District Administration - November/December 2011 - (Page 74)

DistrictAdministration 1 00 PRODUCTS TOP EDUTONE GATEWAY EduTone, free 30 day-trial programs EduTone Gateway is identity management technology that allows educators to access applications and information with a single sign-on portal for all users. This simpliﬁ es logins across an array of products for students, teachers and administrators. 2 0 1 1 STEM PROGRAMS Pitsco Education, Price Pitsco Education’s STEM programs, formerly known as Synergistic Learning Systems, offer engaging, real-world activities that teach students skills such as problem solving and critical thinking. Students also gain exposure to careers in science and technology. www.edutone.com www.pitsco.com INFOCUS STI, free with purchase of InformationNOW InFocus is a free reporting tool within STI’s student information system, InformationNOW. InFocus allows districts to spot trends and analyze data, such as dropout rates or discipline infractions. MYON READER Capstone Digital, starts at $6,500 per school annually Capstone Digital’s program provides students with “Netﬂ ix-style” computer-based reading opportunities tailored to their interests, and gives administrators tools to track, monitor and report on student growth in reading ability. Students choose from hundreds of digital books on a computer—which they can access at school, from home or at the library—and myOn Reader provides assistance such as read-aloud support and word highlighting. www.sti-k12.com “Members of our administrative team can build dashboards and drill-downs on any data in our SIS. When they share these views with our other staff, they only see data relevant to their level of permissions in the SIS.” Brad Hagg, director of technology, Tippecanoe Valley (Ind.) School Corporation www.capstonepub.com PD 360 School Improvement Network, $3,000 per site PD 360 is a Web-based, on-demand professional learning solution. The product includes nearly 1,000 video segments presenting real classroom examples of research-based teaching techniques, strategies and insights from respected researchers on a wide variety of topics. It also provides follow-up, tracking and reﬂection tools, as well as an online community. STUDYSYNC BookheadEd Learning, $175 per teacher annually StudySync is a Web-based media center that features literary texts, lesson plans and videos that capture college-level students as they collaborate to construct meaning from a literary text. Teachers can customize lessons and writing prompts to help students build criticalthinking skills and reading conﬁdence. www.schoolimprovement.com “PD 360 professional development has transformed our campus into an environment of ‘on-demand learning’ for our staff.” Lizzy Kloiber, director of secondary education, Celina (Texas) ISD www.studysync.com “StudySync is the most ideal tool imaginable for inculcating ‘authentic literacy’ in students. With StudySync, it is easy for teachers to make close analysis and discussion of a multiplicity of texts a daily feature of their lessons.” Brad Shurmantine, assistant principal, Napa Valley (Calif.) Uniﬁed School District 74 November/December 2011 District Administration http://www.edutone.com http://www.pitsco.com http://www.sti-k12.com http://www.capstonepub.com http://www.studysync.com http://www.schoolimprovement.com http://www.studysync.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November/December 2011

District Administration - November/December 2011
Contents
From the Editor
News Update
Inside the Law
Administrator Profile
District Profile
CIO news
How to Update Your Network on a Budget
The Importance of IT Team Unity
Creating an Anti-Bullying Program With the Resources You Have
The Ultimate Empowerment Program for Parents
Taking the Helm in Cheating Scandals
Readers’ Choice: Top 100 Products
New Directions
Professional Opinion
Problem/Solution
Going Mobile

District Administration - November/December 2011