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The Steam Foundation Teams Up with MakerBot to Expand Access to 3D Printing for Students

January 14, 2022 — The Steam Foundation and MakerBot have teamed up to bring 3D printing to more students across the U.S. Founded by Aadhav Prabu and Akshar Raikanti, The Steam Foundation is a California-based nonprofit with a mission to make STEAM education equally accessible to all students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The organization, which is also run by a team of students, offers free workshops that teach 3D printing, robotics, graphic design, and coding to students as well as programs to help bring 3D printing into schools.

Prabu and Raikanti are currently juniors at Dougherty Valley High School in San Ramon, Calif., and have been teaching 3D printing for years. They were inspired to start the organization after seeing how engaged students were in their 3D printing club in middle school.

“When Akshar and I ran the 3D printing club, we saw how excited students were for the chance to use the Replicator+. For some of them, it was the first time they had ever seen a 3D printer. We started The Steam Foundation to give more students the chance to learn about 3D printing,” said Prabu. “We’re fortunate to work with MakerBot, a company which has the same commitment toward 3D printing in education as we do.” MakerBot donated 3D printing equipment and materials to support the Foundation’s mission and programs.…Read More

Extron NAV & Streaming Systems Serve the Chef for St. Helena High’s Culinary Program

Anaheim, California (December 22, 2021) – St. Helena High School is a top-ranked institute of learning in California’s Napa Valley wine region. The county is filled with luxury hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants, such as The French Laundry. Because of this wealth of fine dining and high-end accommodations, the high school’s culinary classroom received a new AV system that enhances instruction on-site as well as for students attending from home. The school administrators brought in E.R.I.C. Low Voltage Services to design and program and Consolidated Networks Corporation to integrate a NAV Pro AV over IP system, along with the SMP 111 streaming media processor and other products from Extron. “Integration of Extron’s NAV Pro AV over IP system and the SMP 111 streaming processor lets the students at home be on the same page as those in the classroom,” says Brian Baesler, Program Manager at Consolidated Networks Corporation. “This makes the AV system just what the chef ordered.” St. Helena High’s culinary classroom includes six full commercial kitchens, and the instructor is Chef Karl Turner III. Originally, the students gathered around the outside of one kitchen to watch the professional chef prepare and plate the gourmet dishes. Now, a NAV Pro AVoIP system ties three broadcast-quality 4K HDMI PTZ cameras to the existing 55” displays, as well as provides content to the streaming system. An Extron NAV E 101 encoder mounted with each camera shares video from the chef’s grill/range station and the two food preparation stations. A fourth camera and encoder are being installed for a heads-on view of the chef at work. The chef’s PC and a TLP Pro 1225TG 12″ Tabletop TouchLink Pro Touchpanel are installed on a shelf beneath one of the prep tables, protecting them from heat and splashes. The PC is connected to an Extron NAV E 201 D wallplate HDMI encoder. To support the PC’s USB signals, an Extron MediaPort 200 HDMI and Audio to USB Scaling Bridge converts USB to HDMI. The bridge enhances the computer-sourced content for the students attending class from home.  The SMP 111 streaming media processor captures and distributes the camera feeds and other resources for selectable live streaming. Five Extron transmitters stream AV signals over the 1 Gbps Ethernet network. An Extron NetPA U 1004 power amplifier with Dante and DSP 100 watts per channel drives the 70 V distributed audio system. From concept to commissioning, the entire project was completed in two weeks. CNC credits this in part to Extron’s well-designed products and the support engineers. The administration is quite pleased with the success of the AV system upgrade in the culinary classroom, and Chef Turner III is happy with how easy it is to use. To read the full St. Helena High School Culinary Classroom case study, click here. Extron – The AV Technology Leader Every day, millions of people around the world are having their experiences enhanced by Extron audiovisual signal processing, distribution, and control solutions. We design advanced technologies to create better looking images, higher quality sound, systems that are easier to control and work more reliably. Our powerful asset management tools are helping technology professionals efficiently manage large numbers of audiovisual systems deployed throughout their enterprises and institutions. Extron AV technology solutions serve the diverse needs of organizations around the world and are deployed in a wide variety of corporate, educational, government, healthcare, retail, and entertainment applications. To learn more about Extron, click here. Extron®, NAV®, MediaPort®, and TouchLink® are registered trademarks of Extron. Dante® is a registered trademark of Audinate Pty Ltd.

YaizY Lands $2.1M Seed Investment To Transform The Traditional Learning System By Turning Kids’ Passions Into Professions

New York, NY (December 6, 2021)  – EdTech startup YaizY, an online platform with a wide range of curated courses in advanced digital subjects for kids, announced today a $2.1M seed round with total funding nearing $3 million. The live online education platform allows 8-to-17-year-olds to develop and refine future-proof skills in areas such as innovation, leadership, design, and multimedia arts will use the funds to expedite YaizY’s expansion in the US, further grow the customer base in UK and Israel, increase development of the live education platform and support the launch of fun, yet rigorous courses for students to learn from for years to come. 

The investment is coming from LearnStart, Flyer One Ventures, YellowRockets.vc, Angelsdeck, A.Partners, Vesdar Capital, and ALFIN. This is YaizY’s second investment round after the initial $800,000 equity round closed in January 2021. 

Founded by a global team of entrepreneurs, industry experts, and professionally trained, award-winning educators with decades of international experience, YaizY rapidly expanded to the US late last year. As YaizY bridges the gap between today’s traditional educational system and what’s needed to succeed in the job market of tomorrow, the platform has experienced 500% growth in the number of active paying students from May 2020 to May 2021, earning the trust of the 4,000+ families who trust the Yaizy philosophy and are continuing to invest in their child’s future. To date, more than 15,000 students have attended YaizY’s seminars and workshops with year-over-year revenue growth up 450%.…Read More

Empowering students with UX classroom design

It’s the last day of summer break. You walk the halls, ducking your head into classrooms as you go. Each room looks ready for the year: inspiring quotes on walls, names on desks, chairs perfectly arranged. Every room except one, that is.

This particular room has boxes of books, containers of art supplies, and furniture pushed against the wall. You smile and move on, never doubting that this room will be one of the most creative, functional, and beloved rooms in just a few short days. It always is. 
 
How will it get there? The students will make it happen.

Why get students involved? …Read More

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Q Academy Ventures into Online Learning for Kids

British Columbia-based Q Academy, a pioneer in tech-focused education, taps into online learning with the soft-launching of Q Academy Kids (QA Kids), a coding and design platform for young people.

With the increased internet adoption and the rising demand for real-time accessible training globally, Q Academy makes this timely shift from purely on-campus delivery to the addition of virtual delivery methods through QA Kids.

“Q Academy is known for delivering short-term training for individuals and corporate learners with a focus on upgrading their skills. It has been offering in-person summer tech camps, after-school and professional development courses for kids in Vancouver and Victoria, BC, and now with Q Academy Kids, we are able to extend our reach across the nation,” says Q Academy Campus Manager Rachael McPherson. …Read More

5 fun tools for student collaboration

During the pandemic, side-by-side student collaboration took a back seat to online learning and distanced in-person or hybrid learning.

But student collaboration is a cornerstone of 21st-century skill-building, teaching students how to listen to others, build off of ideas that aren’t their own, compromise, and work as a team.

If you’re looking for a new student collaboration tool for your school team to try, or to try in your own classroom, take a look at the tools below.…Read More

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Teaching coding and design can lead to tech literacy

Technology is ubiquitous in the lives of today’s students. As technology users, students access technology for entertainment, communication, and learning. Tech literacy, which has become as essential as reading, writing, and arithmetic in preparing students for the future, encourages students to move beyond the role of technology consumers to becoming technology creators.

Encouraging technology creators means engaging students in project-based technology courses that introduce them to coding, design, gaming, and animation. And as students complete projects such as developing an app, creating a 3D video game, or designing a collection, they gain relevant, hands-on experience using industry-standard tools professionals use. Students apply creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills–competencies that are important in preparing students for the future and are applicable to any career, whether it’s in technology or not.

While states are adding computer science as a requirement for high school graduation, fewer than half of K–12 public schools are able to offer technology courses. For Wautoma High School in rural Wautoma, Wisconsin, adding technology courses to the high school offering afforded equity of access to an online solution that would otherwise be prohibitive to a smaller district.…Read More

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3 ways assessment data advances student equity

As educators, we all know the importance of data in decision-making. We understand how limited, skewed, or biased data–or no data at all–can result in faulty decision-making and regressive actions, be it in our teaching and learning, curricular design, assessments, or administrative responsibilities.

We know that robust data and effective dissemination of the same are needed for nuanced and meaningful use. Additionally, data-informed decision-making must be inclusive in its approach by engaging all potential stakeholders so that it can lead to transformative action and change. Afterall, data in the right hands at the right time has the power to change destinies.

Students also need robust data to make informed decisions that can have a positive impact on their educational journey and their long-term success. We train our students to engage in research, build evidence-based arguments, and practice scientific thinking, but as educators, we often limit it to the discipline-specific content we cover. We absolve ourselves of the responsibility to teach students how to learn–using data–especially as they age.…Read More

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IXL Awarded Research-Based Design Product Certification from Digital Promise

SAN MATEO, Calif., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ —  IXL, the personalized learning platform used by more than 12 million students, announced that it has earned the  Research-Based Design product certification from Digital Promise, an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to spur innovation in education.

IXL submitted its whitepaper, ” IXL Design Principles: Core Features Grounded in Learning Science Research,” as evidence that links IXL’s product design to established research on how students learn. After a comprehensive assessment, Digital Promise awarded IXL the certification, confirming for administrators, educators, and families that IXL creates effective learning opportunities that help all students grow.

“Schools and families should feel confident that their educational resources are grounded in proven best practices,” said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. “The Research-Based Design certification from Digital Promise highlights IXL’s uncompromising commitment to developing world-class, evidence-based products that make a positive impact on all learners.”…Read More

The Social Institute Expands Team To Meet Increased Demand For Modern Day SEL

Durham, NC – As schools wind down a year like no other, The Social Institute is increasing staff, updating curriculums, and partnering with additional schools in order to empower even more students to navigate social-emotional health, social media, and technology positively for the 2021-22 school year. 

Amanda Sports joins the team as Associate Producer, and will bring graphic design, video production, and project management experience. She will work alongside Micah Adams, head of content, to help scale production of lessons and resources to support educators nationwide.  

The Social Institute has also hired Andrea Jenkins and Brianna Ingram as Account Executives to cultivate new partnerships with schools across the country. They join Stephanie Lane in that department, who came on board in 2020. …Read More

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