If you’re not already familiar with Adobe’s K12 Site License, take a moment to read about it on our website here. For any school that already has Adobe software or is looking to purchase, the site license is an efficient and cost-effective option for your school. It includes enough Creative Cloud licenses to cheaply and easily deploy onto every device on your campus or district.

Need headphone sets for your classroom? We bundle our Avid headsets to save you money, and each bundle comes with a storage case to keep your headphones safe. Headphones come in your choice of green or orange, and each one comes with an attached microphone. They can also be purchased individually if you don’t need a full set. Check it out here.

TurboCAD LTE Pro v4

TurboCAD products from IMSI/Design have long been popular with Cadalyst readers. TurboCAD LTE Pro, the second most affordable option in the line, is described as a professional 2.5D drafting and detailing solution. Although it is designed to compete with AutoCAD LT, we chose it for this roundup due to its $500 price.

Installation of TurboCAD LTE Pro went fine, but the included graphics driver had to disable the Aero visual theme in Windows 7 in order to run. Once the basic Windows theme was applied, TurboCAD fired right up.

Users create new design files in TurboCAD LTE Pro via a variety of template files in ISO and ANSI standard unit notation with typical drawing border sizes. Files are saved by default in the TurboCAD TCW file format, but may also be saved as AutoCAD 2010 (or earlier) DWG or DXF, or Intergraph DGN vector formats, as well as a variety of other CAD and image formats. The same file types are supported when opening existing drawings. We opened a variety of AutoCAD and DGN sample files with generally good results.

TurboCAD LTE Pro’s UI encompasses pull-down menus and toolbars along the top of the screen, with toolbars and palettes to the left and right and a Command prompt/history area along the bottom. One thing the UI doesn’t have is a ribbon menu. Creating geometry feels very much like drawing with AutoCAD; coordinate input, directional input, and intelligent snap locators appear to be modeled after the AutoCAD UI. Editing commands such as Move, Mirror, and Trim all work in conjunction with snap locations, much like they do in AutoCAD, but selecting objects for editing (such as AutoCAD grip editing) felt very different, as multiple objects may be stretched or modified in an extent-style editing frame. Zoom/pan and wheel mouse viewing also functioned just as one would expect in AutoCAD. As fans of keyboard entry, we were happy to find that favorite command shortcuts (L for line, E for erase, etc.) worked exactly as they would in AutoCAD. Finally, a unified CUI command means you can set up your own shortcuts, palettes, toolbars, and other interface components just the way you want.

Printing uses your operating system print drivers, with a print style utility mapping colors to print characteristics such as pen widths (much like an AutoCAD CTB file).

In Summary. TurboCAD LTE Pro is a functional CAD tool that can create and work with DWG and DGN data, with an interface look and feel that will be familiar to AutoCAD users. Companies that use complex layout views with viewport-specific visualization features can expect to have compatibility issues when interacting with AutoCAD users.

Check it out on our website here: https://www.genesis-technologies.com/catalogsearch/advanced/result/?manufacturer[]=190

Why does EdTech recommend Google Chrome OS Management to school administrators? Easy to follow interface and the ability to scale the needs of any sized school, to name a few reasons. Take a look at their thorough review here.

Also, take a look at our academically discounted Google Chrome Management page here.

Little Bits are challenging the educational technology industry with their innovative, fun, and kid-friendly robotics kits. They are easily implemented in your makers space or classroom, and they aim to increase students’ interest in computer science and engineering. More than ever before, preparing children to enter these rapidly growing fields is becoming a priority at schools all over the country. Take a look at their Youtube channel to find out how they work, and take a look at our Little Bits page
here.

Many schools implement a Bring Your Own Device program at their schools. One of the biggest problems with this is you need a way to easily and efficiently charge, and store the student’s computers without wasting valuable class time.

We recommend Anywhere Cart because they can be easily adjusted to fit any standard device. It is easy to charge the entire class’s devices with a single product, instead of worrying about cords, and wires.

Check out our catalog here: https://www.genesis-technologies.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=anywhere&cat=

GoGuardian is a full-service Chromebook management solution that combines Web filtering, usage tracking, and theft-management in one dashboard. Realtime monitoring, coupled with Internet, app, and extension filtering and anti-theft features, allows administrators and teachers to track usage of Chromebook anywhere at anytime.

Quality and Effectiveness: GoGuardian is a powerful Chromebook management tool with three purposeful uses: content filtering, usage monitoring, and theft management. The monitoring capabilities of GoGuardian allow schools to see how Chromebook devices are being used at both the macro and micro level. This includes the ability to track peak usage times, browse a timeline of activity, view top visited sites by Organizational Units (OU s), and see when students attempt to visit blocked Web sites or inappropriate content. Content filtering allows schools to determine what to block and when. The anti-theft features of GoGuardian are unique, with the ability to log keystrokes, take screenshots and Web cam photos, and geolocate devices.

Ease of Use: GoGuardian is installed to the Google Console in minutes using easy, step-by-step instructions. Once installed, GoGuardian begins collecting information from your school’s Chromebook users into a simple, straightforward dashboard. There is a growing collection of documentation in the Help and Support area, and subscribers are provided with a real person and phone number to call for help.

Creative Use of Technology: GoGuardian’s software allows schools to filter Web content in a number of ways. There are standard blacklist categories for filtering that are updated daily, which users can choose to apply to individual OU s. Schools can also import their own blacklists, and they can choose to whitelist anything they wish to allow. Web sites on the blacklist are blocked for users, Web sites that are not on the blacklist, but with questionable content, are flagged for review. The flagging feature looks at the content of the site, as well as the metatags, to identify potential problem content. Users can download a CSV file of flagged content (or all data) for offline review. GoGuardian also allows schools to blacklist all Web sites, and then build a list of Web sites they wish to allow students to visit. GoGuardian also allows schools to see which apps and extensions are being installed and used, and it also allows users to add those items to blacklists if appropriate. GoGuardian has also developed a YouTube filter, so that schools can maintain control over the types of YouTube videos users are able to view.

GoGuardian allows multiple types of users to see data in the console. For example, administrators can have full control, teachers can have control over their own students, and view-only users are allowed to see data, but cannot make changes. Each user can also receive notification of flagged activity via email and choose the level of flag for which alerts are sent. Schools can choose to monitor and filter all of the time, by specific IP address, or during specific times of the day.

When you purchase GoGuardian licenses for your Chromebooks, you are granted the ability to monitor and filter all users in your OU . If groups of users are granted different access levels, the user profile determines what is available, not the device they are using.

Suitability for Use in a School Environment: GoGuardian helps make student use of school Chromebooks safer and CIPA-compliant, even when used outside of the building. [Editor’s note: GoGuardian has a screen sharing feature, scheduled to launch January 1, 2015.]

TOP FEATURES

• Flexibility: Schools decide what to filter and flag, when to do it, and by which means each school can design its unique solution.
• Power: GoGuardian is powerful in its ability to filter, flag, and monitor Chromebook usage.
• Anti-Theft: The anti-theft features of GoGuardian help protect the school’s investment in its Chromebooks.

OVERALL RATING: GoGuardian has done a great job of condensing so many tools and features into a simple-to-navigate dashboard. The ability to monitor, filter, and recover lost or stolen Chromebooks is essential as schools invest in this technology.

Check it out on our website here:

https://www.genesis-technologies.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=go+guardian&cat=

Computers are expensive, and a lot of times schools need to cut costs, while maintaining learning standards. Califone headphones offer a cheap, durable solution to student learning. They are durable, built to last, and comply with education standards so that you can rest easy.

Check out our full catalog of Califone products here:

https://www.genesis-technologies.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=califone&cat=

Looking for video recording and editing software for your photography or media classes? Camtasia can be used on Mac and Windows. Check out this review on Streaming Media to learn more about the functionality and quality of the software.

Also, check out our Techsmith Camtasia here, and look for title with the word “academic” in them.