Rise Vision and Sharp NEC Display Solutions Partner to Offer Schools a Free Year of Digital Signage

June 22, 2021 –– Rise Vision and Sharp NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc. have partnered to offer K-12 schools and higher education institutions a free year of Rise Vision digital signage with each NEC display MediaPlayer solution they purchase. 

NEC displays enable collaboration between students and teachers, keeping the classroom connected and driving student engagement in an interactive way. With up to 4K UHD resolution and sizes up to 98”, NEC displays are large enough for classrooms that need to maintain social distancing. Implementing the right technology with the flexibility for various learning options ensures all students, whether remote or in the classroom, can learn effectively.

As part of this partnership Rise Vision has integrated their solution with the NEC MediaPlayer via the pre-installed Raspberry Pi® Compute Module 3 or Compute Module 4. Schools can simply select the Rise Vision CMS in the MediaPlayer settings and have their digital signage up and running in minutes. This greatly simplifies the installation process, eliminating the need for an external media player, and reduces the cost of digital signage.…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

Why cheap teacher PD costs you more money in the long run

There’s a lesson about return on investment hidden in the humble classroom pencil. That’s right–the pencil.

Ask any teacher and they’ll tell you definitively that all pencils are not created equal.

There are cheap pencils with soft lead that breaks too easily and erasers that smudge writing instead of removing it.…Read More

Scholastic Teams Up with 5 Female Leaders to Debut New “Rising Voices” K–5 Classroom Library Collection to Empower Girls in STEAM

The Second Collection in the Rising Voices Library® Series Features Powerful Messages from Industry Mentors to Shatter Misconceptions About Girls as Future Leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math 

New York, NY – June 16, 2021 – Scholastic has announced the launch of Rising Voices: Books Empowering Girls in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math). This new classroom library collection provides K–5 students and educators with culturally relevant and representative books paired with teaching materials, designed to enrich identity development, build literacy skills, and support CASEL-aligned social-emotional learning. Despite representing nearly half of the U.S. workforce, women made up only 27% of those employed in science, technology, engineering, and math in 2019*. Among the women who have made it into this workforce, few are women of color. Rising Voices: Books Empowering Girls in STEAM showcases girls and women as protagonists succeeding in a variety of STEAM fields, and celebrates inspiring stories of curiosity, creative problem-solving, leadership, collaboration, persistence, and vision. With the inclusion of select titles focused on the arts, this collection recognizes artistic pursuits for the value they bring to society and for their significance in enhancing STEM efforts. 

Learn more about the Scholastic Rising Voices Library series: www.scholastic.com/risingvoicessteam …Read More

Promethean Continues Streak as Market Leader for Interactive Flat Panel Displays in US and EMEA

HONG KONG, June 10, 2021 – (ACN Newswire) – NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (NetDragon or the Company; HKG: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, is pleased to share that its flagship classroom technology subsidiary Promethean continues to be a global leader for interactive display technology, according to Futuresource Consulting’s Q1 2021 report on World Interactive Displays.

As the education system worldwide began to get a handle on remote and blended learning models, the demand for interactive displays in classrooms remained strong. According to Futuresource Consulting’s Q1 2021 report, interactive display sales had a year-over-year increase of 74%, making it by far the largest Q1 to date. As schools around the world are settling into the new normal of blended learning models, interactive whiteboards and flat panel displays continue to remain one of the best tools in K-12 classrooms where teachers can build interactive lessons and bring them to life in any environment.

Excluding China, Promethean was the leading brand with a 23.3% share of the total global interactive flat panel display for primary and secondary education market over the last twelve months as of 31 March 2021. In that same time period, Promethean gained market share in the US, UK, and Germany. Most recently, in Q1 2021, the company also continued its strong performance track record in the US, achieving a 32.4% market share for primary and secondary education markets.…Read More

Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Discovery Education Renew Long-Term Partnership Serving Educators and Students Statewide

SILVER SPRING, MD (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) today announced the renewal of its long-term partnership with  Discovery Education, a leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources and engaging content for K-12 classrooms worldwide. LPB’s renewal of its 18-year collaboration with Discovery Education empowers K-12 educators across the state to create dynamic digital learning experiences in the classroom and beyond with high-quality digital content from Discovery Education’s award-winning K-12 learning platform.

LPB is Louisiana’s largest classroom over the air, on every device, in schools, and in the community. LPB’s Educational Services Department is committed to providing extensive information, lesson plans, materials, and digital resources to support formal K-12 education statewide. Through its nearly two-decade long partnership with Discovery Education, LPB has offered educators and students a host of digital resources including Discovery Education’s flexible K-12 platform.

Discovery Education’s platform connects educators to a vast collection of compelling high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, and professional learning resources. Together, these resources give educators everything they need to facilitate instruction in any learning environment and create lasting educational impact.…Read More

Data-informed instruction can affect every lesson; here’s how

Teachers from previous decades may have focused on “What did I teach?,” but the new focus is “What did the students learn?” Whether classroom resources are digital or not, educators can collect data every day to inform their instruction. In the presentation “Authentic Learning Starts with Informed Instruction,” Michael Haggen, chief academic officer at Scholastic Education, and Suzanne Lucas, vice president of product marketing for Scholastic Education Digital Solutions, discussed how teachers can use formal and informal data to guide ELA lessons and make sure all students are receiving the education they need.

Although the majority of teachers now use some form of data-driven learning, Haggen and Lucas reminded attendees that both formal and informal data are essential to informing instruction. Reading assessments and other measures can provide a picture of where a student is at the moment and how they have progressed over time, but there are daily opportunities for teachers to collect important information. For example, unit projects, observation checklists, graphic organizers, and portfolios all provide insights into students’ progress and needs. Haggen said he liked to use writing portfolios with comments on each assignment. Both Haggen and the student could see how their writing improved over time as well as areas where the student still struggled.

A place for data-informed instruction

And while the ultimate goal is to improve individual student achievement, Haggen sees a place for data-informed instruction for every level of classroom lessons.…Read More

The pandemic is boosting student-directed learning

While the COVID-19 pandemic has been, to say the least, a struggle for students and educators, it also has revealed a move toward increased student-directed learning, according to the final installment in a series of reports from Project Tomorrow and Blackboard investigating the impact and expectations for digital learning from the point of view of K-12 students, parents, and educators.

The final report, “Sponsoring Student Ownership of Learning,” examines how the pandemic is fueling a shift toward student-directed learning and how digital and mobile tools will likely remain a key part of the classroom even after students return to in-person instruction. It focuses on the student point of view of their learning experiences and the teachers’ and administrators’ perspectives around the value of technology to support students’ increased efficacy in the learning process.

Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up Research Project surveyed the perspectives of over 137,000 K-12 students, parents and educators, revealing how they see technology as a critical tool in increasing students’ ownership of their learning journey.…Read More

How to help children develop executive functioning skills

Math. Social studies. Science. There’s no shortage of important topics the U.S. education system imparts on our youth. And yet, there is a set of skills that’s not given enough attention in the classroom: Executive functioning. 

Executive functioning is the management system of the brain it refers to how well students pay attention, organize and prioritize, stay focused on tasks through completion, regulate their emotions, and keep track of the things they are doing. While executive functioning is starting to gain some deserved attention in the classroom, parents can have a huge impact on the growth of these skills for their children.

In this piece, we’ll look at why executive functioning has been historically overlooked in our education system and how parents can help their children learn these skills. …Read More

How teletherapy enables access to special education services

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, some parents of children enrolled in public schools have made, or are considering making, moves to alternative modes of education. Private schools, parochial schools, and homeschooling have all reported higher interest over the past year, and while enrollment data is not yet solid enough to officially call it a trend, it appears that some shifts away from public schools will occur in the next year.

Much of this stems from the disruption of the pandemic and the flexibility that private schools had to bring students back to the classroom. A recent poll by Education Next found that the parents of children enrolled in a private school were more likely to be “very satisfied” with their educational experience this year than parents of children in public or charter schools. In March 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 11.1 percent of households with school-age children reported homeschooling, double the prior year’s figure.

Serving students with disabilities…Read More

Teachers Offer Tips To Make Summer Learning More Inspiring, Creative and Challenging, Using Osmo for Schools’ STEAM Technology

Exploring Nature, Creating Stories, Learning Financial Literacy, Are Among Ideas Suggested

Palo Alto- From exploring nature to story creation to financial literacy, teachers from around the U.S. offer tips to colleagues on how to make summer learning more inspiring, creative and challenging for students, using Osmo for Schools’ STEAM technology.

Brittany Thomas, 5th grade teacher at Glen Burnie Park Elementary in Glen Burnie, Maryland, says: …Read More

5 essentials for an active learning classroom

Identified by EDUCAUSE as a top strategic technology, active learning classrooms (ALCs) go beyond just outfitting learning spaces with technology. These engaging, dynamic spaces provide new pedagogical opportunities, support active learning, and help students develop relevant skills.

In 2020, the pandemic forced rapid adoption of school-based technology within a compressed time frame. Most students now have mobile devices, while schools have been teaching in a rotation of remote, in-person, and hybrid learning models. And, more district administrators are using blended learning as they infuse technology with more flexible learning models.

The traditional classroom model has been turned on end, with the arrangement of desks and front-of-the-classroom focus becoming obsolete and unnecessary. In its place are dynamic, flexible, and mobile learning spaces that support student-centered teaching, collaboration, and engagement.…Read More