Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

FSR Receives US Patent for Smart-Way Raceway Wire Management System

FSR, a leading manufacturer of a wide variety of products for the Pro AV and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) markets, has announced that it has been issued a patent by the US Patent Office for its Smart-Way Raceway wire management system. Smart-Way houses electrical and connectivity cables in a track configuration that can be adapted for use on or embedded into different flooring. The US Patent No. 10.862.283. B1 is the latest of numerous patents FSR holds which confirms the Company’s leadership role in bringing inventive infrastructure solutions from drawing board to market.

The Smart-Way raceway system is a simple, affordable, and effective way to organize messy cables and wires, and get them across the floor to where they’re needed for connectivity, power and communications signals. The Smart-Way is the only floor Raceway system that provides in-feed options to transition power and low voltage cables from the wall, ceiling or below the floor. Designed to fit today’s working, educational, commercial, residential and retail environments, the Smart-Way greatly reduces the trip hazards inherent in loose wiring,  and prioritizes functionality without sacrificing design or aesthetics.

FSR manufactures audio and video switching, control products, connectivity boxes and collaboration systems from its headquarters in Woodland Park, NJ.…Read More

FSR Extends Symphony Collection with Release of New Pedestal

FSR, a leading manufacturer of a wide variety of infrastructure solution products for the audio/video, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), education, corporate, hospitality, and government markets, has released its new Symphony Pedestal, extending the company’s popular Symphony Collection of power and charging solutions. The new Symphony Pedestal power and charging tower makes waiting areas and workspaces an inviting place to plug in, offering 4 AC outlets for users to remain charged and ready!

The new Symphony Pedestal offers a form factor that allows for customization options to connect a CAT6, 6a or 7 along with AV cables to bulkhead AV connections. This floor standing unit provides AC power and USB charging, along with snap-ins and a cable passthrough. A 9’ AC cord supplies power from a standard 125VAC 15A outlet. Sized to fit under a desk or table, the pedestal can give people peace of mind in waiting areas, at home or at work.

The Symphony Pedestal is available in two height sizes,  24” or 30”.  An attractive aluminum housing adds to its sleek and refined design giving it great appeal for any environment, plus a black or white color option offers the freedom to match any interior. It is both lightweight and easy to relocate wherever access to power is needed.…Read More

BECTA’s closing sends ripples throughout ed tech

The move is part of the government's larger plan to cut 6.2 billion pounds for fiscal 2010-2011.
The move is part of the U.K. government's larger plan to cut 6.2 billion pounds for fiscal 2010-11.

In a move that has sent shock waves throughout the education technology world, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA), which has been a leading international voice in research and support for using information and communications technology (ICT) in schools, is shutting its doors—a victim of the new U.K. government’s cost-cutting measures.

BECTA’s closing could leave many U.K. schools on their own as they struggle to integrate technology effectively into teaching and learning, and its absence could be felt in the United States as well, observers say.

A “quango,” or non-departmental body, BECTA is the U.K. government agency that has led that nation’s drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology in teaching and learning. Through BECTA’s work, U.K. schools have received expert advice on ICT purchases and applications in the classroom. BECTA also led the U.K.’s Home Access plan, an ambitious national initiative that sought to offer certain low-income families with children a free laptop computer and internet access.…Read More

Report highlights ed-tech lessons from abroad

Other countries' ed-tech practices could help inform U.S. policy.
Other countries' ed-tech practices could help inform U.S. policy.

Scotland and the Netherlands both invest significantly more federal money per student in information and communications technologies (ICT) than the United States, and they both view ICT as essential to classroom teaching and learning and in developing 21st-century skills, a delegation of education technology advocates discovered during a recent visit to the two countries.

The results of that visit, led by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), appear in a report issued May 12, called “Real Investment, Real Innovation.”

“Scotland and the Netherlands approach ICT in the classroom as an absolute necessity—not as a luxury—for improving learning and teaching, as well as developing workforce skills,” the report noted. “We found this attitude inspirational, particularly in view of the continuing debate in the U.S. about the unproven and uncertain value of technology.”…Read More