Advanced News

Advanced Education to deliver two sessions at the Ontario Association for Mathematics and Education (OAME) 2013 Conference

karenb — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:00:32 +0000

In the spring of 2013, The Ontario Association for Mathematics and Education (OAME) will bring together Ontario-based mathematics educators working in primary schools, colleges and universities to attend the 40^th annual OAME Conference. A professional organization dedicated to the teaching of mathematics in Ontario, the OAME conference is an opportunity for members and conference delegates to expand their knowledge and readiness as educators. As in previous years, Advanced Technology’s, Advanced Education is proud to count itself among the attendees, exhibitors and training session providers who will gather at this year’s “Think Big” themed event at Seneca College, May 2^nd to 4^th, 2013.

After attending our first OAME conference in 2007, Advanced Education was delighted strike a partnership with OAME that has enabled us to provide SMART Boards for use throughout the annual event ever since. In addition to attending the OAME 2013 Conference, Advanced Education will also engage delegates at our exhibition booth located at stalls A7 and A8. Expert education consultants will be onsite to provide hands-on, interactive demonstrations showing how SMART Board interactive whiteboards, SMART Notebook Math, and Document Cameras can shape student learning.

This year’s OAME 2013 program will also feature two Advanced Education sessions entitled, “Math Made Manageable” and “They Look Like They Get It!”(Complete conference program available January 2013)

Math Made Manageable

Transform the kinesthetic learners in your classroom in to masters of mathematical concepts using the math tools embedded in SMART Notebook software, and the math plug in available from SMART. This dynamic and easy to navigate tool brings concepts to life with clips, pictures and podcasts all available at the click of a button. Educators will learn how they can share strategies for recording lessons and share them on the web, or via a common network drive. Math tools included in SMART Notebook can be adapted to address curriculum expectations at the primary, elementary and high-school levels on your SMART board using SMART Notebook 11 software and SMART Math Tools.

They Look Like They Get It!

In this session educators will learn to use SMART Response to more effectively assess student understanding in real-time. This system instantly polls students with content questions to determine if they are able to solve a problem, define a term, or describe next steps. SMART Response provides instant feedback to teachers and students enabling re-teaching in the moment. Combined with the capability of SMART Notebook software and SMART Response, teachers can change the learning process while freeing up time for lesson modifications and planning. Administering the diagnostic assessment at the start of a unit or lesson allows teachers to move through the curriculum with confidence. Diagnostic results are automatically saved to the built-in mark book and track scores for future analysis of academic growth over time. This session will review several versions of SMART Response so attendees can identify a system that best suits the needs of their students.

The OAME Conference 2013 will be held May 2-4, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario at Seneca College, Newnham Campus. To register or get more information, click here. (Or visit the OAME website – http://www.oame2013.ca/registration/)

Advanced Education

Advanced is at the forefront of the educational revolution by introducing and supporting the integration of interactive technology into classrooms throughout Ontario. We can assist with any type of integration solution from a single projector or SMART Board to plans for an entire district or enterprise.

Advanced is much more than a technology provider.

Our team of education consultants work directly with teachers, school districts, colleges, and universities to develop and deliver relevant, curriculum-based professional development sessions for educators.

To learn more about Advanced Education, visit our website.

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New SMART Table 442i Inspires Collaborative Learning

karenb — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 06:30:04 +0000

Latest Innovation From SMART Engages Early Learners and Students With Special Needs

SMART Technologies Inc., a leading provider of collaboration solutions and the company that pioneered interactive learning tables, introduces their newest innovation — the SMART Table^® 442i collaborative learning center. The SMART Table features an engaging 360 degree, multitouch surface with a brilliant 106.68 cm (42″) high-definition 1080p LCD display. The SMART Table enables up to eight students to interact simultaneously and actively collaborate to achieve shared learning goals.

Educators can access over 1,500 ready-made activity packs from the award-winning SMART Exchange^™ website, or create their own engaging lesson content using the included SMART Table Toolkit. Teachers can also import ready-made lessons and 3D multimedia content, with award winning SMART Notebook^™ collaborative learning software (included with the SMART Table).

The SMART Table is designed for durability in active classrooms, and is supported by a virtually untippable pedestal base that makes it easy for all students, including students in wheelchairs, to engage in active discussions and small group collaboration activities.

Multiple USB ports allow educators to easily integrate the SMART Table with other classroom technology, such as the SMART Document Camera^™ to capture and display live images, video and 3D content. SMART Sync^™ classroom management software (included) enables educators to easily transition from small-group to whole-class learning by sharing SMART Table content on a SMART Board^® interactive display. To learn more about the SMART Table 442i collaborative learning center, visit www.advanced-education.com

For more information, watch this video of the SMART Table 442i collaborative learning center.

The SMART Table collaborative learning center transforms classrooms by providing a platform which allows educators to create an inspirational learning environment,” says Warren Barkley, Chief Technology Officer, SMART Technologies. “We continue to be committed to developing innovative products that encourage student centered collaboration and increase educational outcomes.”

Features

Simultaneous multitouch capability — Enables eight students to collaborate on lessons at the same time. It also supports touch gestures such as rotate, toss and zoom.

Extensive content and resources — Over 1,500 ready-made activity packs are free to download from the SMART Exchange website. Educators can create new activities using the SMART Table Toolkit and import content into SMART Notebook files.

High-definition display — 106.68 cm (42″), LCD, 1080p display with no shadows and virtually no glare.

Rugged design — Sturdy pedestal that is virtually untippable and can support 200lbs on its scratch- and spill-proof surface.

SMART product integration —SMART Sync software is included and enables educators to share SMART Table content on a SMART Board interactive display. Educators also have the ability to connect a SMART Document Camera to capture and display images and video.

Built-in sound — Includes four headphone jacks and table speakers with individual volume control.

Easy setup — Can go from the box to being in use in 30 minutes.

Mobile design — Designed to fit through standard doorways. Optional casters are available.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) friendly — Can accommodate students with special needs and provide multiple ways for learners to interact with lesson content and express understanding.

Built-in Wi-Fi — Enables educators to connect directly to SMART Exchange or their learning authority’s (district’s) network.

For more information about the new SMART Table 442i contact Advanced Education at 1-855-502-0035 or email info@advanced-education.com

About SMART Technologies

SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of technology solutions that enable inspired collaboration in schools and workplaces around the world by turning group work into a highly interactive, engaging and productive experience. SMART delivers an integrated solution of hardware, software and services designed for superior performance and ease of use, and remains a world leader in interactive displays.

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Clickers help teachers read the classroom

karenb — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:00:15 +0000

Tristan Maheux looks excited when he bounds into class after recess and sees what is on his desk.

“Oh good, a quiz,” the nine-year-old says.

He picks up a wireless hand-held device known as a clicker, enters his identification number and looks to the large screen at the front of the room. Eight multiple choice or true-or-false questions start to appear, one at a time.

Tristan and his Grade 4 classmates press buttons on their clickers to choose their answers as specialized software tabulates the results for their teacher, Nathalie Roy. She has been using clickers in her classroom for two years, for quick quizzes or to ask the children a question in the middle of a lesson to see if they are following.

“If everyone gets it right, I know I can move on,” says Ms. Roy, who works at St. Isidore Catholic School in Ottawa.

Clickers were first adopted by university professors teaching large classes with hundreds of students, but now a growing number of elementary and high- school teachers across North America are introducing them as part of the push toward using technology to engage students. Canadian researchers have now started to look at ways to help teachers use clickers more effectively.

The growing popularity of the devices is linked to the increased use of whiteboards in classrooms, the high-tech, interactive version of the traditional blackboard. Many companies that produce whiteboards also make various kinds of clickers. In 2011, 5.7 million individual clickers were sold worldwide, 85 per cent of them in the United States, more than half for kindergarten to Grade 12 classes, says Laurie Long, a spokesman for Calgary-based SMART Technologies.

His company is the leading provider of clickers to elementary and high schools, he says, and made the clickers in Ms. Roy’s classroom, which cost about $75 each, including a receiver and the software.

Ms. Roy says doing instant mini-quizzes helps her track when the students aren’t grasping a concept – it’s an instant flag that she should go over the material again, or find another way to explain it. After class, Ms. Roy reviews the data, to see who is having trouble and may need extra help.

She says the devices also make it easier for shy students to participate and takes the pressure off students who only like to answer a question in class if they are sure they will get it right. Clickers also help students who have difficulty writing.

Researchers are working on ways to help teachers get more out of clickers.

At the University of British Columbia, Marina Milner-Bolotin and her colleagues are putting together a database of clicker questions for the science and math curriculums in the province. A clever question will allow teachers to see if students hold common misconceptions or are making a common error, says Dr. Milner-Bolotin.

When the database is finished, Dr. Milner-Bolotin says teachers will be able to rate the questions and add their own, if they wish.

There are, of course, more low-tech options, like answering a math question on a piece of paper on the way out the door after class, or asking students to write their answers on cardboard cards and hold them up.

But clickers give precise feedback in real time, says Nathaniel Lasry, a teacher at John Abbott College in Montreal.

Dr. Lasry, who is also an education researcher, says clickers help teachers read the room, since usually only a handful of students nod or offer other signs that they are following a lesson. He and his colleagues are working on a system that will allow students to use their smartphones as clickers. The students frequently text each other during class, he says, so it makes sense to have them use the wireless devices in ways that will help them focus their attention.

The students in Ms. Roy’s class seem to enjoy taking the quiz, going over the answers and viewing the pie charts that show them how well the class performed on each question.

Tristan says it was fun. The girl who sits beside him, Sydney D’Angelo, enjoyed it as well.

“I like quizzes, but I like these quizzes the best,” she says.

For more information about clickers or other classroom products, contact Advanced Education toll-free at 1-800-502-0035 or email info@advanced-education.com

- Reposted from The Globe and Mail (Originally Posted Thursday, May. 03 2012)

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Go! Winnipeg Features FrontRow Sound Amplification System

karenb — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:01:45 +0000

Teachers at Oakenwald School in the Pembina Trails School Division in Winnipeg show Kim Babij of Go! Winnipeg how classroom sound fields help improve student engagement. Kim talks to students and teachers about how the FrontRow audio system helps students with hearing impairments participate in teacher led instructions and student presentations as they can easily and clearly hear classroom discussions.

To find out more about how Oakenwald successfully implemented sound fields in their classroom, watch the YouTube video here.

For more information about FrontRow and other classroom sound amplification systems or to set up a demonstration, contact Advanced Education at 1-855-502-0035 or info@advanced-education.com.

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About Advanced Education:

Advanced Education is a leader in helping educators improve learning outcomes by turning classrooms into interactive learning environments. Working with more than 60 school districts in Ontario, Advanced Education has provided audio visual solutions and collaborative learning environments that allow educators and presenters to share material in a flexible and dynamic way. The technology and software solutions provided by Advanced Education allow educators to meet the individual needs of all students by addressing multiple learning styles and engaging each student. Advanced Education is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, with offices in Toronto, Ottawa, London, Sudbury, and Vancouver. For more information, please visit www.advanced-education.com or contact Advanced Education at info@advanced-education.com or toll free 1-855-502-0035.

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Advanced Education Appears on Forum on Abilities Cable TV Show

karenb — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:52:50 +0000

As a leader in implementing technology tools for exceptional students within the classroom, Advanced Education continues to help educate teachers, students and parents through industry event participation, in-class demonstrations and media appearances. Recently, Rogers TV’s Forum on Abilities host and producer Don Reist reached out to Advanced Education Manager of Professional Development John Palbom to present a 30-minute demonstration on technology tools that assist those with exceptionalities.

Forum on Abilities provides Durham residents the information they need to turn disability into ability, helping them to live life to its fullest. The program airs on Rogers TV, which operates 37 cable stations in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.

“Advanced Education provides educational tools to create inclusive classrooms, as well as offers enhanced learning accessibility to exceptional students,” said Advanced Education VP Mark McPherson. “Our educational technology solutions help students throughout Ontario excel in the classroom.”

Palbom’s appearance focused on how teachers can create an inclusive classroom environment by utilizing educational technology tools such as the SMART Board interactive whiteboard, projector, document cameras, Satalight and SMART Response systems.

During his time on the program, Palbom also demonstrated the benefits of SMART technology in the classroom, including hands-on learning, interactivity, collaboration, and save and re-use resources. “Teachers and students love the easy-to-visualize concepts and processes the SMART Board offers,” Palbom stated. “The Board supports different styles of learning and engagement. Students can collaborate together with one student using the pen and highlighters tool, to others using their hand or fingers to manipulate and interact with the content or use external devices such as tennis balls.”

To contact Advanced Education for event coordination and execution, sign up for professional training, or find out more information about our courses and technical training programs, visit www.advanced-education.com/pd or call 1-855-502-0035.

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Advanced Selected As A 2012 Top 50 Systems Integrator By Systems Contractor News!

karenb — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 13:51:31 +0000

Canada’s leading systems integrator is the only Canadian firm to make the 2012 list published annually by North America’s leading systems integration magazine.

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DSBN Turns to Advanced Education to Present an Interactive Learning Symposium

Tamara Bew — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:59:51 +0000

Advanced Education partners with DSBN to make “Technology Enhanced Learning” event a resounding success.

Mississauga, Ontario — As a leader in helping educators improve learning outcomes by turning classrooms into interactive learning environments, Advanced Education partners with schools and organizations throughout Ontario. Advanced Education recently collaborated with the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) to host the “Technology Enhanced Learning: A Symposium on Interactive Technology” event held on October 20, 2012, at the Crossroads Public School in Ontario.

“I wanted to thank Advanced Education and their team for helping to make ‘Technology Enhanced Learning’ such a success,” according to Derek Galipeau, DSBN’s technical services and support supervisor.

More than 20 educational sessions were available to about 100 attendees throughout the day, including “Collaborative Research,” “The Lesson Activity Toolkit,” and “Interactive Education Solutions.” Sessions held during the event focused on strategies for the effective use of many digital resources, such as SMART technologies, iRover, Satalight and Sync. Six Advanced Education Consultants assisted onsite during the symposium to deliver Personal Development sessions and answer attendee questions in an interactive learning environment.

“Advanced Education’s reputation as a leader in bringing state-of-the-art educational solutions to classrooms made us the perfect partner for the DSBN symposium,” said Advanced Education’s Co-President Mark Mulford.

DSBN provides more than 38,000 students each year with quality public education at elementary and secondary schools in the 12 municipalities that compose the Niagara Region in Ontario. DSBN helps empower students to achieve their dreams through continuous team effort as supported by teachers, principals, support staff, senior administration and trustees.

DSBN’s Software Workshops and Technology Training (S.W.A.T.T.) team and Advanced Education jointly delivered the content presented during the symposium. During a one-year collaboration, Advanced Education focused on developing sound pedagogical content; supplying session descriptions and content; and developing and operating a hands-on display where attendees could operate hardware and receive personal support.

“Advanced Education has a great combination of consultants who really know their stuff, making the execution of an event like this seem so effortless,” Galipeau said. “We truly appreciate the partnership that we have developed with Advanced over the last year and look forward to continued success together.”

To contact Advanced Education for event coordination and execution, sign up for professional training, or find out more information about courses and technical training programs, visit www.advanced-education.com/pd or call 1-855-502-0035.

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SMART Unveils World’s First Fully-Integrated Touch-Enabled Interactive Projector

karenb — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:19:52 +0000

New Projector Strengthens Company’s Line of Industry-Leading Interactive Displays

SMART Technologies Inc., a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces the upcoming release of the world’s first fully-integrated touch-enabled interactive projector. The SMART LightRaise^™ 60wi interactive projector is a touch and pen-enabled projector that allows two students to simultaneously interact and collaborate with either a pen or finger, making it the only interactive projector solution that enables rich, seamless multi-student collaboration using either touch or pen. The LightRaise 60wi projector allows users to turn virtually any surface into an interactive learning space and is designed for teachers who want the flexibility to deliver interactive and collaborative digital content.

The LightRaise 60wi projector includes the award-winning SMART Notebook^™ collaborative learning software and access to the SMART Exchange^™ website, where educators can connect, share and download over 60,000 digital resources. It features easy integration with other SMART products as well as training and professional development offerings. The new projector is part of a comprehensive solution for delivering interactive content that engages students and enables improved learning outcomes. It provides educators and administrators with the flexibility to meet the specific needs of individual classrooms and learning spaces for small-group and whole class collaboration. The LightRaise 60wi projector complements SMART’s line of interactive displays which provides solutions for every type of classroom and learning style.

“Interactive projectors have been available since early 2010 and in Q2 2012, 35,000 were sold into education across the world,” says Colin Messenger, Senior Market Analyst for Futuresource Consulting, a leading research firm that has been tracking display technology for over 15 years. “Touch is now considered a standard feature with interactive displays and is ubiquitous in the market. By offering an integrated interactive projector with touch, complete with SMART Notebook software, SMART will place themselves in a strong position in this fast expanding product category.”

The LightRaise 60wi projector allows educators to deliver collaborative digital content with finger-enabled touch functionality for increased accessibility and ease of use. Using a finger or the interactive pen, two students can simultaneously write, draw and manipulate content in SMART Notebook software. The LightRaise 60wi projector uses SMART’s proprietary DViT^®(Digital Vision Touch) technology, offering the advantage of effortless zero-force touch, the ability to scale images to large sizes and support multiple touches. Designed for use as a lesson delivery and student collaboration tool, the projector can produce screen sizes up to 100 inches (254 cm) in widescreen format, making it a flexible solution designed to fit into nearly any classroom or collaborative space. With its ultra-short throw, the LightRaise 60wi projector eliminates most shadow and glare and delivers a crisp, bright image. For more information on the LightRaise 60wi projector, visit http://www.smarttech.com/lightraise.

For more information, watch this video featuring the LightRaise 60wi projector.

View images of the LightRaise 60wi interactive projector.

“The introduction of the world’s first fully-integrated touch-enabled interactive projector reaffirms SMART’s focus on innovation and its position as a leading global provider of a full range of interactive displays to meet the evolving needs of teachers and students,” says Linda Thomas, Vice President, Products, SMART Technologies. “We are committed to continuously finding new ways of encouraging collaboration in the classroom and helping to enable transformational teaching and learning.”

Features

Touch and pen-enabled interaction — Supports accurate touch and pen-input interactivity

Enables true student collaboration with dual-user interactivity — Two students can simultaneously interact and collaborate with a finger or interactive pen

Add interactivity to a wide variety of learning and collaboration spaces — Flexible image size, providing opportunities for increased student engagement in almost any learning environment

Includes SMART Notebook software — Collaborative learning software that is proven, popular, and backed by a large global community of educators

Provides a crisp, bright image the entire class can see — With a 0.36 throw ratio, teachers can create a 100 inch (254 cm) image when the projector is just 36 inches from the wall. Eliminates most shadows and glare, reducing unnecessary classroom distractions when delivering engaging, interactive presentations.

Connect, share, and download lesson content — Includes access to SMART Exchange, where educators meet to connect, share, and download over 60,000 ready-made lesson resources to help save lesson preparation time

Interactive pen and pen holder — Ships with two rechargeable interactive pens for effortless writing on the display surface and a pen holder for storage and security

Built-in sound — Includes a 10-watt speaker and a microphone input, providing audio capabilities in an all-in-one solution

Looking to demo the new Lightraise 60wi? Contact Advanced Education to connect with your Advanced Account Manager, and to receive more information on the price and availability of the new SMART Lightraise 60wi.

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ADVANCED HELPS GE PUT IMAGINATION TO WORK BY INTEGRATING GROUNDBREAKING AV SOLUTIONS IN GE’S NEW GRID IQ™ GLOBAL INNOVATION CENTER

Tamara Bew — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 20:30:24 +0000

After a comprehensive search, GE chose Advanced to design and install AV solutions in 55 rooms of the new $40 million, 200,000 square foot facility, including a one-of-a-kind Customer Experience Center designed to educate customers on GE’s full suite of energy management tools.

GE, a global leader in energy research and technology, last week opened its new $40 million, 200,000 square foot Markham, Ontario Grid IQ™ Global Innovation Center dedicated to promoting its next-generation energy management grid. To help bring the center to life in the most engaging, customer-friendly way possible, GE turned to Advanced, Canada’s leading AV integrator, to envision, design and install an integrated AV and IT solution that encompasses 55 rooms including a Customer Experience Center that features a jaw-dropping 58-foot Prysm LPD video wall.
Read more at www.advanced-inc.com.

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Rohan Nathan Appointed Senior Innovation and Technology Consultant at Advanced

karenb — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:36:45 +0000

Industry veteran brings over 25 years of experience to his new position at Canada’s leading audiovisual integrator.

Strengthening its management team at a time of exciting growth, Advanced, Canada’s leader in the design and installation of audiovisual, digital signage and visual collaboration solutions, today announced the appointment of Rohan Nathan to the position of Senior Innovation and Technology Consultant, effective immediately, according to Mark McPherson, Vice President of Sales at Advanced.

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