Q&A: Meredith Walker: Breaking Down Barriers for Girls in STEM

It's time girls finally got the support they deserve, in STEM education and the world, according to Meredith Walker, cofounder and executive director of Amy Poehler's Smart Girls. Walker, who has served as a producer for Nick News, head of talent at Saturday Night Live and journalism envoy for the State Department Bureau of Culture and Education's mission to the Al Za'atari and Emirates refugee camps, will be giving a keynote address at the CUE 2018 National Conference tomorrow, March 15, at 9 a.m.

Keynote: Jon Corippo, Interim Executive Director, CUE

CUE is an ed tech association on the move. Known nationally for its annual conference in Palm Springs (coming up March 14–17), which typically attracts 5,000 to 7,000 attendees — a massive figure for a regional organization — CUE is ramping up its efforts in several areas in the coming year, including teacher professional development and advocacy of education issues like E-rate, net neutrality and student data privacy.

Understand NGSS in 5 Minutes: Sort of

NGSS – The Next Generation Science Standards – is the hot new way to teach science in K-12. NGSS is a revolution in science education. In our blog, we briefly try to do that revolution justice by explaining its five key terms.

3 Ways to Help Students Build Empathy Using Technology

Can your students build empathy skills even while using technology? Yes! In fact, exercises that help students build empathy in digital spaces are a crucial part of positive social and emotional learning.

Mentors, Encouragement, Hands-on Learning Boost Girls' Interest in STEM Substantially

Generally girls lose interest in STEM careers as they get older. But, according to a new study, small changes at school and at home can have a profound impact on how girls perceive STEM careers, how confident they feel in class and how likely they are to pursue STEM academically and into their careers.

Apps and Online Programs Main Means for Teens to Cope with Stress

Turning to apps and online tools is the most popular way for teenagers to deal with stress. And they report feeling a lot of it.

Former ED Secretary Arne Duncan Joins Turnitin Board

Arne Duncan has added another organization to his CV. The former secretary for the U.S. Department of Education under President Obama recently joined the board of Turnitin, an education technology company that provides services for writing help, literacy skill development and plagiarism checking in K-12 and higher education.

Character Lab Expands School Research Capacity with Qualtrics Partnership

The Character Lab Research Network, a nonprofit aimed at advancing the science behind social and emotional learning and character development, has partnered with Qualtrics to expand research efforts and make it easier for scientists to work with middle schools and high schools. The partnership was announced at the Qualtrics X4 Summit in Salt Lake City, UT.

Deadline Tonight for $35,000 Classroom Practices Grant

The deadline is Wednesday at midnight for a grant that will award up to $35,000 for "proposals utilizing innovative practices in K-12 education throughout the United States."

When Do States Share Assessment Data?

Even after moving high-stakes tests online, states for the most part aren't sharing student assessment data with teachers in time for them to make use it.

New Framework Offers Way to Validate OER Commitment

A new report proposes a framework by which open educational resource initiatives — and particularly those promulgated by for-profit organizations — might be measured. The CARE framework has three purposes, according to its authors: to help make sure "the O.E.R. community's values can be maintained as the movement scales"; to gauge the practices of "new entrants" to the O.E.R. field (especially those out to make money from it); and to build educator confidence in participating in O.E.R., including those who contribute their own materials and may be uncertain regarding its use by for-profit publishers.

Volunteers Step in to Launch NMC Horizon Report Alternative

In the wake of the New Media Consortium's bankruptcy and an uncertain future for the organization's "Horizon" reports, a new initiative undertaken by a group of volunteers aims to provide an alternative forum for forecasting the future of technology in education. The "Future of Education & Everything Community" (FOECast) is kicking off this week with a set of activities intended to capture ideas from people worldwide.

Report Explores Potential of Wearables, AR and VR in Education

A new whitepaper from personalized learning nonprofit KnowledgeWorks explores how wearables, augmented reality and virtual reality could play out in education. Vignettes drill into how educators could use these technologies in and out of the classroom to add "digital depth" to physical reality to increase student engagement, enhance the personalization of learning, help people understand others' experiences and perspectives, generate greater levels of self-awareness and foster critical thinking.

Smithsonian Science for the Classroom Brings Engineering Modules to Elementary Grades

The Smithsonian Science Education Center has partnered with science curriculum developer Carolina Biological Supply Co. to launch new NGSS-aligned engineering modules in Smithsonian Science for the Classroom. The program is targeted toward grades 1 through 5.

Wearable Tech Helps Early Learners Improve Language Contact

Whether they're filling in the "30-million-word gap" or increasing the number of "conversational turns" they have with adults, a group of kids at a Virginia childcare center were exposed to an average of 1,100 more words and 59 conversational turns by the time they'd participated in a four-month pilot study. The pilot used a "talking pedometer" that records the conversation a child has.

Non-Profit to Crowdsource On-the-Ground Ed Tech Effectiveness

When Consumer Reports wants to know how well a new car is holding up, it heads into the crowds to ask drivers' opinions about their vehicles. That form of crowdsourcing is now infiltrating education with the launch of a new non-profit organization that will call on teachers and school leaders to document how well their education technology works for them in their schools and classrooms. In exchange, the contributors will receive money and tech support.

Non-Scientific Americans Want Kids Getting into Science

More than nine in 10 respondents to a new survey consider the world a better place because of science. Almost eight in 10 consider the best days of science still to come. And two-thirds are excited about the impact of science on society in the future.

Project Pals Rolls out PBR Project Management System

The system, called Project Pals, aims to provide a space in which students can collaborate and upload content; but it also includes tools for teachers to manage group projects and analyze aspects of the students' work, such as who contributed what to the project. And it can serve as a showcase for the students' work to their classmates and parents.

Recorded Books Adds All-You-Can-Watch Streaming Video Service for Libraries

Binge-viewing could be coming to a library near you. RBmedia, which owns Recorded Books, has released an unlimited streaming video service for libraries, as well as a new version of its app to allow patrons to access multiple content services, including the streaming shows. RBdigital, the specialized streaming video service, will give library users the chance to view videos from RBmedia's licensed content in the same way they watch shows on Netflix. They'll be able to watch as many shows as they like in a seven-day period while the library pays for a single checkout.

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