A couple of different articles came across our desk this week, both referring to a new study by Nobel Prize-winning physicist, Carl Wiemann, which was recently published in the scientific journal, Science. The study titled, "Improved Learning in a Large-Enrollment Physics Class," reveals that when interactive teaching methods are used in college lectures, students are more likely to show up to class and participate and test scores skyrocket. 

You can read the abstract of the journal article for free, but you'll have to pay for access to the entire journal article.   

The two differing articles below do a good job of describing and summarizing the results of the study...

Study: Clickers are the right answer for college lectures 

Boulder Daily Camera

Follow these tips to keep your technology equipment from Engaging Technologies working its best when you return at the end of summer...

1. Take all Mobis and pens off the charger over the summer.
2. Clean or disinfect the surfaces of tablets, interactive whiteboards, clickers, etc. with Expo@ or Windex by spraying on a rag and wiping the device. 
3. Cover document cameras, Mobi dock, etc. with plastic covers to ward off dust.   
4. Some schools choose to remove the batteries from clicker sets. 

It was great to receive a shout-out this month from Terri Fiorelli in Kimball, Nebraska regarding the use of the eInstruction Mobi Mobile Interactive Whiteboard in her classroom... 

 I am curriculm and assessment director and High School Math teacher. Several years ago, I severely broke my left arm. They replaced part of the bone with a plate. This limits my ability to demonstrate on a board or even on an overhead, especially since I am left handed. I am currently waiting to have a mobi system installed in my classroom since we have tested it but have not put it to daily use in my room. I decided to use a Mobi system to see if it would help. Not only does it help me, I find that sharing it with the students and letting them produce problem solving systems and graphs will enhance their learning and motivation. A system like this will open up a world of new knowledge for them.

 --Terri Fiorelli, Kimball Nebraska

Thanks for sharing your success story, Terri!  We look forward to hearing how daily use of the Mobi in your classroom changes things for the better! 

If you, like Terri, have a story about how a technology offered through Engaging Technologies has made a difference in your classroom, let us hear it!     

Just thinking about the upcoming Livescribe updates since chills down our spine, but after seeing the upgrade in action, we can barely contain our excitement.  Let's just suffice to say that the upcoming release slated for the week of May 23rd will have educators shaking in their socks! 

Never before has sharing a pencast been so easy.  In addition, the much anticipated PDF pencast is just about to make its presence known!   

What does this for you as a Livescribe education user?   

• You'll be able to quickly send a pencast to your entire class upon docking of your pen with just a couple of pen taps!   
• You'll be able to share pencasts in PDF form with other colleagues without the file ever leaving your school server!

Livescribe has some other great surprises in store for the summer release so we'll be sure and send out a special newsletter supplement when the new release is out. 

We also plan on scheduling a couple of webinars to lead you through the latest software offering.  Be on the lookout!

Download PDF 

Please excuse our website mess over the coming weeks! 

Our website is in the beginning phases of a much-needed overhaul, which we will be undertaking over the summer. We are in the process of adding our complete line of products, customer stories, more great ideas for technology implementation in the classroom, and easier navigation in an attempt to make it easier for YOU to get to the meat of our "good stuff!"

Be aware that you may notice odd pages or an incohesive look as we go through the process, but we're confident that our finished product will be FANTASTIC!