Sponsor Spotlight: CDW-G

From classrooms to warehouses, boardrooms to battlefields, CDW’s architects and advanced technology engineers have been designing, implementing and managing technology, communication and security solutions for growing businesses, leading universities, healthcare providers and all branches of the U.S. government for nearly 30 years.

Whether you need software, network communications, notebooks/mobile devices, data storage, video monitors, desktops and printers—or you require more advanced virtualization, collaboration, security, mobility, data center optimization and cloud computing solutions—CDW gets it. Their team of technology experts and dedicated account managers can tailor a piece of equipment, individual software or an entire network that delivers the most effective and sustainable results.

Because they are vendor agnostic, CDW can be a fantastic partner for schools unsure of which solution to use to solve a particular technology needs. They do a fantastic job of bringing together solution providers to meet individual school needs. Their online resources make it trivial for schools to compare products, get detailed product information,  and get contract pricing without needing to contact a sales rep. But when you do need the help of an account specialist, they’re always there to help with efficient, courteous service.

CDW-G is a supporting sponsor of EdCamp Cleveland 2013. They donated two Chromebooks to be given away at the event, and we are extremely grateful for their support.

Sponsor Spotlight: Thinglink

Okay, I’ll admit it. This one took some time to wrap my brain around. What if you could make links in a photo? I don’t mean the Facebook-style tagging that you can do to identify people. I don’t even mean the Flickr-style comments that you can make by highlighting a portion of a photo and attaching some text to it. I mean make a link to anything. Add a text comment. Make a link to a web page. Embed a video or an audio clip. How cool would that be?

That’s what Thinglink is. You start with a photo, and then add stuff to it. Maybe it’s a nice park scene. There’s a pond with some ducks swimming near the shore. Children are playing on the swings nearby. A young couple strolls down the path with their dog.

When you mouse over the photo, you see links. Mouse over the children and a YouTube video pops up of children playing. Mouse over the ducks and see a Wikipedia entry on them. Mouse over the couple and see links to their blogs or Twitter profiles. It’s a hyperlinked photo. Best of all, you can embed it on any blog or web page.

We often talk about technology in education in terms of what students can create. What can they make that helps them demonstrate their learning? Students could use Thinglink to organize their understanding of content or to tell digital stories. What if the photo is of the Roman Forum? What if it’s a wetland? How can they use that to share what they’ve learned?

For more information about Thinglink, check out the video and examples on their web site.

Thinkglink supported EdCamp Cleveland by donating free Thinglink Pro upgrades to all EdCamp Cleveland participants. We are grateful for their support.

Sponsor Spotlight: Educational Service Center of Cuyahoga County

The Educational Service Center (ESC) of Cuyahoga County provides high quality assistance to school districts and agencies in order to offer a broad range of resources to support their missions to serve all learners.

These services can include everything from staffing to professional development services to options for alternative schooling. In many ways, the ESC acts as an intermediary between the school districts and the state, helping schools to comply with state regulations, interpret and address school report card data, and help with the administration of federal and state programs, initiatives, and grants.

One of the most valuable services provided by the ESC is the catalyst for collaboration. ESC districts are working together on shared services, professional development, technology programs, and other projects that mutually benefit the districts involved. By encouraging schools to come together to share best practices and working solutions, they increase the value provided by the school districts and the educational opportunities available to students.

For information on the programs and resources available for teachers, visit the ESC’s web site.

The Educational Service Center of Cuyahoga County supported EdCamp Cleveland by donating $1,000 to defray expenses of the conference. This money covered the cost of lunch for all participants, as well as the cool EdCamp Cleveland gift presented to each participant. We are extremely grateful for their support.

Sponsor Spotlight: Jennifer Maddrell, LLC

Dr. Jennifer Maddrell is an instructional designer and consultant based in Chicago. She provides instructional consulting, project support, and implementation services to schools, businesses, and government agencies.

An educational technology expert, Jennifer has used her Designed to Inspire blog to find common ground between the non-traditional ideas of connectivism, informal learning, and personal learning networks and the more traditional higher education and corporate training philosophies of education.

As a member of the EdTechWeekly cast, she regularly webcasts on current issues in educational technology, and her webcast is heard by more than 1,000 listeners each week.

Jennifer currently serves as the Assistant Editor of the Journal of Computing in Higher Education. Her other professional projects include a contract with the National Institute of Aerospace Associates to perform the instructional evaluations of both the 2010 – 2011 and 2011 – 2012 Real-World / In-World NASA Engineering Design Challenges. While living in New York, Jennifer had an appointment with Baruch College to design and facilitate courses within the school’s Corporate Training and Instructional Design program in the Division of Continuing and Professional Studies, which included the design and implementation of a customized training workshop with the Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Jennifer believes that we learn best from one another, and is happy to support EdCamp Cleveland as it brings teachers together to collaborate on common goals.

Jennifer Maddrell, LLC supported EdCamp Cleveland by donating $200 to defray expenses of the conference. This money primarily covered the cost of the cool EdCamp Cleveland gift presented to each participant. We are grateful for her support.

Sponsor Spotlight: Jason Seliskar

Unlike most of the EdCamp sponsors, Jason Seliskar isn’t a company or organization. He’s a fourth grade teacher in Covina, California. He blogs about his professional practice, and is eager to connect with other teachers, providing professional development workshops, consulting services, and online tutorials. He also tweets using the @JasonSeliskar handle.

When Jason heard that Cleveland was having an EdCamp, he wanted to help out. A native of Mentor, Ohio, he was excited to see his hometown offering this opportunity for teachers. While he couldn’t attend in person, he wanted to show his support by donating some raffle prizes. He generously agreed to donate three pairs of tickets to Cleveland Browns games, including the games against Buffalo, San Diego, and Washington.

Drop him a note on Twitter, or stop by his blog, and thank him for helping us out with EdCamp Cleveland.

Jason Seliskar supported EdCamp Cleveland by donating thee pairs of Cleveland Browns tickets for games in the 2012 season. We are grateful for this support.