There's no school like the new school

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There’s no school like the new school

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areas, what they learned in college is already old technology by the time they graduate. Trying to keep up with technology means we frequently update our products. For example, in 2007 we changed our content management and delivery system for Modules to a browser-based system and Synergy Curriculum Perspec tive was born. This required updates to nearly 100 Modules. More recently, Aaron Locke Microsoft released Windows 7. In Curriculum Manager order to keep pace, we performed updates on nearly 30 Modules so since the sixties. It had orange shag that they will function correctly on carpet that looked like it hadn’t been machines running Windows 7. cleaned since it was laid. The yellow and • Software – Some people might green striped wallpaper was faded and classify this as technology, but peeling, covering the lath and plaster here at Pitsco, we put this in a walls. The wiring – well let’s just say it is amazing the house is still standing. But my wife and I were newly married On average, and had big dreams for that old house. Over the next three years, we saw the Pitsco Education those dreams take shape. The wiring, Curriculum team plumbing, flooring, cabinetry, fixtures, and appliances were all replaced with updates 38 product modern amenities. But, over time, dreams change, and we ended up selling that titles a year . . . house for nearly three times what we bought it for – all because we updated it. category all by itself because of the We are an update society. Besides frequency it changes. Many of our our homes, we update our vehicles, products use third-party software, cell phones, appearance, computers, which means it was created by clothing, Facebook pages, and so other companies. As these thirdon. Pitsco Education products are no party software companies update different. Whether you have Missions, their programs, we are usually Modules, or Suites in your classroom, you forced to update our products can bet that at some point, your titles to match the new version. Some have been updated. companies update their software At Pitsco Education, there are yearly, meaning annual updates for four main reasons why we constantly the Missions, Modules, and Suites perform updates. These involve changes that are affected. in technology, software, equipment, • Equipment – As most of you and content. know, we believe in hands-on • Technology – Technology is curriculum. That means our changing so fast that for college products have a lot of equipment, students who major in technology y wife and I bought our first house in 2001. It was a big four-bedroom, twostory house that we purchased at a rock bottom price. Why was it so cheap? It hadn’t been updated

supplies, and materials to accompany the content. Although we make quite a bit of this equipment ourselves, a large portion of it comes from other companies. As these companies change or discontinue their products, we are forced to find replacements that almost always require updating our products. • Content – Content changes occur to make sure that our products present the most accurate and up-to-date information possible. An example of a content change would be updating our Missions and Modules to reflect the change from nine major planets to eight. On average, the Pitsco Education Curriculum team updates 38 product titles a year with most of these being Missions and Modules. As you can see, it doesn’t take long for a lab to fall behind the times. Therefore, if you feel the importance of providing the most accurate, up-to-date, and technologically state-of-the-art experience for students in your lab, then you should check into an update. Updating your lab or specific titles in your lab is not a hard process and usually does not involve purchasing the entire Mission, Module, or Suite. Our Sales Support team can assist in determining what you do and do not need to purchase based on what you already have in your lab. This can help drastically reduce the cost of updating. A few years ago, it was popular to be old school. People would say, “There’s no school like the old school.” But today, being old school is just that – old school. New school is in. Don’t be stuck with an old-school lab – update it. As with my first house, you may find that it will double or triple the value of the experience students have in your classroom.

August-September 2010

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