Continue reading »]]> One of the fastest growing districts in Texas understands the power of real-time data visualization to drive district decisions 

Minneapolis, MN June 18, 2013 – The innovative team at Northwest ISD (NISD) is leading the way in Texas by adding new geo-visual technology to their set of district analytic tools.  GuideK12 is thrilled that NISD leadership selected GuideK12 to save them time and support data-driven decisions to enable their rapidly evolving planning needs. The GuideK12 platform visualizes student data on an interactive map to allow real-time analysis for academic needs, boundary planning, capacity analysis, and resource placement.

Meeting the needs and expectations of a community are extremely challenging for any district, regardless of its size.  But with a district like NISD, averaging 1,200 new students each year, the need to be flexible, forward thinking and accurate are critical.  Since 2003, the student population at NISD has nearly tripled, spanning from the Dallas/Fort Worth Metro area, extending through the sprawling suburbs of the city. GuideK12 has a unique capability, allowing district users to interact with the district map, select specific areas and run queries, providing insight that may have not been apparent before.  Decisions become more effective, efficient and transparent.

Dr. Edward Chevallier, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction comments,  “We are excited to implement GuideK12. The dynamic nature of the software will help us streamline the planning processes for everything from academic needs, facilities, boundaries to looking at wireless access points throughout the district for the next phase of our 1:1 program.”  Dr. Chevallier continues, “Being able to query on our student data will allow faster, more effective decisions on aligning resources with the needs in the district and better anticipate future needs to help us serve our community.”

“It is a pleasure to support the forward thinking educators and administrators at Northwest ISD.  Districts have a tremendous amount of data, but don’t always have a meaningful way to look at it, or further still, put it to use. Geo-visual technology changes how data is absorbed, understood and used to impact important decisions,” states Chuck Amos, GuideK12 CEO. “When a community is growing this fast, the need for a solution like GuideK12 to address an ever-changing student dynamic is extremely high.  We look forward to supporting them through this epic growth period and beyond. The ability to customize layers of data over a district map can be invaluable for referendum planning, emergency preparedness or even mapping magnet offerings.”

“Major corporations are continually moving into the Dallas/Fort Worth area, which has created a huge demand for new housing developments and communities, translating into a continually growing and changing student body within NISD. The need for a solution like GuideK12, could not be more relevant for today, and handling challenges that are yet to come,” comments Chevallier.   He continues, “The ability to understand the evolving needs of this diverse and expanding community while also anticipating future needs is paramount to ensure NISD continues to serve its students and community as best as possible. Having real-time data is critical because of the speed at which our dynamics change, and the ability to analyze new student data on a daily basis is so beneficial.”

For more information on NISD, please visit them online at: www.nisdtx.org

About GuideK12:

Based in Eagan, MN, GuideK12LLC is a geovisual analytics software company, which enables education decision makers to instantly explore and analyze school district data by adding a geographic and visual dimension to their student and community information.   By visualizing information spatially, decisions on everything from boundary analysis, to policy changes to resource planning and forecasting enrollments can be more insightful and faster.  Named one of SIIA’s 2012 10 most innovative education technology products, GuideK12 serves large metro, suburban and rural school districts throughout the United Sates. It is owned by private investors and a private investment group based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For more information about GuideK12, www.GuideK12.com

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Award-winning, educator-developed platform supports teachers in “unpacking” Common Core State Standards, meeting rigor of standards head on

Encino, CA (June 13, 2013)- Insight Education Group, K-12 education’s partner in connecting teacher effectiveness and the Common Core, is thrilled to announce its flagship Common Core solution, myCore, which offers teachers on-demand support in creating rigorous, engaging, standards-aligned lessons.  “Conversations” between teacher and instructional coach are stored in a Facebook-type mail system so they can be easily tracked and reviewed as needed. myCore is a cloud-based tool that supports educators in the design of Common Core based lessons.

Since 2002, Insight Education Group has partnered with schools and districts across the country to develop and implement instructional initiatives aimed at strengthening leadership, increasing teacher effectiveness and improving academic performance. Insight worked with a “think tank” comprised of educators from Baltimore City Schools to develop and fine-tune its flagship solution, myCore. Taking into account the feedback from these educators, myCore has been packed with features like the ability to analyze standards with Bloom’s taxonomy through a color-coding tool as well as a built-in coaching tool to meet teachers when and where they need extra support.

Insight Education Group CEO Dr. Michael Moody comments, “It has been Insight’s mission since 2002 to provide educators with top quality professional development that promotes teacher effectiveness.  myCore was developed to provide teachers with coaching and support when they need it, even if a coach is not present..”  He continues,  “Educators across the country are working hard to meet the rigor of the Common Core and so it was important for us to create a tool that supported teachers and school leaders in the instructional design process.”

In addition to the coaching function now available, myCore will offer its users Common-Core aligned sample lessons in both ELA and Math, with plans to offer a full year of units and lessons for grades K-6 by the upcoming school year.  These lessons are designed to provide students with opportunities to engage in close reading of texts, making connections within and across disciplines and provide engaging activities that require the application of knowledge for real purposes.

Dr. Moody adds, “myCore was created based on educator feedback, so educators will find an extremely user-friendly, intuitive interface each time they log in.”

Requiring minimal time and effort from districts to implement this cloud-based solution, districts are flocking to Insight Education to be the first to see some of these new functionalities.

For more information about myCore or to register for a demo, visit them online at: http://www.insighteducationgroup.com/mycore.html

For more information about Insight Education Group, please visit: www.insighteducationgroup.com

About Insight Education Group:

Insight Education Group (Insight) is K-12 education’s partner in connecting teacher effectiveness with the Common Core. Insight provides professional development and strategic consultation to educational systems.  Since 2002, the company has partnered with districts and schools across the country to develop and implement instructional initiatives aimed at strengthening school leadership, increasing teacher effectiveness, and improving student academic achievement. Learn more at: http://www.insighteducationgroup.com/

Continue reading »]]> Ranch Academy Superintendent finds a fit for its unique needs in observe4success

 ST. PETERSBURG, FL – June 13, 2013 – observe4success, a leading provider of easy-to-use, classroom observation and walkthrough software is pleased to announce The Ranch Academy has chosen its platform for their two campuses. The Ranch Academy’s Superintendent, Melissa Pardue, needed a customizable observation solution to meet the unique needs of their campuses in Tyler and Canton Texas where teacher support and collaboration are top priorities.

In rural East Texas, students have limited options when it comes to school choice. However, The Ranch Academy, whose motto is “work hard and be nice”, provides a unique and flexible atmosphere for students looking to recover credit, avoid bullying, and work at their own pace. Approximately 95% of the students attending The Ranch Academy are considered at-risk and require individualized, self-pace instruction.

“In our unique setting, most one-size-fits-all solutions don’t fit our needs.”  Superintendent Pardue explains, “We seek out tools that are flexible and customizable. Our belief is that the observation process should be positive and collaborative, and observe4success facilitates that.”  She continues, “The self-pace curriculum at The Ranch Academy means that none of our 150 plus students are at the same place at the same time, which poses an additional set of challenges for our teachers as this does not allow them to follow a typical lesson planning cycle. We needed an observation tool that could keep up with individual teachers and are excited to have found observe4success.”

At The Ranch Academy, very rarely do you see classes beginning at the same point, getting instruction together, moving to guided practice, practicing alone, doing homework, and turning it in. Rather, classes are structured with many levels of one content area, for example Pre-Algebra through Algebra, all in one classroom of 3 to 10 students. Teachers instruct in small groups or with one-to-one tutoring, and rely on students to be engaged in and take responsibility for their learning. This makes using traditional teacher observation rubrics tough.

Erin Antonius, observe4success’ Director of Sales and Product Strategy says, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to support the exciting work The Ranch Academy does in rural Texas. They offer a crucial option to students that may otherwise have nowhere to continue their education. Their focus on personalizing each learning experience and meeting students where they are academically is something that observe4success is so proud to support.”

observe4success allows The Ranch Academy to add quick, customized walkthroughs to their routine, and meets their longer observation requirements. They look forward to using focused forms, as well as seeing trends develop as they gather data over time.

The award-winning classroom walkthrough software from observe4success offers users a robust but simplified process, bringing together the benefits of technology, research-based content, fully customizable observation forms, and graphic reports. Educators and administrators alike have the clearest means of supporting and improving the teaching process and classroom culture.

For more about Ranch Academy, please visit: http://www.ranchacademy.esc7.net/

To learn more about observe4success or to schedule a demonstration please visit: http://www.observe4success.com

About observe4success

observe4success is a powerful, web-based tool administrators use to observe, encourage, and sustain effective instructional practice and classroom culture in school communities. observe4success combines the newest technology, look-fors and rubrics that are easy to understand, and concise graphic reports to support and assist teachers as both administrators and teachers study and improve the craft of teaching.

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Innovative Program Addresses Early Childhood Literacy

JUNE 10, 2013 – Troy nonprofit organization Kids Read Now will participate in the 2013 meeting of Clinton Global Initiative America in Chicago June 13–14. CGI America will be hosted by President Bill Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Clinton Foundation Board Member Chelsea Clinton.

Kids Read Now will participate as an innovative approach to addressing challenges in early childhood education. The organization keeps children reading over the summer months by combining free, student-selected books, family engagement, and real-time data collected through weekly One Call Now voice and text messages.

“Teaching a child to read is the single most important thing a parent will ever do for the child,” says Kids Read Now Executive Director Barbara Lurie.  “By the time these children graduate from high school, two out of three jobs will require education after high school.  If these children want a living wage job, they need to graduate from high school. To do that, they have to be reading on grade level.”

Research shows that children, particularly those from low-income families, who don’t read lose up to three months of reading achievement over the summer.  Children who experience cumulative summer reading loss enter middle school 2.5 years behind their classmates in reading skills.

Solutions proposed by Kids Read Now to encourage year-round learning are among a unique collection of early childhood education resources explored by top executives and national leaders.   Twelve working groups focused on initiatives to boost the American economy will meet to build partnerships and generate commitments around topics.  Each working group will have the opportunity to forge collective Commitments to Action to address the toughest issues facing America today.

About Kids Read Now

Kids Read Now was founded in 2011 by Barbara and Leib Lurie and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2012.  In 2013 the program will serve nearly 2,000 first, second, and third grade students in Miami and Montgomery counties.  To learn more about Kids Read Now, visit www.kidsreadnow.org.

About CGI America

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.  Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) addresses economic recovery in the United States. CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States.  Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made more than 200 commitments valued at $13.4 billion when fully funded and implemented.  To learn more, visit cgiamerica.org.

Continue reading »]]> Ohio telecommunications company tops growth charts, uses success to give back 

DAYTON, OH – June 10, 2013 –Message notification provider One Call Now continues a growth trend, even in the face of overall economic downturn. The company was recently named #1 on the Dayton Business Journal’s list of top telecommunications companies, up from last year’s #2 spot.

But the company hasn’t kept its good fortune to itself. As notification provider to schools, faith groups, and businesses nationwide, One Call Now is also committed to the communities it serves. In fall 2012, the notification provider helped the Dayton Public Library reach out to the public with an automated levy call. The levy passed, releasing funds that may allow Montgomery County to renovate as many as 11 library branches. Says Barb Kuhns of Citizens for Good Libraries, who helped organize the campaign, “One Call Now made it very easy for us to reach voters. It was simple to record, upload the lists, and schedule the calls. I think the calls had an impact.”

Comments Angela Manning, President of One Call Now, “Although we continually invest in technology to expand our offerings, there’s also a strong philanthropic spirit here. Our clients have contributed to build our business, thereby enabling us to contribute toward building theirs. It’s very gratifying to witness this ripple effect.”

Summer reading program Kids Read Now is another example of the company’s investment in communities. One Call Now has committed $1 million over 5 years to help thousands of grade-school children avoid the typical drop in reading skills over the summer break.

About One Call Now

Founded in 2002, One Call Now is America’s largest message notification provider, with 20 percent of American households depending on the company for messages that protect, inform, and engage in their businesses, schools, churches, and organizations.

In 2012, One Call Now earned a place on Inc. magazine’s “Inc. 5000” list, which honors the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. A five-time honoree, One Call Now was added to Inc.’s “Honor Roll,” its list of “Top 100 Telecommunications Companies” and “Top 100 Ohio Companies” for 2012. For more information, please visit www.onecallnow.com.

Continue reading »]]> Minneapolis, Minn. June 6, 2013- myON, a business unit of Capstone, is thrilled to announce it’s personalized literacy solution, myON reader was named an Innovation Award Winner by the Association of Educational Publishers.  AEP announced winners in all categories at their 46^th annual AEP Innovation Awards Gala, held June 4^th in Washington, DC.

Each year, AEP receives hundreds of entries for each award category, reporting a record number of submissions in 2013.  Entries are judged in a number of areas, with less than 25% of entries being chosen as finalists for the prestigious award. The awards recognize excellence across a wide range of materials for both K-12 and adult students.  Those considered for the awards include publishers, ed tech companies, museums, culture centers, nonprofit groups, schools and professional associations.

myON reader allows students to access a unique online environment where they have access to the largest collection of enhanced digital books with multimedia supports, including audio, text highlighting and an embedded dictionary.  With over 4,000 titles, and growing, to choose from, students are given a recommended booklist based on individual interests and reading level housed within a digital learning environment, that provides students a platform in which they are comfortable, and allows them to become more confident, skilled readers.

myON President, Todd Brekhus, commented, “To see myON reader recognized by the Association of Educational Publishers is an honor.  We understand how rigorous the judging process is and how competitive the field of entries are, making this award even more special to us.”  He continued, “Our team has worked hard to provide students with the most comprehensive, engaging personalized reading environment available to schools, giving each learner an opportunity to further their academic success.  Seeing our efforts recognized by an organization like AEP is something we can be proud of.”

myON reader uses the Lexile® Framework for Reading, giving students the opportunity to choose what they want to read, at the right level,  in a digital environment where they are comfortable learning.

For more information on AEP, the Innovation Awards and the annual Awards Gala visit them online here.

For more information about myON reader, www.myon.com

myON™

myON reader, a business unit of Capstone, provides online access to more than 4,000 books with multimedia supports, such as embedded dictionary, highlighting and audio, customized to a student’s interest and reading. Accessible at school or home, the platform creates a collaborative reading environment where students, educators and parents work together to support student reading performance. Students also have access to a safe, social network where they can read, rate, review and recommend books to classmates. Since the platform launched in January 2011, more than 2 million students have logged on to read upwards of 4.25 million books. To learn more about myON visit www.myON.com.

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Industry Leaders’ Innovative Process Combines Development, Marketing and Sales of Products Changing K-12 Education

June 3, 2013 Washington, D.C. — The BLEgroup and Craig Michaels Inc. announced a joint marketing agreement that offers a two-stage growth process for ed tech companies to develop, market and sell quality products to the K-12 education market.

The BLEgroup is a network of 200 leading education decision makers: superintendents, CIOs and Directors of Instruction that provide market research and product development services to the education industry. They also offer technology planning, management and piloting services to school districts.

The BLEgroup customized panels (signature focus groups) are held annually at the ISTE conference (June 23-23, 2013) and the TCEA conference held every February. In preparation for the signature panels, companies develop an agenda filled with questions they want answered about an evolving or new product. The panels also include significant networking opportunities, exposure to investors and possible channel partnership opportunities.

Craig Michaels Inc. is an established marketing company that works in several industries.  Craig Michaels Inc. hosts an education summit that prides itself in having a very unique format that differs from traditional trade shows. The summit brings together 250-300 school district management teams to have 13 mutually agreed upon meetings with tech companies that provide the products and services they need in their districts.

“Lightspeed Technologies participates in both the panels and summit,” stated  Executive Vice President David Solomon. “Lightspeed learns what leading educators need in new products for schools through our involvement in the BLEgroup panels, and then we have an opportunity to get those products in front of interested and qualified purchaser/decision-makers at the Craig Michaels Education Summit. It’s a powerful combination.”

“Together we provide an opportunity for ed tech firms to develop, market and sell digital products driven by the buyers’ perspective of quality and effectiveness, ” stated Eliot Levinson, PhD, CEO of BLEgroup.

“Our partnership empowers ed tech companies with the support needed to succeed in today’s education sales environment,” stated Michael McCarthy, V.P. of Craig Michaels Inc.

For More Information Contact Eliot Levinson- BLEgroup – (202) 255 4391 or Alexander Cherkovets – Craig Michaels Inc.  (212) 406-6506

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Read on the Future, interview with EdTech Digest’s Victor Rivero

Victor: How do you see technology, in particular the edtech solutions offered by Capstone Digital, spearheading literacy initiatives across the country?

Todd: Personalization, content and access should be driving not only literacy but all areas of education. The statistics are staggering; for example, 66 percent of America’s students who do not read by the end of third grade end up in prison or on welfare. Through innovation and collaboration, technology can provide a renewed vision of literacy. Through our efforts in building myON reader, we are transforming how students can access books, grow their reading skills and track their reading growth. There is unlimited access for a student because of technology; you can read online and offline (through myON app) and teachers have metrics that monitor their progress.

Victor: myON Reader was created under your leadership at Capstone Digital, could you share with me how you took this vision and made it a reality?

Todd: Capstone is currently the largest library book publisher in the world, publishing on average over 1,100 books a year. When I joined Capstone, they asked me to create a new digital division of the company and create a strategic vision for digital products. The introduction into the digital arena began with PebbleGo, an online database for PreK-3 and Capstone Interactive Library for K-8 with 200 digital titles. We knew from early adoptions that digital products from a proven content publisher could take off in the market. Based on my background in developing personalized curriculum and an awesome development team, the vision we created was to ultimately give students unlimited access to thousands of books, personalized to their interests and reading level and give educators metrics to track reading growth by students, class, grade and district. Basically, we wanted to give every student a virtual backpack of their very own to access anywhere there is Internet connection. myON reader was launched in January 2011 and now has over 2,800 schools using myON and more than 1.75 million students reading on myON reader.

Victor: Through myON Reader, Capstone Digital has offered some fantastic programs to districts, like the Summer Reading Program. Can you share what districts are saying about this?

Todd: myON reader is more than just an ebook, and more than a reading program. It’s a program designed to capture the imaginations of students, to encourage students at all levels to read and to build their confidence as a learner. In 2012, we launched our inaugural summer reading program to current schools with myON reader and provided over 1,000 schools access to myON reader over the summer. The response and results were overwhelmingly positive.

Of the 1.5 million students on the program, we had over 46,000 read at least one book and 27,000 students that read over 10 books or more. School districts were able to accurately measure reading over the summer, and of those 27,000 students that read 10 books or more, we reduced the summer slide. But even more significant is that students in Summer School programs saw up to a 40 percent reading growth (based on Lexile levels) in just six short weeks. In Miami-Dade Public Schools, students that read over 10 hours increased their reading levels 35 percent in less than six weeks.

Districts are amazed by these results. Parents of students that traditionally struggled in reading are now reading more and becoming more confident in their abilities. We even have parents, who are non-English speaking, reading with their children by leveraging the audio and highlighting capabilities.

Victor: One of the most intriguing programs that you are offering, Read on myON, also known as the Community Reading Project, has taken root in a number of large urban areas of the country. Can you shed some light on how you brought all these moving parts together?

Todd: It’s no secret that school districts are really struggling with funding. And it’s no secret that community organizations want to help but just really don’t know how to get involved. As the eighth-largest school district in the country, Hillsborough County Public Schools was introduced to myON reader in 2011. During the first six months of the implementation, educators were amazed by student’s usage and soon the enthusiasm for the program grew and the interest was district wide.

Hillsborough County Public Schools, under the exceptional leadership of Superintendent MaryEllen Elia, helped to facilitate such a community wide reading program. As a board member of The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, they were constantly asked by community organizations how they could help the district to make the most impact. Organizations ranging from the Rotary Club and their effort to give books to fourth grade students (some of whom had never owned a book before, ever), to the United Way, who helped pave the way for a book to be delivered every day on a child’s birthday until they were five years of age, to the Tampa Bay Housing Authority — were all a part of the Hillsborough Children’s Board whose mission is to provide all types of services for all families in Hillsborough County. With the growing success of myON reader, it was only fitting to bring all of the community organizations together through the Children’s Board to help, plan and design a community wide reading program.

On January 30, 2012, in conjunction with the Hillsborough County Public Schools and the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County and the countless partners, the proposal was signed and the “Read on myON” Project began. The main goal of the Read on myON Project for all organizations is to provide each child equitable access to thousands of enhanced digital books to encourage reading, increase literacy rates and promote reading throughout the community. We have a dedicated project manager in Hillsborough County who oversees all operational elements to the program to include training, partner meetings, event planning (literacy events, summer reading programs, etc).

This has been the most unique implementation that I have ever been associated with and the collaborative effort of putting the children of Hillsborough first, rather than the lack of budgets, and breaking down barriers was unbelievable. Based on the success of this program, we have been able to share and replicate it in several communities. We have several community reading programs that are being created, and are in the process of being implemented.

Victor: What kind of response have you been hearing from the communities that have implemented Read on myON? In particular, some of the successes you have seen come out of Hillsboro county and their schools?

Todd: We are fortunate to have a great partnership in Hillsborough County and we were honored that Superintendent Elia presented the Read on myON story at a District Administration Leadership Summit in Florida in October of 2012. She shared that from February 2012 to October 2012 her district read over 21 Years (184,376 Hours) of reading and over 1 million books (students actually opened over 2,789,288 books), impressive numbers to say the least. Even more impressive was 34 percent of the students increased their Lexile scores over 100 points. (We have a link on our website of her presentation.)

Victor: Alright — congratulations on all that success, Todd! Now, on to broader questions: What are your thoughts on education these days?

Todd: I just returned from the UK and the BETT show. I was amazed with the hardware and connected tools for one to one learning. I think we are in an amazing time when finally the power of the technology can meet the complexities of teaching and learning to truly transform what education is really all about.

However, education is political — just look at the School Board process. Politicians are the ultimate decision makers in education.  At the same time, parents care about their child’s education and will do a lot to make it better. Education technology vendors and implementers have to do a better job of showing parents and politicians the value and benefit that effective education technology solutions can bring to their child’s learning experience. For example, with myON reader we are able to provide thousands of digital books to every child’s home for less than the price of one hard cover book. When a parent calculates how much print books would cost they see this is a game changer and something tangible that parents and decision makers can understand. 

Victor: Technology and education seem to go great together. What is your approach to a guiding philosophy as far as technology transforming education, technology enhancing the educational experience — and your thoughts on technology and education in general these days?

Todd: I have had the incredible fortune to be part of this industry since the early 1980’s when I had my first summer job at 14 years old setting up the first Apple 2 computer lab in Bloomington, MN. I had the great fun, setting up the computers with kids about 3-4 years younger than me. We turned that into the most incredible learning and discovery experience. In many ways during the early days of education technology schools throughout the country had computers drop in on them. Throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s it was all about the hardware and the devices. When I helped build the MarcoPolo (now Thinkfinity) website, we assisted teachers with the instructional approaches to educational technology. Now products and services, like our myON reader product, are becoming part of the mobile, one to one fabric of education. It is not just a bright, shiny object or cool tool, now edtech is becoming a strategic part of the teaching and learning process. In many ways, you cannot do Common Core or innovative, data-driven instruction or personalized learning without the proper tools. I am excited to see where our product and solutions will go in this new way of doing education—and happy to help accelerate the exciting changes ahead.

Victor: Where do you see technology in education headed in the next few years? What major and minor trends do you see in the area, and what are some interesting trends you have seen in your travels across the country?

Todd: I am really excited about curriculum-embedded assessments, personalized learning, and data that are presented to students for their own self growth. Obviously, this is a big hint of some of the research and development strategies I am working on. I believe if assessments become more authentic and embedded into the learning process, and kids can see their own progress (i.e. easy reporting to show growth), and algorithms get smarter about serving up teacher and student personalized learning paths, we have an exciting time ahead. With our myON reader platform, we have over 60 million student data points that are making our engine smarter. We are making our reporting and personalized engine even better to improve learning.

To view this article in its entirety, please visit EdTech Digest online here.

Continue reading »]]> EdTech Digest Awards Program 2013 | Raising the Roof

Results are in for the third annual EdTech Digest Awards Recognition Program honoring tools, trendsetters and leaders in the education and technology sector. The distinguished awards program recognizes outstanding solutions—and the best and brightest minds—in education and technology. This year there was no shortage of either, as entries hit an all-time high. From dozens to hundreds of startups; from blips to billions in venture capital; and from millionaire kindergarten teachers sharing lesson plans to YouTube tutors on the cover of Forbes — the edtech world continues to raise the roof in terms of sheer numbers and activity. Past winners of the EdTech Digest Awards Program have included, among others: Pearson, Epson and McGraw-Hill, as well as emerging solutions providers Panarea Digital, StudySync and StudyBlue. This year’s program features some of the most robust entries ever. In all, more than 200 finalists were named in more than 40 categories…..

PR with Panache! is proud to announce it has been named a finalist in multiple categories!

LEADERSHIP AWARDS:

Best PR/Communications

TRENDSETTER AWARDS:

Best Modern-Day Business Storytellers

For the full story, and list of all the finalists, please visit EdTech Digest

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Thought Leaders are their own breed….they march to the beat of their own drum and they have great insight into the wonder of change.  We marvel at their tenacity and creativity.

At PR with Panache! we know there are many fabulous Thought Leaders in the education industry, we wanted to provide a venue where folks could gather to recognize these fearless leaders.

Hence, we launched the PR with Panache! Thought Leadership Series at TCEA! We wanted an informal, intimate platform where all could recognize, honor and showcase these brave leaders in education: leaders that are taking huge steps to improve education in our nation and leaders that push the boundaries.

We are thrilled that Ron Reed, Executive Producer of SXSWedu, let us shine a spotlight on him and his team at our inaugural event in Austin. Ron is a very humble man, his first reaction to this honor was to ask if there weren’t others in our industry more deserving of this award instead of him. Our response was; perhaps there are others as deserving…but we wanted to showcase him because in our eyes he is the epitome of a thought leader.

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J.D. Solomon introducing the Guest of Honor

J.D. Solomon, Editorial Director for District Administration Magazine and long time friend of Ron's gave a very thoughtful and humorous introduction for the guest of honor

The "Thinker" Award

Ron Reed is presented with a well deserved "Thinker" Thought Leadership Award

Sue Hanson along with the Guest of Honor

Founder of PR with Panache! and host of the thought leadership event, Sue Hanson with Ron during his introduction

Ron Reed with his 2 biggest supporters

Mr. Ron Reed enjoying the Soireè along with his wife Michelle and SXSWedu Coordinator, Greg Rosenbaum

Tom Fitzgerald and Ron Reed, the man of the hour

The guest of honor having a laugh with long time friend and colleague, Mr. Tom Fitzgerald, VP of North American Sales, Blackboard

Now there are two handsome devils!

Kevin Hogan, Editor of Tech & Learning Magazine and SXSWedu board member came to the soireè to honor Ron and have a few laughs as well!

Ron Reed with a few more familiar faces!

Mr Ron Reed enjoys a martini along with Kathy Hurley, of the Pearson Foundation and SXSWedu Board Member as well as Mrs. Karen Billings, VP of the Education Division at SIIA

Sue Hanson & Greg Rosenbaum

Sue Hanson, PR with Panache! & Greg Rosenbaum, SXSWedu Coordinator look on as Ron gives his acceptance speech

Ron introducing the SXSWedu Team!

As humble as he is, Ron was not going to let his team leave without sharing in the spotlight!

The crowd is about to go wild!

It was a crowded event! This picture does not quite capture the close quarters, however we do see a few familiar faces, Mr. Kevin Hogan of Tech & Learning, Kathy Hurley of the Pearson Foundation, both members of the SXSWedu Advisory Board, among many others!

Mr. Reed accepting his "Thinker" Award

The "Thinker" Thought Leadership Award being presented to Ron Reed by Jacob Hanson of PR with Panache!

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Ron Reed, Executive Producer, SXSWedu comments,  “I am honored to be the first thought leader named to the PR with Panache! Thought Leadership Series Awards. This timely award validates our ongoing commitment to thought leadership at SXSWedu as well.”  Reed continues, “This award is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of the entire SXSWedu team. I share this recognition with a very talented, dedicated team that is focused on hosting a world-class event for educators around the globe.”

We met Ron only once before we honored him at our event, however his reputation precedes him wherever he goes. It brought us such joy that Ron allowed PR with Panache! to recognize him and hopefully we brought great joy to Ron as well by bringing together other industry leaders, colleagues, and friends to applaud his many accomplishments.

PR with Panache! hosts Sue Hanson & Jacob Hanson, are proud to say that the room was packed to “over-capacity” with industry leaders to honor Ron and hear the story of how SXSWedu came to be. Of course, in Ron Reed fashion, he shared the credit with his entire SXSWedu team and his beautiful wife, Michelle, as he introduced them to the group.

SXSWedu Advisory board members; Ms. Kathy Hurley, Sr. Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Pearson Foundation and Mr. Kevin Hogan, Editor, Tech & Learning Magazine, came to toast to Ron’s success as did long time friends, Mr. Tom Fitzgerald, Vice President, K12 North America, Blackboard Connect, JD Solomon, Editorial Director, Professional Media Group LLC and many other valued colleagues.

In time, we hope to get to know Ron better; he is a trusted source that moves people with innovative ideas and forward thinking.

Thank you for coming to the PR with Panache! Thought Leadership Series at TCEA to honor Ron. It was the best of times and there are more to come.

Mr. Ron Reed’s Bio:

Ron Reed, Executive Producer of SXSWedu, has been involved in educational publishing and technology since graduating from the University of Texas. He helped launch Optical Data Corporation in the mid-80′s and was responsible for pioneering the first state-adopted technology alternative to traditional textbooks in Texas. Ron subsequently joined Publisher’s Resource Group (PRG), an Austin-based curriculum development company creating print and electronic materials for instructional content providers, ultimately serving as Vice President and General Manager. In 2006, he established R L Reed Consulting, an independent consulting firm specializing in strategic K-12 sales and marketing. In that role, he produced several educational panels at South by Southwest Interactive, focusing on digital instructional content and open education resources. The experience led him to launch SXSWedu in 2011, a convergence event focused on innovations in learning, for an audience of key stakeholders including education professionals as well as representatives from business and industry, and the legislative and policy arenas.

SXSWedu’s inaugural year highlighted Project Share, Texas’ statewide education portal with more than a half million public education account holders developed and managed by the Texas Education Agency. SXSWedu 2012 grew by more than 250% as it expanded its focus to K-12 and Higher Education, and SXSWedu 2013 is again expected to more than double in size with 5,000 registrants. The closing keynote at SXSWedu 2013 will be Bill Gates.