AVer Information Donates Chromebook Charging Carts To Federal Way Public Schools

AVer Information Inc., the award-winning provider of video collaboration solutions and education technology solutions, announced today donation of 57 AVer C20i Chromebook Charging Carts to Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) in Federal Way, Washington.

Like many school districts across the country, FWPS is facing ever-growing technology needs due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the immediate shift to a fully remote learning environment.

Knowing FWPS could benefit from a safe and secure charging solution for additional computers when students return to the classroom, AVer donated 57 of their C20i Chromebook Charge Carts. These were delivered to FWPS on November 6, 2020.…Read More

Cablecast Community Media Platform and Screenweave LIVE Keep North Penn School District Students Broadcasting

As the educational access channel for the North Penn School District, North Penn Television (NPTV) brings timely information to residents in the Montgomery County suburbs of Philadelphia via its cable channel, website, and social media. When schools across Pennsylvania closed earlier this year during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff and students leveraged Tightrope Media Systems’ Cablecast Community Media platform and new Screenweave LIVE cloud-based service to continue broadcasting to their community.

North Penn School District comprises 13 elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. Operated by high school students under the guidance of the district’s Coordinator of Communications Media, Bob Gillmer, NPTV covers everything from Board of School Directors’ meetings to high school sports and concerts. In addition to its weekly “Mornings” news program, NPTV also broadcasts the monthly “North Penn Right Now” live to the community and to all of the district’s 13,000 students and staff in their classrooms or offices.

NPTV had already been using the Cablecast platform as its playout and automation system prior to the pandemic, with Gillmer praising its ease of use and rich feature set as ideal for the educational channel. “It has all the tools that you really need, particularly for a PEG channel, college or school at our level,” he said. “It even has tools you may not realize you need yet, and then when you think ‘I wish I could do this,’ you find that it’s already there.”…Read More

Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School Selects InScribe Platform to Enhance Communication

InScribe, which delivers game-changing digital community solutions, today announced a partnership with Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS), streamlining the way the school engages and communicates with parents and students. InScribe’s intelligent collaboration and community platform creates a centralized location for interaction, making it easy for everyone to connect and get the information and answers they need in a timely way.

“For a lot of parents, virtual schooling is unfamiliar territory, and we don’t want them to feel the distance. Rather we want them to feel connected and to be an integral part of their children’s education experience,” said Chris Moody, Director of Technology. “InScribe is redefining how we communicate, making it easier and more straightforward. Not only can we share information across our communities, but InScribe is helping us to be more effective and transparent in our interactions.”

From enrollment, onboarding, and orientation, throughout the educational journey, parents can easily access GCVS’ community to ask questions, find resources, get notifications, contribute to the group, and connect with other parents and educators. Parents can search for information, view questions and answers from other parents, and see the interactions and advice from parents who came before them, giving them the tools they need to better navigate the education process and support their children.…Read More

UWorld Launches New Tools to Support Educators in Fostering AP® Success

UWorld, the worldwide leader in online learning to prepare for high-stakes exams, today announced the launch of AP® (Advanced Placement®) Learning Tools, a new College Readiness solution to help educators enhance instruction, improve student performance, and effectively prepare for AP exams. The tools save teachers time while enabling students to achieve their academic goals.

Forty percent of students who take AP exams only earn a score of 1 or 2, but studies show that students who score a 3 or higher are more likely to be successful in college and graduate. AP Learning Tools uses College Board®-level questions and clear, concise answer explanations to help students understand why they got an answer wrong, retain information, develop critical thinking skills, and deepen subject-area knowledge.

“Some 1.24 million students took an AP exam in 2019, and that number is predicted to grow year-over-year—and yet educators have little access to AP instruction and exam prep resources that are particularly effective in distance and hybrid learning environments,” said Chandra S. Pemmasani, M.D., UWorld’s founder and CEO. “With our AP Learning Tools, educators have access to progress and performance tracking that helps them identify gaps, modify instructional approaches, and support students—all from their computer.”

All of UWorld’s College Readiness solutions are developed using research-based educational strategies that support instruction, improve engagement, and build critical-thinking skills so that students have the knowledge and confidence to succeed. The answer choices used in AP Learning Tools are updated weekly to ensure alignment to current AP courses and exams. An easy-to-use assignment tool allows educators to customize assignments and integrate content into lessons. Plus, reporting tools provide meaningful insight into student AP performance at the classroom, school and district level.…Read More

How automation keeps bullying in check—both in-person and remote

Even a pandemic won’t stop bad student behavior–and in many cases, it inflames behaviors such as bullying.

In this conversation with eSchool News, Laura Lockhart, director of student services of Keller Independent School District in Texas talks about how the district digitally updated their bullying reporting process to keep students safe and meet federal reporting regulations.

Related content:  How COVID put a spotlight on equity…Read More

Free Veteran’s Day video lesson from The Character Tree

The Character Tree is providing teachers and parents with FREE access to a Veteran’s Day video lesson about gratitude. The lesson, for first and second-grade students, includes a 7-minute video and printable resources and can be used at home or in a classroom.

In the “Gratitude & Veterans” video lesson children will learn about what gratitude is, the history of Veteran’s Day and how it’s celebrated in different countries. Teacher and host Sara VanderWel, who plays “Miss Sara” in the video, leads the conversation with puppet characters “Katie” and “Jose” as they discuss different jobs in the military and ways children can show gratitude for veterans and active duty military.

To access the lesson, visit https://www.charactertree.com/#sample-episodes.…Read More

Renaissance Launches Major Updates to Star Spanish Assessments

Renaissance, the global leader in pre-K–12 education technology, has enhanced Star Spanish, its assessment platform for students who speak, or are learning to speak, Spanish, with new reports and the first authentic K–12 learning progression for Spanish available in the country.

Star Assessments are available in both English and Spanish in order to give educators insight into the abilities, skills, and progress of emergent bilinguals, dual-language learners, and immersion students.

“We’re so excited to be able to offer educators the tools they need to uncover student understanding and track learning progress for students who speak Spanish,” said Doris Chávez-Linville, Director of English Learner Innovations at Renaissance. “Educators are experts at removing barriers, and we’re thrilled to help them take an asset-based approach to bilingualism, where the focus is on what students know and can do, and how educators can build on this.”…Read More

CVS Health and Discovery Education Team Up for Substance Misuse Prevention Day of Learning

CVS Health and Discovery Education are coming together to present a Day of Learning on October 27, 2020. This event occurs during Red Ribbon Week, the largest drug-use prevention campaign in the nation, and will debut to communities across the United States the newly announced Dose of Knowledge digital education resources.

Dose of Knowledge, part of CVS Health’s Pharmacists Teach program focused on substance misuse education, offers a suite of no-cost digital resources focusing on the facts about prescription and illicit drug misuse. Designed for students in grades 6-12, Dose of Knowledge empowers pharmacists and educators to discuss the importance of healthy lifestyle choices with students.

Intended to spark critical discussions about prescription medication misuse awareness, the Day of Learning will showcase these new resources for educators, students, and families. The Day of Learning will empower youth and adults alike to more deeply engage in the topic of prescription safety and discover the tools needed to face substance misuse head on. Join in on Facebook and Twitter with #DoseofKnowlege.…Read More

Research Shows the Need for More Support to Protect Privacy and Advance Digital Equity

The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) today released a new report — with accompanying survey findings — that reflect the urgent need to provide improved student privacy support to teachers, parents, and students. Almost half of teachers report they have received no substantive training on data privacy, and only four in 10 parents say their schools discussed their data protection practices. Despite that, parents and teachers report favorable opinions of the continued use of education technology even after the pandemic ends.

The report, titled “Protecting Students’ Privacy and Advancing Digital Equity,” is based on significant data collection and outlines steps education leaders and policymakers should take. These include prioritizing privacy-focused teacher training and proactively communicating with parents about how schools are protecting their children’s data. Additionally, leaders can reduce inequity through closing the digital divide while protecting privacy, and scale up the good practices of special educators, a standout from their peers, to protect all students. The recommendations were shaped by surveys and focus groups commissioned by CDT. View the findings here.

“It can be easy to overlook hard-to-see issues like digital safety and student privacy during a time of crisis like COVID-19,” said CDT CEO Alexandra Givens. “But as our research shows, safety and privacy are vital concerns, and the vast majority of teachers and parents support more online learning even after the pandemic. It’s critical that policymakers, schools, teachers, and parents work together to protect students.”…Read More