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The new normal: Edtech techniques that will inspire learning

In this episode of Getting There: Innovations in Education, hosted by Kevin Hogan:

Extron ShareLink Pro Now Mirrors Windows 10 Devices via Miracast

Anaheim, California (June 17, 2021) – Extron is pleased to announce that the ShareLink Pro WFA 100 is now shipping. The WFA 100 is a Wi-Fi Miracast adapter that enables anyone to share content from a Windows 10 device to a ShareLink Pro device without installing any software. It connects to the USB port on a ShareLink Pro 1100 or ShareLink Pro 500, making it discoverable to Windows 10 users. Users share content by selecting the desired ShareLink Pro device and mirroring their screen from within Windows. Content shared via Miracast can be presented on the ShareLink Pro display along with content shared via the ShareLink Pro App, Apple mirroring, WebShare browser sharing, or the HDMI input.

“At Extron, we are always looking for more ways to make interacting with AV systems easier, faster, and more intuitive,” says Casey Hall, Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing at Extron. “We are pleased to introduce our new Wi-Fi Miracast adapter so that Windows 10 users can experience a quick and seamless way to share content to ShareLink Pro systems.”

ShareLink Pro devices enable anyone to present wired or wireless content from their computers, tablets, or smartphones onto a display for easy collaboration. They feature streaming technology that supports simultaneous display of up to four devices, including an HDMI-connected device, and dynamically update the display layout as new content is shared or removed. The HDMI input supports wired connections from any connected source in the room. To support a wide range of environments, ShareLink Pro has collaboration and moderator modes that facilitate both open and controlled environments. When used with Extron GVE – GlobalViewer Enterprise software, multiple units can be managed across an enterprise or campus. ShareLink Pro’s professional capabilities provide easy integration of AV and mobile devices into meeting, huddle, collaboration, and presentation spaces.…Read More

5 ways to bridge the gap between in-person and online learning

Before the pandemic hit, our district was rocking right along and getting ready to go on spring break. Like many other districts around the country, we never went back to school after March 13.

We had just four days to transition to online learning, help our families through the transition, and also provide a sense of normalcy for our students. We immediately started food deliveries, getting devices to students who didn’t have them, and helping to connect the 2,000 (out of a total of 14,000) families that didn’t have Wi-Fi access.

In retrospect, I’d say we did a pretty good job during the transition period, which spilled over into April. We learned a lot during that period and then came back to school in the fall. At that point, 63 percent of the student body restarted face-to-face learning and 37 percent remained online. We gave parents the option between the two, and today about 72 percent of our students are back on campus.…Read More

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BlueZoo Expands into Occupancy Monitoring for Social Distancing with BlueFox Count

To better protect businesses, their employees, and their customers from the dangers of overcrowding during the Covid-19 pandemic, BlueZoo is now applying its BlueFox solution to monitor social distancing.

BlueFox sensors measure real time occupancy by using Wi-Fi probes from mobile phones to measure the presence and aggregate flow of people through a space. The company is the world’s leading provider of Wi-Fi-based occupancy measurement solutions. BlueZoo gained success by offering businesses and institutions insights into unique visitor counts, visit dwell times, and visitor recurrence rates to better plan operations, schedule staff, and manage demand, as well as track advertising effectiveness.

Now, the BlueFox range is expanding to help prevent overcrowded conditions, without the overhead of keeping staff at each entrance, with BlueFox “Count”. BlueFox solutions notify the on-site team instantly when the number of people in a store or a public place exceeds a preset threshold. BlueFox customers can predict wait time because BlueFox knows the historical rate at which visitors leave when the space is at any occupancy level. …Read More

Reimagining the school help desk

The impact of the pandemic on educational programming has created what will more than likely be fundamental and foundational changes to the traditional classroom environment. In general, the traditional classroom simply is not visible in today’s milieu.

The physical hallways connecting traditional classrooms that have been present since education left the open air of Socrates’s Agora, when Plato established an academy, have been replaced with the fiber, copper, and Wi-Fi of high-speed networks. That has significantly reduced the stress on academic buildings but has put significant stress on the electronic connections within educational institutions.

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How we turned around our wireless network performance and security

[Editor’s note: Welcome to our newest feature, Turnaround Tuesdays. Each week, we will share a story about how a district used technology in schools to improve something. Come back each week for insight on transforming everything from reading scores to wireless network performance.]

Demographics:

Elk Grove Unified School District (EGUSD), with 67 schools, 6210 employees, and 63,061 students is the largest school district in northern California and fifth-largest in the state.

Biggest challenge:

Like most school districts, EGUSD is part of an increasingly mobile world. Students use smartphones and tablets in and out of the classroom, teachers put lessons and assignments online, staff use VoIP phones, and maintenance and operations need to connect their alarms and HVAC systems. It’s difficult to think of a department that doesn’t depend on wireless. Because of this, the pressure on the district’s wireless network is tremendous. In recent years, the district also added 50,000 Chromebooks to improve equity and support objectives for curriculum, digital citizenship, media literacy and state online testing.…Read More

Video: Adams 12 Five Star Schools – Watch Xirrus Keep 45,000 Students Connected

Adams 12 Five Star Schools’ Chief Information Officer, David Bonsett needed a fast, reliable and secure Wi-Fi network solution to keep 45,000 students’ e-learning uninterrupted, and 5,000 educators mobile.
Watch The Video To See How Xirrus Delivers Fast, Reliable Wi-Fi to a Colorado School District.

Report: Schools expect faster internet within 3 years

Seventy-two percent of E-rate applicants participating in a recent survey said wi-fi is critical to fulfilling their organization’s mission.

Twenty years after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 created E-rate funding, significant measures are underway to update the program that has become vital to schools and libraries across the United States.

The E-rate Trends Report from Funds For Learning aims to help policymakers, administrators and other stakeholders as they shape the future of the program.…Read More

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