EdTech 10: Giving Thanks Where Thanks is Due

In addition to the 1,500+ innovative leaders we shared for the 3rd Annual Smart Lists, for Thanksgiving we are thankful for this year’s positive news that we’ve been following weekly for our EdTech 10 series. This weekly summary has shone a light on the forward-leaning, positive progress in EdTech.

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Blended Schools & Tools

Piloting progress. Digital Learning Now (DLN) launched their new EdTech Pilots report that looks at how members of the League of Innovative Schools try out, evaluate, and ultimately purchase the technology that ends up in classrooms. DLN recently joined us setting out to help school district leaders navigate the procurement process in the Smart Series Guide to EdTech Procurement.

EdTech pilot report from @DigLearningNow shows how innovative schools try out new #EdTech products https://t.co/ZaCEtEDGWt #EdTech10

— tyler (@post_west) November 23, 2015

Dollars & Deals

Smart Parents. Bay area-based Innovate Public Schools will be receiving $1 million over the next four years from New Profit to support parents to become the leaders making change happen in their communities by providing accessible information on the problems and solutions in education, and partnering with districts and charters to create more high-quality schools. In Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning, we explored the role of parents as involved, informed, intentional and inspirational leaders.

#ICYMI: INVESTMENT ANNOUNCEMENT: @InnovateSchools pic.twitter.com/p082ysj26H

— New Profit (@newprofit) November 23, 2015

Raising the bar. PresenceLearning Inc., 3rd Annual Smart Listers for their work in online speech therapy, raised $25 million led by growth equity firm Catalyst Investors.  

Online speech therapy provider @PresenceLearn raised $25m growth round led by @CatalystInv https://t.co/JJHmA2PMzO #EduVC — Tom Vander Ark (@tvanderark) November 19, 2015

For the teachers. A commitment of $34 million from the Gates Foundation is going to five newly-formed “Teacher Preparation Transformation Centers” to develop and scale practices that prepare new teachers. It’s been a big year for the foundation who is celebrating its 15th year.

.@gatesfoundation awards over $34 Million in grants to improve educator preparation programs https://t.co/Dj56Benich #edtech10 — tyler (@post_west) November 24, 2015

Status update. Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan are supporting EducationSuperHighway with $20 million to expand and enhance the connectivity of K-12 schools. Evan Marwell, CEO & Founder of EducationSuperHighway recently shared on the Getting Smart blog how superintendents can support the work in implementing broadband upgrade projects.

.@finkd gives $20 Million to @EdSuperHighway to support broadband in schools https://t.co/qJ0Zliomt2 via @nytimesbits #EdTech10 — tyler (@post_west) November 24, 2015

C.R.E.A.M. Lending platform Earnest has raised $275 million to build out its offering of loans and financial management tools to support millennials with their finances. Millennials need to informed savers as they navigate new college options and career opportunities. GenDIY’s Jon Merrill, shares how he began to manage his finances as he launched his startup.

.@MeetEarnest raises $275M to help #millennials manage their financial futures https://t.co/U27H27bKrJ via @VentureBeat #EdTech10 — tyler (@post_west) November 24, 2015

Stem Gems

Making moves. The MakerEd Movement is on the rise! New from LittleBits is an infographic that shares how the “Maker Movement” developed into a “MakerEd Movement” and highlights the growing national conversation, venture capital investment and global online community.

New #Infographic from @littleBits – “The Rise of #MakerEd” https://t.co/7uVXkK1nM5 #maker pic.twitter.com/EmMo8Y6AnS — Getting Smart (@Getting_Smart) November 19, 2015

To keep in Mind. The National Science Foundation granted $800K to NC State University to use data mining techniques to study Mind Research Institutes’ ST Math that’s currently used in 2,500 schools across the country. With ST Math, Mind Research Institute is revolutionizing math education.

MIND Research Institute’s ST Math Software to be Focus of Study by National Science Foundation https://t.co/1RDUH9wcE0 via @PRWeb #STMath — Andrew R Coulson (@AndrewRCoulson) November 12, 2015

Policy Pieces

No bill left behind. The US House and the Senate Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Conference Committee voted 39-1 in favor of advancing to reauthorize ESEA which would replace No Child Left Behind. Susan Patrick, President and CEO of iNACOL said this represents a “historic step toward fixing No Child Left Behind and supporting the success and achievement of all students.”

Congress Conference Committee voted 39-1 to advance an agreement to reauthorize #ESEA. iNACOL issued this statement https://t.co/8CmyGPFxtg — iNACOL (@nacol) November 20, 2015

Teachers & Tech-ers

Teacher prep. In a blog on forbes.com, Betty Chandy from UPenn’s Graduate School of Education, shares the story of UPenn’s Virtual Online Teacher (VOLT) Certificate that targets improving teachers’ effectiveness in online and blended learning environments. In Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning we outline the attributes of next-gen teacher preparation with recommendations to support the development of teacher preparation and development systems.

The Teacher as the Learner: #ProfDev for Online and #BlendedLearning via @forbes https://t.co/meUZZoARU2 #edtech #edchat #teachers #ntchat

— Carri Schneider (@CarriSchneider) November 23, 2015

For more EdTech 10’s, check out:

• EdTech 10: Signaling Supreme Confidence
• EdTech 10: It’s a Small World
• EdTech 10: Shining a Light on Progress

This post includes mentions of a Getting Smart partner. For a full list of partners, affiliate organizations and all other disclosures please see our Partner page. Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update.