Industry News
        
        
        
        DELL INTRODUCES CURRICULUM-SPECIFICINTELLIGENT CLASSROOMSFOR K-12 SCHOOLS. Dell  Intelligent Classrooms—computers,  technology devices, content, and  professional development designed to  transform classrooms into integrated  teaching and learning environments—  are now available in two curriculumspecific  modules.
The math and science module combines  software from Fourier Systems sensors and  data loggers with Dell computers, handhelds,  and student response systems.  These tools enhance school experiments  in math, chemistry, biology, physics, and  environmental sciences.
The English, foreign languages, and  social sciences module includes netTrekker d.i. online educational resources; Questia digital teaching and  study tools; and Dell computers, digital  music players, and projectors. The technology  enables visual and auditory  learning of languages and cultures.
Dell also offers cross-curricular Intelligent  Classrooms that aim to enhance  learning in any subject.
DISCOVERY EDUCATION ACQUIRES  THINKLINK. 
Discovery Education  has  acquired ThinkLink  Learning, a  for-profit company  established in 2000 by  Vanderbilt University  (TN) that focuses  on formative assessment.  ThinkLink Learning’s  Predictive Assessment  Series measures student progress in  meeting state standards in core subjects,  allowing teachers to predict  Adequate Yearly Progress toward statemandatededucation goals.
Trade In, Trade Up
A new program from NEC offers  schools a chance to replace theirold projectors with newer ones.
 
A GOOD DEAL. Trade in your old projector 
  for cash—thentrade up to a more modern system.
 School budgets are legendary for being, shall we say,  size challenged. After purchasing textbooks, funding  necessary programs, and keeping up with the demands  of No Child Left Behind, schools don’t have a lot left to  devote to keeping their AV equipment up to date, let  alone shiny and new. Instead, they often rely on equipmenton the verge of collapse—or going up in smoke.
NEC Solutions America has begun  a trade-in program that aims to help schools replace  their aging projectors and modernize their classrooms.  The PowerUp program, announced last month, offers  cash for used projectors from any manufacturer, providingschools with a fund for purchasing new projectors.
To participate in the PowerUp program, visit  necsam.tradeups.com to receive a free quote for your  existing projectors, based on manufacturer, model, and  the number of projectors you wish to trade in. Afterward,  you will receive a check in the mail, as well as a preaddressed  shipping label you can use to send in yourold projectors.
To sweeten the deal, NEC is also offering $100, or  the fair market value, for any projector made by Epson, Hitachi, InFocus, Mitsubishi, or NEC that is traded, in working  order, by Sept. 30, 2006. More information is available  at www.necvisualsystems.com.