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.

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

1 2

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

Drug Enforcement Administration and Discovery Education Announce New Resources Addressing Counterfeit Drug Crisis

Charlotte, NC — Discovery Education and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are now offering educators new digital resources to address the dangers of counterfeit drugs. The new array of science-based lesson plan and videos equip students in grades 9–12 with an understanding of what counterfeit drugs are and why they are so harmful to individuals and communities.  

The resources join other powerful anti-drug resources available through Operation Prevention, a collaboration between DEA and Discovery Education. Designed to help prevent substance misuse in schools nationwide, Operation Prevention educates students about the science behind addiction, and its impact on the brain and body. The latest content also supports the One Pill Can Kill initiative from DEA, which raises awareness about fake pills that are falsely marketed as legitimate prescription pills. 

Research by UCLA Health shows that in 2020, the teen death rate due to drug overdose doubled and grew by another 20% in 2021. The sharp increase is, in part, attributed to teens purchasing via distributors on social media platforms what they believe to be prescription drugs but instead are counterfeit drugs laced with fentanyl. DEA reports that in 2022 more than 9.5 million fake pills were seized, more than the previous two years combined.  …Read More

Growing Number of Schools Turn to MiEN Company to Create Spaces that Support Learning and Collaboration

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Jan. 4, 2023 – Twelve schools and one district-wide project are a few of the most recent educational institutions to make MiEN Company their furnishing and design partner in creating or upgrading spaces within their school campuses. MiEN helped its new partners to renovate spaces for cafés, esports, teacher lounges, student unions, common areas, makerspaces, and even an entire school building.

The categories of projects and the participating schools are listed below:

Café Space Projects…Read More

KinderLab Robotics Donates Robot Kits to Connect Schools in Pennsylvania and Guatemala

Waltham, MA — KinderLab Robotics today announced that it has donated four KIBO robot kits to La Puerta Abierta, a school in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. Part of a partnership with Sewickley Academy, near Pittsburgh, PA, this donation will foster cross-cultural collaboration between the schools. Sewickley’s 5th-graders, who have experience teaching younger students about robotics through the school’s Big Buddies program, will offer guidance to La Puerta Abierta’s 1st-graders as they work on fun, hands-on programming challenges.

La Puerta Abierta, which relies heavily on volunteers and donations, was co-founded by Amanda Flayer, who was a Peace Corps volunteer with Michelle Bonham, a Lower School Spanish teacher at Sewickley Academy. The two schools have previously collaborated by having their 5th-graders create a bilingual book together. When La Puerta Abierta secured mathematics professor and data analyst Gaspar Yataz Pop as a volunteer to teach robotics using KIBO, the idea for the STEAM-powered collaboration between the schools’ students was born.

“We look forward to giving our elementary school students the opportunity to engage with another culture,” said Beau Blaser, director of technology at Sewickley Academy. “Through coding and collaboration, they’ll be learning to connect ideas and concepts together from a great distance. That can lead to an appreciation of the different cultures, but also a realization that there’s a lot of commonality across the human experience. What better way to do that than with some of our youngest learners? They’ll see that anybody can become an engineer or express their artistic ability—you can be anything you want to be in this world, whether you’re from Guatemala or Sewickley, Pennsylvania.”…Read More

Oklahoma’s Millwood Public Schools Partners with Global EdTech Leader to Create Dynamic Learning Experiences

Oklahoma City, OK —Students and teachers in classrooms across Oklahoma’s Millwood Public Schools (MPS) now have access to a host of dynamic digital resources supporting science and social studies instruction thanks to a new partnership with Discovery Education. Through this collaboration, MPS educators districtwide now have access to rich content and powerful digital tools that support the creation of immersive learning environments. Discovery Education is the global edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. 

Located in the heart of Oklahoma City and serving approximately 1150 students, the Millwood Public Schools is dedicated to preparing all students academically and socially for lifelong learning and achievement. In the district’s recent strategic plan, MPS outlined several goals and measures of progress for student success. To help meet MPS’s goal of student mastery of science and social studies, school administrators sought engaging digital resources designed to connect what students are learning in school to the world beyond the classroom. 

Following a careful review, the district selected several Discovery Education resources for classroom use. To support science instruction in grades 3-12, the district selected the Discovery Education Science Techbooks for classroom use. The Discovery Education Science Techbook series is a comprehensive, research-backed science solution for grades K-12. Used in classrooms across the United States, the Science Techbooks drive engagement with exclusive phenomena and interactive content.  …Read More