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.

Evidence-Based Phonemic Awareness Program for Young Learners Unveiled by 95 Percent Group

Lincolnshire, IL– 95 Percent Group LLC, the trusted source for proven literacy solutions, unveiled 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite™, a comprehensive program for developing awareness of speech sounds for students grades K-1. Aligned with the latest research on phonemic awareness and part of the One95™ Literacy Ecosystem™, the new suite includes core and intervention lessons, intervention tools, assessments and teacher professional learning. 

Building phonemic awareness means developing the understanding that spoken words are made up of specific sounds, called phonemes. The focus of phonemic awareness is on those sounds, but recent research reports that good phonemic awareness instruction makes the critical connection to the grapheme—letters or groups of letters—that represents the sound. The 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is a prime example of this research brought to life in the classroom.

“Building a foundation in the ways that written words connect to spoken words begins with phonemic awareness.  Phonemic awareness is essential for developing literacy skills and a strong predictor of reading success,” said Laura Stewart, Chief Academic Officer, 95 Percent Group. “Our new 95 Phonemic Awareness Suite is grounded in the current research on phonemic awareness, providing teachers with an evidence-based, comprehensive program that will help young learners develop a foundation for becoming proficient readers.”…Read More

Behind this week’s launch of TeacherIn

Big news this week from ClassIn, a leader in blended, hybrid, and remote learning solutions, who announced what they describe as a first-of-its-kind platform—bringing curriculum and content discovery, management, editing, and distribution into its planning and instructional platform. Since TeacherIn’s beta went live at the beginning of the year, it has gained over 110,000 users globally, and more than 25,000 courses have been created. 

The platform’s new content discovery marketplace will also manage and distribute licenses and offer copyright protection for publishers by using in-house developed audio-visual encoders to prevent infringement. I had the chance to chat with Ted Mo Chen, Vice President of globalization at ClassIn, before the announcement about the particulars. Click below to listen and scroll down for more details about the service from the company along with a few other takeaways from the conversation:

Highlights from the conversation: …Read More

Students need–and deserve–a globalized curriculum

Key points:

Learning should be lifelong. Our curiosity for the world around us and its people should be unwavering, and yet school curriculums around the globe do not reflect our ever-evolving landscape and impede the transition to developing technology. In my view, education should inspire a passion for things beyond our immediate circle.

We should be aiding our children and future generations in their journey of lifelong learning and equipping them with the skills they can transfer in any job or business they find themselves in. Education shouldn’t be narrow. Children need space to learn and grasp new concepts and ideas; that’s how we get innovation and a more prosperous future. Rolling out a globalized curriculum will achieve just that—and more.…Read More

Expanding ‘through-year’ assessments to boost student achievement

Key points:

The Montana Office of Public Instruction is focusing on using assessments throughout the school year to give teachers the data they need–as early as possible–to positively impact student achievement through personalized learning.

Montana OPI will offer Discovery Education’s DreamBox solutions to the 53 school districts participating in the second year of the state’s Montana Alternative Student Testing (MAST) Pilot program. MAST is an initiative designed to improve learning achievement by implementing “through-year assessments,” a formative approach to assessment that provides teachers with actionable data that can inform instruction throughout the academic school year compared to relying on end-of-year assessment data. With more data insights throughout the year, teachers can quickly identify students’ target areas for growth and acceleration. …Read More

4 ways to create a comedic classroom

Key points:

“In improv there are no mistakes, only beautiful happy accidents. And many of the world’s greatest discoveries have been by accident.” – Tina Fey, Bossypants

The art of improv comedy is to create a scene from nothing but a suggestion. An actor can never say or do anything that will be wrong. There are no bounds to how a scene can develop. People often feel pressured to force something funny, but good improv only requires a genuine reaction.…Read More

Driving Innovation, Discovery Education Reaches New Heights in New Hampshire Classrooms 

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Education and Discovery Education are thrilled to announce that Granite State educators, students and families have reached one million engagements on the Discovery Education digital platform – helping to support learners statewide.  Discovery Education is a worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.     

“This unique digital learning platform is sparking curiosity and igniting wonder for both students and teachers through a suite of educational strategies that are helping students learn now and into the future,” said Frank Edelblut, education commissioner. “This milestone deserves to be celebrated, as we know public school districts across New Hampshire have taken advantage of Discovery Education’s innovative and engaging instructional content.” 

In 2021, the New Hampshire Department of Education selected Discovery Education’s award-winning K-12 learning platform to support all New Hampshire learning environments with high quality instructional material. Since then, there have been more than one million engagements statewide for all Discovery Education resources. …Read More

How immersive technology can empower students (and teachers) to learn

Immersive, experiential technology is transforming how both students and teachers learn. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR and VR) provide deeper engagement, opportunities for collaboration, and hands-on learning that places newly acquired knowledge and skills in context.

For students, immersive technology can make abstract concepts tangible through interactive visuals. But immersive technology is useful for teachers, too, powering professional learning that helps educators translate research and theory to actionable practices through dynamic examples.

When purposefully designed, augmented reality opens equitable pathways to deep student learning.…Read More

E-rate applicants clamor for cybersecurity services

Key points:

  • Cybersecurity remains a major concern among school IT leaders, and many schools would like these services included in the E-rate program
  • Schools and libraries continue to depend on the E-rate funding for internet connections and affordable pricing
  • See related article: Will cybersecurity receive E-rate funding?
  • For more news on the E-rate, visit eSN’s IT Leadership page

An annual E-rate report reveals a strong consensus among respondents for cybersecurity services to be included in the federal program, considering their critical role in safeguarding educational institutions against cyber threats.

The 13th annual E-rate Trends Report from E-rate compliance services firm Funds For Learning is designed to understand how the program can best serve schools and libraries. School and library input is compiled and delivered directly to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to inform program administration.…Read More

Casio and Open Up Resources Launch New Innovative Partnership to Enhance Mathematics Education

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the first step in a new partnership focused on equity in math education, Casio and Open Up Resources (OUR) have joined forces to integrate Casio’s ClassPad.net technology into the Algebra 1 Program of Open Up High School Mathematics, the organizations announced today at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference. This collaboration addresses challenges stemming from limited access to technology resources, aiming to create a more inclusive and enriching learning environment.

Open Up High School Mathematics students and educators now have access to ClassPad.net, an intuitive online tool seamlessly incorporated into OUR’s openly accessible curriculum. This platform empowers teachers and students to delve further into the presented mathematical concepts.

The integration of ClassPad.net within Open Up High School Mathematics represents a significant step forward in the shared mission of both organizations to promote equity and accessibility in education. Casio and OUR have developed an Equitable Integration of Technology Framework, which underscores the importance of empowering students with a deeper understanding of mathematics through the strategic use of technology, with a focus on providing equal access and opportunities for all learners.…Read More