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.

Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration Refines Mission to Focus on Narrowing Opportunity Gaps for Young Students and Educators

North Mankato, Minn. (Feb. 23, 2022) — The Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC), a nonprofit dedicated to breaking down educational barriers through virtual, interactive learning, today announced an updated mission that focuses on leveling the playing field for young students and educators.

As part of its refocused strategy, the company is launching a host of new programs and virtual field trips for students and educators, along with a new website that makes it easier for visitors to discover all that CILC has to offer.

“The pandemic and the many disparities it highlighted prompted us – like many organizations around the world – to take an inward look at our core values and home in on our ‘whys of service,’” said Glenn Morris, CILC’s executive director. “As a result, we realized it was time to update and refresh our brand and strategic plan to achieve our mission of connecting children and educators with inspiring and engaging virtual learning experiences that narrow opportunity gaps.”…Read More

How to support young learners with tablets

Tablets target young learners with engaging software

young-learnersTablets and other mobile devices are not uncommon in today’s classrooms and in the hands of students. But companies targeting “typical” students sometimes forget an important subset that benefits greatly from access to mobile devices–young learners, especially those in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten.

While schools often make headlines for tablet initiatives involving grades 3-12, young learners do not always have the same access to tablets. Laptops and desktops can be hard for young students to navigate using a mouse, a touch pad, and dealing with large keyboards.

Children are usually familiar with tablets’ touch-screen technology early in their lives, and a growing group of companies and education leaders are creating tablets targeted toward early childhood education in an effort to engage them and form solid base skills that will carry them through elementary school and beyond.…Read More

Harnessing the power of tablets and apps for young students

The right tablet-based apps can help young students.

A glance around today’s ed-tech landscape reveals no shortage of tablets, tablet initiatives, and tablet apps—but most of these tools are used with older students. During a crowded ISTE 2013 presentation, educator Gail Lovely told session attendees about a number of important considerations and helpful apps that can make tablet initiatives successful in prekindergarten through second grade.

Before tablets, computer-based early education presented challenges for young students, who don’t have the dexterity to manipulate a computer mouse, use a laptop’s drag-and-click tracking pad, or even rest their feet on the floor in a regular-sized computer lab chair.…Read More