TRENDING  //  Google Cloud’s learning platform powers teaching and learning  //  Making Learning Accessible for All with Apple

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.

Hardin County Schools is Leading Kentucky’s Transition to Dynamic Digital Learning Experiences for Science Instruction Through New Partnership with Discovery Education

SILVER SPRING, MD (Thursday, February 24, 2022)—Kentucky’s Hardin County Schools (HCS) is taking a leadership role within the state through an innovative new partnership supporting science instruction with dynamic digital resources. In collaboration with Discovery Education—the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place—HCS is integrating a suite of award-winning, flexible digital resources into teaching and learning across the district’s elementary and middle schools. With these resources, district educators are empowered to build real-world learning experiences that connect students to the world around them while preparing them for future success. 

Located in central Kentucky, the Hardin County Schools consists of 13 elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools, and is dedicated to helping all students learn in a safe environment that prepares them for college and career. In support of that goal, the district sought to enhance science instruction by providing teachers and students digital resources offering more personalized learning opportunities, STEM, and career/technical learning resources, as well as the ability to improve literacy all in a one platform accessible from wherever students are.   

Following a careful review of available solutions, HCS selected Discovery Education to support science instruction across the district’s elementary and middle schools. Among the resources now available to HCS students are:  …Read More

Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration Refines Mission to Focus on Narrowing Opportunity Gaps for Young Students and Educators

North Mankato, Minn. (Feb. 23, 2022) — The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC), a nonprofit dedicated to breaking down educational barriers through virtual, interactive learning, today announced an updated mission that focuses on leveling the playing field for young students and educators.

As part of its refocused strategy, the company is launching a host of new programs and virtual field trips for students and educators, along with a new website that makes it easier for visitors to discover all that CILC has to offer.

“The pandemic and the many disparities it highlighted prompted us – like many organizations around the world – to take an inward look at our core values and home in on our ‘whys of service,’” said Glenn Morris, CILC’s executive director. “As a result, we realized it was time to update and refresh our brand and strategic plan to achieve our mission of connecting children and educators with inspiring and engaging virtual learning experiences that narrow opportunity gaps.”…Read More

5 tips to increase parent engagement

Parent-school relationships have always been a vital part of student success, but the importance of establishing and maintaining meaningful parent engagement was emphasized by the pandemic.

When schools moved to remote instruction, communication between parents and educators soared. Teachers and administrators worked with students’ families to try to establish stability and continuity. Priorities such as setting up remote learning structures, developing a distance curriculum, and offering social and emotional support required increased collaboration with home. 

Parents have become used to increased information and communication from schools. …Read More

1 2

New Teacher-Focused Program Launched to Drive Literacy Results for Alaska Students

Portland, Ore., Oakland, Calif., Juneau, Alaska – February 3, 2022 –  NWEA,  CORE® and  Alaska Staff Development Network (ASDN),  in partnership with the  Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), announced today a new learning, collaboration, and coaching program that will empower 100 literacy specialists, instructional coaches, and teachers to enhance their instructional practices, ultimately driving better outcomes for Alaska’s elementary students. The program will utilize federal funds under the Every Student Succeeds Act, Title II and feature CORE’s Online Elementary Reading Academy (OERA), as well as individualized coaching sessions for each participating teacher.

“Better outcomes for Alaska students start with access to teachers utilizing research-grounded, evidence-based instructional practices in the science of reading,” said Jason Mendenhall, President of State Solutions Division at NWEA. “We’re excited to partner with DEED, CORE and ASDN to offer this program to Alaska’s teachers and support their efforts to continuously hone their professional skills in service to their state’s children.”

CORE’s OERA course is a 10-week intensive professional learning experience rooted in the science of reading and focused on accelerating reading achievement. Participants access learning via textbooks, video clips, interactive learning tasks, and webinars and have opportunities to practice skills via weekly online discussion forums, webinars, collaboration activities, self-check exercises, and homework assignments. Instructors will provide support to participants through feedback and dialogue.…Read More

Virtual, Interactive Expeditions for Black History Month Provide Students with a Diverse and Multi-Dimensional Look at African Americans Throughout History

North Mankato, Minn. (January 28, 2022) – The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration, a veteran expert and thought leader in the virtual learning space, today launched a Black History Month package of fresh and engaging virtual and interactive real-world expeditions for students that cover significant historical, cultural and societal events.

CILC’s 10 virtual fieldtrips transcend other well-intentioned, but often one-dimensional and overly simplified narratives of African American historical figures by providing students with a detailed look at the encounters, achievements, and heroism of everyday African Americans throughout history. In addition to the Civil Rights Era, the fieldtrips cover everything from the American Revolution and its relationship to enslaved African Americans to the impacts of sharecropping and homesteading for Black farmers and western communities to the struggle for racial equality in the military during World War II. These “trips” also examine the meaning of race, the history of jazz, and the myths and misconceptions of Africa.

“These interactive, virtual learning programs break down the walls of the classroom and transport students back into history to witness the generations of African Americans who both struggled and triumphed throughout our country’s history, while also bringing to light current situations that many Black individuals still experience today,” said Glenn Morris, CILC’s executive director. …Read More

DCSS Launches First-of-Its-Kind Initiative to Bring Apple Products and Innovation to Students, Teachers and Staff

ALBANY – The Dougherty County School System is launching a new technology initiative for its students, teachers, and staff as part of a collaboration with Apple and educational non-profit Ed Farm. The initiative will allow DCSS to expand and enhance its educational technology ecosystem districtwide.

The initiative will put the district on the leading edge of technology by equipping all DCSS students, teachers and staff with Apple products, services and instructional supports. As part of this, the district will also launch DoCo Codes, a learning initiative designed to prepare students for the careers of tomorrow through the use of advanced technology.

“When it comes to innovation, the Dougherty County School System embraces it, encourages it and rewards it, and so to work alongside Apple, a world leader in technological innovation, is impactful for us and our students in a multitude of ways,” Superintendent Kenneth Dyer said. “It’s more than just technology. This collaboration embeds a full-time Apple Professional Learning Specialist in our community to build capacity among our teachers, instructional coaches and others.”…Read More

Kansas’ Shawnee Mission School District Initiates New Partnership with Discovery Education Supporting Elementary Science Instruction

SILVER SPRING, MD (Wednesday, January 19, 2022)— Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) in Johnson County, Kansas has initiated a new partnership with Discovery Education supporting science education. Through this collaboration, educators in all 34 SMSD elementary schools have now joined their peers nationwide in integrating Discovery Education’s award-winning suite of flexible digital resources into science instruction. Discovery Education’s digital resources connect students to their inner curiosity in new ways, and provide educators innovative opportunities to design and deliver engaging learning experiences every day. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. 

SMSD is the third largest school district in Kansas with more than 27,000 students and 3,400 employees. The district has been consistently ranked among the finest school districts nationwide for its high student performance, and serves a diverse student population from 14 cities within northeast Johnson County, Kansas, which is 10 miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

SMSD seeks to ensure all students construct their own foundation for success in life’s endeavors through relevant, personalized learning experiences orchestrated by talented, compassionate educators. To help students build a strong foundation of knowledge in the sciences, the school system sought a suite of digital resources they could easily integrate into instruction in either the classroom or the remote environment.  Those resources are:…Read More

3 tips for maximizing the impact of professional learning

It’s one thing to attend a professional learning or instructional coaching session—but taking what you’ve learned and putting it into action is another. Most often, it’s the experiences built upon collaboration, reflection, and active change that make the biggest difference.

My time as a classroom educator helped me realize a passion for helping fellow teachers learn and grow. It inspired a mission to transform professional learning into something that’s focused on teacher collaboration, learning and follow-through.

With this in mind, I compiled the following tips for getting the most out of professional learning and coaching sessions.…Read More

1 2

Vivi raises US$20m to further accelerate overseas expansion, sets target for 1m classrooms within five years

Vivi, a leading Australia-based visual learning, collaboration, and administration platform for education, is pleased to announce it has successfully completed a capital raise of US$20m (A$26.5m) with New York-based education investor, Quad Partners.

The investment will help Vivi further accelerate overseas expansion, particularly in the US where its team has expanded from two to 18. The funding will allow the company to introduce a series of teacher efficiency features that will further
cement Vivi as a major component of the technological infrastructure of schools and districts. With its technology in over 40,000 classrooms around the world, the investment will expedite Vivi expanding into one million learning spaces within
five years.

One of the company’s co-founders, US-based Simon Holland, led the oversubscribed raise with investors immediately buying into Vivi’s vision.…Read More

Capstone and Buncee Invite Classrooms to Help Share Holiday Cheer “Holiday Hugs” Program To Bring Messages and Books to Patients at Children’s Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – December 3, 2021 – Capstone, an innovative publisher and education technology provider of children’s content for schools and home, and Buncee, its newly acquired creation and collaboration tool for students and educators, are inviting students to help create kind and supportive Holiday Hugs messages to children in the hospital this holiday season. Capstone has pledged to donate one book for every five Holiday Hugs ecards created which will be gifted to patients at Children’s Minnesota pediatric health system.

Holiday Hugs encourages students and educators to create fun, interactive holiday ecards with thoughtful messages or even silly jokes for children spending their holidays in the hospital. Classrooms add their ecards to the official Holiday Hugs online board, which will be shared with patients at Children’s Minnesota. The more Holiday Hugs created by December 15, 2021, the more books Capstone will donate to Children’s Minnesota, up to 500 books. 

“We hope Holiday Hugs helps make the Holidays shine a little brighter for kids in the hospital and shows them that they have a community who cares and is rallying behind them. Capstone would love to reach our goal of 500 books to donate to Children’s Minnesota, so we hope that sparks students to create more Holiday Hugs,” said Scott Sustacek, Capstone President.…Read More