TRENDING  //  Choosing Classroom Technology: 7 Key Factors to Consider  //  5 Ways to make your eSports program successful

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.

Winsor Learning Releases Free Professional Development Resource in Response to Steep Declines in National Reading Scores

MINNEAPOLIS (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the wake of devastating recent news about the nation’s reading test scores, Minnesota-based Winsor Learning, the nation’s leading expert and provider of science-based reading instruction and teacher training, announced the release of a new and entirely free professional development resource for administrators and teachers. The 90-minute Science of Reading-based training is now available for download at no cost to teachers, administrators, tutors, and other teachers of reading.

To download the resource, go to: https://members.winsorlearning.com/5-strategies-for-teachers/

The most recent results of National Association of Education Progress (NAEP) testing indicate performance levels of 9-year-olds in math and reading dropping to levels not seen in more than two decades. The declines include nearly all races and income levels and are the most steep for at-risk and already lower-performing students.…Read More

Clearlake Capital-Backed Discovery Education Acquires Pivot Interactives

Charlotte, NC — Discovery Education, a global edtech company backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (together with its affiliates, “Clearlake”), announced it has acquired Minneapolis, MN-based Pivot Interactives SBC. Led by a team of science teachers, practitioners, and students, Pivot Interactives develops dynamic cloud-based activities and labs that actively engage students in the authentic exploration of real scientific phenomena. Terms were not disclosed.  

The acquisition of Pivot Interactives supports Discovery Education’s mission to prepare learners for tomorrow by creating innovative classrooms connected to today’s world. Pivot Interactives will complement Discovery Education’s other successful digital services supporting science education, which include  Discovery Education’s K-12 platform,  Mystery Science, the  Science Techbook series, and  STEM Connect. 

Pivot Interactives is Discovery Education’s second acquisition this month, having also acquired  DoodleLearning. …Read More

Flinn Scientific Offers New Laboratory Safety Certification Courses for Teachers for Free

BATAVIA, IL (AUGUST 19, 2022)   Flinn Scientific releases updated free laboratory safety courses designed specifically for middle and high school science teachers.  

Just in time for the 2022-2023 school year, Flinn Scientific has released new Lab Safety courses for middle and high school science educators. Offered free of charge, these asynchronous courses can be completed in one session and are intended to help science educators create the safest learning environments possible for their students. These courses are appropriate for teachers new to the science classroom as well as experienced educators. Some states may even offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for successfully completing the courses.

“Many teachers may have had limited exposure to safety practices in their educator preparation program, but we all know that creating a safe learning environment is critically important, especially in performing laboratory experiments,” says Michael Lavelle, Flinn Scientific’s chief executive officer.  …Read More

Vernier Software & Technology is now Vernier Science Education

BEAVERTON, Oregon, August 17, 2022 — Vernier Software & Technology has changed its name to Vernier Science Education. This new name reflects the company’s commitment to provide educators with the tools they need to engage all students with hands-on, socially relevant STEM education and build a STEM-literate society.

“For more than 40 years, we’ve been dedicated to providing holistic, high-quality, and reliable solutions for STEM classrooms,” said CEO John Wheeler. “We’ve always been more than a software and technology company—we’re a science education company with a deep commitment to being an authentic partner to educators.”

“With this name change, we want to make it clear that we’re dedicated to using our experience in science education to partner with educators and communities to develop the next generation of knowledgeable citizens who can solve problems, contribute to their communities, and drive innovation.”…Read More

Creating student engagement through the power of play

Recently, my colleagues and I attended a summer camp where we introduced students to some fantastic STEM activities. Kids learned how to create their own lava lamps out of everyday kitchen materials. They programed Sphero robots and used them to make cooperative artwork. We also taught them how to make circuits out of batteries and wire, as well as exploding paint bags. The events were endless, and the students had a great time, because more than anything science should be fun!

As I look back on the events of camp, I’m reminded of how important this type of play is for young minds. Play is an essential part of learning and growth. In nature, animal cubs play to sharpen their hunting skills or learn valuable foraging techniques. Among humans, play teaches valuable social skills like communication and cooperation. It also fosters a learning mindset, teaching students to absorb knowledge through exercise and practice.

While unstructured play has its place in education, most teachers need something with a little more organization if we’re to help our students grow. We can accomplish this by dividing play into two distinct categories: Playing Downhill and Playing Uphill.…Read More

1 2

Slooh Partners with TransAstra to Add to its Network of Student-Controlled Telescopes – This Time in Space

Washington Depot, Connecticut, August 10, 2022 – Slooh, the pioneer in offering live online telescope feeds of major celestial events along with expert commentary and instructional lessons to individuals and school communities worldwide, is partnering with space domain awareness, orbital logistics, and space mining leader TransAstra to add to Slooh’s student-controlled network of telescopes. TransAstra’s ground-based telescopes, as well as its future space-based telescopes, will be added to Slooh’s network.  

Through this partnership, middle school through college-level educators can engage students in discovery-based science using Slooh’s Online Telescope and TransAstra’s breakthrough Sutter Telescope Technology. Students can direct the view of the telescopes to detect, track, and potentially get credit for the discovery of comets, asteroids, and other moving bodies in space. Using Slooh’s education platform, educators and students can additionally collect data and images to analyze what is taking place beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

…Read More

Educators Name Best Products and Services that Meet the Evolving Needs of STEM Teaching and Learning

BEAVERTON, Ore. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As educators face a new generation of technology needs for teaching and learning STEM, science, and coding, companies are rising to the challenge by deeply understanding educators’ evolving needs. The 2022 Best of STEM Award provides EdTech companies with a fresh twist—an awards program judged by STEM educators for STEM educators: “The Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards.”

“Three years ago, we created the awards program EdTech was missing—Educators Pick Best of STEM,” said Daylene Long, CEO, and Founder of Catapult X. “The needs of educators are rapidly transforming as new teachers enter the field, administrators address learning loss, and educators search for modern solutions to engage students born as digital natives. This program is truly about creating connections between EdTech and the teachers they serve.”

“Our educator judging team this year was particularly strong,” said Lead Judge Annie Galvin Teich. “With a larger team, we were able to match science and STEM technology to specific science and STEM expertise, such as high school physics and emerging technologies. These experienced STEM educators offered unique insights and feedback to the award entries.”…Read More

FEV Tutor Named 2022 Winner in Best of STEM Awards in the Bridging the Gap: Tutoring Programs for STEM Category

WOBURN, Mass. – July 27, 2022 – FEV Tutor, the most comprehensive virtual tutoring solution in K-12, was selected as a 2022 Educators Pick Best of STEM Award winner in the “Bridging the Gap: Tutoring Programs for STEM” category. The 2022 Best of STEM Award provides EdTech companies with a fresh twist—an awards program judged by STEM educators for STEM educators: “The Educators Pick Best of STEM Awards.” Winners were announced on July 21 at the NSTA National Conference on Science Education.

The awards program is run by market and product development company Catapult X in partnership with the Teich Group, the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and MCH Strategic Data. “Three years ago, we created the awards program EdTech was missing—Educators Pick Best of STEM,” said Daylene Long, CEO and Founder of  Catapult X. “The needs of educators are rapidly transforming as new teachers enter the field, administrators address learning loss, and educators search for modern solutions to engage students born as digital natives. This program is truly about creating connections between EdTech and the teachers they serve.”

The Bridging the Gap series of awards acknowledges products and services that enable educators to help accelerate student learning. The evaluating judges stated, “FEV Tutor is what districts have been asking for—individualized tutoring plans that address all students’ needs. What sets it apart? FEV Tutors gives students access to 1:1 tutoring with individualized plans available 24:7. For districts, data are provided to measure that the program works!”…Read More