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Global Impact Teacher Receives 2021 Kishor M. Kulkarni Distinguished High School Teacher Award

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (Sept. 20, 2021) – Scott Spohler, a science teacher at Global Impact
STEM Academy, received the 2021 Kishor M. Kulkarni Distinguished High School Teacher
Award Friday morning. This award was presented by Dr. Glenn Daehn, president of the ASM
Materials Education Foundation. ASM International is a society of professionals for the
advancement of the materials industry.

The Kishor Kulkarni Distinguished High School Teacher Award was established in 2007 to
recognize the accomplishments of one high school science teacher across the country who has
demonstrated a significant and sustained impact on pre-college age students. Every year since
its inception, with the exception of 2020, one outstanding teacher has been recognized with this
award.

“As a STEM-based school, it is imperative that we provide our students with the most effective
science education and the most impactful educators,” said Jamison Truebenbach, Global
Impact chief academic officer. “Mr. Spohler exemplifies the positive qualities we aim to
recognize in all of the educators at Global Impact, and we’re proud of his great
accomplishment.”…Read More

This virtual science course uses real-life conservation examples to inspire students

According to a survey conducted by Amnesty International in 2019, Generation Z ranks climate change as the most vital issue facing the world today. With a generation that is so empowered, connected, empathetic, and with a drive to make a difference in the world, having real-life examples and tools to teach them about conservation and sustainability is crucial.

When our Florida Virtual School (FLVS) curriculum team and teachers began to develop our brand-new environmental science course, we knew we wanted to partner with the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, which conducts scientific research and hosts educational programs aimed at conserving the marine environment, as well as funds affiliated working researchers and educators to better understand our ocean ecosystem and help foster the next generation of marine conservationists. 

By partnering with the foundation, we can teach students about sustainability and conservation through real-life examples and activities so that they can build a connection with the environment around them. This is important for student success because we want them to engage with the lessons and master the content, while also feeling excited and passionate about the work they are doing.…Read More

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New Schools in Six States and Internationally Give Students Courses from VHS Learning

Boston – Aug. 30, 2021 – VHS Learning, a nonprofit empowering schools with the industry’s best teacher-led online learning programs, today announced that schools in New Jersey, North Carolina, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Rhode Island, and Connecticut, along with Sierra Leone, are now offering their students access to more than 250 core and elective courses online.

The new partner schools include:

  • American International School of Freetown – Freetown, Sierra Leone
  • Barnstable Academy – Oakland, New Jersey
  • Block Island School – Block Island, Rhode Island
  • JEDI Virtual School – Whitewater, Wisconsin
  • St. Patrick Academy – Providence, Rhode Island
  • Southside Christian School – Simpsonville, South Carolina
  • Stonington High School – Pawcatuck, Connecticut
  • Sugar Creek Charter School – Charlotte, North Carolina

VHS Learning has a distinguished 25-year history of supplementing face-to-face education with quality online learning that provides high school students expanded curriculum offerings. Currently, the nonprofit serves students in 66 countries and 46 states, offering hundreds of unique online courses, including 24 AP® offerings, innovative STEM programs, and a wide variety of unique electives.…Read More

How to establish international collaboration with esports

As the high school esports club advisor for the William Penn Cybercats, I have had the opportunity to work with my students on some pretty awesome projects. From building our club infrastructure to coordinating a beyond the games challenge, to organizing our first esports teams in Rocket League and Madden 21, and participating in North American Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) Minecraft builds. But as a 2020-2021 NASEF Fellow, I was encouraged to go beyond my building walls in a way that enhances cultural understanding and international collaboration.

In our tight urban community, I have seen students enjoy cultural experiences that built on their understanding of the world around them, but I have never helped coordinate them. For my NASEF Fellow Capstone project, I and another fellow, Ashley Sheehan from Windsor, United Kingdom, coordinated to have an international Minecraft Build. The task was simple: have a team from each town build a part of their world in this cross Atlantic server, and then discuss those buildings with each other in a live chat.

I banded a small group of students together, and gave them the task. They decided to build the school, William Penn Senior High School, and the park just outside of our main entrance, Penn Park. Both are iconic spaces in the community of York City, Pennsylvania. Ashley’s team of students were going to build their two schools, the Green Room School and the Green Room Sixth Form both in Windsor, UK. …Read More

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Next Gen TV Prototype Shows How Educational Equity Can Be Achieved For All Students

Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has collaborated with Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, and international IT consultancy Fincons Group to create a first-of-its-kind prototype Next Gen TV application that helps bridge the gap in access to learning and helps with the goal of creating educational equity for all. By utilizing ATSC 3.0 technology, students without access to the internet could use such an application to participate in home learning, do homework, take quizzes and access additional learning resources — all through their Next Gen TV screens, thanks to data broadcasting.

The demonstration, taking place during an NAB Amplify session on June 24 at 2 p.m. EDT, will showcase the simplicity of the application and how datacasting works. These include having the class schedule presented in a TV guide-style with easy navigation and a traffic light color-coded system that indicates to students: work that is outstanding, ongoing and completed. When work is complete, a QR code is generated, allowing students to submit their work to their teacher with a mobile device. This innovative feature allows two-way communication between the school and the students, which is crucial for remote education to be effective.

Kathryn Procope, head of school at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, said, “What became incredibly apparent since the start of this pandemic is that so many children are simply not receiving equitable resources for their home learning needs. Educational equity means that every child is provided with an equal opportunity to succeed and have the necessary support to do that. We have seen across the country digital deserts, and while schools can support by providing devices, a device that cannot connect is no help at all. Rather than focusing on what households don’t have, we looked at what the majority of homes do have and how it could be utilized to provide much-needed home education, and that is a television.”…Read More

Accelerate Learning Names Philip Galati as New President and CEO

Accelerate Learning, developer of the award-winning STEMscopes line of PreK-12 STEM curriculum, today announced the appointment of Philip Galati as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Dr. Vernon Johnson who is retiring from the position ­but will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors.

Galati joins Accelerate Learning with a deep background in software and technology, most recently serving as CEO of Energy Services Group (ESG), a provider of back-office, billing and data management SaaS solutions for the energy industry. Under his leadership, ESG grew into an international technology leader serving millions of consumers in North America, Europe and Japan. Prior to that, Galati spent two years as CEO of Trillium Software, and earlier in his career he held numerous leadership positions in software, technology and professional services companies, including Sterling Commerce, Dell, IBM and Ernst & Young.

In his new position Galati will oversee Accelerate Learning’s continued expansion of digital product solutions for PreK-12 students, professional learning opportunities for educators, and the growth of the company’s recently launched STEMscopes Math product line.…Read More

Vernier Software & Technology Partners with Magnitude.io to Engage Students in a Virtual Field Trip to Space

Vernier Software & Technology recently partnered with Magnitude.io to engage students in a virtual field trip to the International Space Station (ISS). During this unique distance learning opportunity, students will participate in the ExoLab-8 plant science experiment in which they will grow and analyze their own legumes simultaneously with legumes grown in space. Vernier is offering a special discount to educators interested in participating in this experiment and purchasing the accompanying student and educator kits.

ExoLab-8 is designed to put students at the forefront of scientific research by having them discover insights alongside Magnitude.io’s team of principal investigators and scientists. This month, Magnitude.io will launch legumes, red clover, into orbit that will grow on the ISS for 30 days. Then students will have the opportunity to participate in post-flight genetic and data analysis. During this time students can grow their red clover simultaneously with the legumes grown in space and observe the differences between their growth and development. As a demonstration project, the goal is to achieve root nodulation on red clover for the first time in the microgravity environment of the ISS within the Space Tango CubeLab, relying on an autonomous system that initiates germination and fixes the plants while in orbit.

“ExoLab-8 provides a truly one-of-a-kind, hands-on learning opportunity that will teach students about important NGSS-aligned topics, as well as crosscutting concepts,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. “Through our partnership with Magnitude.io and the special offer we are providing, we are hoping more educators and students across multiple grade levels and disciplines will be able to participate in this immersive learning experience.”…Read More

KidWind Offers Virtual Workshops on Renewable Energy Education

The KidWind Project, the international leader in clean energy education, has launched an additional round of virtual workshops for this spring. The workshops are topic-specific and designed to help educators teach about renewable energy during distance and hybrid learning. Through the support of the Center for Renewable Energy Advanced Technological Education ( The CREATE Center), KidWind has a number of scholarships available for 6th-12th grade STEM teachers to be able to offer the workshops at a reduced rate.

“Based on the great feedback we received from our virtual workshops in the fall, we added these workshops so more educators can gain the skills needed to teach about renewable energy as they navigate hybrid learning,” said Michael Arquin, founder of KidWind. “The workshops offer educators tools and resources to create hands-on, engaging lessons whether teaching in person or remotely.”

Each topic-specific workshop is six hours long and will have the same format. Workshops will start with background on the topic followed by introducing activities for the classroom to engage students in dynamic, hands-on learning. Educators will also receive a box of materials in advance for use during the workshop and a certificate of completion at the end of the workshop.…Read More

Impero Software Acquires Netop

Impero, a leading provider of online student safety and classroom and network management software, today announced that it has acquired Netop, an international software solutions provider to the education and corporate sectors, from Consolidated Holdings A/S.

The addition of Netop will significantly increase Impero’s scale and presence in the United States and could meaningfully increase Impero’s total and recurring revenue base. The transaction expands Impero’s market reach while diversifying its customer base by providing an entry into the corporate sector, primarily in financial services and retail.

The acquisition will allow Impero to serve customers in both education and corporate markets with a broader suite of offerings, and it will have the potential to both accelerate Impero’s product roadmap and help it realize significant additional revenue by incorporating Netop’s complementary technology into its existing portfolio. The transaction is expected to close within the next four weeks, subject to customary closing conditions.…Read More

CoderZ Takes First Place as the Education Solution with Greatest Growth Potential

CoderZ was selected as an “Education Solutions: Greatest Growth Potential” awardee in the Edventures Global Business Acceleration Fellowship. The international event was an inaugural part of the Cyberport Venture Capital Forum (CVCF), Cyberport’s annual flagship tech investment in Hong Kong. Held in a virtual format for the first time, the two-day CVCF forum recorded a total of 97,000 views on its virtual event platform.

The Edventures Global Business Acceleration Fellowship aims to assist growth-stage edtech companies in capturing market opportunities and expanding their business operations across the global market. Among the event’s judges were Cindy Chow, executive director of Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund; ISTE CEO Richard Culatta; and Peter Yan, the CEO of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited. In the fellowship’s culmination, 10 fellows delivered their final pitches to compete for exclusive tailor-made business matching and consultation services to achieve their global ambitions.

“We’re privileged to receive this very significant honor from this highly-respected global organization,” said Ido Yerushalmi, CEO of CoderZ. “It recognizes the importance of making tech education more inclusive and more mainstream. We’ve committed ourselves to develop a program that promotes equity and inclusiveness and it’s so nice to receive the validation that we are on the right track.”…Read More