It’s budget and buying season for many schools and districts. April reflected this with several new product releases for the classroom. Here’s what SmartBrief on EdTech readers liked this month in Product Showcase:
Math@Work: Math Meets Homebuilding. Scholastic and TV host Ty Pennington are working together to help students connect math with real-world careers through their new webisode series, Math@Work: Math Meets Homebuilding. The 15-minute videos, available at no charge on Scholastic’s site, feature Pennington showing student builders how to apply math to projects such as installing solar panels and building a walkway for a home.
Studystorm. High-school students can use a new, free Android application to prepare for tests and college admissions exams. Studystorm, by Brightstorm, offers study guides and videos for 21 subjects, including ACT, SAT and AP tests. The mobile app is available now at no charge from the Google Play store.
Adobe Slate. Adobe’s free app allows users to design multimedia presentations on iPads
EarthCam. Students can see live views of cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. with this app.
Touch Easel. A new school desk, Touch Easel by Sonzia, aims to help students with learning disabilities learn through play. Students can work independently or collaboratively with their peers on the 32-inch interactive, multitouch screen display. The desk comes with software that allows administrators to customize students’ activities.
Library of Congress grant. Do you have an idea for a mobile application that will educate students about government and civics? The Library of Congress is offering $950,000 in grants to organizations that can build mobile apps on the topic of Congress and civic responsibility. Grant recipients will work with the Library’s Teaching with Primary Sources program to build the apps. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2015. Additional information about the program and its requirements is available online.
PTBoard. Parents and teachers can hold virtual fundraisers for their children’s school, thanks to a new tool from PTBoard. Teachers can collect items to sell and then set up a virtual marketplace on the system. Users purchase items, and the platform keeps track of everything sold.
EasyBib. Follett has added EasyBib to its Destiny Library Manager
AdoptAClassroom.org. AdoptAClassroom.org, a nonprofit organization that pairs teachers with donors, has added Learning A-Z to its list of school supplies providers. “Adopted” teachers can use dollars they receive to purchase the company’s products through AdoptAClassroom’s website. The system sends email updates to donors letting them know how teachers used the funds.
Ed Tech Developer’s Guide. The Office of Education Technology has released a guide for software developers looking to create applications for education. The guide details the needs and opportunities for new digital apps for learning and instruction.
Bluetooth keyboard. Califone has released its new Bluetooth keyboard for mobile devices.
Online safety courses. SafeColleges has launched an online course series designed to improve safe practices among college students.
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