Germ-Free Computing

With some keyboards used by as many as a dozen different children a day, all it takes is one with a cold to start an epidemic at your school. iSkin’s ProTouch keyboard covers can not only protect the mechanics below the surface from spills, dust or worse, but users from spreading germs. The keyboard covers are made of plastic with Microban, an antimicrobial that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold and fungus. There’s a variety of covers for Apple keyboards and notebooks that range from $25 to $35. 

Cord Free Typing

There’s nothing more frustrating than getting tangled in the cords from a wired keyboard or mouse. Adesso’s latest keyboard is a marvel of miniaturization that gets rid of all cords, and allowing more room for books, papers and pencils. The $130 WKB-4000BB has a built-in touchpad and connects to a desktop or notebook PC by establishing a Bluetooth link. Small, thin and light, the Bluetooth keyboard combo doesn’t skimp on key size or quality and works with all recent Windows releases. 
 

Projector Player

Ever had trouble getting a DVD player to play nice with a projector? Epson’s PowerLite Presenter combines a powerful projector with a DVD player for a classroom one-two punch. A little larger than a traditional classroom projector, the Presenter uses three LCD screens to put a WXGA image. Its output is rated at 2,500 lumens of light. On top of playing DVD movies and traditional computer-based material, the Presenter can also grab images off of a USB memory key or external hard drive. A big bonus is that the system not only has a pair of 10 watt speakers but the ability to plug in a microphone so the teacher can be heard from anywhere in the room.

 

 

The Easy Route to Win 7

So, you’ve got a bunch of systems that have been waiting for Windows 7 but no way to quickly and easily upgrade them. Belkin’s Easy Transfer Cable for Windows 7 can provide a link from old to new by moving documents, images and all sorts of personal data, like browser bookmarks and old emails. The $40 cable uses the PC’s USB ports to move its data and comes with all the software needed to transfer a digital school life to a new computer. It works with Windows XP and Vista systems and when it’s done, the Easy Transfer software provides a report on its Win 7 upgrade and what was moved. 

Talk Time

Schools without intercoms or public address systems can now combine audio with a clock with Cyberdata’s IP paging equipment. The V2 Talkback Paging Speaker is the equivalent of a full-duplex Internet telephony phone masquerading as a classroom speaker with a 3-inch clock. The equipment can distribute announcements and act as a two-way speaker phone for talking to the office. Connecting it is easy because the intercom-clock get its electricity from power over Ethernet networking. Cyberdata has versions that are housed in a rectangular box and flush mounted.

The Screen that Lights Up

If your classroom gets too dark when the projector is fired up, think about the closest thing to an educational nightlight. Inside Stewart Filmscreen’s Cabaret screen is a series of LEDs that provide just enough illumination to light up the darkness but not interfere with what’s being projected. With a special remote control, the teacher can control the color and brightness of the light.

The Pad with Smarts

Ever wanted to write directly onto a projected image on a classroom screen, but without a tablet computer you couldn’t figure out how. SMART Technologies has a cool idea that puts a touch-sensitive screen within reach of teachers. The DT770 has a 17-inch display that can work with a pen or fingertip and puts everything written on it on-screen. It’s not light enough to use while roaming around the classroom and needs to be plugged in, so for now it needs to remain on the front desk or podium. The touch interface can control the color and weight of the line as well as what’s connected to the projector. Regardless of whether it’s pointing out the nuances of medieval art, chemical interactions on the molecular level or how to simplify a radical equation, anything written shows up on the big screen and can be saved in a variety of formats. 

Make the Most of Your School’s WiFi Network

The beauty of having a WiFi wireless network that covers an entire school is that once it’s there, you can add all sorts of accessories and equipment without having to think about where there’s an Ethernet outlet. One of the coolest wireless appliances is Belkin’s Home Base. Don’t let the name fool you, it is rugged and secure enough for school work and can support a printer, external hard drive or even a memory key or two. With 4 USB ports, the Home Base works with all recent WiFi routers. It comes with software for performing automatic back-ups and up-loading files to a Flickr or Picasa account. It costs $130.

Touching Me Even More

I’ve used the first two generations of HP’s TouchSmart desktop PC, and the other day I saw the third generation. I came away convinced that it is not only a better school computer but it fits better in the classroom. It still is a high-performance PC with a 23-inch touch screen PC that’s only 5-inches thick. Its visual approach can make lessons less of a chore and put educational material in the faces of children. On top of mounting the Web cam on a swivel so it can be rotated up and down, the TouchSmart 600 series has a sturdier stand that is easier to adjust. The big change from an electronics point of view is the addition of the ability to connect an external device like a DVD player with a composite or HDMI input port. Look for it later this month when Windows 7 launches.

Mightier than the Pen

Every English teacher has told a class that the pen is mightier than the sword, but Wizcom’s ReadingPen TS just might be mightier than a traditional pen or pencil. Rather than writing on paper this pen is a tiny handheld computer that can scan printed material and read it to those with disabilities or younger students. It’s really quite amazing to see it (or really hear it) in action. There’s even a built in dictionary for when the student encounters an unfamiliar word. The pen can hold up to 500 pages of scanned text, which can be moved to a PC via its USB plug. The pen with software costs $230.