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.

5 ways tech helps create calmer learning environments

When I started as a school counselor more than 15 years ago, technology in the classroom looked much different than it does today. Only a handful of students had their own personal device and the concept of one-to-one models, meaning every student is given a school-issued laptop or tablet, had not yet taken hold. At that time, students were accessing the internet or using digital tools sparingly throughout the school day, and typically only in tech-focused classes. Today, most teens have access to a smartphone and more than 80 percent of K-12 students use a school-issued device as part of their learning. Students are clearly more connected than ever, both inside and outside of the classroom.

This increased access to technology in school has had both positive and negative impacts on students. For some, the internet has proven to be an incredibly engaging and useful learning tool, while for others, the constant stream of information can be overwhelming. Because of this, it is important for educators to help students use technology in a purposeful way that supports learning.

While it might seem counterintuitive, technology and certain digital tools can actually help provide students with a sense of calm while enhancing in-the-moment thinking.…Read More

How to fund 3 must-have classroom tech tools

Classroom technology is essential, and nothing made that more obvious than the COVID-19 pandemic that forced learning to go virtual and hybrid. Technology upgrades help make students feel included and achieve their full potential. But funding for classroom tech tools is always a challenge.

Funding challenges aren’t impossible to solve, however. Join a panel of experts who, during this eSchool News webinar, will explore the most relevant technologies to help you upgrade your district’s classrooms and enhance learning for all students.

You’ll also learn about the key ways schools can access funding for these critical upgrades by understanding new federal sources, important timelines, and the checklist you need for ensuring your highest chances of funding success.…Read More

3 steps to better edtech integration

The pandemic forced a significant shift from traditional classrooms to virtual and hybrid teaching environments–often before schools and districts were ready. It quickly became apparent that reliable virtual learning tools were a must-have for teachers to be productive.

However, classroom technology is only valuable if it builds a positive learning environment. Solutions must also be scalable for successful reiteration on the technology itself, based on research, data, and analysis. If a school has software that can analyze the effectiveness of academic content based on the average grades of the schools that adopt it, for instance, the statistical data will show the content schools should use to improve student performance.

With integrated technology and software, schools improve student performance and teacher productivity through more accessible application and learning of edtech systems.…Read More

Industry-Leading Charging Cart Company Launches new Caddy to Support Classroom Technology

To provide safety to children and their technology in classrooms across the United States, an industry leader in charging solutions launches two new carts with device caddy compatibility on October 4.

With an increase in 1:1 devices in the K-12 classroom environment, Bretford Technologies continues to notice the pain points teachers and students are facing. More technology equates to more time spent deploying and loading devices back into technology charging carts or other forms of storage.

“In our research we noticed that students removing and re-entering their individual devices into charging solutions twice a day was causing precious time to be taken from their classwork. We needed to supply classrooms with the necessary equipment to quickly and efficiently maneuver devices in and out of the cart to save time for teaching,” said Cory Doppelt, Senior Product Manager.…Read More

3 must-have classroom tech innovations–and how to fund them

Classroom technology is more than a nice amenity–it’s critical for student learning and engagement.

But with funding an ever-present concern, and with more classrooms moving to hybrid instruction, it’s important that classroom technology reach all students in a way that prioritizes 21st-century skills development.

“Really, the key in our classrooms today is student engagement,” says Jairo Casco, principal of Hogg New Tech Center in Dallas ISD. “We know that as our students are more involved in their learning, as we’re fostering student agency, they’re engaged. We have to look at what technologies are out there, look at how the teacher is able to facilitate the learning, differentiate the learning, and how students can own their learning in different spaces.”…Read More

Nureva XT Classroom Solutions Extend In-room Experience to Remote Students

Calgary, Alberta — September 15, 2021 — Nureva Inc., an innovator in advanced audio conferencing solutions, announces Nureva® XT classroom solutions, a unique and highly integrated combination of audio, video, device management and product services designed specifically for educators who want the flexibility to extend the in-classroom experience to remote students. Easily combined with existing classroom technology products (such as projectors and displays), the solutions enable live participation of remote students, while also supporting full-classroom audio pickup – all via a single USB connection to the instructor’s computer. There are four Nureva XT solutions for standard-sized and large classrooms. Each combines a Nureva audio system (HDL300 for standard, Dual HDL300 for large) with the new Nureva CV30 classroom camera kit and a three- or five-year subscription to Nureva Pro, which includes advanced device management features in Nureva Console, 24/7 technical support, extended product warranty and advance replacement. Refer to the additional product details section below for more information on each solution component.

Nureva XT solutions support a variety of in-room and remote classroom scenarios and use cases, such as hybrid and HyFlex learning, and remote participation of guest speakers or students. They can be deployed and managed by a small IT team and are focused on ease of use and simplicity for instructors as they move from room to room – with a quick start-up experience and no lost class time. Each solution delivers a unique combination of full-room microphone pickup, in-room voice amplification, playback of audio content and front-of-room video coverage with auto tracking, camera presets and digital pan/tilt/zoom, allowing teachers to move around freely. Unlike complex, one-off solutions that are often not purpose-built for classrooms, have limited functionality, and require time consuming installation and maintenance, Nureva XT solutions bring together all this capability in an affordable package that is easy to install, set up, manage and scale. The solutions also overcome the limitations associated with webcams and all-in-one systems that were designed for small meeting spaces and have insufficient microphone pickup range for classroom environments. Each Nureva XT component has been thoughtfully designed and rigorously tested to work as an integrated classroom solution that is flexible, adaptive, future proofed and responsive to evolving needs. Using breakthrough Microphone™ Mist technology, Nureva’s unique approach to audio conferencing provides the flexibility to support multiple classroom layouts (including on-the-fly changes), various teaching approaches and learning styles, along with changing health and safety guidelines. In-room students can spread out, face any direction and move around the space as they talk. The first microphone and speaker bar to be certified for large Microsoft® Teams Rooms, the HDL300 system’s patented continuous autocalibration automatically adjusts to changes to in-room configurations, reducing the need for IT staff or technicians to visit learning spaces. In addition to Microsoft Teams, Nureva solutions integrate with other leading UC&C platforms like Zoom, Cisco Webex®, Lifesize® and many others to give students an exceptional remote learning experience.

“Today’s classrooms require the flexibility to support a wide variety of scenarios that involve the need for people outside the classroom to participate in learning sessions, whether they be guest speakers participating remotely or students joining the class from home, other classrooms or elsewhere,” said Nancy Knowlton, Nureva’s CEO. “We are excited to announce a full-featured classroom solution that is future proofed and offers the simplicity, flexibility and reliability that have become so critical in today’s education environments.”…Read More

3 ways to build better edtech processes for teaching and learning

The pandemic forced a significant shift from traditional classrooms to virtual and hybrid teaching environments–often before schools and districts were ready. It quickly became apparent that reliable virtual learning tools were a must-have for teachers to be productive.

However, classroom technology is only valuable if it builds a positive learning environment. Solutions must also be scalable for successful reiteration on the technology itself, based on research, data, and analysis. If a school has software that can analyze the effectiveness of academic content based on the average grades of the schools that adopt it, for instance, the statistical data will show the content schools should use to improve student performance.

With integrated technology and software, schools improve student performance and teacher productivity through more accessible application and learning of edtech systems.…Read More

3 ways to support teachers in flexible learning environments

Flexible learning environments have been a popular buzzword for a while now. Traditionally, flexible learning environments address the flexible use of the physical space as well as how time during classes might be used and how students are grouped during learning. Now, school leaders and educators also have to consider switching between in-person learning and remote learning, and how that applies to the learning environment in place.

When Walled Lake Consolidated School District in Walled Lake, Michigan, standardized classroom technology about five years ago, it transformed our instruction. It became clear the next step was to modernize the furniture and classrooms.

Our district went through an extensive process of brainstorming and researching the best approach for renovations, including district leaders attending conferences, testing out several products with their teachers, and discussing feedback and ideas with each other. Throughout the process, it was important for us to prioritize the idea that every student learns differently. With this in mind, we ultimately decided flexible learning environments would be the best solution throughout the district.…Read More