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.

Time to build an AI library

There’s no avoiding it. Artificial intelligence is here: in your classrooms, in your front office, on your phone. And while the topic can be overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be a burden. One of the best pieces of advice regarding managing AI in schools so far came during a conversation yesterday with Melissa Hortman, a senior industry executive at Microsoft, for our sister publication eCampus news, but her advice applies to all levels of education: First, learn how it works. 

That being said, the amount of information out there can be overwhelming and getting worse by the day. Don’t worry, we’re here for you. The following resources should fill up your weekend reading queue quite nicely. And be sure we’ll be diving in deeper as this phenomenon progresses.

From: eCampus News…Read More

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Cutting-Edge Technology Teaches Lessons about World War I

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During the upcoming National History Day Finals, The Doughboy Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to World War I education, will be on hand to demonstrate the power of augmented reality (AR) to immerse history lovers in WWI. Using the Foundation’s Augmented Reality Apps, attendees registering on June 11 for the National History Day Finals week can explore life-sized WWI-era aircraft and giant timelines right in the registration hall at the University of Maryland, College Park.

“It can be a challenge to engage students in lessons about events that happened more than a century ago,” said Theo Mayer, chief technologist/program lead for the Doughboy Foundation. “Making the subject experiential and interactive through smartphones and tablets that use the power of AR brings the subject of World War I to life for today’s students.”

While National History Day participants will get a personal introduction to the WWI Teaching Resources, educators anywhere in the country can use them to bring history to life. Using the resources, made available through Verizon Innovative Learning HQ, educators and students can immerse themselves in WWI history. They can experience the wide-reaching effects of the war by viewing it in the context of women’s rights, immigrants’ experiences, Black and Native Americans struggles, propaganda, and the Bill of Rights.…Read More

Intervene K-12 Receives $150,000 Grant From National Nonprofit Accelerate To Make High-Impact Tutoring Sustainable And Cost-Effective

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Intervene K-12, a Houston-based online tutoring platform, announced today it will receive a $150,000 Innovation grant from Accelerate, a national nonprofit working to make high-impact tutoring a standard feature of the American school day. The grant will advance research on the impact of Intervene K-12’s signature tutoring method that pairs high-impact tutoring with mentorship to encourage academic success and career exploration. The grant will also support Intervene K-12’s unique curriculum integration and staffing model to hire tutors from various business sectors to expose scholars to diverse professionals. 

“Our unique combination of tutoring and career exploration has been implemented in dynamic, urban districts with measurable and replicable results,” said Aaron McCloud, founder and CEO of Intervene K-12. “With this grant we will be able to hire even more tutors from diverse personal and professional backgrounds to allow scholars to connect with tutors who look like them and work in highly desirable fields.” 

Intervene K-12 uses evidence-based lessons that are designed especially for Intervene K-12 scholars to meet them where they are. These lessons are leveraged using high-impact, online tutoring within the school day, during which small groups of three to five students facing similar challenges are paired with a tutor. …Read More

Kidwind Celebrates Top Renewable Energy Innovations From Students At The 2023 National Kidwind Challenge

Boulder, Colo. – Being one of the best was the goal of each of the 80 teams while competing at the 2023 National KidWind Challenge in Boulder. Over the course of the three-day event, these highly skilled students were tested on their knowledge of renewable energy, their design and problem-solving skills, and their wind turbines’ energy output by a team of renewable energy educators and industry professionals. The top-performing teams are:

High School Division (Grades 9-12)

  • THS Wind Breakers from Tabb High School in Yorktown, Va.
  • Mauston Gummy Bears from Mauston High School in Mauston, Wis.
  • The Quilt Blockers from Darlington High School in Darlington, Wis.

Middle School Division (Grades 6-8)…Read More

Why connected laptops are a pathway to digital liberation

Key points:

  • Digital classrooms–and their remote students–are here to stay
  • School facilities face unprecedented demand for broadband across education sites

The introduction of always-connected PCs and Chromebooks continues to be the catalyst for digitally liberating many students. Now is an especially exciting time to turn to this idea as PC and Chromebook battery life innovation, as well as performance, speed, audio, and video enhancement, is finally getting to the level needed to handle the digital criteria and learning throughout a school day and beyond.

Hotspots were heralded as the rescue, but often without weighing the pros and cons, especially in relevance to long-term solutions. What’s been overlooked is the substantial amount of learning time wasted just to leverage hotspots for learning. Connected laptops are a streamlined solution as the connection is built in, flexible and fitting into the ever-changing education system without the disruption of time.…Read More

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Certell’s Poptential™ Addresses 21st-Century Wars With Free Memorial Day Teaching Resources

INDIANAPOLIS (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Poptential™, a family of free social studies course packages from Certell, provides rich content to teach the importance of Memorial Day, including material on the U.S. involvement in 21st-century wars. Click to tweet.

“While today’s high school students weren’t yet born when the United States was attacked on 9/11, the War on Terror resulting from that day has been in the news for most of their lives,” said Julie Smitherman, a former social studies teacher and director of content at Certell, Inc. “More than 7,000 U.S. service men and women lost their lives during this protracted war, so it’s important to understand how it came about.”

The Memorial Day holiday honors American soldiers who have died in combat and has been observed annually since 1971 on the last Monday of May. Poptential’s American History curriculum features bell ringers, mini-lessons, and multimedia content to engage and teach students about the U.S. involvement in 21st-century wars, including the attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the resulting War on Terrorism, the occupation of Afghanistan and the Iraq war. Lessons include:…Read More

3 ways to ensure kindergarten readiness for all children

Ensuring that children are developmentally ready for school on day one of kindergarten is critical. The better prepared children are for kindergarten, the more successful they are likely to be in their school experience.

Kindergarten readiness involves more than just a child’s age and academic abilities. It also encompasses social-emotional competencies, including whether children can follow directions, regulate their own emotions, and get along well with others.

As a former principal for a large urban school district who has opened an early childhood center with more than 400 children, I have extensive experience in preparing children for kindergarten and working with parents to do the same. Here are three key steps that school systems can take to ensure that all children have the solid foundation they need to start kindergarten ready to learn with their peers.…Read More

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Local School Wins Frontier Airlines’ National Contest

Phenix City, Ala.— South Girard School (SGS) entered and won Frontier Airlines’ national contest ahead of Teacher Appreciation Week. This year’s South Girard Teacher of the Year, Ms. Brooke Dosier, entered the contest and rallied her colleagues to support the entry. 

Out of 23,000 votes nationwide, they came out on top, and Frontier Airlines provided them with $250 vouchers (1 round-trip ticket) for every staff member. The 54 vouchers allow educators to enjoy some well-deserved time off and explore new destinations. Frontier Airlines also provided Frontier swag for educators. 

Tyri Squyres, Frontier Airlines’ vice president of marketing said, “In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day, Frontier Airlines is proud to celebrate the educators at South Girard School. Out of 23,000 votes nationwide, the faculty and staff at South Girard came out on top. We’re thrilled to offer them free flights for their hard work and dedication.”…Read More

10 reasons we love teachers

My second-grade teacher made me love Ramona Quimby.
I’ve never forgotten my multiplication tables, thanks to my fourth-grade teacher.
My fifth-grade teacher taught me to confidently project my voice (much to my husband’s chagrin when I’m on video calls!).
My sixth-grade teacher inspired me to be a fast typist and gave me independent reading time so I could accomplish my goal of finishing Gone with the Wind.
My high school Algebra II teacher made me believe I was, in fact, really good at math.
My English literature teacher inspired me to write a book.
My Humanities teachers inspired me to travel the world.

Just seven days a year to celebrate teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week is hardly sufficient.  After all, they celebrate our students’ wins and teach them lessons through their mistakes every day of the school year. Let’s reflect on 10 reasons we love teachers…

  1. A Lifetime of Influence

    Growing up in a small town and attending a school with approximately 25 classmates from pre-school through eighth grade, I had a couple of teachers twice and interacted with all the teachers in the building regularly. Whatever the length of interaction, it can go a long way for students, like artist Dean Thompson. Dean shared his teacher’s valuable guidance: “Robert Dominiak was an art teacher who was a mentor to me. He taught me how to look at things with a different perspective, and he helped me put together a portfolio when I applied to the Art Institute of Chicago. With his help I received my degree from there, and I’m still in contact with him to this day.”…Read More

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    3 supports for educators implementing restorative justice practices

    Educators are embracing restorative justice practices to facilitate safe and relational school environments and address inequities in school disciplinary practices. Research-based guidance offers insights on how to structurally support educators through restorative justice implementation, and there are resources for teachers and support staff as they integrate restorative practices into their roles.

    Educators play an important role in restorative justice (RJ) implementation–they are often tasked with ensuring that RJ practices are implemented in classrooms, and they engage in many of the day-to-day interpersonal RJ practices. Because transitioning to RJ is a long and challenging process, it is necessary to provide educators with resources that can help them along the way. Without these broader systemic supports, it is possible that RJ programs may not be equipped to be successful in the long term.

    With the need for systemic support for educators in mind, here are some ways to support educators in playing an active role in the development and implementation of RJ programs.…Read More

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