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.

Friday 5: Online learning’s evolution

Key points:

Online learning has limitless potential for students and teachers, offering the ability to learn from any location and at all times of the day. Let’s take a look at some of the latest online learning trends:

Is online learning really effective?

The short answer: Yes. Flexible, hybrid learning is key to student success. Schools should reimagine the learning processes and leverage in-person and hybrid learning to help students achieve the best possible results. The potential for innovation and student engagement are only scratching the surface when it comes to the advantages of online learning. Having many new, effective tools in educators’ toolboxes, it’s time to cast aside conventional processes and rethink the way we provide services to, and support, our students. Take the first steps toward this innovation.…Read More

Loudoun County Public Schools Offers New Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources for Parents and Students

SALT LAKE CITY – The Cook Center for Human Connection, a nonprofit dedicated to mental health and suicide prevention, has partnered with Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) to provide ParentGuidance.org to LCPS’ schools and families. Members of the LCPS community now have free access to a range of online mental health resources that empower families to help children thrive, including:

  • One-on-one parent coaching individualized for families;
  • Online on-demand lessons taught by licensed therapists; and
  • Live, interactive family mental health series webinars hosted by trained professionals – available in the fall of 2024;

“Talking about mental health and other concerns is the key to understanding,” says Jennifer Evans, M. Ed., LPC, Director of Student Mental Health Services at LCPS. “Through ParentGuidance.org’s parent coaching and webinars, we are aiming to help parents address important mental health and developmental topics to support their children. Parents will gain tools and strategies that will enable them to talk with their children, engage in, and normalize important conversations about mental health.”

The Cook Center’s model focuses on the protective factors for youth mental health and suicide prevention in which schools and parents play a critical role. Though only two years old, ParentGuidance.org has already been adopted by 229 districts and 3,617 schools, offering more than 2.4 million families access to services across 37 states.…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

How esports can help students in the classroom (no, seriously!)

Key points:

Ask most parents if their children’s school should start an esports team, and you’ll be met with reluctance. Video games? In the classroom? Absolutely not!

The reasons why pile up quickly. Some worry it could lead to their children spending less time on schoolwork and more time on screens. Others fear what their kids may wind up seeing and hearing in online gameplay. More than a few don’t even know what esports means.…Read More

VHS Learning Students Continue to Excel Academically with 91% Pass Rate 

Boston – Although  reports reveal that U.S. students’ general academic performance still trails behind pre-pandemic rates, students taking  VHS Learning’s high-quality, teacher-led online classes have maintained a consistent high level of achievement before, during, and after the pandemic. During the 2022-23 academic year, 91% of students who completed their VHS Learning’s online course did so with a passing grade. This is the fourth consecutive year that VHS Learning students have attained an average pass rate of 91%. 

Students who took VHS Learning courses in the summer for credit recovery surpassed last year’s performance. In 2023, those students who previously failed a course and retook it in the summer with VHS Learning had an average pass rate of 80%, up from 75% in 2022. Students must achieve a final grade of 60 or higher to pass their courses.

In the 27 years that VHS Learning has been providing supplemental online high school classes, it has earned a reputation for its high standard of educational quality that keeps schools and students coming back. In the 2022-2023 academic year, VHS Learning had 16,927 course enrollments by students from more than 520 partner schools. Last year, 92% of schools previously utilizing the program continued their participation into the 2022-2023 school year. Further,90% of administrators and 90% of site coordinators who manage the VHS Learning program at their schoolsaid they were satisfied or very satisfied with their school’s VHS Learning experience.…Read More

Friday 5: The many faces of classroom learning

Key points:

There’s no denying it: Classroom learning is changing. Classrooms today could be in person, online, or hybrid. Classrooms may be student-driven, might focus on project-based learning, or may offer learning through a specialized topic such as STEM.

And while today’s classrooms look different, students and teachers remain at the heart of classroom learning.…Read More

Pearson’s Connections Academy Partners with HOSA–Future Health Professionals to Engage and Connect Middle and High Schoolers Early to Healthcare Careers

Columbia, Md. –  Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L) and its  Connections Academy, the fully online public school program serving K-12 students for more than 20 years, announced today their partnership with  HOSA–Future Health Professionals, a career and technical student organization (CTSO), to connect middle and high school students to healthcare careers. Through the partnership, Connections Academy will introduce students to HOSA’s immersive experiences that will supercharge their explorations of hundreds of healthcare occupations. 

Students will get hands-on experience in the healthcare industry, learn about growing opportunities in healthcare careers, as well as meet like-minded students from across the globe. HOSA students develop the skills prioritized by employers, according to  Pearson’s Skills Outlook, in leadership, communication and teamwork, as well as technical skills related to specific healthcare careers. 

Their experience builds self-confidence, motivation, and enthusiasm for their future in healthcare through developing a professional network from HOSA’s collegiate and industry partners, alumni, and peers, and through participation in community service and the organization’s nearly 100 annual healthcare-related competitive events at the local, state and international levels. …Read More

15 edtech startups selected for the inaugural AWS Education Accelerator

Key points:

This post originally appeared online and is republished here with permission.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) in early January announced 15 startup companies selected to participate in the inaugural AWS Education Accelerator. Announced in October 2023, the AWS Education Accelerator supports edtech startups who are innovating to enhance the teaching and learning experience and improve educational outcomes.…Read More

Promoting music education beyond the classroom

Key points:

At its core, music is about self-expression and creativity. Music education also gives students a chance to reflect on their inner thoughts and helps struggling children build their confidence in a safe space.

When used correctly, music can even uplift entire communities and help folks overcome hardships. Inspirational scores make a real difference to individuals who are down on their luck and lonely students can bond around a shared love of music.…Read More

Learning in the Digital Age

Key points:

  • Digital tools are powering a new era of K-12 learning
  • Still, challenges remain–among them, equity and access
  • Stay up to date on the latest trends about learning in the digital age

In today’s digital age, learning has gone through a profound transformation, reshaping traditional educational models. Technology’s omnipresence has brought forth a new era of accessibility, democratizing knowledge across geographic and socioeconomic boundaries.

As learning in the digital age progresses, online platforms, interactive simulations, and virtual classrooms have become essential tools, promoting and supporting self-directed and personalized learning experiences. The digital availability of information has accelerated the pace of knowledge sharing, enabling instant access to a vast repository of resources. Collaboration is not confined by physical barriers–global learning communities connect and share insights in real-time. Adaptive learning technologies cater to individual needs, optimizing educational paths for diverse learners.…Read More

Examples of Technologies that Improve Student Learning

Key points:

  • Technology’s many uses are especially valuable in student learning
  • As technology evolves, educators find new ways to target learning needs
  • Stay up-to-date on all things concerning learning in the digital age

As education becomes more an experience of learning in the digital age, technologies play a pivotal role in reshaping the learning experiences of K-12 students. From interactive applications to collaborative online platforms, a diverse array of technologies is contributing to more engaging, personalized, and efficient learning environments. These tools not only cater to diverse learning styles but also empower students to explore, create, and collaborate in unprecedented ways.

As the education sector continues to embrace technological advancements, educators are watching the transformative impact of various technologies, particularly how they facilitate enhanced comprehension, critical thinking, and prepare students for success in the ever-evolving digital era.…Read More

Tutor.com’s On-Demand Tutoring Meets ESSA II Standards, Demonstrating Positive Impacts on Student Grades and Attendance

NEW YORK —  Tutor.com, one of the world’s largest and most innovative online tutoring organizations, announced that it satisfies Level II requirements (Moderate Evidence) of the  Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for its on-demand tutoring services. 

The findings come from an  effectiveness study independently designed and conducted by LearnPlatform by Instructure, a third-party edtech research company. The study results show four statistically significant favorable outcomes for  El Monte Union High School District students who used Tutor.com, as compared to demographically similar non-users. Highlights include:

–       Students who used Tutor.com had higher GPAs. Students who used Tutor.com had higher spring-semester GPAs as compared to non-users (3.02 vs. 2.87), and the difference was statistically significant. …Read More