2018 THE Journal Readers’ Choice Awards

2018 THE Journal Readers’ Choice Awards 

For our fourth-annual Readers' Choice Awards, more than 1,000 education technology professionals weighed in on their favorite technologies, from instructional technology to security and privacy tools, from mobile devices to projectors, from games to multimedia authoring tools
In all, 1,109 classroom teachers, IT leaders and staff, administrators, instructional technologists, library and media professionals and other school and district staff voted for their favorite brands and products.

Top Overall Technologies

Lexia toppled the winners from the previous two Readers' Choice Awards, beating out Google and Apple for the top spot (Platinum award). Lexia Core5 was cited as the favorite both in the overall voting (in an open-ended question, no less) and in individual product categories, below.

Google came in second this year (Gold Award), with educators citing both G Suite for Education (including the highly popular Google Classroom) and Google Chromebooks as their favorites.

Last year's second place winner, Apple, hung on to third place (Silver Award) this year with its iPad and MacBook.

  • Platinum: Lexia Core5
  • Gold: Google (G Suite, Chromebooks)
  • Silver: Apple (iPad, MacBook)

Top Technologies Adopted in the Last 12 Months

We also asked educators to name their favorite technologies adopted by their schools in the last year. Lexia Learning also took first place here (Platinum), as it did in last year's poll. Readers cited its power for personalized and adaptive learning, its ability to help struggling students, its support for ELL students, its teacher resources and its reporting tools.

Google took second place in this category for the second year running, again for a combination of Chromebooks and G Suite for Education. Educators said Chromebooks allow more students (and in many cases all students) to access technology every day for important learning activities.

Discovery Education cracked the top 3 for the first time this year, earning a silver award, primarily for its Techbook, but also for its streaming service and professional development resources. Educators cited the valuable resources Discovery's Techbook brings to STEM education (and non-STEM subjects), as well as standards alignment and support for differentiation.

  • Platinum: Lexia Core5
  • Gold: Google software and hardware
  • Silver: Discovery Education Techbook, Streaming Plus, Discovery
    Educator Network

2018 Readers' Choice Award Category Winners

(Note: Where no gold or silver winners are listed, all other nominees aside from the platinum and/or gold winners tied
with a negligible number of votes.)

Best Reading Program

  • Platinum: Lexia Core5
  • Gold: McGraw-Hill Education Wonders
  • Silver: (TIE) Raz-Kids, Newsela, CKLA

Best Math Program

  • Platinum: DreamBox Learning
  • Gold: IXL
  • Silver: ST Math

Best Science Program

  • Platinum: Mystery Science
  • Gold: Discovery Education
  • Silver: FOSS

Best Robotics System/Curriculum

  • Platinum: LEGO Education
  • Gold: Wonder Workshop
  • Silver: Vex

Best Coding Tool/Curriculum/Resource:

  • Platinum: Code.org
  • Gold: Scratch
  • Silver: Hour of Code

Best Formative Assessment

  • Platinum: Lexia
  • Gold: Renaissance STAR
  • Silver: DIBELS

Best Summative Assessment

  • Platinum: NWEA MAP
  • Gold: Lexia
  • Silver: Renaissance STAR

Favorite Learning Management Systems, Course Management Systems & E-Learning Platforms

  • Platinum: Google Classroom
  • Gold: MobyMax
  • Silver: (TIE) Edmodo, Schoology

Favorite Education Networks/Professional Communities/Professional Development Systems

  • Platinum: Discovery Educator Network
  • Gold: Twitter
  • Silver: Teaching Channel

Favorite Adaptive/Personalized Learning Tool

  • Platinum: Lexia
  • Gold: Renaissance Learning
  • Silver: DreamBox

Favorite E-Portfolio

  • Platinum: Seesaw
  • Gold: (TIE) Blackboard Learn, Moodle
  • Silver: Canvas

Favorite Interventions & Remediation Software

  • Platinum: Read Naturally
  • Gold: Renaissance STAR
  • Silver: Lexia

Favorite Other education Tool

  • Platinum: Khan Academy
  • Gold: Discovery Education Streaming Plus
  • Silver: Aimsweb

Favorite Student Response Systems & Classroom Clickers

  • Platinum: Kahoot
  • Gold: Promethean student response systems
  • Silver: Plickers

Favorite Collaboration Tool by brand

  • Platinum: Google
  • Gold: Microsoft
  • Silver: Nearpod

Favorite Classroom Management, Culture or Student Success System

  • Platinum: ClassDojo
  • Gold: PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports)
  • Silver: Lenovo LanSchool

Favorite Student Information Systems & Data Management Tool

  • Platinum: Infinite Campus
  • Gold: PowerSchool
  • Silver: Skyward

Favorite Lecture Capture/Screen Recording

  • Platinum: Screencast-o-matic
  • Gold: Adobe Presenter
  • Silver: Smart Learning Suite/Notebook/Recorder

Favorite Document Camera (by Brand)

  • Platinum: Elmo USA Visual Presenter series
  • Gold: AVer Information
  • Silver: HoverCam

Favorite Projector (by Brand)

  • Platinum: Epson
  • Gold: (TIE) Samsung, Mimio
  • Silver: (TIE) Toshiba, InFocus

Favorite Interactive Whiteboard, Display, Flat Panel or Kiosk (by Brand)

  • Platinum: SMART Technologies
  • Gold: Promethean
  • Silver: Epson

Favorite Videoconferencing & Web Conferencing Tool

  • Platinum: Google Hangouts
  • Gold: Skype in the Classroom
  • Silver: Zoom

Favorite Virtual Classroom/Meeting Software

  • Platinum: Google Hangouts
  • Gold: GoToMeeting.com‎
  • Silver: Skype in the Classroom

Favorite Classroom Audio Distribution/Sound Enhancement System (by Brand)

  • Platinum: Smart Audio
  • Gold: Lightspeed Technologies
  • Silver: Califone

Top educational game or gamified learning tool

  • Platinum: Lexia
  • Gold: Prodigy
  • Silver: Kahoot

Top game not necessarily designed for education but used as a part of instruction at your institution

  • Platinum: ABC Mouse
  • Gold: (TIE) Minecraft, ABCya, Cool Math
  • Silver: (TIE) Starfall, Prodigy

Favorite Virtual/Augmented Reality Headset or Hardware System

  • Platinum: Google Cardboard
  • Gold: Samsung Gear VR
  • Silver: Sony Playstation VR

Favorite Virtual/Augmented Reality Software/System

  • Platinum: Aurasma
  • Gold: zSpace
  • Silver: (TIE) PBS Lunch Rush, Quiver

Favorite Gaming Platform

  • Platinum: iOS
  • Gold: Android
  • Silver: Sony Playstation

Favorite Classroom Presentation Software

  • Platinum: Google Slides
  • Gold: Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Silver: Prezi

Best Office/Productivity Suite

  • Platinum: Microsoft Office
  • Gold: Google G Suite
  • Silver: Apple iWork

Favorite Multimedia Authoring Suites & Creative Software

  • Platinum: Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Gold: Apple creativity apps
  • Silver: Ubuntu Studio

Favorite E-Learning Authoring Tool

  • Platinum: Google G Suite
  • Gold: (TIE) Adobe Creative Cloud, Camtasia Studio

Favorite Media Tablet (by brand)

  • Platinum: Apple
  • Gold: Samsung
  • Silver: (TIE) Google, Dell

Favorite Chromebook (by Brand)

  • Platinum: Google
  • Gold: Dell
  • Silver: HP

Favorite Windows Tablet (by brand)

  • Platinum: Microsoft
  • Gold: Dell
  • Silver: HP

Favorite Convertible Notebook/2-in-1 Notebook

  • Platinum: HP
  • Gold: Dell
  • Silver: (TIE) Acer, Lenovo

Favorite Education Notebook

  • Platinum: Apple
  • Gold: HP
  • Silver: Dell

Favorite Virtual Desktops and Thin Clients

  • Platinum: VMware
  • Gold: (TIE) Lenovo, HP
  • Silver: Acer

Favorite Wireless Access Point or Hotspot

  • Platinum: Cisco
  • Gold: Netgear
  • Silver: Extreme Networks

Favorite 3D Printer

  • Platinum: MakerBot/Stratasys
  • Gold: (TIE) Robo 3D, Afinia
  • Silver: (TIE) Dremel, Full Spectrum Laser

Favorite Network or WiFi Management, Analysis and Monitoring Tool

  • Platinum: Microsoft
  • Gold: Cisco
  • Silver: Pandora

Favorite Mobile Device Management Solution

  • Platinum: Google
  • Gold: AT&T
  • Silver: Lightspeed Systems

Favorite Anonymous Reporting Tool

  • Platinum: MySafeSchool
  • Gold: (TIE) Cyberbully Hotline, PublicSchoolWorks

Favorite Emergency Notification System

  • Platinum: SchoolMessenger
  • Gold: (TIE) Blackboard, School System Alert
  • Silver: (TIE) K12 Alerts, One Call Now

Favorite Firewall Software

  • Platinum: Norton 360
  • Gold: Microsoft Windows Firewall
  • Silver: Kaspersky

Favorite Firewall Hardware/Appliance (by brand)

  • Platinum: McAfee
  • Gold: Cisco
  • Silver: Barracuda

Top Anti-Virus Tool (by brand)

  • Platinum: McAfee
  • Gold: Norton
  • Silver: Microsoft

Favorite Classroom Furnishings and Charging Carts (by Brand)

  • Platinum: Bretford
  • Gold: Steelcase
  • Silver: Childcraft

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