Category: Learning

  • Crafting technology-driven IEPs

    Crafting technology-driven IEPs

    Key points:

    Individualized Education Plans (IEP) have been the foundation of special education for decades, and the process in which these documents are written has evolved over the years.

    As technology has evolved, writing documents has also evolved. Before programs existed to streamline the IEP writing process, creating IEPs was once a daunting task of paper and pencil. Not only has the process of writing the IEP evolved, but IEPs are becoming technology-driven.

    Enhancing IEP goal progress with data-driven insights using technology: There are a variety of learning platforms that can monitor a student’s performance in real-time, tailoring to their individual needs and intervening areas for improvement. Data from these programs can be used to create students’ annual IEP goals. This study mentions that the ReadWorks program, used for progress monitoring IEP goals, has 1.2 million teachers and 17 million students using its resources, which provide content, curricular support, and digital tools. ReadWorks is free and provides all its resources free of charge and has both printed and digital versions of the material available to teachers and students (Education Technology Nonprofit, 2021).

    Student engagement and involvement with technology-driven IEPs: Technology-driven IEPs can also empower students to take an active role in their education plan. According to this study, research shows that special education students benefit from educational technology, especially in concept teaching and in practice-feedback type instructional activities (Carter & Center, 2005; Hall, Hughes & Filbert, 2000; Hasselbring & Glaser, 2000). It is vital for students to take ownership in their learning. When students on an IEP reach a certain age, it is important for them to be the active lead in their plan. Digital tools that are used for technology-driven IEPs can provide students with visual representations of their progress, such as dashboards or graphs. When students are given a visual representation of their progress, their engagement and motivation increases.

    Technology-driven IEPs make learning fun: This study discusses technology-enhanced and game based learning for children with special needs. Gamified programs, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) change the learning experience from traditional to transformative. Gamified programs are intended to motivate students with rewards, personalized feedback, and competition with leaderboards and challenges to make learning feel like play. Virtual reality gives students an immersive experience that they would otherwise only be able to experience outside of the classroom. It allows for deep engagement and experiential learning via virtual field trips and simulations, without the risk of visiting dangerous places or costly field trip fees that not all districts or students can afford. Augmented reality allows students to visualize abstract concepts such as anatomy or 3D shapes in context. All these technologies align with technology-driven IEPs by providing personalized, accessible, and measurable learning experiences that address diverse needs. These technologies can adapt to a student’s individual skill level, pace, and goals, supporting their IEP.

    Challenges with technology-driven IEPs: Although there are many benefits to
    technology-driven IEPs, it is important to address the potential challenges to ensure equity across school districts. Access to technology in underfunded school districts can be challenging without proper investment in infrastructures, devices, and network connection. Student privacy and data must also be properly addressed. With the use of technologies for technology-driven IEPs, school districts must take into consideration laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

    The integration of technology into the IEP process to create technology-driven IEPs represents a shift from a traditional process to a transformative process. Technology-driven IEPs create more student-centered learning experiences by implementing digital tools, enhancing collaboration, and personalized learning experiences. These learning experiences will enhance student engagement and motivation and allow students to take control of their own learning, making them leaders in their IEP process. However, as technology continues to evolve, it is important to address the equity gap that may arise in underfunded school districts.

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  • Gale Receives Platinum in 2025 Modern Library Awards from LibraryWorks for the Fourth Consecutive Year

    Gale Receives Platinum in 2025 Modern Library Awards from LibraryWorks for the Fourth Consecutive Year

    FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – Gale, part of Cengage Group, is pleased to announce that it has received four platinum awards in LibraryWorks’ eleventh annual Modern Library Awards (MLAs) for its adult learning and youth large print resources. The MLAs were created to recognize the top products and services in the library industry in a truly unbiased format. This is the fourth consecutive year Gale has been recognized by the MLAs for product excellence.

    “Being recognized for the fourth year running is a testament to Gale’s unwavering commitment to innovative learning resources,” said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager at Gale. “Customer motivation is at the heart of everything we do to provide the best accessible learning and reading experiences for learners of all ages. This recognition is more validation that our products continue to break barriers and reach new heights in education, and we are thrilled to receive such an honor.”

    Products and services were submitted to LibraryWorks in the fall of 2024 and sent to more than 90,000 librarians at public, K-12, academic and special libraries. Only customers experienced with these products/services in their facilities were permitted to judge them, resulting in a truly unbiased score. 

    Each judge scored the products on a numeric basis from 1-10, based on a series of questions regarding functionality, value, customer service experience and overall satisfaction.

    Gale’s 2025 MLA platinum award winners include:

    • Gale Presents: Peterson’s Test and Career Prep (platinum award): offers a comprehensive set of tools to support individuals on their educational and professional journeys. Whether for high school students preparing for standardized tests, working adults seeking career changes, or those pursuing further education, the platform provides resources for success.

    “This is the best database relating to college and career preparation for teens that we use at our library! It has so many resources and the patrons love it!” –MLA judge

    • Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School (platinum award): A 21.5-credit, self-paced online high school completion program that allows public libraries to offer accredited high school diplomas to adults who wish to prepare for entry into the workforce, further their careers, or attend college.

    “Our patrons have overcome significant challenges to achieve their goal of earning a high school diploma through the Gale Presents: Excel Adult High School. I cannot emphasize enough just how impactful this program is and how it improves the lives of our graduates. Gale has helped our library system further our mission to provide services that have a truly positive impact on our community.” –MLA judge

    • Thorndike Press – Youth Large Print (platinum award): A viable reading intervention tool, similar in size as standard print with the same cover art. These books have been proven to improve decoding, increase comprehension, and reduce anxiety in developing, below-grade-level, and emerging bilingual readers.

    “Thorndike Large Print books for youth have been instrumental in helping me reach students who are struggling with reading, students who don’t enjoy reading and students who have no issues with reading! These books are for ALL my students, and because they are so accessible, ALL students can enjoy them and reap the benefits. I couldn’t highly recommend them enough.” –MLA judge

    • Gale Presents: Udemy (platinum award): Public libraries can connect patrons to nearly 30,000 on-demand video courses for upskilling or reskilling in business, technology, and personal development. Thousands of courses are taught by native speakers in 14 different languages, helping libraries reach their diverse communities.

    “(Our) Public Library is proud to offer Udemy Business as a valuable resource for our community. It provides access to a wide range of professional development courses. It helps equip our patrons with educational tools so that they are able to be successful in their career and beyond.” –MLA judge

    Jenny Newman, publisher and MLA program manager noted, “It’s hardly a surprise that Gale continues to score high. The strong partnerships they have established with libraries are what differentiate and drive their industry leadership. The quality and innovation of their adult learning and youth large print resources are truly impacting and changing the lives of all learners, keeping the company at the forefront of the market.”

    About Cengage Group and Gale

    Cengage Group, an education technology company serving millions of learners in 165 countries, advances the way students learn through quality, digital experiences. The company currently serves the K-12, higher education, professional, library, English language teaching and workforce training markets worldwide. Gale, part of Cengage Group, provides libraries with original and curated content, as well as the modern research tools and technology that are crucial in connecting libraries to learning, and learners to libraries. For more than 65 years, Gale has partnered with libraries around the world to empower the discovery of knowledge and insights – where, when and how people need it. Gale has 500 employees globally with its main operations in Farmington Hills, Michigan. For more information, please visit  www.gale.com.

    Follow Gale on:

    About LibraryWorks

    LibraryWorks helps administrators to make informed decisions about library technology, automation and software, collection development and management, facilities and furnishings, staffing, purchasing, and other areas that drive effective strategic planning and day-to-day operations. Our family of resources can enable you to identify best practices, monitor trends, evaluate new products and services, apply for grants and funding, post or find a job, and even enjoy some library humor. https://www.libraryworks.com/

    About the Modern Library Awards program The Modern Library Awards (MLAs) is a review program designed to recognize elite products and services in the market which can help library management personnel enhance the quality-of-experience for the library user and increase the performance of their library systems. https://www.modernlibraryawards.com/

    eSchool News Staff
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  • How AI Has Gone To The Dogs

    How AI Has Gone To The Dogs

    One highlight from FETC’s Startup Pavilion is Florida-based Scholar Education, which uses AI chatbot dogs to help tutor students and give feedback to teachers. How it works: A friendly AI-powered classroom assistant provides academic guidance and encourages engagement. The AI dogs will deliver daily reports to parents so they can see feedback on their kids’ learning, creating a direct line of communication between home and school. See it in action for yourself:

    Kevin Hogan
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    Want to share a great resource? Let us know at submissions@eschoolmedia.com.

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  • AI Literacy Resource for All – Sovorel

    AI Literacy Resource for All – Sovorel

    There is no longer any way to deny that AI Literacy is a must for all people. Regardless of whether you are a student, faculty, young, or old, all of us must continually develop our AI Literacy to effectively function and excel in our AI-infused world. The importance of everyone developing their AI Literacy has been expressed by virtually all nations and international organizations (UN, 2024; UN, 2024b). Additionally, many business organizations have expressed that in order to be competitive in the workforce, AI Literacy is now an imperative employment skill (Marr, 2024).

    The following Sovorel video and infographic (in addition to the above infographic) provide key components of AI Literacy and specifics regarding prompt engineering and using an advanced prompt formula:

    AI Literacy: Prompt Engineering, Advanced Prompt Formula Infographic (this infographic, the main AI Literacy infographic, and many more are also available within the infographics section: https://sovorelpublishing.com/index.php/infographics)

     

    References

    Cisco. (2024, July 31). AI and the workforce: Industry report calls for reskilling and upskilling as 92 percent of technology roles evolve. Cisco. https://investor.cisco.com/news/news-details/2024/AI-and-the-Workforce-Industry-Report-Calls-for-Reskilling-and-Upskilling-as-92-Percent-of-Technology-Roles-Evolve/default.aspx

    Marr, B. (2024, October 24). The 5 most in-demand skills in 2025. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2024/10/14/the-5-most-in-demand-skills-in-2025/

    UN. (2024). Addendum on AI and Digital Government. United Nations. https://desapublications.un.org/sites/default/files/publications/2024-10/Addendum%20on%20AI%20and%20Digital%20Government%20%20E-Government%20Survey%202024.pdf

    UN. (2024b). Governing AI for humanity. United Nations. https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/governing_ai_for_humanity_final_report_en.pdf

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  • Empowering Instructors & Students – Sovorel

    Empowering Instructors & Students – Sovorel

    This is my new book that I am very excited about because I think that it can really help a lot of people, especially instructors (at all levels) and students. It is vital and truly an imperative that we in academia help develop AI Literacy. Available on Amazon as an ebook, paperback, or hardback: https://www.amazon.com/AI-Literacy-Imperative-Empowering-Instructors/dp/B0C51RLPCG

    BOOK DESCRIPTION:

    The AI Literacy Imperative: Empowering Instructors & Students” is a seminal work that delves into the critical need for everyone to have AI Literacy in modern society, especially in academia. The book explains how educators must have a deep understanding of the key aspects of AI literacy: Awareness, Capability, Knowledge, and Critical Thinking, to effectively teach this vital skill to students.

    Drawing upon extensive research and practical experience, author Brent A. Anders, PhD. presents a comprehensive guide for instructors to integrate AI literacy into their curriculum. By exploring the fundamental concepts and applications of AI, this book empowers educators to equip their students with the skills necessary for success in both their professional and personal lives in our new AI integrated society.

    Throughout the book, a deep understanding of the complexities of AI and its implications for society are demonstrated. Through a rigorous exploration of the latest research and pedagogical considerations, the book provides educators with a clear roadmap for teaching AI literacy in a way that is understandable, manageable, motivational, and upholds academic integrity.

    “The AI Literacy Imperative: Empowering Instructors & Students” is a must-read for educators, students, instructional designers, librarians, researchers, and everyone else. By providing a comprehensive and easy-to-understand guide on the main components of AI literacy, covering everything from overreliance, writing assignments with AI, deepfakes, ethical considerations, future possibilities, and much more in-between, this book helps everyone better understand AI, use it more effectively in education, and help create a better AI integrated.

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  • How ChatGPT Can Help Prevent Violations of Academic Integrity – Sovorel

    How ChatGPT Can Help Prevent Violations of Academic Integrity – Sovorel

    A full article (including a video) describing each aspect of how ChatGPT can help with preventing violations of academic integrity (cheating) is provided in an article I wrote located here: https://brentaanders.medium.com/how-chatgpt-can-help-prevent-violations-of-academic-integrity-99ada37b52dd

    What are your thoughts on this or other aspects of ChatGPT and other AI in education? Leave a comment below.

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  • Make any Assignment ChatGPT Resistant & Many Other ChatGPT Resources – Sovorel

    Make any Assignment ChatGPT Resistant & Many Other ChatGPT Resources – Sovorel

    The great thing about this #ChatGPT infographic “Make ANY Assignment resistant to ChatGPT,” is that it simply describes a great way to make your course and your assignments, regardless of #AI use, better by being more active and hands-on.

    For specific help regarding essay writing and use of ChatGPT AI see the following infographic:

    Another very important aspect that must always be developed by both instructors and students is AI Literacy:

    For more information and resources dealing with ChatGPT / AI be sure to check out the Sovorel Educational YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sovorel-EDU/videos

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  • What it is and How to Use it in the Classroom – Sovorel

    What it is and How to Use it in the Classroom – Sovorel

    I recently published a book to help all educators deal with the new technological phenomenon which came about on 30 November 2022 known as ChatGPT by OpenAI (https://chat.openai.com). My book, ChatGPT AI in Education: What it is and How to Use it in the Classroom, available as a paperback or ebook on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/ChatGPT-AI-Education-What-Classroom-ebook/dp/B0BRWXPVB7 covers all of the main aspects of this AI as applied to education. Here is the book’s Table of Contents:

    What is AI and ChatGPT

    AI What is ChatGPT

    Exactly What Can ChatGPT Do?

    ChatGPT Limitations

    How Can ChatGPT Be Used in Education

    How to Use ChatGPT in the Classroom

    1. Use ChatGPT as an Essay/Assignment
    2. Creation Checker
    3. Prompt Skill Development Competition
    4. Reflect and Improve
    5. In-Class Preparatory Process
    6. Full Incorporation Option
    7. Reflection of Why
    8. Maximize the Localization and Personalization of the Assignment
    9. Use More Dynamic Assessment Techniques
    10. Feedback Provider
    11. Scaffolding Creator
    12. Instructor Assistance
    13. Virtual Guest Speaker
    14. Virtual Experiment Conductor or Guide
    15. Research Assistant

    Ethical Considerations

    Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

    AI Policy and Privacy Concerns

    Educational Institutions’ Policy on Use of AI

    Privacy Concerns

    Teachers’ Jobs Taken Over by AI

    Future of ChatGPT and AI

    More Integration

    This is Just the Beginning

    Call to Action

    Additional Resources

    AI Guides

    Videos

    Glossary

    References

    About the Author

    Feedback

    Other Available Books

    In addition to the book, I have provided a large number of guides, information, and infographics via Twitter (https://twitter.com/BrentAAnders) as well as multiple videos through the Sovorel YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sovorel-EDU/videos



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  • 10 Reasons to Go Digital with Your Course Materials – Eric Stoller

    10 Reasons to Go Digital with Your Course Materials – Eric Stoller






    When I was a college student, there were times when I skipped out on buying a required textbook for a course. Finances were always tight, so I tried to balance my checkbook with buying actual books. Even then, textbooks weren’t cheap. Today, students are paying more and more for their higher education experience. If a university can find ways to make attending college more affordable, accessible, and “high-tech/high-touch”, well, it’s not really an option, it’s a necessity.

    Today’s technology makes it easy to distill course materials into digital formats and enhances them as a result.  Colleges and universities are quickly shifting from books to bytes to improve the student experience and boost course outcomes.

    Here are 10 reasons why your university should go digital with its course materials:

    1. Affordability: This may seem like an obvious reason to move to digital delivery of course materials. Students will end up paying less for digital course materials. From production to shipping, textbooks require a lot of costly infrastructure. Digital materials eliminate these costs and pass the savings on to students.
    2. A better experience for students with disabilities. Unlike print books, modern eTextbooks can be accessible “out of the box.”  When eTextbooks include features such alternative text descriptions of visuals and content that can be used with assistive technology, students can start reading right away, without waiting for a disability services department to create a file.
    3. Learning Analytics and Digital Integration: Can you remember when a physical book connected to a digital learning system? It’s just not possible. However, with digital course materials, integration with the campus LMS/VLE is possible. Plus, with learning analytics built in, digital materials can help support at-risk learners who may need additional assistance.
    4. Recruitment: Digital course materials might not seem like they give universities a recruitment edge, but in an increasingly competitive enrollment landscape, everything helps. Students seek modern solutions for their educational experience. For bring-your-own-device (BYOD) campuses and institutions that provide technology platforms for students, digital course materials hit the sweet spot. They create more affordances for student success and showcase a university experience that is effectively using the latest technologies.
    5. Multi-Platform Capability: The ability to view course materials on a variety of devices represents a huge advantage for digital course materials. If a student needs to read a chapter while on the go, odds are, they will be able to access it on whichever device they have with them. Also, it’s a good bet that no one misses having a backpack filled with textbooks.
    6. Seamless Group Work: University campuses are filled with versatile seating and project workspaces. You can’t project a textbook onto a large screen, but you can with digital course content. It’s simply a matter of either plugging in or wirelessly beaming content to a screen. It makes group work and collaboration a much easier task. 
    7. Always Current: Have you ever tried to update a textbook? Editions come and go, each one costing more than the last. With digital course materials, content is as up to date as possible and it doesn’t cost students more for this “always current” content. Who wants a used book when you can have a new digital version? 
    8. Instant Access: No longer do students have to search for the lowest price option or wait until after term starts. Instant access to digital materials, through programs such as Pearson Inclusive Access and others, ensures all students are ready to learn on the first day of class, not the third week. It’s as easy as logging into the university system, selecting the appropriate course, and downloading the material to a compatible device.
    9. Interactivity: Textbooks have been surpassed in form, function, and capability. Digital course materials allow authors the opportunity to embed audio and video into their work. This makes for a much more interactive and “real” experience for students. 
    10. Retention: Anything that a college or university can do to assist students with their academic success is a good thing. Digital course materials aid and enhance an institution’s ability to improve their overall retention rates and bolster student success with all of the supportive elements in this list. 

    What would you add to this list?

    Digital course materials are not the future for higher education; they’re the present. It’s only a matter of time before your institution goes digital for student success.

     

    This post was sponsored by Pearson as part of a higher education influencers collaboration.





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