BenQ Announces New Education Smart Board Models That Come Standard With State-of-the-Art Features

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Oct. 5, 2022 — BenQ, an internationally renowned provider of visual display solutions, is empowering K-12 and higher-ed educators and students with its new educational BenQ Board smart displays. Comprising the Premium RP Series, Mainstream RM Series, and Entry-Level RE Series, the interactive displays feature state-of-the-art yet intuitive tools to enhance learning comprehension, engagement, and collaboration for in-person, virtual, and hybrid classrooms. This includes germ-resistant screens with up to 40 touch points, license-free EZ Write interactive whiteboard and annotation software, InstaShare wireless screencasting, speakers, X-Sign Broadcast PA capabilities, and Cloud Classroom Management featuring single sign-on to Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and more.

“There’s no question about the benefits of interactive displays in the classroom, but not every display is created equal,” said Bob Wudeck, senior director of business development at BenQ America Corp. “Educators today need to be able to start their lessons from the classroom display as easily as they would any computer. Likewise, IT staff need to be able to configure and manage them seamlessly alongside other devices. That’s why we’re shaping the future of education with our broad lineup of BenQ Boards, which come standard with all the tools and resources schools need to jump-start their interactive experience at no extra charge. Nothing should stand in the way of learning.”

The 4K 20-point multi-touch BenQ Board Entry-Level RE Series opens the door to affordable smart whiteboard technology, boasting BenQ’s premium yet standard features — ClassroomCare, EyeCare, EZWrite, InstaShare, and more — and is available in 65”, 75”, 86”, and 98” sizes. The Master RM Series adds front-accessible USB Type C ports, a six-microphone array with noise cancellation and speech enhancement, remote with spotlight and digital pointer, germ-resistant stylus, and more. Unleashing the full potential of BenQ smart board technology, the next-generation Premium RP Series builds upon the innovation with an onboard subwoofer, Dolby Digital Plus surround sound for lesson clarity in class and online, an eight-microphone array with noise cancellation and speech enhancement, Tap and Teach NFC tag reader to instantly log into the network or cloud services and access personal settings, Duo Windows to run apps side by side, an air ionizer, and smart sensor technology for motion detection that enables BenQ’s advanced EyeSafe® screen settings to protect eyes and provide the best user experience and for BenQ’s ClassroomCare technology that monitors temperature, humidity, and air quality. The Master RM and Premium RP Series are available in 65”, 75”, and 86” sizes.…Read More

Hero Awards finalists: 18 schools and educators dedicated to learning

The eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards recognize the dedicated efforts of education professionals across K-12 departments, including IT, curriculum, instruction and administration. 

Sponsored this year by JAR Systems and SAP Concur, the program received an influx of inspiring nominations that highlight the innovation and selflessness of educators in schools and districts across the nation.

Listed here in the order in which their nominations were received are program finalists. Stay tuned, because the second group of finalists will be featured on eSchool News next week!…Read More

Problem-based learning helped boost my underserved students’ engagement

As educators, our charge is to impart knowledge onto our students, open new doors for them, and encourage them to stretch beyond their comfort zones. We try to show them every day that they are capable of doing anything that they set their minds to, but how often do we follow our own advice and push our own boundaries to try or learn something new?

As a physical education teacher in an underserved community, finding ways to connect with my classes during the pandemic and a time of remote learning was challenging. With sports being canceled, I was searching for new avenues to engage my students when I came across the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, a program encouraging problem-based learning.

The contest tasks middle and high school students with identifying a solution to a real-world problem using STEM, and I was hesitant to apply as I do not teach a traditional STEM discipline. However, I knew that my students have a passion for making their community a better place for themselves and their families, and I decided to step outside the box and go for it.…Read More

Discovery Education and Social Impact Partners Present Engaging Resources to Support Cybersecurity Awareness Month Observances

Charlotte, NC. Discovery Education and select social impact partners are offering engaging, high-quality digital learning resources to students and teachers to support observances of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Established in 2004 by Congress, Cybersecurity Awareness Month seeks to raise awareness about cybersecurity and online safety. Discovery Education is the worldwide EdTech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.   

Observed annually in October, the 2022 theme – See Yourself in Cyber – puts people at the center of cybersecurity. In support of this theme, Discovery Education is providing educators and students access to curated digital resources that can be used to educate students about the importance of online security in all learning environments. Among the no-cost resources created in collaboration with leading social impact partners are:  

Classroom Activities 
In this 30-minute classroom activity from the STEM Careers Coalition™ – the first-of-its-kind national STEM initiative powered by corporate and non-profit leaders and anchored in schools by Discovery Education – students step into the role of a security employee at a technology company and explore the importance of cybersecurity. The activity also features important STEM skills and a step-by-step guide for implementing activities into your classroom.  …Read More

It’s time to permanently increase education funding–ESSER spending proves it

In the last two years, an unprecedented increase in funding has flooded into schools around the country courtesy of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ESSER) package. While ESSER’s primary intent was to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on schools and students, it may also be illuminating a much bigger truth.

What if the lesson we are supposed to learn from ESSER isn’t about the power of one-time relief or struggles to spend it, but instead about the necessity of an increased, recurring investment in our schools that educate those who have been historically underserved?

The first two rounds of federal ESSER funds are posing challenges for the 6,988 school leaders who must allocate the dollars, a recent report from the Association of School Business Officials finds. The reasons aren’t as simple as one might think. These challenges are directly connected to the chronic underfunding of our schools across the country — especially those in underserved communities — which is an issue with implications far beyond ESSER funding, according to a July 2022 report from the Economic Policy Institute. …Read More

8 ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15–October 15, starts in the middle of the month because that day that marks the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua from Spain. Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain on September 16, and Chile on September 18.

During this month, we recognize the contributions, heritage, culture, and importance of Hispanic and Latinx Americans and how they have shaped our country’s character.

Here are eight opportunities for your school or district to celebrate.…Read More

MIND Research Institute Debuts InsightMath, a Neuroscience-Based Elementary Curriculum

IRVINE, Calif. MIND Research Institute, a neuroscience and education social impact organization dedicated to ensuring that all students are mathematically equipped to solve the world’s most challenging problems, today announced InsightMath, a core elementary curriculum that transforms student learning by teaching math the way the brain learns will launch in Spring 2024.

Building on 25 years of math learning research and proven results with the PreK-8 visual instructional program ST Math, InsightMath was co-designed in collaboration with neuroscientists, researchers, educators, students, and families to give meaning to math for all students. These collaborators helped MIND’s team design a culturally relevant math curriculum that connects with all students.

“For 25 years, ST Math has brought visual models, spatial reasoning, and the perception-action cycle into the learning process,” said Nigel Nisbet, vice president of content creation at MIND Research Institute. “InsightMath expands this time-tested approach into a full-classroom curriculum experience that helps students—and teachers—become math-loving problem-solvers.”…Read More

SkriLab Receives ISTE Seal of Alignment

(Warsaw, Poland) – Skriware, an international edtech company providing schools with equipment and lesson plans that enable practical and hands-on education in the spirit of STEAM, earned the Seal of Alignment from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for its educational laboratory, SkriLab. This seal of alignment, and Skriware’s sales and marketing partnership with New Ascent Education, marks the company’s expansion into the U.S. education market.

“We are thrilled that Skriware’s entry into the U.S. education market has been preceded by the official ISTE Seal of Alignment. Our solution is well adapted not only to ISTE standards, it has also received the Education Alliance Finland certification,” said Karol Górnowicz, CEO of Skriware. “In Poland, SkriLab is already used by more than 2,500 primary schools (grades 1-8 in U.S. schools). We receive very positive feedback from teachers and school principals, and the reports from the lessons conducted on Skriware equipment provided by the institutions clearly indicate students are more engaged. We hope we will be granted the same opportunity to help teachers raise students’ engagement in STEAM across North America.”

ISTE Seal of Alignment reviews are conducted by a panel of education and instructional experts. By earning a Seal of Alignment, ISTE verifies that SkriLab promotes critical technology skills, supports the use of technology in appropriate ways, contributes to the pedagogically robust use of technology for teaching and learning, and aligns to the ISTE Standards in specific ways as described in the review finding report.…Read More

K-12 staffing shortages threaten reading instruction–AI can help

The challenges facing K-12 leaders as they start the new school year are enormous. For instance, the latest test results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that fourth graders’ average reading skills have dropped by five points on a 500-point scale since the start of the pandemic—the biggest decline in more than 30 years.

This isn’t surprising news, as educators know their students are behind where they should be in terms of basic literacy skills. These skills underpin all other skills that students learn in school; if children can’t read well, then their entire education is at risk.

Making up this lost ground while continuing to ensure that students learn grade-level skills is hard enough. But many school systems will be doing this while also facing unprecedented staffing shortages.…Read More