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.

GoGuardian and Pear Deck Merge to Expand K-12 Classroom Management Offerings

GoGuardian, a K-12 EdTech company dedicated to maximizing each student’s learning potential by providing solutions that enable more productive and safer digital learning, today announced a merger with Pear Deck, an award-winning and market-leading student engagement platform.

The merger brings together two of the fastest-growing companies in education under a single umbrella and will enable a strong partnership that drives expansion into new, but interconnected growth areas, while supporting both organizations’ longstanding missions to help ensure K-12 learning environments are safer and more engaging for students.

GoGuardian has changed the way K-12 schools maximize the learning potential of every student. Its suite of solutions helps educators identify learning patterns, protect students from harmful and distracting content, and support students who are at risk of self-harm and suicide. GoGuardian partners with over 10,000 schools to engage with and protect over 10 million students across the United States.…Read More

Impero Creates Cloud-Based Platform to Support Schools during Hybrid Learning

Student safety leader Impero today launched a cloud-based platform, built on state-of-the-art technology, that provides teachers, school counselors and administers with classroom management and student safety solutions, all in one place, to support hybrid learning.

COVID-19 has changed the way schools deliver instruction and has highlighted the need for solutions to support the continuation of education whether students are learning in class or through distance learning. The tools in Impero’s new platform help teachers manage student devices and stay on top of potential safety or health concerns. Because the platform is cloud-based and the tools work with multiple devices, it is a well-rounded solution to support instruction, whether students are learning online, in person, or in a hybrid model during COVID-19 and beyond.

Impero’s new cloud-based services include:…Read More

Linewize and Gaggle Announce Strategic Partnership 

Linewize, a growing education technology company, today announced its partnership with Gaggle as a part of its expanding cyber safety offering. Gaggle is the pioneer in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Gaggle team,” said Linewize VP, North America, Ross Young. “They dominate the ‘hands-on’ student safety market and have saved countless lives. Together, our technologies will work seamlessly to uncover more valuable data for school districts for an iron-clad cyber safety solution.”

The Linewize solution provides school districts with a web filtering system and classroom management tool equipped with red flag safety alerts, teacher/student screen sharing, and cyber safety education for the community. When Linewize flags a student internet search for terms that may signal potentially dangerous or harmful behavior, an alert will be sent to the Gaggle Safety Team, who will include Linewize alerts in their analysis to determine if the school or district needs to be notified.…Read More

Remote Monitoring Software Free to Districts

In order to help teachers keep students on task throughout the school day, when they are at learning at home, Impero Software is making its Impero Education Pro web-based software free for the remainder of the school year to districts that do not already have remote monitoring software in place. The powerful cross-platform product combines tools for online safety, teacher control, and real time monitoring and session tracking for student devices.

“The most important thing for schools right now is ensuring they have the tools available to support remote learning and we’re working to remove any barriers to that” says Justin Reilly, Impero CEO. “In order to conduct lessons remotely with a group of students who are on their devices at home, teachers need a remote classroom management solution that provides a live view of the student devices, alongside online safety and learner engagement tools to keep them safe and on task. As a former teacher, I am sympathetic to the challenges teachers are facing in this unprecedented time and we are working diligently to support schools. That is why we are offering this tool free for the remaining three months of the school year.”

Impero Education Pro is designed to enhance learning, support IT teams and safeguard students in the digital world. Teachers have access to key tools including live thumbnail view, broadcast screen, block list, live chat, and log viewer to ensure students receive continued access to education.…Read More

Protection for student devices — Even off campus

Lightspeed Systems is offering a free, extended trial of Relay Filter or Relay Classroom through the end of the school year.

Relay Filter protects students, even off-campus
Students being out of school and at home for extended periods can mean they spend more time online. Distance learning can also mean students who don’t usually take devices home will need to do so. Filtering those devices is essential.

Relay Filter protects students on school devices at school, at home, and everywhere in between. Safety Check extends this protection to include real-time monitoring and alerts on students at risk of self-harm or violence.…Read More

Teacher training does wonders for students’ emotional regulation

When teachers participated in a training program focused on pro-social classroom behavior, their students became more socially competent and better able to regulate their emotions than students in classrooms without trained teachers, according to new research from the University of Missouri (MU).

Past research shows that students who are able to regulate their emotions are more likely to be academically successful.

Wendy Reinke and Keith Herman, professors in MU’s College of Education, studied more than 100 teachers and 1,817 students from kindergarten to third grade to see if teachers could support students’ emotional and behavioral growth through the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Program.…Read More

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Here’s my secret for better classroom management

At Flagstaff Academy in Colorado, I am lucky to head up the SmartLab facility and offer guided lessons to all K-5 classrooms. Couple this with 15 years of teaching technology, and you could say I’ve learned a thing or two about bringing technology into the classroom successfully.

Over the past few years, advancements in technology have greatly improved the classroom experience for both students and teachers alike. Tools like Chromebooks, SMART Boards, and even virtual reality headsets have allowed teachers to bring instruction to life and make learning more engaging.

But these tools are only as good as the classroom environment in which they exist. Truly successful education depends on teachers’ ability to create and maintain organized instructional environments that keep kids engaged and on task while encouraging the sharing of ideas and questions.…Read More

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