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.

Public Television’s Instructional Learning Series Let’s Learn Returns with New Episodes

New York – Let’s Learn, The WNET Group’s instructional learning series for children ages 3 to 7, has launched new episodes on public television stations nationwide (check local listings) and letslearn.org. The series debuts 20 episodes, additional content partners and added accessibility features. Let’s Learn has also launched a new website, making it easy to stream all episodes on any device at any time. In the New York metro area, Let’s Learn airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on THIRTEEN and 4 p.m. on WLIW21.

Let’s Learn serves as a supplemental resource to support children’s learning at home and in the classroom. Featuring a dynamic and diverse group of educators, episodes offer age-appropriate content focusing on foundational reading, writing and literacy skills, with literacy coaches modeling best practices for using science of reading-based pedagogy. The series also focuses on math, science, social studies, arts and social-emotional learning. Content partners include Education Through Music, Memphis Zoo, National Dance Institute, New Victory Theater, New-York Historical Society, New York City Children’s Theater, Studio in a School, University of Connecticut’s Feel Your Best Self program, and WUSF’s Meet the Helpers.

“Let’s Learn stands out because it features teachers who speak to kids directly, inviting them to learn,” said Sandra Sheppard, Director and Executive Producer of Kids’ Media & Education for The WNET Group. “Families, caregivers and educators rely on Let’s Learn as a trusted resource that supports children’s academic and social development. We’re thrilled to bring new episodes and an enhanced digital experience to young learners in the tri-state area and beyond.”…Read More

Lightspeed Systems’ New ‘Digital Equity’ Module Provides Actionable Insight Into Students’ Internet Connectivity And School-Issued Device Health When Learning Outside of School

AUSTIN, TX –  Lightspeed Systems, the leader in safe, secure and equitable education technology, announces  Digital Equity—a module that provides robust and real-time connectivity and device health data on students’ school-issued devices. Digital Equity helps school and district leaders understand the challenges students experience while trying to study outside of school so they can ensure all students stay connected to learning. 

According to the  2022 Student Home Connectivity Study from the Consortium for School Networking (COSN), gaps remain nationwide in network performance and internet speeds at all grade levels for students connecting from outside a school, with approximately one-third of high school students experiencing “Far Below” or “Below Guidelines” for connectivity from home. In addition, large disparities exist among student subgroups, particularly by ethnicity and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.  

Empowering school and district leaders, Digital Equity provides a complete, real-time view of each student’s school-issued devices, including a device’s overall health, operating system, internet speed, service provider and more. Leaders can drill-down into specific data on each individual student and their devices, as well as view overall district-wide usage to help identify local communities that need additional support and resources. Digital Equity is customizable, giving leaders the option to turn on specific data and usage stats.  …Read More

eSchool News wraps up Celebrate 25! and spotlights winners

eSchool News is celebrating 25 years in 2023, and during a March contest, 25 winners took home Amazon gift cards, with one additional grand prize winner receiving an Apple iPad.

Winners in the Celebrate 25! contest included curriculum coordinators, school office managers, classroom teachers, principals, technology directors, and school library professionals.

From being among the first new outlets to bring awareness to edtech initiatives such as one-to-one device programs in K-12 schools, to covering the myriad ways the COVID-19 pandemic has changed what education looks like, eSchool News continues to bring new developments, ideas, and innovations to its audience of K-12 decision makers, IT leaders, and classroom educators.…Read More

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With greater access to devices, teachers are folding more tech into instruction

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Before the pandemic, U.S. history teacher Travis Malekpour hesitated assigning his students work in the classroom that required a computer. He knew not every student had a laptop or tablet.

Three years later, Malekpour, who teaches in Queens, doesn’t think twice about assigning and grading in-class work that requires a device. …Read More

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Discover how edtech makes your teaching more effective and efficient

Nearly every student has a device and internet access, but that doesn’t mean in-person instruction will magically improve. How can we use technology to maximize learning in the classroom, and how can we create the most efficient use of screen time while making teachers’ workloads more manageable?

Join Erica Hartman, a former district chief technology officer, during an eSchool News webinar to find out how to engage students, measure progress, manage online learning, and save valuable time with GoGuardian Teacher and Edulastic. Discover how they can support you in creating an ecosystem of actionable data, intentional feedback, and an instructional workflow for seamless differentiation.

Learn about classroom technology that helps:…Read More

5 ways tech helps create calmer learning environments

When I started as a school counselor more than 15 years ago, technology in the classroom looked much different than it does today. Only a handful of students had their own personal device and the concept of one-to-one models, meaning every student is given a school-issued laptop or tablet, had not yet taken hold. At that time, students were accessing the internet or using digital tools sparingly throughout the school day, and typically only in tech-focused classes. Today, most teens have access to a smartphone and more than 80 percent of K-12 students use a school-issued device as part of their learning. Students are clearly more connected than ever, both inside and outside of the classroom.

This increased access to technology in school has had both positive and negative impacts on students. For some, the internet has proven to be an incredibly engaging and useful learning tool, while for others, the constant stream of information can be overwhelming. Because of this, it is important for educators to help students use technology in a purposeful way that supports learning.

While it might seem counterintuitive, technology and certain digital tools can actually help provide students with a sense of calm while enhancing in-the-moment thinking.…Read More

Learn to align your communication strategies with school safety

Having a campus-wide communication ecosystem is imperative, and school district leaders have no higher priority than to create secure and informed campus environments.

Being able to initiate a controlled emergency notification protocol to alert, notify and monitor directly from a mobile device, classroom audio system, or interactive flat panel is essential.

An eSchool News panel of experts, including Brent Thrasher, Instructional Technology Coordinator at Overton County Schools and Todd Eddy from Galaxy Next Generation, offers insights into how to make better decisions, prevent risk, and strengthen communication between faculty, administration, and first responders during an active threat.…Read More