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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Classroom Gadget Showdown?

We're trying to bring a little of the popular and widely reported Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to the annual MACUL conference. CES's Last Gadget Standing session pits ten products against each other in a spirited-sometimes LOL funny-competition to be chosen by the audience as possibly the hottest consumer electronics product on store shelves in the coming year. MACUL's Classroom Gadget Showdown is modeled after the CES program, but our focus is on education and whose product will have a future, positive impact in the classroom* and on student learning. If you haven't seen a CES Last Gadget Standing, click here to view the January 2009 session.

* We're interpreting "classroom" in a broad sense, as in a building classroom, a digital classroom, or even a home school classroom.

When is MACUL's Classroom Gadget Showdown (CGS) scheduled?

CGS is set for 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 11 in DeVos Place Ballroom B/C/D at the annual MACUL conference, to be held in Grand Rapids in 2010. The room in which CGS is scheduled will be available prior to the start of the event to check set-up.

How many products will compete in Classroom Gadget Showdown?

Five products will be selected to compete, with each given six minutes to make a pitch and demonstration to the session audience. One will be chosen as the next hot gadget in education. Companies will want to make their presentations as lively and entertaining as possible.

Who selects the products to compete in Classroom Gadget Showdown?

A special MACUL team will choose from among submissions by conference exhibitors, with choices to be announced no later than February 12, 2010. That's approximately three-and-a-half weeks before the MACUL conference, which gives companies plenty of time to create or fine tune a product presentation and demonstration. The selection team's decisions will be based on:

• Application in the classroom or student learning environment;

• Impact on student desire to learn;

• Impact on education and schools;

• How recent the product was introduced in the market;

• Affordability of the product to schools, students and/or families;

• Similarity to other CGS competitors.

How will the winner of Classroom Gadget Showdown be determined?

The session audience votes using the wireless eInstruction system provided by Edutek Midwest.

What technology will be available on the presentation stage to help competitors with their demonstrations?

MACUL plans to provide the following:

• Document camera;

• Video data projector and video switch, to be able to show document camera, computer, and live video as needed;

• Live video feed (including camera person) to show presentations on the screen in real time;

• Speaker feed from computer (mini stereo) to room audio system;

• Microphone (1 for presenter, 1 for contestant);

• Extra computer feed for presenter laptop if needed.

Companies participating in CGS can makes inquiries to MACUL about additional technology requests, but it might be up to the presenter to supplement the items listed above.

How do companies benefit from participating in CGS?

Companies participating in and products demonstrated during CGS gain extra visibility among the thousands of teachers, media specialists and educational technology decision makers attending the MACUL conference. This creates word-of-mouth buzz by educators and drives traffic to company booths on the exhibit floor. In addition, MACUL will issue a news release touting the winner of its first-ever Classroom Gadget Showdown.

What is the cost to companies to participate in CGS?

There is no cost to make a submission for consideration, nor is there a charge to make a CGS presentation if selected to compete. However, only companies exhibiting at MACUL are eligible to participate.

MACUL would like each of the five contestants to make their product available as a prize to a member of the CGS audience, with winners chosen by random drawing at the close of the MACUL conference.

What is the submission process to enter a product for consideration for CGS?

The submission deadline was February 5, 2010.  Submissions are no longer accepted.