Moving while no one is looking…

I found this cartoon at www.the8thsign.com, a blog by Alec Peden, and I just had to stick it on here. It is so true!

I have really enjoyed having a WordPress blog, but as we work on consolidating and “beefing up” our website, we are moving our blog to our What’s New page directly at engaging-technologies.com. It won’t have all the bells and whistles like our WordPress blog, but for what we do, it isn’t much different. When there is a submission that warrants, we’ll just make up a new page on our website for it, so that information will be a little easier to find. All articles on this blog will remain until I can transfer some of the information over to our website.

We’re adding new information about Teaching With Clickers on a regular basis and have also added a Downloads page, which is where you’ll find all of our training modules. We hope to have a grant information page soon, and a resource page of many various clicker links is in the works. By subscribing to our RSS feed, you’ll be the first to know when this new information is added or when special pricing is posted.

I hope that those of you who have subscribed to this RSS feed in the past will continue with us at our new feed. You’ll now even have the option to receive our updates via email if you wish (I even signed myself up and thought it was so cool!).

To subscribe to automatic updates via the RSS reader of your choice or via email (you choose what method you’d like to use), just click here to see your options.

Thank you for your interest and comments! We hope you’ll be keeping up with us at our What’s New page!

Interview with Steve Kaye, president of eInstruction

New president of eInstruction, Steve Kaye, was interviewed by Ken Royal for District Administration Magazine. Steve, formerly Interwrite Learning’s co-president and CEO, speaks to the new direction that combined companies eInstruction and Interwrite Learning will be taking as they move forward after the merger.

Read the interview!

Clickers…What Are They?

I ran across another great presentation on clickers for those of you that are just getting in on this technology and really aren’t sure how it works. This is done by Olga Urban, Online Technologies Coordinator at Northern Illinois University. It is something she put together for the university faculty after Northern Illinois University standardized on eInstruction clickers. In her presentation, she even outlines some of the reasons that they chose eInstruction for standardization. Take a look!

Don’t Forget…Chalkboard Special Ends December 31st!

Your chance to get a free eInstruction Wireless Chalkboard with every CPS you purchase is ending soon.

Remember…this special is good for all IR and RF purchases($1,495 minimum), including CORE purchases. Sign your CORE agreement and receive discount bulk pricing AND a free chalkboard with every system you order before December 31st!

Have you been hiding in a cave for the last 2 months and didn’t even know there was a chalkboard special? See the details HERE.

Straight from the Professor’s Mouth…CPS at Purdue

Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, has employed the use of CPS on its campus for several years. Because of this, Information Technology of Purdue has created an extremely helpful resource page for their students and faculty on the use of CPS clickers on campus. You can check the Information Technology of Purdue’s resource page HERE.

Purdue University recently released a video of clicker testimonials from professors who are actually using the CPS clickers on campus. In my opinion, I don’t ever really bother with too many reviews from the experts when I’m buying a product. I always look at the user reviews, and this is exactly what this video is…user reviews. So, have a listen to what these professors at Purdue University are saying about CPS in their classrooms…straight from the professor’s mouth. See the video…

7 Things You Should Know About…CLICKERS

Maybe you’re an old clicker pro and you’ve seen the tried and true effects of using clickers in your very own classroom, but to many educators, this is still a very new technology that they aren’t quite sure about. Maybe you know someone who is still a little “clicker suspicious” or maybe you ARE that very person. As educators, I think we are all a little wary about new trends. We’ve seen so many come and go that is has made us a little more cautious to change than the normal person. Rather than going away, however, clickers are becoming ever more popular in the classroom, not because they are the latest fad, but because teachers AND students are seeing the benefits and reaping the rewards.

For those of you that are a little “clicker suspicious,” take that first step and read this EDUCAUSE article,
7 Things You Should Know About…Clickers.

This article will clue you in on the following clicker facts:

1 – What is it?
2 – Who’s doing it?
3 – What makes it unique?
4 – Why do we think it’s significant?
5 – what are the downsides for clickers?
6 – Where is it going?
7 – Implications for teaching and learning

MORE Winter Holiday Educational Activities…

Lee Ann Lacy, Multimedia Outreach Educator for the Austin Children’s Museum, has compiled some fun pages of educational winter holiday games — math, puzzle, interactive stories, word searches, art, etc. There are some great CPS Chalkboard activities on here, especially in the Math Games section. Check it out!

Enlighten, December 2007/January 2008

Our latest issue of our monthly newsletter, Enlighten, is now posted on our website. Find out more about eInstruction’s Core Customer Loyalty Program, hear how CPS saved the day at NCSS, and more! Feel free to check out our back issues while you’re there! If you would like to have Enlighten delivered directly to your e-mail, you can SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Holiday, Winter & January Quizzes and Activities

Add a little holiday “spark” to your classroom with these fun holiday quizzes and activities. I’ve also included activities for January events like Kansas Day and Martin Luther King Day.

Don’t be hesitant to use these quizzes in your classroom. Quizzes and some of these fun activities are a great way to introduce a new topic. Some of these activities, like holiday trivia, will also provide a no-pressure “brain break” for students that have been working hard. Don’t forget that printables like word searches and sudoku can be used on the CPS Chalkboard and make a great quick all-class activity. Some of these activities could also be done on paper, but they are so much more fun to do using CPS and/or the CPS chalkboard.

Check them out and have FUN with them!

English:
The Night Before Christmas Quiz
Winter Wordplay

Geography:
Christmas Island Quiz

Holiday Trivia:
Holiday Quiz – AOL Research and Learn
Fun Santa Trivia Quiz

Winter Word Search
Holiday Sudoku
Holiday Sudoku 2

Science:
Basic Snow Facts Quiz

No Sun for You! The Winter Solstice Quiz
Winter Solstice Traditions Quiz
Let It Snow

Kansas Day:
Kansas Symbols Game
Rags to Riches Game – Kansas Day Trivia Game for 3rd -5th Graders
Kansas Day Quiz
Kansas State Symbol Matching Game
Famous Kansans Hangman
Kansas Quiz
Kansas County Hangman
Kansas – The Sunflower State Quiz
Tourist Attractions in Kansas Quiz
Quiz – A Variety of Questions About Kansas
Kansas Quiz

Martin Luther King Day:
Martin Luther King Trivia Quiz
From the Mountain Top: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Quiz
Martin Luther King Quiz for Kids
Martin Luther King, Jr. Crossword
I Have A Dream fill-in-the-blanks

eInstruction to Acquire Interwrite Learning

Big news yesterday! eInstruction and Interwrite Learning signed an agreement yesterday for eInstruction to buy Interwrite Learning! It will be interesting to see what the future holds going forward from this business deal.

Read the entire press release here…