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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 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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Linewize and Gaggle Announce Strategic Partnership 

Linewize, a growing education technology company, today announced its partnership with Gaggle as a part of its expanding cyber safety offering. Gaggle is the pioneer in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the Gaggle team,” said Linewize VP, North America, Ross Young. “They dominate the ‘hands-on’ student safety market and have saved countless lives. Together, our technologies will work seamlessly to uncover more valuable data for school districts for an iron-clad cyber safety solution.”

The Linewize solution provides school districts with a web filtering system and classroom management tool equipped with red flag safety alerts, teacher/student screen sharing, and cyber safety education for the community. When Linewize flags a student internet search for terms that may signal potentially dangerous or harmful behavior, an alert will be sent to the Gaggle Safety Team, who will include Linewize alerts in their analysis to determine if the school or district needs to be notified.…Read More

Google strives to enlighten with new search tool

Google is hailing the Knowledge Graph as an important step in internet search.

Google is introducing a new tool designed to make its search engine smarter.

The new feature, debuting May 16, draws from a Google-built database of more than 500 million people, places, and commonly requested things to provide a summary of vital information alongside the main search results.…Read More

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Google mulls a blend of education, search

Google is thinking about ways to inject search into the educational process as more than just a quick and dirty cheat sheet for students, CNET reports. One of the most amazing things about internet search is the speed and precision at which it returns answers to specific questions, ideal for students researching subjects for tests or papers. But this also generates criticism that the knowledge gained from services like Google can be a mile wide and an inch deep. Google’s Peter Norvig, director of research, has begun exploring “education search,” or ways to help students “get to where they are going,” he said. Norvig told attendees at the trade show Search Marketing Expo West that he’s trying to understand “how can we support people who are looking for not just an answer in five minutes,” but over a longer period of learning as well. The project is in the very early stages, and Norvig was unwilling to share much more about the thinking behind Google’s plans. In January, Google CEO Eric Schmidt told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he was worried about the “deep reading” ability of younger people who have grown up with the internet. Instant information gratification provided by PCs and mobile devices “probably has an effect on cognition, probably has an effect on reading,” Schmidt said…

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Google Maps inspire creativity

A new technology from internet search behemoth Google Inc. is making innovators out of some educators, who have begun envisioning practical uses for the company’s new Google Maps feature to make previously unavailable graphic representations of everything from school district bus routes to geography lessons.

Educators aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the technology. Others also have discovered how to tinker with the search engine’s mapping service to graphically illustrate vital information that might otherwise be ignored, overlooked, or not perceived as clearly.

“This is pretty interesting for organizations, such as school districts, that have maps that provide boundary information and such,” wrote Tim Lauer, principal of Meriwether Lewis Elementary School in Portland, Ore., and a frequent contributor to eSchool News Online’s Ed-Tech Insider, a blog for educators and technology advocates. “Imagine a district map that showed bus stops combined with Google content. Families could punch in their home address and easily find the closest stop.” …Read More