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.

Welcome to the “largest on-air classroom” in Louisiana

Learning doesn’t just happen inside the classroom, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) is working to ensure family engagement plays a vital role in students’ education.

LPB is Louisiana’s largest classroom over the air, on every device, in schools, and in the community. LPB’s Educational Services Department is committed to providing extensive information, lesson plans, materials, and digital resources to support formal K-12 education statewide.

LPB’s top priority focuses on family engagement in order to extend learning and help build critical skills in students.…Read More

Study: Better TV might improve kids’ behavior

Low-income boys appeared to get the most short-term benefit, researchers said.

Teaching parents to switch channels from violent shows to educational TV can improve preschoolers’ behavior, even without getting them to watch less, a study found.

The results were modest and faded over time, but they might hold promise for finding ways to help young children avoid aggressive, violent behavior, the study’s authors and other doctors said.…Read More

Do TV programs have educational value for young children?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has discouraged media use in young children since 1999, says the Learning Curve. The initial recommendation was based on limited data, but we believed that there were more potential negatives of media than positives in this age group. Since then, the policy has taken flak from parents, industry and even some pediatricians. Many ask what the harm is in a baby being entertained by a video so a parent can make dinner or take a shower. But the concerns raised are even more relevant today. Screens are everywhere and 90 percent of kids two-years and younger spend an average of an hour a day watching TV or videos. So we decided to take a fresh look at the scientific evidence and see if our concerns were still valid…

Click here for the full story

…Read More