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.

DPS STEAM Launches Innovative Discovery Education Program

DENVER, CO – The Denver Public Schools STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, PE, Health and Media Literacy) Department is excited to announce the launch of a new initiative with Discovery Education which will help educators district wide provide K-12 students with innovative and engaging multilingual learning experiences and resources.

“We are thrilled to bring Discovery Education’s digital resources to our students,” said Nadia Madan Morrow, Chief of Academics of Denver Public Schools. “This initiative will help us enhance and enrich the educational experiences of our K-12 students, while also empowering our teachers with tools and resources to enhance the district’s adopted curriculum.”

Discovery Education, a worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place, offers K-12 educators a range of digital tools and resources that support the design and delivery of exciting educational experiences every day. The program includes science simulations, STEM connection videos and activities, virtual field trips and more!…Read More

From the classroom to the office: What we can learn from educators entering the edtech workforce

Many educators have left the school environment to join edtech companies, seeking new ways to serve students while solving for the shortcomings they felt in the school-based workplace. How has it worked out, and what have we learned?

The experience has shifted the equilibrium in the corporate world, as edtech companies tap into a larger talent pool and it has been eye-opening for former educators as they bring their expertise to the table in new ways. It has also provided valuable insights for school administrators seeking to improve their retention of teachers.

Insights for school administrators…Read More

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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

Leading American Educator And Journalist, Esther Wojcicki, Joins Award-Winning Edtech Startup Pressto Ai

New York, NY — EdTech startup Pressto AI is thrilled to announce that Esther Wojcicki will be joining the leadership team as the Chief Academic Advisor. Wojcicki brings a plethora of experience to the role, ranging from journalist and educator to speaker and author. As Chief Academic Advisor, she will be guiding pedagogy, building a teacher task force, and creating a library of exemplary lessons for students. Having built the best student journalism program in the world, Esther and Pressto are together distributing her exemplary lessons to millions of students.

“Using AI to develop new and useful tools that help teachers improve their students’ education is at the core of empowering a successful next generation, and Pressto is doing just that,” says Esther Wojcicki, Pressto Chief Academic Advisor. “This means adapting to how we approach teaching overall to remain relevant with the times, so students not only learn the skills needed, but also become intrinsically motivated to learn more in all subject areas.”

Wojcicki is widely heralded as the one of the most successful parents, educators and journalists in the United States. She created a high school journalism program that changed the lives of thousands of kids, inspired Silicon Valley legends including Steve Jobs and raised three daughters – YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Fulbright Scholar Janet Wojcicki, and 23&Me Founder Anne Wojcicki – each of whom have become distinctively successful.…Read More

13 edtech developments at TCEA 2023

The 2023 TCEA Convention & Exposition offered the opportunity for educators to connect in person and share insights and innovations around teaching and learning.

Held in in San Antonio this year, TCEA 2023 was “the intersection of passion and possibility, curiosity and discovery, education and technology. And it’s the kind of learning that will change the story of education.”

Conferences gave educators–including administrators, classroom teachers, IT leaders, curriculum directors–to attend sessions targeted to their interests and their individual school or district needs. Content touched on social media in the classroom, IT challenges, innovative edtech tools, and more.…Read More

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4 ways we can use edtech for engaging, high-quality learning experiences

Hate it or love – technology in education is here to stay. Parents can feel it, and the numbers back them up. Edtech is booming, with 40 times more venture capital invested in the sector in 2021 than in 2010.

There is no question that edtech has brought new ways to support the learning process and was used extensively by schools to connect remotely to students who could not attend classes in-person during the worst parts of the pandemic. At the same it can also serve as a huge distraction and sometimes to the detriment of student’s growth and development. The data on this is clear. Remote learning during the pandemic led to significant learning loss among students and was a primary driver of the U.S.’ growing achievement gap – meaning that economically disadvantaged students and students of color were hit the hardest.

The conversation has quickly shifted from whether technology should be used in learning to how we can use it to improve learning and ensure that all students have access to high-quality educational experiences. Here are four areas we can start:…Read More

Transeo Names EdTech Industry Leader Cecilia Retelle Zywicki as CEO

DENVER (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Transeo, the leading platform for connecting work-based learning opportunities to K-12 schools, named  Cecilia Retelle Zywicki as CEO. Zywicki was most recently COO of PresenceLearning and SRC, respectively. Prior to that, she co-founded and was the COO at Ranku. Both PresenceLearning and Ranku were acquired for undisclosed amounts. 

Zywicki has more than a decade of experience leading, scaling, and building education companies. As COO of PresenceLearning, she built a scaled organization that leveraged technology to deliver high-quality online therapy solutions for children with diverse needs. Before that, Zywicki co-founded the software company Ranku in 2013, which built two-sided marketplaces for state systems to increase student enrollment. It also included recruitment and predictive analytics software before being acquired by John Wiley & Sons in 2016.

Zywicki has spent her career focused on upskilling the workforce after starting at the Chamber of Commerce and receiving her Juris Doctor from the University of Denver and Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education from the University of Minnesota – where she played ice hockey, twice appearing in the Frozen Four. …Read More

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