Partner News & Resources Archives - Page 5 of 7

Category: Partner News & Resources

Wood Dale SD 7 Success with Otus

Posted on October 12, 2022 | by Hope

The Wood Dale School District 7 set the goal of creating a more personalized learning environment for their students by giving teachers and administrators real-time access to student progress. They approached this goal through the lens of standards-based grading (SBG), which emphasizes more detailed data surrounding student understanding. The challenge was finding a platform built with SBG in mind that would provide more student data without increasing teacher workload.

Actions

With a list of requirements in mind, Wood Dale School District 7 began searching for a standards-based grading platform for their learning community. They found Otus and immediately knew it was a perfect fit. With Otus, teachers would easily attach standards to assessments and view each student’s progression to mastery in the standards-based gradebook. This also allowed the teachers to easily share each student’s growth journey with those outside the classroom.

Results

Since rolling out in 2017, the teachers of Wood Dale School District 7 have become power users of Otus. Beginning with the success of their standards-based grading initiative, they also integrated third-party data to give a holistic view of student learning. In the fall of 2021, with the introduction of Otus Plans, Wood Dale School District 7 took action on the collected data and utilized Otus to create custom learning plans for their students. With such a dedication to personalized learning, Wood Dale School District 7 is an excellent example of collecting quality student data and acting on it.

Technology Wellness Guide: Helping K-12 Teams Stay Organized This Year

Posted on September 28, 2022 | by Hope

Because of the rapid shift to digital learning and 1:1 programs over the past two years within K-12 education, it is understandable that schools and districts have become overwhelmed with managing these technologies efficiently.

Juggling vendors, contracts, warranties, funding sources, and device inventories? To help you stay organized this year, we put together a Tech Wellness Guide Template!

Download the template to help you keep track of:

Vendors
Funding Sources
Device Inventory
Device Replacement

LEARN MORE

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Kris O’Connor
EDU Sales Executive, Kajeet
815-260-7960
koconnor@kajeet.com

Ryan Frohle
Account Manager (Install Accounts)
240-482-3499
rfrohle@kajeet.com

Learn More About Kajeet

CYBERSECURITY: How schools can protect their network, devices and data from cyber attacks

Posted on June 9, 2022 | by Hope

The shift to digital learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has opened up opportunities for schools to adopt new EdTech tools and create more innovative learning environments. But this has also given cybercriminals new avenues to attack school networks, devices, and data.

Experts recommend protecting all aspects of an educational organization’s online presence:

Endpoint Security

Protect end-user devices connected to a network or cloud with technologies including antivirus tools, endpoint protection platforms (EPP), and endpoint detection and response (EDR) to detect, prevent and respond to cyberattacks in real-time.

Network Security

Prevent and remediate internal and external threats with next-generation firewalls, intrusion prevention, and detection and response systems designed for complete system visibility.

Cloud Security

Safeguard cloud-based data and applications and protect against data loss and malicious theft with tools that elevate application visibility, security, and control for hybrid learning environments.

Applications Security

Detect and block threats deployed through email and the Internet with real-time protection technologies, including spam and DNS filters, encryption, and antivirus.

Data Protection

Keep user data secure with backup and recovery software for the cloud for on-premises and hybrid learning environments and backup-as-a-service (BaaS) solutions.

User Training

Awareness and compliance training for students and staff to improve cybersecurity hygiene and reduce phishing and social engineering attacks.

Put the building blocks in place to protect yourself from data leaks and cybercriminals with the support of the Bluum team.

LEARN MORE ON BLUUM CYBERSECURITY SOLUTIONS

Why is Cybersecurity a Critical Issue in K-12?

In 2021, district-level leaders ranked cybersecurity as the top concern for the seventh year straight. *

*based on CoSN survey data

408

Reported cyberattacks against K-12
schools in 2020. an 18% increase over 2019

1,387

Days of downtime in U.S. schools due to
ransomware attacks (Feb. ’18 – Jun. ’21)

20%

K-12 Schools with a full-time
staffer dedicated to cybersecurity

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Sarah Goncalves
Regional Vice President of Sales
888-226-5727 x3730
Sarah.Goncalves@bluum.com

Learn More About Bluum

Browse the Catalog

Discover How Inclusive Technology Helps Improve Education Equity

Posted on May 23, 2022 | by Hope

In today’s evolving education environment, teachers are increasingly turning to inclusively designed technology to help students of all backgrounds and abilities reach their academic and social potential.

In this guide, you’ll learn how inclusively designed technology helps:

Expand educational access for all learners, promote student independence, and provide each student with the opportunities and resources they need for future success.
Ensure multiple means of representation for all students to fully engage, create, and participate in the knowledge construction process.
Increase student success with customized, real-time support as well as built-in inclusivity, accessibility, and learning tools that facilitate individualized skill-building and problem-solving.

GET THE GUIDE

Always identify yourself as an ILTPP Member when requesting a quote or placing an order and reference the corresponding contract number. Quote requests may be placed with our resellers online, or working directly with your account manager.

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Microsoft
Justin Libis
Account Executive
701-281-7780
justin.libis@microsoft.com

Or reach out to one of our channel partners.

CDW-G
John Buttita
Sales Manager
877-325-3380
johnbut@cdw.com

JourneyEd
Christine McConnell
Senior Account Manager
636-349-7058
cmcconnell@journeyed.com

SHI International Corp.
Kyle Thomas
SMSLED Manager
732-564-8526
Kyle_Thomas@shi.com

Learn More About Microsoft

Full STEAM Ahead With Pitsco

Posted on May 23, 2022 | by Hope

DREAM IT. BUILD IT. ACHIEVE IT. STEAM IT.

Engineering and creativity lead the way in this open-ended and all-inclusive kit! The STEAM Builder Bin can be used for a range of educational concepts – from design and construction to implementing the engineering design process.

Endless Opportunities – Potentially hundreds of different builds in one kit
Prompts – 15 categories of open-ended Idea cards
Level Up – Idea cards have three difficulty levels for self-paced learning
To Each Their Own – Every student has a unique outcome
Teacher Friendly – You get Teacher Tips to guide students through the engineering design process
Storage – A durable, stackable bin and compartment to keep things tidy

STEAM ON with the new STEAM Builder Bin!

When shopping directly with Pitsco Education, be sure to enter AEPA22 at checkout for the exclusive discount of 2% off your purchase along with free shipping on orders of $50 or more!

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Preston Frazier
Illinois Sales
800-835-0686 Ext. 4559
pfrazier@pitsco.com

Learn More About Pitsco Education
Pitsco Education Blog

ITsavvy Announces The Acquisition Of enfoPoint Solutions

Posted on May 3, 2022 | by Hope

ITsavvy is excited to announce they have acquired enfoPoint Solutions in Brentwood, TN. enfoPoint Solutions is a premier provider of advanced infrastructure solutions for mission-critical networks.

ITsavvy has always brought superior value in hardware, software, integration, professional and managed services. This acquisition will deepen and enhance their network infrastructure capabilities and offerings. This acquisition will also provide the following incremental value to their clients:

Network infrastructure expertise – our mission is to provide clients with the greatest business value from their network infrastructure investments.
Stronger partner engagement and relationships – ITsavvy strengthened its partner expertise with Juniper Networks, Corero, A10 Networks, Pulse Secure, Infoblox, Cradlepoint, and Adtran.
A Proof of Concept Lab – enfoPoint has an enterprise and carrier class proof of concept lab, featuring products from their partner ecosystem. They invite both prospects and clients to use the lab either in person or remotely to test, validate and confirm that a specific solution will meet your network needs. Some of their gear is also available to be deployed to your location for testing as well.

ITsavvy and enfoPoint Solutions also share similar values and culture which they are confident will accelerate how they serve and solve for you. Their focus has always been on superior client experiences – turning your goals into outcomes and providing thoughtful, intelligent solutions that maximize your investments and create consistently great experiences for their clients. With the additional capacity, resources, and expertise this investment provides, ITsavvy will be equipped to evolve the value we can deliver for you.

PRESS RELEASE

Make sure to mention you are an ILTPP member when speaking with your Account Manager.

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Matthew Butler
Client Executive Public Sector
630-396-6307
mbutler@itsavvy.com

Learn More About ITsavvy

Plant seeds of curiosity in students using immersive learning tools

Posted on April 23, 2022 | by Hope

Imagine dissecting a frog in biology class without the nauseating smell of embalmed amphibian flesh or the risk of accidentally cutting your finger. Picture yourself mixing active compounds in chemistry class and learning from your mistakes without shattering any glass or causing chemical reactions that overflow their beakers. You’re wearing different goggles in this lab.

Leaping from the pages and screens of science fiction into our reality, a technology that feels at once familiar and perhaps even disappointing is poised to transform education in some remarkable ways, with new classroom products gaining traction in schools.

Better Late Than Never: VR’s Overdue Arrival in the Classroom

Virtual reality (VR) is an exciting technology that has captivated imaginations for decades without living up to its billing as a transformative learning tool of the future. VR refers to computer-generated environments that people can explore and interact with using an audiovisual headset that creates the illusion of being within a digital space.

Today, VR is finally showing signs of reaching technological maturity in several sectors beyond entertainment. With long-awaited breakthroughs in hardware and software, virtual-reality tools are now revolutionizing learning and collaboration at the leading edge of high-tech professions, from immersive combat training and psychotherapy sessions to architecture design and practice surgeries.

The classroom is no different. You don’t have to be an astronaut to learn safely in VR. Especially since the coronavirus pandemic overtook the world, society has struggled to find innovative ways to teach the next generation of lifelong learners safely.

Perhaps VR is the next wave of education technology (EdTech) at all levels, from K-12 to higher education and beyond to specialized professions like jet piloting and practices like dentistry. It’s no longer implausible to predict that entirely new disciplines and industries will emerge based in VR in the near future.

In the education sector, from kindergarten to Ph.D. programs, the presence of VR is growing. As a relatively new audiovisual medium for connecting and sharing knowledge, VR has great potential for classroom instruction and experiential learning.

Are you looking for more information about classroom VR? Keep reading for everything you need to know!

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Sarah Goncalves
Regional Vice President of Sales
888-226-5727 x3730
Sarah.Goncalves@bluum.com

Learn More About Bluum

Browse the Catalog

Demco Partners with Robin to Help Schools

Posted on April 20, 2022 | by Hope

Demco expands its offerings to include Robin’s innovative live coaching and real-world curriculum to support the mental health and social-emotional skill development of students, educators, and parents.

MADISON, WIS., March 31, 2022— In support of Demco’s mission to set the stage for optimized learning, the learning solutions provider has strategically partnered with Robin, a rising star in the social-emotional learning space, to help ensure students, educators, and families are prepared to face life’s challenges head-on.

Demco has been supplying educators with innovative learning solutions for 117 years. Robin offers a flexible toolkit for students, teachers, and families to build heathy habits, skills, and mindsets. Together, they will reach more communities in need of support and double their impact in improving mental well-being, social-emotional growth, and core SEL skills in schools.

“We are so thrilled to be partnering with Robin. Mental health is impacting society now more than ever, and students and educators are no exception. Robin is so unique in their multiple-pronged approach to improving mental health,” says Chad Edwards, President of Demco. “With Demco and Robin working together, the possibilities for creating positive change are endless.”

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Demco, a respected leader in the education industry,” says Sonny Thadani, CEO of Robin. “Not only does Demco share our mission to empower school communities with lifelong learning and skills, but Demco also provides strong sales support bringing Robin’s unique social-emotional coaching and curriculum to even more school communities in the U.S. and internationally.”

About Demco
Demco maximizes positive outcomes for all learners by offering innovative and inspired solutions. With 117 years of industry experience, Demco provides solutions to libraries and schools to equip, engage, and empower learners.

About Robin
Robin empowers the entire school community by connecting students, educators, and families with live coaching and real-world skill-building. Grounded in human connection, Robin’s coaches provide personalized experiences that transform the way people think about themselves and their relationships. Through videos and a flexible curriculum, coaches offer a safe space for processing emotions and inspire students to practice the skills they need to face life’s challenges.

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Please contact our inside sales department for everyday orders and general inquiries. Please reference C10903 for contract pricing or let them know you are an ILTPP member.

Alli Starry, Inside Sales Specialist
800-462-8709 ext 2396
Fax: 888-329-4728
quote@demco.com

For larger projects needing installation or design, please contact our Business Development representative

Lynne Gruneberg, Business Development Representative
608-242-2374
Fax: 800.730.8094
lynneg@demco.com

Learn More About Demco

Demco Portfolio

JourneyEd Webinar RECAP: New School Compliance Training with KnowBe4

Posted on March 16, 2022 | by Hope

KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, presented on Tuesday, March 15th in partnership with JourneyEd on the training content platform Compliance Plus. Compliance Plus training offers an interactive and engaging experience with real-life simulated scenarios to help teach employees how to respond in a challenging situation. The content addresses difficult topics like sexual harassment, diversity and inclusion, discrimination, and business ethics. Compliance Plus includes various types of media formats and reinforcement materials to support compliance training programs.

Compliance Plus gives you:

A whole new library with fresh compliance content updated regularly
Full coverage of legislative requirements, such as HIPAA, FERPA, and many others
New-school high-quality customizable modules
Short, interactive modules to keep learners focused, newsletters, docs, and posters are all included
Completely automated compliance training campaigns with world-class support and extensive reporting

WATCH WEBINAR ON DEMAND

SECURITY AWARENESS TRAINING

COMPLIANCE PLUS TRAINING

KnowBe4 customers can add Compliance Plus to their current subscription. For more information, visit https://www.knowbe4.com/compliance-plus or talk with your dedicated Account Manager, Christine McConnell at JourneyEd and mention you are an ILTPP member to take advantage of our contract pricing.

About KnowBe4
KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 37,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist, Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud, and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4’s Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as their last line of defense.

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Christine McConnell
Senior Account Manager
636-349-7058
cmcconnell@journeyed.com

Learn More About JourneyEd

Effective School-to-Home Communications: Perspectives from Chief Technology Officers

Posted on February 18, 2022 | by Hope

The pandemic has shifted chief technology officers’ roles and job responsibilities — taking them from a traditionally behind-the-scenes role to putting them front and center with staff, families, and the greater community. Now, chief technology officers are playing a critical role in ensuring school-to-home communications are effective — in many cases, working collaboratively with public information officers and other administrators to identify the best tools and techniques to reach all stakeholders. Here are tips and tricks we’ve gleaned from our conversations with CTOs for more engaging, effective, and equitable communications — from the district level to the classroom and home.

1. Go the Extra Mile to Ensure School-to-Home Communications Are Equitable

School closures, adapted learning scenarios, language barriers, unstable housing situations, and more have presented a slew of challenges to parents and guardians — making it more difficult than ever for districts to connect with families. Districts have to find new ways to reach families in order to bridge the equity gap as best they can. Here are a few tips from other technology leaders on ways you can ensure equitable school-home communications:

Track and improve parent contactability. Do you have a platform in place that measures who you are and are not reaching through your daily, weekly, or monthly school-to-home communications? If you do, do you quickly review and fix contact details for any failed texts or emails? If you don’t, then it may be time to evaluate your current communications tools and strategy to ensure you’re reaching 100% of families (or close to it).

Go beyond digital communications. Does your district need boots on the ground to physically visit with families who are not engaging with your communications? Is there one form of communication that families prefer over others? Don’t discount the fact that some students may be under the care of grandparents who may not be technologically savvy. Do you need to print and post paper flyers at school sites or send them home with students? These are important questions to consider when parents and guardians are not engaging with your school-home communications.

Address language barriers. Do you have instant translation tools, bilingual staff on hand, and interpreters for the languages your staff doesn’t speak? Some districts leverage Family Engagement Units to physically visit with or call disengaged parents and guardians in their home language. For districts with English Language Learner (ELL) communities, it’s essential to have a system in place to quickly and easily overcome any language barriers to promote equity among students and families.

2. Striking the Balance Between “Too Much” and “Not Enough”

Almost every district has difficulty finding a good balance between over-communicating and not communicating enough with parents and guardians. The CTOs we spoke to explained that having a unified communications platform such as ParentSquare makes communications more manageable for families. Here are some of the reasons why:

Streamlined communications. A unified platform removes the need for parents to manage a confusing network of things like different district emails, social media channels, classroom apps, payment systems, and survey platforms.

Customizable notification settings. ParentSquare allows parents to personalize how and when they receive notifications (text, email, and/or push notifications). This ensures parents are communicated within the way that best works for them, helping to eliminate frustration and message fatigue.

Dashboards with analytics. Administrators can gauge what’s working and what’s not working, allowing schools to continually adapt their communications, so they reach the most parents and guardians possible.

3. Ensure Staff Communications Maintain Student Privacy

No matter what your current learning scenario is, there’s always a need to ensure network security and student privacy. Tech tools used within any school community should fully comply with student privacy laws. Here are three things to consider when it comes to safeguarding student information:

Communications must be secure. That means staff should not share their personal cell phone numbers for student-related communications or message students’ or parents’ personal cell phones. Free classroom apps can be problematic, as they may expose personal contact details and can allow non-authorized parents or guardians access to student information. Most free apps also do not have administrative oversight or a way to access a paper trail of communications — making FOIA and other requests nearly impossible to manage.

Simplify management of sign-on and users. People with old credentials can jeopardize student information security, and no district wants to deal with the fallout. Make sure you don’t leave people with access to information when they don’t need it anymore. Single sign-on (SSO) is an important piece of managing that process, so CTOs and other administrators have fewer places to go to manage users when they leave the district.

Implement a communications platform that protects both students and teachers: The CTOs all appreciated StudentSquare, the safe and secure platform for all student communications at school, which protects both students and teachers with administrative oversight and an electronic paper trail (with access for up to five years). Teachers also appreciate this capability as an added layer of security if any questions arise concerning student-teacher communication. In fact, ParentSquare’s security features are so powerful that many schools require coaches and staff to use StudentSquare in order to protect all parties.

Note: StudentSquare is the student version of ParentSquare, designed so that high school and middle school students can easily communicate and engage with their teachers.

4. Have the Right Tools in Place to Handle COVID-19 Communications & Workflows

Keeping school communities healthy is one of the most important things on everyone’s minds right now. The CTOs touched on specific communications needs their districts had that stemmed from the pandemic such as the need to:

Be prepared and have the right communications in place to address exposures. From a legal perspective, districts have to make sure the right people are notified in the case of on-campus COVID-19 exposures. There is also a huge need for the capability to carry out daily health screenings and to quickly communicate home to parents and guardians when exposures happen. Does your district have the right tools in place to monitor exposures and quickly communicate with staff, students, and families? If not or if you could be doing a better job, here are five critical questions you should ask yourself when evaluating health screening solutions.

Use targeted messaging. When an exposure happens, everyone who was exposed may need to be contacted. Using a unified communications platform like ParentSquare allows for targeted messaging to groups or anyone who has been in contact with a COVID-19 positive person while at school.

5. Be Strategic When You Roll Out New Technology

There is a right way and a wrong way to roll out new technology. Whether it’s to families, students, or staff, you have to be strategic in how you introduce new platforms and products. Here are some considerations:

Don’t mandate adoption. Instead, offer new technology to staff and educators, stressing the benefits they’ll receive. Once the innovators and early adopters begin using a new tool and discover that they love it, they’ll naturally promote it to their colleagues — not because they had to, but because they wanted to.

Offer training and support. Staff will have more success with the uptake of a new tool if you offer training and make yourself available to answer questions. Another alternative is to “train the trainer” and leverage your champion users to train others on how to use new tools.

Have some fun. Show staff how fun it can be to use new technology like ParentSquare. With capabilities like posts, social sharing, newsletters, attendance, Community Groups, and more, staff will quickly see the amazing benefits of using a unified communications platform.

Change management, especially when it involves adopting new technology, can be difficult for a lot of people. Beyond that, the additional challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic have given educators enough to manage. It’s understandable that some may be apprehensive about implementing a new school-home communications tool. However, CTOs can support staff by explaining and demonstrating the many ways that technology like ParentSquare can help make school-to-home communications more engaging, effective, equitable, (and fun).

LEARN MORE ABOUT PARENTSQUARE

Make sure to mention you are an ILTPP Member to access our contract pricing.

Contact your dedicated Account Manager:

Jeremy Tignor
Senior Region Director
816-400-5712
jeremy@parentsquare.com

Book a Demo – https://meetings.hubspot.com/jeremy-tignor