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Oklahoma City Public Schools Announces TutorMe Partnership

OKLAHOMA CITY, Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — TutorMe, the online tutoring solution of the future, and Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) today announced an agreement to provide more than 35,000 K-12 students with free access to TutorMe’s online 24/7 tutoring service for the 2021-2022 school year.

With more than 15,000 tutors available anytime to help with more than 300 subjects, TutorMe provides immediate expertise whenever and wherever students need it. Whether it’s homework help or a study session, students pair up with their private tutor for a personalized 1-on-1 lesson in the advanced lesson space.

“Implementing TutorMe gives our students access to a vetted education professional tutor anytime they need help, in any subject, at their fingertips,” said Neal Kellogg, director of educational technology services. “Students will easily be able to access this resource through our online learning management tool. This resource will be a game changer for OKCPS students, especially when students are working independently or in an asynchronous learning environment. OKCPS is proud to offer this high level of academic support to our students at no cost to our families and we encourage our students and families to take full advantage of what TutorMe has to offer.”…Read More

Prediction: The future of teacher evaluations is video

Over the last two years, educators have been forced into all kinds of unplanned experiments as we’ve searched for ways to keep students safe while continuing to advance their education amid a global pandemic.

At the Metropolitan School District of Decatur Township, we’ve found that one of the pandemic-related changes we’ll be keeping around is the use of video for teacher evaluations. I think it’s a change we’ll see a lot of other districts making in the next year or two as well.

Based on our experience, here’s how I can see it playing out across the country.…Read More

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How coding shapes students’ future success

With unpredictability fast becoming our daily bread, what can be more important than preparing the next generations for future challenges? Every parent wants to secure the best foundation for their children, be it for primary school education, academia, work, or life in general. 

In this sense, research has shown us how coding can be relevant across school subjects and academic disciplines. Now it’s time to talk about the other advantages it brings, including the cognitive effects of coding on children’s brains.

This is how coding shapes the future prospects of children.…Read More

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5 tips to create a successful hybrid learning environment

Over the past year and a half, “hybrid learning” has become quite the buzzword when it comes to education. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting learners across the world, we’ve witnessed the growing need for hybrid learning, an education option that combines the benefits of a traditional in-person classroom and online learning. But the need for this option won’t just be a fleeting trend. The future of hybrid learning is bright, and the benefits are unmatched. I’ve seen it for myself.

As an educator for 10 years, I’ve worked in in-person, online, and hybrid classrooms. I’ve experienced the dos and don’ts of creating learning environments where my students can not only learn but be their best selves. When my colleagues ask me for my secret for success, here are the tips that I share: 

1. Establish a positive hybrid learning culture and a strong learning community. …Read More

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3 ways COVID actually made education better

Each year, we share our 10 most-read stories. Not surprisingly, many of this year’s Top 10 focused on student engagement and online or hybrid learning strategies related to pandemic teaching. This year’s 8th most-read story focuses on the unanticipated benefits COVID had on learning.

As millions more Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19 every day, many are now wondering what society will look like in a post-COVID world. While the virus may stay with us in some form, many things will go back to normal. However, it’s less certain which of the adaptations we’ve collectively made over the previous year will fade along with the virus, and which might represent a “new normal” that we’ll take with us into the future. The American educational system, having seen dramatic impacts to educators, parents, and students as a result of the virus, is no different.

COVID-19 has represented a tremendous hardship for millions of Americans. However, that doesn’t mean that some good won’t come out of it, particularly as it relates to our students’ education. Over the past year, my organization, the Foundation for Teaching Economics (FTE), has reacted, experimented, and adapted to the realities of education in the time of COVID-19, in order to fulfill our mission of providing economics classes and curriculum to high school teachers and students. …Read More

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How educators can make time for self-care

This time of year sees email in boxes filled with information about how to prepare for the next year, reminders that grades are due, and papers await grading. We are deluged with predictions about the future, what to worry about, and sometimes even what to be excited about. Those with calendar year goals are often rushing to complete projects or solidify a final sale. Family and other holiday obligations can often add an extra level of stress as well. One thing often missing is how to make sure you are balanced and ensure you are taking time for self-care.

According to a recent NBC article about the increasing educator shortage, between retirements among an already-aging population and the stress and burnout of the pandemic, the number of potential educators in the pipeline is not nearly enough to match needs.

An October 2021 NPR report showed that 80,000 aspiring nurses were turned away from nursing schools due to a lack of adequate nursing instructors. It is clear that educator burnout can directly lead to shortages in other critical areas such as health care.…Read More

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The biggest takeaways for the post-pandemic future of education

There is no argument that teachers are the most valuable asset in a student’s learning experience. This fact was only further underscored over the past 18 months.

While the increase in easy-to-use technology used in the classroom has been a significant improvement, teachers remain the most important factor in the learning equation and should be recognized as such.

Lessons learned over the course of the pandemic have highlighted ways that schools and districts can best support teachers and students throughout the learning experience.…Read More

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YaizY Lands $2.1M Seed Investment To Transform The Traditional Learning System By Turning Kids’ Passions Into Professions

New York, NY (December 6, 2021)  – EdTech startup YaizY, an online platform with a wide range of curated courses in advanced digital subjects for kids, announced today a $2.1M seed round with total funding nearing $3 million. The live online education platform allows 8-to-17-year-olds to develop and refine future-proof skills in areas such as innovation, leadership, design, and multimedia arts will use the funds to expedite YaizY’s expansion in the US, further grow the customer base in UK and Israel, increase development of the live education platform and support the launch of fun, yet rigorous courses for students to learn from for years to come. 

The investment is coming from LearnStart, Flyer One Ventures, YellowRockets.vc, Angelsdeck, A.Partners, Vesdar Capital, and ALFIN. This is YaizY’s second investment round after the initial $800,000 equity round closed in January 2021. 

Founded by a global team of entrepreneurs, industry experts, and professionally trained, award-winning educators with decades of international experience, YaizY rapidly expanded to the US late last year. As YaizY bridges the gap between today’s traditional educational system and what’s needed to succeed in the job market of tomorrow, the platform has experienced 500% growth in the number of active paying students from May 2020 to May 2021, earning the trust of the 4,000+ families who trust the Yaizy philosophy and are continuing to invest in their child’s future. To date, more than 15,000 students have attended YaizY’s seminars and workshops with year-over-year revenue growth up 450%.…Read More

American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Discovery Education Partner to Unlock Student Success Through Engineering

Silver Spring, Md. (Monday, December 2, 2021) — Discovery Education and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) have launched Engineering Dreams, an educational initiative designed to engage K-12 students nationwide in the biggest challenges of today while helping them unlock future success through engineering. Engineering Dreams offers educators and students a variety of interactive, standards-aligned learning resources to inspire the next generation of creative thinkers, risk takers and ethical problem-solvers.

To help every community celebrate the “E” in STEM, Engineering Dreams offers educators a video topic series, “Problem-Solvers for Good,” that explores engineering-based solutions to local community challenges that have the promise of positive global impact.

“ASME champions equitable access to unique and impactful K-12 STEM education content and experiences that are intentionally designed to reach students chronically underrepresented in STEM,” says ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile, P.E. “This collaboration with Discovery Education is a critical lynchpin in ASME’s overall DEI strategy to foster a more diverse and inclusive pipeline of students eager to pursue engineering. Many of our diverse talented members are storytellers who can fill a critical gap in representation by sharing real-world examples of engineers and engineering that resonate with students.”…Read More

How math learning supports the future of work

Math is everywhere around us, whether we realize it or not. Every time we conduct an internet search, order something online, or automatically get recommendations for products that we are looking for, there is math at play behind the scenes. Search platforms use algebra to rank websites based on relevance, and all e-commerce and OTT platforms employ probability and statistics. But are we failing young minds when it comes to helping them develop a strong math learning foundation?

We need to reconsider how students have been taught math and encourage a strong base of skills, such as coding, data analysis, and problem-solving, which matter in today’s world and will in the future. Inspired by my understanding of the challenges faced by students, I believe children can master math, but also fall in love with it.

Where my love of math began…Read More

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