EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Apogee, Inc. | January 02, 2023
Apogee, an industry leader in managed technology services for higher education, has recently announced the acquisition of Cumulus Technology Services Inc. Headquartered in Ventura, California, Cumulus Technology Services is a specialist in secure cloud services for higher education and an Amazon Web Services (AWS) Select Consulting Partner.
This acquisition reaffirms Apogee's commitment to be the preferred managed technology partner for universities and colleges that strive to innovate and transform. The acquisition extends the managed networking and IT services capabilities of Apogee into the cloud, enabling the new potential for higher education IT innovation to enhance student experiences and promote institutional competitiveness.
While the use of technology in attracting and retaining students and providing great blended learning and student life experiences is growing, IT teams in higher education confront increasing difficulty in acquiring and retaining IT expertise. Services and products that delegate IT operations, manage expenses, improve operational effectiveness, and foster innovation are in great demand. Improving the delivery of managed cloud services in higher education helps universities and educational institutions liberate time for innovation, as promised by Apogee.
The following acquired services will be incorporated into Apogee's managed technology services portfolio:
Secure Cloud Services increase Apogee's expertise in cloud, security, and data center management. Cumulus Technology Services' significant understanding of enterprise resource planning (ERP) cloud migration and containerization, Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS), Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS), and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) will enable Apogee to provide colleges and universities even improved performance, scalability, robustness, and security of their apps, infrastructure, and data.
Cumulus Data Adapter (CDA) connects and synchronizes institutional ERP systems such as Ellucian Banner® with learning management systems (LMS) such as Canvas by Instructure using a secure, simple-to-deploy technology that significantly enhances IT administration efficiency and student life. As a managed service, CDA is an additional critical tool that addresses the major pain point of data synchronization between LMSs and ERPs, hence easing student data integration difficulties for IT and enhancing the student experience for class registration and attendance.
Security Services bolster Apogee's security experience and expertise, allowing for the delivery of brawl-tested college security assessments, ransomware incident response readiness, and staffing and disaster recovery plans.
About Apogee
Apogee, a leading provider of managed IT services founded in 1999 in Austin, enables colleges and universities to innovate in order to improve the campus experience and foster student life. Apogee helps over one million students and administrators from over 350 colleges and universities across the United States. The company's extensive array of managed services includes Managed Campus networks and IT services, campus engagement, residential networks (ResNet), and video.
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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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CORPORATE LEARNING SYSTEMS
Prometric | March 14, 2023
On March 13, 2023, Prometric, a technology-based testing and assessment solutions provider, released a new test preparation solution known as 'Prometric Boost.' This solution provides a personalized learning experience, gamification, and micro-learning through artificial intelligence.
The solution empowers test-takers with advanced learning experiences with gamification for better exam preparations. It focuses on the contents which fill the knowledge gaps and assist the critical skills of job seekers. It combines personalized learning with the scientifically proven micro-learning approach and artificial intelligence. It also gives item-level feedback that helps learners review areas of opportunity for longer knowledge retention.
It involves comprehensive visual data, targeted coaching, and engagement tools for a better understanding of learners' knowledge gaps and the methods to fill those gaps to improve their skills. It can integrate with e-commerce solutions for new revenue-generating options available to clients. Through this increased revenue, they could grow the testing programs' reach, reputation, and influence. Learners can access it on their mobile through an application to study anywhere and anytime as chosen.
General Manager of Remote Assessments at Prometric, Kevin Pawsey said, "Prometric has seen an increasing need from our clients for an engagement platform that increases retention of key skills and knowledge, both before and after the assessment process." He added, "Prometric is pleased to work with existing and new clients by offering Prometric Boost as a key part of our AI-powered achievement platform, along with Finetune AI test development and AI remote proctoring. Prometric is committed to bringing innovation to the assessment industry, in addition to constantly improving our core assessment and test development services."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About Prometric
Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Prometric, an IT consulting and services provider for education, offers solutions for in-center testing, remote assessment services, certification, licensure, training, computer-based testing, test development, exam delivery, hybrid testing, continuing education, live-remote proctored testing, educational testing, certification testing, and back-end scoring analysis. It is a trusted provider of secure test development and delivery solutions worldwide. It produces quality, innovative knowledge testing experience for the test-takers professional development. Its flexible testing services prepare learners to become licensed and accredited professionals.
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