Who is Arey Jones?

The New Year is a time to look forward, make resolutions and leave old business behind. That’s not to say you forget your roots, your history. So who is Arey Jones? We have a long history that’s been weaved into technology and education for more than 100 years.

We’re a Trusted Leader in Educational Technology

We’ve been involved with Educational Solutions since the early 1990s by providing hardware, software, integration, configuration, service and support. We’re dedicated to working exclusively with the k-12 marketplace. Every employee within the Arey Jones company has experience working with the hundreds of school district customers around the county we have contracts with. Our employees are trained in all aspects of our business and must adhere to our strict policy that requires background checks on all employees and current fingerprinting or registration. We understand the importance of having trustworthy employees working with schools.

We’ve Been Around a Long Time

We were founded in 1897, yes 1897, in San Diego, Calif., as a business serving the stationary and administrative needs of the local educational market. As writing technology evolved, so did we. In 1972, Arey Jones was purchased by Broadway Typewriter Company, owned by the Scarpella Family. Since that time, the Scarpella Family has operated and expanded the business as Arey Jones Educational Solutions and remains active with the company. The Scarpella family is involved in day-to-day executive management and operations of the company and our management teams have been with us for more than 10 years.

We’re Equipped to be Your EdTech Partner

Our services are backed that a structure of regional configuration centers that allow us to design and implement technology architectures unique to each of the districts we serve. We have offices in California (San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco), Alabama (Mobile, Baldwin), Georgia (Atlanta) and Florida (Broward). Our centralized services will not only provide tech tools, like Chromebooks, (which can be shipped preloaded with integrated curriculum packages at competitive prices) but we also offer solutions that include peripheral, network architecture, data centers and cloud integration.

And our services don’t stop with the sale. Our support system is on point to make sure your classrooms spend more time learning instead of troubleshooting. Our teams of designers, installers, systems engineers, and support staff who are proud to be Arey Jones employees, are just one call away and ready to serve you.

Want to learn more? Contact us today to see how our education technology solutions can help you.

9 Tools for 2019

You’re back from winter break, refreshed and ready to get back to work. Why not implement some of the best tools for 2019 to help? There are a plethora of apps and extensions that can help you, your teachers and students make the most of the new year.

1. Flipgrid. We’re going to keep talking about Flipgrid because we think it’s only going to expand in use, especially since Microsoft Teams integrated Flipgrid into its Microsoft Teams for Education. Flipgrid is a video discussion platform for educators and students. It allows students to share their ideas, wonderings, projects and questions in new and creative ways. Administrators can use Flipgrid to engage their professional learning network and build community among staff by creating conversations.

2. OneNote. Come for OneNote’s Staff Notebooks and stay for its other tools. Aside from Staff Notebooks’ collaboration space, shared content library and personal workspace for every staff member, OneNote also allows users to add any content and use digital inking. It also supports Flipgrid.

3. Google Keep. Google Keep is the online note-taker that goes with you. Webpages, images or quotes are saved with a single click when using this Chrome Extension and they are synced across all the platforms you use. Easy.

4. Microsoft Teams for Education. This popular software is free for educators and has recently been updated. We expect even more improvements to roll out in 2019.

5. Google Authenticator. In a time where BYOD is becoming commonplace in schools, making sure your device is secure is a top priority. Google Authenticator helps with that. It generates a code that gives a second-step verification when you sign in.

6. Google Docs Offline Sync. Believe it or not, there are times when you don’t have Internet access, or you just don’t want to use your data. Because Google Docs is available offline, now you don’t have to. Create, view and edit files on Docs, Sheets and Slides all offline.

7. Even the most seasoned writers can use the extra pair of “eyes” that Grammarly provides. The base app, which checks spelling, is free or upgrade to the Premium version which not only checks spelling but grammar and punctuation. You’ll be asking yourself, “How long have I been writing everything in passive voice?”

8. CheckMark. This Chrome extension, created by EdTechTeam, gives teachers the ability to provide students feedback quickly and easily. Highlight text in a Google Doc and an overlay pops up with quick shortcuts to frequently-asked comments like “Check Punctuation” and “Spelling.” It works on Slides too.

9. LastPass. It seems like every website, app, social media platform and even software requires a password; that’s a lot to remember. LastPass makes it easy and secure to kept track of them, plus it’s free.

Have a tool that you can’t live without? Let us know in the comments.