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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.

New Online Platform from Vernier Boosts High School Students’ STEM Learning with Fun, Interactive Investigations and Projects

BEAVERTON, Oregon, March 31, 2022 — Leveraging standards-based instructional content and its award-winning technology, Vernier Software & Technology is announcing Vernier Connections, an innovative web-based platform to engage high school students in hands-on STEM learning and exploration. Vernier Connections emphasizes fun and interactive investigations and projects, and it gives educators the ability to assess student comprehension across all science disciplines.

“Academic recovery post pandemic is a national imperative and supporting educators with this gargantuan task is a must. Vernier Connections provides comprehensive, critical support to science educators to help students catch up in their learning,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. “It also promotes STEM literacy, that is, the ability to think critically and work with others to find innovative solutions to complex challenges. To that end, Vernier Connections gives students the ability to study the real world in their own context, collect and analyze data as they investigate natural phenomena, and take part in experiential and three-dimensional STEM learning.“

This new platform draws on the decades of STEM expertise that Vernier Software & Technology has, bringing together relevant hands-on technology and high-quality resources to save educators time and deliver instruction in a fun and modern way. It includes robust content, resources, assessments, and management tools.…Read More

Vernier Software & Technology Names the Winners of Its 40th Anniversary Educator Grants

BEAVERTON, Oregon, December 13, 2021 — Vernier Software & Technology has named the 40 recipients of its 40th anniversary educator grants. The grantees—who represent a range of grade levels and geographic regions—will each receive $1,000 in Vernier technology of their choosing, a one-year subscription to Vernier Graphical Analysis Pro, and three hours of virtual professional development to further support their teaching.

“With more than 800 total submissions, we were truly blown away by the response we received from educators,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. “For 40 years, Vernier Software & Technology has supported hands-on science exploration, and we are excited to now support these 40 educators—from five elementary schools, eight middle schools, 23 high schools, and four colleges—as they use data-collection technology with their students.”

All the grantees were chosen by a volunteer Grantee Selection Committee, which consisted of current science and STEM educators, consultants, and members of the Vernier tech support team who are former educators. The committee selected the grantees based on various factors, including plans for implementing the Vernier technology and current needs of their school.  …Read More

Oregon Department of Education Expands Availability of YouScience Discovery, Bringing Aptitude-Based Career Guidance to 180 Schools Across the State

AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Nov. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — YouScience, the only provider of a fully-integrated platform that delivers highly accurate aptitude-based assessments, personalized career guidance, and industry-recognized certifications, announced today that the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) has expanded its pilot of YouScience Discovery, its chosen aptitude-based career guidance tool, free of charge, to 180 middle and high schools across Oregon.

YouScience Discovery was originally piloted to 25 Oregon middle schools earlier this year. Upon successful testimonies from teachers and district leaders, and with their current pathway programs filling up to capacity, the ODE decided to expand the pilot. With the expansion, now more students can be empowered by discovering their natural abilities, be directed into education and career areas that align with their aptitudes, and be exposed to in-demand jobs. 

Through YouScience, students are often introduced to careers they may not have been familiar with – helping to eliminate any natural biases and opening doors to previously unconsidered opportunities. Additionally, schools and districts are able to ensure that educational programs offered in schools match in-demand jobs in their areas.

“We’re dedicated to helping students uncover their natural abilities. This not only boosts their self-confidence, but also helps them reach their full potential in both their education and future careers. We’re proud to be working with the ODE to bring YouScience Discovery to more Oregon students across the state,” said Edson Barton, founder and CEO, YouScience.

YouScience Discovery is built on learnings from 50-plus years of scientific research, and delivers the most accurate aptitude assessment and career guidance solution on the market. While most career tests on the market only provide insights on an individual’s interests or personalities, YouScience Discovery delves into a person’s true abilities, enabling more personal, accurate and actionable career guidance. 

“We were seeing great success with our students in using YouScience Discovery (combining aptitude and interest) in determining their educational and career pathways,” said Jim Taylor, Career Education and Human Resources Education Specialist, Office of Teaching, Learning & Assessment, Oregon Department of Education. “YouScience also helped us identify gaps in our curriculum. Now we are able to see the population of students who have aptitudes in certain areas and ensure we have the educational programs that match these aptitudes for them to succeed.” 

“With YouScience we’re able to get students – as early as middle school – on the right educational pathway that match their natural talents so they can have a successful career in the future,” said Karla Clark, CC4A/STEAM Project Manager, Southern Oregon Education Service District. “YouScience is helping to close the career gap and increase access and equity for our students. Everyone who has tried has loved it.” 

About YouScience
YouScience is the only provider of a fully-integrated platform that delivers highly accurate aptitude-based assessments, personalized career guidance, and industry-recognized certifications, empowering individuals in their educational and career pathways. Leveraging proven research and industry input, YouScience helps individuals identify their natural talents, validate their skills and knowledge, and get matched with real-world educational and career pathways in high-demand occupations. YouScience is the preferred choice of individuals, parents, educators, and counselors to guide and support educational and career pathways, currently serving more than 7,000 educational institutions and nearly one million users.

Beaverton School District in Oregon Selects ParentSquare for its School-to-Home Engagement Platform

Santa Barbara, CA — June 23, 2021— Research on the effects of parental involvement has shown a consistent, positive relationship between parents’ commitment to their children’s education and student outcomes and—thanks to its adoption of a new technology platform—Oregon’s Beaverton School District will be making it easier than ever for parents and guardians to stay engaged in their child’s education. ParentSquare, the award-winning unified school-to-home communications platform for K-12 education, will now be available for the district’s staff and the families of its 41,000 students to use for the 2021-22 school year.

ParentSquare is the only fully unified technology platform that engages every family with school communications and communications-based services—all the way from the district office to the classroom teacher, and all in one place. With ParentSquare’s intuitive, two-way communications platform, Beaverton district and school officials can now involve all families and help overcome language or socioeconomic barriers, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and security.

ParentSquare offers translation to more than 100 languages, and app, email, text, voice, and web portal access for equitable communication district wide. It also features extensive integrations with student information and other critical administrative systems, and single sign-on capabilities.…Read More

Vernier Software & Technology Enhances Physics App and Publishes New E-book to Engage Students in Video Analysis

Vernier Video Analysis® app and new e-book help students learn important physics concepts in both in-person and remote learning environments

BEAVERTON, Oregon, June 8, 2021 — Vernier Software & Technology has enhanced its Vernier Video Analysis app with new features and now offers the accompanying Vernier Video Analysis: Motion and Sports e-book for high school and college-level introductory physics. Students can now learn key physics concepts and engage in video analysis in both in-person and remote learning environments.

Available as a 30-day free trial and for a site-license subscription, Vernier Video Analysis enables students to use their Chromebook™ or another mobile device to insert a video with recorded motion and mark points to track the object in motion. The app generates accurate and visually rich graphs that reflect the recorded motion for students to analyze.…Read More

In an Extremely Challenging Year, Innovative STEM Educators Shine to Win 2021 Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards

Each winning high school and college-level educator awarded cash and technology prizes valued at $5,500 for their creative use of data-collection technology

BEAVERTON, Oregon, May 18, 2021 — In what has been an extremely challenging year for educators nationwide, many educators have worked hard to engage students in hands-on science activities under unusual circumstances. Four of these educators are being honored with the 2021 Vernier/NSTA Technology Awards from Vernier Software & Technology and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). Chosen by a panel of NSTA-appointed experts, this year’s winning educators—three high school teachers and one college professor—demonstrated how they innovatively use data-collection technology to engage students in science and STEM learning.

“All of this year’s winning educators have done a terrific job at increasing students’ interest and awareness of STEM through real-world applications,” said John Wheeler, CEO of Vernier Software & Technology. “We applaud their innovation and look forward to supporting their ongoing work as they engage students in new and innovative ways through data collection and hands-on learning.”…Read More

Gale Helps North Bend School District Bring Mental Health and Wellness Resources to Students

District Invests in Digital Social and Emotional Learning Resources to Support Youth Mental Health and Wellness

With additional pressure being placed on students due to the pandemic and other stressors, Gale, a Cengage company, is helping the North Bend School District 13 (NBSD) support mental health and wellness. Located in North Bend, Oregon, the district is using Cameron’s Collection and Cameron’s Camp for Wellness on the Gale eBooks platform to help students better understand their mental health and provide guidance to strengthen their social and emotional learning (SEL) skills.

More than 4,000 students can privately and anonymously access the digital collections from the district’s library website, 24/7 from any location or device. School staff, including counselors, can also access the resources to assist students and their family members.…Read More

Bridging the gap between science and coding

Students exposed to coding and programming at an early age are well equipped to take on higher-level computer science courses in high school—and they also build essential skills for future opportunities in the technology world.

When Rob van Nood was hired as the educational technology specialist for Catlin Gabel School in Oregon, coding and computer science courses were only offered in grades 9-12, and not to students in the younger grades.

Related content: 5 examples of coding and robotics in the classroom…Read More

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Rigor and joy: SEL and academics go hand-in-hand

Demographics

McMinnville School District serves 6,800 students across 9 schools

Biggest challenge

We are a Title 1 school in rural Oregon with over 60 percent of our students experiencing poverty and our best estimate tells us that 36 percent have also experienced some sort of childhood trauma. These obstacles create barriers for our students coming to school ready to learn and thrive both academically and social emotionally. Our teaching staff was struggling with knowing how to meet both of these needs simultaneously, focusing on both SEL and academics. In our field, there is a false dichotomy that educators should focus on either SEL or academics, hence the unending pendulum swing in education. The truth is our kids need and deserve both simultaneously. We needed to foster a growth culture that fostered high expectations and support for the whole child.

Solutions

The transformational growth that we took on in our building could not have happened without growth mindset. The foundational belief that intelligence is malleable and that each child’s “true potential is unknown and unknowable.” (Dweck, 2006). We began this work by starting with the adults. We examined our own tendencies toward growth mindset messages and fixed mindset messages. We recognized that our systems often reflect past practice and can sometimes be obstacles to growth. We challenged one another to ask deep, difficult questions and foster each other’s learning as we tried new things. We sought to understand growth mindset not as a fad in education, but as ethical responsibility to understand and teach in ways that support brain development for our students.…Read More

5 tips for getting over your #edtech fears to engage and empower students

I have been lucky. I was on a computer at a young age, playing Math Blaster or Oregon Trail until my eyelids grew heavy and I had to crawl into bed. This is probably like today’s student playing Fortnight until the sun comes up. I don’t remember using technology in school but think about how powerful my learning experiences would have been with simulations and the ability to create.

Today’s students have the opportunity to collaborate and make global connections within the classroom; they can try to solve problems and share BIG ideas. I used to be hesitant about using tools that I thought were a better pedagogical choice because I thought I needed to know and understand how to use the tool before teaching students how to use it. Then I realized that I am in this profession for all of our students—not just myself—and that it does not always have to be about the technology. If I held onto my own fears, the students would suffer.

I’ve spent time reflecting on why educators need to stop giving into our own fears and realized that some of us just don’t know where to start. Here are some sound tips for getting over your fears to help engage and empower students.…Read More

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