A 2021 Definition of EdTech

Edtech allows for one learner or five million to learn, anywhere on earth, and to take the same classes as each other. Photo by Franck V. on Unsplash

DOBOT Robotic Arm in the US

Check these DOBOT news wrap-up! and learn how this STEAM classroom solution has been implemented in the U.S 

Return to School During COVID-19

​​​​​​​​Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

A big question parents have right now is how students can go back to school safely during COVID-19. The latest American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advice says children learn best when they are in school. However, returning to school in person needs careful steps in place to keep students and staff safe.

3 Easy Steps to Using a Collaboration Technology Approach

No teacher can do it all.

Running a classroom, delivering instruction, and giving timely feedback are huge tasks by themselves. The good news is that responsibility for learning doesn’t have to fall solely on the teacher’s shoulders. This responsibility can be shared with students through collaborative technology. In fact, the outcomes are better if the teacher is willing to adopt collaborative technology in the classroom.

Many teachers have already adopted a collaborative technology approach in their classrooms. They’ve been willing to step away from center stage and let their students take on more responsibility for their learning.

You can bring collaborative technology into your classroom if you are willing to help your students envision, explore, and enrich.

Science Intervention: Strategies To Help Students Catch Up

Many students struggle in STEM-related subjects: science, technology, engineering, and math. Struggling in science can be disheartening for students, their parents, and their teachers. As students increase in grade level, the emphasis placed on science in the public-school system increases, leaving many students feeling as though they will never catch up. Here, we provide some science intervention strategies to help students reach grade-level standards and accomplish their goals.

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7 Things to Know About the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission Launch

NASA's next rover to the Red Planet is slated to launch no earlier than July 30. These highlights will get you up to speed on the ambitious mission.

This illustration depicts NASA's Perseverance rover operating on the surface of Mars. Perseverance will land at the Red Planet's Jezero Crater a little after 3:40 p.m. EST (12:40 p.m. PST) on Feb. 18, 2021. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

In less than a month, NASA expects to launch the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Loaded with scientific instruments, advanced computational capabilities for landing, and other new systems, the Perseverance rover is the largest, heaviest, most sophisticated vehicle NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet.

"Perseverance sets a new bar for our ambitions at Mars," said Lori Glaze, planetary science director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We will get closer than ever before to answering some of science's longest-standing questions about the Red Planet, including whether life ever arose there."

What drives Perseverance's mission and what will it do at the Red Planet? Here are seven things to know: 

3 Lessons From Online Learning to Take Back to the Classroom

Photo by Mohammad Shahhosseini on Unsplash

Remote teaching has brought profound changes. I went through a grieving process for what my classroom once had been and for what it felt like to be in a room with students and interact with them so easily. But as I made my way through that grief, after a month or two I began to find some hope. I realized that there are lots of lessons to be learned from this time of distance learning. When we can be in person again, there are some practices that will carry with me because I discovered they actually work better:

Join NASA for the Launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover!

No matter where you live, choose from a menu of activities to join NASA as we "Countdown to Mars" and launch the Perseverance rover to the Red Planet.

NASA is inviting the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the launch of the agency's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, which is targeted for 7:50 a.m. EDT (4:50 a.m. PDT) Thursday, July 30, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Perseverance Launch to Mars: This illustration shows the moment after liftoff of the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft begins the first part of its journey to Mars atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

2 Simple Ways to Improve Online Instruction

Distance learning started as an emergency, but teachers are finding ways to make it better, even for students working on smartphones.

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How Teachers Are Integrating COVID-19 Crisis Into Their Lessons

The coronavirus as a teachable moment? Yes, indeed. Many NEA members are integrating the pandemic into their lesson plans—using students’ natural curiosity about what’s happening in the world around them to deepen their understanding of critical, timely concepts in science, history, journalism, and more.

Photo by Fusion Medical Animation on Unsplash