The Future of eLearning by MarketScale: Recent Episodes
MarketScale
Welcome to The Future of eLearning by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
Teachers working with young students who are learning English as a second language already have to fight through several barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic added another.
Whether educating in person or virtually, as so many are because of the coronavirus, Istation bilingual professional development specialists Julie Robinson and Michele Kimball see plenty of challenges ahead for teachers in the young school year.
One question teachers have is how students are progressing. While, in person, a puzzled look may come across a student’s face or a child may ask a question to show they don’t comprehend the material, that’s less likely over an online platform.
“I think some of the biggest struggles will be as an educator going, ‘OK, do they understand what I asked them to do? How can I really do those checks for understanding?’,” Robinson said. “When I’m in my classroom, I can see that look on their face that they’re lost or get a thumbs up or thumbs down or where are you at on this scale … It’s really hard to do that when you’ve given them an assignment or are expecting them to work offline.”
Istation’s platform can help teachers gather and utilize data to help with something that may be lost in translation.
“When we do trainings for teachers around Istation … we’re also building teachers’ structural capacity to support them, so when they get to looking at their data, they have a set of guiding questions that will help them make instructional decisions on where to start and where to go next with each child,” Kimball said.
That would include, for example, looking at how each child is progressing through the five critical areas of English reading for which Istation screens.
It’s a resource that can help during a time when all aid possible is necessary.
Back-to-school season this year is unlike any other. With the pandemic forcing schools across the country to rethink the way they educate students, the spotlight is on differentiation and how educators will reach students at an individual level through online or socially distanced class learning.
Megan Axtman, Reading Specialist at Taft Elementary, Boise, ID, shared some of the best practices her school’s developed to meet students’ needs in this unprecedented time in education.
“For the first three weeks of school, our school district will be entirely online,” Axtman said.
And the school district will evaluate the situation and make in-class recommendations based on the coronavirus status after that point.
The online program was not something the school district had in place before the pandemic, and it worked over the summer to develop a full-time online curriculum.
“From the teacher’s side, we now have a little experience under our belts in how to handle online learning and a little more time to prepare,” Axtman said. “In the spring, we couldn’t guarantee that all kids had equitable access to what we wanted them to have in terms of online. For the fall, all kids in our school have internet access and can log in to get the online learning they need.”
Assessing student progress and needs can be a challenge in an online environment. Axtman said Taft elementary employs various tools, such as Istation Reading, to help with these assessments.
“Istation is our state’s main assessment tool for reading and all the categories within reading,” Axtman said. “We use it many times a week for self-paced instructional learning lessons the kids are working through based on their assessment results.”
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The way the world learns is changing. The use of video and the internet have been part of this evolution. Now the urgency is even greater. Adams Smith, founder of Ally XR, has a long history of connecting technology with learning.
This journey started with creating TeacherTube with his brother, an educator. “My brother came to me with the idea of having a platform to upload teacher videos as a professional development tool. I found some open source code and reengineered it,” Smith said.
That small idea caught fire. Soon, it was the YouTube for teachers. “We started getting more and more users. Schools and educators were using technology to enhance experiences. Yet, as the need for digitalization has become urgent, it seems many were unprepared. Smith added, “Infrastructure is the issue and the lack of budget to improve it.”
Taking what he learned from TeacherTube, Smith began a new enterprise, incorporating augmented reality.
“Ally XR was something we started in 2012 when we were working with Staples at TeacherTube. I learned augmented reality through a game builder platform. Now, it’s part of the learning model,” Smith shared.
Now the product is helping many different industries. Smith commented, “With education at heart, we came up with ways to train, collect data, and assess people. It makes sense when training is in hazardous roles. Fire, EMT, and police can use it for virtual, immersive training. It’s safer and less expensive,”
Next up is a project with Major League Baseball. “This was a pre-pandemic issue, but it’s escalated quickly. We’re capturing angles in 360 to provide vantage points like no other. It’s not new. It’s how you implement it,” Smith remarked.
Why parents need professional development too
The dangers of learning loss and how to deal with it
*How all edTech companies are now customer service centers
Need another negative for this forced migration to remote learning? Students become even more vulnerable to the dangers of what Advait Shinde calls the “modern Internet”. On this episode, the co-founder and CEO of GoGuardian talks about how his company is adjusting its products and services to these new scenarios and offers some hopeful insights for moving forward.
Advait co-founded GoGuardian to provide K-12 schools with new technologies that enable students to engage in a better learning experience. His dedication to help unlock student potential in education is made clear through his mission of using the internet in an open, but safe way. In his role as CEO of GoGuardian, Advait brings his passion for using data and technology to solve problems in education.
Based on his accomplishments in education and technology, Advait was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Education in 2016, as a finalist for Los Angeles Business Journal’s CTO of the Year in 2017, as a finalist for Ernst & Young's prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Greater Los Angeles in 2018, and for Los Angeles Business Journal’s 20 in Their 20s in 2019.
Before co-founding GoGuardian, Advait worked at Google as an engineer, combining innovation with the power of scale and helping to launch key products, such as Google Pay (formerly Google Wallet). Advait holds a B.S. in Computer Science from UCLA.
GoGuardian believes that education is the highest point of leverage for improving society and that digital learning can meaningfully advance educational outcomes for every student, school, and district. GoGuardian helps thousands of K-12 schools and districts maximize the learning potential of every student by providing solutions that enable more productive and safer digital learning. Its products help educators identify learning patterns, protect students from harmful and distracting content, and support mental health. To compile data on how educators can use technology to improve learning outcomes, GoGuardian has invested in a Research and Insights team, composed of psychology, advocacy, and education research specialists. Read about their study on the factors that influence student engagement in the State of Engagement 2019 Report.
Brady Colby, founder and CEO of Thirty Two EDU, joined the show to talk about the growing importance of micro-credentialing and the potential downfall of many universities.
Online learning has taken a front and center role in the world of education in light of the pandemic. While some universities and higher education institutions have met the challenge with scalable hybrid programs, others are scrambling to rise to the demand of remote learning. Brady talked about how some of the most successful schools have been smaller institutions that had already offered hybrid programs, while some of the bigger schools are the ones that are suffering. “These schools that you would never expect are really the ones that are able to scale because of the opportunities provided here,” he said.
Host JW asked for Brady’s thoughts about the future of education and how micro-credentialing fits into it. Brady pointed out that most employers don’t feel that people are coming out of higher education with all the necessary skills for employment, which is where the opportunity for micro-credentialing really came from. “It’s really about understanding the local and national employment situation and what skills are necessary for employment and moving up the ladder,” said Brady. With micro-credentialing, workers can obtain hyper-focused skills at a much faster, and more affordable, rate than taking full courses at a university, and those skills can be more immediately relevant to their role.
Brady talked about how the current curriculum lengths for degrees are possibly outdated. “There’s some underlying assumptions about how things have to work in higher education that we have to challenge and we have to talk through before we come out on the other side with a real clear idea of the mission. I think the hand has kind of been forced on that now,” he said, musing on the seemingly unspoken, and maybe unnecessary, agreement on a 120 credit-hour bachelor’s degree.
One thing is for sure. With the rise of micro-credentialing, JW said it best: “Colleges aren’t the only game in town anymore.”
What is the difference between remote learning and online learning? Carol Ribeiro, President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of VHS Learning, can tell you. She has over 20 years of experience in online education management and systems development. In this episode, Carol addresses the big picture issues schools need to contemplate during this mass disruption.
Prior to becoming President in 2015, Carol served as the Chief Operating Officer of VHS Learning and was responsible for overall management of operations, including school services, finance and accounting, technology services and support, and human resources. She has designed and delivered online courses and has been with VHS Learning since its inception. Prior to her work in online education, she managed systems development for UNUM. Carol holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems from Bentley University and an MBA from Clark University. She is also a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) and a licensed MA educator.
The Virtual High School is an online learning pioneer. Since 1995, the nonprofit organization has been setting the standard for quality online education. VHS provides courses taught in global online classrooms for secondary school students and online professional development in 21st century teaching for educators. The organization also meets the unique educational needs of schools through custom course development, individualized course offerings, and support for blended learning initiatives.
VHS' design and delivery standards was the model used by the National Education Association in their recommended standards for online learning. The organization has won numerous awards, including the Stockholm Challenge Award for Global Excellence in Information Technology and is a three-time winner of the United States Distance Learning Association's (USDLA) award for Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Best Practices.
Voices of eLearning host, JW Marshall, spoke with Harris Goodman, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at Achieve 3000, a 20 year old education software provider focused on K-12 literacy and other edTech products and services.
Marshall kicked off the conversation with the topic of data interoperability. “There’s a lot of data being generated by teachers and students,” said Goodman. Connecting information from different sources and syncing them together is a significant challenge. Being able analyze data on the whole can help determine where the student is coming from and where the student is going. Goodman also spoke of his work to promote open API platforms to improve data collection and analysis.
The discussion then moved into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has changed the mindset of eLearning companies and their willingness to work together to solve problems. Goodman spoke about companies being more open to interoperability as well as other challenges such as student authentication, authenticity, and creating a culture of anti-cheating in a home learning environment.
When asked about other challenges that have arisen from the pandemic, Goodman noted, “One thing we all need to think about is the social and emotional welfare of our students.” The lack of regular play, interactions with friends, and other social activities can have adverse impacts on a child's learning and development as well.
“What has been your experience as far as helping facilitate that parent involvement in a brand new way?” asked Marshall, as parents are now more involved with a child's learning from home. Harris describes the challenges for parents and the importance of reaching the parents in a meaningful way. “The research has shown this for years. The more involved the family is in the child’s education, the better off that child will be.”
The pair also touched on a number of other topics such as adult learning, career opportunities from eLearning, value of higher education opportunities, roles of universities in preparing students for the workforce, advice for entrepreneurs in the eLearning and technology space, startup mentorship, and insights into leadership.
Dr. Christina Counts has her eyes on the prize—more flexible, collaborative learning spaces. In this episode VP of Strategy and Development for MiEN Environments shares her ideas on how to make that happen this fall while at the same time keeping both students and teachers safe. Plus: Rethinking learning spaces at home.
Dr. Counts has worked in education for over 17 years with experience as a classroom teacher, district instructional leader, school administrator, and digital and innovative learning designer. In her most recent position, Christina leads a team of professionals that support schools making the transition to a flexible, collaborative, & student-centered learning space. She holds a doctorate in K-12 Educational Leadership, National Board certified, and Google & Apple certified. Dr. Counts envisions a learning space in which educators are empowered to transform education through design, technology and innovative instructional pedagogy to create learners ready for any future.
Topics include:
The importance of surface materials in cleaning and disinfecting learning spaces in schools during COVID-19
Designing for healthy and functional learning spaces - really the idea around the 6 foot classroom and tips for district and school leaders that must be adopted as they shift learning space design related to learning in the time of a global pandemic
-And of course schools are opening - so what are some things districts can do to maximize learning in all areas of a school - from the cafeteria to makerspaces to media centers.
From the history of personalized learning, to the prospect of parental pods, to the role of teacher unions in this new world of hybrid learning, there is seemingly no topic that Jaime Candee is afraid to touch. In this wonderfully candid episode, the President and CEO of the online learning platform Edmentum shares some provocative insights on how schools can manage through this years’ back-to-school madness and how the edtech industry can support them.
Jamie joined Edmentum in 2005 and began her career with the company in Human Resources, before working her way through nearly every department within the organization—serving as Director, Sales and Service Effectiveness; Vice President, Product Development; Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing; and Chief Revenue Officer during her initial tenure.
Jamie rejoined the organization in 2017, to lead Edmentum’s strategic vision and long term growth plan as President, CEO, and Board Director, bringing her successful record of accomplishment as an executive with extensive experience in education technology, private equity, and policy.
Jamie was selected by Minnesota Business magazine as one of the 2015 (Real) Power 50, by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a 2017 Titans of Technology honoree, and 2017 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist. Most recently, Jamie was selected as one of EdTech Digest’s Top 100 Influencers in EdTech and she was recognized by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a 2018 Women in Business honoree. She sits on the board of directors for Project Success, a MN-based education non-profit and serves as an advisory board member for Bethel University’s Department of Business and Economics.
Edmentum’s mission:
“At Edmentum, a single mission guides and inspires us as it defines our core purpose and the contribution we make to society: Founded in innovation, we are committed to being educators' most trusted partner in creating successful student outcomes everywhere learning occurs. To help us work toward that mission while operating business, our key values guide our priorities and are evident in everything we do.”
The "Voices of eLearning" Podcast provides business leaders with insights into current and future trends in eLearning. The "voices" on this show will include business leaders from a wide range of industries, eLearning professionals, technology experts and business professors, and they'll all use front-line experience to deliver an unmatched look at the evolution of eLearning and its role in our collective future.
Each episode will allow guests to share their unique insights derived from their experience and knowledge, but "Voices of eLearning" will always look to cover current transitions in the world of B2B eLearning and thought leadership around future trends. This show will provide a roadmap for keeping your business one step ahead of the competition through education.
In the inaugural episode, Dr. Art Langer, Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University, discusses the scalability of digital technology management, his non-profit work with the Workforce Opportunity Service (WOS) and how COVID-19 is effecting our educational institutions, our workforce and our society.
If anyone can prognosticate the precarious state of testing and assessing students during COVID-19 and beyond, Jeffrey Elliott can. As Chief Operating Officer of UWorld, a company used by more than 2 million students from secondary through graduate and professional certification for high-stakes online learning tools, he can see clearly through the chaos. In this episode, Jeff talks about the barriers as well as the opportunities that this catastrophe presents.
UWorld is the worldwide leader in online learning to prepare for high-stakes exams. Since 2003, UWorld has helped millions of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students prepare for their exams. At the core of UWorld's mission is an obsession with quality so that students receive only the best in learning resources. Whether students are preparing for the ACT, SAT, CFA, CPA, MBE, MCAT, NAPLEX/MPJE/CPJE, NCLEX, PANCE/PANRE, USMLE, ABIM, or ABFM, UWorld ensures success by using active learning methods. With challenging practice questions that mirror the real tests and unrivaled explanations, students can efficiently and effectively prepare for every topic on their exams.
Prior to joining UWorld, Elliott was President of Voyager Sopris Learning where he led the company’s efforts to provide innovative, evidence-based instructional solutions to help schools surpass their achievement goals. As President/CEO of Massachusetts-based Virtual High School—an online learning provider—he led the company’s efforts to provide fully virtual and blended learning programs focused on career and college readiness, with a specific emphasis in STEM.
Jeff served as President/CEO of Oklahoma City-based Advanced Academics from 2003 to 2012; under his leadership, the organization grew into one of the country’s leading providers of comprehensive, online learning models for public school students, and he led the company’s pioneering strategy to serve at-risk students. Prior to his time at Advanced Academics, he oversaw three divisions of Wright Group/McGraw-Hill Education as Vice President of Business Development and successfully integrated and managed international acquisitions in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Many schools realized they couldn’t safely return to the classroom after spring break or simply a weekend because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most had to turn to online options to educate students.
But there were some frequent roadblocks to success, including getting devices to students and making sure they had access to the internet. In the rush to get up to speed, important factors to consider fell by the wayside. Now that administrators have had months to think about going back to school, however, there’s time to develop a plan that David Waugh, Chief Revenue Officer of ManagedMethods, said needs to center on security.
“There were a lot of lessons learned about, ‘OK, there’s too much exposure, too much access.’ It wasn’t because of the schools doing or lack of doing, it was that many vendors that work in EdTech and suppliers were caught off guard, as well,” Waugh said. “Google, Microsoft, Zoom – there were a lot of deficiencies that were exposed, because they hadn’t been explored yet.”
While Waugh applauds the efforts those companies have made to close loopholes and increase security, he noted that administrators still need to make sure they have a handle on everything that happens during the virtual school day, just like they would at a campus.
“In everything you do, [think about if] there’s a way to monitor and audit and control it,” he said. “Because, if you’re trying to roll out something for the upcoming school year, but you can’t explicitly say, ‘Yes, I can monitor and tell you everything that’s happening. I can provide you audit reports and we can control it,’ as in we can stop it, shut it down, etc. – if you can’t answer those questions, you’ve really got to pause and think about it.
“You’re then putting at risk the district, as well as the end users, which are the children.”
In what will most likely be the most remote interview for Remote Possibilities, CEO Henjie Wand checks in from edTech software Kami headquarters in Aukland, New Zealand to dissect the massive disruptions in education, the rise of education apps in a distance learning scenario, and the changing role of his 10 million teacher/users.
Here’s the Kami pitch:
More K-12 schools are shifting to Chromebooks and digital devices as part of the 1:1 initiative. Kami provide users with the essential tools to create an engaging and collaborative learning environment. With Kami as your digital pen and paper, teachers and students can achieve more together.
Learn
Students enjoy annotating text and editing documents using Kami. With our kid-friendly app, students can annotate on ebooks, publisher-supplied PDFs, worksheets and more.
Create
Kami tools boost students’ creativity by allowing them to draw freely and annotate with a selection of colors, shapes and text sizes. Students can easily complete tasks and save files with Kami’s Google Classroom integration.
Collaborate
Teachers can markup, discuss and provide feedback using Kami’s text, audio, and video annotation tools. These collaborative tools encourage active, real-time participation in the classroom.
Berj Akian doesn’t want to hear about going back to normal. As the founder and CEO of Classlink, he has long advocated for the removal of barriers between students and impactful education content. The way he sees it, the pandemic has created new opportunities to improve this dynamic even more. In this episode he discusses how the education industry can take advantage.
ClassLink solves the problem of too many passwords, and too many files scattered about. It’s a one click single sign-on solution that gives students access to everything they need to learn, anywhere, with just one password. With more than 6,000 single sign-on connectors and comprehensive use of open technology standards, ClassLink is the most inclusive single sign-on platform in education today. The technology is accessible from any computer, tablet or smartphone, making ClassLink the ideal solution for 1 to 1 and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiatives. ClassLink Roster Server easily and securely delivers class rosters to any publisher using open technology standards. ClassLink Analytics gives decision makers the usage data they need. ClassLink OneSync automates account provisioning and reconciles accounts in real time.
ClassLink was recently chosen as the winner of the 2020 EdTech Digest Cool Tool Award for the Administrative Solution category.
Administered by EdTech Digest and celebrating their 10th Anniversary, the EdTech Awards are the largest education technology recognition program. The awards recognize people in and around education for outstanding contributions in transforming education through technology to enrich the lives of learners everywhere.
In addition to winning the Administrative Solution category, ClassLink was also chosen as a finalist in five additional award categories including:
Cool Tool Awards
Classroom Management Solution
District Data Solution
E-learning, Blended, or Flipped Solution
Higher Education Solution
EdTech Digest Trendsetter Award
Product or Service Setting a Trend
Zoom fatigue? It’s a thing. Frank Weishaupt, CEO of OwlLabs, thinks he has an answer. On this episode of Remote Possibilities, he talks about the state of video conferencing in this world of remote working and learning. The pandemic has thrust the technology of video meetings into our faces. Listen how we can escape these daily squint-inducing reenactments of the Hollywood Squares for a better distance learning experience.
Each year, Owl Labs publishes the State of Video Conferencing report to share with business and IT leaders the collaboration challenges companies face most often, the preferred collaboration software and hardware tools to solve them, and how business and education can improve productivity overall.
96% of respondents agree that video conferencing is effective for improving the connectedness of remote team members, with full-time remote employees nearly twice as likely to feel strongly about this than those who work on-location. Most notably, the report uncovered that setting up and starting meetings are taking up respondents' dedicated meeting time. More than 50% of video conferencing users are wasting nearly 10 minutes per meeting on meeting setup, with 83% reporting that it takes more than 3 minutes to set up and start meetings.
OwlLabs’ Meeting Owl product line is designed to solve this issue. It is driven by its own proprietary intelligence system. While sitting in the center of the table, it uses vision and voice recognition to automatically shift the camera to focus on whoever is speaking. This creates a fully immersive and equalized experience for those who can't be on site. The device sports a high-quality, 1080p 360° camera that makes you feel like you're in the room – even if you're not.
Both products are compatible with all popular video conferencing platforms (i.e. Zoom, Google Meet, Skype for Business, Bluejeans, etc.) and accessible to nearly all businesses at a sub $1,000/device price point. Owl Labs' products are used by 35,000+ companies globally across a wide array of categories; including the likes of Home Depot, SoulCycle, Ro, Ogilvy, Andela and RXBAR.
Weishaupt previously served as SVP of Sales at CarGurus and played an instrumental role in the company's growth, leading to a successful IPO in October 2017. Prior to joining CarGurus, Weishaupt served as Chief Operating Officer at Jumptap, leading to an acquisition by Millennial Media. He also served in executive roles at Yahoo! and Criteo, which had a successful IPO in 2013.
Even before the pandemic struck, new learning methods through remote technologies were exploding worldwide. Andrew Urodov, product manager at Practicum by Yandex, has tracked this phenomenon and shares his thoughts on where it is headed next in this latest episode of Remote Possibilities.
Practicum, which is a virtual training program to help people gain skills they need to jump start a career in tech, was born out of the NASDAQ-listed tech giant Yandex, operating across Russia and other countries in Europe, MENA and Central Asia. It is a new technology-based career advancement program which offers intensive 6 to 10-month training in three career tracks: Data Scientist, Data Analyst, and Web Developer.
The service, recently launched in the U.S., is a one-of-a-kind online learning platform that focuses on upskilling individuals wishing to pursue careers in technology by combining interactive training modules with the help of seasoned online tutors who already work for leading tech companies.
Practicum offers its students an opportunity to transition from careers that are becoming less relevant to those in tech where the average annual pay hit $94,000 last year in the U.S., according to the Dice Salary Report. In addition to accessible but rigorous tech training, Practicum also helps students develop relevant soft skills, such as effective communication and teamwork.
Practicum leverages its experienced team of tutors, who are all practicing industry professionals, to help students find their place in tech. Practicum is confident in its methods – so much so that it offers a full refund to students, who don't get a new job or a promotion within six months of graduating. This is perhaps especially relevant now, as millions of Americans are forced to forge new career paths in the economic downturn.
Priced at $1,000 per program, the service offers 24/7 access to learning support, a dedicated Slack channel for discussions, and real-life simulations incorporated into an interactive learning platform. The students have access to code-review sessions from Practicum’s network of tech professionals. As Practicum grows, it plans to introduce more tech focused career tracks, expand its network of tutors and attract more students across the US.
In a normal world, it would have been one of the biggest edtech stories of 2020. After 14 years, Chief Education Evangelist Jaime Casap has left Google Education. In this exclusive interview with host Kevin Hogan, Jaime discusses his past successes, education’s present priorities, and, most importantly, what’s next.
Jaime evangelizes the power and potential of technology and the web as enabling and supporting tools in pursuit of promoting inquiry-driven learning models. He collaborates with school systems, educational organizations, and leaders focused on building innovation and iteration into our education policies and practices. He speaks on education, technology, innovation, and generation z, at events around the world, at least when there were events.
In addition to his role at Google, Jaime is also an author and serves on a number of boards for organizations focused on education, innovation, and equity. He teaches a 10th-grade communication class at the Phoenix Coding Academy in Phoenix and is an adjunct professor at Arizona State University, where he teaches classes on policy, innovation, and leadership.
Casap was responsible for launching Google Apps for Education (GSuite) into the university space in 2006. He signed Arizona State University, the first major university to switch from using their own email platform to putting it on the GSuite platform. He launched GSuite into the K12 market in 2010 by signing the state of Oregon to a statewide agreement for all their school districts and launched Chromebooks into education in 2011.
Says Casap: “I never wanted to be a vendor in the education space. I wanted to use my experiences and expertise to be a thought partner with universities and K12 institutions on building the future of learning together. Working with education institutions across the world, I am helping education leaders use technology and the web to level the playing field for all students. I believe education disrupts poverty. I believe education changes a family's destiny. I believe technology can help us do these things faster than it was ever possible before.”
Even before the pandemic, Casap has been an instrumental force in combating the issue of equity in education. To follow his next step subscribe to his Youtube channel.
If anyone can help divine what happens next for edtech, Mark Schneiderman can. As the industry’s chief policy advocate for 15 years, his analysis is important for both executives and educators. In this episode, Mark breaks down his recent provocative post, where he provides a 3-point framework for the future:
Topics include:
The COVID-19 Disruptor
First, it is important to understand the evolving environmental impact. The K12 edtech sector has experienced quite a journey over several decades. In recent years, we made the fundamental shift from asking “if” technology to instead a focus on “how.” In these last few but very long three months, we have lived years’ worth of emotions as we moved through the stages of concern, excitement, fear, and opportunity about education and technology in the age of COVID-19. As a result, we are now at the cusp of what could be a generational leap for the sector.
COVID-19 Impact on School (Technology) Budgets
I expect that increased demand for remote learning and edtech will be outweighed by the difficult equation of other increased COVID-related costs plus decreased revenues and tighter budgets. In this COVID-19 budget environment, schools will again be forced to achieve more with less. Technology budgets may grow marginally, but certainly not nearly in proportion to the shift to remote or hybrid learning might otherwise warrant or suggest.
The Opportunity and Necessity of Industry Maturity
As a result, I expect many of the (too) many edtech products will ultimately lose customers and revenue and prematurely exit the market. I’m concerned for my many industry friends and colleagues who have dedicated their careers to the mission of student success. But it is my hope and expectation that those surviving companies will grow and, more importantly, grow their impact.
Another edtech monolith about to crumble due to the pandemic, along with standardized testing and taking attendance, is how education software gets bought and used. In this episode of Remote Possibilities, Drops Chief Customer Officer Drew Banks talks about the surge in downloads for the company’s learning language app as the lockdowns began and the quick pivot they took to provide extra curricular support for students using Droplets. These weren’t district buys but parents choosing the learning tools, a trend likely to expand as remote learning continues.
Topics include:
The ingredients needed for a valuable and successful e-learning tool
What the future of edtech looks like and how the education sector will have to adapt and innovate
What’s in store for Drops and how they’re supporting remote students
Drops entered into the children’s education market with the launch of Droplets, an app designed specifically to teach kids aged 8-17 to learn foreign languages. Through the use of word games, swipe-based interaction and quirky illustrations, Droplets is a COPPA -compliant approach to language learning that is both parent-approved and kid-friendly. Droplets’ short 5-minute sessions are aimed at kids and teens with shorter attention spans and also for parents concerned with screen time limits.
Since launching its flagship app in 2015, Drops has expanded its language learning scope with three companion apps: Scripts, which teaches learners how to read and write new alphabet and character-based writing systems; a visual online dictionary; and a Drops web app. Droplets is the company’s first app to broaden the platform’s reach beyond adult language learners.
Droplets will be available for free download on iOS and Android, with the premium subscription providing unlimited access to the Drops suite of apps.
With student screen time at all-time highs and social isolation increasingly affecting kids, the scourge of fake news is a bigger threat than ever. Nick Farrell, co-founder of Bites Media, has some ideas of how to combat it. On this episode of Remote Possibilities, Nick talks about the importance of media literacy and how schools can take direct action to empower their students to not take the bait.
The idea is relatively straight forward, as described by in a recent Forbes post: “Bites takes contemporary issues in the news, sourced from reliable and reputable outlets, then shrinks the information down into smaller, faster, more consumable chucks – or, bites – for younger readers. They then take that content and build comprehension lessons around it, allowing teachers to build important issue literacy around these key topics. The content and the lessons are built and delivered online, in easy, turnkey modules for teachers or parents.”
Hogan and Farrell discuss a variety of topics including the how and why they are launching this endeavour and how he sees the future developing in this pandemic era.
What They Do
Bites crafts and publishes interactive, multimedia news stories that provide the facts with rich context from diverse viewpoints.We work with graduate and undergraduate journalism students to pull 10+ sources into one place
Bites utilizes an explanatory journalistic approach, but we also make explicit connections between what is happening and why it matters to democracy and citizenry.
This approach is proven to increase student engagement by at least 3 times.
Why They Do It
Bites believes in prioritizing a foundation of understanding and fostering deep engagement to cultivate informed citizens and civic action.
Bites believes it is our civic duty to be informed citizens that go beyond simply casting a vote.
Is it more fun to sit in front of a screen and watch a video or play an interactive game? The answer isn’t the same for everyone, but most would choose the latter.
The gamification of learning is one element of eLearning that can help draw people in, as can the ability to choose their own path. Those features are just one reason Cypher Learning CEO Graham Glass feels the use of dynamic and adaptive branching in asynchronous learning is not only a perfect solution for educators during the COVID-19 pandemic, but ultimately the best way to think about education going forward.
“If you’ve got a very advanced learner, there’s no point in guiding them through modules that might be boring and remedial,” he said. “Similarly, you might have a disadvantaged learner who’s getting left behind. In those cases, you can adapt to where they are and actually give them remedial materials, more examples and more careful assessments.”
At times, that means feeling a bit isolated without the traditional classroom environment, but Cypher Learning has tools to combat that feeling, as well, with a tracker of who else is online and a tool that allows students to reach out to teachers in real-time.
The shift to eLearning and utilizing those tools has been nearly mandatory during the pandemic, but Glass hopes that, once teachers and educators adapt to those tools, they’ll have them under their belts forever.
“Asynchronous learning to begin with is not necessarily intuitive, but if you try it out, I think you’ll find very quick that it is a very fun, very efficient way to create learning,” he said. “One of my hopes is that, as a result of the world fast-forwarding 10 years into the future with this virus, people will actually start to embrace asynchronous learning as the primary way of learning.”
In the latest episode of Remote Learning, Dr. Liz Brooke, CCC-SLP, Chief Learning Officer at Lexia Learning, talks about the delicate strategies her company employed when interacting with current and new district customers, the new relationships needed with parents, the power of data to analyze the COVID slide, and ways to improve personalized learning techniques for the fall and beyond.
Lexia Learning, A Rosetta Stone Company, is one of the best-known and most highly respected reading-technology companies in the world. Lexia’s instructional programs (Core5 and PowerUp) help to accelerate literacy skill development through explicit and systematic personalized learning paths, and Lexia’s assessment program (RAPID) uniquely screens key reading and language skills critical to comprehension for all students in grades K–12.
Educators are expected to differentiate and adapt instruction for every student in their classroom but often lack the necessary time and resources to be successful. Incorporating a blended learning program with Lexia alleviates these problems by helping educators use technology to personalize learning for every student. Using the program, educators can access both periodic screening and diagnostic data, real-time progress monitoring data, as well as the resources needed to connect student performance data to classroom instruction.
While most of the focus is rightfully focused on students during this uncertain time, Adam Geller, CEO of Edthena, reminds us not to forget about the teachers. He talks with host Kevin Hogan about how his classroom observation platform for using videos as part of professional development is more important than ever.
Edthena released a new webinar series last month to help instructional coaches provide newly-virtual teachers with timely and much-needed support. The four-part “Kitchen Table Coaching” series, launching this Thursday, will provide strategies and best practices for facilitating virtual coaching. The series is part of the #PLtogether project (PLtogether.org) which will provide a collection of free resources for instructional coaches, including tactical advice from notable thought leaders in the education industry.
“Effective coaching will lead to the ultimate success of distanced teaching,” said Adam Geller, founder and CEO of Edthena. “The #PLtogether project will provide a hub for topical resources to support instructional coaching during this unprecedented time. The first resource – this new webinar series – offers coaches an opportunity to ask questions and get tips and best practices for supporting professional learning now.”
The 30-minute Kitchen Table Coaching webinars, which will be led by former classroom teachers Heather Purzner and Rob McCreary of the Edthena Partner Success team, will take place every Thursday in May at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT. Educators can register for some or all of the following sessions:
Week 1: Virtually coaching distanced teachers
Week 2: Facilitating distanced teacher collaboration
Week 3: Developing coaching logs for virtual coaching
Week 4: Creating virtual training and coaching cycles
Edthena will additionally be releasing “Lounge Talks” with Elena Aguilar, Deborah Ball, Joellen Killion, and other respected thought leaders on the #PLtogether portal. During these video interviews, the experts will discuss the challenges of teaching during COVID-19 and provide tactical “what now” advice for supporting teachers in this new reality.
To register for the live webinars or get free access to the content, visit http://pltogether.org.
Contrary to popular belief, the golden rule is not that the person with the gold makes the rules. And, in terms of customer service, the golden rule isn’t "treat people the way you would like to be treated." At least Brandon Knight, Vice President of Business Development at Telarus, doesn’t think so.
Knight has his ideas that make for excellent customer experience and satisfaction, and he shared his insights with host Tyler Kern.
“The majority of businesses with customer-centric focus models base customer interactions on treating the customers on their treatment preferences,” Knight said. “A better customer service, a better customer experience, is treating a customer the way they want to be treated.”
Knight’s primary concern with treating customers how someone on the business side prefers is that a customer may have different needs and wants from the person tasked with meeting their needs.
“When it comes to the customer experience, it is important for companies to have myriad ways to interact,” Knight said.
Today’s customers may not want to interact with a person; they may wish to communicate via a company’s website. Knight said companies need to consider how a customer wishes to communicate with them.
Another secret to achieving customer satisfaction is employee satisfaction.
“The person who comes into contact with the customer may be the only impression of the company that the customer has,” Knight said.
A large percentage of the time, the people who have the majority of these customer-interactions may work in contact centers. The question Knight has is, what conditions do these frontline workers face? Are they comfortable, do they feel valued, do they feel empowered?
If the answer is no to these questions, and Knight often believes that it is, then employees won’t be satisfied. That lack of satisfaction will spill over into customer interactions.
Finding a way to effectively and fairly educate all of society’s young people already was a daunting task. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and added another wrinkle for educators and administrators to deal with.
Arlynne Roa Awayan, Director of Customer Success and Engagement at CYPHER Learning and former president of the Philippine eLearning Society, has been thinking about how to improve education and distance learning for years. She went into overdrive during the pandemic, trying to help districts and institutions that were scrambling to figure out a way to effectively teach kids when they couldn’t be in the classroom.
“I think I’ve been advocating for the integration of technology in learning and teaching for many, many years now, but with the many organizations I’ve been talking to, schools, teachers even, they always thought of technology as an option. It’s something meant to be an enhancement of what they’re already doing in the classroom,” she said. “I think a big part of what’s happening now is a lot of the school administrators and school leaders are forced into the situation where they have no choice but to use technology.”
It’s not as simple as implementing a learning management system or partnering with an E-Learning company, she said, but about picking the right solution for that institutionalization and making sure it works for everyone involved in the process. That even includes parents, who have had to take on extra responsibilities for the children’s schooling while often also trying to work from home or figure out a budget with a reduced or eliminated salary.
Now that many schools are ramped up online, the education world may be fundamentally changed.
“Some people are still thinking that this is just what we’re doing because of the pandemic, but I think this is really going to change the way things are for education moving forward, because it proves students don’t need to be in school for six hours every day or just listening to a lecture every time,” she said. “There are so many ways of teaching, and those are the things that will be very helpful moving forward.”
EdTech vendors have been good corporate citizens by offering free resources during this year’s school closures, but eventually they need revenue to keep the doors open. According to industry vendor Michael Spencer, CEO of Global Expansion Strategies, and former Senior Directorof International Business Development at K12, the opportunity is ripe to find new revenue streams around the world. In this episode of Remote Possibilities, Michael breaks down some of the ways to get started:
1) Understand the market you’re looking to enter.
In the United States, the decision-making on edTech purchases is fragmented. In the international space, by contrast, the decision-making is usually led by a very small team, which gives edTech providers a better chance to establish a relationship and offer a comprehensive vision of what you can offer.
2) Engage schools, parents, and students.
For companies that are new to a given territory, extolling the features of your product just won’t cut it. You’ve got to be ready and eager to explain how everybody that touches it will benefit. You not only have to get the buy-in from teachers and administrators at the school itself, but also from parents and students. All of these stakeholders must clearly understand how optimal student outcomes can be achieved upon implementation in the school. That requires you to not just sell, but to go the extra mile and explain how your solution or technology is supposed to be implemented and managed. You can share this information via professional development at the school, and the school can then pass it on to the parents.
3) Be ready with multiple delivery methods.
Because we still don’t know exactly what school will look like in the fall, I strongly suggest that companies develop multiple blended learning models in which their content can be delivered, either in class, online, or in some combination of the two.
To read more of Spencer’s thoughts, click here.
Student safety and security have never been more important during these grim times. The move to remote learning has made life much more difficult for a much larger population of students. Jeff Patterson, Founder and CEO of Gaggle, watched demand for his company’s services surge this spring. On this episode of Remote Possibilities, He shares some daunting examples of how districts can deal with issues like suicide and cyber bullying with host Kevin Hogan.
The Gaggle safety solution combines artificial intelligence and trained safety experts to provide real-time analysis and review of students’ use of online collaboration platforms, such as Google’s G Suite for Education, Microsoft Office 365, and Canvas. Gaggle assists districts in proactively identifying and supporting students who are struggling as well as creating a safer school environment by building a culture for improved digital citizenship.
A greater number of students are using Hangouts for project collaboration, live class discussions, peer mentoring, virtual office hours, foreign language practice, and online study groups. This popular digital tool also provides a way for coaches and teachers to directly message their players and students, eliminating the need to share personal phone numbers. In all of these instances, Gaggle can evaluate suspicious content, alerting school officials of unsafe situations and even contacting local law enforcement when time is of the essence.
Virtual classrooms and digital collaboration technologies are known quantities these days in large part due to the pandemic. And thanks to companies such as X2O media, the bridge from the physical class and workplace to the virtual one may be a little easier. Monsour Brek, President of X2O Media, stopped by the podcast to give his thoughts and perspective in the significant changes taking place in the industry.
“Higher education’s adoption of virtual classroom technology accelerated like crazy because they were forced to move everything online,” Brek said. Brek does not know the long-term outcome of online education after the pandemic, but he did have one prediction. “I think the one thing that’s clear for the future is hybrid type classrooms where some people will be physically in the room, and others that will attend remotely.”
One key takeaway from the pandemic Brek noted was how students choose to consume online classroom content. If higher ed students are not interested enough in the class when they had to attend it physically, they may be less so when it is online, choosing instead to view it later as a recording. Brek said the class needs to be engaging and include participation and classroom activities regardless if it is in a virtual or physical setting.
Engagement in the virtual setting is the cornerstone of X2O Media’s solutions for digital collaboration. “With our solutions, by giving the remote participant a presence in the physical classroom, it keeps both sides engaged,” Brek said. “We feel the difference is night and day between the typical e-learning session and a true interaction between teacher and student that is achievable with our technology.”
Out of every crisis comes change.
Most of the time, we worry about the bad side of those changes. Will we able to high five a stranger in the stadium after a touchdown? Can we go back into our houses of worship like before, shaking the hands of guests or being blessed by a priest?
But crisis also can bring forth opportunities to improve on systems that needed to grow. For Dither Balderas, Manager de Digital Network & Adoption Manager LATAM for Cypher Learning, the COVID-19 pandemic is an inflection point for the future of distance learning.
“I think it’s a critical moment and really a good moment for universities and educational institutions to change and to take this big step toward innovation, taking the step of not always offering the same thing and not being happy to stay in the mode of ‘I’m going to do it, I’m going to try,’” he said.
But universities have to pick a Learning Management System that goes beyond simply being an LMS. Despite that, a lack of planning means he’s seen many institutions opt for platforms they know instead of seeking out the best option for their students and professors.
“We’re staying with the first option that isn’t always the best choice, given that we might not know all the platforms,” he said. “That’s what is happening now, and, unfortunately, universities are listening to these (limited) recommendations and aren’t ending up with the best thing on the market. That’s what I’ve seen at this stage.”
Though the official school year has finally come to an end, schools and administrations are still working hard to prepare for a fall start.
What schooling will look like in a few months' time is still a mystery, but academic leaders are preparing for multiple scenarios.
Guests DeAn Jeffrey and Ginger Brawley, both Strategic PD Specialists for Istation, define what adversity schools, teachers and students will face upon their return and how to confront these new challenges head on.
The academic upset caused by the coronavirus pandemic is widespread. Estimates have guessed that up to 25% of key standards may not have been taught at the crucial end-of-year period, usually reserved for teaching the most rigorous standards and executing key formative assessments.
But Jeffery and Brawley provided counsel on how to bridge this gap. The key? Data.
By collecting data, schools can assess where each individual student is academically. This data allows teachers to design and plan lessons that meet kids where they are, honing in specifically on essential standards.
But beyond academics, schools must take the lead on student mental health like never before. The social and emotional reverberations of the pandemic have been traumatic for students, and not addressing the trauma would be ignoring a core issue.
“If the kids aren’t in the right mindset to learn, then it all falls to the wayside,” said Jeffery.
Social-emotional learning is no longer a “soft” skill. Schools will have to offer up mental health assistance and support.
But perhaps the key takeaway form Jeffery and Brawley’s expertise is to be forgiving. Consider easing pressure off testing. Listen to student’s needs, and be a stable stanchion of support and strength in the community.
Elliott Levine is never one to mince words. As Distinguished Technologist and Director of Education of the Americas for HP, he influenced and advocated for innovative uses of tech in schools. Now as Chief Academic Officer for STS, he is confronting the issues of this new reality. In this conversation with host Kevin Hogan, Elliott expounds on a recent post he wrote regarding the harsh questions that need to be answered in education. These include:
Value – If the college campus experience is removed from the equation, and all students are learning remotely, will students want to pay the premium of private, liberal arts schools vs. public schools? Will a student be willing to continue to spend 700%+ more in tuition annually when comparing tuition from in-state tuition rates vs. some private tuition rates?
Competition – Are online universities better positioned to thrive in this market? Could institutions such as University of Phoenix, Liberty University, Southern New Hampshire, UMass Online – each with over 75,000 online students – have the infrastructure, pedagogy, and staff expertise to adapt quicker and faster than your institution?
Pedagogy – How will colleges of education adapt to provide more remote teaching skills to students, particularly when so few of tenured faculty have experience in the medium?
New Markets – As with any major economic downturn, enrollment in post-secondary schools sees a surge as individuals look to re-skilling for new career opportunities. I did so myself, returning to graduate school in 2002. With financial challenges at a lifetime peak, will traditional degree programs be what your potential customers truly seek? Are certificates and micro-credentials more palatable. Are the skills needed in the workforce today aligned with your current offerings?
Want to hear about an impossible situation that gets even more difficult? Listen to host Kevin Hogan talk to PresenceLearning CEO Kate Eberle Walker to discuss how districts are utilizing tele-therapy to deliver special education-related services.
The company works with hundreds of school districts across the country and since COVID-19 related school closures, hundreds more have reached out to them for help to support students at home. Kate discusses what is happening in districts as they prepare for providing these essential services for students with extra needs.
In this episode of Remote Possibilities, Sean Slade, Senior Director of Global Outreach at ASCD, details the best education practices that will now become mainstream as a result of this madness. Topics include:
Learning Communities
“Our learning communities can be our classrooms, whether they are in person or, as we are now, online. They can be across our school, and they can be across and amongst our physical locations. Ultimately, we will be seeing these learning communities expand into and across all our communities– physical and online – and our schools and classrooms transform into pedagogical centers where learning is guided rather than delivered.
Student Agency
“Students needs to develop an understanding of their own role in the learning process and be expected and encouraged to see themselves more as agents, or ideally owners, of their own learning.”
Learning to Learn
We have an opportunity here to move expeditiously into a future stage, of utilizing this crisis to upend an antiquated system, and to replace it with one that engages the learner in learning and teaches them to learn how to learn.
AI and machine learning have made a major impact in many industries—why not teaching? The frequent question is, will robots replace teachers? No, that’s unlikely ever to happen, but new technology can provide assistance to teachers.
In this Online Learning Minute, host Brian Runo explains why these advanced technologies have the capability to reimagine learning.
“In a large classroom with hundreds of students, the teacher can’t answer every question. A robot could help,” Brian said.
Algorithms from machine learning can also assist in grading papers by computing thousands of pages of content to check for grammar. There are many additional applications where AI and machine learning can benefit the teaching profession. They are there to enhance the experience for all, not supplant teachers, who remain vital to the art of learning.
Not all the news coming out of this madness is bad. Sam Herring, Vice President and General Manager of Intrepid by VitalSource talks about how this current crisis can be a time of resourcefulness and innovation in the workplace learning space. He illustrated these thoughts with how one of largest not‐for‐profit, academic health systems in the United States built and deployed a remote learning system to train the army of nurses battling COVID-19 during those first weeks in March:
“Within a day of selecting the Intrepid platform, the health system’s learning team created an initial course prototype, within four days learning pathways were created and audited by nursing leaders, and within eleven days the complete training solution was launched across the entire health system. The initial audience includes approximately 3000 nurses, LPNs, and hospital support staff, and may expand to additional groups.”
Listen to this episode of Remote Possibilities for more insights related to the new realities of distance learning.
The first data are in regarding learning loss during the pandemic and the results don’t look good. In this episode of Remote Possibilities, Kevin Hogan talks with Stuart Udell, CEO of Achieve3000, and one of the authors of a new study by the Successful Practices Network and the Center for College & Career Readiness, the first published report of the current and predicted impact of school closures using actual performance measures. Stuart breaks down the grim particulars including:
76% of schools showed decreased usage after schools closed
Schools differed widely in how quickly and how well they made the transition to online learning. Overall, however, the number of students logging in has declined by 43% and the number of students completing at least one lesson has declined by 44%.
Students are on track to lose up to 49% of gains over the summer
Based on early data, it appears that school closures as a result of the coronavirus crisis will lead to a significant loss of potential learning gains, as 28%, for many students come June 2020.
Worst case prediction for a widening of the achievement gap is 18%
The achievement gap has already begun to grow in the six weeks since schools moved to online learning. The achievement gap between low- and high-income students is expected to increase by as much as 18% for students from low-income schools by the end of this school year.
It’s not all bad news however. Stuart suggests some best practices industry can take to improving this ever-changing crisis.
This episode of the MarketScale Online Learning Minute featured Ray Schroeder, professor at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), senior fellow of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and founder of the Center for Online Learning, Research, and Service. Ray has been a pioneer of the online learning field and launched the UIS’s first online course in 1997.
Schroeder and host Brian Runo discussed the state of online learning for universities as the world faces the COVID-19 pandemic. With predictive models showing possible new surges of cases in the fall, some universities are going to continue online, while others will reopen for fall with safety precautions in place.
“Universities had about a week to suddenly transition to online learning, which is an undertaking that would normally take years. This quick transition meant that many courses lacked engagement and interactivity, as they weren’t designed for online learning,” Schroeder said.
Due to the fast shift in learning mediums, many of these courses lacked engagement, making it easy for students to drift away. While this happens in in-person classes, too, there are many possibilities when it comes to remote learning platforms.
“People can pay attention to the small screen for about 15 minutes without interaction and engagement,” Schroeder said. “There is an opportunity to take advantage of the medium with visuals and audio, but that wasn’t feasible.”
Schroeder encourages faculty and institutions to start with the objectives of building a course and using technology to help accomplish these learning outcomes. Universities can start by looking at their summer courses, most of which are online. It requires innovation, and all stakeholders collaborating to improve the online learning community.
Schroeder and Runo also chatted about what to expect from online learning in the future and how universities can prepare for education in the future.
On this episode of the MarketScale Online Learning Minute, host Brian Runo dives into how quantum computing, the next revolutionary leap forward in computing, could apply to online education.
In particular, it can be used to epitomize the connectivism theory and provide personalized learning for each individual, as its not restricted by the capacity of an individual instructor.
In this way, each learner can be empowered to learn at their own pace and be presented with materials more tailored to them in real-time.
In fact, quantum computing is so revolutionary that the education world likely can’t even currently dream up the innovations it will enable.
One crucial aspect of training employees is ensuring they retain the information in the courses. Companies should also seek out feedback from class takers to improve the content. Brian recommends several tactics to improve comprehension.
Setting up a survey post-course for comments by participants can help a company improve their online learning. If those taking the class don’t return, it’s a good idea to send them an email reminder. “If someone stopped at the first module, give them a nudge to finish,” Brian said.
Last, organizations should consider the assessment at the end of the program and how relevant it is to the topic. Workforce learning can be required for several reasons, such as practical applications or knowledge acquisition. Whatever the goal, companies should make sure that the evaluation at the end aligns with this.
Teachers are perceptive. They know which of their students need a little boost when doing equations or who will spend extra time with a book. That’s become a much taller task, however, with education forced out of the classroom and onto the web because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Instead of individual instructional interventions, school-wide interventions may be needed with many students not getting the hands-on learning they need to master objectives taught in the final quarter of the school year.
“We’re missing two and a half months of critical instruction time. End-of-the-year instruction is critical for kids. That’s when a lot of those more difficult standards are taught,” said DeAn Jeffrey, a Strategic PD Specialist with IStation. “Without intervention support systems, students who were struggling when we left school are only going to be further behind.”
One of the most difficult challenges is figuring out how to start the new school year, namely whether it’s safe to bring students back to the physical building or if education is still going to take place remotely – especially with many students not undergoing end-of-year evaluations.
“I really think that is the tough one, because how do you remotely get the data you need to determine where you need to start with them? I think that’s the struggle a lot of districts and schools are working on right now. How are they going to get the data they need?,” said Ginger Brawley, an IStation Strategic PD Specialist.
It will take time to figure out how to get students up to speed, but there are resources – like those provided by IStation – that can help both students and their instructors limit regression and get as close to that irreplaceable in-classroom experience as possible.
As a company that serves 4.5 million educators and 45 million students in 140 countries and territories around the world, Discovery Education has been playing a pivotal role in the education industry’s response to the pandemic. In this conversation with Scott Kinney, Discovery’s President of K-12 Education, Remote Possibilities host Kevin Hogan discusses the immediate moves the curriculum company made to support their vast customer base, the longer term implications of the crisis, and the best practices other countries have been implementing.
Hear more about :
Discovery Education created a special channel within Discovery Education Experience—the Viruses and Outbreak Channel—featuring digital content that helps educators discuss the Coronavirus outbreak with students. This content includes timely updates on what the Coronavirus is, information on how infectious diseases spread, and essential guidelines for staying healthy.
Discovery worked with content partners to make the Viruses and Outbreak Channel available to the communities our U.S. school systems serve so that parents, caregivers, and other adults have the same access to the materials children are being taught in schools.
For U.S. schools or school systems that are not currently using Discovery Education resources, but are experiencing closures due to the Coronavirus, the company is offering free access to Discovery Education Experience through the remainder of the school year.
When Din Heiman, SVP of Strategy at Renaissance Learning, first posted his thoughts on the edtech industry’s responsibility to respond to the current education crisis, he expected to spark a conversation. 20,000 LinkedIn views later, his provocative thoughts, plus the contributions from others, have created a blueprint for future remote learning success.
Marketscale contributor and Remote Possibilities podcast host Kevin Hogan discusses Heiman’s extraordinary message with him and breaks down some of the specific suggestions he offers directly to edtech leaders. These include:
Survive. You probably don’t want to be surprised in the midst of a crisis to discover your solution doesn’t effectively scale after all. Or that your cash situation can’t bear the expenses created by spiking usage. At the extreme, the last thing you can afford is to see your company collapse — precisely when your customers (not to speak of your employees) rely on you the most. Think about that in the context of both your existing business model, and any immediate changes or campaigns you are considering.
Parents aren’t stakeholders. No matter what your specific offering is or who you sell to, start considering parents (a.k.a. #AccidentalHomeschoolers) as customers. Just because they aren’t students doesn’t mean you can treat them as teachers. Consider factors like ease of use, lack of professional training, methods of communication, reality of working parent/s… Consider whether your offerings are tailored and curated enough, or just adding to an already daunting pile. Don’t assume it’s for the teacher alone, much less principal or administrator, to bridge between your offerings and parents. They themselves have plenty on their plate. If you can’t get your offerings to an appropriate level of simplicity, factor in extra capacity for layperson support.
You’re in the equity business. Yes, you. This one may be the hardest for many of us to fathom. If you’re not actively planning for decreasing equity gaps, you’re liable to be inadvertently increasing them. Do your plans account for the needs of different populations of special learners? Do they factor in English learners (whether students or parents)? Do your offerings work across devices? Without devices? In different bandwidth situations? Do they inadvertently contribute to stress, or alleviate it? Can you identify in advance any other unintended consequences of your plan, and if so what can you do to prevent them?
On this episode of MarketScale’s Online Learning Minute, host Brian Runo explores how even free courses, particularly in the area of graphic design, can deliver tremendous value. “[Graphic design] is one of the fields where there’s always something new to learn, and it’s also one of the fields where the majority of work can be done fully remotely,” Runo said. In particular, Behance, an social media resource owned and operated by Adobe to connect graphic designers, offers a unique online learning experience and connection opportunity.
Staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought many some extra time. Now is a great opportunity for anyone to participate in online learning. By taking online courses, individuals have the chance to upskill themselves, adding new skillsets to their repertoire. These new skills could be useful in a current or future position.
When seeking out online learning, Brian recommends three platforms. First is Coursera, which offers free online courses from top universities like Yale and Stanford, as well as from brands like Google and IBM. Classes are free, but students can pay for them to earn college credits.
Second is edX, a platform that boasts over 2,000 free online courses taught by instructors from Harvard, MIT, and more. This provider offers classes that can help students learn a new skill or gain a certification.
Third is Khan Academy, which features short video tutorials, intended for K-12 and higher education students. Users can take courses at their own pace, completely free.
Brian said, “Make sure you find the right platform and invest the time to do some learning.”
For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Education Technology Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.
In the premiere episode of Remote Possibilities, host Kevin Hogan talks with Scrum master and remote learning veteran David Prior about, what else, the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the business of professional training. Prior discusses the inherent disadvantages and some surprising advantages this incredible disruption has caused and what it might mean for the future corporate training sessions. Added bonus: wistful remembrances of airport terminals.
Conversation takeaways include:
What does the lockdown mean for the future of in-person professional training in the near term and long term?
How can companies adjust to the new professional learning needs of their employees?
What are some of the new techniques that are emerging from this most unpleasant of beta tests?
On this episode of MarketScale’s Online Learning Minute, host Brian Runo was once again joined by Lenovo Director, Global Education Solutions Rich Henderson.
This go-around, the duo dove into the big picture of providing education technology, how Lenovo, the No. 1 global technology provider for education devices, is setting itself apart in the space, and how new innovations and focuses on software and service might help shape the future of education. In particular, Henderson said that access to technology and devices is the first step, but that EdTech initiatives can’t succeed if they aren’t backed up by attention to security and the provision of software and services.
To that end, Lenovo offers LanSchool, a comprehensive for technology management in K-12 and higher education.
With LanSchool, school’s are empowered to meet IT challenges head on by minimizing distractions and improving control, increasing collaboration, and more.
By providing an assessment mode to lock devices during tests, real-time thumbnail monitoring of all student screens, keystroke monitoring and more, LanSchool elevates the entire educational effort.
“The reason why this classroom management is important is, even in a classroom setting – let’s say you’ve got up to 30 students in a classroom, each one with their own devices and working on things in the classroom,” Henderson said. “It’s not so much the vision that the teacher will sit behind their desk and monitor what students are looking at.
“It’s more the ability for the teacher to push content out to the students to get those students on task and help drive the lesson forward.”
On this episode of the MarketScale Online Learning Minute, host Brian Runo was joined by the Remote Possibilities podcast’s Kevin Hogan, who will also begin a role as an education contributor at MarketScale.
Hogan and Runo dove into Hogan’s two-decade career of exploring the intersection between business and technology, from the first days of email to the exciting and cutting-edge possibilities of today.
For the past 15 years, Hogan has focused on education technology and remote learning, making him uniquely qualified to assess how the current unprecedented period of remote work has affected the world’s education and to look ahead at what our collective new normal could be.
The duo also took a trip through many aspects of the online and remote learning space, including how universities were unprepared for the current period of forced remote learning, issues with Zoom regarding productivity and security, a lack of digital equity holding students back, and more.
On this episode of MarketScale’s Online Learning Minute with host Brian Runo, Runo highlights best practices for adapting and leveraging current content in a push toward online learning.
Though building out robust and thorough courses with plenty of online-friendly and tailored content is ideal, these courses can integrate training materials, handouts, and more that have already been developed.
Essentially, it boils down to this – having content in a course, of any kind, is better than nothing at all.
To effectively utilize previously created content, Runo said breaking down that content into small, bite-sized pieces is critical.
The majority of students in the United States are learning from home through online education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This change is an adjustment for kids and parents from both a technological and emotional standpoint.
How can educators achieve success during such a transition? Dr. Jane Moore, Regional PD Lead and Coordinator for the Department of Social and Emotional Learning for Istation, and Crystal Smith, a third-grade teacher at Chapel Hill Preparatory Academy in the Dallas Independent School District, offered their insights on this extraordinary moment.
With the need to quickly shut educational institutions down and move students to an online environment, Dr. Moore said most schools and students were unprepared to shift to online learning, and adjustments are ongoing. In many cases, students left school without essential online tools they’d need to begin their learn-at-home journeys.
And the learn-at-home platforms are not standardized throughout systems, either. Smith’s own two children each learn on a different online education platform.
“The first couple of weeks were the hardest. Kids’ emotions were all over the place,” Dr. Moore said.
It took a bit to get a routine down where both kids and parents felt comfortable with their day.
Smith pointed out that this is an adjustment for the parents as wells as the kids, and, depending on one’s technical expertise, it may be an equal challenge for the parent to navigate the online teaching platform technology as it is for the child.
During this period of adjustment and stress, educators need to focus on five key competencies of social-emotional learning.
“Those competencies are self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness,” Dr. Moore said.
On this special episode of the MarketScale Online Learning Minute with Brian Runo, Lenovo Director, Global Education Solutions Rich Henderson outlined the high points of gamification and game-based learning in today’s educational landscape – and how those concepts have driven tremendous results.
To begin, though, the duo took a look at the state of education in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and how this unprecedented situation might drive lasting change in the educational space in terms of remote and distance learning, teacher mobility and more.
“Some of the things that I’m hearing from industry experts are that we were already moving in a lot of these directions,” Henderson said. “If you think about where the education space was headed, already, we were trying to untether the teacher from the front of the classroom. … This is probably moving forward that timeline by at least five years.”
Moving forward, the role of virtual and augmented reality, true gamification and more could allow for learning opportunities that were previously too expensive, unsafe or logistically difficult.
Virtual reality, in particular, could “democratize” education and provide a more level playing field for all students, not just those who could afford to engage in elevated learning activities.
Still, while gamification, virtual reality and more carry enormous potential, Henderson said it’s critical that these advances and strategies aren’t seen as gimmicks, but deliver real, integrated and powerful learning and engagement.
Jenielyn Padernal says educating students in a crisis situation can be as easy as PIE.
Based in the Philippines, an area prone to typhoons, other storms and the occasional volcanic eruption, Padernal has been coping with interruptions to face-to-face learning since long before the COVID-19 crisis.
That’s why PIE - plan, implement and evaluate - is so critical for Padernal, the Director of eLearning Integration at Cypher Learning, as she looks to help fellow teachers lay the groundwork for success in educating students who can’t be in the classroom.
“Planning is the key for a successful development of a disaster-proof education,” she said. “It’s very important for us to consider the objectives. What are the goals we are trying to achieve? What are the questions that need to be addressed?”
When it became clear shelter-in-place restrictions would be needed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, many districts were sent scrambling to get the right setup in place to allow classes to continue. They had to overcome hurdles like students without access to internet in their homes. If there had been a plan in place, the process would’ve been simpler.
Then, they need to implement that plan smoothly and, once the crisis is over, evaluate what worked and didn’t for the next time.
An important factor in the implementation process is choosing the right Learning Management System. If a school or district opts for an LMS with limitations, the teacher may be handcuffed and unable to execute some of the plans put in place.
“Right now, a Learning Management System is a tool that’s very, very critical and important, because this is the tool that can make teaching and learning still happen, even if we’re not inside our classroom,” she said. “An LMS allows us teachers to still create and still deliver content that can be easily accessed anytime, anywhere.”
While we all hope to avoid more crisis situations, planning ahead can be the best option for educators and administrators. Even if they utilize eLearning tools frequently, they can lean more on systems they’re already using in the classroom when disaster strikes.
Retention is perhaps the most important part of learning – something Sabrina Tellez said she wishes she would have known when she started out in the world of learning and education. “We, as learning professionals, get so caught up in the initial point of training, and we feel like we’ve been successful after meeting that initial need, and then we move on,” she told JW Marshall on a recent episode of the Future of E-Learning Podcast.
In their conversation, Tellez and Marshall discuss past challenges, current ideas and what artificial intelligence could be bringing to the field. Throughout her career of more than 15 years, Tellez has worked in various industries, including insurance, retail and, most recently, non-profit. While working at Academy Sports + Outdoors, a sporting goods retail chain in the southern U.S., she got excited about the idea of micro learning around 2014 or 2015.
“Our sales force needed to be out on the floor as much as possible,” she said. “We built our learning in bite-sized chunks … which made it easier to digest and access. We found a lot of success with that.”
Tellez is now Director of Training and Development at BE A CHAMPION INC., and retention plans are some of the most important aspects of her work.
BE A CHAMPION is a non-profit organization that offers free meals to students and low-cost after-school services for children. Before Tellez, the company had never had formalized training, a challenge she welcomed with open arms.
“Take your time and observe,” she told Marshall when asked for advice for learning professionals who are dealing with similar challenges. “As much as I would have loved to start by building training immediately, I had to slow down and get to know the organization.”
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Often, technology dictates curriculum rather than curriculum dictating the use of technology. On this episode of the MarketScale EdTech Podcast, host Shelby Skrhak sat down with Julie Garcia, Program Manager for Instructional Technology at the San Diego Unified School District, to discuss how her large school district has implemented Boxlight technology for students and teachers.
Before Garcia joined the district's instructional technology department, helping teachers more effectively use technology, she was part of the educational technology department that faced the monumental task of disseminating technology equipment to the classrooms.
"Our district spent a good amount of time just trying to get the equipment out to schools," Garcia said. "A lot of our work was just trying to get teachers to understand how to use them and how the students would use them."
Today, San Diego classrooms are advanced, 21st-century teaching environments.
"We have interactive displays in the classroom, the document cameras, the teacher laptops and student devices," Garcia said.
This Integrated 21st Century Interactive Classroom gives teachers more tools to teach high-quality curricula.
"When I meet with math teachers or history teachers, I discover that is their passion. Technology is not necessarily their passion or on their radar," she said. "So when you're wanting to make a change, it first starts with relationships with content. People value what they bring to the table. (Find out) what drives them, and then look at what you have to offer in the area of technology that supports that."
Online learning is here to stay, and the $325 billion industry is not limited to just students.
“eLearning” can be used to engage and teach employees, as well. Jennifer Stringer, founder of Square 32, joins host JW Marshall to talk about the future of eLearning and how her company combines marketing and education to empower organizations.
Stringer said that, if “companies want to have engaged employees, in order to do that successfully, you have to provide eLearning opportunities.”
She also said that Square 32 is actively helping non-profit organizations reach their target audiences through eLearning marketing.
Holding the attention of learners is an age-old issue, no matter the setting. Whether it be a PowerPoint or an online class, Stringer said that one thing teachers can do to capture and hold attention is to insert humor or a story. Something as simple as a video or a meme at the start of a presentation can engage the audience. She also said to “add sound and visual to make people pay attention to what’s next in the presentation.”
eLearning is becoming increasingly important in the business world whether companies implement it in their organization or not. Stringer said “it is important to educate your employees to keep them from leaving your company for other opportunities.”
The duo also mentioned that businesses now want to learn before purchasing, partnering or being sold something. Stringer wants to “make people see what’s in it for ‘me’ in a marketing perspective.”
As technology develops at an exponential rate, experts are racing to harness the power of tech in the classroom. With so many advanced tools at our fingertips, which one will be the key to enhancing student learning?
The answer is more simple and surprising than expected. David Solomon, CEO of Lightspeed, talks about technology in education on this episode of MarketScale's EdTech Podcast, revealing the fundamental component to student engagement everyone is overlooking.
For years, classrooms have followed a simple format: teachers talk and educate students from the front of the class. Today, little has changed and for good reason, Solomon said.
“75% of what children learn comes through auditory processing,” he said.
But issues arise when students can’t hear, be it because of noisy classrooms, a soft-spoken teacher, or developmental hearing complications. As a result, student performance plummets during a crucial period of learning development, causing educational gains to suffer down the road. Listening is essential to learning, Solomon explained, and the greatest benefit to education is to enhance the listening experience.
“The fortunate thing is it’s an elegant, simple solution," Solomon said. Lightspeed’s in-classroom microphone and speaker communication technology evenly distributes sound to every student. Lightspeed is intuitive to use, making it easy and seamless for teachers to implement into class.
The science is in, all students benefit from a better sound experience. And at Lightspeed, Solomon said, that’s what they’re about “making a difference.
Personalized learning platforms are like a pair of the highest quality running shoes. They can help you run faster, jump higher, and leap farther, all with the best technology you can get with a rubber sole. But if the shoes are three sizes too big -- if they don't personally fit your foot -- they're just a pair of shoes that won't do you any good.
On this episode of the EdTech podcast, host Shelby Skrhak sat down with founder and CEO of Cypher Learning, Graham Glass to discuss the three core aspects that a learning management system should have.
The native of England began his career teaching computer science at UT-Dallas, where he discovered the best way to help students learn was with individualized instruction.
"Every student would have their own strengths and weaknesses and their own set of questions," Glass said. "Over time, I found myself offering specific advice based on the profile of the student."
He made specific recommendations for books or videos that'd help a student, individually based on his or her level of knowledge. This experience -- assessing where a student is, making recommendations for study content, and following up on their progress -- became the formula, so to speak, for Glass' learning platform software.
Glass says there are three core aspects that define a personalized learning platform:
- Each student must be able to define their own learning goals within it.
- They should receive recommendations based on their learning journey.
- Students should have their progress clearly assessed so that they can see their own progress.
On this episode of MarketScale's Education & Technology Podcast, the multigenerational workforce of today and the workplace skills of tomorrow were the topics of conversation. Joining the podcast, all the way from the Philippines, were the founders of Hungry Workhorse, Kay Calpo Lugtu, COO, and Rey Lugtu, President and CEO. Their consulting firm helps business with strategy and technology and maintaining relevancy in today’s age of digital. They had a lot to say about the multigenerational workforce and the skills they need to have now and in the future.
Calpo Lugtu felt today’s multigeneration workforce posed as many opportunities as it did challenges. Boomers, Calpo Lugtu noted, need more time to adopt specific technological capabilities, where Gen Z workers may adopt the same capabilities more quickly.
Gen Z workers also tend to work independently, which creates an opportunity to develop collaboration skills which they may lack. R. Lugtu added that each generation in the workplace learns differently, and with rapid changes in technology entering the workplace, training the workforce can’t be done in the same way for everyone.
Both Lugtu’s see the workplace on the cusp of the 4th Industrial revolution, with the rise of AI, IoT, VR, and robotics. Caplo Lugtu said the skills required to meet these challenges and more are empathy, collaboration, and complex problem-solving.
“With collaboration,” R. Lugtu said, “we develop empathy towards each other.” R. Lugtu urged these skills to be taught in the education systems as early as possible. And while teaching these three skills is vital at the education level, companies need to begin training their workers on empathy, collaboration, and complex problem solving now.
Reading is one of the hardest skills to learn in early development. Any parent or teacher can attest to the struggle students go through on their journey to reading fluency and comprehension.
So, what is the secret to successfully teaching English in schools? Guests Dr. Victoria Locke, director of research at Istation, and Dr. Bill Fahle, SVP of development research at Istation, attest that the science-backed method of the “Big Five” is the solution to student and teacher struggles.
MarketScale’s EdTech Podcast dives deep into this education strategy, unpacking how the “Big Five” foundations for reading can help every student become a proficient reader.
In 1997, the National Reading Panel distilled years of research and studies into the groundwork for the “Big Five,” a series of steps that evolve to fluency:
- Phonemic Awareness
- Phonics
- Fluency with text
- Comprehension
- Vocabulary
Like scaffolding, Dr. Locke said, the steps build upon each other, starting first with the early skill of phonemic awareness. Perhaps the most standout feature of the “Big Five” is its ability to cater to each individual student.
“(The) Big Five helps to meet students where they are,” Dr. Locke said.
An adaptive assessment test determines the student’s level of understanding in each individual step, resulting in a custom overview of a student’s weaknesses and strengths. Dr. Fahle explains how a computer algorithm curates the test as the student is taking it, measuring their ability on a highly customized level.
Grounded in science, it’s clear the Big Five carries weight. With proper support from the school system and adequate teacher training, the Big Five can have a successful implementation in any school.
On this episode of the EdTech Podcast, Alexia Sanchez, EdTech Director at CYPHER LEARNING USA and Canada, spoke with host James Kent about machine learning in learning management systems (LMS) and how AI plays a significant role in today’s LMS.
Sanchez saw a need for flexibility in education through her years of experience in engineering, instructional design, and as an educational instructor. When she received her M.B.A. through an online program, Sanchez realized the benefits of the flexibility and adaptability of such a program and began to pursue a career where she could apply her skills towards that endeavor.
Machine Learning is a subset of AI that focuses on one specific task. Sanchez used the example of how a machine can learn the difference between a car and a van through data gathering. The machine begins to graph the data by size of the vehicles, the number of windows, doors and finds the patterns of what makes up a car versus what makes up a van. Machine Learning builds an algorithm to develop a model and provide an outcome.
“Once we have this model developed,” Sanchez said, “we can talk about how we can apply it.”
In education, Sanchez said the goal in machine learning is to make education more efficient and provide more engagement for learners. What Sanchez and CYPHER LEARNING aim to do is provide learners the skills to apply the knowledge they gain to the jobs they may want, and even help learners with those career paths, by recommending courses of interest. On the educator side, machine learning in LMS strives to facilitate all of the tasks a teacher has to do so they can focus on more high-value work.
“We need to change the approach of education,” said Sanchez, “to make sure we are preparing learners for the next learning stage, or to acquire the skills they will need for the future.”
Education is critical to growth, and online learning beyond traditional walls is transforming business unlike ever before. The relationship between learning and work is becoming more blurred as the two become part of the same integrated ecosystem.
So why is owning education so transformational for a business, its employees and customers?
Companies that invest in online learning have 218% higher revenue and 24% better profit margins. Thus, companies that aren’t already integrating online learning, are scrambling to catch up. By 2025 the global elearning market is expected to reach $325 billion.
On this episode of EdTech by MarketScale we talk with JW Marshall, a B2B Online Learning Consultant, about the technology and content in today’s online learning management systems and the importance of integrating education into an organization.
There is a shift away from old school learning management systems that traditionally were thought of as a compliance tool by HR for employees to comply with rules. Today, online learning is meant to be so engaging that people want to learn to build more skills and advance their careers. IBM found that for every dollar they spent on eLearning, they saw $30 in increased productivity.
“[In the] early stages of learning management, systems got a bad rap that they are boring, not engaging and a “have-to”. In the new digital world of Netflix and YouTube, you can binge-watch almost anything and now and we hope that training and online learning are moving that direction. That they’re so engaging that you want to learn more,” says Marshall
Online learning helps people learn without an agenda. The missing link? Companies providing the platform for their employees so they don’t have to go somewhere else to get it.
As more and more technology comes into the classroom, there are always challenges in learning and effectively training staff and teachers how to use the technology. In this episode of the MarketScale EdTech Podcast, host Shelby Skrhak sat down with Dywer Middle School Principal Christi Glembocki to discuss how she's deployed technology at her campus and helped reluctant teachers make the transition confidently.
At the Huntington Beach, California middle school, making mistakes is part of the staff development curriculum.
"With the digital natives, all the kids are coming in knowing this technology but a lot of the adults don't so it's an intimidating factor and fear," Glembocki said. "They don't want to mess up or fail with something."
But Glembocki feels that's a great learning tool for teachers and students alike.
"It shows we're all learning and growing, and we all make mistakes," she said. "I try to model the technology myself during staff meetings, and they see me goof it up. Sometimes it doesn't work or doesn't pan out like how you hoped it would, but I hope I'm modeling that that's ok."
In states like California, up to 20 percent of students are English Language Learners, but we're not just talking about Spanish. ELLs speak 150 different languages in the U.S., and teachers find it challenging to navigate the learning landscape. Today on the EdTech Podcast, brought to you by MarketScale, host Daniel Litwin sat down with two education experts from Dallas-based Istation to discuss the nuances and best practices of quality English Language Learning: Jami Herbst, customer success professional development manager, and Julie Robinson, bilingual professional development specialist.
Some school districts in more urban and suburban environments have ELL-specific classes, whereas rural areas may place ELLs in the general classroom. That's a challenge for both the students and the teachers who are not trained or certified in this specialty of education.
"It's just as stressful for the teacher as it is for the student," Julie said. "As teachers, we should remember that each child brings something with them. Yes, there's a barrier because of the language, but they've got knowledge coming in with them."
Having taught in Costa Rica and Honduras, Jami pointed out that classroom cultures vary widely by country.
"Teachers should be culturally aware of what students are used to in the classroom, what makes them most productive, and what makes them tick," she said.
Often, involvement in a student's own learning and performance makes them tick.
"Personal time with the student is important, and going over the data is a way to do that," Jami said. "Discussing the data with your student helps them take ownership of their success."
Using data is like jumping on a scale. You can weigh yourself over and over again, but until you do something about the number you see on the scale, it's not going to change. A similar analogy can be used for using data in the classroom. Measuring classroom data in of itself won't bring about change until teachers feel empowered to use that data on an individual level for their students
That's according to our guests today on the EdTech podcast brought to you by MarketScale, iStation's Julie Kalinowski, Special Projects Lead for Customer Success, and Sabrina Jones, Professional Development Manager for Customer Success. Host Daniel Litwin sits down once again with Dallas-based iStation to discuss the impact data has in the classroom.
Sabrina says the scale analogy is especially powerful because it shows the intimate connection between data, teachers, and students.
"Data is not a secret," Sabrina said. "So, let the kids know. It's not like they don't know whether they're a gifted reader, so bring them into it for that motivation. Once you get kids motivated, it's a challenge for them and they want to see themselves succeed."
Julie has another analogy for data -- a thermometer.
"You use it to measure whether or not a child has a fever, but if you don't do anything about that fever then it's not going to change," Julie said.
The change often comes from students.
"If students start taking ownership of their own data through data folders, that's where you'll see the biggest bang for the buck," Julie said. "That's where kids make the most growth."
The Education Liberty Watch recently published a piece attacking the educational philosophy of social-emotional learning. Curious to learn how others feel about this method of learning, Daniel Litwin had a conversation with Stephanie M. Jones, Professor of Education at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
Hear her thoughts on the matter and find out why she believes this method is the most effective way to educate kids in this excerpt from Business Casual.
Tune in to Business Casual, MarketScale’s live radio broadcast, every Wednesday and Friday at 8 a.m. CST.
For most of us reading this, it's been a minute since we've attended middle school. Naturally, you’d imagine the textbooks currently in use have been updated over the years. This is not always the case.
In today’s episode of the EdTech podcast, Jim Christensen, executive director of the ShareSpace Foundation, explained what's changed and what hasn’t inside America’s elementary schools.
One of Christensen's indelible memories during his tenure as a middle school teacher was teaching language arts with the same textbook he used as a child. The experience helped him realize that he would succeed as an educator by teaching children to think, not to test. And young students can mature their thinking skills through collaboration.
“Kids want to do things together, they want to work together," he said.
While some of the educational materials may still be the same, Christensen reminded listeners that many of today’s students now have computers and even robots in the classroom.
He described a hopeful future of integrating robots with augmented reality technology, like the innovative technology provided by Boxlight, to allow students to learn differently. And in his opinion, robots can be used beyond STEM classes.
“I’d like to get [robots] across the curriculum," Christensen said.
Christensen, the former director of education at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, sees robots as also being crucial to future missions to Mars. He believes our species will rely on machines for recon, to build bases before humans arrive, and to operate them as well.
He's spoken with and continues to speak to thousands of children each year and said that they’re endlessly curious about life on other planets.
“I challenge kids to come up with a tour they’d give on Mars," Christensen said.
The mental exercise activates their imagination, teaches them about the Red Planet, how to make presentations, how to make maps, and above all, it teaches them how to think.
Gone are the days of overhead projectors and composition notebooks in the classroom. The technology revolution has made its way into education. Some critics frown upon the rapid influx of tech into learning, but the fact is today’s job market requires essential knowledge of tech. If primary school is to prepare students for the workforce, integrating technology is critical to their success in adulthood.
On this episode of MarketScale's EdTech podcast, we discussed the idea of “blended learning,” a term used to describe the smooth integration of technology in the modern classroom. Today, two customer success experts from Istation, a leading provider of game-like education technology, joined the podcast; Julie Kalinowski and Julie Robinson broke down how, when blended learning is implemented correctly, it can show incredible results in student success.
Today’s students are technology natives, born into society fully reliant on the operation of a technological and data-driven world. This crucial change in our culture means a profound change in how students learn. Kalinowski attested that blended learning increases student interest, and empowers them to take ownership of their learning.
By collecting data on how students engage with Istation programs, teachers have the tools to customize learning for each student. This allows the students to learn at their own pace and in their way.
Though a child’s mind is malleable, teachers often struggle to change course on how they teach. Blended learning turns tech into a tool, not a burden for teachers. They’re encouraged to customize the classroom’s use of ed-tech and implement new programs one small step at a time.
Robinson said to teachers slow to adapt: “Don’t be afraid to try and don’t be afraid to fail...ask the kids for feedback.”
For decades the field of education has struggled to standardize learning and give every student equal opportunity. But Robinson wisely quotes a former administrator when saying, “Technology is going to be the one thing that’s going to level the playing field for all students.”
Jon Corippo joined Business Casual to discuss the need for education that provides life skills to students.While the educational curriculum has not changed markedly for many students over the years, the world around the classroom has rapidly changed.
This dynamic begs the question of whether the tools students need to be equipped with for the real world need to be updated. Whether it is financial literacy, better media savvy in the digital age, or even bucking outdated research on studies like the importance of breakfast, students have different needs today than in the past.
Cue, Inc Chief Learning Officer Jon Corippo joined Business Casual on Friday, Aug. 2 to discuss where he sees holes in modern education and the impact that might create on society.
Tune in to Business Casual, MarketScale's live radio broadcast, every Friday at 8 a.m. CST.
On this episode of the EdTech Podcast, host Tyler Kern sat down with Jenielyn Padernal, director of e-learning integration at Cypher Learning to discuss the challenges some educational institutions are facing when producing work-ready graduates for tech fields.
San Francisco-based Cypher Learning provides e-learning platforms for schools, entrepreneurs, and businesses, including Neo, its award-winning learning management system for schools.
While learning management systems have gained some traction in primary schools, there still exists a large gap in preparing high school and university graduates to immediately step into the workforce.
“Some or most schools and even universities are still struggling to find the perfect fit between technology and the teaching strategy,” Padernal said.
One reason is the knowledge gap with teachers who are digital immigrants — those who are relatively new to employing e-learning in the classrooms — to teach technology to digital natives, explained Padernal, a longtime teacher herself.
“I teach teachers how to use technology in the classroom,” she said. “But the challenge is getting digital migrants, teachers who have been there a long time without the presence of technology, to use technology in teaching is a struggle.”
Padernal said e-learning solutions can help makeup the gap in readiness for the job market.
“Learning should no longer be confined to the four walls of the classroom, but learning can happen anywhere, anytime,” she said.
Technology has driven change in just about every industry. Often this is associated with the acceleration of process and production, but the design world is also being shaped by these tools every day.
Art and design are creative and unique to individuals, but programs like photoshop are becoming ingrained in the minds of today’s art students. Bill Ward, Lead Instructor of Graphic Design and Web at the Art Institute of Dallas, wrestles with the changing design landscape daily with his pupils.
“That is a huge challenge for students, they think the tool is the creativity and that is not correct,” Ward said. “Tools are the tools, but again, the ideas are the commerce in this life. So, we spend a lot of time focusing on ideas.”
Ward spent several years at design firms of different sizes before transitioning back into the world of academics as a professor.
To stay out in front of these changing technologies and trends, Ward brings current industry professionals into his classroom to prepare his students for life beyond the classroom.
Technological integration into design will only become more prevalent, and Ward is excited about what that means for the future of the industry. However, even in this era of rapid change in the design industry, he leaves his students with timeless advice.
“You have to listen. You have to sort of put your expectations to the side and listen to what the industry needs, and then you deliver on that. If you have a special skill or talent that you can introduce, that’s so much better,” Ward said.
Robotics kits are becoming a standard teaching tool in the classroom, but there’s still a lot of complexity and cost associated with incorporating this popular STEM tool, said longtime educator and EdTech expert Travis Rink. In this episode of the EdTech Podcast, host Sean Heath sat down with him to discuss the ins and outs of using Mimio’s new robotics kit for STEM classroom learning.
“In STEM, we’re training kids for jobs that haven’t even been created yet,” Rink said.
As a science teacher, Rink worked with Mimio’s various professional development and classroom tools. Now as the Mimio Educator Advocacy Leader, he manages global training programs. Mimio’s latest tool is the MyBot educational robotics system, developed to fulfill a need in robotics and coding in the classroom without the added complexity common in most systems.
“I’m a teacher at heart. And I really think the Mimio MyBot solution is a fantastic system that’s going to revolutionize what kids can do,” Rink said. “What makes it so cool is that it’s easy to use. Take it out of the box and it’s ready to go.”
The MyBot is easy for teachers as well as children ranging from elementary school, who use blocks of preassembled code to give the robot commands, to high schoolers, who use Python to work with the robot, Rink said.
But the distinction, Rink said, is this robot’s fundamental purpose.
“In the past few years we’ve seen a lot more companies displaying their robots but a lot of them are just toys. How would I use this in the classroom?” Rink said. “ That’s where the Mimio MyBot solution is a great head above by getting to the nuts and bolts of programming it.”
The primary school classroom has changed dramatically in just the last 20 years. Computer Science classes used to cover typing speed and little more. Today, kids must be primed to enter the world with all of the skills to survive in our rapidly evolving global world of tech. So how are schools integrating tablets and computers into the classroom in an efficient, effective, and responsible way? Answering this question in this EdTech Podcast episode is Chrissy Allard, marketing director at PowerGistics.
Many kids today have had tablets in their hands before they could even talk. But some children do not have the same access to digital devices in their homes. By integrating tech into the public school classroom, students are allowed to gain familiarity with these devices–as Chrissy describes, "...[It is] creating a barrier-free playing field for learning tech."
Tech allows for a deeper personalization to the learning process, giving teachers the tools to educate each student based on their learning ability and speed. As tech continues to blend into the school curriculum, teachers must be armed with the tools to make the change seamless and stress-free.
With little spare time on their hands as it is, teachers need technology to help them, not haunt them. That's where a device management solution comes into play. A strategically used device tower, like the ones PowerGistics creates, not only makes the stress of using and putting away tablets minimal, but it creates a safer, more streamlined way to charge and store this expensive assets.
Solutions that speed up processes in the classroom and invaluable; they give time back to the teacher to do what they're there to do-- teach. It also creates an easy space for IT departments to manage and maintain classroom technology. One thing is for sure, tech isn't going anywhere–it will only become more pervasive in business and economy.
Integrating tablets and computer science into the classroom with as few hurdles as possible is critical to keeping rising students on trend with rapid technological advances. When managed correctly, technology can enhance the learning experience, not distract from it.
Technology tools, like the online learning portal from Dallas-based iStation, are not only helping students in elementary school, but they are aiding early literacy efforts for kids just coming into Kindergarten. In this episode of the EdTech Podcast, host Tyler Kern sat down with Dr. Jane Moore , Strategic Professional Development Specialist, and Dr. Georgia Thompson, Trainer and Implementation Specialist at IStation, to discuss why early literacy is important for its very youngest students.
While sophisticated, 1:1-empowering, and device-driven EdTech might be considered a relatively new development in instruction, IStation’s adaptive online reading curriculum for elementary school students has roots in a Clinton-era initiative called the National Reading Panel. The panel helped establish the five essential pillars for literacy learning, upon which IStation’s curriculum is based. The pillars include phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension.
Teaching these scientifically-based reading pillars is helping close the gap for incoming Kindergarten students, whose literacy often varies widely from English as a second language to fluent readers.
“Studies have shown how simultaneous advantage of using print, sound, and animation is really speeding along those acquisition skills we want our children to have,” Dr. Moore said. In addition, the International Literacy Association found that meaningful use of digital resources can substantially diminish the literacy difference between the low-economic student and their more affluent peers.
But if you think IStation’s online learning portal is removing teachers from the equation, Georgia assures that’s not the case.
“We never want to replace the teacher,” Dr. Thompson said. “It does not supplant, it just supplements.”
College life has become more personalized and diversified with seemingly endless choices for students, but one student life platform is making this kind of discovery easier for students and administrators both. On this episode of the EdTech podcast brought to you by Marketscale, host Daniel Litwin sits down with Sue Wasiolek, better known as Dean Sue, Associate VP for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Duke University and Cooper Jones, co-founder and CEO of New York-based Rah Rah.
The online platform began as a wellness app and has evolved as a "first-of-its-kind student life system (SLS) that makes campuses more accessible, discoverable, and connected, so students can make the most of their time at school."
When students are faced with countless programs, resources, and opportunities, Dean Sue says administrators find it challenging to educate their student body what’s available to them. Plus, students find it difficult to get all the information they need once something piques their interest. “The term I use a lot is overwhelmed by so many choices,” she says.
“When you have a dining system, a transportation system, an engagement platform, and a wellness platform, they provide a lot of helpful resources but aren’t used as much by students because they’re overwhelmed with it,” Cooper says. “Our goal with Rah Rah is to create this one holistic system that meets students with what they expect [as a seamless experience].”
Sue says ultimately their mission all goes back to the student. “How do we continue to support students in their journey to flourishing?”
University curriculums have mostly kept pace with new majors, changing careers, and student interests, but one area that’s been left behind is the class scheduling process. Higher education administrators have done their best to maneuver the inconsistencies, but the back-end of class scheduling is riddled with potential pitfalls, lack of standardization, and lack of transparency.
On today’s episode of the EdTech Podcast, host Daniel Litwin sat down with Michelle Kelley, Registrar at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin and Skip Ernst, Product Manager at DIGARC, to discuss the challenges university registrar offices are facing and the technology solutions available.
“Every semester we create the schedule of courses that’ll be offered and that students register for, but that process has not had a satisfactory software solution to streamline it,” Kelley said, explaining how data is exported to a cumbersome spreadsheet and then manually updated as educators provide information. “There are numerous problems in that process.”
In his work at Florida-based DIGARC, Ernst said that that’s on par with what he hears from many other institutions. “It’s very surprising actually to hear that some are still using paper forms as a de facto standard,” he said.
DIGARC provides cloud-based academic catalog and curriculum management solutions to higher education institutions. Since Edgewood College began using DIGARC’s SECTION solution, the class scheduling process has become simpler and easier for everyone to use.
“In our implementation of the SECTION software, the very first thing that stood out for us was the dashboard,” Kelley said, explaining how the clean dashboard makes it easy for even non-tech savvy people to use. “SECTION provides a great mechanism to accomplish that.”
We all have in our minds what a classroom looks like—desks, structure, all eyes to the whiteboard, or screens at the front. While technology has undoubtedly woven its way into the modern classroom, has it truly enhanced the experience of students? What's next in revolutionizing the 21st-century classroom? To offer some insights on this, we're joined by educator Jon Corippo, Chief Learning Officer at CUE. CUE is a nonprofit, professional organization for teachers in California and Nevada with a goal of sharing ways to teach better.
Corippo has been an educator for about 20 years, coming to it as a "third career with the intent of helping kids have a better experience." This, for him, meant redefining classrooms.
"We have an event called BOLD, which stands for blended and online lesson design, which focuses on helping teachers create better lessons," Corippo said. "But beyond the training and curriculum is the design of the classroom. We had some expert designers come in and take over a classroom. So, we got rid of the desks."
No desks in the classroom? It seemed like a strange choice, but for Corippo it was a logical change. "So, we as a county have spent billions on new curriculum and training, but we still don't have the results we want. Maybe the key is the environment. I saw this great documentary on PBS about a classroom with no desks, just whiteboards for each student. The teacher could interact much differently with the students. It changed the dynamic, and her students' test scores went up," he said.
This became the catalyst for the idea of the racetrack classroom. "The racetrack classroom takes the desk out of the equation but still gives students somewhere to put their laptops. We've got whiteboards along the perimeter, and each student has a bar height table that's also a whiteboard for their technology. Then, we've got two 75" touchscreens and a projector," Corippo said.
"I call it a racetrack because the teacher can simply move around in circles interacting with kids in a whole new way. Kids are more visible, and the teacher can access them better," he said.
Of course, none of this is possible without finding the right partners that value the impact that technology can have when implemented correctly in the classroom. That's where Boxlight has stepped up and made an impact.
"Boxlight came in and gave us two, 75-inch touch screens and this super-rad, short-throw projector set up," Corippo said. This helped increase the extent to which the classroom was able to act as an interactive environment, encouraging students to interact and learn on a more natural level.
Educators have known for a while that personalized, one-on-one education is the way forward for the classroom. But the reality is, with large classrooms and tight schedules, giving this one-on-one teaching time can be a difficult thing to perfect. Technology has been bridging that gap, and what instructors are realizing is that personalized teaching can't be seen as an added feature of the classroom; it needs to be integrated into the entire curriculum.
Where do educators start? How do you utilize software to personalize instruction in the classroom and turn data into a more predictive tool for assessment? To get some clarity, we turned to a leader in this space: Dallas-based Istation, which performs predictive assessment and adaptive curriculum for students and teachers alike via an online portal.
On today’s episode of the EdTech Podcast, host Daniel Litwin sat down with Istation's DeAn Jeffrey, Strategic Professional Development Specialist, and Sarah Cude, Regional Professional Development Lead for the Southwest, to explore this topic more in-depth.
Local school districts and officials at the state level are encouraging their teachers to shift their mindset when it comes to using data, Jeffrey said. Istation provides precise and individualized data about students, so teachers can use that information to guide their decision making and classroom planning.
Both Cude and Jeffrey came to iStation after being longtime classroom teachers and using the predictive assessment tool in their respective school districts.
“Long gone are the days of solely standing in front of the classroom and lecturing to the whole class,” Cude said.
“We know that one-size-fits-all does not meet the needs of our children,” Jeffrey said, agreeing with Cude's perspective.
She has seen the results of predictive assessments both as an administrator and as an Istation team member. When Jeffrey was a principal in Bells, Texas, her school saw great results incorporating predictive assessment into its curriculum.
“Using Istation with fidelity as one of our initiatives, we moved from being a good school with two distinctions to one of the top five performers in the state of Texas,” she said.
Deciding to use the software is only half the battle, though. Listen to Jeffrey and Cude break down the importance of predictive assessment in making more time for individual teaching, why getting the school and district administration to buy in to software like Istation's is so critical to success, and what the future of the personalized classroom looks like.
Funding for education initiatives is not just a school district or state issue, it is national one. The current state of our workforce, with consistently changing technology and a push for computer science skills, is demanding a shift in education and the programs provided for students.
Laura Spence, a K-12 STEM Specialist for Pinellas County Schools in Largo, Florida, is familiar with the direction that STEM is heading in, both in education and the workforce. Her career has been dedicated to it. But in trying to bring STEM programs to her students, she's faced the challenges of funding STEM resources.
Several consistent methods of funding are available, such as grants, but to make room for more qualified staff and focused programs, funding has to get creative. On today's podcast, Spence breaks down how important community engagement is for bringing STEM to schools. Since the world today has a high demand for STEM skills, Spence has found power in educating parents, other educators, community leaders and businesses to help fund their programs.
Another surprising way Pinellas County Schools managed to find funds for STEM education came from more intentional facility management.
“Districts and schools often struggle with budget management in general,” Spence said.
Pinellas County found a way to save $20 million by taking an in-depth look at the amount of money that was being wasted through inefficient energy use.
The county partnered with Cenergistic to help them take a closer look at their facility management and energy use, and because of the partnership and money saved, Pinellas County Schools won the Energy Star Partner of the Year award.
Spence has taken this award and other community engagement wins and helped set a standard for how school districts can find grass-roots, creative and responsible ways to fundraise for STEM initiatives. Listen to Spence explain how STEM education can be applied to multiple settings and is applicable in the real world, and why even a small start with funding is a big step in the right direction.
Whether within or without the industry, most can agree on the importance of education and giving children all of the tools they need to be successful, especially as the world and workforce around us changes so drastically and consistently. Financing those tools is a completely different matter altogether.
The number of special needs and learning disabled students is steadily increasing, and one in five children entering the schooling system don't speak English as their first language. These pains require funds to solve properly, and it doesn't help that many Americans are unaware of where their tax dollars are spent. Our guest today explains that though many constituents are under the impression that when taxes increase so do the funds to the schools, that's just not the case.
On today's EdTech Podcast, we sat down with Katie Bowman, CPA, the Associate Superintendent for Finance and Auxiliary Services for Birdville ISD in Texas. Bowman covers a variety of departments, including purchases, facilities, construction, child nutrition, and transportation; it is easy to see how it can become difficult, especially when “school finance itself is very complicated," Bowman said.
Bowman has a unique perspective, working for 15 years in the public accounting world, as well as within other school districts before coming to Birdville ISD. She noted that there are endless challenges when balancing a district's educational budget, but has found solutions in the thinnest of margins. Energy and building maintenance are crucial to the comfortability of a school, but is an area where many districts grossly overspend. There are crucial financial moves that can be made, and the most recent Bowman went with was hiring consultants from Cenergistic, a company that uses software and IoT tech to "find savings in utility costs, at no cost to you."
“All of my staff have seen that we’re in a really good place with the Cenergistic team,” Bowman said, who notes that having Cenergistic employees visit her school system has helped tremendously in adding manpower to her team. She points out that they started out by auditing what lights and energy were being used after hours, and found ways to save energy, like changing the preset temperature by one degree. The company has re-empowered the district with not only additional funds, but also freed up the Birdville staff to do other things, like preventative maintenance.
Continuous improvement is the crux of our schooling system, not only for students but for educators, too. What the industry has seen, both through shifts in culture and technology, is that personalized, one-on-one learning is how Generation Z and future students will adapt to the modern workforce. Each teacher, district and state approaches personalized learning differently in their schools, a great scenario for innovation but a nightmare for standardization.
What do you do when technology in your school district is outdated, inaccessible to all students and only in their hands a few times a month? In this digital age, it's unacceptable. This was the exact problem Rachelle Butz, Executive Director of Digital Learning for Monroe District Schools in Washington, faced. On today's podcast, she discusses the process of integrating brand new technology across a school district of 7,000 students, and how EdTech companies like Boxlight guided them to success.
Putting the students first can seem like an obvious idea when it comes to education, but sometimes it can get lost in the noise created by new and exciting technology. Today's podcast serves as a reminder that tech should serve the needs of the students, and not the other way around.
On today’s MarketScale EdTech Podcast Show, we talk to Monica Burns and MarketScale's own Emily Rector about the use of AR in the classroom and the use of EdTech—including AR—in company training. AR is more than just PokemonGo! It’s the future of education and post-educational training, and it's motivating venture capitalists to put their money into endeavors that branch out of just the classroom.
Today, our country is in the midst of an education crisis with teachers quitting their jobs at the fastest rate since the government started collecting this data in 2001. From low pay, political climate, helicopter parents, macroeconomics, and more, teacher retention rates are at their lowest.
As technology has evolved, have our thoughts on the qualifications and training necessary to enter the workforce changed along with it? Today's podcast takes a look at the potential legacies of two methods of education that have an eye towards the future when it comes to preparing their students.
No two people learn the exact same way. The more technology that moves into the classroom, the more avenues that become available for teachers to help impart knowledge to their students. Today's episode of the MarketScale EdTech podcast takes a look at two unorthodox ways that teachers can use tech to help their students retain information.
2019 is going to be a big year for EdTech, mostly because of the shift in generational teaching. Gen Z's flexible learning style is leading to new methodologies, new technology and new initiatives for what works in today's modern classroom. These methods of transmitting knowledge are changing and going more and more online, in both corporate education, higher education, and personal education.
Today's MarketScale EdTech podcast show takes the tech fight to the classroom, analyzing three different perspectives on how and why technology is taking the lead in more engaging, adaptive education. Whether it's with immersive technology like VR, the replacement of textbooks with digital nonfiction, or the modern teacher's methodology in the classroom, it's clear that the industry is in a time of transition. Give this podcast a listen for a look at which tried and true traditions of the classroom are making way for their more engaging digital counterparts.
The nature of school security has seen whiplash in the last few years. Devastating weather events, school shootings, decaying infrastructure; they're all accounting for an overhaul in how to properly secure a school. But better security doesn't come easy. 90 percent of school district funds are allocated to salaries and benefits, which leaves a whopping 10 percent for everything else, including security personnel, technology and infrastructure remodeling.
In this Glass is in Session podcast, Trey Harris, Education Market Manager at Clarus, discusses education sales at the university level. For the better part of the first decade of his career, Harris worked in architectural photography, led national marketing for the planning and landscape architecture division of a national A/E firm, and honed his skills as a professional communicator. Now at Clarus, having joined last year to lead education sales, he has visited 92 universities in nine months. There, he's seen a trend across the board: classrooms aren't equipped for Generation Z.
"The in-house designers at the university, when they're looking at what they want their classrooms to be, how do they filter all this new generation's needs," Harris said. Higher education is such an enticing market not only because older adults are returning to college, but because of the size of Generation Z; the majority are just now entering college, but soon will be making up 40 percent of all consumers. He notes that Gen Z is very different from both Gen Y (Millennials) and Gen X, saying, “security and stability” are what they value most.
“Technology is integrated into their lives at birth,” Harris says. “Technoholics would be an understatement.” He discusses how although Gen X will move companies, they do not move industries. It’s becoming clear that Gen Z are what he terms “career multitaskers,” meaning they will move industries throughout their working lives. They want their hobbies to be their professions, and this innate flexibility need to be expressed in their learning process. Harris explains how Clarus helps universities make the design and technological transition Gen Z expects, empowering project-based learning and flipped classrooms through collaborative technology like the glassboard.
What if subject matter changes faster than you can finish teaching the established knowledge? That is the current challenge for several fields of study, perhaps none more so than marketing.
On today's podcast we were joined by Ryan Langan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Management at the University of San Francisco.
Dr. Langan discussed the ways in which rapidly changing technology impacts the importance of maintaining a grasp of the fundamentals of marketing, the natural collaboration that should exist between traditional marketing and digital marketing, the challenges that the new digital landscape presents when attempting to create targeted marketing, and the importance of properly determining the actual customer for a given campaign.
"Even as fast as digital marketing is evolving, if they understand, kind of, the boundary conditions, and the theories, and again the frameworks that guide some of these principles and practices, that allows them to make informed decisions even as the technology evolves," Dr. Langan said.
Unfortunately, universities aren’t evolving anywhere near as fast. Dr. Langan discovered that, though there have been improvements in the last five years, “27 percent of universities do not offer any digital marketing classes."
While marketing itself “is a concept and a process,” the digital aspect of modern marketing is strictly “the manner or the media in which you use to communicate," Dr. Langan said.
Yet, while the physical principles of the steam engine and the internal combustion engine are fundamentally the same, you wouldn’t want to go to an automotive school that “only taught you how to work on steam-powered engines."
Through this dialogue, Dr. Langan covers the areas of analytics (including Google analytics), big data, AI, virtual and augmented reality, and social media—and the use of weather data to sell the right sandwiches at the right time. Listen and discover how, in digital as in traditional marketing, the medium is still the message.
Being digitally literate is quite possibly one of the most valuable skills a young child can have in the 21st Century. However, when most people say "digital literacy," they are mostly referring to the software side of computers, and not the hardware. Piper, an organization set on getting children to work with computers, is working to change that notion and get children more focused on computer hardware as well as software, another holistic push to get students excited about STEM fields. Joining us on today's EdTech Podcast is Joel Sadler, CEO of Piper. "Anyone Can Make Anything," Sadler said, and this mentality is what's motivated him to put hardware in the hands of students. Sadler discusses the importance of learning computer hardware in regards to digital literacy, computer coding as language, and how teachers and schools are implementing more mandatory and comprehensive courses about computers.
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Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
Today, "project-based learning" can be found in the vernacular of most any educator, but it wasn't that long ago when the phrase - much less the style of teaching - was unknown, maybe even radical. In this episode of MarketScale's Ed Tech podcast, Josh Reppun, education thought leader and founder of @MLTSHawaii, encourages educators and administrators to be bold, brave and take risks in the way they teach and conduct their schools and classrooms. "We're at a moment here," Reppun said. "The moment is whether the traditional way of teaching will continue or whether it will be moved aside appropriately to make way for a new way of teaching and learning that best meets the needs of kids in this 21st century." He dives into one of the first videos he produced on classroom culture, European History at La Pietra, which documents his philosophy on education and the cultural shift that's moving teachers from "sage on the stage" to "guides on the side."
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"Good communicators don't just listen and pay attention, they respond as well," said University of Texas professor John Daly. The lauded interpersonal communications professor joined us on the EdTech Podcast today to discuss how you can improve your interpersonal effectiveness and communication on a business level. The tips extend beyond just finding common ground in communication; when you can effectively state your position, the goal doesn't have to be total agreement. "People want you to understand them more than they want you to agree with them," Daly said. Understanding that principle can help you navigate choppy disagreements and have all parties come out (mostly) unscathed.
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Lisa Thomas, an instructor of business communications at BYU’s Marriott School of Business, said there are four "A's" to remember for great email communication. In this episode of the EdTech podcast, we discussed tips for better business communication that we can all use. Thomas said the first A in this acronym is get people's attention. Then give them an agenda. Layout your argument. And finally, give them a call to action. "Time is money in the business world so getting in to say what you're going to say clearly and setting up the next point of action is important," Thomas said.
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Gabrielle McCormick, founder of Scholarship Informer, knows all the detailed online submission requirements for a $30,000 scholarship up for grabs, but she also knows how to use visualization to manifest a positive attitude and growth mindset for winning. Soft skills coupled with technology is the topic of today’s episode of the EdTech Podcast, where we discuss how powerful a focused vision can be for a student, and how technology can empower that vision. “Being a student athlete, I used the power of visualization,” Gabrielle says. “I used to visualize having a successful game or how I would feel if I got a scholarship. I’d literally close my eyes and see myself pulling up to the mailbox. My mom reaching in and handing me a scholarship letter that I would open and tell her that I won. Then it actually happened. The more I did that, I got myself into the mindset of a winner.”
Today's EdTech is shaping a new generation of students who’ll be well-suited and prepared for what our guest, education thought leader and founder of @MLTSinHawaii Josh Reppun, calls the imagination economy. “This is an inflection point,” Reppun says. “We’re at a moment where we can’t have teachers be a sage on the stage. We have to get kids ready for the imagination economy, or what Tom Friedman calls the creative economy. EdTech has to play a role in that.” On today’s episode of the EdTech Podcast, we spoke on Josh's twists and turns through the industry, how it reflects the evolution of education technology beyond mere devices, and the impact a more creative economy will have on students.
If you're a listener of our Education Technology podcast, chances are you're familiar with the Paperless Push and 1:1 device-friendly classrooms. Welcoming new technology to the classroom creates new workflows that many schools and teachers have to adapt to and learn how to manage. In today's episode, LocknCharge's Global VP of Business Development Kevin Kuluvar shares a few workflow evolution solutions his team has designed for paperless and device-friendly classrooms with the input of teachers and school districts from across the world. "We're starting to see a need for devices to be secured, stored and charged during extracurricular activities, during lunchtime, during times that they are disconnecting from that device," Kuluvar said.
Whenever our host Landon hears the words tutor, tutee, or even tutelage, they can’t help but giggle. Even outside of the word's strange semantics, tutoring can have a negative connotation, because asking for it can be perceived as being unintelligent or inefficient; but that doesn’t have to be the case at all. In today's episode, Knack co-founder and CEO Samyr Qureshi tutors us in all things tutoring, and why it's important to not only ask for help, but give it as well. "I think there's different styles of tutoring, right?" Qureshi said. "Tutoring can really be blended into advising, mentoring and coaching, and that's what we strive to do here at Knack."
As artificial intelligence algorithms become more complex and more prevalent, parents and educators must now work on preparing today’s youth for being responsible and savvy digital citizens. Here to talk about the potential effects of faulty AI algorithms infiltrating spaces like YouTube and some best practices for teaching children how to be safe online is Edward Tse, the brain behind “Ed on Tech” on YouTube and the Director of Strategy at NUITEQ. “The trouble with the internet is that the internet rewards extremes. Say you’re driving down the road and witness a car crash, of course you look, everybody looks at a car crash. Well the internet interprets that to mean that people want car crashes, so it tries to give us more of them," Tse said.
For many elementary school kids, reading definitions from the textbook is just one of the many ways they consume the knowledge they need for high school and beyond. But once those kids, get to high school, textbook learning becomes more integral and commonplace, leaving more visually minded and creative learners in the dust. In comes Studytracks, a service that posts a variety of fun, catchy songs that teach material from Math to History. Not only are they professionally produced, but they reflect the musical trends of the era in a convincing, authentic way, making the listening experience that much more engaging. Joining us today is the creator and CEO of Studytracks, George Hammond-Hagan to discuss the reception of Studytracks from students and teachers, as well as the need for more diverse ways for high school students to learn their material.
You’ve heard the cliche "it takes a village," but this North Carolina school is assembling the village in an innovative way. In this episode of the EdTech Podcast, we spoke to Lindsay Whitley, Director of the Guilford Parent Academy in Guilford County Schools, North Carolina and discussed how his team is using grant money, corporate donations and donations in-kind to fund the use of technology to increase parental involvement. "We don't always have the funding to do everything we want to do, but we're being innovative and partnering with the community to receive support and in-kind donations to build a high-quality parent-family engagement division," said Whitley.
The more technology we have, the more people seem too drift apart. Author and EdTech Consultant, Dr. Monica Burns of Class Tech Tips, however, believes that technology can not only foster human relationships within the classroom, but also promote students to become more empathetic. When it comes to VR, we cannot simply use it because it’s new and flashy; instead, Monica, argues, we must use this new technology with intent and purpose to garner to truly enrich our students’ lives. Join us today to talk about how to use VR to not only help students explore more of the world, but how to inspire students to create their own stories with VR.
What subject in school would you have described as emotionally stirring or beautiful? Probably something like English, a Fine Art, even History or Science. Mathematics, for the typical student...not so much. And that's nothing against mathematics as a field. Shaya Zarkesh, co-founder of Poly-Up, thinks it's because of the way it's being taught. When he was in math class, every complex path from equation to solution was a work of art to him. But looking around at his classmates, he could tell they didn't share that same feeling. At all. It was then he decided to do something about it. Shaya comes on today's EdTech episode of Wildfire to detail his passion for math, how the current way it's being taught in classrooms is doing more harm than good, how Shaya balanced high school and entrepreneurship, and the effect both integrated and emerging technology will have on the mathematics space.
Wildfire Theme by Green Point Empathy Featured Song: Cabins by Hall Johnson
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Historically speaking, art is not usually considered part of the scientific community. It should be. Art is an ordered expression of perception and emotion. While those are difficult values to quantify, the collaboration between science and art is creating a new viewpoint that can greatly benefit both fields of endeavor. On today's podcast, our host had the chance to chat with Jie Qi, the co-founder and creative director of Chibitronics. They discussed the innovative approach needed to combine art, engineering, and science, the exponential increase in effectiveness that adding "Art" into the STEM ecosystem (result: STEAM), and how the visual aspect of "paper electronics" can greatly improve the ability of educators to assimilate (and communicate) the concepts involved.
Have you heard of the phrase, "Stage, not age?" For higher education, it makes a lot of sense. Your age or year at university doesn’t matter when enrolling in a course; what matters is that you’ve passed the prerequisites. But what would our education system look like if this style of personalized learning were adapted by elementary and secondary schools? In today's episode, Graham Glass, CEO and founder of CYPHER LEARNING, discusses the technology that could make this type of adaptive, automated classroom learning the standard.
When we talk about bringing tech into the classroom, a lot of the conversation focuses on the most exciting, albeit very useful emerging innovations: AI, VR, 3D-Printing, etc. But what about using technology to solve some of the simplest classroom issues, like sight and sound? On today's EdTech podcast, we're joined by Jill Pierce, Chief Technology Officer for McMinn County Schools, who walked us through the importance of opening the line of communication between district, teacher and student. By suiting technology to each students' needs in a financially responsible way, Jill is making sure McMinn County's technology can continue to grow off of a stable base. "Like building a house, you need a good, firm foundation."
When we talk about bringing tech into the classroom, a lot of the conversation focuses on the most exciting, albeit very useful emerging innovations: AI, VR, 3D-Printing, etc. But what about using technology to solve some of the simplest classroom issues, like sight and sound? On today's EdTech podcast, we're joined by Jill Pierce, Chief Technology Officer for McMinn County Schools, who walked us through the importance of opening the line of communication between district, teacher and student. By suiting technology to each students' needs in a financially responsible way, Jill is making sure McMinn County's technology can continue to grow off of a stable base. "Like building a house, you need a good, firm foundation."
In 2018, technology is rapidly growing and changing around us. From yearly smartphone models, computers, and cars, the way we interact with the world is changing on a day to day basis. But for many American schools, charging forward into the 21st Century has been an expensive and challenging endeavor. Here to give his insight is Gregory Haulk, Superintendent of Huntington Beach City School District, to discuss how technology is allowing students to take more agency into their learning beyond the textbook.
As more and more educators find intentional ways to bring emerging tech to the classroom, Rod Smith, CTO of Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia, sat down with us to talk about how he has implemented technology in his school district, what the “Digital Classroom Refresh” project has done for the community, and how Boxlight is helping bring students and teachers together (both inside and outside of the classroom).
As project-based learning becomes more of a pillar in education instead of just another buzz phrase, we decided to sit down with Cam Sadler, CEO of NewCraft, to talk about implementing this concept in the classroom. We also going talked about what kind of tech is fostering this kind of learning and just how he thinks this concept might evolve in the future.
While I was at ISTE in June, the big talking point on everyone's minds was digital citizenship. How can we prepare our students, in a world surrounded by technology and connectivity, with access to more information than is imaginable, to support safe and responsible technology use? For some, that means getting students knowledgeable about how to discern fact from fiction, or fact from exaggeration, online, especially in hard news. But how do you create a platform for students to read about current events, whether troubling or exciting, that is both age-appropriate and matches each students reading level? It's a daunting task, but not one that's being ignored. JJ Janikis (Newsela Team Lead of Educator Communities) and Tami Flood (Teacher and Newsela Certified Educator) came on the podcast to give their in-the-classroom and EdTech-provider points of view on digital citizenship, empowering teachers to take command of personalized technology, the importance of current events for a young audience, and how to "unlock the written word for everyone." In the spirit of Newsela's mission, the two also duke it out in 5 Word Summaries over a Starbucks Gift Card. Tami's skilled with her appositives.
Bringing AR and VR into the classroom is rapidly evolving from the shiny toy to meaningful learning. Teachers around the world are showing use-cases of improved learning when students use virtual reality; it gets them out of their seats and engaged with their education. Even more exciting, is when students and teachers can find a sense of ownership in their VR content. On today's podcast, Kaspar Rosengreen Nielsen, product manager and lead programmer of WizeFloor at the Alexandra Institute, explained the importance of engaging students through movement and collaboration, and how accessible VR will let teachers craft more meaningful learning for the classroom.
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Going into the 2018-2019 school year, Every Student Succeeds, or ESSA, is finally going from a plan to a policy, changing the standards placed on teachers and districts for student success. The biggest change comes to the "A" word-- accountability. For many schools, their systems are too complex or disjointed, making essential data difficult to access but punishing districts with performance numbers. Paul Livingston, Director of Educational Strategy for EDIS, came on the podcast to discuss the data revolution within the EdTech space, how districts can better harness varied but critical data, and how collaborative and data-informed educators can give students a more personalized education.
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Education has been stuck in a phase; teachers have mastered the art of being the Sage on the Stage. It's not a bad format; we live for a good lecture. But as the world moves through this age of acceleration, with technology drastically shifting day-to-day, it's important to get students thinking critically and have them become part of the technology's growth, not become bystanders. In fact, the teachers are the ones who need to "get out of the way," according to our guest Josh Reppun, founder of @MLTSinHawaii. Reppun told us how becoming the Guide on the Side can open limitless doors for students, and what's helping Hawai'i implement this strategy on a state-level (effectively, too).
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On the first episode of This Week in EdTech, our host Daniel Litwin recaps his experience at ISTE's Chicago conference with Dr. Edward Tse, Director of Strategy at NUITEQ and YouTube content creator for his channel Ed on EdTech. Daniel and Ed share their thoughts on the trends in EdTech they saw at the conference, some of the potent messages shared by keynote speakers Andy Weir and Tech Rabbi Michael Cohen, as well as which companies are finding new ways to enable creativity and promote digital citizenship.
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Self-employed educator, Melissa Ait Belaid, joined us on the podcast to talk about the convergence of old and new styles of teaching, and how embracing such polarizing philosophies can prove beneficial in the classroom. She also shares her views on policy and teacher prep programs that might be hindering the evolution of education.
On today's podcast we’re joined by Darryl Loy, Director of Technology at Good Shepherd Episcopal School. He told us about the misguided emphasis on technology in the classroom, non-tech professionals trying to keep children away from technology, and the potential classroom-less future of education.
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On today's podcast, we chatted with David Kofoed Wind, CEO of Peergrade. We discussed the peer system learning approach, how common language helps peers reinforce concepts to each other and how the real "fun" in learning systems can be the actual learning itself.
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With the conversation around school safety being bigger than ever, Pat Bhava, founder of Kid.io (or Kidio as he calls it), sat down with us to discuss the broken links in school safety, and how a centralized and automated tech solution could not only make reacting to active threats more efficient, but stop them at the source.
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For those of us actively seeking education, we're always searching for the best way to learn. Sometimes traditional channels like a college or online course just don't work for someone. Samyr Qureshi, Co-Founder & CEO of Knack, came on the podcast to explain the power of peer-to-peer education, and how its ability to personalize the learning experience, retain soft skills like empathy and create a more comfortable environment is attracting more and more students...as well as employers.
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Educators have a lot on their plates, and administrative paperwork is one more thing that creates a real burden. Aaron White, CEO of Script, came on the podcast to share his personal moment of realization that educators need time to focus on their passions, not the paperwork, and how automation of the back office could be the needed breath of relief.
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Elliott Levine, Distinguished Technologist and Director of Education for HP sits down with us to talk about how VR and other technology can revolutionize the way educators approach a classroom setting in the future.
For more information on Hewlett Packard's education solutions, log on to https://www8.hp.com/us/en/solutions/education/education-solutions.html.
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The classroom can sometimes be the best place to try out new technology. You find exciting and innovative applications, and you get to see how the tech might impact future generations. Monica Burns, EdTech & Curriculum Consultant and Founder of Class Tech Tips, comes on the podcast to tell us how virtual reality is staking its claim in the education industry, and how teachers will make the most of it by turning entertainment into purposeful curriculum.
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For more information on Class Tech Tips, log on to https://classtechtips.com/.
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With Technology and Education getting more and more intertwined, many are worried about how schools are dealing with cyber security issues. Larry Kahn, Chief Technology Officer of Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, Texas, joins us to discuss advancements in Education Technology, protecting students and staff from external cyber threats, and about what he thinks the industry has to look forward to.
For more information about Trinity Valley log on to https://www.trinityvalleyschool.org/.
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On today's Throwback Thursday, Gabrielle McCormick takes us back to Scholarship Informer's early days, remembering the struggle of trying to build her educational courses on limited platforms. With some dedication and resourcefulness, Gabrielle found new ways to transform her business through more integrated, comprehensive sites that could not only handle the data, but build a community.
For more information about Scholarship Informer log on to http://scholarshipinformer.com/.
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Keeping educators in the classroom has become harder and harder. On today’s podcast, Jennifer Hasser, Executive Director of Kendore Learning, helps us understand what is making teachers leave the profession and how technology can help them be better prepared for the classroom.
Log on to https://kendorelearning.com/ to learn more about Jennifer's company.
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Today we hear from Mahesh Kashyap, Chief Digital Officer at Deep Cognition. Mahesh describes how beneficial artificial intelligence can be to a company of any size, and how smaller businesses can overcome the initial barriers of integrating AI.
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Log on to http://deepcognition.ai/ for more information about Deep Cognition.
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On today's podcast we sit down with Glen Harrison, a Professor at Lamar University. We talk about the COVA learning process, what COVA stands for and how it is helping students learn.
Log on to https://www.lamar.edu for more information about Lamar University.
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Today we get to hear from Matthew Knauf, Upper School Makerspace Coordinator & Design/Engineering Teacher at The Oakridge School. He tells us how he’s combining new tech with classic hands-on workshops, introducing students to a design-focused mindset.
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Time for today’s Education Technology minute, brought to you by MarketScale.
The constant advancements in technology create vast opportunities to improve classrooms, but it can cause problems, too.
While the creation of mass open online courses provides both students and teachers flexibility, with regard to time and location, it can suffer if the infrastructure is not able to maintain fast, consistent connectivity.
In 2006, the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, found that the existence of a national framework did not necessarily guarantee a successful environment for educational technology.
After observing 9 African countries, they found that having a national policy in place is futile without a concrete plan for funding and implementation.
It appears that getting the latest tech into the classrooms is only a small part of creating a stimulating and practical learning strategy.
This will be just one of the many topics discussed at the 3rd edition of the Education Innovation Summit in Sandton, South Africa.
I’m Sean Heath and this has been your Education Technology minute.
Today, we spoke with Jim and Katie Onstad of Education Framework. They discussed the importance of privacy and data security with the ever growing number of devices used by children in school.
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On today's podcast episode, we speak to Gabrielle McCormick, Founder, Chief Education Officer and Chief Technology Officer for Scholarship Informer. Gabrielle shares how a torn ACL led to her connecting students and families with scholarship opportunities, compiling her own experience into a comprehensive database.
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On today's podcast, we sit down with Dr. Christina Puente, Clinical Instructor of Field Observations for the College of Education and Human Development at Lamar University. We learn more about how Puente is bringing up-to-date resources such as presentation tools, analytics, and passionate mentorship to her students as they transition into educators.
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On today's podcast, we chat with Dr. Thilisa Thibodeaux and Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik from Lamar University. We discuss the fundamental change that technology is causing in learner ownership of the process, how this is a fantastic time to be a learner (and educator), and the opportunity that technology gives to educators to be their best teaching selves.
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On today's podcast, we chat with Mark Elliott from Boxlight. We discuss the fundamental importance of education on a global scale, the critical need for intuitive technology in classrooms, and how the educational process is evolving to better assist students of all ages.
For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the Education Technology Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication. Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B! Twitter – twitter.com/marketscale Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale
On today's podcast, CEO and founder of Educational Tech Specialists, Mallack Walsh, joins us to discuss his thoughts on professional development for teachers. We also talk about his career path into education technology and the emerging trends in the industry.
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On today's podcast, we have a chat with Rick Fredkin from Eduporium. We discuss the rapid advancement of technology-as-educational-tool, the inherent technical aptitude in the current elementary school age generation, and we look to the digital future.
For more information on Eduporium, check out - eduporium.com
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On today's podcast, I have a chat with David Venus from PixelFLEX. We discuss the perspective he has after working on both sides of the event curtain, breaking into the education space by working with institutions like Stanford, the satisfaction that comes from helping a client's wild dream come to life, and the implementation nuances that accompany the new revolution in architecture.
For more information on PixelFLEX, be sure to check out their website - pixelflexled.com
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On today's podcast, we get to chat with Ryan Adkins, the Director of Technology for Yorkville 115. We discuss the way technology has amplified the challenges that students traditionally face, the way his district approaches technology as an asset, the strategy of making sure that teachers have the opportunity to keep learning, and updating the environment that K-12 students experience in order to help prepare them for college.
For the most recent articles, podcasts, and videos be sure to subscribe to our Education Technology publication.
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
On this episode of our Education Technology Podcast, we are joined by Dr. Tilisa Thibodeaux and Dr. Dwayne Harapnuik from Lamar University. We take a deep dive into the emerging trends that are changing the way we teach, as well as the new technologies that are driving the shift.
For more information on the work Dr. Tilisa Thibodeaux has been doing, be sure to check out her website - http://tilisathibodeaux.com
And for the best articles, interviews, videos, and podcasts from the Education Technology industry, be sure to subscribe to our publication.
Matt Nupen is the CEO | Co-Founder of Insert Learning and has created a product that any teacher can use! His company takes any typical lesson plan and instantly makes it more interactive. Topics of discussion include the insurgence of AI and gamification within the modern classroom space as well as what's to be expected over the next several years in education. Will text books be obsolete? Will there be less focus on curriculum? Do "AI" driven learning systems work or will it fail teachers in the future? Find out all about it in today's Education Technology episode!
On today's podcast, I get to have a conversation with Josephine Misson from Wooclap. We discuss the way in which they are incorporating digital technology in classrooms, and how proactive learning environments help both teachers and students.
Joséphine is Inbound Marketing & Customer Success Manager at Wooclap, a collaborative tech solution for classes, conferences and training sessions. You can follow Wooclap on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
https://www.wooclap.com https://www.instagram.com/wooclap/ https://twitter.com/wooclap https://www.facebook.com/wooclap https://www.linkedin.com/company/wooclap/
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
On today's podcast, we get to chat with Lars Lengquist from Lexplore. We discuss the way a tech company can approach a huge social issue responsibly, the technological advances that may redefine the way we think about education, and I actually ask about how something works.
On today's episode of the Podcast, we get to chat with Joshua Wilson, PhD., from the University of Delaware. We discuss the emergence of software that can assess a student's writing ability (with an eye towards helping them where they struggle). We also talk about the change in educational approaches, the developing role of technology in the classroom, and how automation can make a huge impact on the world of scoring and grading in schools.
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
On this episode of our Education Technology Podcast, we get to have a conversation with John Merris from Clarus Glassboards. We discuss the changing nature of education through the introduction of new learning tools, the evolution of engagement and knowledge transfer at all educational levels.
Welcome to the Education Technology podcast, by MarketScale, where we dive into the technology that is revolutionizing the education industry. Tune in for interviews with educators, startups, and thought leaders provide compelling insights into the future of EdTech.
On this episode of our Education Technology podcast, we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Abbie Brown from East Carolina University. We talk about the concept of teaching teachers, helping people step out of their comfort zones to improve, how technology is generating a new language, and the dangers of existing on the bleeding edge.
On this MarketScale podcast episode focusing on the latest in Education, we are joined by Professor Leigh Ann Hall of the University of Wyoming. Professor Hall holds the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowed Chair in Literacy Education and shares her thoughts regarding the future of online learning, and designing experiences that truly motivate students to learn. As well as creating an online, social community to connect students to create a deeper educational impact. We also discuss the growing desire amongst corporations to create educational courses for their employees where they feel the traditional education process has not prepared them, and what sort of impact that might have on the future for all parties involved.
The U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Trade Commission are struggling with how to guide schools on protecting students’ personal information while using educational technology. The information that is provided on devices like iPads, Laptops and other computers allow companies to gain information about their consumers. However, access to this information becomes a more difficult subject when that information is being taken from students using these devices for educational purposes. Thomas B. Pahl, the acting director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection said ”Both the FTC and the Department of Education think further discussion, and perhaps additional guidance, is warranted.” The discussion should “provide a roadmap for potential next steps the agencies can take.” There is no word on when either organization will have further guidance to provide educators and their students on the safety of their personal information when using these devices.
Today we had the chance to chat with Sara Acre, a recent teaching graduate from Cornell University. We discuss the recent adoption of technology in the halls of academia, the risks of too much information in a short period of time, and we ponder the philosophical meaning of forgetting how to write in cursive.
High School students who drop out or fail is common but maybe there is something out there to help certain people receive the help they need to graduate and succeed. With large districts housing hundreds of students in each class, it’s easy to get lost in the system of names but Nathan Trenholm and Justin White, former district staffers, may have the solution. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal,” It’s a data visualization tool is helping educators in the Clark County (NV) School District better monitor which students are on track to graduate and increase support for those who are not.
The learning process in today’s classrooms is completely night and day from where it was at just ten years ago and for many teachers, they are finding that students are leaning toward the direction of “picting.” This refers to the process of learning new ideas through images rather than traditional text and for many, it’s becoming the norm in today’s education system.