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.

How to take a student-centered approach to classroom AV

Schools are increasingly moving toward personalized and adaptive learning programs. The idea of tailoring teaching styles, materials, and approaches to individual students promises deeper engagement and better academic outcomes.

Technology plays a leading role in making personalized learning possible. In previous generations, the ratio of one teacher to a few dozen students made an adaptive approach almost impossible, but today’s students can engage with curriculum in new ways. For example, many schools have adopted one-to-one initiatives in which each student receives a tablet or laptop for educational use.

In addition to school-issued devices, many students also carry at least one personal electronic device with them to class each day. Today’s typical student is adept at a wide variety of devices, from smartphones to wearable technology. To keep pace with the students’ technology-rich world outside the classroom, it’s important for schools to use audiovisual (AV) technology that meets—and exceeds—those expectations.…Read More

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6 questions to ask when selecting your district’s AV equipment

Audiovisual (AV) technology is at the center of many classroom initiatives. Whether students are watching videos in a one-to-one classroom setting or English language learners are working on speaking and listening activities, AV lets them connect with media during classroom time.

While innovations are certainly taking place in the world of classroom AV, it’s convenient that some edtech staples are still functional and effective. For example, as long as a classroom’s current headphones are comfortable, durable, and safe, they won’t likely need to be updated.

As you review your AV needs for the 2018-19 school year, keep this checklist of priorities in mind.…Read More

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6 tips for making the most of your iPad and Chromebook carts

They’re used to charge, secure, store, and distribute tablets, laptops, and mobile devices—and in schools that aren’t using one-to-one take-home initiatives, they’ve become a mainstay.

Carts, those waist-high metal cabinets on wheels, often hold dozens of devices, perfect for classrooms that need technology on the go. The elementary English teacher who is using a blended learning approach in her classroom, for example, has come to rely on that cart of fully-charged iPads or Chromebooks that’s rolled into her classroom at 8 a.m., ready for a full day of tech-based instruction.

Unfortunately, a lot can go wrong between the time those devices were last used and the English teacher’s first class. A scheduling argument, a cartload of devices that didn’t charge properly, or a logistical snafu that ends with the cart situated clear across campus, can all wreak havoc on a seemingly solid technology initiative.…Read More

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