- eSchool News - https://www.eschoolnews.com -

All about innovation

news roundup

Catch up on the most compelling K-12 news stories you may have missed this week

Every Friday, I’ll recap some of the most interesting and thought-provoking news developments that occurred over the week.

I can’t fit all of this week’s news stories here, though, so feel free to visit eSchoolNews.com [1] and read up on other news you may have missed.

This week, we’re focusing on innovation–we hear about it all the time, but we don’t always see it in practice. Now, we’re highlighting some excellent examples of how schools are innovating, from listening to students’ requests for the kind of tools they’d like to use, to supporting librarians as they lead the digital transformation.

Read on for more:

3 ways to revamp lessons for the interactive learner [2]
Today’s students are a uniquely interactive group. Most of the 80 million Americans who are part of the millennial generation—a group that comprises the lion’s share of today’s student population—can’t remember a time when they didn’t have instant access to the internet. Most of them grew up playing video games, and ever since they can remember, they’ve been in constant contact with friends via social media platforms and text messages. A growing number of today’s instructors also fall into this group.

Do one-to-one laptop programs improve learning? [3]
Students who receive a laptop computer from their school tend to see a noticeable increase in academic achievement, a Michigan State University study reveals. Michigan State University’s Binbin Zheng and colleagues analyzed past studies on one-to-one laptop initiatives, and Zheng’s own research, and found that such programs that take a comprehensive approach, including offering one-to-one program support to both students and teachers, saw higher test scores in English, math, science and writing, along with other benefits.

Librarians are taking the lead in the digital transformation [4]
Librarians and media specialists are bridging the gap between instruction and technology. One pioneer shares how she does it.

5 tips for creating a makerspace for less than the cost of an iPad [5]
Where others see trash, I see treasure. Reusing, repurposing, and recycling items that can be found in the kitchen garbage can, on the curb, or collected by friends and families helps educators to save money while protecting the environment. Today, our library makerspace has developed into a 21st century learning laboratory, with funding from grants and through the generosity of individuals and organizations that support our DonorsChoose projects. But it wasn’t always this way.