Imagine how powerful it would be if all of the various systems and applications used by K-12 school systems could easily “talk” to each other and share information, with data flowing seamlessly from one application to another. Schools could realize huge operational efficiencies. More importantly, teachers and administrators would have clearer insight into each student’s needs. This white paper explains why this level of interoperability is important and what it will take for K-12 school districts to reach this goal.
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.
Building a reliable WiFi network to support K-12 digital learning
Fortunately, new WiFi technologies have emerged that can improve the throughput speeds for each network user. The amount of E-rate funding available for WiFi services over a five-year period has also just increased. These developments make it a great time to upgrade K-12 WiFi networks, especially if you haven’t done so in a while. This guide explains how to leverage recent E-rate changes to upgrade your wireless technology, how to plan effectively for your WiFi needs and why you should consider managed WiFi as an alternative to buying wireless equipment.
7 cybersecurity facts every K-12 district should know
Cyber attacks might not be completely avoidable, but there are steps that K-12 leaders can take to reduce the odds of a successful attack. The first step is to understand the nature of the threats they face and where they’re most vulnerable. To enhance this understanding, here are seven cybersecurity facts that every K-12 leader should know — along with recommendations to help districts keep their networks and data secure.
Leveraging E-rate to transform learning
This guide offers a roadmap to help K-12 leaders successfully leverage federal E-rate discounts to expand digital learning opportunities for their students. It provides an overview of the program, insights on the application process and strategies to help districts secure the discounts they’re entitled to.
Reinventing K-12 education for the post-pandemic era
The global pandemic has accelerated investment in edtech tools and competencies. Now, as K-12 leaders plan for the future, they have a key opportunity to leverage their investment in technology and build on these new skills to transform teaching and learning for a new era. For this special report, we assembled a panel of stakeholders to reflect on their experiences over the last year and a half and share their thoughts about what the future holds for schools—and what it will take to move digital learning forward.
Why closing the digital divide helps students far beyond the classroom
The COVID-19 pandemic sounded the alarm on an already-stubborn problem: the students who fall behind due to the digital divide and the homework gap
An emerging threat to educational transformations
Digital learning is now the norm, rather than the exception. Not surprisingly, school districts anticipate a significant expansion in online and digital resources to support learning. From the use of adaptive game technologies to develop greater proficiency to the use of cloud-based tools to support collaborative learning, the horizon looks promising. Download the Speak Up research findings from students, teachers, and administrators and gain fresh insights regarding development of digital learning visions.
6 tips to help teachers pull off collaborative learning
The gifted group. The slow group. The behavioral issues group. Grouping in schools fell out of favor partially because educators—and parents—felt like kids were getting labeled and that groupings didn’t help students improve. While not calling for a return to those rigid structures, in their edWebinar “Flexible Grouping and Collaborative Learning: Making It Work,” Dina Brulles, Ph.D., and Karen L. Brown, M.Ed., both education consultants, advocated for using groups to assist student learning. They discussed how adjusting student combinations, adapting teaching methods, and preparing students for group learning can lead to successful outcomes.
1. Base groupings on information: Use pre-tests, formatives assessments, learning styles, and even student interest surveys to divvy up the students. Align the educational needs and passions of students to make sure that students within the groups have a shared goal.
2. Keep groupings flexible: Students should not be in permanent groups with the same set of students for even a semester, much less the school year. Teachers should create groups for a specific learning goal or project and then reassess for the next lesson. This helps students avoid labels and learn to work with all of their peers.…Read More
School district invents custom charging solution for all schools
As Denton Independent School District (ISD) prepares for future ready classrooms with technology and builds new schools, the Texas district is partnering with LocknCharge to create a new mobile device charging cabinet – the Carrier 15 Charging Station™.
“There were no solutions designed to fit the unique needs of Denton ISD,” said Judy Bush technology manager. “LocknCharge stepped in and constructed a new charging station to fit the vision of the curriculum and technology team to incorporate Chromebooks into classrooms.”
This customized solution will store, charge and deploy up to 20,000 devices in the school district.…Read More
ClassFlow launches new teacher-parent communication app
ClassFlow Moments, a new free app for teacher-parent communication, is the latest addition to Promethean’s collaborative learning software ClassFlow. With the ClassFlow Moments app, teachers can easily share classroom assignments, announcements, and awards with parents so they can proactively engage with their students’ learning. ClassFlow Moments is free for parents.
“Most parents can identify with asking their children about school and receiving a one-word answer,” said Vincent Young, the Chief Marketing Officer at Promethean. “ClassFlow Moments offers a new way for teachers to connect parents to their students’ classroom activities. As teachers assign homework or reward students with award badges in ClassFlow, they can easily alert parents at the same time. The parent-student conversation after school then shifts to ‘Tell me how you earned a badge for excellent class participation today,’ or ‘What ideas interest you for your science project?’ With the ClassFlow Moments app, students receive additional support from their family to reinforce their education.”
According to a report from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL), “Programs and interventions that engage families in supporting their children’s learning at home are linked to higher student achievement.” Using the ClassFlow Moments app, teachers can bring parents and guardians into the learning process by sharing classroom content directly from ClassFlow – the hub where they direct classroom activities, deliver lessons, launch quizzes and interactive polls, and send out homework assignments.…Read More