A 2-year grant brings new technology to schools.

Chalkboards, paper handouts and pencils are being replaced by hand-held remotes, wireless tablets and laptops.

The Gulf county school district is paying for this classroom retrofitting at Wewahitchka Middle School with a government grant.

“Gulf County received the EETT grant which is a large technology grant to bring schools really into the 21st century as far as instruction,” said Principal of Wewahitchka Middle School, Pam Lister.

The school received 100 laptops, the Quizdom response systems and smart boards for every classroom.

“As a teacher, this has helped me keep students actively engaged. It’s not only a learning process but they feel like they’re playing and they come in excited every day to learn and work,” said 6th and 8th grade teacher, Carla Dunn.

Dunn’s classroom is equipped with Quizdom, an interactive learning system.

Ms. Wood’s 8th grade math students next door are reviewing for a test. At first glance is looks like the students are playing a home video game. When in reality, they’re learning math concepts like mean, median, range and mode.

“It has just heightened learning engagement like nothing I’ve seen. We had really student friendly classrooms, lots of cooperative learning, lots of hands on projects, nothing has caused students to want to come to school, be involved and be excited like the use of technology which is something they use every day. It’s the language they speak,” said Principal Lister.

This new technology has made its way into all of Gulf County’s schools.

Original story at NBC-Panama City.

“Today two New Orleans schools showed off new technology in their classroom… Parents and members of the community got a glimpse of how students are using hand held devices to make the grade.”

Garcia celebrates his win at TCEA last Thursday with Qwizdom's Gretchen Herzog.

Austin High School teacher, Gil Garcia, (@giltron on Twitter) won over $2,000 in education technology for his multimedia film-making classroom. Garcia and his 11th and 12th grade students were “in the field” at the Texas Computer Education Association Conference, shooting their own news segments, when he found out he had won. As the first educator to correctly answer a trivia question posted to Twitter, Garcia and his budding reporters headed back to school (just down the road) with a full suite of classroom technology.

Garcia’s winnings include 24 electronic student response remotes (known as Q2s), which students use to respond to questions. The teacher presents questions on a screen, verbally, or by using paper-based activities, while the students respond via their remotes. The teacher‘s computer instantly receives the responses and records the results, thus allowing the educator to gauge students’ overall comprehension or to zero in on a struggling pupil.

In addition to the remotes, Garcia received a Qwizdom Q7 presenter tablet for interactive whiteboard control and instant question creation anywhere in the classroom. Customizable WizTeach tools for teachers and Connect Software are also part of the prize package. Connect Software tracks student progress by recording which state standards a student has mastered, as well as gathering data on pacing, performance analysis, predictors of success or failure and early identification of academically at-risk students.

Garcia, already a tech-savvy teacher with a multimedia classroom, told us he uses an iPhone application to control his presentations in class, so he’s looking forward to taking the Q7 presenter tablet for a spin.

“The other awesome thing about Qwizdom is that I can get to the silent help-seekers who never raise their hand, but need the extra attention,” Garcia says. “I want to put a response system in the hand of every student in my class so that during my lectures I can check in throughout to be sure everyone is understanding along the way.

“Now, I will be able to see, ‘Did I miss something here?’”

For more information on Gil Garcia, visit his Austin High School media arts blog.

AUSTIN, Texas – Most American educators are familiar with Qwizdom’s interactive classroom technology, but only those attending the Texas Computer Education Association Conference this February will have the unique opportunity to squeeze in hands-on time with the company’s newest hardware release – the Q6 student response system.

Available for pre-order in late march of this year, the Qwizdom Q6 Student Response System is unique in that it offers more opportunity for collaboration than with any previous system, including an easy-to-use keypad similar to a cell phone, text input and a larger LCD screen to view full responses. The small, ergonomic radio frequency remotes allow each student to communicate with the teacher from up to 328 feet away and are durability-tested to withstand the rigors of the classroom.

As the teacher presents questions on a screen, verbally, or by using paper-based activities, pupils enter responses with their remotes. The teacher‘s computer instantly receives the responses and records the results, allowing the freedom to easily manage and control the format and speed of the lesson. The instant response also allows the educator to gauge students’ overall comprehension or to zero in on a struggling pupil. In turn, a student is notified when their response has been received and can silently signal the teacher for help, easing the fear of judgment by peers or falling behind in class.

The device’s 1.8 × 1.5” LCD screen allows for up to 116 character input per transmission. Multiple mark, numeric, sequencing, rating scale, yes/no, fractional/decimal, multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions are all supported by the Q6. Battery life is a year on average.

Software used with Q6 remotes is both PC and Mac-friendly, integrating easily with PowerPoint® and Keynote®. Additionally, Qwizdom Connect software works with hundreds of thousands of pre-made curriculum resource slides.

By: Jessica Fera, WPXI.com

[click here to watch the feature story at wpxi.com]

NEW BRIGHTON, Pa. – Technology is not only changing the way millions of Americans live, work and play, it’s changing the way students are learning in one Beaver County School District.

“Little New Brighton is on its way to being a premiere district in Beaver County. It really is,” said director of technology Rob Lee.

Inside every classroom at New Brighton Middle School you’ll find cutting edge teaching tools that include interactive whiteboards called Eno boards.

“They have every capability from simply being a display screen in which teachers can display various lessons on them, to being fully interactive where teachers can toggle between pictures and class notes and videos and even write over top of what they’re displaying,” Principal Joe Guarino told WPXI.com’s Jessica Fera.

“You’re interacting with the board instead of just sitting there reading off a text book, day dreaming. You’re picking, clicking things that open up links and you’re gonna remember it more and get a better grade,” said seventh grade student Maria Taylor.

Also helping these students make the grade are Quizdom hand-held clickers.

“In the age of text messaging and cell phones, the kids are taking a great liking to those. They’re using those for instant feedback in the classrooms. Teachers can see what the kids are getting and what they are not getting,” Guarino said.

“Using it has made it more entertaining to learn and engaging in it makes me want to learn,” said seventh grade student Paul Radatavich.

Teachers here say the students’ positive attitudes are producing positive results.

“Academically I know I’ve been able to get some really tough concepts through using those types of technology,” said science teacher Anthony Martella.

The middle school and high school are full equipped with these devices and the elementary school is not far behind.

“Because there’s not as many federal dollars for K-5 we still have some work to do,” said Superintendent Dr. David Pietro. “We’re hoping within the next two years we’ll have the type of equipment you’re seeing today in every single classroom in our district.”

The nearly $400,000 needed to jumpstart this initiative has come from a combination of taxpayer dollars along with state and federal grants.

“We feel it’s an investment in our students and that it’s something we need to do to provide our students an education for the 21st century,” Pietro said.

This district has high hopes for the future.

“I feel in the coming years we’ll be a beacon in technology integration not only in the county but in the entire Commonwealth,” Lee said.

[click here to read the entire story at wpxi.com]

02.08.2010 – AUSTIN, Texas – Most American educators are familiar with Qwizdom’s interactive classroom technology, but only those attending the Texas Computer Education Association Conference this February will have the unique opportunity to squeeze in hands-on time with the company’s newest hardware release – the Q6 student response system.

Available for pre-order in late march of this year, the Qwizdom Q6 Student Response System is unique in that it offers more opportunity for collaboration than with any previous system, including an easy-to-use keypad similar to a cell phone, text input and a larger LCD screen to view full responses. The small, ergonomic radio frequency remotes allow each student to communicate with the teacher from up to 328 feet away and are durability-tested to withstand the rigors of the classroom.

As the teacher presents questions on a screen, verbally, or by using paper-based activities, pupils enter responses with their remotes. The teacher‘s computer instantly receives the responses and records the results, allowing the freedom to easily manage and control the format and speed of the lesson. The instant response also allows the educator to gauge students’ overall comprehension or to zero in on a struggling pupil. In turn, a student is notified when their response has been received and can silently signal the teacher for help, easing the fear of judgment by peers or falling behind in class.

The device’s 1.8 × 1.5” LCD screen allows for up to 116 character input per transmission. Multiple mark, numeric, sequencing, rating scale, yes/no, fractional/decimal, multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions are all supported by the Q6. Battery life is a year on average.

Software used with Q6 remotes is both PC and Mac-friendly, integrating easily with PowerPoint® and Keynote®. Additionally, Qwizdom Connect software works with hundreds of thousands of pre-made curriculum resource slides.

For more information, visit Qwizdom online at www.qwizdomnews.com.

#####

About Qwizdom, Inc.

Qwizdom provides integrated education technology solutions for thousands of schools throughout the U.S. and U.K. Striving to make learning both effective and engaging, Qwizdom offers the most advanced radio-frequency classroom response technology (patents pending), a complete software learning system, more than 150 interactive curriculum programs, and a digital learning network. Founded in 1984, Qwizdom has offices in the Seattle area, Cleveland, and the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.qwizdomnnews.com.

Media Contact
Ian Bryan
828.242.1868
ianbryan@sensiblecity.com

Attending FETC 2010?  At some point during your visit, you will find yourself in the audience of one of the fantastic presentations on educational technology.  This year several FETC presenters will have an extra interactive element to keep the audience engaged.  Qwizdom will be providing their Student Response System to a select group of presentations.  The idea is to provide an opportunity for the audience to give feedback and enliven their presentations.  The following is a list of presenters who will be taking part in this experience:

FETC Presenter Schedule

January 14

Thursday

9:15 – 10:10am

Hunter Menning

Perfect Teaching Solutions from a National Teacher of the Year

Room: W304A

Capacity: 200

Diane Tinucci

Phone-a-Friend: Educational Videoconferencing is the Answer

Room: W304D

Capacity: 200

Al Mizell

Distance Learning: Professional Development and Networking

Room: W304E

Capacity: 200

Boni Hamilton

Teaching Research that Lasts

Room: W311F

Capacity: 200

10:35 – 11:30am

Brad Fountain

The Needed Virus: How to Spread 21^st Teaching for 21^st Century Students

Room: W311B

Capacity: 200

12:30 – 1:25pm

Rushton Hurley

Digital Video for the Intimidated or Skeptical

Room: W311F

Capacity: 200

1:50 – 2:45pm

Sandra Wozniak

Yourtake: An Online Collaborative Tool to Teach 21^st Century Skills

Room: W311B

Capacity: 200

Richard Jeter

Tech Tools for Teachers on a Tight Budget

Room: W311D

Capacity: 200

3:10 – 4:05pm

Joel Gluck

Proficiency-based Graduation Requirements and the Electronic Portfolio

Room: W304C

Capacity: 200

4:30 – 5:25pm

Rushton Hurley

Hordes of Free Tools from a Google Certified Teacher

Room: W414CD

Capacity: 400

Janet Bryson

Been There, Done That and Still Not Ready for Algebra

Room: W304C

Capacity: 200

John Ross

eCoaching: Connecting Educators through Technology

Room: W304G

Capacity: 200

Michelle Scribner-MacLean

Creating a Successful Online Learning Community

Room: W311F

Capacity: 200

January 15

Friday

9:15 – 10:10am

Megan Allen

“Popcasting!” Using Podcasts and Pop Culture to Motivate and Inspire Learners

Room: W414AB

Capacity: 400

Debra Berlin

Raising Reading Achievement in a Technological Age: Online and Off!

Room: W311B

Capacity: 200

10:35 – 11:30am

Bill Murphy

High/Low Tech for Students with Severe Disabilities in the Classroom

Room: W303AB

Capacity: 200

Roberta Hammett

Future Teachers and 9^th Graders Collaborate: Digital Representations

Room: W311H

Capacity: 200

12:30 – 1:25pm

Mark Clemente

Using Modeling and Simulation Tools to Teach Math and Science

Room: W304G

Capacity: 200

1:50 – 2:45pm

Chris Ward

SMS: Cell Phones and VoIP in the Classroom Curriculum

Room: W304E

Capacity: 200

Kristie Taylor

To Thinkfinity and Beyond!

Room: W304F

Capacity: 200

Sue Kraul

From 0 to 60 in Three Years… NO Technology to LOTS of Technology!

Room: W311C

Capacity: 200

One year ago, Qwizdom was featured on the Nightly Business Report as part of their coverage of the “Business of Education” in Orlando and Miami-Dade. With FETC just a week + away, we’re posting the video for reference.