Home > News > featured news > 3 ways tech clubs, classes boost IT capacity and student opportunities

3 ways tech clubs, classes boost IT capacity and student opportunities

educationdive | March 25, 2019

In most households, children are considered the resident IT expert by the adults. Need help programming that LED light display? Ask the 12-year-old. Did the phone update mess up all your apps? The 15-year-old can straighten that out for you. Need help setting up the the WiFi router? Just wait until the 7th grader gets home from school. Understanding how technology works seems to come easy to almost every person under the age of 21. Now, some schools are using tech clubs and classes to give students with these skills and interests the opportunity both to feed their thirst for knowledge and to gain valuable real-world experience assisting educators and others in the community in a tech support role.This approach not only helps cash-strapped school districts grapple with increasing demands on their IT departments, but meets a need for career and technical educational (CTE) opportunities, with some students even able to earn accreditation in the process. Those who venture out of their schools to assist in the community are also learning the reward of helping others while honing their own skills. Jacqui Murray, a former K-8 tech teacher, taught a service-learning class that brought 8th grade students into a senior center to help residents use the technology they already had. The senior citizens wanted to learn how to do things like take a photo with a smart phone, make videos and use Skype to talk to their families.

Spotlight

Innovative Learning Solutions to Navigate Complexity: Adapting Systems Thinking to Future Classrooms

Last year, the assembly of the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization agreed to set an aspirational goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, reinforcing targets and commitments made already by both industry and individual states for the sector. While net zero provides a common goal for aviation, it comes with a recognition that this sector is likely to be one of the hardest to abate. Most stakeholders agree that meeting this challenge will require a broad approach, encompassing both operational efficiencies and changing the ways we fuel flight.

More featured news

Spotlight

Innovative Learning Solutions to Navigate Complexity: Adapting Systems Thinking to Future Classrooms

Last year, the assembly of the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization agreed to set an aspirational goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, reinforcing targets and commitments made already by both industry and individual states for the sector. While net zero provides a common goal for aviation, it comes with a recognition that this sector is likely to be one of the hardest to abate. Most stakeholders agree that meeting this challenge will require a broad approach, encompassing both operational efficiencies and changing the ways we fuel flight.

Related News

Online Education

ACE Partners with the Center for Financial Training, Expands Opportunities for Business Professional Development

PRnewswire | June 29, 2023

Creating more education opportunities for business professionals, American College of EducationⓇ (ACE) has partnered with the Center for Financial Training (CFT). The collaboration allows CFT course completers to apply earned credits to an ACE bachelor's-completion degree at a 3% tuition reduction. It also provides professional and career advancement opportunities to an increasing population of adult learners with college credit but no degree. CFT provides industry-related education and training for bank and credit union employees for career advancement and professional development. Taught by experienced subject matter experts, completers learn the latest trends in finance from entry-level skills to management enhancement. "At ACE, we aim to expand opportunities for business leaders to upskill and advance their careers through education," ACE President and CEO Geordie Hyland said. "CFT has the same mission, and we're excited to combine our resources to contribute to today's evolving business landscape." "Partnering with ACE provides us a way to extend our coursework into degree programs for finance professionals," Vice President of CFT Renee Few added. "Working in finance requires continued educational opportunities and creating a link for our course completers to go even further with their development is at the heart of what we do." About American College of Education American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, 100% online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. ACE is ranked #2 on Newsweek's 2023 top online colleges list. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 80 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master's or bachelor's degree, along with micro-credentials and graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation. About Center for Financial Training The Center for Financial Training (CFT) is an industry-supported adult education and training nonprofit organization that has been providing continuing education courses and professional development programs for members of the financial industry since 1901. CFT courses are designed for multiple experience levels and areas of responsibility, and offer students up-to-date, practical, industry-related information, and skills. The skills help employees work smarter and better, improving their on-the-job performance and productivity.

Read More

Talent Development

Noodle Acquires Meteor Learning, Strengthening Noodle's Consulting Practice

PRnewswire | August 24, 2023

Noodle, higher education's leading strategy, services and technology partner, has completed the acquisition of Meteor Learning, a Certified B edtech corporation based in Burlington, Massachusetts. Noodle, also a Certified B corporation, welcomes Meteor Learning's higher education and employer partners into its network. This addition strengthens Noodle's ability to help its partners be more resilient, responsive and efficient. William Rieders and Donna Ritchie, Meteor's founders, will join the Noodle leadership team and will head Noodle's consulting practice, driving strategic insights and operational effectiveness for Noodle partners. "Meteor extends our capacity and reach, and I am very excited to work with Bill and Donna, who bring tremendous insight and experience to the team," said John Katzman, Noodle's founder and CEO. "This acquisition will expand our consulting practice with leadership and expertise, methodologies and proven results to solve a unique challenge – how does higher ed best leverage technology and data to execute against their strategic goals?" With this acquisition, Noodle now supports more than 65 top US and UK universities through aligned learning design, marketing, recruiting, support, strategy and technology services. Noodle provides these services, along with internal resources at its partner universities, to address challenges and opportunities that higher ed faces. "This acquisition will provide Meteor Learning partners with additional scale, expanded services and innovative new models to support greater flexibility, efficiency and internal capacity building," said William Rieders. "Universities are looking for a strategy, services and technology partner to help navigate the rapidly changing post-secondary market. The combination of the two organizations gives us that much more capacity to be their strategic partner." Meteor's focus on skills-based programs provides a strong catalyst for Noodle's University-to-Employer service, addressing some of the most significant workforce challenges in such areas as Nursing and Education. About Noodle Noodle is higher education's leading strategy, services and technology partner. Founded in 2013, Noodle has developed infrastructure and online enrollment growth for some of the best academic institutions in the world. Our vision is "to empower universities to change the world." We achieve this vision by offering our partners various products and services that help them become more resilient, responsive, efficient and interconnected. Noodle is a Certified B edtech corporation. About Meteor Meteor Learning is a leader in addressing the vast skills gap. Meteor is uniquely positioned to serve learners with its broad portfolio of skills-based programming developed and validated with higher education and employer partners. Led by seasoned educational technology and service executives, Meteor Learning is a high-growth company with deep expertise in serving the needs of adult learners. Meteor Learning is a Certified B Corporation, Boston Business Journal Fast 50 Company and Inc. 5000 award winner.

Read More

Education Technology

TutorMe Selected as Approved Vendor for New Jersey Department of Education High-Impact Tutoring Grant

PRnewswire | August 16, 2023

TutorMe, a one-to-one, online tutoring solution from leading digital learning company GoGuardian, today announced it has been selected by the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) as a qualified vendor for their new high-impact tutoring program. The Learning Acceleration: High-Impact Tutoring initiative, launching for the 2023-24 academic school year, will provide targeted funding to local education agencies (LEAs) for high-dosage, intensive tutoring for students, with a priority of students in grades three and four. The NJDOE is supporting LEAs' efforts to respond to students' increased academic needs and the necessity to accelerate learning by launching a state-supported tutoring initiative. To apply for the program, school districts must use the Electronic Web-Enabled Grant System (EWEG) online application system on the NJDOE's Homeroom web page. Grant applications must be submitted by Sept. 20, 2023. Districts that receive the grant will then be given a list of pre-approved tutoring providers, including TutorMe, which will be available to support the tutoring services offered through the grant program. "High-dosage tutoring is proven to be an incredibly effective educational strategy for improving student learning outcomes, and we commend the State of New Jersey for implementing this critical grant program," said Luke Harris, Chief Revenue Officer at GoGuardian. "TutorMe is proud to be a part of this initiative that will not only support students, but also deliver added in-classroom support to teachers working diligently to provide personalized learning experiences." The NJDOE is the latest state education agency to partner with TutorMe for state-wide tutoring initiatives. In 2022 the Texas Education Agency included TutorMe as an approved provider for their Vetted Texas Tutoring Corps Program. TutorMe, which has completed more than one million live tutoring sessions, offers high-impact, personalized tutoring for learners across the country. TutorMe's platform allows students to connect with a tutor to collaborate in real-time during live sessions, with the option to engage face-to-face in a safe digital environment. About TutorMe TutorMe's platform is further enhanced by the company's unique RAISE Approach, which translates the learning methodologies in TutorMe's evidence-based logic model into a framework for tutors to support student engagement. The RAISE Approach is centered on the guiding principles of asking questions and providing feedback, followed by rapport-building, assessment of prior knowledge, individualized instruction, structured practice, and encouragement. This approach results in more engaged students, leading to positive learning outcomes. About GoGuardian GoGuardian aims to help all learners feel ready and inspired to solve the world's greatest challenges by combining the best in learning and science technology across every part of the learning journey. Our award-winning system of educational tools, which includes Giant Steps, Pear Deck, and GoGuardian Teacher for learning engagement; Edulastic for formative assessments; TutorMe for virtual on-demand tutoring; and GoGuardian Admin and Beacon to support student safety, is purpose-built for K-12 and trusted by school leaders to promote effective teaching and equitable engagement while empowering educators to help keep students safe.

Read More

Online Education

ACE Partners with the Center for Financial Training, Expands Opportunities for Business Professional Development

PRnewswire | June 29, 2023

Creating more education opportunities for business professionals, American College of EducationⓇ (ACE) has partnered with the Center for Financial Training (CFT). The collaboration allows CFT course completers to apply earned credits to an ACE bachelor's-completion degree at a 3% tuition reduction. It also provides professional and career advancement opportunities to an increasing population of adult learners with college credit but no degree. CFT provides industry-related education and training for bank and credit union employees for career advancement and professional development. Taught by experienced subject matter experts, completers learn the latest trends in finance from entry-level skills to management enhancement. "At ACE, we aim to expand opportunities for business leaders to upskill and advance their careers through education," ACE President and CEO Geordie Hyland said. "CFT has the same mission, and we're excited to combine our resources to contribute to today's evolving business landscape." "Partnering with ACE provides us a way to extend our coursework into degree programs for finance professionals," Vice President of CFT Renee Few added. "Working in finance requires continued educational opportunities and creating a link for our course completers to go even further with their development is at the heart of what we do." About American College of Education American College of Education (ACE) is an accredited, 100% online college specializing in high-quality, affordable programs in education, business, leadership, healthcare and nursing. ACE is ranked #2 on Newsweek's 2023 top online colleges list. Headquartered in Indianapolis, ACE offers more than 80 innovative and engaging programs for adult students to pursue a doctorate, specialist, master's or bachelor's degree, along with micro-credentials and graduate-level certificate programs. In addition to being a leader in online education, ACE is a Certified B Corporation. About Center for Financial Training The Center for Financial Training (CFT) is an industry-supported adult education and training nonprofit organization that has been providing continuing education courses and professional development programs for members of the financial industry since 1901. CFT courses are designed for multiple experience levels and areas of responsibility, and offer students up-to-date, practical, industry-related information, and skills. The skills help employees work smarter and better, improving their on-the-job performance and productivity.

Read More

Talent Development

Noodle Acquires Meteor Learning, Strengthening Noodle's Consulting Practice

PRnewswire | August 24, 2023

Noodle, higher education's leading strategy, services and technology partner, has completed the acquisition of Meteor Learning, a Certified B edtech corporation based in Burlington, Massachusetts. Noodle, also a Certified B corporation, welcomes Meteor Learning's higher education and employer partners into its network. This addition strengthens Noodle's ability to help its partners be more resilient, responsive and efficient. William Rieders and Donna Ritchie, Meteor's founders, will join the Noodle leadership team and will head Noodle's consulting practice, driving strategic insights and operational effectiveness for Noodle partners. "Meteor extends our capacity and reach, and I am very excited to work with Bill and Donna, who bring tremendous insight and experience to the team," said John Katzman, Noodle's founder and CEO. "This acquisition will expand our consulting practice with leadership and expertise, methodologies and proven results to solve a unique challenge – how does higher ed best leverage technology and data to execute against their strategic goals?" With this acquisition, Noodle now supports more than 65 top US and UK universities through aligned learning design, marketing, recruiting, support, strategy and technology services. Noodle provides these services, along with internal resources at its partner universities, to address challenges and opportunities that higher ed faces. "This acquisition will provide Meteor Learning partners with additional scale, expanded services and innovative new models to support greater flexibility, efficiency and internal capacity building," said William Rieders. "Universities are looking for a strategy, services and technology partner to help navigate the rapidly changing post-secondary market. The combination of the two organizations gives us that much more capacity to be their strategic partner." Meteor's focus on skills-based programs provides a strong catalyst for Noodle's University-to-Employer service, addressing some of the most significant workforce challenges in such areas as Nursing and Education. About Noodle Noodle is higher education's leading strategy, services and technology partner. Founded in 2013, Noodle has developed infrastructure and online enrollment growth for some of the best academic institutions in the world. Our vision is "to empower universities to change the world." We achieve this vision by offering our partners various products and services that help them become more resilient, responsive, efficient and interconnected. Noodle is a Certified B edtech corporation. About Meteor Meteor Learning is a leader in addressing the vast skills gap. Meteor is uniquely positioned to serve learners with its broad portfolio of skills-based programming developed and validated with higher education and employer partners. Led by seasoned educational technology and service executives, Meteor Learning is a high-growth company with deep expertise in serving the needs of adult learners. Meteor Learning is a Certified B Corporation, Boston Business Journal Fast 50 Company and Inc. 5000 award winner.

Read More

Education Technology

TutorMe Selected as Approved Vendor for New Jersey Department of Education High-Impact Tutoring Grant

PRnewswire | August 16, 2023

TutorMe, a one-to-one, online tutoring solution from leading digital learning company GoGuardian, today announced it has been selected by the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) as a qualified vendor for their new high-impact tutoring program. The Learning Acceleration: High-Impact Tutoring initiative, launching for the 2023-24 academic school year, will provide targeted funding to local education agencies (LEAs) for high-dosage, intensive tutoring for students, with a priority of students in grades three and four. The NJDOE is supporting LEAs' efforts to respond to students' increased academic needs and the necessity to accelerate learning by launching a state-supported tutoring initiative. To apply for the program, school districts must use the Electronic Web-Enabled Grant System (EWEG) online application system on the NJDOE's Homeroom web page. Grant applications must be submitted by Sept. 20, 2023. Districts that receive the grant will then be given a list of pre-approved tutoring providers, including TutorMe, which will be available to support the tutoring services offered through the grant program. "High-dosage tutoring is proven to be an incredibly effective educational strategy for improving student learning outcomes, and we commend the State of New Jersey for implementing this critical grant program," said Luke Harris, Chief Revenue Officer at GoGuardian. "TutorMe is proud to be a part of this initiative that will not only support students, but also deliver added in-classroom support to teachers working diligently to provide personalized learning experiences." The NJDOE is the latest state education agency to partner with TutorMe for state-wide tutoring initiatives. In 2022 the Texas Education Agency included TutorMe as an approved provider for their Vetted Texas Tutoring Corps Program. TutorMe, which has completed more than one million live tutoring sessions, offers high-impact, personalized tutoring for learners across the country. TutorMe's platform allows students to connect with a tutor to collaborate in real-time during live sessions, with the option to engage face-to-face in a safe digital environment. About TutorMe TutorMe's platform is further enhanced by the company's unique RAISE Approach, which translates the learning methodologies in TutorMe's evidence-based logic model into a framework for tutors to support student engagement. The RAISE Approach is centered on the guiding principles of asking questions and providing feedback, followed by rapport-building, assessment of prior knowledge, individualized instruction, structured practice, and encouragement. This approach results in more engaged students, leading to positive learning outcomes. About GoGuardian GoGuardian aims to help all learners feel ready and inspired to solve the world's greatest challenges by combining the best in learning and science technology across every part of the learning journey. Our award-winning system of educational tools, which includes Giant Steps, Pear Deck, and GoGuardian Teacher for learning engagement; Edulastic for formative assessments; TutorMe for virtual on-demand tutoring; and GoGuardian Admin and Beacon to support student safety, is purpose-built for K-12 and trusted by school leaders to promote effective teaching and equitable engagement while empowering educators to help keep students safe.

Read More

More featured news