We need to rethink assessments for remote learning

Assessment is the linchpin to driving essential skill and competency development. Traditionally, assessments have often been used as an indicator of what students know, understand, and can do, after the learning has been completed.

More recently, educators have implemented formative assessments, allowing students to receive ongoing feedback about their learning during the learning process.

Often, students are given their own agency and reflect on their learning, set their own goals and next steps, and work in partnership with their teacher to identify gaps and opportunities for deeper understanding.…Read More

Hall Technologies Announces the Launch of HIVE Control

HallTechnologies, a leading designer and manufacturer in the AV industry, announces their latest leap in technology innovation, HIVE Control. This scalable and affordable AV solution leverages the best in modern IoT, legacy control, and automation. HIVE Control will offer major improvements to the industry’s three major pillars of AV control technology: software, interface, and hardware.
HIVE Control is comprised of three key elements:

  • ● HIVE Cloud Control provides users with 24/7 control to configure, manage, and service multiple clients from anywhere in the world. This subscription-based asset management platform allows users to connect an unlimited number of
    rooms under one subscription for quick and easy integration and infinite scalability.
  • ● Unlike other AV control systems on the market, HIVE Control utilizes a node-based architecture that does not require the need to maintain a centralized server or the purchase of gateway devices. Instead, the HIVE Touch and HIVE Node are designed to directly connect to all existing AV hardware, including legacy devices without the need for programming.
  • ● The HIVE Touch is an all-in-one, elegant touch panel display engineered to seamlessly control any ProAV hardware and automation devices in a room. The HIVE Touch is adaptable to any space and application.

“HIVE Control’s advanced design and features make the system truly unique in the AV industry,” said Jason Schwartz, Chief Executive Officer of Hall Technologies. “With this cutting-edge technology, we are the first to bring REST API to the Pro AV industry, and feel proud to offer a world-class solution that sets a new standard in AV control and integration.”

The innovative HIVE Control system is a solution to frequent issues seen in education, corporate settings, hospitality settings, and everyday life. For more than three decades, Hall Technologies, formerly known as Hall Research, has designed state-of-the-art, pro AV products to solve problems seen in various applications and meet the needs of a continually evolving industry.…Read More

Discovery Inc. and Discovery Education Partner to Present Exclusive Virtual Field Trip Behind the Scenes of the Inauguration

Discovery Inc. and  Discovery Education are partnering to present  I Do Solemnly Swear: The U.S. Presidential Inauguration to help educators, students, and families across the United States and around the world explore the rich history and tradition surrounding the Inauguration of the President of the United States. This exclusive, no cost virtual learning experience provides students behind-the-scenes access to this extraordinary quadrennial event. I Do Solemnly Swear premieres Tuesday, January 19 at 12:00pm ET exclusively on  www.discoveryeducation.com and will air the same week on  Discovery Family, and in Spanish on  Discovery Familia.

During I Do Solemnly Swear, elementary and middle school students, their teachers, and families will learn about the many distinctive aspects of the Presidential Inauguration. Through a series of interviews, Inaugural experts and historians will share their perspectives and insight, and answer questions such as why we have an Inauguration, how does a First Family move into the White House during the Inauguration, and what do the symbols and language of the Inauguration mean. In addition, a surprise guest is scheduled to appear who will share a special message with students.

Interviewing the Inaugural experts featured in I Do Solemnly Swear are a group of extraordinary students from families served by  Operation Homefront, the national nonprofit whose mission is to build strong, stable, and secure military families. Since 2002, Operation Homefront has provided relief, resiliency, and recurring support programs that help military families overcome short-term bumps in the road so they do not become long-term chronic problems.…Read More

VHS Learning Partners with Schools in Massachusetts to Offer Online Courses

Three Massachusetts schools are the latest to join the hundreds of schools around the world in choosing VHS Learning as an online course provider for their students. Schools can easily increase their course offerings by giving students access to the VHS Learning catalog, which consists of more than 250 unique teacher-led online courses, including 24 AP® offerings, innovative STEM programs, and a wide variety of unique electives.

Marblehead High School, located in Essex County in the northeastern part of Massachusetts, has chosen to expand course offerings with a new membership that provides 112 student enrollments in VHS Learning courses. Andover High School, also in Essex County, expanded their VHS Learning partnership by purchasing 100 enrollments, and is also incorporating one teacher into the program. Natick High School, located in the Greater Boston area, purchased 40 enrollments.

VHS Learning design and delivery standards were the model used by the National Education Association when they created the first standards for online learning. Last year in collaboration with the international nonprofit Quality Matters and the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance, VHS Learning helped revise the National Standards for Quality (NSQ) in three areas: Online Courses, Online Teaching, and Online Programs.…Read More

Infobase Announces Launch of Issues & Controversies in History

Infobase, the award-winning provider of the Infobase Media Cloud and the Infobase Learning Cloud, announced the launch of Issues & Controversies in History. Formerly known as Issues & Controversies in American History, this completely redesigned and renamed database expands its coverage of history to include world history from antiquity to the present as well as retaining its authoritative coverage of U.S. history.

Along with new pro/con articles, more than 400 new primary sources—including not only traditional text documents but also graphic works and physical objects, such as paintings, coins, statues, and ancient monuments—and hundreds of new images, graphs, maps, and related resources, the new and improved database offers powerful features that support research and distance learning, along with a fully responsive design that’s more intuitive, clearer, and easier to navigate.

“I can’t imagine a database that could better prepare students for history debates, research projects, and document-based questions than Issues & Controversies in History,” said Andrew Gyory, Editor-in-Chief at Infobase. “We offer hundreds of pro/con articles and thousands of primary sources, helping students to think critically and understand the forces that have shaped every conflict in U.S. and world history over the past 5,000 years.”…Read More

30 K-12 edtech predictions for 2021

When we posted our 2020 predictions on January 1 last year, we–along with the majority of the world–definitely didn’t anticipate the curveball that was (and continues to be) the global COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 has been called a dumpster fire, the worst year in recent memory, and more. Abrupt shifts to virtual and hybrid learning laid bare the vast inequities that exist in the U.S. education system. The move to online learning also made people wonder: Are there practices we can continue when the pandemic abates? What can we take from this when we return to our classrooms? And will we return to our classrooms to teach in the same manner as we did before COVID?

We asked edtech executives, stakeholders, and experts to share some of their thoughts and predictions about where they think edtech is headed in 2021.…Read More

mindSpark Learning Impacts Record Number of Eductors Amid COVID-19 with 207% Rise in Professional Learning Participants

Education has been significantly impacted by COVID-19. Educators have been tasked with pivoting from in-person to remote learning more than once in many districts across the country. mindSpark Learning, a Denver-based national nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with industry-oriented professional learning experiences, reported today it has seen a dramatic increase in educators seeking professional development (PD) and resources to upskill them in challenging times. Since March 2020, MindSpark has impacted more than 10,000 educators across 1,800 schools and districts around the world. This is a 207% increase in the total number of educators to participate in MindSpark PD offerings.

In response to COVID-19, the MindSpark team jumped into action to develop additional resources that address contingency planning, the sudden shift to remote learning, and provide additional networking and support opportunities through its Online Toolkit and reSOLVE series. While the session volume increased due to these new pandemic-related offerings, so did the average number of participants per session, which rose 133%.

mindSpark Learning prides itself on being accessible without creating a cost burden on educators. Thanks to generous support from community and industry partners, educators saved upwards of $396,150 on PD costs by choosing mindSpark Learning. Between March and November, 45% of participants experienced professional learning from MindSpark for the first time, while 55% trusted the organization enough to return for support and PD needs. Additionally, 43% of educators relying on MindSpark thus far come from rural or remote environments.…Read More

Ruidoso School District is First to Deploy Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots

As schools around the world evaluate how to reopen safely amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the  Ruidoso Municipal School District is taking important steps to provide a safer environment for students and employees as they return to in-person learning. It is the first school system in the world to deploy  Xenex Germ-Zapping Robots, which are proven to deactivate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in two minutes.  As part of their strategy to reduce the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the school district is utilizing six  LightStrike™ robots to quickly disinfect its classrooms, offices, cafeterias, restrooms, locker rooms, gymnasiums, and more.

LightStrike robots were primarily used in healthcare facilities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but as a result of the robot’s speed and efficacy against the novel coronavirus, they are now deployed in office buildings, schools,  hotelsprofessional sports facilities, police stations and jails,  airports, convention centers, and other places where contamination and disease transmission is a concern. Healthcare facilities (including the Mayo Clinic and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) have published more than 40 peer-reviewed  studies validating the efficacy of the LightStrike robot technology.

In addition to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the LightStrike robots have been proven effective against common pathogens that lurk on surfaces in schools such as influenza (flu virus), MRSA, and norovirus.…Read More

Pearson Creates New Direct-to-Consumer Division

Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, today announces the creation of a new direct-to-consumer division as it looks to further strengthen its focus on building a direct relationship with learners around the world.

The new division will be co-led by two senior executives: Ishantha Lokuge joined Pearson from Shutterfly last year and now steps up to the role of Chief Global Product Officer and Co-President, Direct-to-Consumer.

Lynne Frank, most recently President of International Marketing and Worldwide Planning and Operations at Warner Bros. Pictures, joins Pearson as Chief Marketing Officer and Co-President – Direct-to-Consumer. Together, Ishantha and Lynne will lead the new division focused on direct-to-consumer products and channels, and will report to Andy Bird, Chief Executive.…Read More

In an uncertain fall, remote assessments and focus skills offer clarity

Teachers around the country have a lot of questions this fall. How will the lack of summative assessment data from last spring impact the school year? How quickly can I determine what students may have missed in the chaotic close of the 2019–2020 school year? Are remote assessments accurate? How can I parse the interim and formative assessment data of incoming students and focus on the areas that will provide the greatest return?

The answers will vary from school to school, but across the board, assessment is going to be critical in getting students back on track.

Missing and Remote Assessments: Do We Have the Data We Need?…Read More

First-of-its-kind, all-electric mobile preschool

A first-of-its kind vehicle will be hitting the streets this autumn in Colorado as an all-new, all-electric, ‘Magic Bus’ Mobile Preschool will serve to put early-childhood education on wheels.

The Magic Bus is a program of the Vail Valley Foundation’s YouthPower365, and is a Winnebago Industries Specialty Vehicle – the first all-electric mobile preschool in the world.

The all-electric bus will join its gas-powered counterpart so that two buses will make the rounds through neighborhoods in Eagle County Colorado, four days a week beginning Oct. 5, 2020. Classes are an hour-and-a-half long and are free of charge, helping ensure that critical childhood learning is available to as many children and families in the community as possible.…Read More

Newly Minted Career Sparks National Nonprofit Links Kids with Professionals

Today marks the official launch of Career Sparks, a nonprofit organization aimed at connecting real-world career professionals with K-12 students, who are primarily disadvantaged, in a fun and exciting virtual setting. With Career Sparks children now have the power to explore exciting careers from a traditional classroom setting or at home through distance learning.

Career Sparks was conceived during the beginning stages of social distancing when its board members saw the imperative need for children to have positive human connections, especially in the homes of underprivileged children. Education and Employers, an independent UK-based charity, found in a study titled “Drawing the Future” that less than 1% of children have been provided the opportunity to learn about a career from an actual career professional. This statistic is even more dire during COVID-19, as many children are being neglected, and often placed in front of screens with no interactive responses and little human connectivity.

“Plain and simple, our children need career heroes,“ says Career Sparks President Elaine M. Patel. “They need to know that they can become anything they aspire to. Career Sparks gives students a personal connection within distance learning that spurs exploration and ignites passions.”…Read More