Curriculum Associates’ New Blog Provides Solution-Focused Content to Support Teachers and Leaders

Curriculum Associates has launched a blog to help support teachers and building-level leaders navigate today’s educational environment. The blog, which can be found at CurriculumAssociates.com/Blog, features original, informative, and actionable resources, best practices, research, and educator stories. New content, written by educators and industry experts, will be added multiple times per week.

“We are always looking for new ways to connect with and help educators, especially in today’s complex and fast-changing teaching environment,” said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. “Our blog delivers insights from incredible experts—both from our own team and practitioners in the field—and will be a valuable resource for any educator looking for practical and relevant guidance, strategies, and tips to inspire their practice and help solve challenges.”

Posts are authored by a range of voices, including Curriculum Associates national directors, Extraordinary Educators, education researchers, teachers, administrators, and respected thought leaders.…Read More

Follett Online Book Fairs a Convenient Option to Keep Kids Reading

Whether the 2020-21 school year is starting in the classroom or remotely,  Follett is ensuring elementary and middle school students won’t be missing out on one of their favorite back-to-school traditions: the book fair. With  Follett Book eFairs, events can be held 100 percent virtually with schools choosing the dates that work best for them, students are empowered to select the books they wish to read, and families are afforded the opportunity to conveniently purchase books online.

The ease with which Follett’s online fairs are carried out are extremely attractive to school and book fair coordinators. The approximate setup time is 10 minutes, while there is no need for forms, handling cash or finding space in the school.

“I chose a Follett Book eFair because it seemed so easy,” said Shawn Crist, media assistant at James E. Plew Elementary School in Niceville, Fla. “It was almost too good to be true. I didn’t have to worry about rearranging our Media Center or finding volunteers.”…Read More

Registration Opens for 2020-21 Conrad Challenge STEM competition

Registration has officially opened for the 2020-2021 Conrad Challenge, now celebrating its 15th year of driving student entrepreneurship across a variety of STEM fields. One of the most highly ranked STEM competitions globally, the annual Challenge invites students between the ages of 13-18 from around the world to form teams of 2-5 and develop sustainable solutions to global challenges. Along the way, coaches and judges from the best in business, industry, research and academia worldwide guide the teams’ development of their innovative ideas.

Founded and chaired by Nancy Conrad to honor the legacy of her late husband, entrepreneur and third man to walk on the Moon, Charles ‘Pete’ Conrad, the Conrad Foundation produces the Conrad Challenge each year, not only to provide students the opportunity to create innovative solutions benefitting global sustainability, but also to prepare them for success in the global workplace.

“Our Challenge provides the ideal platform for students and educators who are now navigating a very different upcoming school year. Student participants learn to measure success in terms of creativity, collaboration and a commitment to creating a better future for all of us,” said Conrad. “This year is extra special as we celebrate reaching the 15-year milestone of empowering students to design a sustainable future and collaborate digitally, without borders.”…Read More

You’re invited: Learn how to enhance safety and communications in your school

Register Now

Safety is a critical component of any K-12 school, and a key part of safety is having the right information during an emergency. Leveraging tools and practices that keep the right people informed at the right time goes a long way toward enhancing safety and security in schools and districts. However, safety is an ongoing process. It doesn’t happen all at once, and it should never be thought of as something that can be done once and then be left alone. Safety requires continuous adaptations to respond to the needs of your school or district.

Attend this free webinar to:
• Learn about emergency preparedness and response
• Understand how to build a mass notification ecosystem that reaches everyone
• Receive best practices for using mass notifications to communicate about new schedules and expectations that have been implemented as a result of COVID-19…Read More

5 ways technology can help schools meet CDC guidelines this fall

Administrators across the country are preparing schools to reopen this fall, and they have a lot to consider in the wake of COVID-19. In order to best protect both students and staff, the CDC has presented a list of guidelines for schools to open safely and effectively. Many of these guidelines can be met and make for a smoother transition with the use of technology.

Communication portal

The CDC has recommended the use of a communication system for “staff and families [to] self-report to the school if they or their student have symptoms of COVID-19, a positive test for COVID-19, or were exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the last 14 days,” as well as for “Notifying staff, families, and the public of school closures and any restrictions in place to limit COVID-19 exposure.”…Read More

How edtech companies are helping schools navigate an uncertain year

In the middle of the abrupt changes to the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, edtech companies offered resources and access to help educators, students, and parents make the best of at-home learning.

Here is insight from a select few of those edtech leaders.

Based on what you’ve seen over the past couple of months, what are the major challenges that schools and districts have faced in the transition to online learning?…Read More

4 Reasons to Run a District-wide Reading Challenge

Most librarians are familiar with reading challenges — the challenge format is a type of reading program that provides a more engaging way to get students to read. Challenges give students a set of goals to accomplish within a defined period of time.

Libraries and schools around the country run all sorts of reading challenges, and there are lots of ways to do it, themes to use, and ways to promote it — if you’re thinking of running one, feel free to take our quiz to see what type of challenge would work best for you.

But reading challenges don’t have to be run by one teacher or media specialist independently. Many K12 educators are finding success with reading challenges at the district level as a way to engage all their schools and students at once. It’s easier to get started than launching multiple individual school/grade level challenges all over the area, and students (and their parents) stay more engaged when they hear it promoted more broadly.…Read More

Remote Science Instruction White Paper Series

National K-12 science education experts contribute ideas and inspiring guidance for educators preparing to return to school and teach hands-on science during uncertain times

Leading school science supplier Carolina Biological stepped up to help K-12 school districts prepare for the highest quality remote science instruction this fall with a new series of white papers. Three of the best national K-12 science education leaders offer their expertise and ideas to help guide districts during these uncertain times. The papers are offered free to download now on Carolina’s Website. Carolina’s new three-part series helps districts think outside the box and traditional classrooms to turn students into inquiring scientists doing exciting investigations that will make science their favorite subject this fall by leveraging remote learning settings. Educators can learn tips to build their students’ hands-on experience, engagement, and excitement and create high-interest for their students during one of the most challenging back-to-school seasons ever with remote instruction.

Carolina Biological announced the publication of, “Closing the Distance in Remote Science Learning,” a three-part white paper series that examines remote science instruction in the age of COVID-19 and provides a way forward for school districts and their high school science teachers. In the first paper, readers learn the vocabulary of remote learning in the age of COVID-19. Commonly used education terms are redefined to reflect strategies for successful remote science education. Educators learn how to interpret techniques such as Teacher-Guided Instruction, Teacher-Centered Instruction, Student-Centered, and Independent Instruction for the current situation when students are six feet or several miles apart.…Read More

7 tips for future-proofing school libraries

Click Here to Discover Some Innovative Ideas for School Libraries

Schools in urban districts like Denver Public Schools often struggle to fund library programs, which only exacerbates already existing equity gaps for students of color. And while it is painfully true that tight school budgets often result in unstaffed or understaffed school libraries, I am hopeful. I sense a revolution in how we serve our students — a revolution in how we walk the talk of equity.

Prioritizing equitable library access for students…Read More

Remote Learning Taught by World-Class Instructors

Today Osmo, the company behind a new category of seamless, digital and hands-on play for ages 5-12 and used in over 35,000 U.S. elementary school classrooms, announced the launch of Osmo Live, a new interactive platform for live learning that offers engaging, hands-on Bootcamps for children in grades K-5. Taught by some of the best elementary instructors in the U.S., each six weeks-long Bootcamp covers a critical life-long skill including Art and Creativity, Coding, and Math.

Nationwide COVID-19 school closures have given millions of parents the responsibility of ensuring their kids continue their education at home. In tandem, children who have been confined to home for months because of shelter-in-place orders have lacked the stimulation and socialization of the regular classroom that makes them excited to learn, ultimately leading to a drop in engagement and outcomes. Despite claims that the COVID-19 pandemic is improving, these remain critical issues for parents and their kids.

“Osmo Live is a simple and intuitive program that keeps children engaged and excited to learn,” said Dave Blanchard, who works in Teacher Development at Saint Cloud State University and helped design Osmo Live. “The Osmo Live Bootcamp series isn’t just another webinar for kids, it’s extracurricular learning done right.”…Read More

15 hands-on investigations to teach students about various physiology concepts

Vernier Software & Technology recently released Human Physiology Experiments: Volume 2 to engage high school and college-level students in hands-on data collection as they learn about key human physiology concepts. The lab book, available in both printed and e-book formats, offers 15 investigations that utilize a variety of Vernier Go Direct® sensors and cover circulatory and cardiac physiology, respiratory physiology, muscle physiology, complex reflexes, biofeedback, exercise physiology, and more.

“Hands-on learning is the best way for students to understand human physiology and how the body works,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. “These new experiments are particularly engaging and are quick and easy to set up. This helps students get up and running within minutes, so they can spend the vast majority of their time collecting and analyzing data and making scientific connections. In addition, students can easily conduct these experiments at home.”

Investigations in the lab book use easily accessible materials and affordable sensors, such as Go Direct Blood Pressure, Go Direct EKG, Go Direct Spirometer, Go Direct Respiration Belt, and Go Direct Hand Dynamometer sensors, all of which can be used with a wide variety of devices. The lab book provides instructors with word-processing files that they can edit to match their teaching styles, helpful teaching tips, important discussion points, and sample data and graphs. It also includes a table with International Baccalaureate® Sports Science standards correlations. Sample data for these experiments and more than 300 others are also available within the Experiment and Sample Data Library, which is provided by Vernier for instructors to provide to students who are currently in a remote learning environment.…Read More

K-12 Library & Media Technology Guide

eSchool News Library & Media Technology Guide

Everything You Need to Know. Everyone You Need to Reach.

• Why school librarians are tech integration pioneers
• Librarians are more important than ever—here’s why
• Leveraging a Future Ready Library opportunity
• Helping students build information literacy skills
• Librarians are facilitating learning despite school closures
• Renovating libraries to meet students’ next-generation needs
• 10 reasons admins should collaborate with their librarians
• How librarians can build critical relationships with fellow educators…Read More