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.

Paper Acquires Readlee To Address Literacy Crisis With Artificial Intelligence

MONTREAL – Paper™, the leading Educational Support System (ESS), today announced that it has acquired Readlee, an innovative learning tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and speech recognition technology to help students improve their reading skills. Master teachers, in collaboration with Harvard researchers, created Readlee to provide better literacy tools for students.

Pandemic-related learning loss is fueling a growing literacy crisis, with national reading scores at their lowest levels since the 1990s. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, approximately one-third of 4th and 8th graders can’t read at the “basic” achievement level – the test’s lowest level. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that only 34% of American high school students graduate with proficiency in reading. Proficiency levels decrease further to 18% for recent graduates of color. The statistics are clear, the literary crisis is a systemic issue, and the current approach is failing students.

The newly acquired Readlee will become Paper Reading, fully integrated into Paper’s ESS, and available to over 3 million students nationwide. The tool listens to students as they read aloud and provides immediate feedback, individualized support, and measurable success. The platform uses the latest in AI, speech recognition, and learning science, which shows that reading aloud improves memory, vocabulary, and confidence.…Read More

TeachingBooks, Sora and Pear Deck Announce Collaboration to Expand Student Engagement and Learning

CLEVELAND –   TeachingBooks.net today announced a unique collaboration with  Pear Deck, providing expanded opportunities for student engagement and learning. In this new collaboration, Pear Deck takes book-specific supplemental materials from TeachingBooks and creates a custom, interactive lesson. When used with the  Sora student reading app, a complete interactive literacy experience is created that engages students of all ages and provides unique learning opportunities. All TeachingBooks templates, as well as Pear Deck’s other content, are available for free at  Pear Deck’s Content Orchard.

“By partnering with TeachingBooks and Sora, we’re bringing free, ready-to-teach literacy lessons to teachers and learners, furthering Pear Deck’s mission to create powerful learning moments for every student, every day,” said Stacy Yung, a former teacher and Senior Instructional Designer at GoGuardian, parent company of Pear Deck. “Reading is a strong lever in building a community in the classroom. We’re confident that this partnership will increase access to engaging lessons that help students connect with books, gain new insights and improve understanding, ultimately building deeper love of reading.”

With Pear Deck, now part of leading digital learning company GoGuardian, educators can transform lessons into impactful formative assessments and active learning experiences that seamlessly integrate with learning management systems. Templates, quick-start activities and ready-to-teach lessons connect students across all grades and subjects. TeachingBooks offers high-quality instructional assets such as author interviews and cultural reflection prompts that help educators bring books to life. The Sora student reading app is the leading digital book platform for schools that helps students read or listen to school-selected ebooks and audiobooks, 24/7 on any device. Sora offers the largest collection of premium materials used for instruction, novel sets and choice reading, including the most in-demand and beloved books and authors such as  Diary of a Wimpy Kid and  The Great Gatsby. All three platforms offer free access to a “starter set” or “introductory catalog” as well as paid content options. California educators already have premium access to TeachingBooks.net via the  State Library of California and the California K-12 Online Content Project.…Read More

Wayside Publishing and Nualang Partner for World Language Education

Freeport, Maine – Wayside Publishing announces the launch of Nualang within Learning Site®, Wayside’s digital learning platform. This pioneering collaboration brings advanced technology to the world language classroom, providing learners with opportunities to practice their listening and speaking skills in a safe, confidence-building environment.

“As Wayside Publishing grows, we continue to expand our range of creative and time-saving technologies for educators—ones that also provide students with engaging and supportive learning-enhancement tools,” says Wayside President Greg Greuel. “This partnership shows Wayside’s commitment to enhancing how we deliver products for the world languages education community. Initially, Nualang will be available for the readers connected to the EntreCulturas Companion Reader Edition, and we will continue to expand its availability for other languages and products.”

“We see immense potential with our partnership with Wayside Publishing. At Nualang, we take pride in our technological innovation. Our tools give Wayside the ability to bring content to life with digital conversation exercises that are linked to their products,” says Greg Cawley, CEO of Nualang. “Together, we provide an engaging and comprehensive language learning experience that seamlessly integrates with Wayside’s Learning Site® and reaches a wide audience of world languages educators and students.”…Read More

Wisconsin’s Stevens Point Area Public School District Renews Partnership Supporting Science Education In Grades K-5

CHARLOTTE, NC — Wisconsin’s Stevens Point Area Public School District today announced it has renewed its multiyear partnership with Discovery Education supporting science education in grades K-5. This continued collaboration ensures students and teachers in the district’s K-5 classrooms will continue to use the company’s award-winning Mystery Science service to deeply engage students in science instruction. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports instruction wherever it takes place. 

The Stevens Point Area Public School District lies directly in the center of Wisconsin, covering over four hundred square miles. While being one of the State’s largest districts, in both area, and student membership, the district exemplifies excellence in education, as evidenced by the fact that Stevens Point’s students continually achieve higher percentages than the State average, of proficiency and advanced proficiency in the Wisconsin Forward Examinations.  

Following a careful review of the district’s usage and success with the Mystery Science service, school administrators elected to renew for three additional years the partnership with Discovery Education that brings Mystery Science to Stevens Point’s K-5 classrooms. By doing so, the district believes they are leveraging students’ natural curiosity about the world around them to build the scientific fundamentals that will drive future success in the subject in middle school, high school, and beyond.  …Read More

News from Discovery Education: Virginia’s Rivermont Schools Selects Discovery Education to Support Science Education Statewide

CHARLOTTE, NC— Virginia’s Rivermont Schools today announced a new partnership with Discovery Education, the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports instruction wherever it takes place. Through this new multi-year collaboration, K-12 educators in all 15 Rivermont campuses across Virginia will integrate Discovery Education’s suite of innovative digital resources into instruction to create dynamic learning environments that more deeply engage students in science.  

Rivermont schools provide a therapeutic educational program for students ages 5-22 in grades kindergarten through 12 with special needs, including those associated with autism spectrum disorder, behavioral challenges, and difficulty learning in a traditional school setting. Pre-kindergarten is offered in select locations. Rivermont schools have a 35-year legacy of providing high-quality and high-impact programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Rivermont schools are licensed by the Virginia Department of Education, and all class credits earned are fully transferable. All schools are accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF) and Cognia. 

To meet the varied needs of its unique student population and to drive deeper engagement in the sciences across all grades, Rivermont schools sought a suite of digital, classroom-tested, science services. These services needed to be flexible enough to readily integrate into the schools’ multi-disciplinary approach to learning, which utilizes close collaboration with each students’ family, school district, and other professionals to create an individualized program that meets the student’s needs. Following a careful review of potential solutions, the Rivermont Schools team selected Virginia Discovery Education Science Experience for use across all schools.  …Read More

Why educational robotics is a critical STEM learning tool

Engineering is a critical part of STEM education, and engineers play a role in creating, improving, and maintaining some of today’s most valued and essential things, from smartphones and airplanes to zippers and roller coasters.

This year, Engineers Week celebrates “Creating the Future,” and it emphasizes the vital role engineers play in creating innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems and biggest challenges. Highlighting engineering also encourages students to pursue engineering classes and, potentially, engineering career paths.

When students become interested in STEM at a young age, their critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills have a chance to thrive. Sustaining that interest is important, too, particularly because girls and underrepresented minority groups quickly lose interest in STEM learning–and never regain motivation to pursue it.…Read More

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Illinois’ Shiloh CUSD #1 Adds New, Cutting-Edge Edtech Tool to Middle School and High School Curriculum to More Deeply Engage Students in Science   

Charlotte, NC — Illinois’ Shiloh CUSD #1 today announced an expansion of its partnership with Discovery Education that adds a new, cutting-edge resource to the district’s middle school and high school science curriculum. In this new phase of collaboration, Discovery Education’s Pivot Interactives is helping educators in the district’s high school Biology class to actively engage students in the exploration of scientific phenomena while developing their scientific practice. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. 

Located in east central Illinois, Shiloh CUSD #1 serves approximately 375 K-12 students in one school building. Focused on meeting the unique needs of each individual student and creating a safe environment where learning has no boundaries, district teachers and administrators partner with members of the community to provide all students with opportunities for lifelong learning in a changing world. 

To better engage district middle and high school students in scientific inquiry and interactive learning, Shiloh CUSD #1 educators sought high-quality, standards-aligned digital resources that would quickly get students excited about scientific topics and were adaptable enough to meet the needs of different learning styles and levels. Following a careful review of potential solutions, district administrators selected Discovery Education’s Pivot Interactives for use in both middle and high school classrooms. …Read More

Explore Interactive Announces Partnership with Award-Winning Curriculum Developer, EiE

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Explore Interactive and EiE, the award-winning curricula division of the Museum of Science, Boston,are now collaborating to expand engineering and STEM curricular resources to teachers and students across the globe. MindLabs by Explore Interactive brings state-of-the-art technology that, combined with award-winning EiE curricula, will provide teachers with standards-aligned, engaging activities to help students build skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, engineering design, and team collaboration — all skills required for jobs in the 21st century.

Explore Interactive and EiE will combine the power of research-driven curricula with engaging activities that use augmented reality (AR) for hands-on discovery. EiE currently develops research-based, classroom-tested programs that empower children to become lifelong STEM learners. Its pre-K-8 curriculum encourages all children, including those from underrepresented groups, to see themselves as engineers. MindLabs brings to the partnership expertise in augmented reality and digital resources for STEM learning as well as critical components for teaching, such as digital assessment, digital engineering notebooks, and integrated technology for social-emotional learning.

“Involvement in STEM subjects can help to develop a student’s critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills, all essential for success in STEM fields. Early exposure can also pique a student’s interest in STEM subjects and careers as well as dispel stereotypes or misconceptions about STEM fields,” said Katie O’Shea, Associate Director of Curriculum and Instructional Design at EIE, Museum of Science, Boston. “By incorporating MindLabs, we’re furthering our goals of helping students learn to think like engineers and promoting their STEM literacy.”…Read More

How robots and our school’s buddy program bring computer science to life

Coding and robots are both natural tools for encouraging collaboration in the classroom. At Sewickley Academy, we have taken that collaboration to the next level by having Grade 5 students step into mentoring roles for our kindergarteners who are just being introduced to computer science. Here’s how we did it.

From Reading to Robotics

Recently, our PreK through Grade 12 independent school has been working to include more computer science opportunities across all grade levels. These classes are a distinguishing factor of a Sewickley Academy education.…Read More

AVer Launches World’s First All-in-One Camera with AI Audio for the Classroom

Fremont, CA – AVer Information Inc. USA, the award-winning provider of video collaboration and education technology solutions today announced the launch of the  A30, the world’s first All-in-One Camera with AI Audio for the Classroom.

The A30 is a multi-functional classroom tool that enhances the teaching experience by combining a document camera, web camera, microphone, and speaker. With easy-to-use plug-n-play connectivity, the A30 speaker connects to computers, IFPs, and monitors to provide clear classroom audio up to 20 feet away. Teachers can seamlessly pivot between doc cam and webcam modes without having to switch technology devices, while the built-in microphone and speaker minimize set-up time and can support small classroom work groups and hearing-impaired students. The A30 allows connection to wireless microphone via line in for versatile lesson recording.

In addition to its flexibility and premium quality, the A30 delivers the following features:…Read More