Cognite Brings the Library to the Classroom ... and Home

Follett Software has formally launched a tool for K-12 designed to provide a bridge between library resources, classroom instruction, and homework.

Dubbed Cognite, the online tool is an instructional content delivery system with hooks into Follett's Destiny Library Manager, allowing users to access library resources, including books and databases, as well as external resources that have been pre-filtered for use in K-12.

Cognite is also a collaborative learning environment, allowing teachers to communicate with each other and with students and organize internal and external digital resources. Students also have collaborative tools within Cognite, and parents can access the system to view students' planners, assignments, and grades and to communicate with teachers.

Specific features include:

  • Access to Destiny Library Manager from any location to view resources previously available only within the library;
  • Links to 60,000 external Web sites where students can access information (sites pre-screened by Follett);
  • Tools for lesson plan development, grading, and assignment creation;
  • Tools for aligning lessons to learning objectives; and
  • An integrated messaging tool.

Follett said the Web-based tool has been in beta testing in six K-12 schools: Alki Middle School (Washington), Hoover Elementary School (Massachusetts), Oak Hammock K-8 School (Florida), Roosevelt Elementary School (Massachusetts), Skyview High School (Washington), and Veterans Memorial Middle School (Massachusetts).

Cognite was released publicly at last week's ISTE 2010 conference. Further information is available here.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Reports Point to Domain Controllers as Prime Ransomware Targets

    A recent report from Microsoft reinforces warns of the critical role Active Directory (AD) domain controllers play in large-scale ransomware attacks, aligning with U.S. government advisories on the persistent threat of AD compromise.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.