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.

Wacom Intuos added to Chrome OS compatible tablet lineup

Tokyo, Japan and Portland, Ore – June 9, 2021 – Wacom announced today that its Wacom Intuos Small non-wireless model holds the Works With Chromebook certification, following the One by Wacom, certified earlier this year. Chromebook users, especially students and beginning creatives, have more options to start creating digitally, using a Wacom pen tablet with a growing number of drawing, painting and photo editing applications that work flawlessly on Chromebook.

“Chromebook has been attracting attention among education sectors and by those seeking new solutions for working from home. Wacom is currently working on expanding Chromebook compatibility to include further Wacom devices and bring its intuitive and natural pen technology to a fast-growing number of Chromebook users,” says Faik Karaoglu, Executive Vice President of Wacom’s Branded Business. “Combining an Intuos tablet and Chromebook also enables young creatives to unleash their full art and design potential with a number of drawing and painting apps. A long-term collaborative partnership with Celsys offers Wacom Intuos users an opportunity to create spectacular art with the renowned drawing application, Clip Studio Paint.”

Plug in and start creating…Read More

Kensington launches new cases for Chromebooks, iPads

Kensington, a worldwide provider of desktop productivity and mobility solutions for IT, business and home office professionals, has released three new products for the education industry: Kensington LS510 Portfolio for 11.6” Chromebook, Tablet Projection Stand, and BlackBelt 2nd Degree Rugged Case with Screen Protector for iPad Air 2. Educators and students alike can use these desktop and mobile accessories to enhance their productivity and provide protection for their learning tools.

“When it comes to education in the digital age, the right tech tools and accessories can truly enhance the educational experience,” said Brian Knauss, Global Product Manager, Kensington. “Armed with these new easy-to-use, cost-effective Kensington educational solutions and supplies, educators and students will be better able to manage, secure, and protect their electronic investments whether on campus or off.”

Kensington’s new products include:…Read More

Panasonic showcases the power of K-12 interactive displays

The company’s ISTE presence demonstrated how display technology can be crucial in the classroom

Panasonic, provider of professional display solutions for education, demonstrated its BF1 display technology at ISTE 2016.

The ISTE booth featured the new refined BF1 Series Multi-Touch Screen Display, now with Color Universal Design and Intel® Pro WiDi. The BF1 will be linked to 3 different devices (C2, tablet and phone) via Ormi-Exo-U. Ormiboard Pro is a visual creation and collaboration tool that helps teachers and students build lessons, activities, and interactive games for use in any classroom with displays and/or mobile devices.

“Panasonic is committed to continual improvement in performance, versatility, and efficiency in the education space,” says John Baisley, Senior Vice President, Visual & Imaging, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “We are driven by a desire to deliver a superior user experience beyond expectations while maintaining our industry-wide reputation for value, reliability, and quality.”…Read More

Lenovo’s big updates to laptop and tablet lines

New updates include faster speeds and thin devices

lenovo-yogaAt the CES show in Las Vegas this week, Lenovo has introduced new upgrades to its laptop and tablet lines, adding faster speeds, new accessories, and lighter weights for a number of its product lines, such as ThinkPad tablets, its YOGA laptop-tablet hybrid, and ideapad laptops.

ThinkPad X1 Yoga is a lightweight tablet, weighing only 2.8 lbs. It is also the world’s first convertible featuring an optional Samsung OLED display that reproduces beautifully rich colors and deeper blacks. With a patented Lift and Lock keyboard that retracts keys in tablet mode, X1 Yoga also features an active pen that is perfect for highlighting and writing notes directly on webpages using the Microsoft Edge browser. The pen is also housed and charged inside the system so it won’t get lost.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a 14-inch business ultrabook notebook. Updates include more display options, increased memory and storage capacity, improved connectivity and a new lighter weight at 2.6 lbs.…Read More

Kickstarter campaign funds new programmable robots

Programmable robots for kids exceed Kickstarter goal

cannybot-programmingA new Kickstarter campaign has already exceeded its funding goal to produce programmable robots that can be controlled from a smartphone or tablet.

Similar to Spheros, Cannybots, as the robots are known, help teach kids about robotics, programming, design, and 3D printing while they are playing.

The robots look like toy cars and can be programmed to move around a track and in a number of play scenarios such as high speed racing, time trials, sumo-wrestling, jousting and puzzle-solving. Students can also design new car bodies and use a 3D printer to realize their designs.…Read More

Pearson unveils tablet ELL assessment system

The new ELL assessment system targets speaking, reading, writing, and listening

ELL-tabletA new tablet-based assessment developed by Pearson will specifically target English Language Learners (ELLs) in order to help them build English language skills and succeed on summative assessments.

With the assessment system, called TELL (Test of English Language Learning), students watch video clips and interact with pictures and words, then answer questions out loud. They listen, write, read and speak—all with no mark-ups or grading by teachers. TELL screens, diagnoses and monitors each ELL student’s progress throughout the school year. Responses—written and spoken—are automatically scored by Pearson’s automated scoring technologies

Fully scalable, TELL can be used with just one student at a time, a small to large group, or for whole-class administration at the school or district level. The assessment covers all four foundational language skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing and is aligned to standards, such as Common Core.…Read More

Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2013, No. 3: Tablet missteps

eSchool News counts down the ten most significant developments in educational technology during the past year. No. 3? A tablet initiative takes an unexpected turn.

tablet-top10In school systems from coast to coast, tech-savvy educators experimented with augmented reality, educational gaming, and other techniques designed to enhance teaching and learning.

These are only some of the key ed-tech developments affecting K-12 schools in the past year—and we’ve got a full recap for you.

Here, the editors of eSchool News highlight what we think are the 10 most significant ed-tech stories of 2013.…Read More

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iPads hold a staggering 94% of the education market for tablets

Apple says it had its best quarter ever in education sales, selling more than $1 billion worth of products, Mashable reports. A huge chunk of that revenue can be credited to iPads. Apple said iPads accounted for 90% of tablet activations last quarter, with the iPad overall holding a 94% share of the education market for tablets. “We see Chromebooks in some places,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “But the vast majority of people are buying PC/Mac or an iPad. “It’s sort of unheard of,” Cook added. “I’ve never seen a market share that high before. So we feel like we’re doing really well here, and feel great to be making a contribution to education.”

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