TALENT DEVELOPMENT
PRnewswire | June 01, 2023
Spark Math, an award-winning interactive math learning program for Pre-K through elementary students, recently received STEM accreditation from STEM.org, a recognized authority in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This is a testament to the curriculum design and teaching quality of Spark Math, highlighting the program's commitment to preparing students for success in STEM and beyond.
Math is the foundation of STEM learning
Spark Math was founded by parents with successful STEM careers. With technology developing rapidly, as demonstrated by the recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), it has never been as important for students to be prepared for STEM learning. Math is a foundational subject that helps prepare kids for life and the challenges of the future. However, it is a subject that many kids and even adults' dread.
Spark Math focuses on the learning experience demonstrating that outcomes for math can be significantly improved with technology and building a love for math by making it fun and engaging. The online courses connect abstract math concepts to real life, helping students prepare for STEM in a unique and enjoyable way.
"In our math courses, we embed the STEM philosophy into our program by injecting critical thinking and logical reasoning skills into our curriculum," said Tan Boon Leong Jeremy, head of teaching center in Southeast Asia Region.
Spark Math excels with distinct advantages in STEM education helping students to:
• Develop problem solving skills: Spark Math focuses on critical thinking and problem solving, empowering students to apply concepts learned to various scenarios. The goal is to provide young students with the building blocks of STEM education and methodology so they can continue to thrive in the future.
• Learn with the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) method: It connects real life to math, relates abstract math concepts such as equations, fractions, and numbers, to real-life objects that kids can relate to and easily grasp, and subsequently represent those objects with a picture, and eventually mathematical representation.
• Connect Math to real life: Each class has a storyline and adventure for the students to go on together with animations, songs, and games helping kids stay engaged and learn.
• Practice made fun with gamification: By gamifying math concepts and questions, students can learn in a more enjoyable and interactive way. They can play games by clicking, dragging, matching, and interacting which helps to keep them motivated and engaged. With gamification, Spark Math makes learning and even practicing math fun.
About Spark Education Group
Founded in 2017, Spark Education Group is headquartered in Singapore. Its portfolio of education brands aims to combine research-based pedagogy with technology to improve the learning experience and education outcomes for students around the world. It was recently awarded "Best Interactive Learning Experience" at EdTech Asia and recognized as a Parent and Teacher Choice Award Gold Medal Recipient.
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TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Businesswire | April 21, 2023
Labster the world's leading edtech platform for virtual labs and interactive science courseware, is rolling out a major free user experience (UX) upgrade that will improve the Labster platform for millions of students in high school and higher education institutions worldwide. The upgrade will be pushed automatically to users when they log into Labster and will impact more than 80% of Labster simulations across all devices and LMS systems, including the Labster app for iOS and Chromebook.
With Labster, students explore interactive simulations in state-of-the-art laboratories from their digital devices. But the advanced scientific concepts and lab techniques that Labster simulations bring to life can sometimes be challenging for students who are not as well prepared. Based on extensive feedback from both users and instructors, Labster has developed a new intelligent “hint and guidance” system that will nudge students in the right direction toward successful completion of their assignments when needed. Among other features, this includes helpful new indicators and suggestions for students who appear to be stuck or struggling.
Leveraging gamification techniques has been proven to boost student enthusiasm, engagement and learning outcomes. Labster offers 300-plus titles in its catalog of STEM curriculum-aligned virtual lab simulations in fields such as biology, biochemistry, genetics, biotechnology, chemistry, and physics. Labster simulations are especially useful for pre- and post-lab assignments, so science department leads can fully optimize the time students spend on-site in high-demand physical laboratories.
“Labster plays an important role in helping students complete challenging STEM courses, so it’s critical that we leverage the power of our platform to support their learning and progress through each simulation,” said Michael Bodekaer Jensen, co-founder and CEO of Labster. “Our ultimate goal is for Labster to increase STEM student retention by encouraging students on their path to becoming the next generation of scientists to change the world. Our thanks go out to the generous educators and students who helped us build this major upgrade by providing valuable feedback and ongoing testing for continuous improvement.”
Better STEM access for all
According to the National Science Board, academic institutions need to dramatically increase the proportion of students in STEM to preserve U.S. economic and innovation leadership. But women and minority students are already underrepresented in STEM education, and inherent design flaws in introductory STEM-subject courses can actually act as a barrier for minority students rather than as a springboard for success, according to a 2022 Pennsylvania State University research study led by mathematics professor Nathanial "Nate" Brown, Ph.D.
“We know that different students have different levels of comfort with online courseware,” said Jolita Kiznyte, Labster’s lead product manager for content. “That’s why we’re continuously working to improve the UX design of Labster’s gamified, interactive science simulations. It’s really important that we accommodate a diversity of user backgrounds and technical skills. These latest updates provide key hints and signals that can offer a helping hand to students where they need it while navigating the learning experience in our simulations.”
Labster has been innovating in science education for more than a decade, providing educators with the ability to digitally explore and enhance their science offerings and supplement their in-classroom activities. In 2022, Labster released five new course packages, including Basic Lab Skills, focused specifically on practical lab skills and simulations. Additionally, more than 150 of the 300-plus Labster simulations are now available in Spanish, with over 100 also in French, German, and Italian. Labster simulations can be played on a variety of the most commonly used desktop, laptop, and tablet computers available to the broadest range of students.
Getting to know (and love) Labster
About Labster
Labster is dedicated to developing fully interactive virtual training simulations that are designed to enhance traditional learning outcomes by stimulating students’ natural curiosity and reinforcing the connection between science and the real world. The simulations can be used in a variety of different ways, from a full lab replacement to a supplemental learning activity. Over 5 million students in high schools and universities in 100 countries have used Labster to perform realistic experiments, learn key science concepts, and practice their skills in a risk-free learning environment. Labster’s team members are passionate about improving science learning, resulting in collaborations with over 3,000 leading educational institutions.
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EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
PRnewswire | April 04, 2023
Promethean, a global leader in interactive display technology, has launched the ActivPanel LX, a lower-priced panel that provides customers exceptional ease of use and flexibility, along with the quality and longevity the company is known for. With this latest offering, Promethean is well positioned to meet the needs of a growing segment of the education technology market.
"If there's one thing we've learned over our more than 25 years in the edtech business, it's that every school and district is unique—with different demands when it comes to their classroom technology," said Lance Solomon, chief product officer at Promethean. "We're excited to offer the ActivPanel LX to customers who place affordability, simplicity, and versatility at the top of their list of requirements."
The ActivPanel LX is a simplified, peripheral touchscreen panel that can be easily connected to a laptop with a USB-C cable or paired with a computing module to complement an existing Chrome or Windows environment. It also works seamlessly with the software and apps teachers already use, so they can plug and play with minimal training.
IT administrators will find the ActivPanel LX easy to set up and install, and they won't have to enroll, manage, or frequently update the panel. Because no personal identifying information is saved to or retained on the panel and it is not part of a network, IT staff can use their existing security protocols and authentication methods and won't have to perform any security updates.
"Every district, school, and classroom deserves to have access to interactive displays, no matter their geographic location, student demographics, or budget," said Matt Cole, EVP global sales at Promethean. "By making a panel that's so easy for teachers to use and IT staff to take care of, we're making it possible for millions more students around the world to benefit from this transformative technology."
School leaders who want to ensure they are making a wise investment in education technology that's built to last far into the future will appreciate the advanced features of the ActivPanel LX, including a crystal clear 4K display that leverages HDMI 2.0 technology; Gigabit ethernet ports that facilitate uncompromised network speeds to a connected OPS device; LCD bonded glass that provides both excellent writing and viewing experiences; and advanced touch technology that provides pen and touch differentiation, palm erase, and 20 points of touch.
About Promethean
Promethean is a leading education technology company working to transform the way the world learns and collaborates. From our founding in Blackburn, England, more than 25 years ago to our global operations serving 126 countries today, we've continued to explore, innovate, and inspire—designing learning and collaboration tools that are built for breakthroughs. Our award-winning interactive display, ActivPanel, and lesson delivery software, ActivInspire and ClassFlow, were designed to engage students, connect colleagues, and bring out the brilliance in everyone. With headquarters in Seattle, Washington, and offices worldwide, Promethean is a subsidiary of the NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0777) group of companies.
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