EdTech & Innovation

Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation June 15, 2023

Kentucky schools awarded broadband access award

One of the most important resources in P-12 schools today is internet connectivity, particularly broadband access. Recently, LaRue County Schools and The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics & Science in Kentucky were recognized for being successful examples of improving broadband internet access, adoption and use. The honor came during ConnectKentucky’s Tech Day where both entities were awarded the Secondary Educational Institution Technology Award.

Since 2010, LaRue County High School has provided every student with a laptop and in 2014, new laptops were purchased for the high school and the older ones were passed down to middle school students. In addition, traditional and mobile computer labs and other devices are bringing technology into LaRue County’s elementary classes more than ever.

“LaRue County students are provided a luxury that most districts don’t have – access to high quality educational resources and lines of communication with their teachers all school day long, and in many cases outside of the school day as well,” said LaRue County School Chief Information Officer Freddie Newby in a press release on the award.

Tech Day in Kentucky is put on through a partnership with Western Kentucky University’s Office of Research. It emphasizes the benefits of broadband technology in government, schools, non-profits, libraries, businesses, communities and homes.

I believe that technology in P-12 classrooms can be a great equalizer, but only if everyone has adequate access. The program like the one in the LaRue County schools accomplishes two things: in-class access to broadband internet, and individual devices for every student so no one has an advantage over another. I hope this program will serve as a model to other schools of how to best equip all students with the technology needed for academic equality and success.

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Matthew Lynch published in EdTech & Innovation March 16, 2023

The Top Cybersecurity Grants for Education and How To Apply for Them

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity has become a critical concern for every sector of society, including education. Educational institutions have massive amounts of sensitive data, from student and staff records to financial data, and are, therefore, prime targets for cyber attackers.

Fortunately, several organizations provide cybersecurity grants specifically for educational institutions. Here are the top cybersecurity grants for education and how to apply for them:

1. National Science Foundation (NSF) CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service

The NSF’s CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service program aims to increase the number of qualified cybersecurity experts by offering scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in cybersecurity-related fields. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, and a stipend in exchange for service in a federal, state, local, or tribal agency for a period equal to the length of the scholarship.

To apply for this grant, institutions must first be designated as a CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service institution by submitting a proposal to the NSF.

2. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity Education and Awareness (CE&A) Program

The DHS CE&A program offers funding to educational institutions for cybersecurity education and training programs, curriculum development, and student initiatives. The program aims to promote awareness of cybersecurity risks and best practices among students, faculty, and staff.

To apply for this grant, institutions must submit a proposal that outlines their cybersecurity education and awareness plan, including the goals, objectives, and activities that will be undertaken.

3. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE)

The NIST NICE program provides funding to educational institutions for cybersecurity education, workforce development, and outreach programs. The program aims to support the development of a robust cybersecurity workforce and promote cybersecurity awareness among students, faculty, and staff.

To apply for this grant, institutions must submit a proposal that outlines their cybersecurity education and workforce development plan, including the goals, objectives, and activities that will be undertaken.

4. National Science Foundation (NSF) Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC)

The NSF SaTC program provides funding to educational institutions for research in cybersecurity and privacy. The program aims to develop new technologies, processes, and policies to enhance cybersecurity and privacy in complex systems.

To apply for this grant, institutions must submit a proposal that outlines their research objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.

5. Department of Education Grants for Technology and Safety

The Department of Education offers technology and safety grants to educational institutions for the development and implementation of programs that promote safe and responsible use of technology. These grants can be used to fund cybersecurity education and training programs, as well as the purchase of cybersecurity technology and tools.

To apply for this grant, institutions must submit a proposal that outlines their technology and safety plan, including the goals, objectives, and activities that will be undertaken.

In conclusion, cybersecurity grants for education are critical for ensuring the safety and security of educational institutions and their sensitive data. Educational institutions can take advantage of these grants by submitting a proposal that outlines their cybersecurity education and workforce development plan or their research objectives and methodology. With these grants, educational institutions can develop a robust cybersecurity program and contribute to the development of a skilled cybersecurity workforce.

Matthew Lynch published in Digital Age Teachers, EdTech & Innovation January 25, 2023

LMS: Everything You Need to Know

This is an acronym for Learning Management System, e.g., Blackboard, which functions chiefly to help educators provide educational instructions to students while assessing them via online means. An LMS can be personalized/adapted to suit the needs of the educator and students alike.

Using an LMS offers a multitude of benefits in a school setting. Some important ones include the following:

Efficient distribution of class materials: By using an LMS to share class materials, all students – whether they’re learning remotely or in class – can have access to the lessons, including resources, objectives, and activities. Textbooks can also be shared online through software applications.

Availability of resources in different formats: Educators can disseminate resources in a diverse range of formats. They can gather multiple resources on a skill or topic that will help students understand the content in a way that suits them.

Parental access to assessment dates and class schedules: Parents and guardians can access their kids’ assessment dates, class schedules, class outlines, etc. This creates opportunities for meaningful conversations between teachers and parents/guardians regarding students’ performance and activities.

Diverse assessment options: Teachers can conduct assessments in multiple formats using an LMS. Multiple choices, short quizzes, etc., provide the opportunity to offer immediate feedback. Educators can also reference external sites to use topics or questions from them. Students can upload their work in different formats, including videos, podcasts, or screencasts.

Transparent feedback: Feedback from educators for summative and formative assessments can be easily shared with students through an LMS. Feedback can also be sent to parents and stored in the LMS so students can easily access them later.

Tracking student data: Teachers can use the LMS to store data from student attendance and assessments. It helps them easily identify the students who need additional support. Similarly, they can identify gifted students and those who are talented in multiple subjects.

Cost-effective strategy: Schools can save a substantial amount of money in the long run by implementing an LMS. While the price of the solution goes up depending on the scale of a school’s system, it helps to cut costs in several aspects.

Deeper insights: An LMS provides deep insights that help educators and schools make informed decisions. It also gives deeper insights into students’ overall performance – much more than attendance, grades, and performance reviews. The system can analyze students’ past records and extracurricular activities and generate detailed reports, which help schools and educators track the students’ overall progress.

Chris Piehler published in EdTech & Innovation January 17, 2023

PBS Reno’s Curiosity Classroom Robotics Program Has Served 25,200 Students Since 2021

Powered by 40+ educators and 225 KIBO robots, the community outreach program brings STEAM and coding to rural students and families at no cost

(Waltham, MA) January 17, 2023 – KinderLab Robotics, a leader in educational robotics for grades pre-K–5, today celebrated the success of PBS Reno’s Curiosity Classroom, a community outreach program that brings robotics to preschoolers through 4th-graders in seven counties in Nevada, at no cost. PBS Reno created its own robotics curriculum using KIBO, the screen-free STEAM coding robot from KinderLab. Since 2021, PBS Reno facilitators and KIBO have introduced 25,200 students to robotics and coding.

“We’re deeply impressed by the creativity of the team at PBS Reno,” said Mitch Rosenberg, CEO at KinderLab Robotics. “They’ve put together a rigorous and fun curriculum that allows their dedicated facilitators to bring playful STEAM activities to students who might not otherwise have the chance to experience age-appropriate programming during their formative years. In a very real way, they are changing the trajectory of these children’s lives.”

Serving learners in public, private, and charter schools, as well as homeschooling cooperatives, the Curiosity Classroom robotics curriculum aims to offer hands-on STEAM and coding lessons to students who may not otherwise have the opportunity.

“PBS Reno is unique in this service delivery model, and the program is growing by word of mouth among teachers,” said Joy Foremaster, Director of Education at PBS Reno. “One thing we really love about KIBO is that it’s screen-free. When we go into those rural areas where they don’t have a computer for every student to use, having a robot that’s self-contained enables us to do so many more STEAM activities with those students.”

Over 40 facilitators, most of whom are former teachers and all of whom have prior classroom experience, held 787 workshops last academic year. This school year they have led 261 workshops so far, with a goal of 900. Each workshop includes a 45-60 minute lesson that adheres to state standards and includes a literacy component. With 225 KIBOs available, each student gets to spend hands-on time with their own robot.

“PBS Reno brings science that engages the students’ hands and minds,” said Brandy Ayers, a kindergarten teacher from Pinecrest Academy of Northern Nevada. “Twenty-six kindergarteners playing with 26 robots was totally amazing! This is something they will remember for a long time.”

In addition to workshops, PBS Reno Curiosity Classroom facilitators lead family nights featuring fun activities such as a space mission, in which students and their families program KIBOs to explore an alien planet, or dance parties where participants program the educational robots to boogie down with some music. After in-school workshops and family nights, the facilitators also send students home with fun activities to practice programming concepts with their families. One example is “program a family member,” in which students try to write a program using directions similar to KIBO’s coding blocks to direct a family member to move or dance a certain way.

“These workshops boost the kids’ interest in robotics and coding,” said Stephanie McMillen, a 3rd-grade teacher from CC Meneley Elementary School. “It teaches wonderful technology vocabulary and it provides for interdisciplinary connections. I love the content and the tech. Thanks for bringing such light to our day.”

For more information about KIBO, visit KinderLabRobotics.com. Visit PBSReno.org to learn more about PBS Reno’s robotics program.

About KinderLab Robotics

KinderLab Robotics is the creator of the award-winning KIBO, a playful educational STEAM robot kit based on 20+ years of child development research with thousands of children, teachers, and parents. Developed specifically for teachers by Dr. Marina Umaschi Bers from Boston College, KIBO is currently used in 70+ countries and has proven efficacy in helping kids in Prek-5th grade learn STEAM—and getting them excited about it! KinderLab offers a complete suite of teaching materials that help integrate STEAM elements into a wide range of curricula, including art, cultural studies, and reading literacy. For more information, please visit KinderLabRobotics.com.

About PBS Reno

As of February 2022, PBS Reno Channel 5.1 is watched weekly by more than 113,000 people in approximately 62,000 households in northern and central Nevada and northeastern California, with viewership on multicast channels Reno Create 5.2 and PBS KIDS Reno 5.3. PBS Reno channels are also available on cable, satellite services, and via livestream on YouTube TV. PBS Reno provides PBS national programming and award-earning, locally-produced content. PBSReno.org provides engaging interactive content, including the video portal at watch.pbsreno.org/ that streams all locally-produced content and most PBS national content. PBS Reno serves students, teachers, parents and caregivers through immersive educational services including Curiosity Classroom Workshops that bring classroom lessons to life with standards-based lessons and watch.PBSReno.org activities. Through the support of local corporations and foundations, as well as thousands of individual members, PBS Reno has been delivering public television and educational services to the communities it serves since 1983.

Press Contact
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PRP Group
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Matthew Lynch published in Artificial Intelligence, EdTech & Innovation January 8, 2023

Machine Learning: Everything You Need to Know

Machine learning is known to be that arm of computer science that utilizes mathematical principles to help computer systems become markedly better performing on detailed data-driven tasks without any ambiguous programming. Good examples of the incorporation of machine learning into education are the use of artificial intelligence and learning analytics.

Some important machine learning applications in the education sector include:

Adaptive learning: In this educational method, a student’s performance is analyzed in real-time, and teaching methods and the curriculum are modified based on that data. It tries to adapt to the individual student for better education and helps to build a personalized engagement. The software helps in advising learning avenues that the student should take.

Increased efficiency: Machine learning appears with the capability to better organize and manage content and the curriculum. It helps to bifurcate the tasks accordingly and understand everyone’s potential. It helps to identify what works for the student and what work is ideal for the teacher. It also has the ability to make teachers more efficient by completing tasks such as scheduling, classroom management, etc. Therefore, the teachers are free to concentrate on tasks that machine learning cannot accomplish and require a human touch.

Learning analytics: Sometimes, teachers get stuck while teaching. As a result, the students cannot properly understand the insights and gist. Learning analytics helps teachers gain insight into data and perform deep dives into it. They can sift through lots of pieces of content, interpret them, and then make connections and conclusions.

Predictive analysis: Predictive analysis in education revolves around knowing the needs and mindsets of the students. It helps to make conclusions about the occurrences that may happen in the future. With the half-yearly results and class tests, it can be understood which students will have a tough time in the exam and which students will perform well.

Personalized learning: This is one of the best usages of machine learning in the education field. It’s customizable and individual requirements can be taken care of through this. The students can guide their learning through this educational model. They can make decisions about which subjects to learn and how to learn.

Evaluating assessments: Machine learning is used to grade exams and student assignments more accurately than a human can. While some inputs from educators are required, the final results will have higher reliability and validity when a machine does the work as there’re fewer chances of errors.

Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Assistive Technology, Career Readiness, Child Development Tech, Classroom Management, October 31, 2018

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 7: How Digital Age Teachers Can Win Over Parents

Education is a collaborative process, as it takes many stakeholders working in unison to help students succeed academically. One of the most integral parts of this collaborative team is parents, as teachers know all so well. So, if you are a teacher struggling to increase parental engagement, how do you fix this issue? In this episode, we will discuss 7 ways that digital age teachers win over parents.

Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Assessment, Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, Child Development Tech, October 13, 2018

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

Being a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next generation of students have qualified teachers, we must nip this phenomenon in the bud. In this episode, we will discuss 8 ways that digital age teachers avoid burning out.

Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Assessment, Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, Bullying, October 1, 2018

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 5: The Archetype of a Great Teacher

One of the questions that I am frequently asked is, what does a good teacher look like? I respond by mentioning my 10th-grade Biology teacher, Mrs. Minor, and listing the attributes that made her the archetype of a great teacher.

Matthew Lynch published in Ask An Expert, Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, Bullying, Child Development, September 24, 2018

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 4: How to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom

Building a culturally responsive classroom is hard. To help you along your journey, here is your guide to exploring and respecting the cultural backgrounds of your students while also using diversity as an asset. If you you listen to this episode of the podcast, and take my advice, you will have a culturally responsive classroom in no time.

References

Culturally responsive teaching is a theory of instruction that was developed by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and has been written about by many other scholars since then. To read more of her work on culturally responsive teaching and other topics, click here to visit her Amazon.com page.

Matthew Lynch published in Adult Education, Ask An Expert, Assessment, Assistive Technology, Black Boys in Crisis, September 14, 2018

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 3: Why Teacher Shortages Occur

It seems that every year around this time, school districts around the country report not being able to fill all of their open teacher vacancies. Why do these cyclical teacher shortages occur? In this episode of the podcast, we will explore this topic in-depth.