SIIA Education Division Releases Don’t Copy That 2 – School Version

February 12, 2011 · Filed Under Software News · Comment 

The Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced the release of Don’t Copy That 2 – School Version as part of SIIA’s ongoing effort to help teachers educate K-12 students about the ethical and legal use of copyrighted materials, such as software, books, articles, music and movies.

Don’t Copy That 2 – School Version is a fun-to-watch rap music video that addresses the dangers of engaging in piracy and the importance of respecting the creative output of others.  The accompanying classroom resources include support materials for the video, lesson plans for middle and high school teachers, a glossary, and other resources that can be helpful to educators in teaching these complex and important concepts.

The course materials include many of the same concepts for both middle and high school students, but use age-appropriate methods.  The lesson plans serve as models that educators can customize to their students’ needs.  The learning materials have been designed as a series of presentations, discussions and student activities.

“With piracy levels reaching all time highs, it is essential that we educate the younger generation on both the risks of piracy and the value of respecting and encouraging creativity and innovation,” said Keith Kupferschmid, General Counsel and SVP, Intellectual Property Policy & Enforcement for SIIA. “The video and lesson plans are intended to place students in the shoes of artists, authors and other creators so that they may better understand how it feels when someone spends long hours creating something valuable only to see it being stolen.”

The materials were created with the support of professional organizations, such as the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), which advocates safe, legal and ethical use of digital information and technology, including respect for copyright, intellectual property, and the appropriate documentation of sources.

“We’re excited to see SIIA’s creative approach to questions of digital citizenship,” said Don Knezek, CEO of ISTE. “It certainly supports and reinforces ISTE’s widely-adopted NETS guidelines for digital age learning, teaching and school leadership. We may be past the ‘Don’t Copy That Floppy’ of almost 20 years ago, but there’s still a need for relevant and engaging resources on intellectual property resources.”

More information can be found at http://dontcopythat2.com.

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WatchGuard announces Top Threats to education

November 4, 2009 · Filed Under Software News · Comment 

Education-related Threats Expected to Rise – According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 25 percent of all cyber-security breaches involve schools, and although a majority of educators believe that their campus networks are more secure now than last year, WatchGuard predicts that significant breaches, vulnerabilities and threats will continue to plague schools and universities. WatchGuard deems the following to be the leading network, application and data threats to education:

– Malware & Spyware - As students and faculty utilize the Web for education as well as entertainment purposes, many unwittingly expose themselves to drive-by downloads, or corrupted websites, which injects malicious forms of software on their computers. Once infected, they risk becoming victims of identity theft or loss of personal information via spyware and keyloggers.
– Viruses – Today, e-mail remains to be one of the primary vectors for delivering viruses. Unfortunately, a recent survey showed that 27 percent of users fail to keep their antivirus signatures up to date.  With viruses taking on innovative polymorphic properties, antivirus signatures alone may not be enough to stop the next wave of new viruses to come.
– Botnets – It has been estimated that 15 to 20 percent of all school and university computers connected to the Internet may be part of a botnet. As part of a botnet, school and university systems may be used in a variety of unknown exploits, including spam delivery, denial of service attacks, click-fraud, identity theft and more.
– Phishing – Phishing scams continue to get more sophisticated and selective, with students being specifically targeted. A recent report states that phishing attacks via social networks achieve a success rate of over 70 percent, which indicates that a majority of students are vulnerable to phishing scams.
– Hacking - In a recent survey of education IT professionals, 23 percent ranked student hackers as one of their greatest threats to their network security. Whether the hacks are designed to alter grades or for more sinister purposes, student hackers continue to push the envelope for network and data protection.
– Access Control – Usage of mobile devices and wireless access continues to plague network administrators. Concerns of thwarting unauthorized user access to education IT resources is top of mind with many administrators. As use of mobile devices escalates, schools will face
increasing challenges in managing authorized network access.
– Social Networks – The number one threat to school and university networks is social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace.  Unfortunately, social networks act as an ideal platform to launch a myriad of attacks against students and faculty, including spam, viruses, malware, phishing and more. Adding to this, socially engineered attacks are often extremely successful due to the “trusted” environment that social networks create.

– Because of the sensitive nature of student and faculty information, such as social security numbers, credit card information, and other personal identifying data at risk, WatchGuard recommends that schools and universities review their security controls and IT policies regularly to ensure they have the most effective, up-to-date security solutions in place.

Source: WatchGuard Technologies

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New e2Campus 3.0 Unifies Disparate Emergency Alerting Systems into One Screen

April 21, 2009 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Plus new level of performance and reliability achieved through proprietary network

Omnilert(R), LLC, maker of e2Campus(R), the leading unified emergency notification system for education, announced the release of e2Campus version 3.0. The new version unifies disparate emergency alerting systems and other campus assets into one management console for improved crisis communications. e2Campus now complies with the OASIS Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) version 1.1, the industry standard for exchanging emergency information between other CAP-compliant devices and services. Version 3.0 also operates on a new advanced architecture that has now become the industry benchmark for speed, reliability and scalability.

e2Campus 3.0 solves the challenge schools face today — how to utilize all available on-campus and off-campus communication channels during an emergency or crisis. Schools that utilize separate communication technologies find themselves with many challenges, because each technology has its own console, operators, procedures, politics, and contact data sets. This complexity makes it very tricky to coordinate a timely emergency response.

The new e2Campus 3.0 integrates with desktop pop-up alert systems, PA systems, mass text messaging and email systems, auto phone dialers, loudspeakers, fire alarms, digital signage, alert beacons, social media sites, and other existing communications infrastructure into one interface. This simplicity achieves an enormous savings in time, money, manpower, and risk. It leverages existing assets, simplifies alert activation, guarantees message consistency, consolidates recipient feedback, and ensures maximum exposure to the alert in a timely fashion.

e2Campus 3.0 is faster and more reliable than any other system on the market today. As the first company to offer an integrated emergency notification system for education, e2Campus has applied experience gained through years of ground breaking innovation. As part of the “extreme redundancy” initiative, e2Campus 3.0 runs on a nationwide network of geo-dispersed Tier-1 data centers, as well as multiple SMS, voice, email, and other third party services.

Nick Gustavsson, Chief Technology Officer at Omnilert, LLC explains, “The new 3.0 ecosystem of services and vendors is a game changer for the entire market. With over 70 domestic mobile carriers and over 60 partner products supporting e2Campus, the system is far more powerful than anything that has preceded it.”

New Features in 3.0

  • Universal Send: send text and voice based alerts to all endpoints from one screen.
  • Network Services: enables advanced configuration of individual communication devices and services.
  • CAP 1.1 Compliant: enables easy interoperability with any other CAP-compliant system.
  • Live Network Status: real-time status informs sender which services are active before an alert is sent.
  • SmartCode Extensions: enables unlimited customization of integration between various systems.
  • Pre-written messages: write and save messages that are approved by lawyers, risk managers, copy editors, etc.
  • Pre-recorded messages: record messages in a calm and intelligible voice to be ready for potential scenarios.
  • Data Uploads: upload all contact information of individual recipients to speed implementation.
  • Import Functions: new layout and tools for batch updates to subscriber data.
  • Delivery Reports: allows sender to track message delivery and receipt in standard and detailed views.
  • Mobile Portal: provides streamlined, fast-loading interface for initiating alerts from mobile phones.
  • Quickstart Settings: configures account to most common settings for faster implementation.
  • Send by Service: allows sender to select which services (SMS, email, voice, etc.) to deliver the alert.
  • Advanced RSS: enables cancellation or defined expiration on alert-by-alert basis or with default setting.
  • Combined Groups: all text and voice services now use the same groups.
  • New Admin Roles: Super Admin, Group Admin, Content Admin, Support Admin, Maintenance Admin & custom.
  • Search Message History: aids in troubleshooting an individual contact.
  • Alias Control: ability to change the “message from” name across any service on an alert-by-alert basis.
  • Time Zones: control the time stamp on alerts to your time zone.
  • Custom Reminders: create custom notices to be sent to users 30-days prior to user account expiration.

e2Campus 3.0 provides detailed message delivery feedback across different modalities. Admins view real-time reports tracking the status of alerts to determine if they were received and which devices received them.

Authorized officials can trigger alerts from any Internet connected Mac, PC, PDA, iPhone, BlackBerry or smartphone. If that’s not possible, authorized senders call a toll free number and verbally provide proper credentials to initiate the alert. The call-in service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Notifications can be live or pre-scripted in text and voice formats to reach a multitude of devices and services:

  • Mobile phone (SMS text message)
  • Phone (voice message)
  • Desktop pop-up alert
  • Loudspeaker & PA system
  • Facebook & Twitter
  • LCD/plasma digital signage system
  • LED scrolling display
  • Alert beacon
  • School Web page
  • Email & RSS
  • Blue light emergency call box
  • Fire alarm & security system enunciator
  • MyYahoo, iGoogle, Windows Live & MyAOL personalized portals

Pricing and Availability

The new version is available today for purchase. Existing clients can contact their account manager to upgrade at their convenience with minimal resource requirements, no additional costs, and no impact to subscribers. e2Campus prices vary based on the number of users with an average price around a dollar a semester per person for a school of 10,000 users.

Source: Omnilert, LLC

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SIIA Ed Tech Industry Summit Announces Participants for Cutting Edge Innovation Incubator Program

April 17, 2009 · Filed Under Educational Software, Software News · Comment 

Ten participants and two finalists were selected from 26 applicants

Innovation and growth of new education technologies will be the focus, particularly among those organizations represented during the acclaimed Innovation Incubator Program at the annual Ed Tech Industry Summit, sponsored by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), March 3-5, 2009, at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, Calif.

SIIA Education Division committee members reviewed 26 applications, and then voted for 10 entities based on the key selection criteria, including the alignment to SIIA’s Vision K-20 Benchmarks around: 21st Century Tools, Anytime/Anywhere Access, Differentiated Learning, Assessment Tools, and Enterprise Support.

SIIA’s 2009 Innovation Incubator participants represent pre-revenue companies, established companies, non-profit groups, R&D agencies, and academic institutions, and will officially be introduced during the upcoming conference.

The Ed Tech Industry Summit provides visibility for these innovators through three key events during the conference: Innovation Business Profiles Session, the Innovation Showcase and Networking Reception, and the One-to-One Business Connections Meetings.

Focusing on how critical innovation is to the future of the education industry, the SIIA Education Division narrowed the list of 26 applicants to 10 selected participants and two finalists. They are as follows:

Adobe – Adobe Flash Catalyst, a new professional interaction design tool for rapidly creating application interfaces and interactive content without coding.
ArchieMD – Archie MD Interactive 3D Platform: Virtual Autopsy, an innovative state-of-the-art 3D interactive platform ideal for the K-20 markets, enhancing the study of forensics and biology.
ClassLink – ClassLink Inquiry, takes the guesswork out of instructional technology decisions by accumulating and analyzing instructional technology usage data.
Kidos Computer – Kidos Computers, similar to iTunes for children’s content with the added benefits of “scaffolding” the content with interactive tools and applications for both kids and parents.
Math Learning Exchange – MathLearningExchange.org, designed as an online community for improving K-12+ math education with a moderated wiki of user-generated videos for math instruction.
MixedInk – MixedInk Collaborative Writing Tool, a fun and collaborative way for students to grow as writers, building on student’s online behavior outside the classroom.
Filament Games, LLC – PLEX Labs, a series of educational science games designed to parallel existing classroom activities.
Child’sMind Publishing – The Predictive Assessment of Reading, a breakthrough, universal diagnostic test for students in K-4th grade that is based on 20 years of NIH-funded research.
Quantum Learning Technologies – Skatekids Online / Ramps to Reading, virtual online worlds filled with games and activities that teach kids literacy, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills.
SMARTHINKING – Straighterline, combines on-demand tutoring from SMARTHINKING with off-the-shelf content to create developmental and general education courses.

2009 Ed Tech Industry Summit Innovation Incubator Finalists:
edWeb LLC – edWeb, a professional, social networking Web site for the education community that helps educators discuss issues, share resources, and collaborate.
GradeCam Corporation – GradeCam, advanced image recognition software that works with a camera to grade tests and post scores to any electronic grade book.

SIIA has extended the visibility of all applicants by hosting the Innovation Incubator Virtual Environment. Built with the support of member company Educational Systemics, it provided a venue for the voters to review each innovation by visiting the online exhibit hall. To provide visibility for all applicants during and after the Summit, the public is invited to view their booths by visiting http://k-12.veplatform.com/.

According to Karen Billings, Vice President for SIIA’s Education Division, “We are both excited and impressed by this year’s line-up of Innovation Incubator participants. These organizations represent different stages of company maturation and will have exciting new curriculum, administrative or productivity solutions for both K-12 and post-secondary markets. Their ability to build original and innovative solutions will help lead the charge into the next generation of technology-rich learning, and we were excited to place them front and center at this spring’s Ed Tech Industry Summit.”

Source: Software & Information Industry Association

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