From time to time our customers ask, "Is The Trolley™ UL Listed?"  The answer is a simple "yes." But, if you're not familiar with exactly what that means, you might be thinking "so what."  Let's take a look at what goes into getting a UL Listing and why it's important.

In today's blog, we take a look at "Technology for Early Learners."  Our friends over at Hatch — The Early Learning Experts — have put together a great eBook that explores the positives and negatives of technology for younger students.  But, what is educational technology?  According to Hatch's ebook:

Take a walk around any junior high or high school campus in between classes and you'll probably see most students looking down at their cell phones — texting, rather than making eye contact and carrying on actual conversations. These miraculous, pocket-sized pieces of technology have become a mainstay on most kid's "required school supplies" lists since the 1990's.  But how do they impact learning and should they be allowed in class?

• 2010 U.S. Census information reveals the population of the United States increased 9.7 percent over the previous 10 year period.
• More than 25% of the population (85.3 million people) are enrolled in or employed by a school or college
• Elementary and secondary enrollment increased by 8 percent between 1995 and 2008; and it's on an upward spiral.  Enrollment is expected to increase another 5 percent by 2020.
• Eight states are projecting an increase in enrollment of 15 percent by 2020.  Here's the breakdown:
• Nevada - 28.4%
• Arizona - 26.2%
• Alaska - 24.8%
• Texas - 22.7%
• Idaho - 18.7%
• Colorado - 18.0%
• Washington - 17.0%
• North Carolina - 15.1%
• Projections for Fall of 2011 estimate K-12 enrollment at 54.7 million students.
• 49.4 million attending public schools
• 5.3 million attending private schools
• The school age population will grow to nearly 80 million by 2050, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
• An estimated 3.6 million teachers/faculty are employed in K-12 schools.  This number increased by 23 percent between 1995 and 2008.  It is projected to increase 7 percent by 2020.
• Total enrollment in postsecondary degree-granting institutions increased 43 percent from 1995 to 2009; and is projected to increase an additional 13 percent between 2009 and 2020

Raise your hand if you know what a "flipped classroom" is. If you don't know, you're not alone.  It is a relatively new trend in education and it's all thanks to technology.

On January 31, February 1 - 2, NOVA's John and Suzanne Lechman took the long trek to a cold and snowy Amsterdam for this year's Integrated Systems Europe event.  And what an event it was!

A morning news report caught my attention today.  It was about a local school district that had relaxed its policy on social media and decided to allow (gasp) Facebook and Twitter into the classroom. The anchor people made some ad lib about "well, we'll have to keep an eye on that story."  — as if it were some evil that must be kept away from our children at all cost.

We recently listed our Top Ten picks for education.  So, lets shift our focus now to the corporate world.  Here's a look a some of the most popular business apps for iPad or iPhone.

How do I convert my old NOVA CRT desk into a flat panel desk?  This is a customer support question we get from time to time.  If you're asking it, you already know this has to do with our Downview™ products.

Everyone loves a Top Ten list right?  With the growing popularity of using digital tablets as part of the educational curriculum, we thought we'd share some of the most popular iPhone/iPad apps for use inside and outside of the classroom.  You may have others to add to the list, so be sure to post them in the comments section.