LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As teachers around the U.S. confront classrooms where student absenteeism is at an all-time high due to COVID-19 exposure, the reality of another pandemic-induced year of disruption is sinking in with school and government authorities. To help schools alleviate widespread learning interruption across all grades and communities, Pathway Innovations, Inc., an innovative technology leader in the education and enterprise markets and manufacturer of eGlass lightboards, Pilot digital podiums, and HoverCam document cameras, has announced it is reducing the price of eGlass, an illuminated glass writing board and communications tool featuring a built-in camera and adjustable LED lighting. The all-in-one device merges the presenter’s face and writing, along with presentation media, into a single picture for in-person or remote collaboration.
No Disruption to Learning With eGlass
The only hardware technology winner in all three categories of Tech & Learning's Awards of Excellence: Best of 2021 (Higher Education, Primary Education, and Secondary Education), eGlass was developed as a tool to eliminate the disengagement that occurs when students are learning at home or in a hybrid school setting. A transparent lightboard with a built-in camera, eGlass frames the teacher's face in the same picture as their glowing-ink writing, then flips the image so the writing appears correctly for students. Projected onto a screen in class or connected to the school’s chosen videoconference platforms such as Zoom, eGlass allows teachers to face their students while they write, bolstering Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) by allowing students to see their teacher’s facial expressions and nonverbal cues as they teach — a benefit often lost when teachers regularly turn their backs to write. eGlass also assists teachers in providing an equitable learning experience in hybrid teaching environments, simultaneously providing at-home students with the same engaging, one-to-one learning experience that in-class students receive.
As Suzanne Capasso, education specialist, says, "eGlass is my new favorite piece of educational technology. It's great for in-person and online instruction."
eGlass Price Reduction — Effective Immediately
Pathway has been working tirelessly to reduce costs since eGlass was launched at the end of last year. Thanks to a series of innovations and new production efficiencies, the company has succeeded and is passing those savings to schools. The company has reduced the price of eGlass by nearly 50%, enabling more rapid district-level purchase approvals in the face of the disruption. K-12 schools may now purchase the 35-inch eGlass for as low as $1,299 and the 50-inch eGlass for as low as $1,599 plus shipping through participating dealers.
“Classroom technology is creating resilient learning environments where teachers and students can adapt quickly to evolving situations without any loss of learning,” said Bayley Pierson, eGlass director of marketing. “eGlass has shown to be a critical bridge in aiding educators engage in any setting, whether students are joining virtually or in the classroom. With this price reduction, we’re taking another step in fulfilling our mission to close the learning gap while facilitating teacher-student connection and amplifying the learning possibilities in and out of the physical classroom.”
Available in 35-inch and 50-inch models, eGlass is easy to set up and use by connecting to a PC, Mac, or Chromebook with a single USB cable. It comes with intuitive software that allows almost any digital content to be imported seamlessly into the camera window, enabling the presenter to markup the content with glowing annotations after automatic background removal is applied. As presenters write on its glass, eGlass’ integrated camera captures their faces, writing, drawings, and annotations, while displaying media from a computer in any format.
eGlass also integrates seamlessly with classroom interactive displays, allowing students and teachers to interact with content from the eGlass itself, or from the interactive display. It offers one-button image capture and video recording features and is compatible with Zoom, Teams, and other virtual meeting platforms. LEDs embedded in the unit’s frame intensify the physical pen ink with an eye-catching glow that is highly visible on-screen and in-person. With the ability to add meeting notes, training exercises, brainstorming ideas, or engineering diagrams, it is ideal for in-person, remote, or hybrid meetings of all types in both higher education and enterprise applications.
In addition to lower pricing on eGlass, Pathway announced an affordably priced bundle that combines eGlass with a 75-inch interactive touch panel for as little as $3,049 through participating resellers. And to provide access to high-quality document cameras, Pathway also announced a lower price point on its HoverCam Spark II USB document camera. Now, schools looking for a low-cost document camera option will be able to purchase Spark II for as low as $199 through participating dealers.
Educators and administrators will have the opportunity to experience eGlass and HoverCam in person at FETC 2022, Jan. 25-28, in Orlando and TCEA 2022, Feb. 7-10, in Dallas.
More information on eGlass is available at eGlass.io.
About Pathway
Headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, Pathway Innovations, Inc., develops and produces market-changing products that drive engagement and interaction in learning and collaboration environments. In 2010, Pathway launched the HoverCam, a document camera that today is in more than 400,000 classrooms across North America. eGlass was launched in 2021 to address antiquated board writing systems that discouraged teacher-student connection in classrooms and were completely unsuited for hybrid or remote learning. Other successful Pathway innovations include the award-winning HoverCam Flex software and HoverCam Pilot digital podiums.
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Image Caption: eGlass Reduces Price to Enable Virtual and In-Class Engagement.
