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.

Renaissance Learning and ClassLink align for single sign-on solution

Renaissance Learning, provider K-12 cloud-based assessment and learning analytics, announced a major new alliance with ClassLink, provider of single sign-on and rostering solutions for schools.

The partnership paves the way to faster, easier access to one of the most trusted education providers and offers millions of educators and students secure, OneClick access to Renaissance solutions.

ClassLink’s OneClick delivers single sign-on to online cloud-based resources, such as the Renaissance platform, and to files, whether they are stored in the cloud, on a device, or on the school network. With more than 3,000 single sign-on connectors, ClassLink has brought together more resources than all other single sign-on platforms combined.…Read More

Lightspeed Systems releases updated school web filter

Version 3 of Rocket Web Filter features increased speed, live reports, easy SSL traffic handling

Ed-tech solution provider Lightspeed Systems announced the release of version 3 of Rocket Web Filter for content filtering in K-12 schools.

The release features a new user interface as well as a variety of new features to simplify school network management.

Rocket Web Filter — which is powered by Lightspeed Systems’ proprietary Rocket appliances, either on school networks or in a cloud — was built specifically for schools. With a reputation for robust content filtering without over-blocking, Web Filter quickly became the K-12 market leader for filtering. The new version features improvements to filtering speed, scalability and SSL handling as well as live traffic reports and other tools to make filtering and reporting fast and easy.…Read More

TCEA 2013: School network and communication systems

Skyward has introduced a free tool called SkyCoder, giving customers more control over their data management.

An Australian maker of web security software is making a big push into the U.S. education market by offering 10 school districts free one-year licenses of its product.

A Texas firm that designs and hosts school websites discussed how its services—which are 93-percent eRate eligible—are saving school administrators time and money, while improving school communications.

These were some of the many school network and communications systems on display at the 2013 Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference.…Read More

Free tools help IT leaders check school network security

Free tools can help district leaders identify cyber security risks and procedures.

A free resource aims to help K-12 school district leaders make sure they are adequately prepared to address threats to critical district technology systems and infrastructure—and it’s just in time for October’s Cyber Security Awareness Month.

The updated resources from the Consortium for School Networking’s Cyber Security for the Digital District Leadership Initiative include the Self-Assessment Checklist, the Cyber Security Planning Protocol, and the Cyber Security Rubric and Security Planning Template. The rubric and planning template are available only to CoSN members.

“Technology is central to the learning process and to schools’ business operations. It is essential that districts manage the continuously evolving technology security risks faced by students, staff, and administrators to prevent accidental or deliberate intrusion,” said Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN. “School districts must be diligent, informed, and consistent in ensuring their cyber security procedures and protocols are in place before crises strike. These tools are designed to help them do just that.”…Read More

Schools fall victim to P2P security breaches

 

Sharing files over unsecured P2P networks can result in data breaches.
Sharing files over unsecured P2P networks can result in data breaches.

 

Peer-to-peer file sharing in schools and colleges has come under scrutiny again after a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) probe turned up massive security breaches that made student grades, Social Security numbers, and medical records accessible to anyone connected to the peer-to-peer networks at several institutions.…Read More