Posted by Jerry Doll on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 @ 09:37 AM
Secretary Duncan announced that nine states and D.C. have won grants in the second phase of the Race to the Top competition. Watch the video below.
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Posted by Jerry Doll on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 @ 08:58 AM
This week's Blog is a simple "thanks" to everyone at NeoCon 2010 who voted for our Sit-Stand Lectern as a Best of NeoCon award winner. The July/August issue of Contract has just arrived and it features all the winners.
Below is a page from the magazine, or you can download a PDF view from our website.
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Posted by Jerry Doll on Wed, Aug 18, 2010 @ 01:25 PM
Pop Quiz: Besides personnel, typically what is a school district’s largest expense?
Answer: Energy costs!
It may be surprising to know that K-12 school districts spend more than $56 billion annually on energy — more than what is spent on computers, textbooks, and furniture! Even colleges and universities spend close to $2 billion on energy each year.
But the good news is — Energy is one of the few expenses that can be reduced without sacrificing the quality of education!
Here are a few areas that can significantly impact energy efficiency in our schools.
Sustainable Buildings: High-performance buildings can reduce energy costs by as much as 30 percent. In most cases, the cost of construction does not necessarily exceed that of conventional buildings. The major factor is the building envelope (walls, windows, roofing, insulation, etc.). Additionally, incorporating natural light into the environment can reduce the amount of energy consumed by electric lights, which in turn reduces the air conditioning needed to offset the amount of heat that electric lights produce.
Maintenance and Operations: As with any piece of equipment or system, regular maintenance is key to smooth, efficient operation. Heating, cooling, lighting, and water heating can account for more than 80 percent of a school’s energy use. M & O must go beyond just repairing equipment when it breaks. It must include a combination of preventive and predictive maintenance. Building systems must be monitored at all times to provide confirmation that they are functioning at peak efficiencies.
Water Efficiency: Although two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is water, less than one half of one percent is currently available for our use. Water conservation methods (efficient fixtures, graywater or rainwater catchment systems, xeriscaping, etc.) can help to reduce municipal water consumption by 25 to 75 percent. This in turn, reduces the energy required for water treatment.
Renewable Energy Systems: Renewable energy leveraged from natural, renewable resources (solar, geothermal, wind, biomass) can deliver electricity, heating and cooling while conserving natural resources, meeting regulatory requirements and goals, and increasing national security.
Dual Purpose Classrooms: Planning and utilizing classroom space efficiently can considerably reduce energy costs. For example, a classroom that can accommodate two or more functions at different times (such as computer classes and non-computer classes) reduces the need for two separate areas for these functions. Integrating CPUs and displays into the furniture itself creates a clutter-free, multi-use work area that can serve a variety of functions within the same classroom.
Behavior Modification: Saving energy by modifying our own behaviors is one of the least expensive methods of reducing costs. Districts that participate in the Schools for Energy Efficiency (SEE) program have averaged a 13 percent reduction in annual energy usage. Some districts have even reached savings of over 30 percent! Many colleges and universities encourage teams of students to compete to save water and electricity in residence halls and elsewhere. This behavioral modification tends to foster long-term positive behaviors that reach beyond the perimeter of campus.
Extra credit: Encourage your school (or company) to adopt an energy savings mentality.
Check out the Schools for Energy Efficiency program or the Small Business Guide to Energy Efficiency for more ideas.
Sources: Quick Facts, School Planning & Management; U.S. Department of Energy; Energy Star, EnergySmart Schools; Federal Energy Management Program.
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Posted by Jerry Doll on Tue, Aug 10, 2010 @ 10:56 AM
Gibson Named President, NOVA Solutions, Inc.
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 EFFINGHAM, IL - August 9, 2010 - Mike Gibson has been named president of NOVA Solutions, Inc. and will be responsible for the day-to-day management and operation of the company.
Mike brings a wealth of experience to NOVA in the areas of sales and marketing management; new product and business development; and international business.
Previously, Mike served as vice-president, sales and marketing for Reynolds Polymer Technology, Grand Junction, CO. While there, he supervised the creation of a new division that manufactures and sells architectural products for hospitality, education, corporate, and health care clients. Additionally, Mike developed a network of architectural representatives, regional sales personnel in NAFTA, and international reps and dealers. He also supervised the opening of manufacturing facilities in Thailand and Korea, as well as sales offices in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University and resides in Effingham, Illinois, with his wife Stacy and their three children: Matt, Drew, and Sydney.
John Lechman, who has served as NOVA's president and chief executive officer since the company's inception in 1988, will remain as NOVA Solutions' CEO.
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NOVA Solutions, Inc. has manufactured a variety of laminate furniture for the learning and working environments since 1988. NOVA's patented Visual Display Options, including The Trolley™ and The Downview solutions, provide for easy integration of technology into high quality desks, workstations, lecterns, tables, and more.
The company's world headquarters, corporate offices and primary manufacturing facility are located in Effingham, Illinois, with a metal fabrication plant in Greencastle, Indiana.
NOVA Solutions, Inc. employs approximately 70 employees with some 50 independent sales representatives and more than a thousand authorized dealers located around the globe.
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Posted by Jerry Doll on Wed, Jul 28, 2010 @ 08:32 AM
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that 18 states and the District of Columbia are the finalists for more than $3 billion available in the second round of funding in the Race to the Top program.
"Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia submitted bold blueprints for reform that bear the signatures of many key players at the state and local level who drive change in our schools," Duncan said. "Peer reviewers identified these 19 finalists as having the boldest plans, but every state that applied will benefit from this process of collaboratively creating a comprehensive education reform agenda," Duncan added. "Much of the federal dollars we distribute though other channels can support their plan to raise standards, improve teaching, use data more effectively to support student learning, and turn around underperforming schools."
Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second round of Race to the Top. Including the 36 applications for the second round of Race to the Top, a total of 46 states and the District of Columbia applied for either the first or second rounds – or both. The 19 finalists are: Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and South Carolina.
Duncan named the finalists at the end of a major speech at the National Press Club. In the speech, Duncan saluted educators, elected officials, and private sector leaders for leading a "quiet revolution" of the education reform across the country. "From educators to parents and political leaders to journalists -- there is a growing sense that a quiet revolution is underway in our homes and schools, classrooms, and communities," Duncan said. "This quiet revolution is driven by motivated parents who want better educational options for their children. It's being driven by great educators and administrators who are challenging the defeatism and inertia that has trapped generations of children in second-rate schools."
He highlighted the momentum for adopting rigorous standards, elevating the teaching profession to reward excellence, turning around low-performing schools, and building better data systems to inform reform.
While the work is being done by governors, superintendents, and teachers at the state and local levels, the federal government is supporting their work through Race to the Top and other reform programs, including the Investing in Innovation Fund, the Teacher Incentive Fund, the School Improvement Grants under Title I, and the federal charter school program. Through all of these programs, the Department of Education will be distributing almost $10 billion to support reform in states and local communities. "As we look at the last 18 months, it is absolutely stunning to see how much change has happened at the state and local levels, unleashed in part by these incentive programs," Duncan said.
Race to the Top is an historic federal investment in education reform, with $4.35 billion available to support states in their comprehensive reforms. The Department is reserving $350 million for a separate competition to support consortia of states that are creating the next generation of assessments that will support reform.
In the first round of competition supporting state-based reforms, Delaware and Tennessee won grants based on their comprehensive plans to reform their schools and the statewide support for those plans. Almost $3.4 billion remains to award grants to winners in the second round.
The finalists chosen today will travel to Washington during the week of Aug. 9 to present their plans to the peer reviewers who scored their applications. After the state's presentations and an extended question-and-answer period, the peer reviewers will finalize their scores and comments.
The Department intends to announce the winners of the competition in September. "Just as in the first round, we're going to set a very high bar because we know that real and meaningful change will only come from doing hard work and setting high expectations," Duncan said. Duncan acknowledged that not all of the finalists would be awarded grants from the almost $3.4 billion remaining in Race to the Top.
President Obama has requested $1.35 billion for the program in the administration's fiscal 2011 budget.
This article was reposted from The Department of Education website.
Posted by Jerry Doll on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 @ 09:38 AM
The following is a repost of an article from PBS's TeacherLine website. What do you think? Will the iPad change the way students learn and the way teachers teach? We'd love to hear your comments below.
Imagine for just a second, how the publisher/textbook industry would change if every student in a classroom had a tablet. Textbooks would no longer be printed on paper (the environment thanks you), and the publishers could then charge a “rental” fee or subscription. The information could be immediately updated unlike the current format of a textbook that in some instances is obsolete before it is in the hands of the user. When the rental time expires, there is nothing to throw away or take up space. Imagine the learning that can occur when students and teachers are connected in a way that desktops and even laptops cannot provide in the digital (or should we call it mobile) age.
This blog excerpt was written by Rob Reynolds on the topic of 21st Century Learning;
“Tablets will change education this year and in the future because they align neatly with the goals and purposes of education in a digital age.
Specifically, these devices will succeed because:
* They are about productivity — Learning is about doing and, increasingly, about doing both in and out of the traditional classroom. In the 21st century, learning is contextual and promotes engaging students in real-life applications. This means learning on-the-go but with all of the necessary materials and digital tools necessary for their tasks. A phone isn’t quite up to the task and a laptop isn’t exactly mobile. A tablet is the perfect device.
* They are about convergence — E-readers will not take hold in education because tablets will negate their usefulness and appeal. An e-reader is a single-use machine and a fairly limited one at that. The tablet, on the other hand, will support e-textbooks — Web-based and offline — color, Web productivity, and a whole host of other media, content creation, and communication options. The tablet can serve many functions and the e-reader only one. We want convergence when it makes sense and the convergence offered by tablet devices will appeal to educational users.
* They are about mobility — Make no mistake about it — tablets are mobile devices. They will run mobile apps, have mobile contracts in some cases, and be designed for productivity on-the-move. They are perfect for augmented reality applications, distributed learning, and student success tools.
* They are about price and availability — Tablets will allow users to have the functionality they want at a price they can afford. More importantly, they will usher in a new era of learning material distribution and subscription models for textbooks. The net result will be lower education costs across the board.
* They are about community — Tablets are mobile devices that connect users to one another. Learning, particularly in the 21st century, is a community-based activity. Enough said.”
This is a very exciting time for the world of educational technology.
Let us know what you think?
Posted by Jerry Doll on Thu, Jul 01, 2010 @ 10:46 AM
The article attached is from our friends at California University of Pennsylvania. They are committed to creating Smart Classrooms for their students and faculty. NOVA Solutions Trolley E-Class monitor lift systems, Audio/Visual Lecterns, and NOVALinked monitor lift system are integral parts of making this goal a reality.
Link to article.
Posted by Jerry Doll on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 @ 02:22 PM
Environment is everything. When it comes to where you live, where you work, and especially where you learn, having a pleasant ambiance surrounding you is critical to productivity and relaxation.
We recently returned from the InfoComm10 show in Las Vegas. Vegas (and many other tourist spots) are all about environment. The huge hotels and casinos engage in detailed research to learn what impact the environment has on its guests. For example, most casinos feature carpeting with a very bold and confusing pattern. This causes you to look-up (at the gaming tables and slot machines) rather than focus on the floor. Studies about colors and how they make people feel are endless and used in almost every facet of design. Many casinos and resorts use various smells to make guests feel relaxed and comfortable spending time in their establishment.
Environment is important everywhere, including the classroom. Although casinos and classrooms have two completely different objectives when considering how the environment will affect visitors, there are still a lot of similarities.
Classroom design and the layout of the space is an important factor in learning. The designs vary from traditional to collaborative to technology rich to a combination of many different learning and teaching styles rolled into one.
Acoustics are critical. As studies have shown, even modest background noise can negatively affect educational outcomes.
Colors (as I mentioned above) are one of the most studied facets of design. Specific colors invoke a variety of emotions and behaviors.
Lighting, whether natural or artificial are key to the overall visual environment and certainly impact students and teachers alike. Natural light cannot only result in energy savings, but it’s also linked to improved academic performance.
Furniture and furnishings are often time the last thing to consider when designing a productive classroom, but they are one of the most important and biggest features of the room. There are almost as many furniture choices as there are colors — flexible, reconfigurable, traditional, collaborative, formal, informal, technology friendly, etc, etc.
The style of the furniture should be secondary to ensuring that it meets the needs and functions of the teachers and students. Additionally, the furniture chosen should be flexible enough to adapt to changing teaching methods and new technology tools as they come along.
The next time you’re in a classroom (or a casino) take a look around and think about the time and effort that went into developing the overall look and feel of the place.
You’ll be able to quickly tell if it was the work of a professional designer and the result of a well thought out plan with furniture that fits, or simply a room full of after thoughts intended to fill a space.
P.S. Ever notice there are no windows or clocks in casinos? Someone told me, “It’s always daytime in Las Vegas!” No wonder we’re all so tired.
Posted by Jerry Doll on Thu, Jun 17, 2010 @ 03:37 PM
Just back from NeoCon 2010 and what a great show it was! As always we met a lot of interesting people and made some great connections this year.
We're pleased to announce that two of our products won awards at this year's show.
First, our Sit-Stand Lectern one a Best of NeoCon, Silver Award, in the category of Educational Solutions. This award is sponsored in part by Contract Magazine.
And, our NOVALinked system, that allows instructors to control all of the Trolley monitor lifts in the classroom simultaneously, won the Grand Prize in BUILDINGS magazine's Product Innovation Awards program in the category of Workplace Solutions.
Check out some images from NeoCon and downtown Chicago on our Flickr page.
Posted by Jerry Doll on Fri, Jun 11, 2010 @ 08:23 PM
Another InfoComm is history and what a great event it was! We have been in Vegas for the last few days enjoying meeting people from all around the globe, who stopped by our booth at this year's show.
Our NOVALinked, Trolley E-Class monitor lift, and innovative lectern and workstations designs really stole the show.
From all of us (John, Kurt, Pam, Jerry, Bob, Andy, and Robert) thanks for visiting us at InfoComm. If you missed it, you can catch our "roadshow" in Chicago beginning Monday at NeoCon!
And as always, you can check us out 24/7 right here on the web.
Check out our other photos on Flickr.