Vernier Software & Technology Names the Winners of Its 40th Anniversary Educator Grants

BEAVERTON, Oregon, December 13, 2021 — Vernier Software & Technology has named the 40 recipients of its 40th anniversary educator grants. The grantees—who represent a range of grade levels and geographic regions—will each receive $1,000 in Vernier technology of their choosing, a one-year subscription to Vernier Graphical Analysis Pro, and three hours of virtual professional development to further support their teaching.

“With more than 800 total submissions, we were truly blown away by the response we received from educators,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. “For 40 years, Vernier Software & Technology has supported hands-on science exploration, and we are excited to now support these 40 educators—from five elementary schools, eight middle schools, 23 high schools, and four colleges—as they use data-collection technology with their students.”

All the grantees were chosen by a volunteer Grantee Selection Committee, which consisted of current science and STEM educators, consultants, and members of the Vernier tech support team who are former educators. The committee selected the grantees based on various factors, including plans for implementing the Vernier technology and current needs of their school.  …Read More

6 pillars of strong online PD

A 2021 study by the Council of the Great City Schools emphasizes the need for teachers to have ongoing access to high-quality professional development (PD). The study maintains that high-quality PD “must be actionable and contextualized within the framework of daily classroom life – whether those classrooms are physical, virtual, or hybrid.”

This study, along with recent events, demonstrates that, as with most other forms of education, professional development needs to be flexible and convenient yet still robust.

Face-to-face PD is still the optimal experience, of course, but sometimes that’s just not an option. And, while webinars offer a decent alternative, I would like to posit that online PD is an even better option for these times.…Read More

As Schools Look to Tackle the Stressors Educators Face this School Year they are Turning to Aperture Education’s EdSERT Program

Charlotte N.C. (Oct. 29, 2021) — Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a significant focus for schools this year, yet too often teachers don’t have enough opportunities for SEL training or to reflect on their own SEL skills. To address this, more and more schools are turning to the SEL professional development program, EdSERT, by Aperture Education.

EdSERT, short for Educator Social-Emotional Reflection and Training, helps educators enhance their own social and emotional skills and improve their SEL teaching practices. Aperture has reported a significant increase in customers using the program this year including:

The Memphis Teacher Residency (MTR) which is using EdSERT in its teacher preparation program to better equip educators to teach SEL in the classroom.…Read More

Do your teachers think PD is a dirty word?

This past year, teachers were introduced to a lot of new technology to help facilitate distance learning. And, because of this, professional development (PD) time often morphed into technical training–how to use Zoom, how to best utilize a new learning app or software program, how to troubleshoot student device issues.

With so much on teachers’ plates, this so-called PD became draining. Teachers simply couldn’t spend any more valued time learning yet another new program. And they weren’t getting the important support they needed to make tactical pedagogical shifts for their evolving learning spaces.

Heading into a new school year, we have a chance to hit the reset button to restore true PD time into teachers’ schedules.…Read More

3 unexpected ways online PD strengthened my teaching

As a science educator, I love showing my students the wonders of the world. I encourage them to always be curious, ask questions, and seek out new knowledge and skills. An important part of my job is modeling lifelong learning for my students—and one of my favorite ways to do that is by honing my skills in professional learning courses.

I’ve participated in a variety of professional development (PD) courses throughout my teaching career, but some of the most powerful ones I’ve experienced have been the free, short, self-paced courses from the National Geographic Society. These online PD courses cover everything from developing an “explorer mindset” in students to methods of empowering students to tell impactful stories. The courses surpassed my expectations of what an online professional learning course can be—and how easily I can translate what I’ve learned in these courses into my classroom activities and instruction.

Here are three of the lasting impacts that these courses had on me as a teacher–and as a person.…Read More

Catapult Learning Introduces New High-Dosage Tutoring Program To Reinforce Foundational Math And Literacy Skills For K-12 Students

August 23, 2021, PHILADELPHIA – Catapult Learning, a provider of intervention programs for students and professional development solutions for teachers in both public and nonpublic K-12 schools, today announced the availability of its new high-dosage tutoring offering, an intensive program designed to reinforce students’ foundational skills and quickly recover their unfinished learning. Debuting as students return to school, the program supports academic and social emotional growth during this critical time in their educational journey. It is uniquely designed for grades K-12 and features an acceleration approach that targets key prerequisite and grade-level standards and skills, providing a personalized plan to guide instruction and support differentiation.

With more than 5,000 educators, Catapult’s proprietary high-dosage tutoring program is designed to scale individualized learning. Led by expertly trained tutors, the program begins with an academic diagnostic assessment to pinpoint areas in which support is needed. From there, an individualized plan is created to set learning goals, followed by flexible instruction up to five times a week, with 45+ minute sessions in small group settings. Students are re-assessed throughout the program to monitor progress and growth, allowing for ongoing plan recalibration and goal resetting.

“Our high-dosage tutoring solution is an evolution in Catapult’s mission to help our partners positively impact every child with whom they engage,” said Devon Wible, vice president of academics, Catapult Learning. “This comprehensive and integrated approach for families and schools focuses on the whole student, optimizing academic and social-emotional outcomes to accelerate learning and enable significant achievement over a single school year.”…Read More

9 social-emotional learning tips to take into this school year

Following the 2020-2021 school year, educators can look back with pride–and exhaustion–on all we have learned. We have learned to teach in brand new modalities like remote and hybrid learning, foster more student independence, and adapt instruction to a huge variety of learning needs.

But one of the most important lessons to come from this pandemic year is a greater focus on the importance of social-emotional learning.

Throughout this school year, educators, coaches, and school leaders have engaged in virtual professional development and one-on-one coaching sessions to hone their social-emotional learning skills and knowledge to meet the needs of all learners. The following are some of the most effective strategies all educators should take within them into next year.…Read More

Slooh Launches New Grant to Help One Million Students Explore Space Using Its Robotic Telescopes

Washington Depot, Connecticut, August 19, 2021 – Slooh, the only organization offering live online telescope feeds of amazing astronomical events to students, is launching The Slooh Space Exploration Grant for the 2021-2022 school year. The grant is being provided with the goal of helping one million students nationwide experience the wonder of space from their classroom and home computers.

The rolling grant will provide one teacher per every accredited public school in the United States with access to the Slooh interface, robust professional development, and 40 student seats which will enable students to use robotic telescopes to view space phenomena, capture observational data, and engage in gamified learning.  

“Space exploration is a powerful – and truly magnificent – way for students to build their scientific knowledge and practices, while tying celestial phenomena to STEAM concepts,” said Michael Paolucci, founder of Slooh. “Our new grant provides an equitable opportunity for students across the country to reap the benefits of space exploration as they become well-informed citizens and 21st century thinkers.”…Read More

PBLWorks Announces its 2021 PBL Champions

Novato, CA (July 13, 2021) – PBLWorks, the leading provider of professional development for Project Based Learning (PBL), has announced its 2021 PBL Champions – a program that honors schools, districts and individuals for their commitment to high quality Project Based Learning. This year for the first time, the program includes two school district Champions, and a PBL Champion of the Decade. The 2021 PBL Champions are:

PBL Champion Districts

 Pearl City Waipahu Complex Area (Waipahu, Hawaii)…Read More

Onwards and upwards: How one district not only survived, but thrived, through the pandemic

Every district obviously had struggles during this past year. But for Chattahoochee County School District, a small, rural community in Southwest Georgia, it was also a time to automate and accelerate.

In this episode of Innovations in Education, Superintendent Kristie Brooks, Ed.D., describes how they were able to grow their student body, provide improved personal and professional development, and change some pre-pandemic practices like attendance for the better.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.…Read More

Committee for Children Expands into Adult Education with New Social-Emotional Learning Program for K–12 Educators

Research-based professional development program strengthens educator soft skills and resilience to create a positive, supportive, and more equitable school climate for every child

SEATTLE – June 2, 2021, at 5:00 a.m. PT – Before the pandemic, teachers reported record stress levels and rates of leaving the profession were at an all-time high. After a tumultuous year of navigating remote learning and uncertainty, stress and burnout have spiked, pushing morale down even further and leading to a teacher shortage with real consequences.

However, research shows that when teachers are supported with social-emotional professional learning that addresses stress management and strengthens trust and relationships, they can create a foundation for resilience, are less likely to burn out, and are better able to reinforce social-emotional skills in their interactions with students throughout the year.…Read More

Aperture Education Creates Online Social and Emotional Learning Professional Development Program for Educators

EdSERT Digital provides online resources to help educators enhance their own social and emotional skills and teaching practices

Charlotte N.C. (April 20, 2021) — Aperture Education has launched EdSERT Digital, an online version of its paper-based social and emotional professional development program for educators. The EdSERT (short for Educator Social-Emotional Reflection and Training) digital program will be available to educators in July 2021. More information can be found at www.edsert.com

Aperture created the EdSERT program to support the social and emotional skills and teaching practices of educators. It provides a comprehensive set of research-based and practical resources for K-12 teachers and out-of-school time program staff to increase their knowledge about SEL, guide them to reflect on and build their existing SEL skills and practices in the classroom, and ultimately enable them to more effectively promote the SEL skills of their students.…Read More