ISTE 2012 was a fast-paced week for Promethean as the integrated interactive technology firm used the cutting-edge conference by the International Society for Technology in Education to make three major announcements aimed at technology-using educators. SmartBlog on Education stopped by the Promethean exhibit toward the end of the conference for a recap of what was an eventful week.
- Collaboration was the name of the game as Promethean and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt joined forces to launch the first complete set of interactive Common Core-aligned whiteboard lessons available to K-12 educators. The collections allow Promethean’s interactive and touch-screen technology to be coupled with mathematics content for grades K-12 that follow Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s GOMath! and On Core Mathematics programs, as well as reading content for K-6 based on the Journeys series. Each lesson promotes problem solving, critical thinking and class discussion, and is designed to run on any interactive whiteboard. The collections also feature embedded assessment activities and allow teachers to use a hand-held device to track comprehension, measure understanding and modify instruction if necessary. “Research shows that when students actively participate, their performance improves. By fusing math and reading content with interactive tools, students get excited about learning critical concepts and will be better prepared for standard assessments,” said Jim Marshall, president of Promethean North America. “With these interactive lessons, teachers can effortlessly create memorable and dynamic lessons to meet the needs of all students.”
- While promoting student engagement is a goal of all educators, Promethean also announced a program aimed at increasing parental involvement. The Parent Connection is being launched by Promethean, Channel One News and the National PTA, and will allow parents to receive a daily update with a video link to the Channel One News InterActiv broadcast shown in their child’s classroom that day. It was announced at ISTE 2012 that the San Diego Unified School District will be the first district in the country to offer the service to parents.
- And finally, with an eye toward helping educators manage the costs associated with leading education technologies, Promethean announced the Promethean Projector Promise, a program that lets customers buy equivalent or comparable replacement projectors and lamps at preferential pricing.