How one hero educator gives students workforce skills and experience

The 2023 eSchool News K-12 Hero Awards honors educators for their exemplary use of innovative edtech to support student learning. Profiled and interviewed here is winner Tom Lamont, a painting and design technology instructor at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School nominated by TechEdConcepts Inc. Stay tuned for one more winner profile to come.

Tom Lamont is the painting and design technology instructor at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (BVT), in Upton, Massachusetts.

Mr. Lamont offers his vocational high school students a unique hands-on opportunity to learn about the design industry and to prepare for jobs in the workforce. He integrates today’s high-tech training into a visually engaging curriculum using a variety of techniques and creative tools.…Read More

Teacher helps implement the science of reading ‘one bite at a time’

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Indiana is in the midst of an enormous undertaking to improve literacy rates. The approach: Align state standards, curriculum, and teacher training programs with practices rooted in the science of reading, which emphasizes phonics to help students decode words.

Literacy coach Mika Frame has a memorable mantra for accomplishing big goals. …Read More

Teacher Q&A: Strengthening PD with AI

Key points:

Just like educational technology is continually advancing, so are best practices for supporting teachers in classrooms. Professional development needs to be relevant, engaging, and personalized.

Megan Schlagel, a high school math teacher in St. Vrain Valley Schools in Longmont, Colo., is an award-winning educator who is dedicated to the continuous improvement of her teaching practices. As part of this dedication, Schlagel, as well as a number of her colleagues, are turning to innovative new approaches to support their learning. This includes the use of AI-powered teacher coaching via the AI Coach by Edthena platform.…Read More

Empowering educators through holistic teacher PD

Key points:

I vividly remember 20 years ago when I first entered the education field as an elementary school teacher. My lifelong career dream became a reality as I proudly entered my classroom, ready to nurture and positively impact young minds. 

Also memorable was that it didn’t take long to recognize I was missing key training and resources that could help make me a more effective educator. I approached this realization with optimism, eager to learn and grow, reaching out for the support of my supervisors and peers. I didn’t know it at the time, but these early experiences in the classroom and exposure to professional development would profoundly help shape my career path. I became passionate about helping other teachers feel prepared and finding ways to help them enhance their skills, knowledge and confidence.    …Read More

Teacher burnout persists, but solutions are emerging

Key points:

The American Federation of Teachers teamed up with Educators Thriving for a yearlong study culminating in a new report, “Beyond Burnout,” which details practical, research-based solutions to improve the chronic levels of stress and burnout that are plaguing teachers and support staff in K-12 schools and contributing widespread teacher shortages.

The report highlights the numerous challenges facing educators and proposes a slate of strategies and solutions to address them, including several factors that reliably predict educator well-being: responsive leadership and supportive culture, acceptance, adaptability, personal well-being, and a professional-growth orientation. The report includes a survey tool—generated by educators—that more accurately defines and gauges educator well-being.…Read More

The case for ChatGPT as the ultimate educator’s toolkit

Key points:

Innovations that have transformed education have often been met with skepticism. Just look at Sesame Street, which was once considered a wild, controversial experiment leveraging television for learning. Yet, by 1979, nine million children were watching the show, and kindergarten teachers had to upgrade their curricula because children were showing up knowing their ABCs and numbers and eager to learn more. What is now revered as an extraordinary show, which gently pushed the needle on integration, equity, and diversity, was once a radical experiment that rattled the American educational system.

Forty-four years later, Generative AI tools are causing a frenzy in the educational system and workforce, and in turn, for career educators who are attempting to help students prepare for the future of work.…Read More

Districts brace for fiscal cliff as COVID relief funding nears an end

Key points:

  • COVID relief funding must be spent in the next year, but administrators are grappling with inflation and high costs that have shifted priorities
  • One-third of superintendents believe all students will be impacted equally by the discontinuation of ARP-funded instructional programs
  • See related article: Federal COVID relief funding will dry up soon. Are districts ready?

With one year remaining to spend close to $200 billion in federal COVID relief funds, more than half of school district leaders are shifting their American Rescue Plan (ARP) spending decisions due to higher-than-expected costs and inflation, according to a survey administered by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.

Educator feedback and the need to further direct resources toward the social and emotional needs of students were cited by nearly half of district leaders as the source for realigning spending priorities and decisions.…Read More

The intersection of the science of reading and edtech

Key points:

While this fall marks my 38th year in education, it has been 28 years since I was a classroom teacher. Teaching elementary school was the hardest job I ever had, but there are many parts of the role I miss. This time of year, I especially miss the opportunity to teach young learners to read and write. As any elementary educator will tell you, seeing a child’s eyes light up as they grow into individuals capable of expressing themselves and exploring their own interests through the written word is one of the greatest joys in life.

The fulfillment I find in helping elementary school students develop their literacy skills has driven my interest in the science of reading. As the single most-discussed topic in education at this moment, the science of reading has been a focus of intense interest in state legislatures nationwide. Specifically, as of July 2023, about 30 states have passed legislation or created new policies focused on teaching reading.…Read More

5 edtech tools to save time this year

Key points:

Back-to-school and the first weeks of the new year are definitely busy for teachers as they are diligently preparing lesson plans and getting to know their students–all while building a sense of community in their classrooms. Teachers must meet the challenge of creating engaging instructional resources to support personalized learning, develop lessons to spark student curiosity, and facilitate opportunities for collaboration.

As an educator for more than 26 years, I understand the importance of leveraging technology to “work smarter, not harder” when planning and implementing lessons. As a digital learning specialist, I support instructional technology implementation in my district as well as provide training for teachers on edtech tools. …Read More

The Future of Canvas

Drop the company name Instructure on the average educator and you may get a blank stare in return. Now mention the company’s flagship product Canvas and be ready for a flash of instant recognition. Founded in 2008, Instructure reports having more than 6000 customer organizations with more than 35 million users around the world in both K12 and higher education.

I had the opportunity to attend InStructure Con23 in Denver last month—the company’s first user conference since the pandemic—and met many educators, partner companies, and senior leadership including Chief Product Officer Shiren Vijiasingam, Ryan Lufkin, Vice President of Global Strategy, and CEO Steve Daly. We hit on a number of topics that will affect the way educators and students teach and learn, including post-pandemic behaviors, student security, the pursuit of equitability and education, and the future of hybrid learning. Plus of course, AI, AI and yes, a little more AI. This was the first Innovations podcast recorded in person, but it certainly won’t be the last.

More Highlights from InstructureCon23:…Read More

Finalists Announced for “Educators Pick Best of STEM® 2023” Awards

(Portland, OR) – The Teich Group and Catapult X announce the finalists for the Educators Pick Best of STEM® 2023 Awards, the only awards program judged by STEM educators. The awards program, operated in partnership with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and MCH Strategic Data, and for the first time this year with the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT), spotlights innovative products, technologies, and services that are changing the world of STEM education. 

Educator judges evaluated all product entries and selected the finalists listed below, and hundreds of thousands of STEM educators will select the winners in early August. Winners will be announced on August 18, 2023, just in time for schools and districts to review for the back to school season.

Led by Annie Galvin Teich, President of The Teich Group, this year’s judges included Dr. Linda Johnson-McClinton, Dr. Lance Brand, Dr. Jeffrey Crapper, Dr. Omah M. Williams-Duncan, Kim Collazo, Christina Wilson, Jamica Craig, and Erin Barr.…Read More

4 engaging assessment ideas for middle and high school

Key points:

  • When students have different ways to demonstrate learning, educators can collect more accurate data
  • Middle and high school students benefit from choice, and different assessment options can lead to better engagement
  • See related article: 3 new trends in student assessment

As an educator and leader who grades holistically, it becomes important to consider how to create well rounded assessments that offer students myriad different opportunities to demonstrate their learning.

Providing students with authentic and varied assessment opportunities helps educators gather datapoints on a student holistically. What is equally important is that we provide varied assessment opportunities so students can demonstrate understanding in different ways. This article offers ideas that are outside traditional essay writing and test taking mediums.…Read More