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.

6 benefits of immersive learning with the metaverse

The metaverse is a tool that blends experiences typically associated with either the virtual or physical worlds. It can deliver greater immersive learning for students while also creating some new and exciting teaching opportunities. For educators, it is crucial to not only understand what the metaverse is and its uses within education but to also realize the benefits of immersive learning with the metaverse.

The metaverse is an emerging technology that is gradually becoming more mainstream within education, in part because it delivers immersive learning experiences for students. Essentially, the metaverse allows academic institutions and educators to create engaging experiences that teach valuable information, which encourages exploration and experimentation. What’s more, the metaverse itself can be accessed using a variety of devices.

With that being said, metaverse learning is a relatively new concept and one that many educators are still getting to grips with. At the same time, because the metaverse is also being used in areas like social media and the creation of video games, its use as an educational tool has not necessarily been fully understood by all.…Read More

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The Science of Reading: A Defining Movement

Dr. Maria Murray is dedicated to helping others understand how we learn to read, how to teach literacy effectively, and why it matters. In this podcast, learn why reading is comparable to medicine, how to create empowered readers/writers, and why literacy is a “defining movement” in the 21st century.

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CYPHER LEARNING Builds Out Proven Executive Team

PLANO, Texas —   CYPHER LEARNING, a leading provider of intelligent learning platforms for schools, universities and organizations around the world, today announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with Jennifer Geisler as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Matt Kane as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Combined with the prior appointment of Hank Courson, CFO, these proven leaders will help fuel CYPHER LEARNING’s global growth, customer success and innovation — helping the company achieve its mission to improve education by fundamentally changing the way people teach and learn worldwide.

“Jennifer, Matt and Hank bring a new and invigorating level of experience and leadership required to drive scale and high growth with a strong go-to-market strategy,” said Graham Glass, CEO of CYPHER LEARNING. “The large $8.1 billion LMS market has created significant growth opportunities for CYPHER LEARNING, as its leading-edge learning platform continues to gain traction due to its intuitive user experience, powerful functionality and innovative approach to teaching and learning. With our recent $40 million growth round and the addition of this power trio, we are now full speed ahead.”

In her role as CMO, Geisler will define and lead CYPHER LEARNING’s global marketing strategy with tight alignment across the company that drives scale, customer value and clear differentiation from the traditional learning management system (LMS). She brings more than two decades of marketing leadership experience, including two successful initial public offerings (IPOs), category creation and accelerated adoption of innovations. Geisler has previously held leadership roles at Vectra AI, Forescout, McAfee, Cisco and more.…Read More

4 ways we designed collaborative learning spaces

When we built a new 3-story high school building on our former baseball field, we knew that we wanted to incorporate spaces where students could learn and teachers could teach in a very collaborative manner.

So, along with our new classrooms, in most areas of our school there are now two hallways with resource classrooms running down the center. Those are our collaborative spaces, and they’re where we got to be creative in terms of planning and design.

We didn’t want to just order 200 of the same chairs and hope for the best, so we worked with MiEN to select furniture designs and other elements that would best define and complement our new collaborative spaces. Here are four other steps we took to achieve our vision:…Read More

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8 ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15–October 15, starts in the middle of the month because that day that marks the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua from Spain. Mexico celebrates its independence from Spain on September 16, and Chile on September 18.

During this month, we recognize the contributions, heritage, culture, and importance of Hispanic and Latinx Americans and how they have shaped our country’s character.

Here are eight opportunities for your school or district to celebrate.…Read More

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Why teach digital writing to students in 2022?

The internet has changed writing forever.

Have you ever thought of your students alongside Hemingway, Shakespeare, and other well-known writers? They are actually: All their messages, blogs, and social media posts go online today, together with novels, poems, or stories of professional writers.

Now they write more than speak. Online communication calls the shots, and Gen Z doesn’t perceive informative writing as we did 20 or 30 years ago.…Read More

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Educators are turning yoga into a vehicle for school and community change

After a tumultuous few years teaching during a pandemic, some educators are embarking on a unique approach to social and emotional learning (SEL) training this summer: They’re pursuing a virtual wellness, SEL, and yoga training course.

Graduates of Breathe For Change’s 200-hour program will be certified to teach inclusive yoga classes to both adults and young people and lead SEL and wellness experiences in their schools, districts, and organizations.

“Our whole approach is a community-wide wellness approach–the home-school connection matters deeply,” said Dr. Ilana Nankin, Breathe For Change’s founder and CEO.…Read More

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