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.

A free AR app can bring learning to life

McGraw Hill and Verizon launched a new mobile application to bring augmented reality (AR) learning activities to K-12 students and classrooms across the country: McGraw Hill AR. The free AR app leverages the immersive and interactive features of AR technology to bring academic concepts to life and give students and educators new ways to engage with educational content.

“As we look to combine the value of hands-on learning with the benefits of emerging technologies, we found AR to be a natural area of exploration in the development of our suite of education tools,” said Shawn Smith, chief innovation officer for McGraw Hill’s School group.

“Following the disruptions to classroom learning over the past few years, our AR app will pioneer new ways of engaging students with important concepts and materials. While AR technology may still be an area of uncertain utility today, we see the possibility of boundless impact tomorrow and are excited to take this step in support of the students and teachers we serve.”…Read More

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How 3D printing is changing education

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we must invest in educational technology. When schools use technology to improve the quality and quantity of educational content, learners will thrive. Amid this technology-driven educational environment, 3D printing offers students the following: helping to facilitate differentiated instruction, increasing student engagement, expanding practice opportunities, and scaling up standardized instruction.

No More One-Size-Fits-All Teaching

Differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that tailors instruction to all students’ learning needs. Most students are unlikely to get much from “one-size-fits-all” instruction. Instead, it should vary based on students’ interests, preferences, strengths, and struggles.…Read More

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Discovery Education Celebrates 20th Year of Innovation by Unlocking the Power of Augmented Reality with No Cost iPad App and Exclusive New Original Content

SILVER SPRING, MD (Tuesday, January 25, 2022)— Discovery Education—the innovative edtech company that over 20 years ago revolutionized classroom instruction with the first digital service delivering educational content directly to classrooms—today opens a new chapter in its history with the launch of a cutting-edge iPad app that puts Augmented Reality (AR) at the fingertips of learners and educators worldwide. 

Since its inception, Discovery Education has been an early mover in bringing modern technologies—such as video streaming services and digital textbooks—to the classroom. Now, Discovery Education is introducing a powerful new app putting the power of AR into the hands of educators.  

AR technology has the potential to expand educators’ ability to create immersive, interactive learning experiences that unlock students’ natural curiosity. By superimposing virtual images and data on a user’s view of the real world, AR supports visualization of complex topics, creates digital “hands-on” learning opportunities, and heightens student engagement with digital content, all while improving students’ ability to retain knowledge longer by being a participant in the learning experience. To help educators leverage the power of AR wherever learning takes place, Discovery Education has made the Sandbox AR iPad app available today in the Apple App Store.  …Read More

How school leaders can empower video creation in classrooms

Some of the best educational content develops with creative thinking and a willingness to try new things–and if teachers and students have the right tools, they’re on the right path.

Think about how students today communicate outside of school–so much of it is video-based, and if educators can meet students in that space, they’ll be able to create more engaging and impactful lessons. In the TikTok, Instagram Video and Snapchat era, video has also provided the perfect medium to encourage and empower intuitive content creation in classroom environments.

Learn more during this eSchool News webinar featuring educators and edtech experts who can speak to how video lets teachers gauge student understanding, enables students to access content at their own pace, and more.
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Robotify Partners with Steve Wozniak’s Woz ED to Virtualize the STEM Learning Experience

Global virtual robotics education company Robotify has partnered with Steve Wozniak’s Woz ED to provide over 3,500 schools, coding clubs and school districts across the globe with cost-effective access to the world’s most premium robotics technology.

In a cutting-edge deal, Irish-based Robotify is providing their proprietary software to Woz ED which allows the company to virtualize its physical STEM pathways, providing students with a virtual robotics experience in addition to existing physical experiences. The deal will see both companies collaborate to reach tens of thousands of students around the world to give them equitable access to coding and robotics educational content.

“I’m impressed with the way Robotify makes coding engaging and accessible. By virtualizing the technology, more young people will have the opportunity to learn and explore,” said Steve Wozniak, Apple Co-Founder & Founder of Woz ED. “Both Woz ED and Robotify focus on ensuring young learners are job-ready for the most in-demand tech sector openings. We provide learners with the opportunity to engage in authentic projects to help them understand what work they love and excel at.”…Read More

reDesign Seeks 250 Content Experts to Reimagine the K-12 Educational Content Map this Summer

Educators, academics, and industry experts are invited to apply or nominate others for a paid one-week Design Studio to create inclusive, future-oriented content maps across 25 discipline areas

reDesign, an educational design consultancy, is launching an all-call for K-12 content discipline experts from diverse backgrounds and geographies to join together this summer to re-envision the “canon” of K-12 content.

Content experts will be selected across 25 discipline areas, and will convene for a virtual Design Studio the week of June 27th to reimagine a 21st century K-12 Content Map that defines essential topics and concepts, develops critical consciousness, and fosters deep connections to community.Selectedparticipants will receive an honorarium of up to $2,000 for their contributions. To learn more, and to apply or nominate colleagues, visit: K-12 Content Mapping.…Read More

Udemy’s Upskilling and Educational Content is Now Available on LenovoEDU Community

Udemy, the world’s largest destination for learning and teaching online, today announced that the recently launched LenovoEDU community by Lenovo™ will offer Udemy content and pathways to course recommendations for specific careers. Designed to inspire people to take education into their own hands, LenovoEDU is an online community that offers support and resources for college and career students, parents and guardians of K-12 students, and educators around the globe to optimize learning opportunities with a “self-serve” and “build your own curriculum” mindset.

“2020 brought record challenges to how students and teachers across the world access, consume and share e-learning resources,” says Ajit Sivadasan, Vice President and General Manager of Lenovo.com at Lenovo. “At a time when education has undergone such historic shifts, it is now more important than ever that students can readily access the most in-demand skills to forge a long-lasting and successful career. That’s why we’re collaborating with Udemy to offer smarter online education for all through the LenovoEDU community.”

In a global economy that’s becoming increasingly difficult to navigate, the LenovoEDU community offers learners and educators a one-stop-shop to connect with peers. Members get access to curated educational video and expert blog content offering advice on teaching, learning and professional development to help teachers educate and students prepare for whatever comes next. To streamline access to the necessary skills to thrive in today’s competitive economy, the LenovoEDU community offers its members Udemy’s extensive library of over 155,000 courses taught by more than 70,000 real-world experts by topic and career path.

“Learning is more important than ever, and we want to make it as simple as possible for students and teachers to access, consume, and share educational resources around the globe,” said Llibert Argerich, SVP of Marketing at Udemy. “At the core of our business, we help people do whatever comes next in their professional journeys and improve lives through learning. As such, we’re thrilled to be a part of LenovoEDU to help more people more easily access necessary skills when they need it.”

To learn more about and discover Udemy resources on the new LenovoEDU community, visit: https://education.lenovo.com/

About Udemy
With a mission to improve lives through learning, Udemy is the world’s largest online learning destination that helps students, businesses, and governments gain the skills they need to compete in today’s economy. Thirty-five million students are mastering new skills from 70,000 expert instructors teaching over 155,000 online courses in topics from programming and data science to leadership and team building. For companies, Udemy for Business offers an employee training and development platform with subscription access to 8,000+ courses, learning analytics, as well as the ability to host and distribute their own content. Udemy for Government is designed to upskill workers and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. Eighty percent of Fortune 100 companies trust Udemy for employee upskilling. Udemy is privately held and headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Denver, Brazil, India, Ireland, and Turkey. Udemy investors include Insight Partners, Prosus (Naspers Ventures), Norwest Venture Partners, Stripes, and Benesse Holdings.

LENOVO is a trademark of Lenovo.

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Extron SMP Systems Enable Online Learning

Extron is committed to helping educational institutions of all sizes respond to the recent dramatic shift toward online learning. As part of this commitment, Extron is offering education customers special pricing and grants for its online learning solutions, including the SMP Series. SMP Series high performance recording and streaming products extend the power of live and on-demand video for lessons and training far beyond traditional walls. The SMP Series makes it easy for instructors to quickly and inexpensively record and stream live or ad-hoc content to communicate virtually with students on almost any device in any location.

“Our streaming solutions help connect learners to educational content anytime, anywhere, on any device,” says Casey Hall, Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing. “Whether you’re looking for a simple flash drive recording, or fully-automated recording, publishing, and live streaming, Extron SMP Series products empower anyone, of any skill level, to easily and efficiently record and stream high quality presentations.”

Ideal for use in virtually any presentation environment, SMP solutions capture and distribute AV sources and presentations as live streaming and recorded media. Easily stream live to popular hosting services such as YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitch, Vimeo and Wowza, as well as publish content to common video platforms including Kaltura, Panopto, and Opencast. Popular applications include lecture capture, presentation streaming, corporate training, and meeting and conference recording.…Read More

PebbleGo Health, Offers Special Educator Preview in June

Capstone, innovative publisher of children’s educational content for schools and home, announces the release of PebbleGo™ Health, a curricular content module focused on fundamental health, wellness, safety, and social-emotional learning concepts for K-3 students. PebbleGo Health features 156 age-appropriate articles aligned with state and national curriculum standards supporting health education, as well as a range of topics to build positive social emotional skills in support of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework.

From body systems and safety to self-awareness and relationships, PebbleGo Health helps students learn functional health information and develop foundational health skills. During this launch month, Capstone is offering a special Educator Preview to all educators who want to explore the new resource for free.

The module’s robust content promotes personal, family, and community health, exploring a wide-range of topics, such as: Feelings and Emotions, Health Care Visits, Health Care Workers, Healthy Habits, If You Need Help, Illnesses and Conditions, My World and My Health, Nutrition, Relationships and Friendships, Safety, Self-Awareness, and the Human Body. The module includes three extended learning exercises in each article, including a related activity and critical thinking prompts in “Share What You Know” and “Questions for Understanding.”…Read More

Codemonkey free for closed schools

In light of the COVID-19 closing of schools, CodeMonkey is now offering a unique opportunity for students and teachers. As more and more schools close due to the current situation, you may be looking for trustworthy educational content you can engage your students with. CodeMonkey knows that between helping your students adjust to learning from home to transitioning to hosting online lessons, life right now is anything but easy. That is why CodeMonkey is providing FREE FULL ACCESS to all closed schools. With full access to CodeMonkey, you can assign your students coding challenges and keep track of their progress all from home.

Apply for access at the Codemonkey Website.

If you are teaching your students remotely, you can submit a request to gain FREE FULL ACCESS to CodeMonkey’s content until schools re-open.…Read More