EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
ViewSonic | March 20, 2023
ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solutions, is launching a range of comprehensive education technology (EdTech) solutions, with the new addition to ViewSonic's revolutionary 5K 105" ViewBoard interactive display. In terms of software, highlights include ViewSonic's rich digital learning tools from the myViewBoard software suite, and the UNIVERSE by ViewSonic—a 3D virtual campus for online learning. The solutions will be exhibited in in-class, online, and hybrid learning scenarios at the BETT Show 2023 (British Educational Training and Technology Show) in London from 29 to 31, March.
"ViewSonic is dedicated to offering innovative visual solutions from hardware, software, service, to digital content. We will continue to implement our Ecosystem as a Service (EaaS) strategy and work with partners across the industry to create a digital education ecosystem that is truly transformative," said Clifford Chen, General Manager of the Presentation Group at ViewSonic. "At ViewSonic, we believe that technology can expand what's possible in classrooms. The digital transition is the key to the future of education, which is why we've designed a range of advanced solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into learning environments of all kinds."
As a leading EdTech solutions provider, ViewSonic's ViewBoard interactive displays and myViewBoard software suites are being adopted by educational institutions around the world. Ranging in size from 24" to 105", the company's ViewBoard is one of the most popular interactive displays in the world[1]; in Q4 of 2022, ViewSonic was ranked first in the global interactive display market, while the beginning of 2023 saw the myViewBoard ecosystem swell to over 8 million users.
ViewSonic's display at BETT 2023 will offer attendees the ability to experience a range of EdTech solutions across different scenarios:
Taking In-class Learning with Digital Content into the Future
A teacher will use ViewSonic's ViewBoard IFP8652 4K display and the company's whiteboarding software to showcase how diverse pre-made digital lesson content from ViewSonic Originals, an online resource exclusively designed for interactive displays, can be used to create engaging learning experiences in the classroom. While more and more educational institutions are digitizing, ViewSonic Originals makes planning and running lessons easier by offering thousands of pieces of content within a user-friendly database.
The company's latest environmental sensor, Sensor Box, will show how educational institutions can harness technology to optimize conditions such as air quality, humidity, temperature, and automatically switch displays on and off, allowing schools to adhere to the UK Green Building Council guidelines. Additionally, demonstrations of myViewBoard Manager Advanced software will provide insights into how IT departments can remotely manage an entire school's displays—including multimedia broadcasting, permission management, and addressing technical issues, all of which avoid interrupting classes and allow students to focus on learning.
A New "UNIVERSE" in Online Learning
Recognized by two distinguished EdTech Awards recently, ViewSonic's innovative UNIVERSE virtual learning platform opens up new opportunities in online learning. Attendees at BETT 2023 will be able to experience how UNIVERSE allows participants to engage in interactive classrooms with new 3D educational content and create unique learning spaces. The platform addresses some of the key challenges faced during online learning by increasing student engagement, encouraging collaboration, and fostering a sense of belonging among students.
Going Hybrid in with Advanced Audiovisuals
To show how higher education can be advanced using hybrid setups to ensure the best learning outcome, ViewSonic will be displaying the 5K 105" ViewBoard IFP105S, which features a 21:9 ratio display and multi-touch capabilities. Attendees will be able to see how students in-class and in other locations can collaborate simultaneously with a breeze.
Further, the series is flawlessly complemented by ViewSonic's new Live Mosaic View feature for their latest VB-CAM-201-2. Powered by AI technology, Live Mosaic View can provide close-ups of participants and readjust the view based on each attendee's activity, ensuring that attendees and speakers are automatically framed and focused, offering a more immersive experience for hybrid meetings.
[1] Source: FutureSource. Rankings include all markets except for China.
About ViewSonic
Founded in California, ViewSonic is a leading global provider of visual solutions and conducts business in over 100 countries worldwide. As an innovator and visionary, ViewSonic is committed to providing comprehensive hardware and software solutions that include monitors, projectors, pen displays, commercial displays, All-in-One LED displays, ViewBoard interactive displays, and myViewBoard software ecosystem. With over 35 years of expertise in visual displays, ViewSonic has established a strong position for delivering innovative and reliable solutions for education, enterprise, consumer, and professional markets and helping customers "See the Difference."
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Newswire | March 30, 2023
Since 2011, Best Brains has provided tens of thousands of students instruction in Math and English concepts by employing real teachers in their over 140 locations. This year, this award-winning company has expanded their platform to provide any child aged 3-14 the opportunity to learn online. Via the app "BBConnect," students connect to the same teachers employed in Best Brains' brick-and-mortar locations. This program, which started development in 2020, is designed to make the Best Brains experience more mobile and flexible to students who may not have a location nearby.
"Even though we have locations in just over 20 states and counting, as well as in Ontario, Canada, we've seen how expansive our reach has become," says Franchise Development Specialist Elanor Smith. "We get inquiries from parents in every state and province who have heard of Best Brains and how effective our learning model is. With BBConnect, we can begin to reach these students for the first time."
By signing up for BBConnect, parents connect with a center administrator - usually an owner of a currently existing franchise location in places like California, Texas, or Ontario. Students are assessed online before being matched with real teachers and provided with a personalized lesson plan. Students log into the BBConnect app each week via their Android or iPad tablet and receive instruction in virtual classrooms. Between classes, new homework pages are unlocked each day so that students can perfect concepts taught in class.
To use BBConnect, students only need a tablet and a stylus. "Handwriting and drawing have always been an essential part of our curriculum," Curriculum Lead Rachel Evans explains. "We work hard to create a curriculum that is engaging and non-repetitive, and the physical aspect of our curriculum is part of that." When describing how Best Brains students feel about completing daily homework, Evans says, "Students love our daily packets and are actually motivated to finish them. I know they'll be excited to log into the app every day and find new assignments waiting for them."
Vice President of Best Brains Hana Adas is very invested in the potential of BBConnect. "Education is for everyone," she says. "There should be no barriers between students and quality education. We designed BBConnect so that we can connect real teachers to students through our program. We use the same curriculum and the same standards for our in-person students on the BBConnect app. We provide individualized feedback each week, something parents are constantly seeking from their education partners. We created Best Brains to be the best learning center there is, and BBConnect gives every student, no matter where they live, the opportunity to Be Their Best.
About Best Brains Learning Centers
Best Brains is an enrichment program for children ages 3 -14. Best Brains is head quartered in Arlington Heights, IL and has over 100 locations across the USA and Canada. The subjects offered at Best Brains are Math, English, Abacus, General Knowledge and SAT / ACT.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Businesswire | March 28, 2023
PowerSchool the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America, today announced it is in later stage development of localization features for customers to use in their regions developed under PowerSchool’s proprietary international framework. The upcoming release enables out of box support for right-to-left language support and Arabic translation capabilities in three of its Unified Operations solutions, including Unified Operations PowerSchool SIS, Unified Operations PowerSchool Enrollment Express, and Unified Operations PowerSchool Ecollect Forms, as well as its learning management system (LMS), PowerSchool Unified Classroom® Schoology Learning.
“This international framework is critical for delivering our world-class solutions to our extensive and growing international customer base,” said Tony Kender, Chief Revenue Officer at PowerSchool. “PowerSchool will continue to prioritize providing our global customers with the tools they need to support their students and improve learning outcomes.”
This framework supports localization of a user’s experience (such as right-to-left language support) to empower international educational institutions to deliver tailored instruction to the more than 50 million students in more than 90 countries PowerSchool serves. Additional toolkits will be made available to support localization for other regions and languages for the growing number of students, educators, and families using PowerSchool solutions to achieve their desired learning outcomes worldwide.
In the near term, the right-to-left and Arabic language translation toolkit will empower more educators around the world with timesaving, centralized access to the tools they need to deliver tailored instruction, elevate data utilization, and foster family engagement.
“As PowerSchool expands globally, including across the UAE, it is important for us to offer right-to-left language support and Arabic translation capabilities,” said Robert Speed, Vice President International Sales at PowerSchool. “With more than 313 million people speaking Arabic around the world, these language supports ensure more educators, students, and families can benefit from the digital transformation of education.”
The new language support provides users with multiple benefits including:
• Helping educators, students, and families who read right-to-left interact and learn in a more familiar and accessible way.
• Providing the opportunity for students to develop collaboration skills in their primary language.
• Eliminating manual translation tasks for both educators and students, which can interfere with the learning process.
• Ensuring educational institutions support equity and access to a larger proportion of their students and families.
PowerSchool customers can also utilize the self-service Language Toolkit feature within PowerSchool SIS, Enrollment Express, and Ecollect Forms to load additional Arabic translations as well as other languages that can be leveraged by any partners across the globe to localize to their regional needs. For Schoology Learning users, PowerSchool directly provides right-to-left language support and Arabic translation capabilities.
The right-to-left language support and Arabic translation capabilities will be fully available to PowerSchool customers in late 2023.
About PowerSchool
PowerSchool is the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America. Its mission is to power the education ecosystem with unified technology that helps educators and students realize their full potential, in their way. PowerSchool connects students, teachers, administrators, and parents, with the shared goal of improving student outcomes. From the office to the classroom to the home, it helps schools and districts efficiently manage state reporting and related compliance, special education, finance, human resources, talent, registration, attendance, funding, learning, instruction, grading, assessments and analytics in one unified platform. PowerSchool supports over 50 million students globally and more than 15,000 customers, including over 90 of the top 100 districts by student enrollment in the United States, and sells solutions in over 90 countries.
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