About

Committed to help teachers teach at the speed of learning

Pathway Innovations and Technologies, Inc., is a privately held company headquartered in San Diego, California that develops innovative products that enhance learning, improve communication and help people save time. The company is the designer and manufacturer of HoverCam software and document cameras - a product that combines the features of a digital camera and a scanner into a new form factor. A technology leader in USB document cameras, Pathway Innovations and Technologies has a strong track record for developing disruptive products, especially for the education market.

In the 21st century classroom, many classrooms are stuck using 20th century technology. Pathway Innovations and Technologies, Inc. was founded to change that. They develop technologies that empower teachers to use technology to better engage their students and help students become active participants in the classroom.

The big idea that's driving product development

Right now, teachers spend hours grading papers and logging results, while students struggle with organizing their notes. We envision equipping every teacher with a digital dashboard tool that gives an up-to-the minute picture on how students are doing. This includes homework, grade books, participation and an itemized analysis of where each student has the most difficulty in learning. The digital dashboard will:

• Save time – Teachers won’t be bogged down by hours of grading. They’ll be able to focus their time on instruction.
• Improve communication – Parents won’t have to wait for report cards to find out how their kids are doing. Teachers will be able to share test scores and lessons with parents via email and online, as well as samples of work and actual tests.
• Empower students – Students will have a digital portfolio archiving lessons, grades, tests, blogs and more. Teachers will be able to leave comments on how they can improve and suggest additional resources. Students will be able to easily access teachers’ lessons and notes.

HoverCam saves teachers’ precious time

HoverCam saves teachers time allowing them to scan at their desk without going to the office. It allows them to quickly record flipped classroom videos directly to the computer, saving time compared to recording with a smartphone or video camera then downloading to a computer to edit. Because HoverCam is USB powered, teachers save time setting it up. And, using HoverCam’s GradeCentral software (or another grading program) teachers save time grading multiple choice tests using the same HoverCam.

Easier, better way for teachers to record video

A challenge when recording video with a smartphone or tablet is stability – a tripod or stand may not always be available. And, after you record the video or video clips on the device, how are you going to transfer the video to a computer to use the best editing tools or share it? This is a problem with traditional document cameras, where video is recorded to an SD card. How are you going to upload video from the SD card? How much time is that going to take?

 
The HoverCam Solo 8 document camera was designed with a powerful microprocessor and an 8.0 MegaPixel sensor to record high definition 1080p video at 30 frames per second over a USB cable directly to a computer’s hard drive. The quality of HoverCam’s recorded video is stunning. No lag. No blurry images. It's the only document camera that records full-motion high-resolution video over USB – with most other document cameras recording at lower resolution, lower speeds and with video recording time limited by the size of inconvenient SD cards. With the Solo 8, you can record hours and hours of video footage directly to your computer, without the extra step of transferring video to the computer. Furthermore, the Solo 8 allows annotation over video while recording to enhance a lesson. When finished, upload the video to Dropbox, TeacherTube or your website right from the HoverCam software.
 
The Solo 8 weighs just over two lbs. and has a small base so it’s easy to position the camera anywhere. It has a flip-up camera head that is fully rotating and a bendable arm to record video in almost any direction. Record video of students at the back of the class – or record up-close to reveal amazing features of objects. Solo 8 records and plays back in HD 1080p resolution with the speed and clarity you expect to see from your HDTV at home. More importantly, having that HD camera fitted to the HoverCam's arm allows you to record stable, non-jittery video, whether you're a math teacher recording solving a problem with pencil and paper or a third grade teacher recording a lesson with manipulatives.
 
The HoverCam Solo 8 is more than just a “document camera.” It’s a teacher’s best friend for easily recording and playing back high-quality HD 1080p video using the computer and for “flipping” the classroom.

Advanced camera controls

Solo 8 is the first USB document camera that offers advanced camera controls normally found in expensive digital SLR cameras. Through our FLEXVIEW software, easily utilize autofocus, select-focus, auto exposure and auto white balance functionalities.

No external power adapter needed

A single USB 3.0 cable is the only thing needed to power the Solo 8. This gives you the convenience of plug-and-play simplicity. The Solo 8 uses less than 5 volts, which is within the maximum power of USB 2.0 and only half the power of USB 3.0.

Brilliant 8-megapixel resolution

Solo 8’s advanced sensor delivers uncompressed YUV video with 4K clarity, giving you 4x more pixels than the resolution of a 1080p HDTV. This ultimately means there is no image quality loss. Experience every image 4x crisper, sharper and clearer, than any other high priced document camera. Save in .jpeg, multi-paged .pdf, .png, .tiff and others. With Solo 8 the finest details come to life.

Stunning 30fps full motion video

Solo 8 utilizes a new generation of imaging technology called Photon 1.0. This key technology gives the world, for the first time ever, a document camera that delivers 4K resolution and full motion frame rate at the same time. This is an unprecedented achievement in USB camera technology. All new generation HoverCams will be equipped with this amazing proprietary technology, allowing you to truly create captivating lag-free video.