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: How esports engages students

Key points:

Academic esports programs aren’t simply a group of students sitting in a classroom playing video games. Rather, teams and tournaments promote collaboration, critical thinking, communication skills, and offer inclusive environments that welcome students from all backgrounds and with all abilities.

How can schools create esports programs and teams?

Conversations around the benefits of esports have centered on collegiate and secondary levels, but recently, the conversation has expanded to include elementary esports, too. Like any new venture, this is something that takes time to fully understand. The beauty is that there is a room full of experts to journey alongside their teacher. It is incredibly powerful when the classroom is flipped and students have an opportunity to share their passions and expertise with their teacher. Here are 6 tips to start an elementary program.…Read More

In the Footsteps of History Announces Their Newest Immersive Learning Game

New York City, NY – In the Footsteps of History, an adventure-based educational platform is proud to announce the release of its newest immersive learning game, In the Footsteps of Matthew Henson, which was made in partnership with 3D experts, Ultisim.

This learning module illuminates the remarkable journey of Matthew Henson, an African American explorer who achieved a monumental feat in the early 20th century by becoming the first person to reach the North Pole. Despite this groundbreaking accomplishment, Henson’s name is often overshadowed by that of his better-known companion, Admiral Robert Peary.

 “My family and I are so proud to see my great-grandfather’s legacy being carried forward in this way, says Aviaq Henson. “It’s truly inspiring to see how his adventures and discoveries are being shared with the younger generation. It’s such a good reminder of the importance of passing down these untold stories.”…Read More

Crunch the Numbers: New Data on Student Wellbeing, the Skills Gap Crisis, and Tech Usage in Utah

The Social Institute, whose mission is to empower millions of students to navigate their social world — including social media and technology — in positive, healthy, and high-character ways, released its 2024 Student Insights Report: How Social Media, Tech, and Current Events Impact Student Well-Being. This report reflects insights shared by more than 29,000 students in TSI’s Annual Student Survey and more than one million responses from its K-12 collaborative learning platform, #WinAtSocial — making it the largest data set of its kind, spanning grades 3 – 12 in schools across the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Each year, The Social Institute asks students nationwide to share insights into trending apps, positive ways to navigate common but complex social situations, everyday challenges faced online and off, and what adults should know about well-being, social media, and technology. Educators can use the insights to gain a deeper understanding of their students, helping them to improve school culture and community well-being.

Among this year’s key findings:…Read More

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

AI-Enabled Personal Professional Learning MicroGrant Announced Targets Teachers and Coaches (K-6)

North Carolina based QoreInsights announced today the launch of a MicroGrant program where they will award three schools with free site wide licenses for unlimited use of their AI-enabled personalized professional learning platform, The Classroom Education Plan© (CEP). The granted award will begin in fall 2024 and extend until the end of the 2025 school year. It includes support for on-boarding and professional learning to ensure the success of the initiative. The total approximate value of the three awards is over $30,000.

The Classroom Education Plan© (CEP) supports teachers and coaches helping them to improve their core instructional practice. CEP uses a job-embedded professional learning approach, coach-support that utilizes AI to guide
every teacher to targeted evidence-based instructional strategies, tracks impact, and enables real-time insights into student progress and well-being. “Millions of educators across the nation echo the same need: to provide teachers with high-quality professional learning that translates to measurable improvement in student achievement, engagement, and well-being,” said Dr. Toni Shub, Founder and CEO of QoreInsights. “We developed CEP to create equity for both teacher and student learning. CEP uses learning engineering and a decision support system to equitably guide every teacher to the most impactful evidence-based instructional methods for their specific classroom to address whole-child student needs, including feelings of safety and internalizing behaviors.”

Three elementary schools will be selected to become QorePremium Partners and will receive CEP licenses for all general education K-6 teachers at the awarded sites (administrators and coaches are free). Schools will be able to award teachers up
to 36 job-embedded continuing education credits!…Read More

7 tips and ideas to make the eclipse engaging for students

This article originally appeared on Vernier’s blog and is reposted here with permission.

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will be visible over the United States, starting in Texas. This upcoming eclipse event is an exciting opportunity to incorporate phenomenon-based learning into your instruction and engage your students through inquiry.

Here are some tips for making the most out of this rare occasion as you study it with your students.…Read More

Math is not a universal language—but it can be a universal thread

Key points:

Say what you will about the universality of numbers and symbols; I’d politely argue that it does not follow that mathematics is a universal language. The problem for many struggling math students is that often those “universal” numbers and symbols hide in surrounding contexts of unfamiliar vocabulary, settings, and narratives.

As math educators, we can help those students by finding ways to relate their classroom learning to more recognizable cultural frames of reference that are authentic to the range of experiences in the room. In the process, math can actually become a universal thread to connect many types of content and learners. Number sense and quantities are some of the very few things that tie us together in a common experience.…Read More

Infusing PBL with edtech to enhance collaboration, critical thinking

Key points:

Project-based learning (PBL) helps prepare students for college and beyond by actively engaging them in meaningful, relevant projects. In many situations, students will work on these projects for weeks or months at a time, which helps them develop deeper content knowledge when attempting to answer complex questions and resolve real-world problems.

With advances in digital tools, many teachers are finding that using edtech tools in PBL enhances projects by providing direct access to greater sources of information and by allowing students to collaborate more easily. Some believe that leveraging the right technology is one of the best ways to support students during PBL activities.…Read More

DEI in action: eSN Innovation Roundtable

DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) is a commonly used acronym, but what does it mean in the context of day-to-day operations in a school district?

As many experts will point out, DEI initiatives are prone to fail when they aren’t getting at the crux of the issue—existing systemic processes and challenges that prevent promising solutions and DEI-focused policies from being successful.

During an eSchool News Innovation Roundtable with a focus on DEI, moderated by eSchool News Content Director Kevin Hogan, district leaders delved into the critical but complicated topic of DEI in school districts. Roundtable participants included:…Read More

ParentSquare Named to the 2024 GSV 150: The Top Growth Companies in Digital Learning & Workforce Skills

Santa Barbara, CA —  ParentSquare, the award-winning unified school-home engagement platform for K12 education, has been named to the 2024 edition of the GSV 150: GSV’s annual list of the top 150 private companies transforming digital learning and workforce skills.

The GSV 150 are VC- and PE-backed private companies experiencing top-line growth with minimum double-digit millions in revenue. The 2040 cohort collectively reaches ~3B people and generates ~$23B in revenue. GSV made the selections by evaluating over 2,000 private companies across five key factors — revenue scale, revenue growth, user reach, geographic diversification, and margin profile, to determine the top 150 companies globally.

“We are gratified to have been counted among the world’s most transformational growth companies in digital learning and workforce upskilling,” ParentSquare President and Founder Anupama Vaid said. “This recognition is a testament to our mission of developing industry-leading technologies that bridge school-home communication gaps. From groundbreaking AI integrations to new seamless communication tools, we remain focused on helping schools foster family engagement now and well into the future.”…Read More