District Administration - October 2010 - (Page 69)

Making Your Schools FUTURE PROOF Lamson, Westerly Public Schools’ director of technology. Interactive Whiteboards Smartboards and projectors are among other technologies that have changed. “Interactive smartboards are standard now,” says Ferris, and “projectors have gotten so advanced, you can mount them right on the wall. Just three years ago, we would hang the projector from the ceiling and shoot it on the wall. Now you can mount some of them just six inches from the wall and they still project the image.” e Vallejo City (Calif.) Uniﬁed School District had purchased interactive board systems in the past, but they were expensive. Roy Li, the district’s director of technology, searched for alternatives that might ﬁt better in terms of functionality, cost and the “future vision of the product.” He found what he was looking for in the eBeam Edge for Education, an interactive whiteboard solution from Luidia, and the district bought 250 units. Each receiver unit, about the size of a board eraser and lighter than a box of chalk, takes minutes to install either with integrated receiver an image area up to 9 feet by 5 feet and is compatible with standard projectors and both Windows and Macintosh computers. Gust, of the Saugatuck Public Schools, and other administrators also see a viable, cost-eﬀective future in eBeam, citing its retroﬁttable design that allows schools to use “What cloud computing promises is that instead of having your own data center and putting in a bunch of hardware, you can take advantage of the Googles and Microsofts of the world.” —Bruce Lai, chief of staff, office of the chief information officer, the New York City Department of Education magnets that make attaching it to a metallic board a snap, or with a stainless steel mounting plate for attaching it to nonmagnetic surfaces. e portable unit activates existing whiteboards and surfaces, streamlined installation, the ease of moving the units from one classroom to another, and attractive cost, which allows districts to How Will You Prepare Tomorrow’s Leaders In the Face of Today’s Economic Crisis? Introducing The World’s First Secure Social Media Platform Designed For K-12 Schools Seedplay® is the revolutionary low-cost, high-tech solution that helps maximize student enrollment, engagement, and achievement. Using safe social media and micro-fundraising tools, students apply course knowledge to develop projects that improve their school and community. Call or email us today to request a free descriptive brochure or visit our website for more information. Together, we can help your students create both a vision and the reality of their success. CORE K12 Education | 888-915-SEED (7333) www.corek12.com/seedplay | seedplay@corek12.com www.DistrictAdministration.com October 2010 69 http://www.corek12.com/seedplay http://www.corek12.com/seedplay http://www.corek12.com/seedplay http://www.DistrictAdministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2010

District Administration - October 2010
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Curriculum Update
Facilities Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Conversations
The Price of a Good Education
Dividing Arizona
Making Your School Future-Proof
Connecting Curriculum with Community
A Small District’s Big Innovator
New Books
New Products
Product Focus
Tech Disruptions
Superintendent’s Insights
Online Edge
Professional Opinion

District Administration - October 2010