ENTREPRENEURS AND LEADERS
Globenewswire | May 17, 2023
ChildCare Education Institute® (CCEI), one of the largest online training providers dedicated exclusively to the early care and education workforce, is pleased to introduce its newest course, PROF110: Family-Teacher Conferences.
Family-teacher conferences are essential for maintaining an effective educational program. Research has shown time and time again that family involvement is one of the critical factors in a child’s school success. For many families, the family-teacher conference is a valuable time to connect with the teacher and classroom, other than brief interactions during drop-off and pick-up.
Family-teacher conferences provide an opportunity for families to share their expectations and better understand the teacher′s practices and goals. For the teacher understanding the family′s expectations and the child′s home culture makes it easier for the teacher to adjust the curriculum to make it more culturally relevant for the child. In the end, families and teachers must be flexible and keep the child′s best interests in mind. Often, teachers can improve the effectiveness of their program for everyone by incorporating aspects of the home culture of different children into the curriculum.
“Families and teachers can learn a lot by sharing and comparing their viewpoints,” says Leslie Coleman, Education Director for CCEI. “Ultimately, this exchange benefits the child, as teachers and families gain valuable information and can adjust child-rearing and teaching styles to help meet the child′s specific needs.” Well-managed family-teacher conferences strengthen essential partnerships between teachers and families that ultimately benefit our youngest learners. In this course, participants will learn the primary goals of family-teacher conferences along with strategies associated with planning for, conducting, and following up after conferences. In addition, the course will cover recommended practices for sharing assessment results with families, including when and how to make referrals to early intervention agencies.
PROF110: Family-Teacher Conferences is a two-hour, beginner-level course and grants 0.2 IACET CEU upon successful completion. Current CCEI users with active, unlimited annual subscriptions can register for professional development courses at no additional cost when logged in to their CCEI account. Users without subscriptions can purchase child care training courses as block hours through CCEI online enrollment.
About ChildCare Education Institute, a StraighterLine Company
ChildCare Education Institute® provides high-quality, distance education certificates and child care training programs in an array of child care settings, including preschool centers, family child care, prekindergarten classrooms, nanny care, online daycare training and more. Over 200+ English and Spanish child care training courses are available online to meet licensing, recognition program, and Head Start Requirements. CCEI also has online certification programs that provide the coursework requirement for national credentials including the CDA, Director and Early Childhood Credentials. CCEI, a Council for Professional Recognition approved training partner, is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and as an IACET Accredited Provider, offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard.
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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
Businesswire | May 22, 2023
Boxlight Corporation a leading provider of interactive technology, digital signage, classroom audio, campus communication, and services announced that it has achieved the Education Services Partner Specialization in Google Cloud Partner Advantage. By earning the Partner Specialization, EOS Education has proven their capability and capacity in building customer solutions in the Education Services field using Google Cloud technology.
Partner Advantage is designed to provide Google Cloud customers with qualified partners that have demonstrated technical proficiency and proven success in specialized solution and service areas.
Partners who specialize in Education Services train educators on the use of Google technology in the classroom and lead schools through transformative change by providing guidance in vision, learning approach, culture, and community.
Since joining Google Cloud Partner Advantage in 2021, EOS Education has developed and facilitated thousands of professional development courses to support teachers and school staff on best practices for using Google platforms in the classroom efficiently and with confidence. Their dedication to providing dynamic interactive learning experiences has endeared them to districts and schools across the country.
“We rely on Google Cloud to streamline instruction for teachers. Our achievement of the Google Cloud Education Specialization recognizes our strategies to evaluate instructional priorities and provide relevant training on Google Workspace tools to meet the needs of all learners,” stated Christine Hall, Training and Development Specialist, EOS Education.
“Google training has become an essential component in modern education, empowering students and teachers with digital skills necessary to thrive in a technology driven world. EOS Education has recognized and embraced Google tools and techniques, providing high-quality training for clients to unlock new opportunities to learn, collaborate and innovate in their classrooms using the Google suite. Google is an important part of the education landscape and this investment into achieving this specialization was critical for Boxlight so our customers have the highest-quality Google training experience,” commented Karen Adams, Senior Vice President for Professional Services, EOS Education.
About Boxlight Corporation
Boxlight Corporation is a leading provider of interactive technology, digital signage, and campus audio, and services under its award-winning brands Mimio®, Clevertouch® Technologies, FrontRow, and EOS Education. The Company aims to improve engagement and communication in diverse business and education environments. Boxlight develops, sells, and services its integrated solution suite including interactive displays, digital signage, collaboration software, supporting accessories and professional services.
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