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.

5 ways educators can leverage ChatGPT

Artificial intelligence is currently walking itself through the hallways of our schools and some teachers may not be leveraging this tool to enhance their teaching methods. Instead, many educators and learning institutions are nervous about the student use of artificial intelligence to pass assignments and assessments. Here are five tips for educators to enhance their learning methods and help students grow. 

  1. Create rubrics for all assessments with ease.

ChatGPT, one of the most well known artificial intelligence tools, can curate useful tables of resources for educators to minimize the need to search for information. One way educators can harness this optimization is by asking the software to produce a baseline rubric, with the teachers’ needed areas of assessment, for the educator to review. Type these prompts into the chat feature for a preview of the power ChatGPT can provide: 

  • Create a table of educational grants, with links, for classroom supplies. 
  • Create a presentation rubric, with 1 thru 4 scale, for organization, content, delivery, and creativity.
  1. Spark a new idea.

Artificial intelligence can help teachers spark a new idea by making suggestions for ways to engage students. Teachers plug in their lesson needs and artificial intelligence can help spark some ideas. These ideas do not replace the teacher, rather, they help set educators on the path of lesson creation with an added spark. Try these prompts in ChatGPT for yourself: …Read More

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Singlewire Software Acquires Visitor Aware to Add Visitor Check-in and Student Management to Its Suite of School Safety Offerings

MADISON, WIS. (PRWEB) — Singlewire Software, the leader in solutions that help keep people safe and informed, announces its acquisition of  Visitor Aware, a robust tool for visitor and student management. The acquisition enables Singlewire to expand its suite of safety and communication offerings with visitor and student management capabilities that add to the emergency notification and incident management offerings of its  InformaCast software.

“It’s becoming more evident that school safety starts at the front door, so when our school customers started asking us for help with visitor check-in and student management, we went looking for a partner that could offer a solution that would exceed their expectations,” said Paul Shain, president and CEO of Singlewire Software. “Visitor Aware develops state-of-the-art safety solutions that help organizations keep their building secure and their people protected, which pairs perfectly with our mission of keeping people safe and informed, everywhere. Every time.”

Visitor Aware provides schools and other organizations the tools to screen visitors so they can identify threats before unwanted guests gain access to sensitive areas. Visitors have their IDs scanned when they enter a building. That information is used in conjunction with encrypted facial recognition to screen visitors against national sex offender and government watchlists and active legal injunctions. Potential issues are flagged to prevent guests from further entering a building, and approved guests are given a printed pass so they can proceed. Visitor Aware also offers tools for volunteer management, tardiness tracking, secure student release and pick-up, rostering and reunification, and setting up a tip line for potential threats.…Read More

LINQ K-12 Customers Anticipated to Serve Nearly 4 Billion Meals to Students in Fiscal Year 2022

WILMINGTON, N.C. (PRWEB) — LINQ, creator of leading nutrition software solutions, today shares that its Nutrition customers’ usage data shows that nearly 4 billion meals were served to students in fiscal 2022 reflecting a 44 percent increase over the 2.7 billion meals served in fiscal 2021. LINQ Nutrition customers supported serving these meals while managing their reimbursements through state and federal nutrition programs.

The USDA reports on the  overall number of meals served to students through a variety of nutrition programs with reimbursements of almost $9 billion to schools in fiscal 2021. Through LINQ Nutrition solutions, customers across the country can successfully manage their school nutrition programs, limiting food waste, nourishing students, and educating them on the importance of nutrition.

“We’re proud that we’ve enabled our customers to easily order, plan and provide students nutritious meals while getting reimbursed through state and federal programs,” said Brandy Keller, Senior VP of Product at LINQ. “Knowing that districts have been able to successfully manage their nutrition programs through LINQ, especially during the challenges of the last couple of years, reaffirms that we are accomplishing what we set out to do every day.”…Read More

Track It Forward Announces New Community Service Directory Feature

OAKLAND, Calif. – Track it Forward, a leader in volunteer time tracking software, is excited to announce the launch of its newest school-focused feature, the Community Service Directory. The Community Service Directory is designed for schools and school clubs and allows administrators to help match students with verified volunteer opportunities in the community.

Students can browse their school’s custom directory to find verified volunteer
opportunities and contact the organizer, all through their Track it Forward account!
School administrators and club advisers can build this custom directory by sharing a link with community organizations. The community organizers can then submit opportunities to the directory with all the necessary information and prerequisites.

Administrators can review each opportunity before it is posted to the Community
Service Directory, which means students will only have access to approved
opportunities for their school. This can improve the student volunteer experience
because students can easily find verified opportunities, which can increase volunteer hours while decreasing inaccurate reporting. …Read More

Scribbles Software Selected as a Finalist for the 2022 NC TECH Awards

Pineville, NC – Scribbles Software, a leading provider of K-12 records and enrollment software located in Pineville, NC, was selected as a finalist for the NC TECH Awards, presented by the NC TECH (North Carolina Technology Association).  The program is North Carolina’s only statewide technology awards program recognizing innovation, growth and leadership in the tech sector. Scribbles is a finalist in the NC HQ Tech Company category, which recognizes North Carolina-based technology companies that have outstanding performance in revenue, market penetration, sales growth, and employment expansion. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on November 29th.

“For over 20 years, NC TECH has celebrated companies, organizations and individuals for outstanding achievement at the NC TECH Awards. As a finalist this year, Scribbles Software has distinguished itself as one of the state’s innovative and emergent leaders,” stated Brooks Raiford, NC TECH’s President and CEO.

Scribbles Software helps K-12 districts and schools across the country serve students and families through accessible, cloud-based records management and enrollment solutions. Throughout North Carolina, Scribbles serves more than 100 districts, private schools, and charter schools, including Wake County Public Schools, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, Guilford County Schools, and Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools. Nationwide, Scribbles serves more than half of the top 50 largest districts.…Read More

Optoma Unveils “Create. Connect. Inspire.” Teacher-Led Technology Campaign with Creative Touch 5-Series Interactive Flat Panel Displays

FREMONT, CA. – Optoma, a world-leading manufacturer of large display solutions and the #1 4K UHD brand and the #1 DLP® brand worldwide and in the Americas,* today launched its new Creative Touch Interactive Flat Panel Displays (IFPDs) for education and corporate environments. Offering intuitive and easy to use software, the new 5-Series Interactive Flat Panel Displays feature Creative Board, an enhanced whiteboard with a floating toolbar and several annotation tools, bringing collaborative thinking and idea-sharing to life. With new tools and added functionality, Optoma’s IFPDs are the perfect cornerstones for educators and professionals to create and connect their way, enhancing learning and remote collaboration in classrooms, lecture halls, boardrooms and other professional environments. 

Optoma’s range of Creative Touch IFPDs are perfectly suited to accommodate the ever-changing needs of educational environments. Designed to support distance learning, the IFPDs allow students to work together in real time from home, in the classroom, or anywhere, maximizing engagement in remote and hybrid learning environments. With the ability to connect to webcams along with Optoma’s unique software, the Creative Touch 5-Series IFPDs provide the ultimate collaboration solution.  

Customization is front and center with the new IFPDs, which feature several intuitive tools that allow users to modify and tailor the display to their specific needs. The quick-launch pen features a dual-tip, enabling teachers to switch between note taking and highlighting in nearly any color – ensuring lessons flow with ease. Simply take the pen from the holder, and the Creative Board app or annotation mode will launch automatically. …Read More

Frontline Education and interviewstream Form Official Partnership to Strengthen K-12 Recruiting and Hiring Strategies

Malvern, Pa. and Chicago, Ill. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Frontline Education, a leading provider of administration software purpose-built for educators in K-12, and interviewstream, a market-leading video interviewing solution, today announced a strategic partnership that will strengthen the recruiting and hiring efforts of K-12 districts. The partnership will make interviewstream Frontline’s recommended video interviewing partner providing clients early access to best-in-class integrations, functionality and features. To date, many Frontline and interviewstream clients have successfully leveraged the integrations to streamline the hiring process. Access to the joint solution will equip K-12 organizations with the right tools, data and insights to find the best candidates quickly and to make effective hiring decisions, which will ultimately contribute to greater student outcomes. 

With the Frontline Recruiting and Hiring solution, school leaders are able to proactively engage with jobseekers, increase their applicant pool and hire the best candidates efficiently and effectively. interviewstream’s platform offers live and on-demand virtual interviews via web browser and SMS/text to streamline and expedite the recruiting process. Integration of the two solutions optimizes the hiring process by expanding geographical reach and attracting candidates from anywhere; providing a more candidate-friendly interviewing process; leveraging actionable market insights; and collaborating with peer groups, all while filling open positions with qualified talent. 

“interviewstream and Frontline are like-minded and mission-driven companies that place the needs of K-12 school leaders at the center of our strategies,” said Mark Friedman, Chief Marketing Officer of Frontline Education. “Our deepened partnership with interviewstream is evidence of our strategy to provide solutions and services that help school leaders address some of the most pressing challenges facing K-12 education today, with persistent staff shortages near or at the top of the list.”…Read More