grades 1–8) and English (grades 1–6) instruction. Its optional revenue model ensures free access while maintaining high standards for student data privacy."

Robotical, Robotical Cog
"I really like the simplicity of this product and the variety of coding languages. This a a great fit for an introduction to coding at the primary level."

Samsung Electronics America, Samsung WAF Enhances Classroom Collaboration
"Samsung’s WAF Interactive Display elevates classroom interaction and collaboration with high-quality hardware, familiar Android integration, and thoughtful instructional tools. It's a powerful, scalable solution for modern learning environments."

CyberNut, Security Awareness Training
"CyberNut is a game-changing tool for K-12 education that brings real-time cybersecurity awareness training to teachers and staff in a gamified approach while providing a mechanism for educators to report phishing and suspicious email activity."

Seesaw Learning, Seesaw Learning
"Seesaw Instruction & Insights offers a rich, research-backed digital platform tailored for elementary education. By combining interactive lessons, creative student portfolios, and two-way communication, it delivers an engaging, transparent learning experience."

Sergeant Laboratories, AristotleK12
"AristotleK12's digital integration platform and content filtering solution can help improve classroom management, enhance online safety for students, and provide detailed reporting for IT and administrative staff."

Smartbox Assistive Technology, Inc., Grid
"Smartbox's Grid software and Grid Pad assistive technology devices include intuitive interface, customization options, text-based communication, and environmental control."

Teachers First LLC, Toddle
"I like that this is a solution by educators for educators. They have the features needed in a good LMS as well as the integration of AI for productivity."

ViewSonic Corp.ViewSonic ClassSwift Education Software
"The ViewSonic ClassSwift Software is designed with educators in mind, offering an intuitive interface and straightforward navigation. ClassSwift is designed to integrate well with other educational technologies and platforms, including LMSs and digital whiteboards."

World Book, Inc., ClassMate
"The Worldbook Classmate platform offers expert-verified WorldBook Content combined with AI-powered scaffolding to produce and boost literacy abilities. This is a good use of AI with wonderful, well-known Worldbook content."

zSpace, Inc.,zSpace Imagine - A Headset-free AR/VR Solution for Elementary Learners
"This Z-Space Headset-free AR/VR Solution for Elementary Learners is an amazing platform that will help young students navigate their through using AR and VR. I particularly liked the 3D aspect of performing hands-on tasks. The platform also provides for life skills programs for neurodiverse students."

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Acer America, Acer TravelMate B3 Spin 12 (Model: TMB312R-31-C45D)
"The TravelMate B3 Spin 12 goes beyond basic functionality, encouraging deeper interaction with content. A smart, student-friendly device for dynamic learning environments."

Acer America, Acer TravelMate B5 14 (Model: TMB514-31-G2)
"The Acer TravelMate B5 14 offers strong performance and long-term stability for daily classroom use. A solid investment for maintaining a stable and efficient device program."

Ativion, StudentKeeper from Ativion
"StudentKeeper stands out as a multi-functional platform that enhances digital safety, classroom engagement, and student well-being. Its AI-powered tools and parent connectivity make it a smart solution for schools seeking comprehensive and cohesive digital environment management."

BenQ Education, RP04
"These boards and are excellent. They have a great feature set and are very easy to use and manage."

BenQ Education, BenQ SL04 PANTONE VALIDATED SIGNAGE
"The BenQ SL04 Series delivers impressive visual quality and Google certifications, making it ideal for educational environments where color accuracy matters. It’s an excellent solution for engaging digital signage and content display.

BirdBrain Technologies, Inc., Finch Robot for Secondary Ed
"With robust hardware, a removable micro:bit, cross-platform compatibility, and comprehensive instructional support, The Finch Robot 2.0 is a versatile and affordable robotics solution tailored for secondary students to master programming from block-based to advanced text-based coding like Java and Python."

Brisk Labs Corp.,Brisk Teaching: Helping Educators Focus on What Matters Most
"Brisk Teaching is one of my favorite AI tools for teachers on the market today. Not only do they pay close attention to student and teacher data privacy as the process input with AI, but I love the fact that it already resides as an extension to your browser."

Cellairis,The Cyber Pouch
"The Cyber Pouch is a smart, low-tech solution to tackle cellphone distractions in the classroom. It blocks signals to keep students focused without compromising safety or accessibility, using a rugged, no-fuss design that’s easy for schools to adopt at scale."

ClassDojo, ClassDojo for Districts
"ClassDojo for Districts strengthens school communities by connecting educators, students, and families through inclusive, multilingual communication and student engagement tools. It enables district leaders to broadcast updates, teachers to share classroom moments, and students to participate in learning with personalized incentives—all within a mobile-first, user-friendly platform that prioritizes equity and transparency."

ClassLink, ClassLink Suite
"The ClassLink Suite has been a tremendous asset in boosting both learning access and operational efficiency across schools. Its intuitive design, especially features like QuickCards and LaunchPad, makes digital access seamless for younger students while maintaining strong security for older users."

Cricut, Cricut Maker 4
"The Cricut Maker 4 elevates personalization with unmatched versatility, cutting everything from paper to leather and metal with precision and speed. The easy setup and free Design Space app make it both accessible and powerful for diverse applications."

Edmentum Courseware
"Edmentum’s comprehensive Courseware digital curriculum for grade 6 through adult learners is based on the development of real-world skills, identifying students’ passions, and cultivating perseverance and grit."

Edmentum, Exact Path for Secondary Education
"ExactPath by Edmentum is a really nice tool for taking assessment scores and standards from annual and quarterly summative assessment companies and projecting a unique learning path for students to improve their areas of deficiencies."

Edmentum Virtual Tutoring
"I like how this product first identifies gaps in prerequisite skills that indicate standards readiness and then focuses on mastery of the on-grade skills. This product also emphasizes the need to quickly close gaps in a student's learning by providing targeted remediation based on that student’s needs."

Forward Edge, Edge•U Badges Secondary education
"Edge U Badges is an innovative professional learning platform that brings a game-based approach to educator growth. We’ve used it to streamline PD and keep it focused, personalized, and engaging. The badge system motivates teachers while clearly showing progress in their learning journey. A creative and effective way to build educator capacity with impact."

Gale, part of Cengage Group, Learning Differentiated with Gale In Context: For Educators
"Gale's newly updated platform makes it easy for educators to share curations and resources across their grade levels and across their districts. This is a terrific resource to help librarians and educators help our students become savvy digital information curators."

HMH AI Tools
"I like HMH's use of AI to help automate tasks as well as their approach to data privacy which is an important issue in the AI space."

Incident IQ, iiQ Resources
"iiQ Resources modernizes how school districts manage instructional materials by consolidating inventory, distribution, and accountability into a single, streamlined platform."

Incident IQ, iiQ Ticketing and Assets
"iiQ Ticketing and Assets offers a tailored, streamlined solution for K-12 tech teams, combining help desk automation with robust asset management."

IXL Learning, IXL
"IXL is a well thought out product that uses research to hep students and teachers improve teaching and learning. The diagnostic data is great feedback for the teachers."

Learning Genie
"I really like the co-creation features in this product. It gives students and teachers a collaborative workspace to help them successfully understand content. It also gives the agency they speak of to the students so they can feel empowered in their learning."

Learning.com, Digital Literacy and Citizenship
"Learning.com's EasyTech Digital Literacy and Citizenship is a strong, well-structured program that equips K-12 students with the foundational skills to navigate the digital world responsibly. The lessons are age-appropriate and cover critical areas like privacy, digital footprints, and ethical online behavior."

Lightspeed Systems,Lightspeed Signal
"Lightspeed Signal is a powerful visibility platform that gives tech leaders a clear, real-time view of device usage, app access, and network health across the district. It helps identify issues like unused devices, VPN workarounds, and performance gaps that are otherwise hard to track. An essential solution for any district focused on efficiency, accountability, and digital safety."

Logitech, Logitech Reach
"Logitech Reach is a sleek, portable, and powerful tool that empowers educators to bring physical content to life in the classroom. It blends precision, ease of use, and smart design into a compelling solution for hands-on teaching, particularly in STEM and art-based disciplines."

MAXCases, MAXCases Extreme Shell-FL Case for Chromebooks & Laptops
"This MaxCases Extreme Shell-FL is MAXCases the best case yet. They have learned from the demands that cases have gone through during the past years and have found solutions and made fixes on the feedback of their users."

NetSupport, classroom.cloud
"The NetSupport Classroom Cloud product is amazing when it comes to mobile device management at the classroom and teacher level. This system is also device agnostic and allows teachers to have full control over the content and use of their students devices that are district owned."

Ori Learning
"OriLeaning provides a platform that makes teaching emotional well being and transition easy and engaging. I loved the multiple modes of lesson delivery and it's incredibly accessible with text-to-speech autoplay and text highlight, while also serving over a 136 different languages."

Otus, Otus
"Otus consolidates assessment, grading, and data analytics into one intuitive platform. Its recent partnership with Discovery Education and AI-driven insights elevate its capabilities, empowering educators to act quickly on trends and support every learner effectively. With broad adoption and deep integration features, Otus stands out as a streamlined, high-impact educational tool."

ParentSquare
"ParentSquare is a powerful communication platform built for inclusivity, helping schools foster stronger, more equitable connections with families. Its deep feature set, ease of use, and integration capabilities make it a cornerstone for modern school engagement."

PBLWorks Teach
"PBLWorks Teach is a platform that provides more than 70 projects for Project-Based Learning, all backed by research."

Power Technologies,Power Technologies PT-Pro Series Locker
"This storage solution gives IT departments the ability to securely store repaired or loaner devices."

PowerSchool, PowerSchool Attendance Intervention
"PowerSchool's Attendance Intervention tool helps schools monitor attendance patterns and automate basic outreach."

Samsung Electronics America, Samsung WAF Enhances Classroom Collaboration "With support for simultaneous student interaction, seamless Google app integration, and robust device management tools, The Samsung WAF Interactive Display promotes collaboration, engagement, and instructional flexibility. The WAF stands out for its ability to include more students in interactive learning via screen mirroring and multi-zone whiteboarding."

Teachers First LLC, Toddle
"I like that this is a solution by educators for educators. They have the features needed in a good LMS as well as the integration of AI for productivity."

ViewSonic Corp.,ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP8651 EDLA Interactive Flat Panel Display"The Viewsonic IFP8651 EDLA Interactive Display is amazing! Not only is it priced right but it offers a wonderful functionality to laptops or desktop computers by bringing the power of touch to these devices as well as additional viewing real estate."

Vivacity Tech PBC, Vivacity 36-Unit Smart Charging Cart
"This is a is a durable, easy-to-use solution designed specifically for school environments. It keeps devices secure, charges them efficiently, and makes organization simple with clear slots and smooth mobility between classrooms."

Vivacity Tech PBC, Vivacity B30U 30-Unit Pre-Wired USB-C Charging Cart
"This is a sleek, time-saving solution perfect for classrooms using USB-C devices. With pre-wired connections and organized cable management, it's ready to use right out of the box no setup stress for teachers or tech teams."

Vivacity Tech PBC, Vivacity Guardian Backpack
"The Vivacity Guardian Backpack is a fantastic and durable way to transport and protect your technology when it comes to any size laptop, Chromebook or tablet. In fact, this backpack is so versatile that it can carry all three of those items, and more, at the same time!"

Vivacity Tech PBC, Vivacity Guardian Work-in Case with Pouch
"The Vivacity Guardian Work-in Case is a fantastic and durable way to transport and protect your technology when it comes to laptops or Chromebooks. This case has many great features, especially the many pockets that are specific to the accessories and supplemental technologies that are carried with your workstation."

Vivacity Tech PBC, Vivacity Repair Academy
"The Vivacity Repair Academy is an incredible platform for learning how to repair your own devices. This academy is not only perfect for your staff in your school district, but can provide a wonderful opportunity to bring into a high school CTE program."

Vivacity Tech PBC, Vivacity V Suite Pro
"The Vivacity V Suite Pro provides the most comprehensive Chromebook warranty in K-12. V Suite Pro offers unlimited claims, zero deductibles, free shipping, and an incredible repair turnaround time."

HIGHER EDUCATION

AVer Information Inc. USA, M11WB
"I particularly like that the AverMedia M11WB features 4K resolution and 29X zoom to eliminate visibility problems, allowing every student to see fine details, whether it’s a science experiment or a piece of student art."

BenQ Education, InstaShow VS20 Wireless Presentation System
"There are a lot of wireless presentation systems on the market but this one seems to address the connectivity issue quite well. I especially like the touch back feature."

BenQ Education, RP04
"These boards and are excellent. They have a great feature set and are very easy to use and manage."

BenQ Education, BenQ SL04 PANTONE VALIDATED SIGNAGE
"The BenQ SL04 Series is a standout choice for higher education environments that demand vibrant, accurate visuals and adaptable digital signage. This solution combines performance and style, perfectly suited for the fast-paced, visual demands of higher ed."

Epson America, Epson EB-PU2116W large venue laser projector
"The Epson EB-PU2116W is a powerful solution for educational institutions seeking to create immersive, large-scale visual experiences. Its compatibility with various lenses and advanced setup tools makes it highly adaptable and effective for dynamic instructional and artistic applications."

Samsung Electronics America, Samsung WAF Enhances Classroom Collaboration"The Samsung WAF Interactive Display is a robust, Android 14-powered classroom solution that enhances collaboration and engagement with seamless access to Google Apps and smart multitouch features. Its updated Note app, intuitive annotation tools, and centralized device management make it a powerful hub for modern, interactive instruction."

ViewSonic Corp.,ViewSonic LDS138-151 Mobile Direct View LED Display Solution
"The ViewSonic LDS138-151 is an impressive 138-inch all-in-one, mobile Direct View LED Display Solution. This Video-Wall display is nothing short of amazing and even folds up to transport it when combined with the wheelable cart."

We're here in San Antonio, walking the exhibition floor of ISTELive 2025. Here are a few of the sights! Enjoy!

The deadline for nominations for Tech & Learning's Best of Show awards at ISTELive 2025 has been extended to June 27, 2025.

The awards celebrate the products, and businesses behind each one, that are transforming education in schools around the world. Our panel of judges will award the products and solutions to exhibitors at ISTELive 2025 who show the greatest promise to the industry, according to the U.S.'s most tech-savvy and knowledgeable educators.

Benefits of entering:

• All nominees will be invited to a special Tech & Learning reception on the penultimate day of ISTE. Winners will be formally announced at the Tech & Learning reception, to take place on July 1. Crystal glass trophies will be available for winners to capture their success at the event, individual trophies will be sent directly to winners after the show.
• Tech & Learning's fully licensed "Best of Show" awards badge to use on promotional materials, in addition to a suite of pre-made winner's assets including social posts and a press release.
• All winners of the awards will be featured in a special digital issue distributed to the Tech & Learning audience and reaching 72,000 school district decision makers.
• Winners are announced in a press release on techlearning.com during the show. Further promotion will continue after ISTELive 25 through other Tech & Learning subscriber-facing channels.

Why should you nominate your product?

• Nominating a product is easy. No shipping of products or setting up guest user accounts. Just complete a simple form that includes your product's name, image, and a brief description.
• Winning a Best of Show award signifies that your product has, or will have, an incredible impact on teaching and learning experiences. Our judges are looking for the best of the best in edtech innovation.
• Winners of the Best of Show award will be featured in Tech & Learning’s digital magazine, reaching industry professionals who will see your product showcased in a special section of educator-endorsed products.

FAQ

What are the ISTE Best of Show Awards?
The program recognizes products exhibited at ISTELive 25 which are believed to be changing the way we educate around the world. Winners are selected by panels of professional users and editors based on product descriptions provided in the nomination form, as well as on judges' inspection at the show.

Who can enter?
Any organization who is exhibiting at ISTELive 25 can nominate their products for a Best of Show Award. If your company has developed a new innovative product or service, or updated an existing product, entering the Best of Show Awards is a great way to stand out!

When are entries due?
The deadline is 11:59 PST on June 27, 2025. We reserve the right to consider late applicants as circumstances dictate.

How much does it cost to enter?
Single entry: $625.00 per entry
2-4 entries: $595.00 per entry
5+ entries: $525.00 per entry

What are the entry categories?
The categories are broken down into Primary (Tools for K-6 grade education), Secondary (7-12), and Higher Education. You may enter the same product into multiple categories.

May I enter more than one product?
Yes, there is no limit to the number of products you may nominate. Each requires a nomination form and entry fee(s).

How are the products evaluated?
All entries are reviewed by a panel of judges and editors - chosen in advance by the editors of our publications - who will review nominations and choose the winners on a points score against a range of criteria. Judges use a combination of on-site inspection and the online nomination information to build their scores.

What do I get if I win?
Winners of Tech & Learning's Best of Show at ISTELive 25 will receive an award certificate, the award seal graphic to be used in digital promotions, and a feature in the digital edition of Tech & Learning.

Winning a Best of Show award is a great accomplishment for any organization, and the benefits go far beyond just an announcement at the conference. For more information, Contact Beckie Sirs, beckie.sirs@futurenet.com

Google.org recently announced a new AI-centric funding program that will provide equitable access to artificial intelligence for both students and teachers. Part of the more than $25 million contribution will be allocated to ISTE for the creation of GenerationAI, an initiative that will educate teachers on proper AI use within their classrooms.

For this initiative, ISTE is partnering with the National Education Association (NEA), Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), Center for Black Educator Development (CBED), Latinos for Education (L4E), Indigitize, and Playlab. The goal is to reach educators across the country through high-quality professional learning on AI, specifically created by and for educators.

Tara Nattrass, Managing Director, Innovation Strategy, ISTE + ASCD, discusses the importance of GenerationAI and how it will achieve the goal of reaching educators nationwide on AI.

Expanding the Conversation of AI

Introducing AI into the classroom has been at the forefront of the recent technology movement. Instead of blindly following trends, ISTE wants to take charge by leading the conversation on AI with the GenerationAI initiative.

“One of our big goals in working with our partners is to build identity-affirming communities of practice,” says Nattrass. “The communities of practice are going to be with teachers, building leaders, and district leaders. It will give educators within those communities an opportunity to explore those opportunities and risks related to AI and also identify some of the challenges of practice that they see. [The goal is to] come up with solutions and resources that can be used across the field.”

GenerationAI will help to close the knowledge gap surrounding AI in education. It will help educate teachers and students while making the classroom experience simpler, helping teachers and students connect more effectively.

Four Keys to Empowering Educators with GenerationAI

GenerationAI hopes to achieve its goals through four core principles, according to Nattrass:

- Understanding AI: “We know we need to build AI literacy for both teachers and students,” she says. “[Students] are interested in guidance around responsible use and around educational applications and the things that they can be using AI for to help them in their learning. [This is] versus the things that may be more harmful to them in their learning.”

- Using AI to Enhance Teaching and Learning: Giving teachers the ability to enhance their teaching methods through AI use can help give teachers back more time in the classroom. AI can also play a large part in helping students understand their work by uniquely appealing to individual students’ needs.

- Amplifying Educator Voices: Teachers will be dealing with technology and AI continuously going forward, so it is important to understand their needs in the developing medium. The best way to cater AI services to the classroom is to understand how to best help educators reach their students, perform their duties, and achieve their goals.

- Strengthening AI Dialogue in Education: From the early days of AI in education, the dialogue about its use in the classroom has fluctuated wildly. GenerationAI looks to help normalize the conversation around AI to help everyone better understand how AI works and what it can do for both students and teachers in education.

What Will GenerationAI Consist Of?

GenerationAI has the daunting task of bringing a well-rounded AI conversation to educators, students, and administrators from all over.

“The goal is to reach over 200,000 educators over the next three years,” Nattrass says. “As we are doing the work within the communities of practice, as well as some of the foundational learning experiences that we’re going to be providing through courses and other things, educators are going to be helping to build this. We’re calling it a hub of innovation and creativity, where they’re capturing case studies, videos, frameworks, and other resources that can then support other educators.”

AI is a hot topic right now, and in one way or another, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. ISTE + ASCD, however, are looking to create a framework for the future, helping teachers adapt AI in the classroom, helping students understand work better through AI, and helping to clarify how AI helps and is being used in education.

AI was a hot topic at ISTELive 2024 and continues to be in the educational space. As such, Merlyn Mind has been working to support its responsible use in the classroom, said Merlyn Mind Chief Revenue Officer Levi Belnap.

The Big AI Question 

“To use AI in the classroom, it had to be built differently, so we started from the ground up,” said Belnap. “The team had the capability to build models, so we were building models and voice recognition technology and automation technology long before other companies and other large language models. From the beginning, the idea of responsible AI built on safe and effective models that are not biased, we started with that. And we have put our models to the test.”

Using language models in school can seem like a risky proposition, especially with the wealth of knowledge AI has access to. This is why Merlyn Mind has minimized that risk with their classroom offering.

“How do we make sure that anything going in and out of [the AI model] is appropriate for classrooms?” said Belnap. “Whenever you interact with Merlyn Mind, it’s not just hitting that chat chip like most AI tools are these days. It’s actually using models that we built with filters and appropriateness. These are models that we have built to ask, ‘Is that a question that should be asked in education?’ If the answer is yes, then we get an answer to the question. Then we ask, ‘Is the answer something that should be provided in education?’ So this level of safety, security, and privacy is the foundation of why we thought a company needed to be built to build AI for education.”

How Merlyn Benefits Teachers 

AI in the classroom has the unique opportunity to lighten the load we ask our teachers to bear everyday.

“Merlyn has built the solution that comes into the environment that exists today in the classroom and makes it easier to teach in that environment, so that they instantly have more time to spend teaching and give active instruction,” said Belnap. “Many people today assume that AI now means generative AI chat interfaces, and Merlyn has a component of that because we think that that is a really powerful part of AI.”

But how does a teacher with a classroom full of students, multiple devices, a lesson plan, and grades benefit by using Merlyn?

“We started with the idea of ‘What if we make it easier to teach in that reality?’” said Belnap. “So now, with Merlyn, from anywhere in the room, I have this really cool remote that connects to my laptop, and I can push a button on it, give it a command, and it obeys. It can open my lesson plan for the day. It can set a timer for any length of time. It can recognize a teacher’s voice so they can be anywhere in the classroom. That’s the thing we hear back from educators all the time, that they had to go back and forth to their laptops all day just to do little things.”

At ISTELive 2024 I had the distinct privilege of speaking with Edmentum CPO Todd Mahler. He was kind enough to show me around the Edmentum booth as well as discuss the direction the company is going in and how technology can help students by expanding how educators interact with them.

Making Students the Mission 

In speaking with Mahler, it was apparent that the Edmentum’s current focus is on creating and maintaining a student-centered pathway throughout their educational careers.

“Edmentum is a learning acceleration company,” said Mahler. “Everything we do is evidence-backed, research-backed. We use that research to help kids stay on track, help them catch up, help them track their own path. All the solutions that we offer, from digital curriculum to assessments to instructional services are all designed around that learning acceleration paradigm.”

ISTELive 2024 presented a unique opportunity for Edmentum to reinforce their values while making clear how they intend to serve students and educators.

“We are focused on a couple key areas, one being how do we help schools design system-wide intervention from elementary through high school,” Mahler said. “Our secondary key focus this year is very much around career and technical learning, or CTE. We’ve unveiled a brand new CTE catalog. We know there’s a big push across the country for CTE programming to want to help our district partners with the courses they need.”

Preparing Students for an AI-Laden Future 

Mahler was adamant about being able to prepare students for a future in technology and AI while emphasizing ethical use and safety practices.

“It’s important for us to prepare kids for a technology-enabled future,” he said. “We must continue partnering with our districts to help them understand how to embrace technology. How do you use it ethically? How do you use it safely? How do you integrate it into the classroom? There is no future where that does not happen.”

Mahler suggested that AI has already been part of edtech for 20 plus years, helping to drive personalized learning. “Now it’s in the hands of everyone,” he said. “It’s become a consumer product. But the same challenges remain. The [AI] tool has to be something that you can put in front of a student with the confidence that it will be accurate, unbiased, and that students will actually be engaged and learn from the tool.”

While AI tools need to help students achieve their goals, Mahler made it clear that teachers must also benefit from AI in the classroom as well.

“On the teacher's side, it has to be something that will save them time,” he said. “So anything that we do, and we are continuing to explore a number of different applications for technology, is around saving teachers time and ensuring that students can actually engage in a way that is evidence-backed.”

The ISTELive conference is a chance to bring edtech enthusiasts of all walks together with solution providers looking to make advancements that will make the learning process easier for parents, teachers, and students alike. It is a celebration of how far we’ve come with edtech, with a concentrated focus on where the future will take us.

The night before ISTELive takes off, however, a group of dedicated educators organizes an old-school board game meetup during which people can connect in a way that predates even the oldest of tech.

Bonding Over Board Games 

With the tech-heavy focus of ISTELive being the reason educators gather in the first place, having a board game night right before might seem counterintuitive. After all, what do board games have to do with tech?

Eric Curts, Technology Integration Specialist at Stark Portage Area Computer Consortium, explains how game night came to be a beloved pre-conference staple.

“This is our second year doing this at ISTE, but we’ve done similar things like this at other conferences,” says Curts. “Just a bunch of folks saying ‘Hey, this will be fun to do in the evening. We’re a bunch of nerds and we like board games. Let’s do a board game meetup.’ And from that we said we should do this at ISTE.”

Last year’s inaugural event at ISTE was so well-received that there was no hesitation in doing it again.

“What’s behind it is we just want to have opportunities that meet everybody where they’re at,” says Curts. “They don’t want to be in a room with really loud music where they’re trying to scream over it to talk to somebody.”

The difference between a conference floor and a board game table can make all the difference when trying to get to know someone.

“Some people say ‘Hey, I’d rather go somewhere tonight where I can just meet some new people, talk, laugh, have some fun, play some games, and connect,’” Curts says. “And I love that about board games. It’s an opportunity that can bridge and connect people. They learn about each other, and that’s what we’re trying to do. Connecting awesome educators with other awesome educators in a venue that supports fun and creative communication.”

Pre-ISTE = Pre-Technology?

Having a board game night before an educational technology showcase can be jarring given the fact that these are on opposite ends of the spectrum. However, the focus on non-screen gaming is not meant to take away from the advent of technology highlighted by ISTELive. Rather, it helps to bring together a mass of wandering educators for one night to laugh, talk, and connect over one of the oldest forms of entertainment.

“We’ve had people from South Africa, Canada, and Australia,” says Matt Winters, Utah State Board of Education Specialist and founding participant. “We’ve had board game designers and we’ve had educators from higher ed and K through 12. It’s just incredible to see people play a giant version of Jenga and enjoy the craziness of it. I love that it feels like I’m at home, playing a board game with my friends. But these are friends from all over the world, and I’m just meeting them now. Hopefully, I’ll have a connection that goes forward for years.”

A Special Type of Connection 

Board games, much like the people who play them, are diverse in nature as there’s one for almost anyone who would like to play. This diversity was at the heart of the Pre-ISTE Board Game meetup, as participants are encouraged to bring a game of their choosing to the event. Games that would be present were listed prior to the date of the event so attendees would not bring the same game. As Director of Design and Innovation for Community Region Charter School in Maine Dan Ryder recalls, it was a much smaller game night that sparked the idea for this pre-ISTE ritual.

“How did it start? Playing games in Utah and then going for an Uber ride,” Ryder says. “Both Eric Curts and I were in Utah as featured speakers for an event, thanks to Matt Winters. We both went to a game night and, during the Uber ride from the conference to the airport that Eric and I shared, we said we should do this at ISTE. We laughed, but there was no reason why we couldn’t. So, at ISTE 2023, we were able to find a hotel that had a function room, we were able to get a handful of sponsors, and we got a small room that could hold about 150 people or so. We packed it.”

With an eye toward inclusion, Ryder says the event involved those who were less inclined to the hustle and bustle associated with average social gatherings.

“This tends to be an introverts’ paradise and we wanted to have something that was the opposite just as an alternative,” he says. “We’ve had a gentleman come who says he looked at the table and said those weren’t his games. I told him, someone is coming later with more games. He stuck around, found a couple games, had a couple conversations. Originally, he wanted to leave at 6:10 and he ended up leaving at 10:30. It just goes to show you the power of games, connections, and good people. It’s hard to go wrong there.”

Related:

• ISTELive 2024: Edtech Show & Tell
• How Gamifying Education Brings Out the Best In Students

ISTELive 2024 was an exciting global event, drawing educators and edtech solution providers from around the world to Denver for four days in June. The conference offered best practices, advice, debate, and spirited discussion around education technology, and showcased dozens, if not hundreds, of new tools and platforms, apps and hardware for the classroom.

In addition to actual new products, many companies released new reports and studies, such as:

• LearnPlatform by Instructure Edtech Top 40
• PowerSchool Education Focus Report

As ambitious and well-meaning as the Tech & Learning team was, it was impossible for us to visit every booth and connect with all those vendor partners on site. However, here are a few of the new education-related hardware, software, apps, tools, updates, and more introduced during ISTELive this year.

You can see Tech & Learning’s ISTELive 2024 Best of Show Award winners here.

Here are other new edtech products and platforms (listed alphabetically) showcased at the event.

Avantis Education | ClassVR Eduverse360

Eduverse360 is an expanded library for ClassVR featuring more than 300,000 stunning 360° images and videos from around the globe allowing teachers to take students on compelling, immersive field trips without leaving the classroom. Responding to increased demand for curriculum-aligned content across all subjects, new math resources are designed to make learning relevant, accessible, and fun. Popular English resources have been expanded to support English language teaching for K-2 and English as an additional language.

Capstone & ISTE | Cyber Sleuths

The Cyber Sleuths mystery series is designed to equip readers with critical thinking and problem-solving skills to identify credibility in the information they consume. It follows a worldwide, online network of tech-savvy kids who are wired-in and ready to take on the internet’s worst scams, fakes, and bad actors. With high-tech tools and data, they combat misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation circulating in their communities.

CTL | Chromebook Plus PX141 Series

The new CTL Chromebook Plus PX141 Series equips education users with the powerful performance, AI tools, and creative apps they need to get more done, faster. Easy ChromeOS device manageability combined with CTL’s lifecycle services reduces the burden on IT departments. It also integrates with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and is powered by twice the processing power as previous models and up to 10 hours of battery life.

Embodied | Moxie AI Tutor Mode

To help support Embodied’s popular Moxie Robot, which is designed to nurture neurotypical and neurodiverse children ages 5-10 intellectually and emotionally, the new Moxie AI Tutor Mode adds personalized learning powered by generative AI. The update enables kids to explore topics such as math, history, science, art, and more at their own pace, and develop a joy for learning. Moxie has unlimited patience, and offers a non-judgmental space to ask questions and safely explore, and is also FERPA certified.

Epson | ELPCS01 Mobile Projector Cart

Designed exclusively for use with the PowerLite 810E/815E, this cart enables easy transport while transforming nearly any wall into a larger-than-life display, and is ideal for shared spaces such as classrooms, gyms, meeting rooms, and more. The convenient and smartly designed on-board control panel makes it a snap to power on, change display sources and adjust image/audio without reaching for a remote.

OtterBusiness | Achiever Series

Achiever Series Folio ST is a new adaptable folio solution for iPad that brings together OtterBox’s 25-year legacy of trusted device defense with education-focused innovation. It features: smart technology that provides simultaneous access to power, data, display and wired headphone use; energy-saving design with magnetic folio automatically puts iPad into sleep mode when closed; and a clear asset tag window that enables easy inventorying for school IT professionals.

PowerSchool | PowerBuddy Learning Assistant & PowerBuddy Data Analysis

Embedded within the PowerSchool Schoology Learning Management System, PowerBuddy for Learning is a safe and secure AI assistant that delivers individualized guidance to students through contextually relevant prompts tailored to their grade level, lesson content, and assignments. PowerBuddy for Data Analysis serves as a co-pilot for data analysis by enabling users to access data effortlessly through natural language conversation, reducing the time it takes to respond to data requests by eliminating query writing, automating data visualizations, and producing detailed data analysis.

Quizizz | Accommodation Profiles

Accommodation Profiles is a first-of-its-kind tool that unlocks differentiation at scale for educators and school districts. Educators can now use it to meet students’ wide array of learning needs quicker and easier than ever before, while ensuring their lessons are accessible and IEP and 504 plan compliant. It layers critical accommodations for students over Quizizz content in just a few clicks with features such as: read aloud; extra time; reduce answer options; allow multiple attempts; and a dyslexia font face.

Samsung | AI Class Assistant

Launched in May 2024, the Interactive Display WAD series will now offer generative AI capabilities through the Samsung AI Class Assistant to help educators save time and focus on guiding students through their learning journeys. The Samsung AI Class Assistant provides features such as automatic transcriptions and generative summaries of spoken lessons. It will also analyze the transcriptions and classroom materials to create instant quizzes for students to demonstrate their understanding as they learn.

Second Avenue Learning + U.S. Patent and Trademark Office | EquIP HQ YouTube series

Second Avenue Learning + U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are expanding instructional offerings on intellectual property and patents with a new free YouTube series and interactive storybook to support EquIP HQ, a free invention education resource and contracted effort from Second Avenue Learning. The video series and interactive storybook follow the mission of EquIP HQ to reach as many students as possible – especially those who may be underrepresented or underprivileged – so they can improve today’s modern inventions through their unique perspectives and ideas.

Sphero | BOLT+

The Sphero BOLT+ programmable robot delivers best-in-class, experiential classroom learning and supports beginner to advanced coders. It features a suite of programmable sensors and motors, a vivid LCD screen, and endless learning opportunities. Sphero also has new Blueprint Engineering Kit and Class Packs, which include mechanical and powered electrical engineering components and an interactive storytelling code mat with literacy cards.

Toyish Labs | Clixo Classroom Online Portal

The Clixo Classroom Online Portal is the next stage of the award-winning toy line, Clixo. In this new portal, teachers and educators across the U.S. can access resources, free lesson plans, video challenges, and activity guides on how to incorporate Clixo into fun and educational classroom activities. The portal is part of the new Clixo Classroom initiative which includes the recently launched Clixo Classroom Pack.

Umety | Education Content Package

Umety’s new content package is designed to work seamlessly across various devices, including Interactive flat panels, VR devices, laptops, and tablets/mobile phones. This multidevice compatibility ensures that teachers can create and deliver engaging VR and AR, immersive lessons accessible to students of all ages, regardless of the technology available in their classrooms. Key features of the new content package include: interactive 3D models; 360-degree media; multidevice accessibility; and comprehensive subject coverage.

zSpace | zSpace AI

The new zSpace AI offers enhanced support for educators and learners by providing personalized assistance to teachers and students, filling gaps that traditional methods may not address with real-time information. It also provides a wealth of curated AI content aligned with student needs, from interactive simulations to data-driven insights. The Career Coach AI empowers students by providing insights into various career paths including information regarding careers in their local communities based on their location while using zSpace.

• Edtech Show & Tell

The Drive for AI

One of the big themes dominating ISTELive 2024 was artificial intelligence. To be more specific, companies made strides to implement AI into their existing offerings to help make the end experience more intuitive, seamless, and helpful.

I had the privilege of speaking with Paige Johnson, Microsoft’s VP of Education Marketing, about the tech giant’s ISTELive offerings, what they would be providing to users in the near future, and Microsoft’s vision for the future serving users in the educational space.

“In our Microsoft 365 and Copilot offerings, we have more generic productivity tools that can help educators and school leaders become more efficient and effective,” Johnson said. “With that, across all of our academic skews, both paid and free, they get data protection and copyright protection from our company. That’s part of our corporate social responsibility and commitment to serving education customers.”

And, of course, we can’t forget about AI.

“Specifically, in our education offers, we have taken advantage and built some of those new AI features into products like Reading Coach and Reading Progress so that students and teachers can take advantage of the generative AI tools on Chat GPT4 that are built into our Microsoft platform and really improve engagement, personalization and personal productivity,” she said.

AI Adaptation in the Classroom 

Educational spaces have been bombarded with new AI offerings over the past year. Some of the conversation around these AI products has been the ease with which teachers and students can adopt using these tools. Johnson explained how using platforms such as Microsoft Copilot can be intuitive and simple if you know what to ask.

“I think there are some tools that require learning some prompt engineering,” Johnson said. “Microsoft Copilot, as an example, you have to know how to ask the right question to get back what you need, and it takes a bit to learn how to do that. We offer free training courses to help support that. When you look at the generative AI tools getting built into Microsoft’s learning products or our education technology companies learning products like PowerSchool, a lot of that barrier is reduced because those prompts are built into the use case. Instead of creating a drag on productivity, what you see is it makes it a lot easier for teachers to use those tools.”

Rather than letting teachers figure out how to use their products on the fly, Microsoft is making it easier to bring these tools into the classroom, smoothing the AI integration path for teachers.

An Enhanced Focus on Security 

Security and AI go hand-in-hand when it comes to talking about the impact on students and teachers in the classroom. Specifically, AI tools raise questions about data safety, privacy, and more.

“I think that there’s three topics when you’re talking about this area,” she said. “The first is data privacy, which is a portion of security, but it is not all of security. That’s part of the benefits you get with our offerings. The second one is an IT story around data governance. As institutions start to use AI more in their environment, especially if they’re leveraging AI tools to build some of their own things, data governance becomes even more important. The third one is foundational IT security. How do you make sure that, across your platform, you are thinking about a zero trust environment? One of the benefits of working within the Microsoft platform is that a lot of that is baked into all of our systems. We’ve thought deeply about when you are using our productivity tools, how do we make sure that you have good data protection. We have tools for IT teams to set up that data governance across our products. And then we have back end security tools like Sentinel and Defender to help secure your IT from end to end.”

Does Digital Citizenship Create Digital Disconnect? 

With students using more devices connected to the internet, digital citizenship continues to be a critical component of education. Johnson elaborated on the nuances surrounding the subject.

“I don’t think [students] separate their physical lives from their digital lives, but I do think that what [digital citizenship refers to] are a few different things,” she said. “One is around thoughtful and effective use of technology with kids across their time at home and at school. I do think that as AI comes into fruition, having meaningful conversations with leaders, policymakers, and parents, about what that looks like is important. Microsoft is deeply invested in those conversations and thinking about what is responsible AI use for a student. I would say it’s really important to understand how quickly AI skills are starting to get defined in the workplace. Because even a student who wants to do something after school may have to have some prompt skills or understand responsible use of AI in that category.”

Microsoft clearly has the educational present in mind when it comes to integrating students and teachers into AI use, but not without shirking the growing responsibility to prepare students for a professional future with AI as well. With the new updates to Microsoft’s suite of programs, teachers will have even more flexibility when it comes to crafting lesson plans, assessing student answers and behavior, and reestablishing meaningful connections within the classroom.

Related:

• Microsoft Copilot: How To Use It To Teach
• Microsoft Reading Coach: How To Teach With The AI Reading Tutor

Tech & Learning's Best of Show awards at ISTELive 24 celebrate the products, and businesses behind them, who are transforming education in schools around the world. The awards have been running for a number of years and have increased in popularity, proving to be a must-have for any companies looking to maximize their exposure at the show.

Awarded to the exhibitors at ISTELive 24 who show the greatest promise to the industry, judged by some of the U.S.'s most tech-savvy and knowledgeable educators, and awarded by one of the leading names in the education technology industry.

Nomination deadline currently set for June 7, 2024.

FIND OUT MORE AND ENTER HERE

Why Should You Nominate Your Product?

Winners are announced in a press release on techlearning.com during the show. Further promotion will continue after ISTELive 24 through other Tech & Learning subscriber facing channels.

If you win, you will receive Tech & Learning's fully licensed "Best of Show" awards badge to use on promotional materials, in addition to a suite of pre-made winner's assets including social posts and a press release.

All winners of the awards will be featured in a special digital edition of Tech & Learning post-award, distributed to the Tech & Learning audience and reaching 90,000+ school district decision makers.

Nominating a product is easy. No shipping of products or setting up guest user accounts. Just complete a simple form that includes your product's name, image and a brief description.

Winning a Best of Show award signifies that your product has, or will have, an incredible impact on teaching and learning experiences. Our judges are looking for the best of the best in edtech innovation.

FIND OUT MORE AND ENTER HERE

FAQs

What are the ISTE Best of Show Awards?

The program recognizes products exhibited at ISTELive 24 which are believed to be changing the way we educate around the world. Winners are selected by panels of professional users and editors based on product descriptions provided in the nomination form, as well as on judges' inspection at the show.

Who can enter?

Any organization who is exhibiting at ISTELive 24 can nominate their products for a Best of Show award. If your company has developed a new innovative product or service, or updated an existing product, entering the Best of Show awards is a great way to stand out!

When are entries due?

The deadline is 23:59 PST, June 7th 2024. We reserve the right to consider late applicants as circumstances dictate.

How much does it cost to enter?

$595 per entry

$525 per entry when submitting 2-4 products

$495 per entry when submitting 5+ products

May I enter more than one product?

Yes. There is no limit to the number of products you may nominate. Each requires a nomination form and entry fee(s).

How are the products evaluated?

A panel of judges and editors, chosen in advance by the editors of Tech & Learning, will review nominations and choose the winners.

Is my information confidential?

Yes. It will not be published prior to the convention or shared with anyone beyond the judges or editors.

How do I pay?

Click here to enter a product and pay by credit card.

When will winners be announced?

The recipients will be announced on techlearning.com before the end of the conference. Winners will also be recognized in the following month's issue and newsletters from Tech & Learning.

What do I get if I win?

Winners of Tech & Learning's Best of Show at ISTELive 24 will receive a fully-licensed winner's award badge to be used in digital promotions, a full suite of pre-made winner's assets including social graphics and a press release, and a feature in a special edition of Tech & Learning that focuses on the show.

FIND OUT MORE AND ENTER HERE

Educators and school leaders will get two conventions for the price of one next year when ISTELive and the ASCD Annual conference join forces in San Antonio, Texas, from June 29-July 2, 2025. Those who register for either conference will get access to both, which will be held at the same facilities and operate as a two-in-one event. 

Jennifer Ragan-Fore, ASCD + ISTE Chief Experience Officer, says the decision to co-host ISTELive and ASCD was made for the same reasons the two organizations decided to merge in the first place. 

“It’s really about being able to bring together people across the entire instructional spectrum — leaders all the way down to classroom teachers and coaches,” she says. “The events for both organizations are obviously an exclamation point, and each year we’re bringing that educator community together.”

ISTELive and the ASCD Annual Conference Co-located: What That Will Look Like  

Some aspects of the 2025 co-hosted ISTELive and ASCD Annual Conference are still coming together, but participants will be able to register through ISTE or ASCD, and though that, registration will provide access to all events. Various talks, panels, demonstrations etc. will be branded as either an ISTELive or ASCD conference event. Broadly speaking, each of these types of events will have their own flavor. 

"On the ASCD side, there's been a lot of focus really on thought leadership, really deep learning longer format sessions,” Ragan-Fore says. “On the ISTE side, it's been a little bit faster moving shorter sessions, more hands-on things, lots of public space workshops and playgrounds. What we hear a lot is the audience is really there to find those sparks of inspiration to go back and try in their classrooms.” 

Excitement From Educators  

With the events now hosted together, leadership-focused educators will have the chance to sit-in on more classroom-centric events and classroom-focused educators can listen in on some broader curriculum focused workshops and discussions. Various team members from the same district will also be able to attend together and discuss what they have learned, Ragan-Fore says. 

At this year’s ASCD conference there was lots of excitement about the plan. “We got a lot of great feedback from folks, lots of people coming up and saying, ‘We have limited budgets, and every year, I'm trying to decide, 'Can I send this subset to this event, and this subset to this event?' It’s going t be super exciting to bring a whole team together and be able to kind of experience this across the board,’” Ragan-Fore says.

Advice For Conference Attendees  

Whether attending the co-located conference next year or ISTELive this summer, Ragan-Fore recommends planning ahead to ensure you choose correct conferences. 

For next year, Ragan-Fore says the team is hoping to unveil an AI recommendation app that can help participants choose the best events for them. But even so, she says, it’s also good to have a second pick for each time slot in case you arrive and that event is full. 

And no matter how great the events are, one of the true highlights of this, or any other conference, is connecting with other educators. 

“You're learning from other people and hearing their reflections on things,” she says. “Even if you're part of the team reach out and hear other perspectives from other schools and districts, and if you're going individually really try to take advantage and make the most of those [networking/connecting] opportunities.”  

• What is TeachAI? The AI Education Resource Explained by ISTE’s Chief Learning Officer
• Best of ISTELive 2023

ISTE and ASCD will be co-locating ISTELive and the ASCD Annual Conference starting in 2025. The events will be happening together June 29 - July 2, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas.

"When ASCD and ISTE decided to join forces, we did so with the goal of bringing together a community of educators and innovators to design the future of education," says Jennifer Ragan-Fore, ASCD + ISTE Chief Experience Officer, in a recent press release announcing the partnership. "At the heart of the merger was a desire to build a united community of passionate educators who would spark joy and design transformative learning experiences for their students."

The events will also coincide with Tech & Learning's Regional Leadership Summit, which will also be in San Antonio in 2025.

According to the press release, "By registering to attend either ISTELive or the ASCD Annual conference, [attendees] automatically unlock access to both conference programs covering innovative teaching, leadership, and learning across all instructional roles. In addition, [they'll] enjoy a series of joint learning experiences featuring exciting mainstage programming, an integrated expo focused on learning, and a series of blended content at the intersection of curriculum and digital innovation."

Although details are still being finalized, pricing will be similar to current ISTELive and ASCD Annual Conference pricing, with tiered registration and member discounts, according to the ASCD website. Conference content will be held at the Henry B Gonzalez Convention Center, Grand Hyatt San Antonio, and San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter. 

"Co-locating our two events helps us achieve this goal by providing you an unparalleled learning experience," Ragan-Force says in the press release. "At our co-located events you will have the chance to connect with some of the brightest minds in education, explore how technology can spark curiosity, and discover opportunities to make learning more meaningful and engaging."

• ISTELive 2024
• 2024 ASCD Annual Conference

ISTELive23 was back in full swing in Philadelphia this year with hundreds of sessions and exhibitors enjoying the learning and networking – despite the rainy weather. 

The exhibit hall was energetic and robust, showcasing hundreds of new products and services. The Tech & Learning judges culled the show floor to review the many nominated products for this year’s Tech & Learning's Best of Show Awards at ISTELive 23 awards. The evaluation criteria included: ease of use, value, uniqueness in the market, and proof that the product helped make teachers' lives easier and supported student achievement. 

“We received an impressive array of nominations for this year’s awards,” says Christine Weiser, content director for Tech & Learning. “Our judges chose the products that they believed best supported innovation in the classroom and district. Congratulations to our winners!”

Best of ISTELive 2023

Acer America TravelMate Vero TMV15-51-57PP  This lightweight laptop is designed to combine practicality and sustainability. It is made with recycled materials with at least 30% post-consumer recycled plastic in the chassis and screen bezel, and 50% on the keycaps. Our judges were impressed by the sustainability of the product and its battery life given its reasonable price point. 

Acer America Acer Student Repair eLearning Program The Acer Student Repair eLearning Program is a program that teaches high school students how to perform repairs on Acer Chromebooks. “This is a great concept,” said our judges. “Good for CTE and to help students gain skills they can use in and out of school.”

Avantis Education, exhibiting as ClassVR The Eduverse 2540 The Eduverse made by Avantis Education, creators of ClassVR, is designed to help districts supplement curriculum by providing immersive, standards-aligned, educational VR and AR content in a teacher-controlled virtual environment. Our judges said that this service fills a gap in VR and AR education.

AVer A30 All-in-One Camera The A30 is a classroom tool that combines a document camera, web camera, microphone, and speaker. Designed for plug-n-play connectivity, the A30 speaker connects to computers, IFPs, and monitors. The judges called it a “very cool, all-in camera,” and praised its ease of use as a selling point for non-techies.  

AVID Products  AVID AE36 USB-C Headset 2251  The AE-36 lightweight headset is designed to provide high-quality sound with a noise-canceling, adjustable boom microphone that makes it easy for even the softest-spoken student to be heard. Its USB-C connection is compatible with many devices and software. The judges said, “This product ensures every student hears the teacher clearly.”

Beanstack Beanstack Beanstalk impressed the judges with its strategy of inspiring a love of reading in students by facilitating a community reading challenge approach modeled on the gamification motivation of apps such as Fitbit and Duolingo — rewarding students with digital badges, encouraging daily reading with streaks, and inspiring positive competition among friends. 

BenQ  BenQ Board with InstaShare 2 Software The BenQ Board smartboard features onboard InstaShare 2 wireless presentation software that enables advanced collaboration opportunities. Our judges liked that InstaShare 2 allows teachers to teach from anywhere in the room, adding, “It is easy to share a laptop, tablet, or smartphone screen onto a BenQ Board.”

Boxlight Mimio DS The Mimio DS Series features multi-functional USB Type-C ports, enabling educators to connect various devices for audio and video transmission, network connections, and charging external devices. “The integrated video wall processing is a high-value feature, as is the integration with campus communications systems,” said the judges. 

Boxlight MimioWall The MimioWall is designed to eliminate the need for external devices and complex management systems, and is available in nine sizes ranging from 120" to 299". Our judges were impressed by numerous features including the CleverLive digital signage platform, which allows for sharing of campus information, updates, and alerts. 

BrainPOP BrainPOP Brainpop is designed for students in grades 3-8 to introduce new and complex concepts, help them develop essential skills, and drive progress toward grade-level expectations with games, animated movies, and interactive learning activities. “Brainpop gives cartoon videos and interactives to make tough subjects accessible for young students,” our judges said. 

BrainPOP BrainPOP Science BrainPOP Science is a complement to the 6-8 grade science curriculum, and is designed to meet the Next Generation Science Standards. “Animations, interesting facts, and challenging gameplay are bound to keep kids interested,” said the judges. “With quizzes, experiments, and mini-games, kids have many opportunities to apply what they learned in the lessons.” 

Canva  Canva for Education  Canva for Education integrates with everyday tools and learning management systems through single sign-on, making things easier for students and teachers. “This tool gives all students and teachers the freedom to bring ideas to life and continues to evolve as a product,” said the judges. “It is a must for K-12 education.” 

Capstone PebbleGo PebbleGo is a curricular content hub designed for students that features informational articles, ready-made activities, and literacy supports for students of all abilities. “Pebble Go is a kid-friendly app in English and Spanish,” said the judges. “The subjects are presented with photos, media, links to similar topics, printable assessment sheets, and correct citations.” 

ClassIn ClassIn ClassIn is an end-to-end education platform with a full suite of tools designed with hybrid-first pedagogy in mind. Its features include live streaming, screen sharing, interactive blackboards, breakout rooms, and online assessments. Our judges said it was their favorite virtual school option. 

ClassLink, Inc.  ClassLink Enterprise Suite The new suite of tools from ClassLink includes ClassLink Analytics, which allows teachers and leaders to measure and track student engagement, and ClassLink Roster Server and OneSync, which enables schools to automate their rostering and provisioning processes. “These latest features add greater ability to limit the amount of sensitive student data shared,” said the judges.  

ClassLink, Inc.  DataGuard ClassLink’s DataGuard is a RosterServer upgrade designed to protect sensitive personally identifiable information when schools share class roster data with vendors. The judges were impressed by the way the tool allows schools to selectively share essential data while masking other key fields, ensuring continuous data protection. 

Clear Digital  Clear Digital Evo Roll Pro The Evo Roll Pro is a unique digital signage solution, offering a 43-inch screen that is IP65 rated, 2000 NITs bright, and anti-glare, and designed to work indoors or outdoors. “This is a unique mobile digital signage solution that makes it easy to bring your digital signage needs wherever you need them,” said the judges. 

Clear Digital Clear Digital Sho Content Software Clear Digital's Sho Content Management Software is a cloud-based platform designed to simplify the creation, management, and deployment of digital signage content. “This system makes it easy to create stunning digital signage displays that connect with your audience,” the judges said. “Even if you’ve never designed before, Sho will make you look like a pro.” 

Clear Touch Clear Touch 6000A+ Interactive Panel Clear Touch’s 6000A+ Series panels feature responsive multi-touch technology, are available in 65”, 75”, and 86” sizes, and have EDLA certification, which provides enhanced security and access to native Google applications. “The 6000U Series is an easy-to-use, intuitive interactive panel, loaded with features that help teachers and students collaborate and work smarter,” said the judges. 

Clever Clever MFA+  Clever MFA+ is designed to protect sensitive data by providing a dual layer of authentication in a manner that is easy to use and includes a variety of authentication options. “The ability to use the software to help author and implement MFA policies was impressive,” wrote our judges. “It works with the major players of Microsoft and Google.” 

Clevertouch by Boxlight CleverLive CleverLive is a tool that provides informative posters, welcoming messages, and updates throughout the campus. It is also designed to simplify the booking of rooms and integrate with popular calendar systems. Our judges were also impressed with how CleverLive provides a mobile device management section for administrators to monitor device health and ensure timely updates. 

Clevertouch by Boxlight IMPACT Lux IMPACT Lux is an interactive flat panel that launched with a Google certification which helps ensure seamless integration with Google Classroom and other Google education tools. Other features that impressed the judges were its 40 touch points, access to a free app store, and the ability for multiple students to collaborate.

Clevertouch by Boxlight LYNX 1828 LYNX Whiteboard features a range of pen tools and shapes that facilitate lesson engagement. These tools include highlighters and drawing tools as well as precise geometrical shapes and other math tools. These features impressed the judges as did the tool’s AI capabilities and its library of 100 STEM activities.

CTL CTL Chromebox CBx3 This form factor PC is powered by Chrome OS, Intel's 12th generation Celeron 7305 processor with 4GB RAM, and 256 GB storage. The device also features new Wi-Fi 6E & Bluetooth 5.3 options for connectivity, all of which impressed Tech & Learning’s judges. 

CTL CTL Chromebook NL72CT-L 1420  The CTL’s NL72CT-LTE B48-ready Cat 12 Chromebook is designed to ensure reliable connection and fast speeds, and allows access to LTE technology with a separate LTE data plan from a carrier as well as access to the latest private Band 48 CBRS private LTE, and most carrier bands. Our judges cited these quality connectivity features.

Edmentum Apex Learning Tutorials Apex Tutorials offers modular, on-grade acceleration and remediation designed to propel grade 6-12 graduation goals by focusing on bringing every student to course proficiency. The tool provides comprehensive coverage of essential topics aligned with grade-level, end-of-course, and college readiness exams. “Digital intervention for struggling students has value and this platform seems strong,” said our judges.

Edmentum Courseware Courseware provides continuous flexible learning with more than 500-course options. Subjects include CTE, electives, world language, college and career readiness, and ELL foundations. Educators can customize courses by adding, hiding, deleting, or reordering course content. Our judges were impressed with these features. 

Edmentum EdOptions Academy  EdOptions Academy offers customized virtual instruction delivered by state-certified virtual teachers with curricula designed to support district efforts and help them reach academic growth goals. “As teacher shortages become more serious we are going to have to accept the fact that this type of learning is going to stick around,” said the judges. 

Edmentum ExactPath Exact Path features diagnostic-driven, individualized learning paths in K-12 math, reading, and language arts, and real-time data powered teaching tools. The assessments, learning paths, and instructional tools help educators isolate the discrete skill and standard gaps of every student and provide data-informed universal, small-group, and personalized intervention. 

Ellipsis Education Ellipsis Education Ellipsis is designed to help all educators, regardless of their experience, effectively teach computer science. Every Ellipsis course includes pacing guides, standards maps, training, and detailed lesson plans that extend beyond coding. Skills such as computational thinking, collaboration and problem-solving are also stressed, which was lauded by the judges. 

Epson Epson PowerLite 810E Extreme Short Throw with 4K Enhancement Designed for classroom and meeting room spaces, it offers 5,000 lumens of color/white light output powered by Epson 3-chip 3LCD laser technology. “This would be good not only for regular classroom use, but also in less traditional spaces because you can wheel it in, set it almost flush to a wall, and project 80" onto any surface,” said our judges. 

Forward Edge Edge•U Badges Edge•U is an instruction-focused professional learning system that offers learning opportunities in the form of microcredentials (badges) in which participants browse to select the topic and development scope that is appropriate to their personal development goals. More than 240 badges aligned to ISTE standards and the SAMR Model are available to choose.

Forward Education Climate Action Kit The Climate Action Kit is designed to help educators teach STEM subjects using climate change issues and solutions. It includes an online portal, coding platform, and inventor's kit, and is suitable for grades 3-10. Teachers choose from a range of curriculum-aligned lessons and share a link with their students, who work at their own pace. 

Gale, part of Cengage Group Gale In Context: Literature Gale In Context: Literature organizes high-quality literary resources into one searchable platform, complete with accessibility and navigation tools. Educators easily connect students to standards-based resources that provide the literary context necessary to ensure student understanding of the texts they’re reading in ELA lessons. 

GoGuardian Giant Steps Giant Steps is a gamified digital learning experience that enables independent practice and collaborative learning in K-12 classrooms, with its library of standards-aligned, customizable content (practice sets). Our judges said, “The combination of gamification with research-based quality content makes this a fun addition to the classroom.”

GoReact GoReact Teachers use GoReact to practice, record, and share videos with their mentors or colleagues, who then give personalized feedback using text, audio or video comments, markers, and customizable progressions. “With simple, flexible tools for experiential learning, GoReact helps all learners develop and demonstrate skill competency,” said the judges.

HoverCam HoverCam Orbit  Orbit is a gigabit wireless USB and HDMI document camera that allows users to cast straight to a computer or HDMI display in 4K resolution up to 60FPS. Said our judges: “This wireless document camera is impressive, with its image quality, simple buttons, and plug-and-play nature, making it a welcome addition to the document camera market.”

Ideamapper Inc. Ideamapper Ideamapper is a mind mapping tool that visually organizes ideas, offering reflection and analysis of complex topics while supporting collaborative discussions and adaptive learning experiences. "IdeaMapper is a promising mind mapping app for the iPad that offers a unique interface that replicates the process of creating a mind map on a white board – complete with colored markers and a dry eraser!” said the judges. 

Identity Automation Authentication With RapidIdentity Authentication, users are ensured seamless access with a variety of passwordless and student-friendly authentication methods, while all entry points are securely maintained. Our judges liked the focus on safety and called Authentication a “necessary tool” toward that goal.

Impero Software Impero Wellbeing This holistic classroom safety tool grants teachers and school district officials visibility into threats to student wellbeing—including digital, physical, and mental—via online and offline monitoring to provide a full picture of each student’s overall wellbeing. “With Wellbeing, schools can identify early warning signs of harmful online behavior, raise concerns, intervene early and provide support to students if needed," said the judges, adding, “Digital safety is critical for students.”

Instructure Canvas Credentials With self-paced professional learning journeys, Canvas Credentials allows educators to take ownership of their learning with verifiable badges, district-level pathways, analytics, personalized learning, and more. Features can be aligned to district and individual goals. Our judges praised the flexibility and principles of this platform.

Instructure Mastery Mastery is designed to help educators understand what students know through high-quality, effective assessments comprising a suite of four product offerings: Mastery Connect, Mastery Item Bank, Mastery View Formative Assessments, and Mastery View Predictive Assessments. The judges appreciated it, saying, “Instructure has a long history of research-based assessments that makes it a trusted brand in schools.”

Instructure Canvas LMS Canvas LMS lets teachers focus on teaching, with tools such as the free Admin Analytics, SpeedGrader, which can cut grading time by 50 percent, modules, calendars, schedules, quizzes, rubrics, analytics, and more. Our judges consider Canvas LMS to be a necessary tool for teachers.

IPEVO Inc. IPEVO VOCAL A speakerphone with AI-powered two-way noise reduction, IPEVO VOCAL offers both omnidirectional and directional microphone modes. Its AI noise reduction was trained using more than 500 million pieces of data to effectively identify human voices among environmental noise. “VOCAL will make meeting spaces much more clear and improve communication for all users, said the judges.  

IPEVO Inc. IPEVO TOTEM 360 IPEVO TOTEM 360 provides a seamless 360° image from four cameras, sound from an all-around speaker, and captures voices via an array of four beamforming microphones with AI noise reduction. The judges praised the high-quality image and sound and the "stitch" video technology that allows for true wide angle viewing.

JAR Systems Elevate Air The Elevate Air USB-C Open Charging Cart, Powered by Quick-Sense USB-C module(s) provides fast and balanced charging that is completely AC adapter-free. Unlike traditionally designed carts, the open concept provides easy visibility of devices from across the room.

LEGO Education LEGO Education SPIKE Essential SPIKE Essential introduces students to STEAM through fun, standards-aligned lessons that also teach practical design skills and boost student engagement. “The design projects are fun to do, and have the classic LEGO approach to building that kids will easily be comfortable with,” said the judges. 

LG Business Solutions CreateBoard (model TR3DK) LG CreateBoard offers an up-to 40-point multitouch interactive display that enables live annotations of digital files and provides tools for content creation, sharing and management. The LG CreateBoard line includes 55-, 65-, 75- and 86-inch models, ensuring students can view the presentation regardless of seat location or room size.  

Lightspeed Systems Lightspeed Digital Insight and Digital Equity Module Lightspeed Digital Insight empowers IT and instructional technology leaders with a single view of district edtech usage to quickly understand and act on approvals, cost management, and impact. Our judges said, “Having a lens into what is being visited is critical and can help streamline a budget.”

Linewize Linewize Monitor Linewize Monitor provides 24/7 notifications of students at risk of self-harm, depression, grooming, sexual content, bullying, and school violence. It uses a combination of AI and human moderation to detect risks across the digital space, including what a student types, Google and Office 365 activity, offline documents, web chat, social media, and more.

Linewize Linewize Pulse Linewize Pulse provides schools with insights on student wellbeing via 60-second weekly check-ins that anonymously gathers school trend-level data. Additionally, the platform encourages students to express gratitude by thanking people who have made a difference in their lives. 

Lumens Integration Inc. VC-TR40 Suitable for a  classroom, auditorium, theater, studio, or meeting room, this tracking camera can recognize a human face and will track the presenter’s movements in any direction. Said the judges: “This camera has many features needed in our classrooms and learning spaces.”

MAXCases Extreme Shell-F Slide Case for Chromebooks and Laptops The all-new slide-on top design easily slides onto the device, which disperses pressure evenly around the entire perimeter, providing a snug fit that eliminates pressure hotspots around the screen. Additional protective features include layered bumpers plus an outer covering of rugged scratch-, dirt-, oil-, and tear-resistant TPE. 

MAXCases Shield Extreme-X2-H with Hand Strap for iPad 10 Features such as a 360-degree rotating hand strap, sturdy FlexStand, dual-layer bumpers, and a commercial-grade screen protector offer the highest protection for iPad 10. Meets MIL-STD 810G-516.6 standards for drop protection up to six feet with dual-layer bumpers and a commercial-grade screen protector. 

McGraw Hill McGraw Hill AR McGraw Hill AR is an augmented reality app that provides engaging, bite-sized experiences that help students learn a concept in minutes. “This app can supplement any core curriculum by stimulating engagement on challenging topics through interaction, exploration, and multi-sensory experiences,” said the judges.

MIND Education ST Math ST Math is a preK-8 instructional program that provides scaffolded, visual problem-solving objectives delivered through challenging self-paced, interactive puzzles. The judges said, “The fun games and visuals are perfectly suited to the target age group.”

Nearpod Nearpod Nearpod’s interactive instructional platform merges formative assessment and dynamic media for live and self-paced teaching and learning through 22,000+ interactive lessons, interactive videos, gamification, and activities. "Nearpod is a great tool to increase engagement, discourse, and achievement in your  class,” our judges said. 

Nearpod Flocabulary Flocabulary’s 1,300+ standards-aligned video-based lessons support vocabulary acquisition and comprehension skills across K-12 subjects. “These super-entertaining hip-hop videos will keep students' attention, and they'll have a blast forming and performing their own lyrics,” said the judges.

Nearpod Nearpod Math Program Nearpod Math is a supplemental K-8 math program that provides 5,000+ new standards-aligned lessons, videos, practice activities and virtual manipulatives. The judges said, “Nearpod is a great tool to increase engagement, discourse, and achievement in your math class.”

NetSupport NetSupport DNA  This IT asset management and online safety solution helps technicians track, monitor, and manage technology, while its online safety toolkit helps maintain a safe learning environment. Our judges said, “Netsupport partners with all the major players in student privacy and automated rostering and the back-end features would be valued by many IT teams.”

NoRedInk Co. NoRedInk NoRedInk is a provider of online writing curriculum that incorporates a student’s favorite celebrities, characters, athletes, and other interests into a wide range of writing and grammar activities. The Tech & Learning judges said, “The site goes to great lengths to make learning grammar interesting and meaningful, but teacher engagement and feedback are key.”

NUITEQ NUITEQ Snowflake AI Assistant NUITEQ Working seamlessly with Snowflake.live, the AI Assistant saves educators time and energy by using AI to generate customizable, classroom-ready lessons and activities in just a few minutes. “This product embraces AI technology to create a product specifically designed to save teachers valuable time in creating lessons,” said the judges.

Otus Otus Otus offers a streamlined integration of assessment, performance tracking, and third-party data, while its gradebook and dashboard reports make it easy for stakeholders to understand student growth. “Teachers will appreciate the many different lesson-building and analytic options available,” said the judges. “Students will like some of the interactive features, such as polls and portfolios.”

OverDrive Education Sora, the student reading app The Sora student reading app is a customizable platform that provides access to assigned curriculum texts and popular titles for students, including ebooks, audiobooks, comics, graphic novels, and magazines. The judges praised Overdrive for offering a robust library that can be scaled to meet the needs of any sized district. 

Ozobot MetaBot The Evo App features MetaBot, an augmented reality coding experience that allows students to create custom backgrounds and environments as well as work with digital bots that can navigate 3D obstacles. Said the judges: “It’s a fun immersive environment that students will enjoy. And it's free!”

Pocketalk Pocketalk Pocketalk is a two-way audio and text translation solution that can translate 84+ languages and be utilized anywhere in the world with an internet or data connection. “The app is easy to use and helps schools easily translate into many languages, crucial for districts with students who speak many languages,” said the judges.

Promethean, Inc. ActivPanel 9 Premium with ActivSync The new ActivPanel 9 with ActivSync offers easy, secure sign-in options, streamlined connection to content, and flexible lesson delivery software. “This is an amazing upgrade to the Prothean IWB product line,” said the judges. “The impending addition of Explain Everything software into the board will be a huge benefit to teachers.”

Reading Horizons Reading Horizons Discovery Reading Horizons Discovery is a turnkey solution that provides tech-enhanced lesson content, support resources, and real-time data to differentiate instruction, plus on-demand real-time coaching. “Reading Horizons has a long history of success–proven through research–helping schools support student reading proficiency,” said T&L’s judges.

Renaissance Accelerated Reader Accelerated Reader is an independent reading practice program that supports more than 220,000 fiction and nonfiction book quizzes at a wide range of levels, and includes in-depth reporting. The judges praised its terrific reports and interface, adding, “Well-designed quizzes and activities demand meaningful reflection and challenge kids to develop their reading skills.”

Renaissance eduCLIMBER eduCLIMBER provides interactive district-level to whole child data management and strengthens multi-tiered system of support implementations with tools for student need identification, measuring intervention effectiveness, and more. The judges appreciated its single dashboard, adding, “MTSS includes so many facets of a student, that a tool like this is long overdue.”

Renaissance Freckle Freckle is an adaptive and targeted practice program that delivers practice aligned to standards in ELA and math with engaging content, interactive features, real-world scenarios, and embedded supports and scaffolds to help students. The judges appreciated how it engages, adding, “Collecting coins to spend at the store will likely be an incentive for younger students.”

Renaissance Lalilo Lalilo is a personalized, standards-aligned early literacy practice tool that supplements any core ELA curriculum, aligns with the Science of Reading, and adjusts each student’s experience using AI, scaffolded exercises, speech recognition, and self-reflection. “Students travel through different worlds, playing games, collecting stars, and unlocking stories,” said the judges. “The visual design is simple and modern.” 

Renaissance Star Assessments Renaissance Star Assessments offer a flexible comprehensive assessment system – computer-adaptive tests and curriculum-based measures for reading, math, and early literacy, all available in both English and Spanish. Said the judges: “Its best features are that it is quick and easy to use for teachers and students, and reports can be generated in seconds.” 

Renaissance Star Phonics Star Phonics is a web-based screening and diagnostic phonics assessment tool that targets the twelve most critical phonics categories and diagnoses 102 specific phonics skills. The judges personally recommend it, adding, “It provides valuable information about phonics skills essential for instruction, especially for those students struggling to read words, including those with dyslexia.”

Robotical Marty the Robot Marty the Robot is a small humanoid robot that stands on two legs with arms that move independently and a face that conveys human-like emotion, ideal for coding and STEM learning. “A very user-friendly robot that gives kids many options for creativity yet is connected to learning standards,” said the judges.  

Samsung Electronics America Samsung Interactive Display The Samsung Interactive Display is an interactive whiteboard, available in 65-, 75- and 86-inch clear UHD models and comes with simultaneous connectivity for up to 50 devices regardless of operating system or manufacturer. The Tech & Learning judges particularly appreciated its flexibility and intuitive controls.

ScreenPal ScreenPal ScreenPal is an all-in-one interactive video creation, management, and sharing solution for teaching and learning with easy-to-use tools to record, annotate, edit, manage, and share videos and images for learning, all in one secure, student-safe environment. “ScreenPal is an essential video creation and sharing solution for everyone,” said the judges.

SMART SMART Board GX Series The SMART Board GX-V2 series is an interactive display with intuitive functionality and educator-friendly features, including persistent ink tools for both Windows and Mac, presentation tools, and more. “SMART continues to build relevant and necessary software tools to enhance the already important hardware,” said the judges.

SMART Lumio Lumio allows teachers to upload and edit existing content – including Google Slides, PDFs, and PowerPoint presentations and add game-based activities, formative assessments, and collaborative or independent workspaces. Said the judges: “A fun and creative way to bring learning to life for students and gives teachers flexibility on lessons and activities.”

Teq iBlocks An iBlock is a ten-part sequence of student-led, teacher-guided lessons and activities that center on technology and culminate in a capstone project. “iBlocks is where project-based learning meets the PD needs and learning we want for differentiation,” said the judges. “The program empowers schools, districts, and states to buy and use their solution to drive student outcomes.”

Turnitin AI writing detection feature The AI writing detection feature gives educators a report showing an overall percentage of the document that AI writing tools may have generated. If the submission shows less than 20 percent AI writing detected, the report displays an asterisk to inform educators that they may need to exercise academic judgment.

Turnitin Gradescope by Turnitin Gradescope is a paper-to-digital grading platform that works for a variety of different paper assessments, including presentations, multiple choice, code projects, written exams, handwritten diagrams, and online/remote work. Educators can grade work on their own or collaboratively online before sending it back to the student digitally with a final grade and feedback. 

ViewSonic Corp. ViewSonic LDS135-151 All-in-One Direct View LED Display Solution Kit The ViewSonic LDS135-151 is a mobile, 135-inch all-in-one Direct View LED display solution kit that offers a large screen display solution in a pre-assembled design, which allows setup in minutes. The judges praised it as easy to use, adding it will enhance lessons and learning.

ViewSonic Corp. UNIVERSE by ViewSonic UNIVERSE by ViewSonic is an immersive and interactive 3D education world that connects students and teachers in a virtual meta-learning space by providing resources that might not be available in physical settings. “Collaboration is critical in education and now adding a 3-D piece takes it to another level,” said the judges. 

Vivacity Tech PBC Guardian Backpack The Guardian Backpack can fit up to a 15" device and has multiple high-density layers and scratch-free microfiber lining. The exterior of the backpack is made with water-resistant polyester to help protect the contents from spills, rain, or other liquids. The judges appreciated its quality and effectiveness in protecting devices 15" or smaller.

Vivacity Tech PBC Guardian 11" Work-In Case  The Guardian 11" Work-In case has metal fasteners, zipper pulls, D-rings, and swivel snap hooks, as well as scratch-free interior cool-decking to allow students to work with the case on their device without worrying about their device overheating or hassling with removing the device from the case. The judges cited its quality and strong protection.

Vivacity Tech PBC Student Repair Academy (SRA) Vivacity Tech’s developed curriculum, Student Repair Academy, is an online, self-paced learning program that provides students with the knowledge and technical skills they need to operate a student-led repair center. “This is a great concept,” said the judges. “Great for CTE and to help students gain skills they can use in and out of school.” 

Vivacity Tech PBC 36-Unit Smart Charging Cart Vivacity Tech's 36-Unti Smart Charging Cart features 36 individual slots that can fit any device up to 14" and a cycle timer for intelligent charging technology, which charges devices row-by-row. The judges called it “a well-made charging cart,” citing the added bonus of its charging process helping to reduce schools' energy output. 

Vivi Vivi Vivi is an all-in-one communication suite designed exclusively for education as a single solution for wireless screen sharing, digital signage, and emergency alerts. It is device and operating system- agnostic, creating an easy-to-use interface for everyone. The judges highly recommended it, adding, “A true rare blend between digital signage and classroom-based screen sharing.” 

To share your feedback and ideas on this article, consider joining our Tech & Learning online community here.

ISTELive23 was back in full swing in Philadelphia this year with hundreds of sessions and exhibitors enjoying the learning and networking – despite the rainy weather. 

The exhibit hall was energetic and robust, showcasing hundreds of new products and services. The Tech & Learning judges culled the show floor to review the many nominated products for this year’s Tech & Learning's Best of Show Awards at ISTELive 23 awards. The evaluation criteria included: ease of use, value, uniqueness in the market, and proof that the product helped make teachers' lives easier and supported student achievement. 

“We received an impressive array of nominations for this year’s awards,” says Christine Weiser, content director for Tech & Learning. “Our judges chose the products that they believed best supported innovation in the classroom and district. Congratulations to our winners!”

Best of Show at ISTE 2023

Acer America
TravelMate Vero TMV15-51-57PP
Acer Student Repair eLearning Program

Avantis Education, exhibiting as ClassVR
The Eduverse

AVer
A30 All-in-One Camera

AVID Products
AVID AE36 USB-C Headset

Beanstack
Beanstack

BenQ
BenQ Board with InstaShare 2 Software

Boxlight
Mimio DS
MimioWall

BrainPOP
BrainPOP Science
BrainPOP

Canva
Canva for Education

Capstone
PebbleGo

ClassIn
ClassIn

ClassLink, Inc.
ClassLink Enterprise Suite
DataGuard

Clear Digital
Clear Digital Sho Content Software
Clear Digital Evo Roll Pro

Clear Touch
Clear Touch 6000A+ Interactive Panel

Clever
Clever MFA+

Clevertouch by Boxlight
CleverLive
IMPACT Lux
LYNX

CTL
CTL Chromebox CBx3
CTL Chromebook NL72CT-L

Edmentum
EdOptions Academy
Exact Path
Courseware
Apex Learning Tutorials

Ellipsis Education
Ellipsis Education

Epson
Epson PowerLite 810E Extreme Short Throw with 4K Enhancement

Forward Edge
Edge•U Badges

Forward Education
Climate Action Kit

Gale, part of Cengage Group
Gale In Context: Literature

GoGuardian / Giant Steps
Giant Steps

GoReact
GoReact

HoverCam
HoverCam Orbit

Ideamapper Inc
Ideamapper

Identity Automation
Authentication

Impero Software
Impero Wellbeing

Instructure
Canvas Credentials
Mastery
Canvas LMS

IPEVO Inc.
IPEVO VOCAL
IPEVO TOTEM 360

JAR Systems
Elevate Air

LEGO® Education
LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential

LG Business Solutions
CreateBoard™ (model TR3DK)

Lightspeed Systems
Lightspeed Digital Insight and Digital Equity Module

Linewize
Linewize Monitor
Linewize Pulse

Lumens Integration Inc.
VC-TR40

MAXCases
Extreme Shell-F Slide Case for Chromebooks and Laptops
Shield Extreme-X2-H with Hand Strap for iPad 10

McGraw Hill
McGraw Hill AR

MIND Education
ST Math

Nearpod
Nearpod
Flocabulary
Nearpod Math Program

NetSupport
NetSupport DNA

NoRedInk Co.
NoRedInk

NUITEQ
NUITEQ Snowflake AI Assistant

Otus
Otus

OverDrive Education
Sora, the student reading app

Ozobot
MetaBot

Pocketalk
Pocketalk

Promethean, Inc.
ActivPanel 9 Premium with ActivSync

Reading Horizons
Reading Horizons Discovery

Renaissance
Freckle
Accelerated Reader
eduCLIMBER
Lalilo
Star Phonics
Star Assessments

Robotical
Marty the Robot

Samsung Electronics America
Samsung Interactive Display

ScreenPal
ScreenPal

SMART
SMART Board GX Series 
Lumio

Teq
iBlocks

Turnitin
AI writing detection feature
Gradescope by Turnitin

ViewSonic Corp.
ViewSonic LDS135-151 All-in-One Direct View LED Display Solution Kit
UNIVERSE by ViewSonic

Vivacity Tech PBC
36-Unit Smart Charging Cart
Student Repair Academy (SRA)
Guardian Backpack
Guardian 11" Work-In Case

Vivi
Vivi

Tech & Learning's Best of Show Awards at ISTELive 22 celebrate the products, and businesses behind each one, who are transforming education in schools around the world. Tech & Learning’s panel of judges awarded the products and solutions to exhibitors at ISTELive 22 Live who show the greatest promise to the industry, according to the U.S.'s most tech-savvy and knowledgeable educators.

“It was great to be back in person at ISTELive22 and see so many examples of innovation on the exhibit hall floor,” says Christine Weiser, content director for Tech & Learning. “Our judges chose the following winners as examples of excellence in terms of value, quality, ease of use, and versatility. Congratulations to our winners!”

Winners of Best of Show at ISTE 2022

Acer
Acer Chromebook Spin 514

Avantis Education
Eduverse Expeditions

AVer Information Inc.
M5 USB Document Camera
DL30 AI Auto Tracking Distance Learning Camera
VB130 All-in-One Classroom Collaboration Camera

AVID Products
AE-25 Universal Headphone/Headset

BenQ
WDC30 Wireless Presentation System
BenQBoard RM03 Series

Boxlight
MyStemKits
Robo E3
CleverLive
MimioPro 4
MimioConnect® Blended Learning Platform

Boxlight - EOS
EOS Education by Boxlight professional development services

Capstone
PebbleGo

ClassLink
ClassLink Enterprise Suite
ClassLink Analytics+

Clear Power
Fuze Cart

Clear Touch
8086MAX

Codelicious
Codelicious

CodeMonkey
CodeMonkey - Coding for Kids

CTL
CTL Chromebook PX11E
CTL Chromebook PX14EX
CTL Chromebook NL72-L

Curriculum Associates
i-Ready

Edmentum
Exact Path
Courseware
EdOptions Academy

ETS
PlanWise™
Criterion®
PlanWise™

Forward Edge
Edge•U

Identity Automation
RapidIdentity SafeID

Impero Software
Impero Classroom

Incident IQ
iiQ Assets
iiQ Ticketing

JAR Systems
Elevate USB-C Charging Cart
Active Charge Power Banks

Kami
Kami

LEGO Education
LEGO Education Professional Development
LEGO Education BricQ Motion Prime
LEGO Education SPIKE Prime
LEGO Education BricQ Motion Essential
LEGO Education SPIKE Essential

Lightspeed Systems
Lightspeed Alert
Lightspeed Filter
Lightspeed Analytics

Mackin Educational Resources
MackinVIA

Mango Languages
Mango Classroom

MAXCases
Extreme Shell-L Custom-Fit Case for Chromebooks/Laptops

Nearpod
Flocabulary
Nearpod Math Program
Nearpod

NetSupport Inc.
classroom.cloud
NetSupport DNA

OverDrive
Sora, the student reading app

PikMyKid
Pikmykid

PowerGistics
Core16 USB

Promethean Inc.
ActivPanel with ActivSync

Renaissance
Star Assessments
myON
Schoolzilla
Lalilo
Accelerated Reader
Freckle

Samsung Electronics America
Samsung Flip Pro (Model Name: WMB)

SchoolStatus
SchoolStatus Communication Platform

SHMOOP
Shmoop Heartbeat

SMART
Lumio
SMART Board 6000S Series

Teq
OTIS for Educators

Texthelp
OrbitNote
Equatio

Turnitin
Turnitin Draft Coach

TutorMe
TutorMe

Upper Story
Spintronics
Turing Tumble

UWorld
UWorld Learning Tools for AP® Exams

Vivacity Tech
Student Repair Academy (SRA)
Vivacity Tech 11" V3 Vertical Sleeve Case
Mobile Charging Station

Wacom
Wacom Intuos

WeVideo
WeVideo

Tech & Learning's Best of Show awards at ISTELive 22 celebrate the products, and businesses behind each one, who are transforming education in schools around the world. Tech & Learning’s panel of judges will award the products and solutions to exhibitors at ISTELive 22 Live who show the greatest promise to the industry, according to the U.S.'s most tech-savvy and knowledgeable educators.

Winners of the Best of Show awards will receive:

• Tech & Learning's "Best of Show" awards seal to use on promotional materials.
• Winner's certificate.
• Writeup of your winning product(s) in the post-show eGuide.
• Announcement in a press release on techlearning.com that winners can share with their networks and use quotes from for their own press releases announcing the product's award.

Why should you nominate your product? 

• Nominating a product is easy. No shipping of products or setting up guest user accounts. Just complete a simple form that includes your product's name, image, and a brief description. 
• Winning a Best of Show award signifies that your product has, or will have, an incredible impact on teaching and learning experiences. Our judges are looking for the best of the best in edtech innovation. 
• Winners of the Best of Show award will be featured in Tech & Learning’s digital magazine, reaching industry professionals who will see your product showcased in a special section of educator-endorsed products. 

FAQ

What are the ISTE Best of Show Awards?

The program recognizes products exhibited at the ISTELive 22 that are believed to be changing the way we educate around the world. Winners are selected by panels of professional users and editors based on product descriptions provided in the nomination form, as well as on judges' inspection during the event.

Who can enter?

Any organization who is exhibiting at ISTELive 22 can nominate their product(s) for a Best of Show award. If your company has developed a new innovative product or service, or updated an existing product, entering the Best of Show awards is a great way to stand out! 

When are entries due?

The deadline is 5:00 pm ET June 10, 2022. We reserve the right to consider late applicants as circumstances dictate.

How much does it cost to enter?

$595 per entry

$525 per entry when submitting 2-4 products

$495 per entry when submitting 5+ products

May I enter more than one product?

Yes. There is no limit to the number of products you may nominate. Each requires a nomination form and entry fee(s).

How are the products evaluated?

A panel of judges and editors, chosen in advance by the editors of Tech & Learning, will review nominations and choose the winners.

What do I get if I win?

Winners of Tech & Learning's Best of Show at ISTELive 22 will receive an award certificate, the award seal graphic to be used in digital promotions, and a feature in the digital edition of Tech & Learning.

Winning a Best of Show award is a great accomplishment for any organization, and the benefits go far beyond just an announcement at the conference. For more information, contact Jon Massingham at jon.massingham@futurenet.com.

Tech & Learning's Best of Show Awards at ISTE20 celebrate the products, and businesses behind them, who are transforming education in schools around the world. Here is just a sampling of the products showcased at ISTE20 live. 

Tools for Schools: Book Creator 

Education is changing. Book Creator offers a simple way to infuse creativity throughout the curriculum, motivating students to become published authors and helping them develop future-ready skills.Book Creator is a simple tool for creating awesome digital books. Create your own teaching resources or get students authoring. 

A few things that set Book Creator apart:

• Simplicity - an incredibly intuitive interface allows students as young as 4 to add text, images, drawings, video, maps, or even record their voice.
• Making a book is a familiar concept - and becoming a published author is a sure-fire way to engage students.
• It’s versatile enough to be used in any subject to demonstrate understanding, promote collaboration and prioritize creativity over consumption.

Reading Plus LLC: Reading Plus 

Reading Plus is a research-proven personalized intervention and instruction program that improves comprehension, vocabulary, motivation, and reading efficiency. It is the only adaptive intervention that addresses inefficient reading. Readers who are inefficient expend energy and attention simply trying to take text into the brain for processing, diverting attention from the critical step of information processing and understanding. As a result, inefficient readers may struggle with both comprehension and motivation to read, they tend to read slowly and laboriously, and their reading level is well below grade level.

Reading Plus begins with an online assessment that provides baseline data to provide a clear picture of every student as a reader. Students are placed on personalized learning paths, working in the Reading, Writing, Vocabulary and Visual Skills components. The program uses formative data from each student to continually adapt instruction, and provide teachers with actionable reports and resources for additional teacher-directed instruction."  

Forward Edge: Edge•U Badges 

Edge•U is a powerful, instruction-focused professional learning system that adapts to the needs of educators. Edge•U builds teacher capacity by offering concise, just-in-time learning to support educators with the challenges they face every day. With more instruction online and an ever increasing number of edtech tools, our program can make a real difference for teachers in utilizing necessary tools for learning. Edge•U received the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Seal of Alignment for the Educator Standards in February 2020. Our solution is shown to consciously, purposefully and meaningfully support best practices for digital age teaching and learning. For more information, visit: www.forward-edge.net/edgeubadges  

Gale, a Cengage company: Gale In Context: For Educators Learning Center 

Building on the foundation of Gale In Context student resources, Gale In Context: For Educators is a lesson planning tool that enables all educators to find and personalize digital learning content, plan learning activities that work well for remote or in-person environments, and provide equity for all students. Its new Learning Center is a professional learning hub that’s the base of operations for finding, organizing and learning how to teach (virtually or in-person) using the content created within For Educators. Teachers can access information in the Learning Center on how to get the most out of For Educators, such as a step-by-step “Build and Teach a Lesson” walk-through; sample content sets; on-demand videos, targeted resources for specific functionality and more. The Learning Center was developed to help teachers take the lead on their own learning and find support as they work to use For Educators to drive learning outcomes.  

Discovery Education: Discovery Education Experience 

Discovery Education Experience is a flexible K-12 learning platform that connects educators to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. Together, these resources give educators everything they need to facilitate instruction in any learning environment and create lasting educational impact.

Discovery Education’s team continues adding, contextualizing, and organizing exciting new content and timely resources to Experience each month in response to current events and the ever-evolving needs of educators. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day. 

Finally, Experience is designed to work within school systems’ existing infrastructure and workflows. Through expanded partnerships with Microsoft Teams, Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, and now Clever, integrating Experience into existing IT architecture is easier than ever.

ISTE offered its first virtual conference in November that consisted of a full week of workshops, sessions, and expert advice. While we missed seeing all of our friends in person, our judges were still able to check out the latest technology on display in the virtual exhibit hall to evaluate those products that were nominated for Tech & Learning’s annual Best of Show at ISTE. 

The judges rated their impressions of individual products on a sliding scale, evaluating areas such as value, uniqueness in the market, and the product’s ability to solve specific problems for educators and administrators. They also applied these same criteria to a new category for this program, “The Best of 2020.”

“It was inspiring to see so many innovative products on display at ISTE20 Live,” says Tech & Learning’s Content Director Christine Weiser. “One thing this challenging year has taught us is that education continues to be one of the most resilient and passionate industries around. The winners of the Best of Show at ISTE and The Best of 2020 are examples of how innovation will continue to transform teaching and learning through this pandemic and beyond.” 

Tech & Learning also announced a new Awards program, “The Best Tools for Remote & Blended Teaching & Learning,” as a way to celebrate the most impressive products and solutions that have shone during the challenges of the last year. Read more about that contest here. 

WINNERS: Best of Show at ISTE 

Acer: Helios 300 

Acer’s Predator Helios 300 gaming notebooks are ideal for students looking to hone their esports skills, offering powerful yet affordable devices that keep gamers highly competitive and able to play today’s latest AAA titles. The newest models include 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch 144Hz or 240Hz FHD IPS displays with 3ms response times, the latest NVIDIA GTX or RTX GPUs (overclockable for increased performance) and 10th Gen Intel Core H series processors. Of particular note are two key features that resonate with gamers the most -- the high performance graphics card options and fast displays. Our judges said: “To pack that much power and acceleration into a laptop form factor for gaming is remarkable and is exactly what esports gamers need. I want one of these machines!” 

AVer USA: AVer M11-8M Document Camera

The AVer M11-8M is the sleek and affordable document camera designed to meet the needs of changing learning environments. With HDMI and plug-and-play USB power and connectivity, the M11-8M is ready to share in the classroom or through many popular video conferencing platforms for distance learning. The M11-8M has a sleek vertical design with a mechanical arm that collapses to less than 12 inches by 5 inches to maximize space in the classroom or on a home desk. The smart swivel head provides 180-degree image rotation to capture objects from many angles. “For today's remote learning classrooms, the M11-8M has become an essential tool,” said our judges.

AVer TR530 Auto Tracking Distance Learning Camera 

The AVer TR530 creates a true in-class experience for remote students, providing real-time engagement with three auto-tracking modes for hands-free operation and a second panoramic camera that displays a static 120° field of view to effectively track a teacher throughout a room without a camera operator. Stage Tracking accommodates for extremely challenging conditions, such as low lighting or a camera that had to be installed far from the presenter area. Segment Tracking allows for particular areas or stations to automatically be set, such as an IFP, dry erase board, or document camera station. Our judges said, “This PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera brings an amazing tool into the hybrid classroom of today through its tracking capability, offering educators and students a full and complete picture of classroom events.” 

AVID Products, Inc.: AE36 Headset 

AVID’s AE-36 universally designed headset proves its success as an essential device by enhancing connections between students and educators at a valued price. Innovative design elements include lightweight and comfort for longer sessions, soft earpads to reduce passive noise and improve student concentration, omnidirectional boom microphone for clear recording of voice for testing results, chew resistant nylon cord and Velcro tie for storage, superior sound quality, easy to clean, durable, and Prop 65 and CE-certified for safety. “The Avid headsets are reliable and dependable while remaining comfortable,” said our judges. “We particularly like the flexibility of the hardware itself in being able to withstand whatever students put them through.” 

AVID AE55 Headset 

AVID’s AE-55 was developed for quality, value, and comfort and specifically the educational setting. Innovative design elements include lightweight and comfort for longer sessions, soft earpads to reduce passive noise and improve student concentration, noise-canceling 270° boom microphone for clear voice recording and testing results, chew resistant nylon cord and Velcro tie for storage, superior sound quality, easy to clean, durable, and Prop 65 and CE-certified for safety. “The Avid AE55 Headset has been reimagined and reengineered for the needs of 2020,” said our judges. “They come with a headphone jack model or a USB model for different uses according to the device they are connected to.” 

Boxlight: MimioConnect  

MimioConnect® combines innovative lesson building and instructional tools to create an active learning environment. Teachers and students can connect from anywhere making this a perfect solution for distance, flipped, or blended learning environments. Create a connected and collaborative experience by allowing students to share their work, and use instant polling to quickly assess student understanding and adjust instruction as needed. Materials can be made available before and self-paced assignments can be delivered directly following group instruction to reinforce skills and concepts. “Once a district has the compatible software, students will receive an interactive and engaging lesson every time,” our judges said.  

Boxlight: MyStemKits and Robo 3D 

MyStemKits is a K-12 standards-driven 3D printable curriculum with more than 300 lessons and 35 3D modeling design challenges, and fully integrates with Robo 3D printers as well as 75 other 3D printer brands. One-click printing makes it easy for educators without 3D printing knowledge or experience, and strengthens understanding of core math and science concepts by creating fun, interactive, and engaging kits. For example, using 3D-printed catapults integrates learning vital math concepts such as measurement and data analysis while enhancing the learning experience. “At this price point, the Robo E3 is all the printer a classroom will need,” said our judges. “And with cloud printing, you can set up the printer to be connected to wifi and you can send to the printer from anywhere in the school.”  

Boxlight: Learning Beyond Classroom – PD for Educators 

Boxlight-EOS Education has led the way for thousands of teachers with customized professional development services to integrate technology tools essential for teaching and learning. The Learning Beyond the Classroom course was developed to help teachers be equipped with all the skills, both practical and pedagogical, to effectively design learning that leverages G Suite for Education and 1:1 Chromebooks. Applying principles of blended learning in all levels of planning prepares teachers and students to engage in various learning environments as needed, with confidence and with as little interruption to the learning process as possible. Our judges simply said, “This has a lot to offer.” 

CatchOn: CatchOn 

With CatchOn’s comprehensive data analytics, education leaders can use student-level data to track, measure, and analyze digital engagement and personalize learning by seeing individual student profiles that identify what applications and tools each uses, how long they do so, and when. They can also ensure student data privacy compliance by categorizing applications as district-approved or not approved, and monitor the use of unknown applications. The platform helps to promote fiscal accountability by using software utilization data, and can inform PD by analyzing usage trends to identify training gaps and opportunities. 

“A tool very valuable for tech directors looking at ROI and engagement for digital tools,” said our judges.

ClassLink: ClassLink 

ClassLink helps districts move seamlessly between on-site and remote learning models. School leaders can rest assured everyone has consistent access to digital learning resources, so learning can continue from anywhere. Students can jump straight into learning with single sign-on access to a portal that contains all their digital resources, which reduces confusion. Using ClassLink Analytics, teachers and leaders can measure and track student engagement. Tech teams can even continue rostering and provisioning remotely, ensuring everyone in the district has access to critical learning tools. Our judges said, “With data privacy an ongoing challenge for district leaders, having a SSO product as robust as ClassLink has created protections for our students.”  

Clear Digital: Gel Digital Signage Sanitizer Station with Sho Software 

Clear Digital's Gel Digital Signage Sanitizer Station is the new breakthrough messaging system that is equally concerned with cleanliness as it is message delivery. This vivid 21.5-inch display has a touch-free dispenser that delivers up to 2.6 ml sanitizer doses. The ambient lighting on the front automatically turns from green to red to indicate when the sanitizer is low. Pair it with the Clear Digital Sho Content Player to remotely check sanitizer levels and usage of your Gel displays. Utilize the pre-made template packs or customize your own to push out to your devices anywhere in the world. “The combination of digital signage with a sanitizer station is a unique product just in time for today's unprecedented times,” said our judges. 

Clear Touch: 7043XE Interactive Panel with Mini Convertible Stand

The Clear Touch® 7043XE panel features an elegantly smooth, capacitive touch screen with Android 8, and is easily paired with the Clear Touch® mini convertible stand. The panel can be easily adjusted from presentation mode to tabletop mode with anti-collision function so students stay safe, perfect for early learners. When paired with NUITEQ's Snowflake software, the screen can be split into four different zones, ideal for multiple students to collaborate. Multiple media can easily be added and the display can be used for storytime to annotate over key vocabulary. “This product goes beyond an interactive smartboard or smart projector with its android interaction and pc options,” said our judges. “The convertible stand is enticing as it can be used horizontally or vertically for interactive activities.” 

CTL: CTL Chromebook NL81T

Whether working from home, the classroom, or workplace, the CTL NL81T Chromebook gives students consistent, high-quality graphics for streaming media and helps them to work smarter, not harder. Designed with the modern workforce in mind, the NL81T has a large 14-inch 1920x1080p Full High Definition 10-point multitouch screen. It also features an Intel Pentium N5030 Processor, a water-resistant keyboard, and anti-peel keys. The IP-rated, drop-resistant design and non-slip texture is built to last, and with 12 hours of battery life, an HD camera, HDMI ports, and USB-C quick charge, users can stay connected and productive all day. “A rugged chromebook that is an asset in any location,” said our judges.  

CTL: Logitech Small Room Solution for Google Meet 

Easily transform classrooms into video collaboration spaces. The Logitech Small Room Solution for Google Meet includes everything teachers need to provide engaging distance learning from a classroom or their home. Featuring all-in-one video and audio, including Ultra-HD imaging, three integrated beam-forming microphones, and echo-cancelling speakers, MeetUp delivers crisp, clear video and unmatched audio clarity. Packed with 32GB RAM and 128GB SSD, the CTL Meet Compute Chromebox includes an Intel Core i7 Processor for dependable streaming. Our judges said, “This will increase connections and focus on content, not waste time on technology.” 

Curriculum Associates: i-Ready 

i-Ready makes the promise of differentiated instruction a practical reality for K-12 by combining powerful assessments and rich insights with effective and engaging instruction in reading and mathematics. The Diagnostic provides actionable criterion-referenced and normative data to facilitate delivery of impactful, equitable learning experiences. Teachers administer it at the beginning of the school year to help chart instruction and to set personalized instruction paths. Mid-year and end-of-year diagnostics help students and teachers have data chats to set goals and track growth. “With all the data-driven decisions, this tool gives actual real-time solutions and information,” said our judges. “An all-in-one data platform.”  

Forward Edge: Edge•U Badges 

Edge•U is an instruction-focused professional learning system that adapts to the needs of educators. Teacher capacity is built by offering concise, just-in-time learning to support educators with the challenges they face every day, particularly in utilizing necessary tools for learning. Edge•U received the ISTE Seal of Alignment for the Educator Standards in February 2020. The solution has shown to consciously, purposefully, and meaningfully support best practices for digital age teaching and learning. “An amazing platform for educators to become trained on a variety of technologies and tools,” said one judge. “Having created a platform for similar uses in my own district, I greatly appreciate the attention to detail.” 

Gale, A Cengage Company: Gale In Context: For Educators Learning Center 

Gale In Context: For Educators is a lesson planning tool that enables all educators to find and personalize digital learning content, plan learning activities that work well for remote or in-person environments, and provide equity for all students. Its new Learning Center is a professional learning hub that’s the base of operations for finding, organizing, and learning how to teach (virtually or in-person). Teachers can access how-tos, such as a step-by-step “Build and Teach a Lesson” walk-through, sample content sets, and watch on-demand content videos. “Solving one of the challenges that school districts face in the new learning environments, this product provides the professional learning solutions that educators are looking for,” said our judges.  

HoverCam: Solo 8 Plus 

The portable, compact HoverCam Solo 8Plus is an intuitive document camera for blended learning. Compatible with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Skype, it gives students a front row seat to learning. Simply plug the USB into a PC, Chromebook, or Mac--no power adapter is required. The embedded Flex 11 software delivers immersive and dynamic lessons with picture-in-picture, annotation, digital whiteboard, lesson recording, and more. “This product has taken document cameras into the virtual learning world,” said our judges. “With its interaction with web conferencing platforms, teachers can seamlessly share resources, demonstrate lessons and conduct experiments. It is a mobile product for today's learning environments.” 

HoverCam: eGlass 

HoverCam’s eGlass is a fully integrated illuminated writing glass, developed in partnership with Learning Glass. The innovative, all-in-one, transparent writing surface features a built-in camera and adjustable lighting, ideal for remote, hybrid, and traditional classrooms. The camera captures the instructor and whatever they write on the surface of the glass simultaneously, and eGlass automatically flips the writing for students to read. Available in 35-inch and 50-inch models, its intuitive software is compatible with popular remote conferencing programs. Teachers can also drag PNG images, documents, and videos onto the screen and annotate them for dynamic presentations. One of our judges said, “The built-in software tools and lighting are amazing--I want one of these systems now! This is probably the best educational tool to come out of Covid-19 times.”

Incident IQ: Incident IQ 

Incident IQ is a technology support platform built exclusively to help K-12 IT teams effectively manage educational technology. Features include help ticketing and asset management tools, asset tracking tools to get devices quickly assigned and managed, and a step-by-step Ticket Wizard for easy submission of help requests. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Incident IQ has added tools for distance learning support, including Remote Support Ticketing—a public-facing help desk that's available to everyone in a district community. “Incident IQ has thought of everything when it comes to customer support and IT asset management,” said our judges. “We especially liked the ease of instant remote desktop assistance right from the help-ticket.” 

LearnPlatform: IMPACT 

LearnPlatform's IMPACT™ equips educators to conduct practical, on-demand, evidence-based edtech evaluations, providing critical insight to improve implementation, guide professional development, increase purchasing power, inform budgets, and drive better outcomes for all students. With IMPACT, district administrators can analyze depth of usage and outcomes across district-defined student groups, such as school site, grade level, race/ethnicity, and free/reduced lunch to surface equity gaps. Based on results, they can inform and implement changes, and then monitor their effectiveness over time. Our judges were impressed by IMPACT’s ability to drill down and collect data based on various conditions and demographics to make important decisions. 

Mackin: MackinVIA 

MackinVIA is a free digital content management system that provides schools, students, and educators with easy access to their collections of ebooks, read-alongs, audiobooks, databases, and videos. With one login, users can view and manage all of the school’s digital resources through any desktop, laptop, or mobile device, anywhere, any time. MackinVIA also provides access to nearly 3 million vetted digital resources, including interactive ebooks that integrate video, audio, animation, and activities. Mackin Read-Alongs™ are enhanced with embedded audio and highlighted words, and are synched for auto page-turning. Our judges appreciated that students and teachers can access their curriculum whether in person or virtually. 

MAXCases: Extreme Shell-S Custom-Fit Case for Chromebooks and Laptops 

Featuring a one-piece design that wraps securely around the device, the Extreme Shell-S case delivers substantial, 360-degree protective coverage. The unique MAXGrip™360 spine is textured to provide a firm grip while safeguarding the device hinge area. Additional protection includes rigid top and bottom panels made of compound polycarbonate, thermoplastic, and polyurethane that protect against scratches, dirt, and impact damage. A full-surround TPU bumper with enhanced corners that extend over the bottom of the case when closed protects the areas most vulnerable to drops – the device corners. The IT-friendly design offers easy, one-piece installation and clear panels for asset tag visibility. “A sturdy cover that will support the life of digital tools,” said our judges. 

Mentoring Minds: Mentoring Minds Resource Library 

The Mentoring Minds Resource Library features more than $2,000 worth of content from award-winning educator resources—priced at just $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr. The app, divided into eight modules (such as critical thinking, vocabulary, and social-emotional learning), provides educators with convenient access to best practices and strategies that support instruction and promote student success. Targeted resources are suggested for ELA, math, and science, both at the elementary and secondary levels. Support videos feature in-house educators who teach how to deliver effective instruction, promote standards mastery, and enhance critical thinking. This tool also features printable graphic organizers, our judges noted.

Promethean: ActivPanel 

ActivPanel Element Series, the latest generation from Promethean, is a flexible, comprehensive solution used in hybrid learning environments. It continues the company’s tradition of having the most innovative technologies designed for teachers, by teachers, to support schools as they go through this adjustment period. The all-in-one solution enables educators to deliver engaging, collaborative lessons using Promethean’s education software, while ActivPanel helps ensure the same high-quality educational experiences for students. “Promethean is a leader in the interactive panel world,” our judges said. “It continues to evolve to meet the needs for schools as they migrate to new learning environments.” 

Reading Plus: Reading Plus 

Reading Plus is a research-proven personalized intervention and instruction program that improves comprehension, vocabulary, motivation, and reading efficiency--it is the only adaptive intervention that addresses inefficient reading. Reading Plus begins with an online assessment that provides baseline data to provide a clear picture of every student as a reader. Students are placed on personalized learning paths, working in the reading, writing, vocabulary and visual skills components. The program uses formative data from each student to continually adapt instruction, and provide teachers with actionable reports and resources for additional instruction. Our judges were particularly impressed with how this reading intervention program identifies, addresses, and provides interventions for struggling inefficient readers. 

Renaissance: myON 

myON is a digital reading platform that provides students with 24/7 access to thousands of fiction and nonfiction books and news articles—in English, Spanish, and additional languages. A multimedia reading experience with colorful illustrations, professionally recorded audio, and annotation tools makes each text engaging and unique. Built-in close reading tools, customizable literacy projects, and a large collection of nonfiction titles support lesson plans centered on reading and writing skills. Daily news articles enrich content-area classes and bring more opportunities for reading into the school day. Our judges really appreciated the solisearch feature that helps kids choose books they like. 

Renaissance: Accelerated Reader

Accelerated Reader is an independent reading practice program that helps K-12 students to become confident, lifelong readers. Supporting more than 200,000 fiction and nonfiction books and articles at a wide range of levels, Accelerated Reader gives students extensive choice in what they read—and keeps them engaged in independent reading practice as they work toward their own goals. An article collection provides additional opportunities for daily nonfiction reading, while in-depth reporting supports teacher-student conversations about reading time, comprehension, and growth. “Most of our students enjoy using Accelerated Reader, and it definitely helps with their reading progress and comprehension,” said our judges. 

Renaissance: Star Assessments

Star Assessments are a suite of valid, reliable assessments for reading, math, and early literacy, in both English and Spanish. Trusted by more than 30,000 schools and highly rated by the National Center on Intensive Intervention, Star Assessments enable educators to quickly gain accurate insights into student learning, growth, and achievement so they can help all learners reach their full potential. The full suite includes the computer-adaptive Star Reading (K-12), Star Math (1-12), and Star Early Literacy (K-3) assessments, along with a formative assessment tool, Star Custom (K-12). Our judges said, “The power of the tool is in the reports and then the suggested lessons from the results.”

Securly: At-Risk 

By studying a student’s online footprint, At-Risk finds enough credible evidence to raise an alert. It follows the same three-tiered format of the RtI/MTSS intervention model, based on academic achievement, behavior, or both, and places students into three color-coded categories based on history and online activity. If the dashboard shows students moving between tiers, it can indicate declines in overall happiness, social connections, or self-worth. This insight allows schools to provide support at the right time to bring students back to low risk. Our judges were impressed by how this product analyzes student activity over time as opposed to single incidents, which can lead to early interventions. 

Sourcewell Technology: Spring Math

Spring Math is a complete MTSS system for math. In addition to assessments, it provides a proven supplement to any curriculum in the form of class-wide interventions that are teacher-led and follow a peer-tutoring format. It can be implemented face-to-face or virtually using any app. The data-driven instructional and coaching system also identifies students needing additional instruction and provides individual interventions at their specific level of need. Assessments are dynamically generated, and intervention materials are provided for individual, small group, and whole group work. Educators can review weekly mastery level progress and access a coaching dashboard with metrics on progress and implementation. “This program is a great solution for educators, math coaches and interventions as they support math learners,” said our judges.

Turnitin: Turnitin Draft Coach 

Turnitin Draft Coach is a Google Docs™ add-on that helps students improve on the mechanics of their academic writing and research, as well as their citation skills before they turn their final paper into their instructor. Draft Coach gives supportive formative feedback to students while they write. Students can run similarity checks and make corrections to how they have cited sources and quoted other content before they submit their final version to their instructor. Draft Coach is also a resource for teachers, giving them deeper insight into student learning and while encouraging and supporting more independent, confident writers. “We can see where this helps students improve their academic writing and research skills while providing instructors with additional insight into student learning,” said our judges. 

Vernier Software & Technology: Vernier Graphical Analysis™ Pro

Vernier Graphical Analysis™ Pro meets the needs of today’s science educators. The enhanced app lets users easily insert, view, and sync a video to sensor data for analysis, and features the ability to perform live experiments and share data over the internet in real time. Students can experience real experiments, analyze and graph data, helping them connect abstract concepts to real-world applications. It includes videos with sample experiments synced with data and complete instructions that cover common topics in biology, chemistry, and physics. The app is compatible with most devices used in schools, including Chromebooks. “The versatility of this science program brings learning to a new level,” said our judges. 

Vivacity Tech: Sidekick Carrier 

Vivacity Tech Sidekick Carrier case safeguards Chromebooks with the perfect balance of protection and size, combining non-rip, water-resistant ballistic nylon with multiple high-density layers for protection. The outside pocket bolsters a modular elastic band for neatly storing essential accessories and includes a mesh pocket for power adapters. The Sidekick Carrier is a successful academic solution for teachers and students alike. Our judges said, “It offers a plethora of protection points for Chromebooks and the accessory pockets make it the best choice for protecting a fleet of chromebooks for transporting your chromebooks to and from school.”

Vivacity Tech: Customer Central 

Customer Central is the first free asset management system of its kind, allowing districts to manage IT assets, submit device repair requests, help operate a student-led repair center for 1:1 deployments, and train repair technicians. It is complete with budget allocation reporting and shipment tracking, and provides visibility into the repair process every step of the way. With Customer Central, school districts can manage their IT assets from anywhere. “The Vivacity Customer Central solution is an amazing asset management system that is cloud-based and makes it easy for both the administrators of the system as well as the end-users to keep track of their support needs,” said our judges. 

Voyager Sopris Learning: LETRS 

LETRS is a blended PD course that provides educators with the background, depth of knowledge, and tools to teach language and literacy skills to every student. Created by Dr. Louisa Moats, it features videos, allowing teachers to easily apply their learning to the classroom, and addresses the structures of English, the cognitive processes of learning to read, and the teaching practices proven to be effective in preventing and remediating reading difficulties, including dyslexia. The judges were impressed by the blended learning system that focuses on modeling best practices. 

Voyager Sopris Learning: Reading Rangers 

Reading Rangers is meaningful online reading practice, filled with engaging experiences that help build foundational skills and improve reading fluency and comprehension. Designed for K-5, it can be used in any learning environment — remote, in-person and hybrid learning environments. Engaging experiences provide students with valuable practice while improving reading fluency, comprehension, phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary. For teachers, Reading Rangers offers data that provides insight to assess how students are performing. Our judges said, “This product provides a fun, gamified approach for students to engage in learning ELA.”

ViewSonic Corp: ELITE XG270 Gaming Monitor 

The ViewSonic ELITE™ XG270 is a 27-inch IPS gaming monitor that delivers performance and functionality for school esports and gaming environments. It features an ultra-fast 1ms (GtG) response time and a 240Hz refresh rate for smooth screen transitions and accurate color reproduction, as well as native 1080p resolution and 99 percent sRGB color coverage to ensure stunning image quality. The monitor is certified G-SYNC compatible that reduces tearing, while VESA Adaptive Sync technology provides interoperability of variable refresh rate capabilities. Dynamic RGB lighting offers illumination and can sync with other RGB peripherals for a complete gaming ecosystem. “This gaming monitor shines above others of this size thanks to it's 240Hz refresh rate, which is one of the first to offer that rate in this size and for this price,” said our judges.

ViewSonic Corp: TD1655 Portable Touchscreen Monitor 

The ViewSonic® TD1655 is a 15.6-inch portable touchscreen monitor that can be paired with laptops and tablets as a secondary screen in a classroom. With a 10-point projective capacitive touchscreen, it offers a smooth and natural writing/drawing experience with fingers or stylus. The bezel-less design ensures screen space for content sharing and can be used to set up multi-monitor-based stations. It comes with two USB Type-C ports for quick and easy transmission of video, audio, and data, and is less than an inch thick and weighs less than two pounds. A built-in stand allows the screen to be oriented in various modes, and a Blue Light Filter helps eliminate eye strain. “Not only is it priced right, but it offers a wonderful functionality to laptops or desktop computers by bringing the power of touch and additional viewing real estate,” said our judges.

WeVideo: WeVideo for Schools 

WeVideo provides an easy-to-use and flexible multimedia creation solution for all classroom-use cases, and is designed to scale from a single classroom to a full district. WeVideo’s multimedia creation tools work on any device; the streamlined video editor offers real-time collaborative editing, and is easy to use. The mobile apps, combined with the safe and secure browser app, helps schools offer equal access to educational technology for all students. Our judges said, “It's easy and safe to use, and empowers interaction and collaboration between students and teachers.” 

WINNERS: Best of 2020 

 Apex Learning: Courses 

Teachers can count on having robust content and delivery with Apex Learning Courses so they can focus on teaching and building relationships with students and spend less time trying to figure out technology. Apex Learning Courses provide districts with a way to hold students accountable for their learning, whether in-person or learning from home. Students can access Apex whenever and however it’s most convenient, and parents can see the instructional portal to track their student’s program in addition to assessments, enabling families to become more involved in the process. “This is a comprehensive online curriculum for high school students,” our judges said. 

Discovery Education: Discovery Education Experience 

Discovery Education Experience is a flexible K-12 learning platform that connects educators to high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day. It is designed to work within school systems’ existing infrastructure and workflows, and thanks to multiple partnerships, can be easily integrated into existing IT architecture. “This product offers seamless opportunities for learning,” said our judges. “Discovery Education continues to provide current and relevant content for classroom teachers.”

Edmentum: Edmentum Courseware 

Edmentum Courseware provides more than 400 state and national standards-aligned online courses for grades 6-12 in core subjects as well as electives, CTE, and world languages. Courseware’s flexibility and quality make it compatible with in-person, blended, and virtual instruction, allowing schools and districts to move from one modality to another. It offers a sleek platform, intuitive data dashboards, courses that can be modified, PD options, and reports to make it easy for educators to manage classes and track performance and progress. Our judges said, “Whether based on mastery of skills, learning interests or access to advanced course offering, this product is a one-stop shop for school districts.”

Edmentum: Exact Path

Exact Path supports continuity of learning in fully virtual, hybrid, or brick-and-mortar environments. Specifically, it personalizes learning by combining adaptive diagnostic assessments with individualized learning paths for K-12 students in math, reading, and language arts. The program supports targeted intervention within a district’s or state’s mandated program, and allows educators to diagnose needs with a valid adaptive assessment. Educators can target unique learner needs and plan intervention with digital assignments, and analyze growth, progress, and usage via data visualizations and reports. Our judges were impressed by the vast array of tools this program offers, particularly for struggling students.

IXL Learning: IXL Learning 

IXL is a personalized learning platform proven to enhance learning outcomes for grades pre-K through 12. With a comprehensive curriculum of more than 8,500 skills covering five subjects and fully aligned to all state standards with 40 popular textbook series, it can support nearly any lesson. The adaptive assessment tool, the Real-Time Diagnostic, evaluates students across every concept, providing an accurate portrait of students' knowledge levels in math and language arts, and helps to shape a personalized action plan for every learner. In addition, easy-to-use reports give real-time insight into student progress. “IXL continues to be a leading standard for standards-based curriculum and assessments,” said our judges 

Lightspeed Systems: Lightspeed Analytics 

Lightspeed Analytics allows school administrators to track and measure student engagement by identifying how, when, and how frequently applications are being used. Customizable dashboards allow users to see specific student activity by week or day, so they can get real-time, actionable insights into a districts’ online learning plan. By identifying redundant or unused licenses, district leaders can drive ROI and budget optimization, and customize a learning plan that works. “Data usage can drive innovation, long-term planning and purchases,” our judges said. “It is evident that this product can provide critical information for district leaders.”

OrCam Technologies: OrCam Read 

OrCam Read is a new, AI-driven assistive reading technology designed for students with language processing disorders, including dyslexia. It captures complete pages or screens, reading the full, long-form text – in real time – to support reading fluency and long-term literacy development. A pen-sized precision laser guides the reader's tiny smart camera to capture text, convert it to audio, and read aloud from any print or digital surface. The interactive “Smart Reading” feature allows students to target specific text by using voice commands, such as “read headlines” or “find” a specific word within a text. One judge said, “I really like the blue-tooth use for broadcasting the read-aloud feature to headphones or other devices.”

Pixton Comics: Pixton EDU 

Pixton EDU is a web-app that gives teachers and students a unique way to create stories, demonstrate learning, and enhance writing assignments – in any subject – through digital comics. Users can explore any other subject and choose images from popular content, ranging from The Hunger Games to the solar system to black history, all Common Core aligned. No drawing skills are required, with hundreds of preset characters, backgrounds, outfits, poses, and even emotions available. “The PixtonEDU app is a wonderfully, creative way for students to demonstrate their comprehension and understanding of their reading,” said one judge. “I really wish this option was around when I was kid in place of the traditional book report!”

PowerSchool: PowerSchool Performance Matters  

PowerSchool Performance Matters gives a complete view of what’s happening academically within every classroom and school, allowing educators to identify trends and take meaningful actions to improve success. Users can easily generate local assessment data (from pre-made items and assessments or by creating their own), collect SEL survey data, import state assessment data, and more. The Assessment tool provides access to student data while Analytics offers real-time data to support educator and student improvements in school districts. “This is a valuable tool for supporting the whole child,” said our judges.

PowerSchool: Schoology, a PowerSchool Unified Classroom Product 

Schoology Learning allows educators to deliver engaging, personalized learning experiences to their students. The platform can be accessed anywhere, anytime, and combines everything needed for teaching and learning into one place – a one-stop-shop for students, parents, teachers and administrators. It is a scalable district-wide solution that tracks student mastery of learning objectives aligned to curriculum, promotes staff collaboration through configurable groups, allows for organization-wide communication to the home, and ensures customizable user roles and permissions. Our judges were impressed with the seamless interoperability between all the systems. 

PowerSchool: PowerSchool Unified Talent

PowerSchool Unified Talent is a virtual talent management solution that enables HR administrators to operate more efficiently and educators to be trained and supported. If offers the end-to-end tools HR needs to run smoothly so educators can best support student success, including a full suite of recruiting and hiring tools, such as candidate assessment, which includes a pre-hiring assessment built with predictive success indicators. Onboarding and other processes can be run fully online and completed with e-signatures. It also offers tools for training, evaluations, surveys, and a library of ready-made PD. “The onboarding tools are valuable for both time-saving and efficiency,” said our judges. 

PresenceLearning: Therapy Essentials 

Therapy Essentials allows districts to train and support school-based teams in serving students with special needs remotely. The proprietary, award-winning FERPA and HIPPA compliant platform, includes online self-guided modules, live training sessions, and ongoing live online workshops. School-based clinicians can stay connected with, and provide services to, their students at home without interruption. 

Our judges said, “In response to special needs students needing to maintain their much needed services, Therapy Essentials fills the gaps that this pandemic has created and allows both students and parents access to the mandatory services provided by their school systems.”

Rosetta Stone: Rosetta Stone English 

Rosetta Stone® English for grades K-6 is an adaptive blended learning program that supports students’ English language development through academic conversations. Combining the language and literacy expertise of Rosetta Stone and Lexia Learning, the program blends language learning with subject knowledge to support academic achievement. With embedded alignment with multiple state and national language proficiency standards, Rosetta Stone English focuses on three key areas — speaking, listening, and grammar. Assessment Without Testing® technology gathers and analyzes actionable, real-time progress monitoring data. Our judges especially liked how students can learn at their own pace in culturally responsive environments. 

Savvas Learning Company: Experience Chemistry 

Experience Chemistry™ is a phenomena-based high school program that gets students to investigate real, compelling observances in the natural world through the science of doing. This brand-new curriculum focuses on the student experience and takes a new approach to teaching chemistry, in the classroom or remotely. It gives teachers the flexibility to teach chemistry from anywhere, with state-of-the-art lab experiments for classroom use and virtual labs for online. Engaging, interactives include a Student Experience Notebook eText, animations, and Virtual Reality 360º Lab Simulations. Our judges appreciated how this product provides opportunities for virtual labs, collaboration and student-centered activities. 

SMART Technologies: SMART Learning Suite 

SMART Learning Suite is web-based software that allows users to create lessons for students to interact with through their devices, in class, remotely, or on their own time. It’s a flexible tool that supports active learning and collaboration, and allows users to import their own lessons and enhance them with engaging, customizable components, such as games, activities, and collaborative workspaces. “Big jump for SMART,” said one judge. “I see how it enriches student-led learning, project-based learning, and flipped classroom experiences.” 

Super Duper Publications: Super Duper Digital Library 

The Super Duper Digital Library provides online access to hundreds of standards-based learning resources with tens of thousands of activities for students in grades PreK-5, and in particular autistic children and those with special needs. It supports multiple skills dealing with language acquisition, memory, literacy, reading, and social-emotional learning. The Library provides access to Super Duper’s popular print materials and seasonal games, such as “Hispanic Heritage,” “Black History Month,” and “Spring into Speech and Language.” The games can be used in concert with hundreds of card decks targeting specific skills. “We really like the way they have adapted their materials for distance learning and web-based, interactive versatility, which is especially important for these types of students they serve,” said our judges.

Tools for Schools: Book Creator 

Book Creator is a simple tool for creating digital books to infuse creativity throughout a curriculum, motivating students to become published authors and helping them develop future-ready skills. Teachers can even create their own resources, and more than 2 million books are made each month. The intuitive interface allows students as young as 4 to add text, images, drawings, video, maps, or even record their voice, and it is versatile enough to be used in any subject to demonstrate understanding, promote collaboration, and prioritize creativity over consumption. “As a curriculum director I absolutely love Book Creator,” said one judge. “Our students are so engaged with their learning when they are working with it and their work always astounds me at what they're capable of doing.” 

ISTE offered its first virtual conference in November that consisted of a full week of workshops, sessions, and expert advice. While we missed seeing our friends in person, our judges were still able to check out the latest technology on display in the virtual exhibit hall to evaluate those products that were nominated for Tech & Learning’s annual Best of Show at ISTE. 

The judges rated their impressions of individual products on a sliding scale, evaluating areas such as value, uniqueness in the market, and the product’s ability to solve specific problems for educators and administrators. They also applied these same criteria to a new category for this program, “The Best of 2020.”

“It was inspiring to see so many innovative products on display at ISTE20 Live,”  says Tech & Learning’s Content Director Christine Weiser. “One thing this challenging year has taught us is that education continues to be one of the most resilient and passionate industries around. The winners of the Best of Show at ISTE and The Best of 2020 are examples of how innovation will continue to transform teaching and learning through this pandemic and beyond.”

Thanks to our judges for taking the time to review these products, and congratulations to the following winners! More information about the winning products will be published in the December/January Best of 2020 Issue. 

WINNERS: Best of Show at ISTE 

• Acer: Predator Helios 300 
• AVer USA: AVer M11-8M Document Camera, AVer TR530 Auto Tracking Distance Learning Camera 
• AVID Products, Inc.: AE36 Headset, AE55 Headset 
• Boxlight: MimioConnect, MyStemKits and Robo 3D, Learning Beyond Classroom – PD for Educators  
• CatchOn: CatchOn 
• ClassLink: ClassLink 
• Clear Digital: Gel Digital Signage Sanitizer Station with Sho Software 
• Clear Touch: 7043XE Interactive Panel with Mini Convertible Stand 
• CTL: CTL Chromebook NL81T, Logitech Small Room Solution for Google Meet
• Curriculum Associates: i-Ready  
• Forward Edge: Edge•U Badges 
• Gale, A Cengage Company: Gale In Context: For Educators Learning Center 
• HoverCam: Solo 8 Plus, eGlass 
• Incident IQ: Incident IQ 
• LearnPlatform: IMPACT 
• Mackin: MackinVIA 
• MAXCases: Extreme Shell-S Custom-Fit Case for Chromebooks and Laptops 
• Mentoring Minds: Mentoring Minds Resource Library 
• Promethean: ActivPanel 
• Reading Plus: Reading Plus 
• Renaissance: myON, Accelerated Reader, Star Assessments 
• Securly: At-Risk 
• Sourcewell Technology: Spring Math 
• Turnitin: Turnitin Draft Coach 
• Vernier Software & Technology: Vernier Graphical Analysis™ Pro 
• Vivacity Tech: Sidekick Carrier, Customer Central 
• Voyager Sopris Learning: LETRS, Reading Rangers 
• ViewSonic Corp: ELITE XG270 Gaming Monitor, TD1655 Portable Touchscreen Monitor 
• WeVideo: WeVideo for Schools 

WINNERS: Best of 2020 

• Apex Learning: Courses 
• Discovery Education: Discovery Education Experience 
• Edmentum: Edmentum Courseware, Exact Path 
• IXL Learning: IXL Learning 
• Lightspeed Systems: Lightspeed Analytics 
• OrCam Technologies: OrCam Read 
• Pixton Comics: Pixton EDU 
• PowerSchool: PowerSchool Performance Matters; Schoology, a PowerSchool Unified Classroom Product; PowerSchool Unified Talent 
• PresenceLearning: Teletherapy Essentials 
• Rosetta Stone: Rosetta Stone English 
• Savvas Learning Company: Experience Chemistry 
• SMART Technologies: SMART Learning Suite 
• Super Duper Publications: Super Duper Digital Library 
• Tools for Schools: Book Creator 

Tech & Learning has extended its deadline for its ISTE 2020 Best of Show Awards to November 28 -- and added a new "Best of 2020" category to celebrate those products and services being exhibited at ISTELive that show the greatest promise according to the country's most tech-savvy educators. Not going to ISTE this year? No problem! We've added a "Best of 2020" category to our nomination form, so you can still enter your product. 

Here are three reasons to enter your product in the ISTE 2020 Best of Show Awards:

* Nominating a product is easy. No shipping of products or setting up guest user accounts. Just complete this simple form that includes your product name, booth number, and a brief description.

* Winning a Best of Show award is a stamp of approval that your product is impacting teaching and learning. Our judges are experienced edtech professionals who apply their expertise as they evaluate nominated products.

* Winners of the T&L Best of Show award are recognized in Tech & Learning magazine, reaching 58,000 readers who will see your company showcased in a special section of educator-endorsed products.

Read more about the contest here to and submit your nomination here.

To learn more about Tech & Learning's Best of Show awards programs and other upcoming events, please visit our events page here.  

Read about the winners of the 2019 contest here. 

FAQs:

What are the ISTE Best of Show Awards?
The program recognizes outstanding products exhibited at the ISTE show. Winners are selected by panels of professional users and editors based on descriptions provided by you via the nomination form as well as on judges’ inspection at the convention.

Who can enter?
Any company that has a great product to display on the ISTE exhibit floor.

Do I have to be an ISTE exhibitor to nominate my product?
No.  We've added a "Best of 2020" category to our nomination form, so you can still enter your product.

Why should I enter?
Hundreds of new products are displayed at ISTE each year. Help make yours stand out.

When are entries due?
The deadline is 5:00 pm EST on November 20. We reserve the right to consider late applicants as circumstances dictate. Please note that on-site nominations are not accepted.

How much does it cost to enter?
$595 per entry
$525 per entry when submitting 2-4 products
$495 per entry when submitting 5+ products

May I enter more than one product?
Yes. There is no limit to the number of products you may nominate. Each requires a nomination form and entry fee(s).

How are the products evaluated?
A panel of judges and editors, chosen in advance by the editors of our publications, will review nominations and choose the winners.

Is my information confidential?
Yes. It will not be published prior to the convention or shared with anyone beyond the judges or editors.

How do I pay?
Click here to enter a product and pay by credit card.

When will you notify winners?
The recipients will be announced on techlearning.com before the end of the conference. Winners will be recognized in the December/January issue of Tech & Learning.

What do I get if I win?
You will receive a certificate, awards seal to use for promotions, and a mention online and in the December/January issue of Tech & Learning.

For nearly four decades, the ISTE annual conference has brought together a passionate community of teachers, education leaders, tech providers and researchers from around the world. Rooted in “learning first, technology second,” the ISTE Conference has become the premiere event for sharing innovative practices that transform and improve learning for all students.  

Earlier this year, ISTE decided to reschedule its annual conference from the end of June to November in light of COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the continued global health crisis and in consultation with public health officials, the organization decided to transition ISTE20 to a fully virtual experience. ISTE20 will be held entirely virtually from Nov. 29 through Dec. 5, 2020.  

"Our team has been working diligently to create a unique, engaging virtual experience that captures the energy and enthusiasm emblematic of our community. What we have planned will be anything but your typical online conference,” said Richard Culatta, CEO of ISTE. “Participants can expect an immersive experience filled with educator-led learning opportunities on topics like creating equity and community in blended and online environments, teaching creative project-based learning, and offering meaningful feedback and assessment in remote settings. As educators around the world grapple with the unique challenges of teaching amidst a pandemic, the conversations taking place at ISTE have never been more pressing. ” 

For more details on ISTE20 Live, visit www.isteconference.org. 

With the continuing uncertainty of face-to-face events in 2020, ISTE is planning an option for virtual participation alongside its traditional ISTE20 event. 

The organization is soliciting preferences and ideas from educators and others who have attended in the past, or who are interested in attending ISTE20. Questions help participants explore and express what works for them in the virtual space, what timing is best, and which topics are most important to educators right now.

The survey should take about 5-7 minutes to complete and those who complete the survey will be entered to win one of four ISTE20 virtual registrations. The survey closes July 8th.

After much consideration, and based on recommendations from health organizations and policymakers, ISTE has decided to postpone ISTE20 to later in the year. 

The biggest education conference in the Unites States will now be held Saturday, November 28–Tuesday, December 1, in Anaheim, California.

To connect with fellow educators before that time, visit ISTE's COVID-19 Educator Help Desk.

Taking the stage at ISTE20, June 28-July 1 in Anaheim, are a variety of forward-thinking presenters who will speak to the future of learning and share how they realized their dreams for education.

Speakers include:

• Cathy Hunt, Creative Arts and Technology Educator
• Eric Curts, Technology Integration Specialist
• Desiree Alexander, Educator, Regional Director
• Holly Clark, author of The Infused Classroom series
• Manuel S. Herrera, Innovation Coordinator

Registration is open now. Participants who take advantage of early registration through March 3 will save up to $85. 

How It’s Done: Using Tech-PBL to Reach Struggling Students

Using tech tools to enhance project-based learning helped one teacher personalize lessons and reach all her students, regardless of knowledge gaps and multi-level abilities. 

Who: Lacrecia Terrance, M.Ed—theEduProject, Lead Consultant/CEO PBLWorks, National Faculty Member, 4th/5th Grade Teacher 

Where: EBR Readiness Elementary School, EBRPSS Baton Rouge, LA 

What: Using PBL and Tech to Motivate Struggling Students 

I teach fourth and fifth-grade students at an alternative center for students who are at risk and have behavioral issues. With this group of students, it is important to have engaging activities that keep them motivated. Teaching struggling students with learning gaps led me to research different strategies and tools to interest students and hook them into wanting to learn. To address multiple-ability levels and differentiate instruction, I implemented Project Based Learning. My PBL projects are strategically planned to connect to students’ personal experiences using tech such as; Flipgrid, Youtube, Quizizz, Anmito, Flipgrid, Spark, etc. This has allowed students to be more creative and provides them with more opportunities to take ownership of their knowledge and understanding. 

After getting to know my students’ interests, strengths, and challenges, I start with a video from Youtube and SchoolTube to give exemplars for the learning objectives for the day. This sparks student interest and inspires them to try things they have not done, leading to deeper discussions and extending their thinking. I then use Quizizz activities to assess understanding of the information and content. The first time the students saw me pull up Youtube on the Promethean board, they said, “Oooh, you’re gonna get in trouble.” Their previous experiences prevented them from viewing computers as a learning tool. The very first video I showed was a music video of their choice and had students critique it. This is where it all began and students were hooked.

Positive Results

Agency and Excitement! When I walked into my classroom, I saw great anticipation and a desire to learn. Reflecting back on my first impression, these students cared less about school and felt that everyone had forgotten about them. Just observing the growth, agency, and confidence of each student helped confirmed using PBL and high-quality dynamic tech tools to be an effective approach to reaching ALL students, especially struggling students.

The Biggest Challenge

My biggest challenge was keeping them from watching inappropriate music videos and not focusing on the lesson objective. I needed to teach them how to be responsible digital citizens and what that means. Students were only accustomed to being left alone on the computer or earning time on it as a reward for good behavior. To overcome this obstacle, my involvement became key to provide them a purpose for each online tool. I used Minecraft to connect them to a team-building activity. Students had the opportunity to play their favorite game while I modeled how tech could also accomplish learning objectives for the day.

Finding Funding

Many of the programs are free and some can be found on ISTE teacher resources. Others, such as FlipGrid, Google Classroom, and Clever, are funded by the school or district.

Pro Tips

Get to know your students and provide opportunities to include their voice. Many students feel like passive participants in their learning and the key is to give them relevant authentic experiences. ISTE has five competencies of digital citizenship that I use to guide my understanding to give students a greater opportunity at success: inclusive, engaged, balanced, alert, and informed.

Tech Tools

• PBLWorks.org
• ISTE.org
• Google Classroom
• Flipgrid
• Youtube
• Quizizz
• Anmito
• Spark
• Gallup
• Clever, an instructional portal to store all of my online digital resources for my students.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) applauds Congress’ continued support for students in the fiscal year 2020 Labor Health and Human Services-Education appropriations omnibus, which includes $1.21 billion for the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant program, authorized under Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and $2.13 billion for Title II, Part A, which supports educator professional development.

“It’s refreshing to see members of Congress put aside politics to do what is right by our country’s students and educators,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta.“It is no secret that schools continue to face strained budgets that restrict resources and prevent smart innovations that will improve learning and prepare students for the future.”

The omnibus includes a $76 million increase for Title II-A. Title IV-A, the $1.17 billion flexible block grant program, saw a slight increase in the bill, gaining another $40 million in FY2020. In addition, the bill also includes $7 million for an Open Textbook Pilot that will fund a new competition next year. The entire budget bill now proceeds for signing by the president. 

The call for proposals for ISTE20, June 28-July 1 in Anaheim, California, is now open.

Conference organizers are seeking sessions that demonstrate and inspire educators to develop students' problem-solving, critical-thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration skills.

Proposals will be accepted through Sept. 27.

For the sixth year, Tech & Learning presents its awards program that honors nominated products at the annual ISTE conference. The products below were selected by an anonymous panel of educator judges, who scoured the exhibit hall floor during the conference in Philadelphia. The judges rated their impressions of individual products on a sliding scale, evaluating areas such as quality and effectiveness, ease of use, cost, and creative use of technology. They then met in person to decide which technologies deserved to be named Best of Show.

“Our stalwart judges tromped through the Pennsylvania Convention Center evaluating 125 different edtech products and services over two days at this year’s ISTE,” says Kevin Hogan, Managing Director, Content. “Those companies whose technologies were identified as extraordinary should know that this recognition is not a badge of participation, but a true endorsement by one of the most innovative educators in the country.” Please join us in congratulating the following winners!

To learn more about Tech & Learning's Awards of Excellence as well as Best of Show at ISTE and Best of Show at TCEA awards programs, please visit Tech & Learning Awards Programs.

ACER AMERICA PREDATOR HELIOS 300 GAMING NOTEBOOK
(WWW.ACER.COM/AC/EN/US/CONTENT/PREDATOR-SERIES/PREDATORHELIOS300)

Acer’s redesigned Predator Helios 300 gaming notebook is ideal for schools teaching eSports and/or graphic design skills. Features include 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch 144Hz FHD IPS displays, overclockable NVIDIA GTX or RTX GPUs and 8th or 9th Gen Intel Core processors, fast networking and WiFi, speedy PCIe NVMe SSDs and an advanced thermal design to maximize cooling. Judges favored the Notebook for having great power with an equally favorable price point.

ACER CHROMEBOOK SPIN 512 (R851TN)
(WWW.ACER.COM/AC/EN/US/CONTENT/PROFESSIONAL-SERIES/ACERCHROMEBOOKSPIN512)

The Acer Chromebook Spin 512 (R851TN) is ideal for K-12 students. It has a 12-inch display in a 3:2 aspect ratio, giving students more room to view visuals on maps, web pages and schoolwork, a display made of Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass, a U.S. MIL-STD 810G-compliant design that survives 122cm drops, and a water-routing keyboard. These features, along with its cameras, notation, and dockable stylus additions, had judges deem this a “quality Chromebook.”

ALIVE STUDIOS CLASSROOMS ALIVE!
(ALIVESTUDIOSCO.COM)

With Classrooms alive!, a multi-sensory, supplemental reading and math curriculum for pre-K and kindergarten, teachers can create magical learning experiences powered by zoo-themed software, mobile apps, and manipulatives for hands-on interaction and collaboration. Features include a Learning alive Plus kit, an Alphabet Classroom Rug with a free, STEM-based mobile app, and reading and math journals with accompanying free mobile app for personalizing learning. Judges favored it for being a “simple, yet innovative solution.”

AUTODESK INSTRUCTABLES
(WWW.AUTODESK.COM)

Instructables is committed to helping teachers inspire, engage, and prepare students through hands-on projects to make in the classroom. Judges liked the platform, pointing out its amazing community of Autodesk users who share great, practical lessons on an easy to use platform. Students can also share projects they produced as well, another point that won the judges over.

AUTODESK TINKERCAD
(WWW.TINKERCAD.COM)

Tinkercad is a free, easy-to-use online app for learning 3D design, electronics, and coding. It supports design thinking and maker education. Judges selected Tinkercad for its ability to help students demonstrate their understanding of any subject area, and felt it was a great tool for anyone wanting to add STEM and Design- Thinking into their curriculum. They also deemed it a “wonderful platform” for creation and learning from failure.

AVER INFORMATION, INC. AVER M15W
(WWW.AVERUSA.COM/EDUCATION/PRODUCTS/DOCUMENT-CAMERA/M15W)

The AVer M15W mechanical arm document camera has an ultra-compact and lightweight form factor and folds down to 11(L) x 3 (W) x 1.6 (H). It also features 4K output on HDMI and 13 megapixels with 22x digital zoom. With wireless connectivity, an on-board battery, and a weight of approximately 3 pounds, the M15W is perfect for sharing around the classroom. Judges loved its compact size and ease of traveling features.

AVER INFORMATION, INC. EP65
(WWW.AVERUSA.COM/BUSINESS/PRODUCTS/INTERACTIVE-FLAT-PANEL/EP65)

The EP65 is an all-in-one display designed to make collaboration more efficient and effective, including integration with Zoom software and easy connectivity to live video with one touch and share ideas face-to-face across multiple devices. The display also features a 4K built-in conference camera and a 65” screen. Judges liked the all-in-one display and considered the Zoom integration a “great partnership.” They also liked its device-agnostic design.

DELL LATITUDE 3300 EDUCATION
(WWW.DELL.COM)

With best-in-class durability and long battery life, the Latitude 3300 stands up to the school day, so that students can have the confidence to go wherever learning takes them. Dell up-leveled the durability, adding in a new micro-drop test to simulate small drops over time that can add up to critical damage over the years. This 13-inch laptop is built school-yard tough and student ready, a feature the judges appreciated along with its affordability.

DELL CHROMEBOOK 3100 2-IN-1
(WWW.DELL.COM)

This new Chromebook features the latest Intel Gemini Lake Celeron processors, and up to 13 hours, 25 minutes of battery life to help students get through the class-to-homework day. This includes a convertible (360 degrees) design with an 11.6” Gorilla Glass NBT Tough display, an optional world-facing camera to encourage student creativity and multiple usage modes such as tablet, tent, or laptop. Judges favored the Chromebook’s durability, front and rear cameras, and good hinges.

DELL CHROMEBOOK 3400
(WWW.DELL.COM)

The Chromebook 3400 is built to empower student-led learning. This accessible and durable 14-inch laptop is ideal for learning that requires advanced applications. Featuring rubberized edges, spil-and-tamper resistant keyboards, top-mounted design, and ports covered and secured with reinforced brackets, this Chromebook is built to keep up with the entire school day and then some. Judges loved the rugged durability and power this device brought to the table.

BLOOMZ
(WWW.BLOOMZ.NET)

Bloomz is the free mobile and web app connecting educators with parents in a secure, social, and private environment. Teachers can coordinate meetings and schedules with parents, all while sharing photos and videos each day to keep them connected with their child’s learning. By signing up, teachers can send out reminders, volunteer requests, and even reinforce positive behavior, such as teamwork or staying on task, with students. Judges deemed its notification system “excellent.”

CAPSTONE PEBBLEGO
(WWW.PEBBLEGO.COM)

PebbleGo is a curricular content hub specifically designed for K-2 students, featuring text appropriate for K-2 readers; engaging read-aloud audio; extended learning through video/audio clips; 508 & WCAG 2.0 compliant technology; simple navigation; easy at-home and on-the-go access with mobile-responsive design; administration tools and an online community for educators. Judges deemed the product “amazing” for introducing research skills to children at a very early age and for helping underserved Pre-K to 2nd grade students.

CASIO AMERICA, INC, CASIO SUPERIOR XJ-S400UN AND XJ-UT352WN LAMPFREE PROJECTORS
(WWW.CASIOPROJECTOR.COM/PRODUCTS/SUPERIOR/XJ-S400UN)

Casio’s The XJ-UT352WN Ultra Short Throw Projector can project brilliant shadow-free, crisp, images with its built-in 0.28:1 fixed lens. Casio’s unique cool running Laser & LED Hybrid Light Engine lasts up to 20,000 hours without ever needing to replace costly lamps or filters and requires minimal maintenance. The XJ-UT352WN includes Casio’s Educational Solutions connectivity package that facilitates easier use of projection in the modern classroom. Judges loved both projectors for their picture quality, engine longevity, affordability, and lack of need for bulbs.

Casio’s XJ-S400UN LampFree projector is one of the world’s smallest 4000 lumens projectors, making it ideal for classrooms and other limited learning spaces. It uses Casio’s R-Laser & LED light source to project brilliant colors and detailed images with no lamps or filters to replace and long-lasting performance of up to 20,000 hours. Additional features include WUXGA resolution, 1.7X zoom lens and an improved dust resistant design that efficiently cools and reduces noise. The XJ-S400UN is network ready with LAN Connectivity (RJ-45) and optional wireless capability.

CLASSLINK ANALYTICS
(WWW.CLASSLINK.COM/ANALYTICS)

ClassLink Analytics gives decision makers real-time utilization data of all their instructional, productivity and systems software tools. Available reports include unique logins by period, total logins per period, top apps by launches, most active groups, schools, and users. The ability to see peak hour, day and month give additional insight for school administrators. Product updates include: Track application license costs, showing the number of users, subscription start and end dates, and funding source(s). Judges liked its ability to give schools insight into its use of apps along with its assistance with budgeting and PD.

CLASSLINK LAUNCHPAD
(LAUNCHPAD.CLASSLINK.COM)

ClassLink LaunchPad is a single sign-on (SSO) experience designed for education. It provides instant access to all your web, Windows, and Google applications, and includes over 6,000 SSO connectors. Accessible from any device, LaunchPad is ideal for 1-to-1 and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives. Judges favored its huge list of apps to choose from, its multiple sign in options that make it easier to login to use SSO apps, and intuitive interface.

CLASSLINK ONESYNC
(WWW.CLASSLINK.COM/ONESYNC)

ClassLink OneSync is a comprehensive account provisioning platform designed to streamline the synchronization between data systems, faculty, and student directories. OneSync connects any number of data sources, including student information, finance, HR, and OneRoster databases, to one or multiple directories, including Microsoft Active Directory, Azure/O365, and Google. Judges liked its syncing and user account creation abilities as well as its ability to reconcile account information that may not match.

CLEARDIGITAL EVOLITE
(WWW.GETCLEARDIGITAL.COM/PRODUCTS/EVO-LITE)

Clear Digital’s digital signage solution, the Evo Lite features an on-board battery delivers up to 14+ hours of charge at a time and displays that offer both digital capabilities and ease of use. Users simply need to load their multimedia content via USB to get started. The display also has a sturdy steel frame and features an ergonomic folding design and large puncture-resistant wheels. Judges loved the product, calling it a “portable and versatile solution.”

CLEAR TOUCH 6000K INTERACTIVE FLAT PANEL
(WWW.GETCLEARTOUCH.COM)

The Clear Touch 6000K panel is the innovative, sleek, and powerful solution to engage the classroom or board room. Featuring a fast processor for interactive panels allows for blazing speeds at the touch of a finger. It is capable of streaming multiple devices - including Chromebooks- at a pace that can keep up with today’s connected classrooms. Judges liked the product for its flexible and versatile design.

CLEAR TOUCH 7000X INTERACTIVE FLAT PANEL WITH CONVERTIBLE MOBILE STAND
(WWW.GETCLEARTOUCH.COM)

The Clear Touch 7000X panel features a smooth, capacitive touch screen. When paired with the Clear Touch convertible stand it provides a truly interactive and collaborative experience. The convertible stand allows the panel to move from presentative to table with just the press of a button, giving versatility for presentation and collaboration and allowing multiple students to interact together. Judges favored the mobile stand’s features and felt the product overall had great qualities.

CURRICULUM ASSOCIATES I-READY
(WWW.CURRICULUMASSOCIATES.COM)

The research-based i-Ready online program combines powerful assessments and rich insights with effective and engaging instruction in reading and mathematics to address students’ individual needs. The adaptive diagnostic provides teachers with actionable insight into student needs and offers a complete picture of student performance and growth, eliminating the need for multiple, redundant tests. Judges liked that it provided teachers with a great diagnostic that identifies gaps in learning along with instructional pieces and teacher support.

DREMEL DIGILAB LASER CUTTER
(DIGILAB.DREMEL.COM)

The Dremel DigiLab Laser Cutter lets students assemble their visions into tangible items at a fraction of the speed and cost. Simply draw on paper or create digitally, then export the file onto the software in order to bring the project to life. Offering a vast material library, the Laser Cutter allows students to cut, score, or engrave without worrying about compatibility. Judges loved its ease-of-use and its capacity for unlocking student creativity.

EDGENUITY UPSMART
(WWW.EDGENUITY.COM)

UpSmart’s powerful adaptive engine extends classroom instruction with automatic differentiation. Based on each student action, UpSmart triggers the right level of support for the student via video tutorials, feedback or additional practice. Teachers and administrators can easily track mastery of standards and topics for each student, for a class, or for the whole school. Judges liked it diagnostic capabilities and its ability to help close a student’s learning gaps at their own level.

EDMENTUM EXACT PATH
(WWW.EDMENTUM.COM/PRODUCTS/EXACT-PATH)

Whether running stations in 3rd grade for individualized support or steering 10th graders through closing achievement gaps, Exact Path can help set students on a path toward success. Features include digital assessments that target unique learner needs, data visualizations and reports, a competency-based curriculum, and a diagnostic valid adaptive assessment system. Judges deemed the platform “engaging” and favored its personalized aspects as well as its longtime partnership with the NWEA MAP testing platform.

ELMO USA CORP PENTACLASS G2 CLASSROOM AUDIO SYSTEM
(WWW.ELMOUSA.COM)

The PentaClass G2 is an All-In-One Voice Enhancement and Audio Solution. PentaClass G2 uses a 40W, 360° Omnidirectional Soundfield for a rich sound whenever and wherever a user is seated in the room. The PentaClass G2 also has an Auto Power Off feature for automatic energy saving. Judges praised its ability to have 2 audio sources simultaneously, thinking it would be of interest to teachers who want to talk over other AV sources.

EPSON BRIGHTLINK 1485FI
(EPSON.COM)

The Epson BrightLink 1485Fi interactive laser display provides one-step calibration of touch and interactive pens to turn any flat surface into an instant interactive digital whiteboard. The display offers 5,000 lumens of color and white brightness with an 100-inch 16:9 or ultra-wide 120-inch 16:6 display, bringing better readability and increased engagement in K-12 classrooms. Judges liked it for its image quality and size, low maintenance, PC free mode and split screen capability.

FOLLETT MYDESTINY
(WWW.FOLLETTMYDESTINY.COM)

MyDestiny combines an expansive library of ebooks and OERs with built-in artificial intelligence to help teachers find quality, standards-aligned resources and to guide students on their learning path from discovery to mastery. MyDestiny leverages machine-learning capabilities to allow users to easily locate recommended content, all aligned to national and individual state standards. Its access to over 40,000 ebooks and 750,000 digital resources impressed judges, having them deem it one of its standout features.

GALE IN CONTEXT: FOR EDUCATORS
(WWW.GALE.COM/DATABASES/IN-CONTEXT)

Gale In Context: For Educators is designed for classroom teachers, with additional content and tools to make it easier to find curriculum aligned content, curate it for the classroom and educate students. Educators can work independently or collaborate to build classroom resources. It also includes lesson plans, activities and tools to bring it all together in a classroom environment, engaging students and getting them one step closer to academic success.

GOGUARDIAN DNS
(WWW.GOGUARDIAN.COM/DNS.HTML)

GoGuardian DNS is a unified and scalable cross-platform cloud filtering solution designed to provide K-12 schools the ability to confidently filter all student, staff and guest devices regardless of platform. Through this product, schools can efficiently manage and help protect all devices on a school network through a single, agile platform. Judges favored its nice student privacy features, that no software is needed, and that it works on all devices.

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT AMIRA, READ 180, & MATH 180
(WWW.HMHCO.COM)

Amira Assessment is the classroom assistant that assesses oral reading fluency (ORF) and screens for Dyslexia. Amira listens while a student reads, recognizing the subtleties of various dialects, speech deficits, and accents, and delivers bias-free results in fewer than five minutes. Judges liked its AI system and its capacity for providing intervention based on the reports it generates. HMH’s classics READ 180 and MATH 180 were also selected as winners. Both intervention programs have helped schools improve test scores and reduce dropout rates.

HOVERCAM PILOT X
(WWW.HOVERCAM.COM/PILOTX)

With the HoverCam Pilot X wireless digital teaching station, teachers are no longer tethered to a desk or lectern. Teachers can work from the station or undock the 13-inch 10-point-touch tablet for even greater mobility. The system features Windows 10 OS, 13MP document camera, and wireless 4K image mirroring function that allows for the touchscreen to appear on displays around the room. Judges liked the detachable Windows 10 tablet and its other improvements.

HOVERCAM ULTRA 10
(WWW.HOVERCAM.COM/ULTRA-10)

HoverCam’s Ultra 10 features a 7.1-inch capacitive touch screen, integrated true 4K wireless-to-display output as well as wired HDMI output, 16 MP sensor, and a powerful Android computer. The built-in, 7.1 inch, multitouch viewing monitor allows educators to see exactly what their students see without having to turn their backs on the room. Judges liked its big LCD screen and that it is a self-powered Chrome device.

HUE HD PRO CAMERA AND HUE CAMERA VIEWER
(HUEHD.COM/PRO)

The HUE HD Pro classroom camera can view a full A4 or US letter sheet and project it onto the whiteboard via your PC and projector. HUE Intuition software included and the new addition to the HUE family is HUE Camera Viewer for Chromebooks. HUE Camera Viewer allows for recording and stop-motion animation capabilities on Chromebooks through a web-based Chrome app. Judges liked its included software, its easy-to-embed format for captured content, and Skype connectivity.

KINDERLAB ROBOTICS, INC. KIBO
(KINDERLABROBOTICS.COM)

KIBO is a STEAM robotic kit where young students can build, program, decorate, and create their own robot without any screen-time. Students transform KIBO into imagined animals, vehicles, storybook characters, and more. Students plan a coding sequence using wooden programming blocks, scan their sequence with the built-in barcode scanner, press its button and KIBO comes alive! Judges liked its approachability and its capacity for impressive block combinations that’d keep students engaged.

LEXIA CORE5 READING
(WWW.LEXIALEARNING.COM/PRODUCTS/CORE5/STUDENT-DRIVEN-LEARNING)

Lexia Core5 Reading is a literacy program that accelerates the development of fundamental through advanced literacy skills for students of all abilities in grades pre-K-5. Core5 underwent a large update, adding support for students in upper elementary grades, including three new levels and over 200 new online units each with added practice and explicit instruction when students need it. Judges liked its ability to remediate students’ reading difficulties and for making reading fun for kids.

LEXIA POWERUP LITERACY
(WWW.LEXIALEARNING.COM/PRODUCTS/POWERUP)

Lexia PowerUp Literacy is designed to enhance core English language arts instruction for struggling readers in grades six and above. PowerUp addresses the instructional needs of a wide range of students, from struggling to nearly proficient readers, by identifying skill gaps and providing personalized, systematic instruction in Word Study, Grammar, and Comprehension. Judges liked the product’s focus on helping older readers improve their skills and its badge system that encourages students as they complete modules.

LIGHTSPEED SYSTEMS ANALYTICS POWERED BY RELAY
(WWW.LIGHTSPEEDSYSTEMS.COM/ANALYTICSEA)

Analytics powered by Relay pulls together usage information for devices, apps, applications, and online resources into a single, actionable dashboard. The program uses Smart Agent to view and report on all traffic from the root level of the school device and does so without disrupting or delaying activity. Judges praised its excellent features, such as its ability to send links to principals and guidance counselors to determine best ways to support struggling students.

MACKINVIA
(WWW.MACKINVIA.COM)

MackinVIA is a free digital content management system created to provide schools with easy access to their eBooks, audiobooks, read-alongs, databases, websites, and videos. With a single login, users can view, utilize, and manage all of the school’s digital resources on all major mobile and desktop devices through free apps available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android devices, and more. Judges liked its yearly additional features and praised its endorsements from librarians.

MANGO CLASSROOM BY MANGO LANGUAGES
(MANGOLANGUAGES.COM/HIGHER-ED)

Mango Classroom by Mango Languages is a language-learning resource crafted exclusively for student engagement and instructor support. In-depth critical thinking and retention are developed with an authentic native-speaker audio backdrop in over 70 world languages and over 20 ESL/ELL courses. Its other features can help organize classes, activities and assessments, as well as provide family learning profiles. Judges favored its comprehensive function and its ability to be used with existing materials.

MAXCASES EDGEPROTECT
(WWW.MAXCASES.COM/CATEGORY-LANDING-PAGE/EDGEPROTECT)

The cost-effective EdgeProtect case offers a thinner, lighter alternative for device protection where it’s needed the most in the event of a drop. The slim profile provides charging cart compatibility; the lightweight design reduces student backpack weight. It delivers access to ports/openings while in use, and unobstructed access for asset tags and installations. Judges favored the product for its slim and durable device protection.

MAXCASES EDGEPROTECT PLUS
(WWW.MAXCASES.COM/EDGEPROTECTEDGEPROTECTPLUS-PAGE)

The EdgeProtect Plus features MAXCases new FrameGuard bottom, which evenly distributes the vibrations across a wider area of the device, offering greater drop protection. The impact-resistant top features protective corners that overlap the sides of the device. EdgeProtect Plus complements the latest engineering developments from Chromebook/laptop manufacturers, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. Judges liked that it’s a product that offers overall good protection in a low profile.

MERGE EDU
(MERGEVR.COM/EDU-PLATFORM)

MERGE EDU is a subscription-based AR/VR platform for STEM designed to work with the MERGE Cube. The platform includes the Explorer app, a premium version of the Object Viewer app, lesson activities, and a teacher dashboard. Students can interact with complex 3D models, perform a simulated frog dissection, experience scientific phenomenon and place virtual objects in the real world. Judges deemed the product an “educational game changer” for its augmented reality capabilities.

MIMIOCLARITY & MYBOT EDUCATIONAL ROBOTICS SYSTEM
(MIMIO.BOXLIGHT.COM)

MimioClarity works by having teachers use wearable, wireless microphones, and a multichannel 60-watt amplifier to distribute their voices and multimedia audio throughout the classroom via two or four speakers that are placed above students’ heads on classroom walls. Judges deemed MimioClarity an excellent student microphone and liked it for its approachable cost. The Mimio MyBot Educational Robotics System enables students from preschool to high school develop STEM skills and a passion for programming and robotics. Through innovative robots and a comprehensive software platform, educators receive an out-of-the-box solution, complete with a robust curriculum, STEM lessons, tutorials and videos. Judges favored it for offering a good middle level robot that could appeal to both younger and older students.

NEARPOD VR
(NEARPOD.COM)

Nearpod VR allows students to tour the world from their own classrooms. It works on any device, from iPads and Chromebooks to Macs and PCs. Educators can choose from 450+ VR lessons from VR Explorations and VR College Tours, allowing students to study subjects such as history through VR and tour places like Harvard and MIT from their devices. Judges loved the VR lessons and felt the entire product empowered teachers in a major way.

OZOBOT EVO CLASSROOM KIT (18 BOTS) / OZOBOT CLASSROOM
(OZOBOT.COM)

The Ozobot Evo Classroom Kit comes with the eponymous bot itself, allowing students to practice either Color Code blocking or Ozoblocky visual programming. The kit also features Educator Bot Camp, an Edu App for Evo updates, and 150+ lessons for both STEM and non-STEM subjects. The product will also be supported by Ozobot Classroom, a management system that tracks student progress on-and-offline in real time. Judges liked Evo’s student-friendly accessibility and Classroom’s progress-tracking feature.

PIPER COMPUTER KIT
(WWW.PLAYPIPER.COM/PRODUCTS/PIPER-COMPUTER-KIT-2)

The Piper Computer Kit allows students to build a working computer, connect electronics, and learn to code on the computer they built. Students make connections physically and mentally as they assemble their Piper Computer Kit. Once built, the Piper Computer Kit’s immersive software teaches students complex engineering concepts and shows learners how to bridge electronics with code. Judges liked its self-paced concept and especially favored its Minecraft-inspired lessons.

PROMETHEAN ACTIVPANEL ELEMENTS SERIES
(WWW.PROMETHEANWORLD.COM)

The new ActivPanel Elements Series was designed by teachers for teachers. The ActivPanel Elements series is based on user research to deliver innovation and ease-of-use that matters to teachers and students, as well as the security and manageability trusted by IT professionals and administrators. The ActivPanel Elements series comes preloaded with a variety of teaching tools like a new unified menu; the ability to draw, highlight, and annotate over any content from any source; lesson delivery software with no annual subscription, and more.

RENAISSANCE STAR 360 & MYON READER
(WWW.RENAISSANCE.COM/PRODUCTS/ASSESSMENT/STAR-360) & (WWW.RENAISSANCE.COM/PRODUCTS/MYON-READER)

Star 360 delivers the valid, reliable screening, progress monitoring, and student growth data educators need to make informed decisions. Educators see precisely what students have mastered, the goals they need to reach, and optimal paths to proficiency.Judges liked its assessment capabilities and its ability to facilitate student growth through actionable data. myON Reader is a student-centered, personalized literacy program that gives students access to more than 6,000 enhanced digital books. Students can read at school or at home on any internet-enabled device. Combined with a suite of close reading tools and embedded supports, myON Reader fosters student engagement and achievement.

SCREENBEAM 1000 EDU
(WWW.SCREENBEAM.COM/PRODUCTS/SCREENBEAM-1000-EDU/)

ScreenBeam 1000 EDU transforms classrooms, empowering educators and students to collaborate on experiences. ScreenBeam natively works with Windows and macOS extended screen mode ensuring content privacy. Leveraging native Windows Inking across Microsoft Education 365 applications, educators provide real-time feedback on student devices without the need of dongles, cables or other restrictive models that limit agility and flexibility. Judges rated it well for its fast connectivity, responsiveness, easy set up and affordability.

24 BY SECURLY
(WWW.SECURLY.COM/PRODUCTS/24)

24 by Securly is a comprehensive cloud-based, AI school safety ecosystem. The service pairs AI with expert human analysts for real-time 24x7 monitoring that keeps students safe online, in class, and at home. Securly’s AI technology uses sentiment analysis to ensure student safety by flagging concerning searches, websites visited, and messages involving bullying or self-harm. Judges stated it was a good safety tool to make sure students that are in crisis are getting proper help.

TEXTHELP WRIQ
(WWW.TEXTHELP.COM)

WriQ is a Chrome extension for Google Docs that grades papers digitally - saving time for other classroom activities. It’s faster, more accurate and consistent than subjective, pen and paper manual assessment - giving clear visibility of progress over time. WriQ automatically reviews the documents for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, in addition to helpful metrics like time on task, vocabulary maturity and more. Judges deemed it an innovative tool that gives consistency in evaluating students’ writing.

UL XPLORLABS PLATFORM
(ULXPLORLABS.ORG)

UL Xplorlabs is a free, online module-based educational platform developed by Underwriters Laboratories. Xplorlabs encourages middle-school students to solve through science and deepen their understanding of the world through hands-on experiences, created to involve them in the scientific process. With two interactive modules, Xplorlabs bridges the gap between classrooms and engineering challenges. Judges loved the concept of bringing real-world CSI into the classroom and its ability to engage students.

VERNIER SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY EXPLORING MOTION AND FORCE WITH GO DIRECT SENSOR CART
(WWW.VERNIER.COM/PRODUCTS/BOOKS/MSB-CART-E/)

The new Exploring Motion and Force with Go Direct Sensor Cart e-book engages students in hands-on learning as they investigate key STEM concepts. The investigations found in the module explore friction, motion, and simple machines like the pulley or lever. Judges deemed it a terrific resource for any STEM program or science classroom in middle school through high school, praising the cart’s experiments and the bluetooth sensors’ ability to easily collect data while performing experiments.

VERNIER SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY CODING WITH MBOT LIFE HACKS
(WWW.VERNIER.COM/PRODUCTS/LAB-EQUIPMENT/MBOT-KIT/)

The new Coding with mBot Life Hacks activity module from Vernier Software & Technology teaches middle and high school students about important 21st century coding concepts as they participate in hands-on learning. The seven activities featured in the downloadable module introduce problem solving strategies, nurture creativity, strengthen critical thinking skills, and build students’ confidence as they learn a coding language. Judges felt the product brought relevance and fun to coding and robot building.

VERNIER SOFTWARE & TECHNOLOGY WIND ENERGY EXPLORATIONS AND SOLAR ENERGY EXPLORATIONS
(WWW.VERNIER.COM/PRODUCTS/BOOKS/MSB-WIND-E/)

The Wind Energy Explorations and Solar Energy Explorations middle school e-books utilize Vernier data-collection technology and software to engage students in hands-on scientific discovery. By introducing alternative energy solutions to real-world problems, the experiments strengthen students’ critical thinking skills as they explore and analyze renewable energy and engineering concepts included in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Judges liked that the books were both reasonably priced and engaging.

VIEWSONIC VIEWBOARD IFP7550 INTERACTIVE FLAT PANEL DISPLAY
(WWW.VIEWSONIC.COM)

The ViewSonic ViewBoard IFP7550 interactive flat panel display is a 75-inch 4K UHD collaboration solution that features upgraded hardware and software, including an ultra fine 20-point touchscreen with enhanced latency reduction, built-in speakers with subwoofer and a SmartPort USB hub that allows devices to be plugged into any video source on the display while providing simultaneous access to the display’s front-facing USB ports. Judges liked its display the best and also liked its casting software.

VIEWSONIC CORP. XG350R-C GAMING MONITOR
(WWW.VIEWSONIC.COM/US/XG350R-C.HTML)

The ViewSonic ELITE XG350R-C is a 35-inch, ultra-wide, curved gaming monitor, ideal for school eSports clubs, teams, curriculum and in competitions. The XG350R-C offers HDR10 content support for a dynamic range of color and contrast; ClearMotion technology to produce clear visuals and reduce image blur; gamer-centric specifications such as AMD FreeSync technology; customizable RGB lighting technology, 100Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. Judges praised its sound quality, curved display, and image quality.

VIEWSONIC CORP. CDE9800 4K COMMERCIAL DISPLAY
(WWW.VIEWSONIC.COM)

The ViewSonic CDE9800 is a 98-inch (97.5-inch viewable) 4K Ultra HD commercial display for high-impact messaging and communications. This commercial grade digital signage display can generate impressive and influential visual messaging in installations in a variety of campus environments. It delivers a powerful and reliable messaging tool, 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Judges liked that the product’s flexible display options could make very large images easily.

WRITABLE
(WWW.WRITABLE.COM)

Writable is a guided writing program for grades 3-12 that helps teachers scaffold and motivate students to become purposeful, proficient writers, and helps schools assess and monitor writing growth. With 600+ assignments and prompts (or create your own), and district or state-level benchmark assessments, Writable helps teachers save time on prep and grading while focusing their writing instruction. Judges liked the product’s ability to create solid foundations for teachers to effectively teach writing.

WURRLYEDU
(WWW.WURRLYEDU.COM)

WURRLYedu offers culturally relevant content and interactive digital tools to make music education fun, effective and affordable, qualities that especially impressed the judges. WURRLYedu’s innovative approach increases student engagement, while also improving the development of musical, social and emotional skills. With WURRLYedu, students have all the resources necessary to discover, practice, and record music both inside and outside the classroom. WURRLYedu’s partnerships with several other education organizations is another strong aspect of this platform.

ZSPACE EXPERIENCES
(ZSPACE.COM/EDU/INFO/ZSPACE-EXPERIENCES)

zSpace provides all-in-one computers and laptops featuring 3D technology, head tracking glasses, and styli that allow students to interact with AR/VR content in an immersive environment. zSpace Experiences include simulations that are experiential in nature. Students observe cause and effect, collect live data, and change conditions in the environment through lessons based on Next Generation Science Standards. Judges liked its interactive 3D experience and that it allowed students to receive real world multimedia experiences.

Each year in late June, ISTE is held in a large US city, drawing educators and administrators from across the globe. Hailed as the premier gathering for all things “edtech,” the ISTE conference hosts some of the largest and most interactive displays of classroom technologies. Many of these tools claim to be capable of innovating teaching and learning. What sets these products—whether they be software or a new device—apart from the numerous edtech inventions flooding the growing K–12 edtech marketplace?

For me, this question was answered not at ISTE but at the annual pre-ISTE Tech & Learning Leadership Summit held this year in Philadelphia. As is typical at a Tech & Learning Summit, the weekend kicked off with site visits to two schools that are doing amazing things for kids in the classroom with the help of technology. At FirstHand Philly’s Science Learning Academy, a school that has embraced Project Inquiry learning, student-centered projects were on abundant display. These included a re-imagining of what a student desk should be, complete with snack boxes and a built-in privacy screen. These and other student-led inquiry projects demonstrated how empowering students and providing them with access to the tools they need to create can lead to end results every educator and administrator strives to see daily: demonstrated competencies.

At the second site, the Drexel ExCITe Center for Expressive and Creative Interaction Technologies, participants saw similar demonstrations of learning, with more emphasis on the advanced expression involving “technologies.” As students demonstrated the game they had coded, which is now for sale on Xbox One Marketplace (the game is called Sole), or showed how they learned to program an automated drum set to play the “Super Mario Brothers” theme song, or even as they wrote the necessary code to ensure a robot could “see” via an Xbox Kinect sensor, the transformative approach of allowing students to personalize their own learning, including their assessments, adorned the center.

Throughout the summit, other outstanding examples of schools that were bold enough to innovate the manner in which students’ learning was assessed were highlighted. The following morning, Building 21, which is located in urban Philadelphia, shared many of their bold initiatives. They’ve enabled high-school students entering the program at a fifth-grade reading level to make rigorous and relevant contributions to both the school and local businesses, including both professions and vocations—the 21st-century’s definition of career readiness. The extraordinary success of Building 21, which is part of Philadelphia Schools’ Innovation Network, is the result of combining personalized learning pathways with a strong culture focusing on staff-student relationships—all while being completely immersed in problem-based learning. The school’s laser-like focus on “improving skills, not percentages” seems to be paying off in preparing students for success outside the school walls.

Throughout the weekend of learning and networking in the City of Brotherly Love, many more examples of “best practices” regarding instruction with technology were shared. And while many new inventions were on display later in the week at ISTE, this practice of boldly using any available technology (devices, shop tools, software, musical instruments, etc.) to transform the teaching and learning experience into something more meaningful and personalized for students is the definition of true innovation.

Todd Dugan is the Superintendent of Bunker Hill CUSD #8 in Bunker Hill, Illinois.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)  highlights free NASA resources on the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. 

For nearly a decade, ISTE has collaborated with NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission, which provides educators with resources to engage students in ISTE Standards-ready research and engineering-design activities. 

At ISTE19 in Philadelphia, nearly 20,000 members took part in a NASA Playground that featured the planetarium show “Apollo and Beyond: Conquering Gravity.” NASA personnel gave presentations and answered questions at six stations covering virtual and augmented reality, digital learning environments, digital fabrication and design (3D printing and 2D modeling), mobile sensors in smartphones, coding and electronics, and assistive technologies with Eclipse Soundscapes.  

ISTE’s materials include NASA resources, ISTE’s NASA resource poster and a series of blog posts about NASA’s citizen science lessons. Educators can also connect with Apollo 50th Anniversary STEM content

More than two dozen educators from across New York City schools experienced the benefits of team learning when they descended upon Philadelphia, PA for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference.

You can read the insights of these attendees below to discover the benefits they realized as a result of participating in events as a team. If you like what they shared you can click on their name to learn more about them and follow them on Twitter.

Better Together

Being together as a NYCDOE team made such a difference. The discussions went on all day and night about how we can all be better. I loved being part of our team. It made ISTE 100 times better.

--Eileen Lennon

Overall the level of support, technical assistance, and collective knowledge made us all more effective.

--Sean Arnold

Supportive Environment

I felt supported and welcome in the group. The conference was not isolating or overwhelming like I imagined, I had a group of people I could turn to when I needed help, directions, advice, session ideas. ISTE with #NYCSchoolsTech inspired me more than anything else in my teaching career.

--Serena Robinett

It was powerful and energizing to know that we have each other for support, collaboration, and good conversations. 

--Cindy Wong

Having a team there enabled us to attend one another’s presentations and provide a supportive environment for colleagues. 

--Jackie Patanio

Deeper Discussions

We discussed what we learned, what we shared, what help we might need, what we will do when we get home. All of those discussions happened in Philly when they couldn't have happened anywhere else.

--Eileen Lennon

We had in depth discussions that I would not have had with strangers- the tech trends we foresee in NYC, different ways to foster community among teachers, and how to implement more digital inclusion in our practice.

--Serena Robinett

A Part of Something Bigger

In my school I often feel very isolated, an island struggling to make connection with the mainland classroom. The group always give me a sense of being part of something bigger. 

--Nick Rubinfier

Making District-Specific Meaning 

It was most important to turn to my colleagues and say ”what do you think of this... in nyc?” To grow we need to collaborate on a level beyond the day to day. Being there as a group helped us to do that.  

--Clay Smith

This atmosphere allowed for conversations tied to relevant and current content which we could discuss in terms of how it relates to or work at the NYCDOE.  

--JoAnn Westhall

Conferences are a chance to learn from others and bring back actionable practices to your school, but attending as a group is so much more fulfilling. At one point I mentioned something I was considering doing at my school and was given advice and model schools in NYC to look to for inspiration and best practices.

--Serena Robinett

Attending ISTE as a group meant being with like-minded and bold educators with a vision to prepare students to be future ready. 

--Cindy Wong

Benefits to Non-Attendees

Attending as a group allowed DOE members to record my sessions and allow DOE staff not in attendance to benefit from being able to view the material. 

--Sean Arnold

Strengthen Relationships

Meeting colleagues/collaborating from across the NYCDOE from our online PLN (#NYCSchoolsTech group) in person helped me feel closer to the community, gave me a sense of who to seek for crowdsourcing. There are so many incredibly talented educators within this group each with a unique skill and experience.  

--JoAnn Westhall

Awareness

The group helped me find sessions that I might not have considered which benefited me greatly (I even sprinted to a session!).

--Serena Robinet

Being a part of the group enabled me to be aware of sessions and learning opportunities I didn't have time or the availability to make.

--Sean Arnold

A Sense of Belonging

I attended the last ISTE in Phili years ago, and felt very detached. This year, it was the opposite. I felt closer to the whole Network of NYCDOE Tech people, and to EdTech as a whole.  I came back so much richer than I went.  It also helped me clarify what I want to do with the next phase of my career. 

--Eric Kollin

This was my first ISTE and being a part of the group made this experience non-isolating and helped expand our network to share ideas and resources. 

--Cindy Wong

Your Turn

What do you think? Have you attended a learning opportunity with others? If so, did you realize any of these benefits? Anything missing? What are some strategies you’ve put in place for successful team learning?

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.   

For the past couple of years I’ve been a live reporter at ISTE and for 2 years interviewed folks with my toddler, Savvy. This year I am attending the ISTE conference virtually! Over a year ago I learned about Microsoft Education’s Immersive Reader, which is a free powerful literacy tool that is transforming education. Immersive Reader is the tool I am most excited about this year, because it helps support struggling readers of all ages. You must check out this tool if you haven’t already, because it is definitely a game changer! In addition to the exciting news that Immersive Reader is being integrated into various popular free third party apps, this year’s ISTE conference highlighted so many ways to use Microsoft Education apps and tools to engage and support learners! Below I have added links to resources, tips, and updates thanks to Wakelet, the great free curation tool that captures reflections and reactions from Twitter during a conference.

Microsoft Education Tips and Updates

These are the important updates covering Office 365, Flipgrid, Skype Classroom, Minecraft Education, and OneNote. If you want to keep current with Microsoft Education updates follow the hashtags #MicrosoftEDU, #MIEExpert, #Office365, #MSFTEduChat and #MicrosoftTeams. Follow these Twitter accounts- @MicrosoftEDU, @Hacking_STEM, and @mtholfsen. You might also want to follow these hashtags and Twitter accounts to learn more about these specific Microsoft products- @OneNoteEDU, #OneNote, @Flipgrid,#FlipgridFever, @SkypeClassroom, #SkypeClassroom, #Skype2Learn, #MinecraftEdu, and @PlayCraftLearn.

• Minecraft Edu and third party apps have now added the powerful literacy tool, Immersive Reader, right into their products.
• The Flipgrid video camera will be the default video recording tool in OneNote to allow students to record and embed videos.
  Teachers and students will be able to login and use Office365 apps with their Google accounts.
• Immersive Reader will be available for the full captioned transcript of every Flipgrid video response.
• Update your apps and try Flipgrid AR! Scan QR codes and videos are shared in AR. Find out about more recent Flipgrid updates here.
• Presenter Coach is a new Powerpoint feature that allows students to enter rehearsal mode and receive on-screen guidance about pacing, inclusive language, conciseness of language, profanity, filler words, and originality as they speak into a microphone. Check out this post and video for more details.
• Skype Classroom is getting an update in the fall with easier searching and filtering.

Microsoft Education Tips and Resources

These are some of the highlighted tweets taken during the presentations and related to Google Edu so you have the latest news, updates, presentations, resources, and tips!

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

As the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference ends and summer begins, Soundtrap provides us with a great learning series. It's called#BestofISTE.  Each of the 20 episodes highlights the best of what is taking place at ISTE from the perspective of accomplished leaders at ISTE. 

Podcasts include experts discussing topics such as accessible technology, digital equity, digital portfolios, inclusive classrooms, and podcasting with students. 

Each episode was taped, edited, and uploaded directly from the Soundtrap booth at ISTE.

You can check out the series which is available for free on Spotify at www.soundtrap.com/iste. 

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.   

Celebrating the organization’s 40th anniversary, thousands of educators gathered for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) in Philadelphia for the organization’s annual Conference & Expo. 

The total number of participants topped 20,000. Teachers, education leaders and exhibitors from all 50 states and 81 countries gathered in the City of Brotherly Love for four days of immersive professional learning. The conference comprised of over 2,000 learning opportunities, presented by more than 3,000 presenters, including 476 students, from interactive workshops and playgrounds, to BYOD sessions, field trips and inspirational speakers.   

Attendees engaged in critical topics on education, sharing best practices on innovating learning, empowering and engaging learnings. They were treated to hands-on experiences with augmented and virtual reality, as well as seeing first-hand how 3D printing works and new developments in artificial intelligence. More than 550 companies shared their latest products. 

ISTE2020 will be held in Anaheim, California, June 28-July 1, 2020.

For the past years I’ve been a live reporter at ISTE and for 2 years conducted interviews with my toddler, Savvy. This year I am attending the ISTE conferencevirtually thanks to #PasstheScopeEDU and the #NOTatISTE19 team! Below I have curated live interviews, resources, tips, and news with Wakelet, the great free curation tool.

Education Technology News, Tools, & Updates

The ISTE Conference is famous for featuring so many incredible education technology tools, devices, apps and startups. This year’s conference was filled with so many exciting announcements by technology companies. Below I have gathered resources and interviews featuring Buncee, Kahoot, PowerUpToys, Epson Education, MakeyMakey, GoBubble, Extreme Networks, Texthelp, Qball, Bitsbox, Bulb, Soundtrap, the Goals Project, Impero Software, and NetSupport. Don’t forget to also check out my ISTE posts featuring Microsoft  Education (Minecraft, Skype, and Flipgrid) and Google Education news and updates.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

For the past couple of years I’ve been a live reporter at ISTE and for 2 years interviewed folks with my toddler, Savvy. This year I am attending the ISTE conference virtually!  This year’s conference highlighted so many ways to use Google apps and tools to engage learners and make grading, assessment, feedback, pbl, gamification, student engagement, collaboration, student choice, and student voice easy to do! Currently, I am the Computer and Technology teacher of over 400 elementary students. Google Education apps and tools has helped me manage it all and be a powerful teacher. If you missed the zilions of presentations and amazing ideas at ISTE don’t worry, because I got you covered. Below I have added links to presentations, resources, tips, and more thanks to Wakelet, the great free curation tool that captures thoughts, reflections, and reactions from Twitter during a conference. I recommend following the presenters. I have shared a list of Google Gurus in this post.

Top Google Education Tips and Updates

These are the important updates and cool ways to use Google Education apps and tools.

• Students can now earn a GSuite certification!
• Google Classroom is adding several grading features, including rubrics, and has a new user-friendly design.
• Now you can import questions from other forms on Google Forms and Google Forms is getting a makeover.
• Google Expeditions is now compatible with Chromebooks and students can use Tour Creator to build their own virtual reality tours.
• Google has new grammar suggestions to improve writing.
• Google has partnered with different EdTech companies, such as Seesaw and Kahoot! so teachers and students can easily use learning apps with Chromebooks and GSuites Edu.

TEACHING & LEARNING IDEAS, RESOURCES, & TIPS

• @WTerral shared how to create gifs with Google Slides and how to make your own Chrome extensions.
• In their presentation, Get in the Game! Lil Gamers, @mrsnpartyka  and @k8wakeshare downloadable Choice Menus and Game Boards, tips for managing choice work in Google Classroom, and ideas for gamification with Google Forms.
• Find resources for the presentation, If You Give a Kindergartener a Chromebook, here.
• Add Screencastify’s screen recording videos (create tutorials or show students how to use websites) to Google Slides. Great for your beginning of the year presentations.
  @Njcashman shared the resource Glide for creating an app within minutes using Google Spreadsheet.
• @She3llyLynn84 shared how to create games with Google Slides.
• Google Earth scavenger hunts where another idea. I didn’t see links, but found these two resources (Geolocation coordinates scavenger hunt and Google Classroom scavenger hunt) to help you set this up in your classroom.

Top Google Tips and Resources

These are some of the highlighted tweets taken during the presentations and related to Google Education so you have the latest news, updates, resources, and tips!

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

For the past couple of years I’ve been a live reporter at ISTE and for 2 years interviewed folks with my toddler, Savvy. This year I am attending the amazing ISTE conference virtually thanks to #PasstheScopeEDU and the #NOTatISTE19 team! Below I have embedded the recordings of both Toutoule Ntoya (@ToutouleNtoya)and Dan Kreiness (@dkreiness) of the ISTE Ignite Talks Round 1 and  Round 2. I also included some tweets highlighting the messages of the various presentations. There are over 20 presentations from educators and students from around the world lasting five minutes each.

Click to Watch the Recordings

Below are the recordings of the presentations thanks to Toutoule Ntoya, Ed.D (@ToutouleNtoya) and Dan Kreiness (@dkreiness).

These are the titles and order of the Round 1 Ignites:

1. “Define Your Why: Develop Your Passion to Live and Learn on Purpose,” Barbara Bray. 2. Sarah Jagels. 3. “Student-Passion-Fueled Green Team,” Jaime Chanter. 4. “The Edge of Epiphany: PL Doesn’t Have a Box,” Virginia Duncan. 5. “Growing Up Global: How Performing for a Worldwide Audience Gave Me Voice,” Ethan Duncan. 6. “Gamification That Works,” Josh Feinsilber. 7. “Promote Metacognition and Reflection in STEM,” Melinda Kolk. 8. “How the Design Process Helped Our School Fight Bigotry and Hate,” Henry Turner. 9. “Teaching Kids How to Build World-Changing Inventions — By Students for Students,” Sidharth Anantha. 10. “Don’t Vilify the Device: Quality Content Over Screen Time,” Douglas Konopelko. 11. “Saksham — The Story of How We Enabled the Blind,” Aryan Kaul. 12. “Mentoring Matters: Creating Leaders in Online Spaces,” Jennifer Casa-Todd. 13. “Beautiful Technology Will Save the World: How Exceptional Design Can Transform Learning,” Erik Petrik. 14. “Digital Design: Innovative Coding Through Embroidery,” Tammy Glass. 15. “STEM-Tastic Engineering for ALL Early Learners,” Patricia Smeyers. 16. “Catching Education Up With The World,” Alex Kovach

These are the titles and order of the Round 2 Ignites:

These are the titles and order of the Round 2 Ignites: 1. “Creativity: There’s Not an App for That,” Manuel S. Herrera. 2. “The Design-Thinking Challenge for Global Good,” Todd Flory. 3. “Art of Math Challenge,” Emily Silverman. 4. “Priming Brains to Learn: Neuroscience-Based Programs to Strengthen Students’ Executive Function Skills,” Karen Alexander. 5. “Shift Your Thinking: Close the Science Achievement Gap in Early Ed,” Jenna Mercury. 6. “How the Philadelphia Eagles Changed My Classroom Culture,” Kammas Kersch. 7. “The Partnership Playbook — Providing Authentic Learning Experiences to Prepare Students for Success,” Dennis Best. 8. “WanderlustEDU: An Educator’s Guide to Innovation, Change, and Adventure,” Micah Shippee. 9. “Video Game Clubs and Social Philanthropy,” Josh Bound. 10. “Shifting From Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered: Examples From Over 500 Classrooms,” Katie Martin. 11. “Invisible Habits: How Might We Change the ‘Rules’ of School?,” Bill Selak.

Highlighted Tweets

Wakelet is a great free curation tool to capture thoughts, reflections, and reactions from Twitter during a presentation. These are some of the highlighted tweets.

If you are not at ISTE then check out this incredible infographic of ways to participate virtually created by @Edublogs.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

Innovative educators understand the importance of being in touch with the latest trends in ed tech. Richard Culatta, CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) helps us by sharing what the organization sees as the next big trends. To bring this to life, he had the global leaders in each area explain what's in store for us.

2019/20: The Year Of...

Artificial Intelligence

Culatta explained that AI is so important that General Motors approached ISTE with their concern that today's students won't graduate prepared to work for them. They need students who are immersed in and knowledgeable about AI on their team. But most teachers aren't doing that.

Fortunately, teachers like April Keck DeGennaro who teaches at Peoples Elementary School in Georgia is. She shared why AI is important in her SCREAM Lab. SCREAM stands for science, computing, robotics, engineering, artificial intelligence, and math. Her students use technology to interact with others around the world to solve real-world problems in their community an beyond. She has used empathy-based engineering and AI to solve these problems. April also was a participant in the ISTE U Artificial Intelligence Course.

Educator Voice

Patricia J. Brown, a tech specialist for Ladue School District explains why we need to start hearing more stories about education from educators. She knows first hand. When she first enlisted in the ISTE and TED masterclass, she didn't know what story she had to offer the world. It didn't take long for her to figure that out and then share her powerful story on the ISTE stage in 2018. You can check it out in the video below.

If you want to find your story to share, check out the ISTE and TED masterclass. You have until July 2 to apply.

Digital Citizenship: Student Style

Dr. Marialice B. F. X. Curran and her twelve year old child, Curran Dee explained the importance of including students in the digital citizenship conversations, lessons, and use even before they are 13 years old.

Dr. Curran explained that she and her son have a joint social media account. They use social media side by side so that when he turns 13 he will have the tools and guidance necessary to be successful. 

Curran Dee, Dr. Curran's son, explained that to learn about the digital world, kids need to be in it. He says instead of telling us what not to do, adults should help kids change headlines by turning negatives into positives. Curran provides advice for how kids can be responsible digital citizens by sharing their voice, solving problems and creating solutions, and empowering other kids. 

Dr. Curran explained that what should be trending in social media is the learning that happens in the classroom.

This duo serve as the global connectors behind DigCitInstitute, DigCitSummit and DigCitKids. You can check out their mother and son story, DigCitKids: Lessons Learning Side-by-Side, to Empower Others Aroundthe World.

Keep an eye out for their upcoming joint campaign with ISTE: #DigCitCommit

Digital Equity

The importance of digital equity was explained by Dr. Nicole R. Howard, assistant professor at the school of education at the University of Redlands and Dr. Sarah Thomas, regional tech coordinator in Prince George's County Public Schools. Both are members of the ISTE digital equity network.

They explained the importance of hearing from the voices that need to be heard and the power we now have to share those voices. A useful resource is the COSN Digital Equity Tookit.

Dr. Thomas shared some strategies to provide digital equity such as:

• Homework hotspots: Have a map of internet hotspots around the community
• Low-cost broadband programs: Search for ones like EveryoneOn that exist in your community
• Mobile hotspots and devices: Search for programs like the 1 Million Project that provide mobile hotspots and devices.
• School bus wifi: In communities where students spend a lot of time on a bus, consider using a company like Kajeet to provide internet access during the commute.
• Schools as wireless hubs: Some schools are using LTE technology to push internet access to their community.
• Digital Equity PLN: Join the digital equity network

Your turn

What do you think? Is Culatta right? Are these the trends of the year? What do you think is missing?

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.   

For the past couple of years I’ve been a live reporter at ISTE and for 2 years interviewed folks with my toddler, Savvy. This year I am attending the amazing ISTE conference virtually thanks to #PasstheScopeEDU and the #NOTatISTE19 team! Below I have embedded F. Margret Atkinson’s recording of the ISTE session, More Stupid Ideas in Edtech (and Why You Should Totally Do Them) with @adambellow @leobrehm @smartinez @teach42 @jamiedonally and @andrewtwallace. The panel was quite humorous and some even poked fun at some of their ideas. The panel covered many different topics such as screen time, iPads, AR, VR, Twitter, Hour of Code, and even acronyms. The audience left with great technology integration ideas, tools, and laughs. However, the key takeaway can be summed up by @MeganBFrazer’s tweet:

Click to Watch the Recording

Below is the recording of the session thanks to F. Margret Atkinson (@fmargret).

Highlighted Tweets

Wakelet is a great free curation tool to capture thoughts, reflections, and reactions from Twitter during a keynote and presentation. These are some of the highlighted tweets commenting on the panel.

If you are not at ISTE then check out ways this incredible infographic of ways to participate virtually created by @Edublogs.

cross posted at teacherrebootcamp.com

Shelly Terrell is a Technology and Computer teacher, education consultant, and author of books including Hacking Digital Learning Strategies: 10 Ways to Launch EdTech Missions in Your Classroom. Read more at teacherrebootcamp.com.

Nearpod Student Engagement Platform for K-12 teachers, today launched Time to Climb, a new game-based activity that allows students to compete across various subjects through interactive visualizations to assess comprehension and increase engagement in the classroom. 

Time to Climb, the platform’s introduction of game-based activities to its lessons, is designed to ignite friendly competition and interactivity in the classroom while  assessing students’ understanding. The activity, which can be embedded in any lesson, asks students to answer multiple choice questions against the clock in a race to the top of a mountain, visualizing their progress and understanding through interactive simulations. At the end of the game, the top three winners are presented with fanfare, bringing friendly competition into the classroom. Additionally, teachers are given access to post-session reporters on each students’ performance, allowing them to get a full picture of their classes’ comprehension in real-time. 

Time To Climb is integrated into any existing Nearpod lesson, allowing any topic or subject to be gamified. The teacher will see a dashboard with the students’ ranking, as well as a view of the mountain as the students progress towards the top and students can see the class rankings on the teacher view. Teachers can integrate any of the 25 pre-made offerings with existing Nearpod-created lessons or develop their own with tailored questions to fit their students’ needs. 

Time to Climb can be played in any grade level and supports all classroom sizes. The new offering will work on all devices such as desktops, iPads, Chromebooks, Android devices and more. Time to Climb is currently available through teacher-paced lessons.

Teachers can add Time to Climb activities to any existing or new Nearpod lesson - check the collection of ready-to-run lessons here or can stop by Nearpod’s booth (#2234) at ISTE 2019.  

Time to Climb is available at no additional charge for all Nearpod users, including users of Nearpod’s free Silver licenses. To sign up for a free Silver account and start using Nearpod today, click here.

I am excited and honored to once again present at the 2019 ISTE Conference in Philadelphia this June 23rd through 26th.

I always look forward to this opportunity to see old friends, make new friends, share some ideas, and learn so many new things from others.

Below is a list of sessions I will be presenting at the ISTE Conference, along with any associated resources. Please feel free to join me for any of these sessions. I look forward to sharing, learning, and chatting with you!

My Sessions

SUNDAY, JUNE 23RD

Beyond the Slideshow: Unleashing Student Creativity With Google Slides
6/23 - 12:30–2:00 pm
Building/Room: Franklin 5-6-7, Marriott
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/slides

MONDAY, JUNE 24TH

Make 360-Degree Virtual Tours With Google Tour Creator
6/24 - 10:30 am–12:00 pm
Building/Room: Franklin 11-12-13, Marriott
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/tourcreator

Give Every Student a Voice with the Free Pear Deck Add-on for Google Slides
6/24 - 1:00-1:30 pm
EdTechTeam Booth #1722
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/peardeck

Free Image Tools and Resources for Pear Deck with Google Slides
6/24 - 3:00–4:00 pm
Pear Deck Booth #906
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/freepics

Google Tools for Struggling Students
6/24 - 4:30–5:30 pm
Building/Room: 126AB
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/sped

TUESDAY, JUNE 25TH (My 50th Birthday!)

Engaging ELA Activities With Google Docs
6/25 - 11:45 am–12:45 pm
Building/Room: 115A
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/docslit

Level Up with Applied Digital Skills
6/25 - 2:00-2:40pm
Stage B1 - Google Playground, Level 2, Grand Hall
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/applieddigitalskills

360 Degree Learning with Tour Creator
6/25 - 3:30-4:10pm
Stage B2 - Google Playground, Level 2, Grand Hall
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/tourcreator

Google Tools for Art Education
6/25 - 5:00-5:30pm
Table B3 - Google Playground, Level 2, Grand Hall
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/googleart

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26TH

Hipster Google - Tools You Probably Never Heard Of
6/26 - 10:30–11:30 am
Building/Room: Terrace Ballroom IV, Level 4
Session Resources - www.ControlAltAchieve.com/hipster

Demo Slam!
6/26 - 2:00-2:30 pm
EdTechTeam Booth #1722

Connect with Me

I would love to stay connected with you after the conference. Please feel free to connect with me in any of the ways listed below:

•  Email: ericcurts@gmail.com
• Twitter: @ericcurts
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/ericcurts 

If you’re attending the International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) conference, you'll want to be prepared. Here are a few go-to articles and a few takeaways that will help you get the most out of this, or any learning activity, this summer. 

What Will You “Be” at ISTE?

Angela Maiers reminds us that what’s more important than what it is you plan “to do” is who you want “to be” at ISTE.  She tells us to be...  

• prepared
• rememberable
• tactically serendipitous
• reflective
• a sharer
• a question asker
• courageous
• kind
• a learner
• patient
• persistent

What I like the most in her advice is to be rememberable.

She says:

Each time you introduce yourself, you are not just handing them your business card; you are telling them your story. Your introduction is what can make or break a great first impression, so your story needs to be brief, bold, and “rememberable.” Leave them wanting to know more. The key is to stand out for the right reasons; your strengths, your unique talents, and perspectives.

We should all consider our introduction.

For this ISTE, I think mine will be this:

I am working to ensure staff in NYC schools know how to develop content that is inclusive of everyone, including the world’s largest minority group: Those with disabilities, as well as people who speak all languages. Where I work 50% of families speak a language other than English at home.  

What will yours be?

12 Tips for Connecting at Education Conferences

This post has helpful tips such as, attend with intention and work the line after keynotes. My favorite piece of advice is a tip about business cards Select four intentions or goals i.e. 1) Accessibility experts 2) Those who use ISTE standards 3) Twitter chat moderators 4) Podcasters.

Once you’ve selected the four intentions, have each corner represent an intention. Then after you meet the person, fold the appropriate corner. It is possible to have none or all corners folded. This will give you a quick way to visually see and sort your cards. You should also consider writing a quick note on the back with anything that is important to remember or follow up actions.

Where Have All The Powerful Ideas Gone?

The article points out that 1967 was the year educational computing was born. It was the year Alan Kay gave birth to the concept of a ‘laptop’ computer for kids, which he sketched on a flight back to the US after working with Jean Piaget, Seymour Papert, and some young students.  In 1967, Kay wasn’t simply thinking of his ‘laptop’ as a new medium of expression, or way of doing things more efficiently. Rather he saw it as a place where young people could create and explore new, powerful ideas. Where they could do things that were simply not previously possible, at levels of complexity never before imaginable. As an instrument whose music is ideas.

The article challenges ISTE attendees to find more examples of what Kay envisioned and focus less on things like monitoring students, using tech to test prep or deliver instruction.

What to expect at ISTE19

 Get advice directly from ISTE. Highlights from this article are:  

• Have learning goals
• Use the right hashtag #ISTE19 and handle @ISTE
• Dress for comfort (lots of walking) and sometimes cold rooms (bring a sweater)

Your turn

These are some of the tips and pieces of advice I like to keep in mind before attending summer learning events like ISTE. What do you think? Are there ideas that resonate with you? Anything missing? 

Lisa Nielsen (@InnovativeEdu) has worked as a public-school educator and administrator since 1997. She is a prolific writer best known for her award-winning blog, The Innovative Educator. Nielsen is the author of several booksand her writing has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times,The Wall Street Journal, Tech&Learning, and T.H.E. Journal.

Epson America, Inc. will be exhibiting its lineup of education technology solutions at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2019 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia in booth #1522.  In addition to its range of laser display solutions, Epson will be featuring its business inkjet printers that aim to bring low-cost color printing to educational institutions.

Epson products showcased at ISTE include:

BrightLink® 1485Fi: The new ultra short-throw interactive laser display features laser technology and up to 5,000 lumens of color and white brightness. With new 16:6 widescreen display options, the BrightLink 1485Fi turns almost any flat surface into an instant, ultra-wide interactive digital whiteboard. 

PowerLite® L610U: Intended for small- to medium-size rooms, this portable projector features an integrated laser light source, up to 6,000 lumens of color and white brightness,1 WUXGA resolution, and enhanced wireless technology to connect to multiple devices. 

LightScene®: A new category of accent lighting laser projectors, LightScene is designed to meet education’s demand for digital signage, simultaneously illuminating and projecting dynamic content onto virtually any surface or material. Using LightScene, schools can showcase student work, provide wayfinding, promote events, acknowledge volunteers or donors, and project a scene, such as a rainforest, on every surface in the classroom.

WorkForce® Enterprise WF-C20590: The multifunction color printer WorkForce Enterprise WF-C20590 offers  up to 100 ISO ppm, and high-yield large capacity ink cartridges delivering up to 50,000 black / 50,000 color ISO pages at an attractive price for budget minded schools. It utilizes up to 50 percent less power than color lasers, operating on a standard 110-volt outlet.

WorkForce Pro WF-C579R: An ideal solution for satellite campus needs or specialty programs that need low-cost color printing, the WorkForce Pro WF-C579R offers up to 75% lower color printing costs vs. color laser. Its Replaceable Ink Pack System delivers up to 50,000 ISO pages black/20,000 ISO color before changing the packs. The printer offers professional-quality prints at 24 ISO ppm (black/color) and 1,330-sheet total paper capacity with optional trays. The WF-C579R also offers 50-page ADF, auto 2-sided printing, copying, scanning, and faxing.

WorkForce ST-4000 EcoTank® features cartridge-free printing with supersized ink tanks and includes up to two years of ink in the box – enough to print up to 14,000 pages black/11,200 color. Educators can save up to 80 percent with low-cost replacement ink bottles vs. ink cartridges. The ST-EcoTank series offers fast auto 2-sided printing as well convenient wireless printing from tablets and smartphones.

Epson’s Brighter Futures® program offers special pricing, extended Epson limited warranty coverage for a total of five years, dedicated education account managers, and toll-free technical support for all Epson projectors and associated accessories.

Epson’s education solutions will be on display at ISTE in booth #1522 

For additional information on Epson’s education technology solutions, visit: https://epson.com/business-solutions-higher-education-market-products

Education technology SaaS provider GoGuardian, today announced it will be making a donation to a local Philadelphia education charity at this year’s ISTE 2019 conference. Knowing that conference promotional items often end up as waste in the local community, GoGuardian, a sponsor and exhibitor at ISTE 2019, is creating a new twist on conference giveaways by giving away money instead of promotional items.

GoGuardian will be donating to Coded by Kids, a local Philadelphia charity that provides young people, of all backgrounds, with intermediate to advanced-level software development, data science and user experience design skills.

GoGuardian is pledging $10 for every heart that attendees pin on the GoGuardian Giving Tree at the GoGuardian ISTE booth (#1752), with a minimum donation of $5000.

In addition, those who stop by the booth can interact with and learn about GoGuardian’s portfolio of tools that help K-12 schools create safe and effective digital learning environments. GoGuardian will be giving live demos of GoGuardian Admin, Teacher,Beacon, DNS and Fleet. To learn more about this year’s conference and GoGuardian, check out: http://bit.ly/315K583.

ISTE 2019 will be held June 23-26 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.

With just a few days to go until ISTE19, Tech&Learning is pleased to share more featured voices who will inspire, surprise and delight attendees in Philadelphia.

These presenters from around the globe join the over two dozen featured voices educators will be hearing from during the conference.

• Rafal Lew-Starowicz, Ministry of National Education, Poland  
• Mariana Montaldo, Plan CeIbal  
• J Collins, Liminal Esports   
• Maria Cristina Escobar, AulaActiva Educación Digital   
• Manuel Herrera, Affton School District  
• Jessica Herring, University of Central Arkansas  

CYPHER LEARNING has announced it will be showcasing NEO, its learning management system (LMS) for schools and universities at ISTE 2019, in Philadelphia, between June 23-26.

Attendees can visit NEO in the expo hall at Booth 900, where the NEO team will provide attendees with insights on how to manage online classroom activities and showcase the newest features including drag and drop widgets, proctored assignments, and public profile pages. 

The drag and drop widgets allow users to choose from a library of built-in widgets to customize their dashboards, groups, classes, or learning paths. 

Proctored assignments allow teachers to add restrictions to assignments, so that students can only access them if certain conditions are met, such as entering an access code, if the start time of the assignment has been reached, and/or if the student is accessing an assignment from a specific IP address.

The new public profile pages allow users to share their NEO profiles with the public and pass on their achievements in learning.

NEO was recently selected as the winner of the “General Classroom Resources” category in the UK’s Education Resources Awards 2019. The platform was also named the #1 LMS for Higher Education in 2019 by the Craig Weiss Group.

To find out more, visit the NEO team at Booth 900 in the expo hall or go to www.neolms.com

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has named Rhonda Ford, a leader in education, as the organization’s Chief Membership & Partnership Officer. Ford has a unique combination of experiences that includes leadership roles in education organizations, nonprofits and international learning.

Ford will lead ISTE’s programs with members, affiliate groups, school districts, and partners in the US and globally. Through high impact programs and collaborations with these various stakeholders, Ford will work to increase ISTE’s reach and impact to transform teaching and learning, accelerate innovation and solve tough problems in education.  

Ford began her career as an elementary educator and comes to ISTE with extensive experience in people operations, diversity, equity, inclusion, adult learning, as well as in executive strategy at Teach For America and other national education organizations.

Ford received her B.A. in Nonprofit Management, Spanish and Sociology from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and her M.A. in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University.  

Educators from around the world will gather in the historic city of Philadelphia this summer to chart the future of learning in their schools and discover ways to reach all students. They’ll be challenged, emboldened and inspired as a dynamic group of accomplished speakers address the importance of creativity and the heart of resilience at the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) Conference & Expo, ISTE19, June 23-26.

Speakers include Pixar Animation Studios’ Director of Photography for Lighting Danielle Feinberg who has worked on 13 of Pixar’s films, directing the lighting for the Academy Award®-winning films “Wall-E,” “Brave” and “Coco.” She also works with teenage girls, encouraging them to pursue coding, math and science by demonstrating the magic found by combining art and technology. Building on this theme, Sady Paulson will create a two-minute video to kick off her presentation about assistive technology and highlight her incredible journey of breaking barriers to become a cinematographer.

Mike Walsh, futurist and author, will share his thoughts on artificial intelligence and how leaders and learners can thrive in the current era of disruptive technological change, while Manoush Zomorodi, author of Bored and Brilliant and a media company co-founder, will present on “human skills for digital natives” and preserving our humanity in the digital age.

2018 National Teacher of the Year Mandy Manning will discuss how edtech can help learning become more inclusive. This idea will also be highlighted by artist Phil Hansen, who will discuss the impact nerve damage had on his life and how it led him to see “limitations as a source for creativity.”

Michael Bonner, an author and educator at North Carolina's South Greenville Elementary, will discuss the challenges of working in a school where students face food insecurity, difficult family dynamics and even homelessness. 

ISTE19 offers three days of active learning with over 1,400 sessions in various formats, including dozens of playgrounds presented by educators and students that explore critical topics such as STEM, computer science, creativity and design, and featured content such as TED-partner sessions, a NASA makerspace, an educator hack-a-thon and experiential field trips throughout Philadelphia. Attendees can also participate in the expo hall with over 500 vendors sharing hands-on edtechexperiences – from artificial intelligence to 3D printing to virtual reality.

Learn more about ISTE19 at isteconference.org. Stay connected by following ISTE on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Join the conversation with #ISTE19.

 Save $45 when you register by May 1.  Register here. 

ISTE 2019 seeks proposals from educators at any career stage, from all backgrounds and all parts of the world - and student participation in presentations is encouraged. Exhibitor proposals that demonstrate noncommercial uses of technology to transform education are also welcome.

To submit a proposal or learn more about what makes a good proposal, visit https://conference.iste.org/2019/presenters/submit_proposal.php. Proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. PT, September 27, 2018.

[T&L’S ISTE 2018 BEST OF SHOW AWARDS WINNERS]