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.

Curriculum Associates Launches Magnetic Reading to Help Students Build Confidence While Mastering Critical Reading Skills

New supplemental reading program for Grades 3–5 engages students with grade-level content using culturally relevant texts

To help students build confidence while mastering critical reading skills, Curriculum Associates has launched the supplemental Magnetic Reading program for Grades 3–5. By providing actionable data and insights, knowledge-rich learning, culturally responsive pedagogy, and scaffolds to support learner variability, the blended research-based program helps teachers facilitate lively classroom discourse and engage all students with grade-level content using culturally relevant texts.

“Providing a combination of both print and digital resources to support students’ acquisition of reading skills and comprehension is a top priority for us—we understand this is what teachers want and what they need to help their students succeed,” said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. “Magnetic Reading, from its built-in scaffolds to diverse and authentic content, helps teachers truly engage students in the learning process as they practice the skills necessary to become confident and validated readers.”…Read More

Rise Vision Creates Free Women’s History Month Posters for Schools

 In honor of Women’s History Month, Rise Vision has released 9 FREE Women’s History Month posters for schools to print out, share on their digital signage, websites, and social media, or use in their classrooms and lesson plans. 

The posters are available for download in high-resolution JPG and landscape and portrait-oriented PDFs.

“Our aim is to support K-12 teachers who are looking for teaching resources or ideas for lesson plans. These posters are a visual way to spark conversations around Women’s History Month. We hope they will be a great compliment to other teaching material that schools are using.” Shea Darlison, Head of Revenue …Read More

Understanding ebooks: Which model is right for your district?

It’s been almost one year since the country shut down, and schools are still adapting to the new normal of remote and hybrid learning environments–with a newfound reliance on digital books. While ebooks and audiobooks were already a part of many classrooms before COVID-19, they’re now a staple and will likely remain one for the foreseeable future.

Schools are increasingly turning to digital books to engage students in all subjects and encourage reading. Usage has been on the rise for years, but now ebooks are more critical than ever, especially with disruptions in the physical book supply chain. With the digital shift in full swing, it’s important to understand how digital books work, including the differences between digital and print pricing and availability.

In addition to benefits such as 24/7 access, flexibility, and no risk of damage or loss – ebooks and audiobooks support K-12 learning in many ways.…Read More

Super Duper Publications Hires Occupational Therapist to Expand its Line of OT Products for Children

Super Duper Publications has hired Occupational Therapist Dani Kinsley to help the company expand its line of digital and print occupational therapy (OT) products for children.

Super Duper currently offers a successful line of occupational therapy products, including best-sellers like Yogarilla, Sensory Diet Cards and the Pre-Handwriting Fun Deck which address areas of development such as gross motor/bilateral coordination, sensory integration, visual perception, and fine motor skills. Kinsley will help Super Duper create new products addressing additional areas of development to help meet the needs of clinic- and school-based occupational therapists.

“I am so excited to join the team at Super Duper Publications because I have been using Super Duper products almost daily in my pediatric clinical practice for many years now,” said Kinsley. “I love their high-quality, fun, and creative product offerings. Super Duper has definitely made my life as a clinical OT easier in the past, and I look forward to creating new resources to help continue that legacy as we expand our OT line moving forward.”…Read More

Covid’S Hit on Education and Literacy Levels Will Impact a Generation – Can Ebooks Help Us?

Scholastic US research indicates that of children who had read an eBook, 26% of boys and 16% of girls said they were reading more books as a result. National Literacy Trust research found that boys were significantly more likely to say that they read on screen (65.7%) than in print (55.4%) outside school.[1]

To help tackle falling literacy levels and utilise the reading skills and motivation benefited from eBooks, ‘Nimble Stories’, a new eBook start-up company is launching a crowdfunding effort on Thursday, 4 March 2021.

Nimble Stories is an easy eBook subscription service for Schools, Parents and Guardians, providing short stories and children’s books – perfect for learning, fun adventures and bedtime reads. Nimble Stories will be releasing new titles every week, meaning you can always find something new – across both fiction and non-fiction categories. With unlimited downloads, your subscription makes sure the fun never stops. There’s no limit or allowance to worry about – just complete access to the entire Nimble Stories’ library, as if it were your own. All eBooks are easy to read, available offline and can even be printed at home or in the classroom.…Read More

Rise Vision Creates Free Black History Month Posters for Schools

In honor of Black History Month, Rise Vision has released 10 FREE Black History Month posters for schools to print out, share on their digital signage, websites, and social media, or use in their classrooms and lesson plans.

The posters are available for download in high-resolution JPG and landscape and portrait-oriented PDFs.

“As a software company that supports K12 schools, we live and breathe technology development and all things education. For Black History Month, we want to help raise the visibility of unsung contributors to U.S. and world history.” Shea Darlison, Head of Marketing…Read More

10 educator suggestions to instill a love of reading in students

My husband quite often reminds me not to use my behavior as a child OR an adult as an indicator of others’… because I’m weird. From the moment I learned to read, I loved it. My favorite winter break was spent bingeing on every Baby-Sitters Club book in the series. As an adult, at any given moment, I’m listening to an audiobook and bouncing between one or two print books. Sometimes I read to learn. But most often, I read because I love it. But again… I’m weird.

Is it weird? Or did the mere fact I enjoyed access to books at home, school, and in the public library as a student give me a distinct advantage? The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as The Nation’s Report Card, indicates that students scoring in the lowest percentiles in reading and math are dipping noticeably.

Related content: How school librarians are getting creative in a pandemic…Read More

Oklahoma’s State Textbook Committee Unanimously Approves Discovery Education Science Techbook

Following a comprehensive evaluation, the  Oklahoma State Textbook Committee has unanimously approved the Elementary and Middle School editions of  Discovery Education’s  Science Techbook for statewide use as core instructional resources.  Oklahoma’s adoption of the Science Techbook empowers the state’s school systems to purchase and integrate this innovative digital resource, and corresponding print resources, into teaching and learning.  Discovery Education is the global leader in standards-aligned digital curriculum resources, engaging content, and professional learning for K-12 classrooms.

Delivered through the dynamic, flexible  Discovery Education Experience K-12 platform, Science Techbook drives engagement with exclusive phenomena and interactive content. Virtual and hands-on investigations, STEM activities and a variety of instructional supports enhance the delivery of impactful, blended instruction, in person or at a distance.

Available with the Science Techbook are coordinated digital and print teacher guides offering unit, concept, and lesson overviews, standards connections, and differentiation activities to inform instructional planning and guide three-dimensional learning. Teacher editions also provide flexible pacing options, embedded teacher notes, and Pathways for Learning to address diverse learners. Print student editions and interactive worktexts are available for every grade level and integrate seamlessly with the digital and hands-on assets of this comprehensive program.…Read More

How school librarians are getting creative in a pandemic

New questions from school librarians…

Will ultra violet disinfectant devices damage books?
How long should I quarantine a book before circulating it again?
How can I use technology to coordinate curbside pick-up for students who want to check out print books?

Meet the same old challenges……Read More

Savvas Launches New Interactive US and World History Series

Savvas Learning Company, a next-generation learning solutions provider for K-12 education, today announced the release of its new print and digital high school history series, US History Interactive ©2022 and World History Interactive ©2022, that promotes a deeper investigation of the past and connects history to the present.

With a focus on inquiry and critical thinking, the programs’ curriculum boosts student engagement with digital activities, culturally responsive content, and support for integrating social emotional learning skills. The series takes interactive learning to new heights with the inclusion of the award-winning Project Imagine series, which uses fully immersive experiences and diverse primary sources to make learning history come alive.

“History is more than the story of past events. It’s the story of people and their decisions, actions, and viewpoints, which in turn shape the story of our present and future. History becomes more relevant to students when they can experience it in a more personal way,” said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. “Our new US History Interactive and World History Interactive series brings a modern lens to history by helping students make connections to compelling, real-world topics, while enabling them to become critical thinkers with valuable inquiry skills for college, career, and civic responsibility.”…Read More