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.

Educators, parents remain vigilant about protecting student mental health

Parents still voice overwhelming concerns for student mental health and online safety, according to a GoGuardian survey conducted by Morning Consult.

With the 2022-23 school year underway, parents and educators appear to favor online tools that protect students from harmful content and help detect student mental health concerns, according to the survey. 

The nationally representative group of nearly 2,500 K-12 parents, teachers, and administrators indicated both significant concerns for student mental health and a high level of support for schools using online technologies to help keep kids safe.…Read More

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Linewize Acquires Online Safety Provider Smoothwall, Hires Digital Wellness Expert Teodora Pavkovic

SAN DIEGO, September 10, 2021 – Linewize, a division of FamilyZone (ASX: FZO), a rapidly growing education technology company now serving more than 9 million K-12 students across the globe, today announced:

  • The acquisition of U.K-based software company Smoothwall, one of the world’s largest online student safety providers.
  • A strategic hire with the addition of psychologist Teodora Pavkovic as Lead Cyber Safety & Digital Wellness Expert.

Both moves increase Linewize’s presence and foothold in the K-12 cyber safety space during a critical time, positioning them to deliver a more comprehensive portfolio of online safety and parental control products and further enabling Linewize to deliver on their goal of protecting every child’s digital journey, from the classroom to the home.

Linewize Acquires Smoothwall…Read More

Lightspeed Systems® Launches Lightspeed Alert™ Solution for Threat Detection of Suicide, Bullying, and School Violence

Austin, Texas, April 15, 2021- Lightspeed Systems®, the leading K-12 online safety and effectiveness solutions provider, announces the launch of Lightspeed Alert™, a threat detection solution for self-harm, bullying, and school violence, helping to provide schools and districts with early warning detection to prevent incidents and promote student safety.

Statistics regarding student mental and physical safety are startling. A recent survey found 93% of parents are concerned about their child’s mental health due to extended campus closures and isolation, and another study from the U.S. Secret Service found 75% of school shooters demonstrated concerning online activity before the incident took place. With these concerns, it’s critical for schools and districts to have the type of early warning threat detection that Lightspeed Alert can provide. 

Lightspeed Alert leverages smart AI to actively scan and alert on concerning student behavior anywhere students engage online. Real-time alerts and safety dashboards equip district and school staff with the visibility and tools to respond to threats and manage cases. For an extra layer of protection, Lightspeed Alert provides 24/7/365 human review by highly trained safety specialists who conduct a threat assessment of flagged behavior and escalate imminent threats via a live phone call to school district personnel or law enforcement.  …Read More

Gaggle Reports Over 95% of School Districts Renew Their Partnerships

Many districts across the United States are starting the 2020–21 school year using hybrid or fully remote learning, so students’ online safety remains a top priority. That fact, plus Gaggle’s high success in saving student lives (927 in the 2019–20 school year), has resulted in 95% of districts renewing subscriptions to Gaggle’s student safety solution, up from the previous year. In addition, 286 districts across 42 states have implemented services with Gaggle since March.

“The School District of Osceola County utilizes multiple systems to protect its students in an increasingly complex digital world,” said Superintendent Dr. Debra Pace. “Gaggle is one system that the district relies on to monitor the safety of our students’ Microsoft email and OneDrive, and has proven itself on multiple occasions, especially during possible student situations. During the last year, the district was notified of 14 possible student situations, including issues of violence and suicide. Knowing that Gaggle is monitoring the safety of our students is a great comfort.”

For more than 20 years, Gaggle has helped thousands of districts avoid tragedies and save lives while also protecting against district liability. The company helps ensure student safety in digital spaces by providing real-time monitoring of the use of online tools within Google’s G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, and the Canvas learning management system for more than 4.5 million students across the United States.…Read More

Remote Monitoring Software Free to Districts

In order to help teachers keep students on task throughout the school day, when they are at learning at home, Impero Software is making its Impero Education Pro web-based software free for the remainder of the school year to districts that do not already have remote monitoring software in place. The powerful cross-platform product combines tools for online safety, teacher control, and real time monitoring and session tracking for student devices.

“The most important thing for schools right now is ensuring they have the tools available to support remote learning and we’re working to remove any barriers to that” says Justin Reilly, Impero CEO. “In order to conduct lessons remotely with a group of students who are on their devices at home, teachers need a remote classroom management solution that provides a live view of the student devices, alongside online safety and learner engagement tools to keep them safe and on task. As a former teacher, I am sympathetic to the challenges teachers are facing in this unprecedented time and we are working diligently to support schools. That is why we are offering this tool free for the remaining three months of the school year.”

Impero Education Pro is designed to enhance learning, support IT teams and safeguard students in the digital world. Teachers have access to key tools including live thumbnail view, broadcast screen, block list, live chat, and log viewer to ensure students receive continued access to education.…Read More

GenCyber Teacher Camp at COD

The GenCyber Teacher Camp at COD camp program targets middle and high school teachers who are passionate about providing students with the tools they need to be safe and responsible online. COD faculty from CIT and HSTI guide teachers through hands-on activities using current technologies, introduce the concept of digital citizenship and present online safety information to take back to the classrooms. Teacher applications are available beginning May 22, 2017.

Impero Software’s keyword library addresses online safety concerns

New terms will help schools flag potential instances of bullying, abuse, self-harm or radicalization

It makes the headlines often: A young man or woman in the U.S. ends his or her own life due to bullying or becomes radicalized and attempts to join ISIS or other hate groups. In both instances, adults in these youth’s lives are often left wondering what they could have done to intervene.

In an effort to protect students in this always-on and connected world, Impero Software, a remote monitoring and management software provider, has updated its keyword libraries to include a more comprehensive list of U.S. specific terms related to bullying, self-harm, radicalization and more, in order to alert educators so they can help students before a tragedy occurs. Impero will showcase the updated library in their booth #708 during the 2016 ISTE conference June 26-29, 2016 in Denver.

The updated library, combined with Impero Education Pro software, gives educators an edge on internet safety by helping them monitor and analyze student activity on school devices. The software alerts educators when a student uses words or phrases that match a term in the keyword library.…Read More

4 fresh ideas for teaching digital citizenship sooner

Kids are immersed in technology from a very young age. So why do digital citizenship courses focus on middle school and above?

PLCs-communitiesEd. note: Innovation In Action is a new monthly column from the International Society of Technology in Education focused on exemplary practices in education.

digital-citizenship-youthRecently, I was reflecting on how we as parents and teachers account for all of our children when we are in public areas. Be it on a field trip, vacation, or just a trip to the toy store, we count heads to make sure they’re with us and safe. In a digital learning environment, how can educators ensure that students are being safe while they are online?

Throughout my career, I’ve taught the use of technology to elementary students. While at my former school district, I worked with colleagues to create a comprehensive Internet Safety Unit with a specific focus on digital citizenship. In my current job at Lower Moreland Township School District, I still look for opportunities to reinforce digital citizenship skills within my lessons. A key element of this program was to address an ISTE Standard for teachers to “Promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility.”…Read More

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Feds reach out to kids over online predators

Efforts aim to reach parents, students and impart advice about online safety

online-safetyFederal agents are reaching out to children to get them to use street smarts online in a nationwide push to prevent sexual exploitation cases.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will send agents to school auditoriums and community centers across the country to teach teens and tweens–and their parents–how to be safer online and steer clear of Internet predators amid a rise in cases involving the sexual exploitation of children.

Authorities hope the effort being launched on March 25 will educate the young, savvy internet users and encourage them to turn to law enforcement since it only takes one child stepping forward to unravel a network of predators that could be preying on scores of victims in a so-called sextortion case.…Read More

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How to teach students about their digital footprint

Students must know about their digital footprint and the consequences of online actions

digital-footprintTechnology is an integral part of teaching and learning in today’s classrooms. While educators are aware of privacy concerns surrounding students’ use of the internet and mobile devices, students don’t always have a good grasp of digital citizenship, and don’t necessarily know the consequences of their online actions.

The average young person ages 8-18 consumes 7.5 hours of media per day outside of school.

“Media is a huge part of kids’ lives, and we’re seeing amazing things in what it can do for learning,” said Kelly Mendoza, senior manager of professional development for Common Sense Media. “But there are privacy issues in what kids are sharing and leaving online.”…Read More

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