Digital Discourse / Education Events

CODiE Finalists: Classroom Management System & Corporate Learning Solution

April 13, 2011 By Wendy Tanner Leave a Comment

Congratulations to the finalists in the CODiE Awards education technology categories Best Classroom Management System and Best Corporate Learning Solution.

Best Classroom Management System recognizes the best system designed for K-12 educators that provides any or all of the following: data management and reporting tools, gradebooks, standards alignment tools, packages that link data and resources to instruction, and other platform tools that take user content.

Finalists are:

Best Corporate Learning Solution recognizes the best platform, service or provider that supports the efforts of organizations (business, government, academia) to educate employees on internal processes, practices, expectations, and objectives via electronic means. It includes learning management systems, and content development, delivery and packaging tools.

Finalists are:

  • Blackboard Learn, Release 9.1 for Professional Education, Blackboard Inc.

Winners will be announced at a special dinner during the 2011 Ed Tech Industry Summit on Monday, May 23rd.

Filed Under: CODiEs, Ed Tech Industry Summit, Education, Education Events, Events, Finalists Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

SIIA Announces Finalists for 2011 CODiE Awards in Education Technology

April 11, 2011 By Wendy Tanner Leave a Comment

SIIA announces the finalists for the 26th annual CODiE Awards. A full list of finalists can be viewed at http://www.siia.net/codies/2011/finalists.asp.

Of 425 total nominations, 113 products from 80 companies were selected as finalists. Nominated
products underwent an extensive review by judges via live demonstration, trial product access, and
analysis of product documentation. With 14 nominations moving to the second round, Pearson garnered
the most finalist slots for one company in all CODiE Awards categories this year.

Of particular note, several categories experienced dramatic increases in participation during the entry
period, reflecting trends seen in the education technology market. They include:

Best Virtual School Solution for Students – nominations up almost 270 percent
Best Corporate Learning Solution – nominations up 100 percent
Best Postsecondary Instructional Solution – nominations up about 90 percent
Best Reading/English Instructional Solution – nominations up about 70 percent
Best Education Community Solution – nominations up about 60 percent

Karen Billings, Vice President of the SIIA Education Division, commended the companies that qualified as
finalists: “The CODiEs reflect excellence and innovation in the education technology industry. We are
pleased and proud to have so many companies participating this year and to have so many moving on to
the member voting phase.” Billings continued, saying, “We have a diverse range of companies
represented, which reflects the overall health of the industry.”

Winners will be announced Monday, May 23rd at the CODiE Awards Reception and Dinner as part of the 2011 Ed Tech Industry Summit.

Filed Under: CODiEs, Ed Tech Industry Summit, Education, Education Events, Finalists, Mobile: Education

Can it be the Ed Tech Industry Summit Already?

January 27, 2011 By Karen Billings Leave a Comment

It seems we just finished hosting the recent Ed Tech Business Forum on November 29-30 in New York City (www.edtechbusinessforum.net) and we are already in the midst of planning the next Ed Tech Industry Summit in San Francisco. (www.edtechindustrysummit.net) Since I have been asked frequently about the differences in the two conferences, this seems like a good time to explain them.

Differences. The key difference is that the Ed Tech Business Forum is focused on the business and finance side of the ed tech industry, with the attendees typically being C-level executives focused on growing company revenues and profits, along with strategic investors and venture capitalists interested in growing their portfolios.

The Ed Tech Industry Summit focuses on ALL sides of an ed tech business: sales & marketing, business & finance, and technical & development. Therefore the attendees come from senior and exec staff looking at enhancing their product lines, fine-tuning their sales and marketing efforts, and growing their entire company.

Another key distinction is that the Ed Tech Industry Summit includes the annual CODIE Awards Program and Dinner. (www.siia.net/codies/2011/) We announce winners among the finalist products in the 25 Education Categories. New this year we will award the winners of the six education super categories. We will present the third Ed Tech Impact award to an individual with a high level of accomplishments and contributions to the education technology industry.

Similarities. Both conferences have a full K-20 focus so there are sessions and keynotes that address elementary, secondary and postsecondary markets. Both conferences host the Innovation Incubator Program and the infamous One-to-One Business Connections Program.

Both conferences are open to senior management teams from within the ed tech industry whether the company is an SIIA member or not. We do, however, give significant discounts on the registration fees to our members. At both conferences, you will meet education software companies, platform technology firms, solution providers and distributors, publishers, those in the financial community.

Bottom line. SIIA would, of course, like your company to attend both conferences. But whether you select just one or both, I can guarantee you will be glad you participated and will see the ROI of attending.

Karen Billings, VP Education, SIIA

Filed Under: Ed Tech Industry Summit, Education Events

SIIA One-to-One Business Connections at ETBF

September 29, 2010 By Laura Greenback Leave a Comment

SIIA Education Division Manager, Tasiyiwa Mapondera explains the One-to-One Business Connections meetings that will take place at the upcoming Education and Technology Business Forum in NYC on Nov. 29-30. The One-to-One Business Connections meetings are sponsored by Educational Systemics.

Filed Under: Education, Education Events, Events

SIIA Education Division Welcomes Innovation Incubator Nominations

September 21, 2010 By Laura Greenback Leave a Comment

Tasiyiwa Mapondera, education division manager for the Software & Information Industry Association, invites your nominations for the 2010 Innovation Incubator program.

This initiative promotes innovation by raising the profile of the most innovative ed tech products and services, while providing innovators with one-on-one access to captains of industry for mentorship, expert advice, and unique opportunities to connect with prospective partners to support growth.

The Innovation Incubator program is sponsored by the Blackboard Alliance Program, Spectrum K12, and The Jordan Edmiston Group.

Nominations are due Monday, Sept. 27, 2010. Learn more at http://siia.net/etbf/2010/incubator.asp

Filed Under: Education, Education Events, Events, Innovation, Uncategorized

Nominations are Open for the 2011 Education CODiE Awards!

September 13, 2010 By Laura Greenback Leave a Comment

SIIA President Ken Wasch gives an update on the 2011 CODiE Award nominations for education.

Filed Under: CODiEs, Education, Education Events, Events

The Medium is the Message

September 9, 2010 By Karen Billings Leave a Comment

With apologies to Marshall McLuhan, this phrase came to mind when we saw the recent announcement about the death of the floppy. McLuhan argued that the medium that carries a message is an essential part of it. He noted that all media have characteristics that engage the viewer in different ways. It seems then, that as our delivery platforms change for digital code and content, so will our message AND our business models.

Just as the floppy shook up the computer industry in 1971, new mediums like distance learning and cloud computing are redefining how our technology products and services are consumed and interpreted. With the invention of the floppy, ed tech developers suddenly had a quick, inexpensive way to distribute its software on a massive scale. This technological development, however, meant that the market came to expect faster software updates, and new business models were required to keep pace.

Cloud computing is bringing us to a similar juncture. As companies head for the cloud, they will have to find ways to adapt their content and adjust their revenue models to the new medium maintain a viable business. When music went digital, for example, the bottom fell out of the market as the aptly named Pirate Bay and others pioneered the no rules, no royalties model. How our industry decides to manage the growth of e-books or open source LMS may likewise define the fate of our own digital products and services down the road.

What we know for sure is that the education delivery medium is going digital in every direction: from
textbooks to student performance data to interactive whiteboards. As this transition creates new
possibilities, the question is: how will this affect our message and how will we manage the medium?

Posted by Karen Billings, VP Education, SIIA and Alec Wescott, Education Intern, SIIA

Filed Under: Cloud Computing: Education, Education, Education Events, Mobile: Education
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