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.

New Research Reveals Vital Professional Learning Insights

DENVER ( BUSINESS WIRE)–MindSpark Learning®, a nonprofit organization specializing in extraordinary learning experiences, conducted vital market research to understand evolving needs for professional growth and development. The research, titled “The State of Professional Learning”, reveals valuable insights into professionals’ learning goals and preferences.

The State of Professional Learning reveals crucial insights that could significantly impact a company’s retention, productivity, and innovation. Three key trends emerge from the research: collaborative professional development (PD) encourages teamwork and knowledge sharing, adaptive PD fosters quick adaptation to changing environments, and stewardship PD promotes proactive problem-solving for community challenges. MindSpark offers tailored recommendations to address these trends, providing practical advice for unique professional development needs.

For years, MindSpark has served professionals with learning experiences that help them solve their most urgent problems. The State of Professional Learning is a testament to their commitment to understand and solve market needs.…Read More

Teacher Shortage Solutions for Computer Science and CTE

The lack of computer science technology educators in middle schools continues to be a genuine crisis, especially considering the critical role of STEM education in preparing students for future careers. Traditional hiring practices often result in non-specialist educators teaching computer science, leading to challenges in delivering effective instruction.

Graham Celine, VP of Business Development & Marketing for Intelitek, which offers the online platform CoderZ, emphasized this topic last month at FETC and in this conversation with eSchool. CoderZ aims to address this gap by providing comprehensive tools and resources for both students and educators, enabling structured and engaging computer science education. 

With increasing recognition of computer science as a fundamental skill, particularly evidenced by state standards mandating its inclusion in curricula, CoderZ offers a solution aligned with educational goals and industry demands. Graham says the program’s flexible implementation options cater to various educational settings, from individual subscriptions to district-wide adoption. Moreover, he points to the product’s assessment strategies focused on student outcomes, employing a combination of automated evaluations and teacher-led assessments to ensure comprehensive learning assessment. Have a listen:…Read More

Learn Applied AI with MindSpark: New Certification and Free Resources for Educators

DENVER–( BUSINESS WIRE)–MindSpark Learning®, a nonprofit organization that delivers extraordinary learning experiences for educators and professionals, launched three new AI resources for educators and others navigating AI, including their Applied AI Certification for Educators. The Applied AI Certification for Educators is an online learning experience that upskills educators to apply AI intelligently. Applied AI bridges theory with real-world application.

“First and foremost, this course really helped build my comfortability with AI. I really didn’t know much about it before and was hesitant to explore because of that. I appreciated how this course broke down parts of AI in a user-friendly way. I also really appreciated the practice prompts it had us do with the different AI models,” said Lauren Schafer, 5th Grade Teacher, Thompson School District, Johnstown, CO. “It was incredibly helpful to see the examples of how you may use it in education, so then I could take what I learned and use the models with things I wanted to create for myself.”

“After completing this course, I have discovered ways to improve my own personal productivity both at work and home because using AI will significantly assist me in managing life. I learned the correct ways to use these tools and how to distinguish which tool to use based on the educational goal I’m trying to achieve,” said Tina Rhoades, Middle School Teacher, Somers Lakeside School District 29, Somers, MT. “I was shown many ways you can use these AI tools to improve education for students, parent communication, personal organization, and streamline content creation making a better use of my time actually teaching.”…Read More

Lexia Celebrates 40th Anniversary 

BOSTON  –  Lexia, a   Cambium Learning Group brand, is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a leader in science of reading-based solutions. Since its founding in 1984, Lexia has grown from a small home-based business in Lincoln, Massachusetts, to a company with nearly 1,000 employees currently serving more than 6.8 million students and over 620,000 educators across more than 23,000 schools nationwide.

Lexia was founded by the late Bob Lemire, an investment adviser and land-use consultant whose son had been diagnosed with dyslexia. Lemire realized many other children with reading difficulties did not have the resources and guidance he’d been able to provide for his son. He founded Lexia with the help of technology expert Dr. Littleton Meeks and Dr. Edwin Cole, a noted neurologist, head of the Reading Clinic at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and founder of several schools for students with dyslexia.

“Back then, leveraging technology for explicit, systematic, and personalized instruction was a novel concept for schools and educators. It was out on the fringes,” said Lexia President, Nick Gaehde who joined the company as its head in 2005.…Read More

Enhancing Communication and Safety at American Heritage Charter School with Rise Vision

Rise Vision, the #1 digital signage software is excited to announce the release of its newest case study featuring American Heritage Charter School. American Heritage Charter School near Idaho Falls, uses Rise Vision to enhance safety and streamline communication channels within its three buildings.

Josh Siqueiros, the Director of Technology at American Heritage Charter School, was a business IT administrator transplant into the world of education. Josh brought a fresh perspective and a determination to overcome communication challenges he noticed within the school. His background in the business sector equipped him with the skills to navigate the hurdles of implementing new technologies in the educational domain.

Upon joining American Heritage Charter School, Josh Siquerios identified two major challenges he wanted to tackle: Effective communication and to increase safety.…Read More

American Student Assistance Announces Strategic Alliance with Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

BOSTON – American Student Assistance ® (ASA), a national nonprofit changing the way kids learn about careers and navigate a path to postsecondary education and career success, today announced that the organization has entered into a 10-year, $25 million affiliation agreement with the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), the nation’s leading entrepreneurship education organization.

Through this strategic alliance, NFTE and ASA will expand access to high-quality entrepreneurship education programs, services, and opportunities for middle and high schoolers from rural, marginalized, and economically disadvantaged communities—both in-person and digitally—through school district partnerships, curriculum development and collaborative programming, and business plan competitions. 

The agreement between ASA and NFTE consists of an immediate $5 million unrestricted grant and annual matching grants of up to $2 million for the next 10 years. ASA’s support will help NFTE move from a school-by-school approach to a more systemwide strategy to work with states and school districts to more effectively and efficiently expand the number of schools, teachers, and students that the organization works with each school year. NFTE currently serves 50,000+ students annually across 30 U.S. states. ASA’s support will allow NFTE to expand its position as one of the nation’s largest entrepreneurship education nonprofits.…Read More

Capstone Names Haygood Poundstone as Chief Revenue Officer

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Capstone, an innovative learning company merging children’s content with easy-to-use edtech tools for K-5 classrooms, libraries, and homes, has named Haygood Poundstone as Chief Revenue Officer. Poundstone brings over 20 years of experience in the edtech market in business development, revenue growth, sales strategies, and operations management to this newly created role at Capstone. Poundstone will oversee Capstone’s revenue generating sales including direct to schools, library, distribution, trade, and international business units in executing the publisher’s growth strategy.

Throughout his career, Poundstone has led top-tier sales teams to drive organizational revenue, performance, and profit. Most recently, he served as the Area Vice President of the East at Renaissance Learning where he led a large team of regional vice presidents, sales leaders, and direct sales professionals to reach aggressive goals.

After six years away, Poundstone rejoins Capstone where he was one of the founding employees of its business unit myON. Prior to his time at Capstone, Poundstone held a variety of leadership positions at Lightspan and PLATO (now Edmentum).…Read More

Reaching edtech harmony in your classroom

Key points:

In today’s dynamic educational landscape, technology has become an integral part of teaching and learning, but it presents a paradox. While diverse edtech products promise innovation, they simultaneously pose challenges. Educators, learners, instructional technology coaches, and IT/edtech staff are grappling with the complexities of managing an ever-expanding arsenal of disconnected digital tools. It’s important to understand the challenges more closely and how an integrated, interoperable, and effective educational technology ecosystem can meet the evolving landscape of learning for more efficient, impactful, and secure learning experiences.

There are several prominent shifts that are driving the future of learning, therefore making a comprehensive and interoperable ecosystem essential. First is the permanence of a remote and/or hybrid learning structure. Solutions like interactive displays, cloud whiteboarding, screen sharing, and video conferencing tools have helped schools embrace and succeed in this new learning format. Second is the need to create a 21st century learning environment that is accessible for all students, encourages engagement and collaboration, and can be more easily tailored for different learning levels and needs. For example, smart board tools such as text to speech, translation, or word prediction can help students overcome language barriers and unique challenges. For increased engagement and collaboration, teachers are relying on new teaching methods such as microlearning and gamification. Finally, there’s also a drive toward more community and outreach.…Read More

7 principles for AI in education

Key points:

A new framework intends to guide the edtech industry’s implementation of AI in education in a purpose-driven, transparent, and equitable manner that enables critical tools for personalized and enhanced learning experiences and improved assistive technologies.

Released at an October event on Capitol Hill, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA), the leading trade association for the business of information, released Principles for the Future of AI in Education, which will help the edtech industry as it works alongside educators during AI-infused learning.…Read More

RobotLAB Inks Landmark Robotics Partnership with American Samoa Department of Education

DALLAS, TX – RobotLAB, an award-winning robotics integrator that delivers impactful technological innovations and solutions for educators and business owners across the globe, has inked a momentous partnership with the American Samoa Department of Education. RobotLAB will provide more than 150 technology carts to the nation’s public schools, each including humanoid robots, virtual reality headsets, laptops, tablets and lesson plans that will expose students to age-appropriate technology and encourage a mastery of computer science, artificial intelligence, automation, STEM and robotics.

“We’re honored to bring enhanced STEM education and robotics to American Samoa, as we’ve seen the positive impact these technologies have had on students over the last 15-plus years,” said RobotLAB Founder and CEO, Elad Inbar. “After working with the American Samoa Department of Education to identify the best programs and packages for their needs, we’re excited to introduce students in American Samoa to best-in-class education technologies that will challenge and encourage them to master the interconnected world of robotics and automation through hands-on learning.”

Each STEM cart has been tailored by RobotLAB’s skilled roboticists and education specialists for the various grade levels, ensuring teachers have the appropriate products and lesson plans for their students. The carts can accommodate classrooms of up to 24 students, each including three age-specific product bundles comprised of humanoid robots, virtual reality headsets and more. Mindful of inclusivity and accessibility, RobotLAB is also providing robots, VR equipment, projected reality stations and lesson plans designed for students with a variety of learning needs.…Read More

Is “re-inventing education” more than a cliché?

It’s always a pleasure to talk with Anthony Salcito, formerly Vice President of Worldwide Education at Microsoft and currently Chief Institution Business Officer at Nerdy. In his current role, Anthony leads Varsity Tutors for Schools and is responsible for Nerdy’s efforts to support institutions as they work to transform learning opportunities for students and educators across a range of offerings. Recently, the platform was selected by the New Jersey Department of Education as an approved pre-qualified tutoring provider for the state’s 2023/2024 High-Impact Tutoring Program. This initiative, tailored to assist students disproportionately affected by the pandemic, focuses specifically on third and fourth graders. The Ohio Department of Education also picked Varsity Tutors this fall to provide tutoring services for Future Forward Ohio. The collaboration aims to accelerate learning in literacy and numeracy while boosting workforce readiness and student wellness.

Our most recent conversation touches upon the impact of the pandemic on education, the role of teachers, and the evolution of tutoring in the education landscape. We talk about the evolution of the perception of tutoring, the challenges schools face in integrating consistent tutoring practices, and the potential of AI in education. Have a listen:

Key Takeaways:…Read More