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.

Digital tools are sticking around–here’s the right way to leverage technology

Key points:

The edtech industry is experiencing explosive growth, especially with the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), which is projected to hit $3.68 billion in sales by the end of the year. It is increasingly clear that a key question we will all be answering in the coming school year will be: What should the role of technology be in K-12 education? This isn’t a new question, but one that is likely to take center stage this year.

Despite new technology solutions, teachers are still burned out, test scores remain sluggish, and pedagogical innovation is stifled. Many educators are overwhelmed by the revolving door of products and lack the resources and guidance to use digital tools to address students’ needs.…Read More

Discovery Education and Leading Corporate and Nonprofit Partners Launch First-of-Its-Kind Initiative Supporting Sustainability

Charlotte, NC — Discovery Education, the worldwide leader in education solutions, today announced it has partnered with Subaru of America, Inc., LyondellBasell, Nucor, Honeywell, and the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) to launch the Sustainability Education Coalition. This first-of-its-kind initiative is focused on empowering over 10 million students by 2030 to serve as ambassadors for sustainability by providing the digital resources K-12 students need to make informed decisions and take responsible actions supporting sustainability.  

Coalition partners are united in the goal of empowering tomorrow’s changemakers by connecting classroom learning to various sustainability themes. The Sustainability Education Coalition is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and is driving forward sustainability education at an unprecedented scale through a five-pronged framework: 

  • Equitable access to high quality learning resources: Investing in under-resourced schools so students can benefit from the best-in-class Discovery Education Experience. 
  • Innovative Community Engagement Pathway: Introducing global challenges through a local lens; ensuring students can connect concepts to their local communities. 
  • Challenge-Based Learning Informed by Partners: Delivering engaging, high-quality resources and learning experiences for students. 
  • National Visibility: Working to promote a national conversation to elevate sustainability education.  
  • Research and Impact Framework: Launching impact studies to measure trends and progression of sustainability attitudes.  

Each partner provides expertise, insight, and access to enable the creation of high-quality and standards-aligned dynamic digital resources and will help provide under-resourced schools across the United States no-cost access to the award-winning Discovery Education Experience learning platform.  …Read More

How to support student agency

Key points:

In my more than 20 years of supporting students on their academic journey, I’ve realized there are no “magic” solutions in education. But there are some strategies that have proven to be more effective than others in helping all students succeed.

One of the most basic, yet effective, strategies is giving students choice and agency over their learning.…Read More

Gale and SirsiDynix Announce Partnership That Will Expand CloudSource Index by More Than One Billion Records

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. & LEHI, UT – Gale, part of Cengage Group, a global provider of research and learning resources, and SirsiDynix, a global leader in library technology solutions, are excited to announce a strategic partnership that will deliver more than one billion records to CloudSource, SirsiDynix’s premier content and discovery services platform.

The collaboration is a natural fit for the two companies, whose missions both emphasize the importance of libraries as hubs of discovery and whose software and services are dedicated to helping libraries demonstrate their value and ability to empower their communities. Working together, they aim to offer a seamless search experience for Gale and CloudSource subscribers alike.

The integration displays Gale’s wide range of online databases—including full-text journal articles, newspapers, archives, and eBooks—into a single discovery index.…Read More

How AI could advance computer-based tutors—and student success

Key points:

  • Education has long struggled to help all students achieve concept mastery
  • With advances in AI, computer-based tutors could be one of the solutions educators have long sought
  • See related article: 4 exciting ways AI is a game-changer for teachers

Benjamin Bloom explained the 2 sigma problem in his seminal 1984 article of the same title. Briefly stated, the problem consists of the following:

  • The average student who is taught by a tutor using mastery learning techniques outperforms 98 percent of students taught in a typical classroom.
  • Society cannot afford to provide full-time tutors for every student.
  • As a result, the majority of students fail to reach their potential due to the way we teach them.

Because there appeared to be no viable path to providing each student with their own personal tutor, Bloom called on educational researchers to “find methods of group instruction as effective as one-on-one tutoring.” Educational technologists weren’t so quick to give up on the idea of providing every student with their own individual tutor, however, and have made laudable progress toward the 2 sigma goal by designing what are called intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). Unfortunately, these systems are both difficult and expensive to design and build, and typically work only in a single domain of knowledge (such as algebra).…Read More

Spaces4Learning Names Lightspeed’s Mobile PA A Platinum 2023 New Product Award Winner

TUALATIN, ORE. (PRWEB) — Lightspeed, the provider of instructional audio solutions that create equal access to learning, announces that the company’s  Mobile PA solution was named a Platinum  2023 New Product Award winner by Spaces4Learning. The annual awards program honors the outstanding product development achievements of education companies whose services or solutions are particularly noteworthy in their ability to enhance the learning environment.

A portable, all-in-one instructional audio system, Mobile PA extends the learning environment beyond the classroom and provides a clear, even distribution of sound—no matter where learning takes place. Unveiled in  September 2022, Mobile PA ensures students can hear their teachers’ voices. In addition, Mobile PA is easy to move, Bluetooth enabled and includes a built-in charging cradle and storage for two wireless microphones so educators can use Lightspeed’s Mobile PA solution throughout their school each day.

According to the latest  Gradient Learning Poll, 80% of educators are concerned about their students’ lack of engagement in classroom-based learning. While there are several indicators that help educators track engagement, 77% of educators noted that the level of student participation in discussions helps them assess if students are engaged and connecting with instruction.…Read More

CENTEGIX Posts Record Demand for Its Wearable CrisisAlert Solution

ATLANTA /PRNewswire/ — CENTEGIX, the leader in incident response solutions, announced that new customers of its award-winning CrisisAlert™ solution were the highest in company history and that demand in the first half of 2023 has exceeded the 2022 full-year result.

School districts nationwide overwhelmingly select CENTEGIX’s CrisisAlert wearable panic button to protect staff and students. Now with more than 600,000 badge users, CENTEGIX is by far the industry leader and largest solution provider of wearable incident response technology for K-12 education, representing over 95% of the wearable safety technology market.

“We have six years of experience with wearables and have built a large and rapidly expanding suite of software applications and integrations that protect close to 10 million people for everyday and extreme emergencies. Customers tell us that CENTEGIX is the standard in wearable safety, and because all staff wear our badge, it builds a culture of safety at the location and in the community,” said Brent Cobb, CEO of CENTEGIX.…Read More