How text and voice apps are changing student engagement

The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in some major changes for educators across the globe. Classes became virtual, as did most everything else, and administrators, teachers, and students alike received a crash course on the finer points of digital learning technology. As a result, digital transformation is no longer an alien concept–it’s a reality that everyone has had to embrace with open arms.

Although Zoom made a lion’s share of the headlines over the last year, other innovative new tools and concepts were also hard at work filling the gaps between students and teachers. One such technology, developed by Mote Technologies, is a Google Chrome extension enabling teachers to leave voice notes and feedback on documents, assignments, and emails via Google Classroom, Gmail, Google Docs, and more.

Thanks to the likes of Clubhouse, voice apps are extremely popular right now. However, they aren’t just being used for social purposes. Teachers are turning to voice apps like Mote to give students richer and more meaningful feedback on homework assignments. Of Mote’s 1 million users, most are teachers and students.…Read More

How physical stress impacts you and your classroom

Being a teacher was already one of the most stressful occupations in America, even before the COVID-19 pandemic triggered widespread classroom changes and sudden shifts in teaching modalities. The impacts of physical stress in the classroom are widespread and have ramifications that stretch far beyond the classroom.

Educators, along with school administrators, must invest time in social-emotional learning and stress management. Following is some helpful information that can help educators learn about the impact physical stress has on their classrooms.

How stress impacts educators and the classroom…Read More

3 lessons from 1 year of remote learning

As President Biden works to reopen schools safely, the reality is that the way we approach in-classroom instruction has fundamentally changed. With new COVID variants swirling, and the future structure of education in flux (think no more snow days), remote learning is going to remain a key part of the curriculum for the foreseeable future, and schools will need to stay agile to keep up.

This does not, however, mean that the remote learning experience has to be sub-par. The proportion of students who were highly satisfied with their learning experience fell from 51 percent pre-COVID to 19 percent post-COVID, and 60 percent of instructors said they struggled to keep students engaged. To improve student success, schools can apply learnings from the past 12 months to provide a higher-quality remote learning experience.

Here are some key lessons on how to make K-12 and higher-ed online education more empathetic, engaging, and productive as we look to build better remote learning and in-person classroom experiences.…Read More

From classroom to boardroom: Building diverse workforce tech talent starts with STEM

Women make up 47 percent of all employed adults in the U.S., but as of 2015, they hold only 25 percent of computing roles, according to data from the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT). Of the 25 percent of women working in tech, Asian women make up just 5 percent of that number, while Black and Hispanic women accounted for 3 percent and 1 percent, respectively.

From childhood through education to careers and leadership, female representation often gets lost, with many women choosing not to pursue technology fields due to lack of support, access, and even cultural or regional norms. Culturally-prescribed notions of “male” and “female” careers subtly affect the way a teacher, mentor, or employer looks at women in technical fields. They can lead girls to second-guess their abilities or interest in technology.

Cultivating a diverse tech workforce starts with education. Companies, schools, and higher education institutions can work together to support the development of bright female minds. There are many ways to ensure that women have the support and opportunities to explore STEM fields in both their educations and careers.…Read More

Starting a K-12 classroom drone program

More K-12 schools are introducing drones into the classroom as educators discover how useful unattended vehicles can be to teach and strengthen science, technology, art, engineering, and mathematics (STEAM) skills. Students are engaged by the possibility of flying robots in their classrooms, but teachers will require support systems to understand how to best implement a classroom drone program.

Before investing in the hardware, K-12 educators can take essential steps to enhance their drone program’s success in getting off the ground.

Consider the drone objective for your classroom…Read More

51 Activities and Events from Discovery Education and Partners Available to Help Educators and Communities Celebrate Earth Day

Silver Spring, Md. (Monday, April 19, 2021) — To celebrate the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2021, Discovery Education and several content, corporate, and community partners present educators, students, and families 51 engaging, curated activities and events. Found online at Discovery Education’s 51 Ways to Earth Day website, these dynamic digital resources inspire students to explore the natural phenomena in the world around them as they observe the 51st Earth Day in the classroom or at home. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.

The 51 Ways to Earth Day resources include live events, videos, podcasts, ready-to-use instructional resources, Virtual Field Trips, and fun family activities from Discovery Education’s robust collection of Earth Day content, as well as resources from trusted partners. Among the exciting no-cost events planned are:

Diversity in STEM Discussion: Building a Sustainable Future Through Inclusion
4/20 at 2 p.m. ET…Read More

South Dakota’s Pierre School District Selects Discovery Education to Support Its Mission to Inspire All Students to Achieve Their Potential

SILVER SPRING, MD (Thursday, April 15, 2021)—South Dakota’s Pierre School District (PSD) today announced the launch of a new partnership with Discovery Education supporting the district’s mission to inspire all students to achieve their potential. Through this new collaboration, educators, and students across the school system will soon receive access to a suite of Discovery Education’s award-winning digital learning resources. With these resources, district educators are empowered to support students’ future success through curiosity, engagement, and real-world learning experiences at home, in the classroom, or wherever instruction is taking place. Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.
 

After a year of providing students instruction in both the in-person and remote environments, PSD sought flexible digital resources that would offer all students the flexibility to continue their instruction whenever or wherever learning takes place. Following a rigorous review, the district selected Discovery Education to provide the following digital resources to teachers and students:

The Discovery Education platform. Discovery Education’s flexible K-12 learning 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

AVER LAUNCHES ADVANCED AI AUTO TRACKING DISTANCE LEARNING CAMERA FOR THE ‘NEW CLASSROOM’

The AVer DL30 Features Advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tracking to Seamlessly Follow Teachers in the Classroom and 12X Optical Zoom

AVer Information Inc., the award-winning provider of video collaboration solutions and education technology solutions, announced today the launch of the innovative and ground-breaking DL30 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Auto Tracking Distance Learning Camera. Designed specifically for the evolving K-12 distance learning classroom and ever-changing teaching and learning environments, the DL30 boasts advanced AI to automatically detect the teacher’s movement in the classroom, allowing them to focus on delivering their curriculum instead of worrying about staying within the camera’s view.   

The AI technology of the DL30 drives two auto tracking modes including Presenter Tracking or Zone Tracking with no need for a camera operator. Presenter Tracking allows the camera to automatically follow the presenter with either full body or half body, or manually track any other specific presenter with a simple click. Since the AI technology focuses on the body rather than the face, the camera recognizes and follows the presenter even if he or she is wearing a PPE mask. Since the DL30 does not rely on voice tracking or the need to wear a lanyard, the teacher is always kept in camera view regardless of any other noise interference or loss of contact with a sensor. Zone Tracking allows automatic and seamless tracking between multiple preset zones to support different learning stations in the classroom.  Completely hands-free, the DL30 provides the flexibility for the teacher or presenter to move freely about the room and let the camera do the work.…Read More