8 Ed-Tech Products Making a Difference In K-12 Schools

MackinVia

“I nominate MackinVIA & edshelf. Both are AMAZING products that have revolutionized my classroom & they have the best customer service.”—Heather Lister, Middle School teacher, Librarian.

edshelf: nominated by Heather Lister, Middle School teacher, Librarian

Filament Games PLEx Life Science Suite

“I have used several games from this collection with great success in the classroom. The games allow my students to review concepts in a fail-free environment. Students readily take risks they normally would not take due to fear of failure or getting the wrong answer. The games engage my students in topics and concepts that are often difficult to understand in an environment (video games) that they are familiar with.”—Christine Marsh, 7th grade teacher, International School of Louisiana charter school in New Orleans.

Filament Games Crazy Plant Shop Genetics Game

“This product made a huge impact on my 7th grade students. I am not able to simulate genetics (using plants) in a classroom because I don’t have access to a greenhouse and it takes time to grow plants over several generations. This educational video game was amazing for students because they were able to have the plants randomly produce dominant and recessive genes as well as try to breed specific plants for customer orders, a real life skill actually used in greenhouses all over the world.”

“One powerful experience I had while using this technology was that students were so engaged they were collaborating with each other as a natural result of having a common goal. While collaborating, everyone was included because they were all working at solving the same task.  This technology crossed all socio-economic, social status, school cliques, and special education boundaries.”—Tammie Schrader, Regional Science Coordinator, Educational Service District 10.

Alma

“When searching for an LMS that would be user-friendly and affordable ALMA stood out. As an administrator, I am thrilled with the ease of use, the incredible customer service, and the fact that most of the features are without cost. Those features that do have a fee are very reasonably priced. We are now getting ready to launch our pilot using only a few of the features. It is going to go a long way to improving how we are organized and communicate key information to all of our constituents while minimizing both teacher and administrator time on these tasks to allow us to focus our attention on what happens in classrooms with students.”—Katie Bradarich, Ph.D., Academic Services Coordinator, The Monarch Institute.

Facts4 Me

“Facts4Me.com (although not high-tech) is a great elementary research site we use. You can call or email them with ideas for areas to research. They are great at listening to the customer, affordable, and simple enough for first graders to use on their own to find information and pictures. I love how grassroots they are too!”—Melissa Herring, Technology Specialist, Second Baptist School

Node Chair by Steelcase

“We feel very strongly that the Node Chair made by Steelcase has been a huge difference maker in our classroom. Although it doesn’t plug in, it certainly is technologically advanced for education. The chair is made on casters that swivel and allows for seamless, uninterrupted, and fluid classroom teaching. It creates a sense of community by opening up sight-lines for teachers and students to share ideas. The flexibility of the chair has given the teachers a chance to do more cooperative learning exercises with ease and students love the way they feel.”—Cynthia Allman, Executive Director, Newmark Education

SMART Note Software

“Not only has the software now rolled in some of its best features like SMART Response for assessment and SMART Math and 3D object tools, but for the first time, it can now be used on any interactive device.”—CCS Presentation Systems