locker | Karen Blumberg

Saying there’s a lot going on in the Exhibit Hall of ISTE11 is gross understatement. Unlike my Aunt Debbie, I made it out of there without four tote bags overflowing with schwag. For me, the Exhibit Hall is about saying “Hi” to vendors I know and trust, avoiding the awkward hard sell, being wow’d by the next “must have” integrative technology, and summoning the joy of trick-or-treating with all the free candy offered on every table.

Below is an incomplete list of booths and presenters (whether old or new to me) I found compelling enough to write down in order to share with my faculty:

Pixologic
http://Pixologic.com for 3D modeling software (export files to our 3D printer!)
Sculptris – free, lite version
ZBrush – full feature

Wacom Technology
http://wacom.com
Awesome updates from Wacom

EasyBib
http://easybib.com
Free bibliography composer
Now let’s you make online notecards!

Parat
http://paratsolutions.com
Finally came out with an iPad tray to charge and sync 10 iPads.
You have to charge it in their case, and they are demo’ing a prototype of the case (which I guess they’ll be packaging with the tray?)

Bretford
http://bretford.com/apple
PowerSync Tray for iPad – charges and syncs 10 devices, can be daisychained (but why buy 3 trays and not one cart unless you like the size of the tray)
PowerSync Cart for iPad – charges and syncs 30 devices

UPrint by Dimension
http://dimensionprinting.com
UPrint 3D printing by Stratasys
$15K prints up to 8x6x6″
$20K prints up to 8x8x6
$30K prints up to 8x8x12
$33K prints up to 10x10x12
$110K prints up to 14x16x14

iPevo
http://ipevo.com
iPevo2 document camera
Chopstakes multitouch styli
Cushi pillow stand for iPad

Epson’s Brightlink 455wi
http://Epson.com/brightlink
$1600 without software
$1800 with RM Easiteach
Unlike the eBeam, no additional equipment needed besides projector, surface, computer
Infrared signal links from projector to pen tracks everything, 16:10 ratio throw
Not multi-touch
Projector has built-in wifi and speaker, ports for additional speaker

Gamestar Mechanic
http://gamestarmechanic.com
Awesome platform for teaching principles of game design

Livescribe
http://livescribe.com
Besides the Echo Smartpen, I was psyched to learn about Sound Stickers and Sticky Notes.
Sound stickers – circles you can program with specific audio! Put them on pages of books and kids can tap it with pen to make audio play
Sticky notes – sticky notes with dot patterns just like the notebooks
They are partnering with http://Harvardsquareacademy.org – not public yet – and getting a community of minds from Harvard and MIT sharing content and lessons to give expertise to students in the classroom

PBS TeacherLine
http://PBSTeacherLine.org
Online PD, free resources and lessons

Library of Congress
http://loc.gov/teachers
How and why to use primary resources, suggested tools for gathering primary resources

Lego Education
http://LEGOeducation.us
Jason Yount at Tech Support shared a ton of information
http://tiltedtwister.com – can get the building plans and compiled code (Java) for Rubiks Cube solving robot
http://tetrixrobotics.com for pics and plans of robots using tetrix pieces (claw design)
Labview – industry standard software, $500-600 site license. Has help feature to assist you as you translate from RoboLab or Mindstorms into LabView
WeDo – LabView for little kids – pretty basic looking programming language
Renewable Energy Add-on and Activity Pack – need to purchase the new Simple Machines kit

Polyvision
http://polyvision.com
Eno Play turns Eno board (the whole board!) into a speaker!
Fuse – document camera, web camera, and scanner in one

Vernier
http://vernier.com
Vernier is the developer of Logger and tons of sensors
$1.99 Video Physics app – capture or import video with iPad (basketball, swing set, cars, conveyor belt) graph, share to Logger Pro and measure away

Doceri
http://doceri.com
Use iPad to control interactive whiteboard screen, write over and edit and play back

Ladibug
http://mylumens.com
Ladibug wireless document camera

One More Story
http://onemorestory.com
Online library
Child chooses a book and can experience it in one of three ways: either fully animated and controlled by computer, read by narrator, or read independently
$1.20 per child per year – 100 student minimum
$44 for a home license
Will be available in the fall as an app

Sparkfun
http://sparkfun.com
Top reseller of Arduino projects
Program with Modkit – upgraded version of Scratch (modulation code)
They bundle an Inventor’s Guide
As an educator – email education@sparkfun.com and get digital or paper educator guides with worksheets for teaching with Arduino!!!!

FableVision
http://fablevisionlearning.com/fabatschool
Fablevision is developing the software for the 3D printer made by Cornell University
Prints models with hard plastic, silicon, latex, cheese whiz, frosting
Printer will be about $1000 or less
Comes in a kit to built
Hopefully available to purchase by september.

Powerful Learning Practice
Http://plpnetwork.com
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach (@snbeach) and Will Richardson(@willrich45)
Year long, job-embedded PD versus workshops and keynote

2Bot physical modeling technologies
http://2bot.com
3D classroom modeling, Uses a drill bit to cut through blocks of approved materials (foam, wax, wood) 12x12x2 blocks but separate “printouts” can be pieced together. Under $10K

Key Curriculum Press
http://keypress.com
http://www.kcptech.com/dynamicnumber/curriculum.html
“Dynamic Number Project” and The Geometer’s Sketchpad app which will be out in a few weeks
Daniel Scher is the man!

http://www.tools-at-schools.com

Our 8th graders worked with designers from aruliden and Bernhardt to learn about the design process and “the value of design as a problem-solving tool.” Students were divided into groups to redesign the chair, desk, and locker. Integrating research, art, science, and math, students researched what’s out there, interviewed a variety of people, mapped out their ideas, crafted 3D models, and formally presented their findings thorughout the unit.

Rinat Aruh and Johan Liden of aruliden and Jerry Helling of Bernhard conceived and built full-size prototypes of a desk, chair, and locker that incorporated the kids’ ideas and dreams. These prototypes will be on display at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair this weekend and at the Museum of Arts and Design in the coming months!

Watch the gorgeous videos aruliden put together to document the project here: http://tools-at-schools.com/project.html

Similarly, below is Emily Pilloton’s TED Talk about teaching “design for change”:

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf