Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Back office business: 5 big K-12 edtech deals this week

Key points:

  • Smarter systems can help protect students
  • AI technologies continue to proliferate
  • Online learning platforms now support millions of students

ZeroEyes, creators of their AI-based gun detection video analytics platform announced a strategic partnership with AEGIX, a Utah-based provider of industry-leading resources, technology, equipment and training for first responders. Through the partnership, ZeroEyes’ AI gun detection and situational awareness software will be integrated into the AEGIX AIM active incident management platform to create a sole-source solution uniquely built for Utah public schools.

The system enables individuals in an organization, such as a school, to notify others of a crisis with the touch of a button. In a worst-case scenario, such as an active shooter, teachers simply push a button in the app to let administrators and first responders know if they are “safe” or “unsafe.” AEGIX AIM can be operated from a desktop, laptop or smartphone. …Read More

Tips to safely navigate Valentine’s Day in your classroom

Valentine’s Day is coming up, according to this SlideShare.net presentation. Are you ready for the on-slaught of candy hearts, crushes, and cupid’s arrows? Yeah – neither are we. That’s why we put together a fun little guide for you. Discover 10 tips to navigate Valentine’s Day safely in your classroom. From avoiding the candy thing all together to appreciating what parents do for their kids, there’s plenty you can do to make Valentine’s Day 2014 the best one yet…

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Place your bets: An Apple tablet, laptop — or both?

Is Apple going to take a crack at a hybrid? Or is it eying a more conventional product? Those are burning questions that analysts and the supply chain are trying to figure out, CNET reports. Predicting Apple’s next move has become a sport. With the supply chain (in the case of Apple, largely the collection of component suppliers) the arena where, after some trial-and-error, a final product emerges the winner. Market researchers are the bookies, calculating the odds based on their best educated guess from supply chain sources.

The iPhone 6 is the latest example: the odds seem to favor a 4.8-inch (roughly) phone and, possibly later, a larger phone-like device…

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Think big: How to jumpstart tech use in low-income schools

The challenges of rural schools are many of the same (though not all) that low-income public schools face across the country: inadequate access to technology and broadband, tight budgets, and educators who have not been trained in using technology in meaningful ways, Mind/Shift reports. But these hurdles did not deter Daisy Dyer Duerr, Prek-12 Principal of St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Arkansas. “Every child deserves an amazing education no matter who they are, no matter where they come from,” said Duerr, who was recently named National Digital Principal. She’s been working hard to bring new devices and related pedagogy around technology use to teachers. “If you don’t have relationships you can have every bit of tech in the world and it won’t matter,” Duerr said…

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Volunteer pays for hot lunch for kids who can’t afford it

A volunteer at a Houston-area elementary school who noticed some students were getting a smaller lunch of cold cheese sandwiches is digging into his own pocket to cover delinquent meal accounts so every child can get the same full lunch tray, the Associated Press reports. Kenny Thompson is a volunteer tutor and mentor at Valley Oaks Elementary in Houston. He says he asked about the lunch differences after hearing about some Utah students who lost meals because of non-payment…

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4 ways educators are using Google Glass in the classroom

With the emergence of Google Glass onto the gadget scene, tech-lovers everywhere are itching to get their hands on the famous eyewear, edcetera reports. The most surprising place these tech tools are showing up? The classroom. Professors and teachers across the country are turning to Google Glass, using the device to educate students and inspire learning innovation. Here are four of our favorite ways classrooms like yours are carving a space for Google Glass in the curriculum…

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4 steps to making rigorous discussion a routine

For many of us who are intimidated by the idea of “rigor” and exactly what it means to make our lessons more rigorous, thinking about it as a routine can make it more real and doable for us, reports Edutopia. Because to really raise rigor and push our students, it’s not about anything more that we can teach them, it’s about setting up the right environment for them to think critically and engage in analysis and problem solving. Discussion is one fail-safe way to do this, no matter the content area. Our math teacher leaders have really been pushing discussion as a key to rigor. Here are some ways to set up a strong discussion routine in your class…

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Dying student still has to prove he can’t take a standardized test

Eleven-year-old Ethan Rediske has been in hospice care for the past month and is likely nearing the last days of his life, the Huffington Post reports. Yet, it appears Florida school officials aren’t convinced he should be able to opt out of an upcoming standardized test. Florida requires all students in the state to take a version of Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). While a recent law allows some special education students facing exceptional circumstances to be exempt from these tests, getting approval isn’t easy…

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