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.

Carousel Cloud Scales with Indianapolis School District for K-12 Communications

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – The Metropolitan School District (MSD) of Washington Township in Indianapolis is midway through a district-wide Carousel Cloud digital signage network deployment that will eventually reach more than 11,500 students and staff in eight elementary schools, three middle schools and one high school plus a career and technical center. The district reports 70 screens are live today with Carousel digital signage content coming from multiple contributors per school, with approximately 150 screens expected upon completion.

The Carousel Cloud deployment coincides with a district-wide remodeling project that includes the school district’s Central Campus, home to North Central High School, Northview Middle School and the J Everett Light Career Center. The district has adopted a “one school at a time” rollout strategy that helps its technology specialists effectively train staff before using the system. 

“We wanted to implement a digital signage network that invites many contributors, and that means the system has to be easy to learn and easy to use,” said Matthew Whitt, Audio Video Specialist – Technology, MSD of Washington Township. “We also wanted software that could be flexible for the needs of different education levels. With Carousel, each grade has a unique channel with its own voice.”…Read More

PowerSchool Partners with Scribbles Software to add More than 2,000 Colleges to the Naviance eDocs Network

Charlotte, North Carolina – Scribbles Software today announced a partnership with PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC), the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America, and PowerSchool Naviance. This partnership will nearly double the number of institutions in the Naviance eDocs network, greatly expanding college access for high school students.

Scribbles Software has served over 12 million students with transcript requests since 2012 and provides over 400 districts and charter schools with a best-in-class network to ensure easy and equitable access for students pursuing higher education. In the last year alone, Scribbles completed nearly one million electronic transcript requests from districts across the United States, including 25 of the 30 largest districts in the country.

“Scribbles is thrilled to partner with Naviance to expand access to a broader higher education network. Through this partnership, districts and schools will be able to empower more students to have more access to life-changing opportunities,” said Marshall Simmonds, Vice President of Sales for Scribbles Software.…Read More

3 ways a cloud-based ERP helps schools innovate

As school districts emerge from the worst of COVID-19, they’re bringing with them new priorities. Many of the changes that districts have made during the pandemic, such as giving employees the flexibility to work remotely, will be carried forward. Other processes are being reevaluated to serve the needs of students and other stakeholders more effectively.

In looking to update everything from teaching and learning processes to school district operations, one of the most basic steps that K-12 leaders can take to position their schools for success is updating their education resource planning (ERP) solution by moving to a cloud-based system.

We can’t really talk about modernizing and streamlining district operations without discussing ERPs. An ERP is the backbone of a district’s operations, helping administrators manage essential financial functions related to payroll, HR, accounting, and more.…Read More

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CoderZ Names Tony Oran as Chief Executive Officer

DERRY, N.H. – CoderZ, the award-winning, gamified, cloud-based robotics and STEM platform, has announced that Tony Oran is joining the company as its CEO in the USA.

Oran has extensive experience in sales, marketing as well as business leadership and development. He comes to CoderZ from Festo Didactic, the technical education equipment and solution provider where he held several executive positions, most recently vice president of sales for the company’s North America division. Before that, Oran was also director of strategic business development and partnerships.

Previously, Oran held multiple management roles at Festo Didactic’s parent company Festo Group, a worldwide supplier of automation technology, equipment, and solutions for industrial and technical education. Before Festo, he served as an operations leader for various companies.…Read More

PowerSchool Launches New Tools and Resources to Help Educators Personalize Learning, Support Student Needs, and Increase Operational Excellence

FOLSOM, Calif. — PowerSchool (NYSE: PWSC), the leading provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education in North America, today announced updates to its  PowerSchool Unified Classroom® and  PowerSchool Unified Insights™ solutions. These updates include new data-driven personalized learning products, LearningNav and ContentNav, and a new resource library within  Unified Insights MTSS, which will provide educators with vetted, research-backed strategies and tools. PowerSchool also announced time-saving software Clouds built to provide educators with a more connected approach to planning, engaging, and monitoring students’ unique needs. 

As we emerge from the past two and half years, the impact of the dramatic learning disruptions experienced by students nationwide is evident. In fact, the results from the latest “National Report Card,” distributed by the  National Assessment of Educational Progress, shows declines in math and reading scores for the U.S.’ fourth and eighth graders with math scores having the largest declines since NAEP testing began in 1990. Each student is at a different place in their learning journey, making it clear that educators need tools and resources that will help personalize learning, address individual student needs, and streamline their operations. 

LearningNav: Building Personalized Pathways …Read More

How a cloud-based ERP helps schools innovate and be nimble

As school districts emerge from the worst of COVID-19, they’re bringing with them new priorities. Many of the changes that districts have made during the pandemic, such as giving employees the flexibility to work remotely, will be carried forward. Other processes are being reevaluated to serve the needs of students and other stakeholders more effectively.

In looking to update everything from teaching and learning processes to school district operations, one of the most basic steps that K-12 leaders can take to position their schools for success is updating their education resource planning (ERP) solution by moving to a cloud-based system.

We can’t really talk about modernizing and streamlining district operations without discussing ERPs. An ERP is the backbone of a district’s operations, helping administrators manage essential financial functions related to payroll, HR, accounting, and more.…Read More

McAlester Public Schools Select BenQ Boards

COSTA MESA, Calif. — BenQ, an internationally renowned provider of visual display solutions, continues to be the chosen smart board of choice for schools across the nation. McAlester Public Schools in Oklahoma installed BenQ’s Premium RP Series Education smart boards in every classroom in the district. The BenQ Board is packed with features including a germ-resistant screen and Tap & Teach technology delivering instant access to files, cloud storage, and personalized settings. Its license-free and intuitive EZ Write annotation and whiteboard software, and built-in InstaShare wireless screen sharing solution, make the RP Series the central hub for collaboration in the classroom. Plus, BenQ includes tools for IT and admin staff to easily configure, monitor, and update every smart board in the district from a centralized location.

“One of the main reasons for choosing BenQ was flexibility,” said Delilah Rodriguez, instructional technology and STEM at McAlester Public Schools. “My teachers didn’t need a computer if they didn’t want to use one. They could use the BenQ Board as their instructional tool.”

BenQ has been developing and perfecting its BenQ Boards for 10 years, leveraging its leadership in cinematic, esports, and healthcare display technology. The culmination of which is easy-to-use, healthful, and feature-rich smart boards designed for hybrid and remote classrooms. All interactive displays in BenQ’s education portfolio feature a 4K UHD screen with ClassroomCare, a proprietary line of health-centric technologies that includes the industry’s only antimicrobial-certified screens, air-quality sensors, and low-blue-light, flicker-free, and anti-glare technologies to reduce eye strain and create a comfortable viewing experience.…Read More

CoderZ Launches New Code Farm Coding and Robotics Course for Grades Four Through Six

DERRY, N.H. – When young students learn coding, they hone skills – such as computational thinking and collaboration – that enhance their success in school and future careers. CoderZ, an award-winning, cloud-based robotics and STEM platform, is helping educators introduce computer science in elementary and early middle school with its new Code Farm coding and robotics course for grades four through six.

Created for teachers and students with no prior experience in coding or robotics, Code Farm provides 45-60 hours of self-paced, gamified activities with real-time feedback and step-by-step instructions. The course offers a broad view of computer science education through a variety of lenses: engineering design, algorithms and coding, ethics and the social impact of technology, and more. The course is aligned with relevant standards frameworks, such as CSTA and NGSS, and includes extension opportunities for middle school classrooms.

Learners use the programming language Blockly to steer virtual robots through tasks such as collecting fruit, avoiding obstacles, and even planting a garden of their own design.…Read More

Rethinking your K-12 cloud strategy

The new school year is upon us, and IT teams are ramping up strategic tech investments and systems to help ensure a smooth year ahead. For many of these IT teams, challenges around cybersecurity are top of mind, with recent research revealing over half of lower education organizations were hit by ransomware in the past year. On top of this, concerns remain around cloud costs, including new limits on free cloud storage, leaving some wondering what they’re supposed to do and having to pay up.

In light of these shifts and growing risks, K-12 IT teams need to rethink their approach to cloud storage costs and security. We recently experienced challenges at Hotchkiss School with our past cloud providers in this regard. We could not obtain the amount of secure storage we needed due to not only data consumption and performance challenges, but also because of their egress fees. In order to modernize and innovate, education decision-makers will need to embrace hybrid or multi-cloud storage options that keep their data secure by moving away from mainstream, high-cost cloud providers.

Further, to meet growing demands on schools’ IT departments, IT leaders will need to adopt a flexible cloud mindset that enables them to effectively and securely store and leverage the growing deluge of data they are inundated with – everything from student health care data to device and research data. Let’s dive into how a high performance, multi-cloud approach can help K-12 schools check the following major pain points off their list.…Read More

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BenQ Announces New Education Smart Board Models That Come Standard With State-of-the-Art Features

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Oct. 5, 2022 — BenQ, an internationally renowned provider of visual display solutions, is empowering K-12 and higher-ed educators and students with its new educational BenQ Board smart displays. Comprising the Premium RP Series, Mainstream RM Series, and Entry-Level RE Series, the interactive displays feature state-of-the-art yet intuitive tools to enhance learning comprehension, engagement, and collaboration for in-person, virtual, and hybrid classrooms. This includes germ-resistant screens with up to 40 touch points, license-free EZ Write interactive whiteboard and annotation software, InstaShare wireless screencasting, speakers, X-Sign Broadcast PA capabilities, and Cloud Classroom Management featuring single sign-on to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more.

“There’s no question about the benefits of interactive displays in the classroom, but not every display is created equal,” said Bob Wudeck, senior director of business development at BenQ America Corp. “Educators today need to be able to start their lessons from the classroom display as easily as they would any computer. Likewise, IT staff need to be able to configure and manage them seamlessly alongside other devices. That’s why we’re shaping the future of education with our broad lineup of BenQ Boards, which come standard with all the tools and resources schools need to jump-start their interactive experience at no extra charge. Nothing should stand in the way of learning.”

The 4K 20-point multi-touch BenQ Board Entry-Level RE Series opens the door to affordable smart whiteboard technology, boasting BenQ’s premium yet standard features — ClassroomCare, EyeCare, EZWrite, InstaShare, and more — and is available in 65”, 75”, 86”, and 98” sizes. The Master RM Series adds front-accessible USB Type C ports, a six-microphone array with noise cancellation and speech enhancement, remote with spotlight and digital pointer, germ-resistant stylus, and more. Unleashing the full potential of BenQ smart board technology, the next-generation Premium RP Series builds upon the innovation with an onboard subwoofer, Dolby Digital Plus surround sound for lesson clarity in class and online, an eight-microphone array with noise cancellation and speech enhancement, Tap and Teach NFC tag reader to instantly log into the network or cloud services and access personal settings, Duo Windows to run apps side by side, an air ionizer, and smart sensor technology for motion detection that enables BenQ’s advanced EyeSafe® screen settings to protect eyes and provide the best user experience and for BenQ’s ClassroomCare technology that monitors temperature, humidity, and air quality. The Master RM and Premium RP Series are available in 65”, 75”, and 86” sizes.…Read More