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.

3 new school grant opportunities

Key points:

Each day, teachers are tasked with doing more and more with increasingly fewer resources. And despite federal emergency funding to help schools provide staff and resources as the pandemic abates, school leaders still grapple with funding challenges.

School grants are often one-time funding opportunities, and while they are not permanent policy changes, grants often help students earn much-needed scholarship money, gain valuable experiences, and they also connect teachers with classroom resources or professional development.…Read More

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Reflection Sciences Appoints Isaac Van Wesep as Incoming Chief Executive Officer

MINNEAPOLIS (PRWEB) — Reflection Sciences, the executive function company, has appointed  Isaac Van Wesep as Chief Executive Officer, effective June 1. The appointment will drive innovation, growth and the pursuit of the company’s mission to ensure every child gets the executive function support they need to achieve academic, career and personal success.

Van Wesep has a deep understanding of education technology and a passion for improving educational outcomes for all children. His expertise will be instrumental in guiding Reflection Sciences as it continues to lead the growth of cognitive science tools to enhance learning, curriculum and child development.

“After working closely with Isaac over the last two years, it’s clear he has the vision, energy and executive function skills to build on Reflection Sciences’ leadership in executive function,” said Co-Founder and Board Director Stephanie Carlson, Ph.D. “The science is now very clear that executive function skills significantly predict student achievement in core areas such as math, literacy and social-emotional skills. Measuring and improving executive function skills is the way forward to support student success.”…Read More

SIIA Announces Education Technology Finalists for 2023 CODiE Awards

WASHINGTON (PRWEB) — In celebration of the 38th annual SIIA CODiE Awards, the  Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced Education Technology finalists. Finalists, selected by expert reviewers, represent the most innovative and impactful products from education technology developers, online learning services and related learning-focused technologies.

“The 2023 CODiE Award finalists are some of the most inspiring products, services and leaders who are blazing a trail in the education technology space,” said SIIA President Chris Mohr. “Their innovations stand to improve the teaching and learning experience for teachers and students here in the U.S. and globally. Congratulations to all of this year’s finalists.”

The SIIA CODiE Awards are the industry’s only peer-reviewed awards program. Educators and administrators serve as judges for the first-round review of all nominees. Their scores determine the SIIA CODiE Award finalists and account for 80 percent of the overall score. SIIA members then vote on the finalist products. The scores from both rounds are tabulated to select the winners. Details about each finalist are listed at  https://www.siia.net/codie/codie-finalists/. The category winners will be announced June.…Read More

Ripple Effects’ Complete Suite of PreK-12 Social Emotional Learning Programs Earns Finalist Honors in Prestigious EdTech Awards 2023

SEATTLE –   Ripple Effects, a leader in digital social emotional learning and behavior and mental health supports, today announced that its suite of PreK-12 programs, which includes Bouncy’s Ready to Learn Resilience, Ripple Effects for Kids and Ripple Effects for Teens, earned finalist honors in the  EdTech Awards 2023, which recognizes and celebrates the best and brightest in education technology.

The EdTech Awards were established in 2010 to recognize, acknowledge and celebrate the innovators, leaders, and trendsetters in education technology. The annual program shines a spotlight on cool tools, inspiring leaders and innovative trendsetters across the K-12, higher education and skills and workforce sectors. Ripple Effects earned recognition in the category of general product or service.

“It is an incredible honor to receive this recognition for our entire PreK-12 suite of digital   programs,” said John Ray-Keil, CEO, Ripple Effects. “At Ripple Effects, we immerse ourselves in developing and delivering a comprehensive, yet dynamic set of tools designed to support learners to help them thrive in school and in life, today and tomorrow. We appreciate the acknowledgement of our work.”…Read More

Renaissance’s All New Visual Identity Champions a Teacher-Led Ecosystem, Empowering Educators to “See Every Student”

BLOOMINGTON, MINN. (PRWEB) — Renaissance, a leader in pre-K–12 education technology, announces a rebrand and new visual identity reflecting the company’s transformational teacher-led learning ecosystem and demonstrating how the right technology can help educators truly see every student. The new brand identity embraces the company’s almost 40-year history as a leader in pre-K–12 education technology, while taking a fresh and forward-looking approach to the future of Renaissance.

“Our business has changed dramatically over the past few years,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Chief Marketing Officer at Renaissance. “The rebranding marks a new Renaissance, demonstrating how we help every student succeed by providing teachers and administrators with the digital tools they need to unlock personalized teaching.”

Nationwide, schools and districts face unprecedented challenges from teacher burnout, teaching vacancies, and the pressure to deliver results like never before. In addition, supporting students’ academic learning is a source of job-related stress for almost half of teachers, according to a  RAND Corporation survey. To address these issues, solutions that cater to the unique needs of each student are crucial. Together, Renaissance’s assessments, instruction, and insights provide a complete, comprehensive solution—while keeping educators at the forefront of classroom decisions and instruction.…Read More

Renaissance Completes Acquisition of GL Education, Positioning Renaissance as a Global Education Leader

BLOOMINGTON, MINN. (PRWEB) — Renaissance, a leader in pre-K–12 education technology, completed the acquisition of  GL Education, a provider of formative assessments for schools and school groups in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and over 100 countries worldwide. The acquisition completed as planned on March 31, 2023.

The acquisition of GL Education supports Renaissance’s mission to accelerate students’ growth and learning on an international scale through a suite of integrated solutions. Together with GL Education, Renaissance can reach and impact more students and teachers, delivering personalized teaching solutions that deliver differentiated insights.

“GL Education’s formative assessments, paired with Renaissance’s interconnected solutions, further empower our educators and help leaders leverage data to make meaningful change based on each individual students’ needs,” said Chris Bauleke, Chief Executive Officer at Renaissance. “We look forward to joining GL Education in driving growth for our students both in the US and abroad.”…Read More

4 edtech SEL trends to follow this year

Technology has become increasingly important to every level of education, and its value to social-emotional learning, or SEL, is no exception. Just as digital tools provide educators with innovative and flexible ways to reinforce learning in core academic subjects, they can be used to more effectively teach the social-emotional and life skills that students need to thrive in the classroom and beyond.

An essential part of my role as vice president of product for Committee for Children, an industry leader in SEL, is to keep a close eye on trends in education technology. After spending more than 25 years in edtech, I know how crucial it is for educators to understand how to leverage technology to support SEL in practical, meaningful ways.

Here are four of the latest SEL edtech trends that districts and schools can use this year to support the social-emotional well-being of students and staff, enhance students’ engagement with SEL content, and improve family communications.…Read More

AVer Launches World’s First All-in-One Camera with AI Audio for the Classroom

Fremont, CA – AVer Information Inc. USA, the award-winning provider of video collaboration and education technology solutions today announced the launch of the  A30, the world’s first All-in-One Camera with AI Audio for the Classroom.

The A30 is a multi-functional classroom tool that enhances the teaching experience by combining a document camera, web camera, microphone, and speaker. With easy-to-use plug-n-play connectivity, the A30 speaker connects to computers, IFPs, and monitors to provide clear classroom audio up to 20 feet away. Teachers can seamlessly pivot between doc cam and webcam modes without having to switch technology devices, while the built-in microphone and speaker minimize set-up time and can support small classroom work groups and hearing-impaired students. The A30 allows connection to wireless microphone via line in for versatile lesson recording.

In addition to its flexibility and premium quality, the A30 delivers the following features:…Read More

5 ways our district streamlines edtech ecosystems

Student data privacy has been at the forefront of district leaders’ minds well before the pandemic. However, since COVID-19 shifted schools and classrooms online, it’s not surprising that tech usage has reached an all-time high. Districts are accessing 1,400 edtech tools per month on average, and cybersecurity attacks in our nation’s schools are also increasing.

As an Education Technology Specialist at one of Colorado’s fastest-growing districts, District 49, I was tasked 5 years ago with the responsibility to ensure our district complied with federal and student data privacy laws. Both state and federal laws require vendors and school districts to facilitate safe online learning experiences. However, when the pandemic hit, our district was forced to rethink our approach beyond compliance to further vet our edtech tools and make protecting student data privacy a regular practice of our edtech ecosystem.

For the process to work, I knew we would have to work collaboratively, across departments and buildings, to confirm that our teachers and students were using digital tools that delivered value without exposing student data to risk.…Read More