Hawaii partners on statewide STEM, energy curriculum

Defined STEM Curriculum aims to engage students in statewide renewable energy initiatives

The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) is moving to further support Ka Hei, its statewide strategic program kicked off in 2014 that educates students about sustainable energy transitions happening across schools throughout the state, through partnerships with Defined STEM, the flagship curriculum supplement of Defined Learning, and OpTerra Energy Services.

Hawai’i is the most fossil-fuel-dependent state in the nation, and the state’s schools spend $48 million a year on electricity alone. The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative aims to relieve the state’s dependence on oil by using 100 percent clean energy by 2045.

The goal of the Ka Hei program is to integrate innovative energy technology with meaningful learning experiences, all while reducing energy costs.…Read More

Top 10 of 2014, No. 10: Mobile devices and mobile learning

eSchool News highlights some of the 10 most significant ed-tech developments of 2014, and mobile learning is No. 10

Each year, the eSchool News editors compile 10 of the most influential ed-tech developments and examine how those topics dominated K-12 ed-tech conversations. No. 10 on our list for 2014 is mobile learning.

This year, educators focused on putting mobile devices in students’ hands in an effort to help them learn valuable technology skills that will carry them through college and the workforce.…Read More

5 gaming dynamics that truly engage students

From Angry Birds to Minecraft, gaming holds extraordinary potential for today’s students

gaming-educationGaming. It’s more than a buzzword in today’s schools, but it still sometimes carries a stigma–is gaming really an effective way for students to learn?

The answer, according to computer science teacher Douglas Kiang: Games are powerful motivators.

“As teachers, we need to learn how games do what they do, and how we make that into productive learning by using those game dynamics to accomplish our purpose,” Kiang said during an in-demand ISTE 2014 session.…Read More

New: 10 of the best Apple and Android apps for education in 2014

These recent apps reveal the ever-developing needs of teachers and their technology-savvy students

apps-best-2014Last year we presented “10 of the best Apple apps for education in 2013,” which highlighted some of the best apps for mobile technology. However, with new upgrades in device capability, the emphasis on teacher proficiency, and implementing practical apps rather than “fun” apps with no real value, we’ve chosen a new list of the best Apple- and Android-based education apps for 2014.

This year’s list includes some of the newest (updated or released either late 2013 or January 2014) and most highly rated apps, both by educators and by parents, and features a range that spans from iPad tutorials for teachers to a safe browser for students, and from one of the best graphing calculator apps available to a classroom management app for students’ online portfolios.

Best of all? Many are free!…Read More