Professional Development


SXSW EDU Unveils First Half of Lineup for 2023; Emphases Include Diversity, Equity, Student Agency, Teacher Retention

SXSW EDU has unveiled nearly half of the lineup for the 2023 event scheduled for March 6–9, 2023, in Austin, featuring topics considered the most pressing in education, the organization said, after more than 1,200 proposals were whittled down by conference organizers and voting through PanelPicker.

Apple Rolls Out iPad Learning App Updates, More Resources for Educators

Apple recently announced a number of updates and new resources for K–12 educators, including new instructional resources emphasizing project-based learning, creativity, and collaboration, as well as professional learning opportunities.

How Apple Learning Coach is Sparking a New Enthusiasm Among Both Educators and Students

THEJournal.com editor and host Kristal Kuykendall visits with several K–12 educators, instructional coaches, and education technology specialists who participated in the Apple Learning Coach pilot program before it was launched publicly this past March and they share deep insights and inspiring stories about how ALC has been a change agent at their schools: from helping spark new enthusiasm among students and teachers, and improving the frameworks of existing teacher coaching programs, to building technology-powered instruction that dramatically increases student engagement, creation, and collaboration.

YouScience Acquires NC3T, Expanding Its College and Career Readiness Solutions

Aptitude assessment and CTE solutions provider YouScience has acquired the National Center for College and Career Transitions, or NC3T, expanding YouScience’s ability to help K–12 students find and prepare for the career and college options that best fit their interests and abilities, according to a news release.

Vector Solutions Adds Cybersecurity Courses to Online Training for Schools

Vector Solutions, a company that provides education and industry training courses, announced it has added eight new courses to its stable of education courses for K–12 schools. The courses address key areas of cybersecurity awareness for education leaders and employees and include topics such as creating a cybersecurity culture, preventing social engineering attacks, laws and compliance, best practices, and more. Information about the courses will be available starting Oct. 1, 2022.

7 Questions about SchoolStatus with CEO Russ Davis

THE Journal’s “7 Questions: Ed Tech Explainer” series gives ed tech leaders an opportunity to summarize their solution(s), explain how their product helps educators and schools, and give a quick overview for K–12 decision-makers — sort of an extended (but not too extended) elevator pitch. For this installment, SchoolStatus Founder and CEO Russ Davis explains how SchoolStatus works in a school tech ecosystem, how it helps educators and students, and how it's pivoted over the past year.

HMH Rolls Out Offline Syncing, Integrations, New Student Content, Teacher Pathways

Learning technology company HMH this week introduced a host of enhancements to Ed, its teaching and learning platform, including integrations with Google Classroom and Clever and improvements to its core, supplemental, and intervention solutions and professional learning services, according to a company blog post.

Apple Launches New Education Community with Expanded Teaching Resources, New Forum for Educators

Apple has launched a new professional learning hub for educators called the Apple Education Community, which expands on the resources previously hosted on the Apple Teacher Learning Center and adds a brand new educator Forum, now live in beta.

How To Start Using Google Add-Ons: Step By Step

To start using Google add-ons, district admins will need to set up add-ons and can then enable access for educators; admins need to have the Google Workspace for Education Plus edition or Teaching & Learning Upgrade assigned to each educator that they want to have access to add-ons, Google wrote on its blog announcing the launch. Here are step-by-step instructions for getting started with Google add-ons.

Discovery Education Unveils Updated User Experience, Adds CBE Microlearning Channel, Doubles Quiz Library

K–12 learning platform Discovery Education this week unveiled a new layout and look for both teachers and students, doubled the size of its ready-to-use quiz library, improved search filters, added an Explore page with personalized content recommendations, and launched new professional microlearning focused on competency-based education with content partner Marzano Academies.

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