EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
Sophia Learning | February 13, 2023
An online-learning and on-demand platform, Sophia Learning provides general education-level courses to higher education level students and recently announced a partnership with one of the world's leading edtech platforms Labster, for virtual lab and interactive science. The partnership delivers college-level science courses incorporating Labster's simulation content designed to meet the higher education needs of Sophia Learning's students and working adults. Sophia Learning is an associate of Strategic Education, Inc., a nonprofit with a mission to reduce the cost of higher education while increasing student success and job readiness.
The American Council on Education (ACE®) recommends the Chemistry lab course made with Labster for college credit. This signifies that many colleges and universities may accept course credit from it towards a degree. In addition, ACE® is looking at other courses to see if they should be recommended for credit. These courses are a good way to get college-level credits in STEM fields at a low cost.
Sophia's Chemistry Lab course was first launched in December with Labster simulations. Sophia Learning will use Labster's simulations to build four more online lab courses in 2023. To help students finish the lab simulations, the courses will have extra Labster content like lab reports, manuals, formative assessments, and introductory videos. Sophia Learning courses with Labster-integrated labs include Introduction to Chemistry, Microbiology, Human Biology, Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II.
Labster allows teachers to use the internet to explore, improve, and add to their science lessons and classroom activities. Labster's STEM-related virtual lab simulations catalog now has more than 300 titles. These simulations can be used in more than 50 academic courses. In addition, the browser based Labster simulations can be performed on a range of the most commonly used devices, from desktop computers to iPad and tablets to Chromebooks.
Independent research and case studies show that the gamification techniques and fun, real-world scenarios of the Labster simulations get students more interested and involved. Learners can explore simulations on their own in high-tech labs through their web browsers, eliminating schools from spending millions building new facilities. Students can try out Sophia Learning courses before signing up for a low-cost monthly plan to take college-level courses. In addition, Labster virtual labs and interactive science solutions are available for free to educators.
About Sophia Learning
Sophia Learning offers high-quality online college-credit courses with a curriculum tailored to students and working adults. In addition, the platform provides lots of online, low-cost general education-level courses for college credit that ACE® recommends. Over 1,000 colleges and universities received Sophia's transcripts. The company was established in 2012 and believed in making personal and professional affordable and accessible at every educational career stage.
About Labster
Founded in 2011, Labster is committed to making fully interactive virtual training simulations. These simulations help students learn more by piquing their natural curiosity and showing them how science applies to the real world. The simulations can be used in various ways, from a complete lab replacement to an additional learning activity. As a result, more than 5 million students in high school universities across 70 countries have used Labster to conduct realistic experiments, practice skills in a risk-free environment and learn key science concepts.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
PowerSchool | January 31, 2023
On January 30, 2023, PowerSchool, a provider of cloud-based software for K-12 education, released updates for its PowerSchool Unified InsightsTM and PowerSchool Unified Classroom® solutions. The updates include LearningNav and ContentNav, new data-driven personalized learning products, and a new resource library inside Unified Insights MTSS, providing educators with verified, research-backed tools and strategies. The company also announced time-saving software Clouds, designed to give educators a more connected approach to engaging, planning, and monitoring the unique needs of their students.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress's latest "National Report Card" results show the impact of learning disruptions that students have experienced. It illustrates declines in math and reading for fourth and eighth graders in the United States, with math scores experiencing the greatest drop since NAEP testing began in 1990. Each student is at a different stage in their learning journey, indicating that educators require tools and resources to address individual student needs, personalize learning, and optimize their operations.
The updates, expected to roll out in the first half of 2023, provide the following:
LearningNav, an intelligent platform using machine learning and AI to provide personalized learning paths that adjust to the student's needs. An educator can view a student's starting point, select learning goals, and then review a constantly adapting personalized pathway recommendation for that student. Once the pathway is assigned, students can cover it at their own pace.
ContentNav, an update to Unified Classroom, is a one-stop shop for high-quality, pre-approved content that simplifies access to resources such as district-created materials, curated partnership content, and open education resources, which will support teacher instruction.
Resource Library, released by PowerSchool Unified Insights MTSS to help educators address students' individual needs. This library will provide educators with vetted, research-backed strategies and tools.
The company's new Clouds, that are persona-specific options that have been integrated and built to enhance how educators serve their students by bringing all necessary tools into one centralized location. The six Cloud types offered are Student Information Cloud, Personalized Learning Cloud, Educator Recruitment Cloud, Educator Effectiveness Cloud, Student Success Cloud, and Workforce Development Cloud.
About PowerSchool
Based in Folsom, California, PowerSchool provides cloud-based K-12 education software. Its mission is to supply the education ecosystem with unified technology that enables educators and students to fulfill their potential in unique ways. Schools and districts can manage state reporting and related compliance, finance, human resources, special education, talent, registration, funding, learning, instruction, assessments, grading, attendance, and analytics in one unified platform. The company serves around 45 million students worldwide, with 12,000+ customers, and sells solutions in over 90 countries.
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ONLINE EDUCATION
Interplay Learning | February 22, 2023
On February 21, 2023, Interplay Learning, a solution for virtual reality and online training of the actual skilled trades, announced its partnership with Warren Central High School (WCHS) to offer advanced learning opportunities for ninth-grade students through the school's technical education system. It would assist the school's career technical education (CTE) academy program and put fast-track students' hands-on introduction to successful careers in the construction industry.
Through the partnership, it would engage ninth-grade students for the WCHS Architecture, Construction, Mechatronics and Engineering (ACME) Academy with the immersive experience of its 3D virtual-reality simulations and the training content before the actual start of the complete construction CTE program. The WCHS's official CTE programs are conducted at an offsite technical education center for students in the tenth grade and above. In addition, WCHS is allowed to share awarded funds with its virtual reality simulations for students as a part of a district-level initiative to upgrade educational infrastructure in Vicksburg.
Coach in WCHS's ACME Academy, Traci Esparza, said, "With Interplay Learning's advanced, engaging platform and content, we can introduce younger students to sophisticated training simulations a year before they enter the official CTE program." She added, "That experience means they can get more out of the ACME program immediately and throughout their education. Before implementing Interplay Learning's VR technology, younger students had limited opportunities for the hands-on experience that is so critical to CTE and skilled trades learning."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
Founder and CEO of Interplay Learning, Doug Donovan, said, "Interplay is committed to helping educational institutions transform the training landscape for the skilled trades industries." He added, "With our innovative training platform, the instructors and leaders at Warren Central High School can equip students with valuable experience and skills that will help them build meaningful careers and will also help business owners in Vicksburg and the surrounding area meet the evolving workforce challenges of the 21st century."
(Source – Cision PR Newswire)
About Interplay Learning
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Interplay Learning, an e-learning services provider, has been delivering effective digital learning simulations in the HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Solar and Facilities Maintenance industries since 2016. In addition, it offers solutions for professional training, 3D simulations, virtual reality, skilled Trades, 3D sims, HVAC team training and learning, solar team training, HVACR, immersive education, and facility maintenance training. It recreates life-like VR scenarios for skilled trades workers to learn in an engaging environment. Its Comersive Learning solution offers courses from beginner to master level and trains massive workers in a short time.
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