ODYSSEYWARE

Busy teachers everywhere appreciate streamlined processes. That’s why ODYSSEYWARE created the batching feature. Anytime you wish to allow a student to skip an entire unit, enter the course for that student by selecting the Student tab on the left, locating the student and, moving to the right of the student’s name, click on the Grading link for the desired student. 

This opens the course view for the teacher. Read more »

It’s 10 p.m. and a 10th grader we’ll call Jesse has been trying to complete a school research paper for the last few hours. Like many of his friends, he’s been checking his Facebook page and listening to music while he writes. There should be an easier way to get this done, he thinks. He texts a friend for advice. The response…

“Google it and copy.” 

In a world where quick answers are the norm, the time it takes to actually do research, take notes, draw conclusions, and finally, write conclusions all down in grammatically correct form may seem overwhelming. Plagiarism is an easy way out for many students.  Read more »

Starting in 2009, a new law took effect in South Dakota requiring high school students to stay in school until age 18. Not the only state to follow the trend of raising the legal age to drop out, South Dakota educators are asking themselves how they can get students back and offer them the sort of program that will not only allow them to get a diploma, but make it realistic and practical. 

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Standards for early childhood education are nothing new. More than twenty-five states have standards regarding pre-kindergarten “schooling” and learning expectations. The federal Head Start program has developed a Child Outcomes Framework, and other national organizations have their own content standards. 

According to a joint position statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE): 

“The first years of life are critical for later outcomes. Young children have an innate desire to learn. That desire can be supported or undermined by early experiences. High-quality early childhood education can promote intellectual, language, physical, social, and emotional development, creating school readiness and building a foundation for later academic and social competence.”

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At ODYSSEYWARE®, we understand that moving forward into the high-tech world of online learning can be a challenge, yet teachers across the country are using the latest tools, online resources, and innovative ideas to help students connect to their own education.

Do you know an ODYSSEYWARE teacher that has embraced the use of technology in the classroom to enrich the learning experience of his students? Do you have a story to share about the impact one teacher can have on the lives of her students?

If your answer is yes, nominate this first-rate facilitator to be honored as ODYSSEYWARE’s Teacher of the Month. The winner will be featured in an upcoming issue of the ODYSSEYWARE iQ eNewsletter. Just complete the nomination form to submit your nominee.

Some restrictions apply.

Whether they’re a fan of veteran ski racer Bode Miller, charismatic snowboarder Shaun White, or elegant and perky figure skater Sasha Cohen, your students are gathered around a screen of some size, somewhere watching Olympic athletes go for the gold. Once every four years you have the opportunity to capitalize on this midwinter enthusiasm by creating teaching moments as they arise.

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According to a recent article, Central Regional’s odyssey to help students pass tests, posted on APP.com, ODYSSEYWARE® has been chosen by the Central Regional School District to help high school juniors just below the “proficiency bubble” to pass the upcoming High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) test in March.

Before choosing ODYSSEYWARE, the district conducted trials, allowing 78 juniors to work with this media-rich curriculum for two weeks. The results were remarkable. Of the students who participated in the trials, 75% achieved a five to seven percent jump in their test scores.

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Kentucky is a state accustomed to being first; rumor holds that it was the first state to produce the cheeseburger and the first of many states to use Washington as a town name (after our first President). Although the 15th state to be incorporated into the Union, it has traditionally laid claim to the original ideals of the 13 colonies and can trumpet the Kentucky Derby as the standard in horse racing events. It is the oldest in the nation on that count. This week, however, Kentucky also became the first to incorporate the national standards set forth in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which have slowly come into being since last year’s meeting of the National Governors Association. The standards, while voluntary, have been claimed by many to be the first step toward a uniform educational measure for all states, or at least those that choose to join. Education Week highlights some of the challenges that remain in fully implementing the shift.

Bringing the state’s 47,000 teachers up to speed on the new standards, and helping them translate those ideas into curriculum for the classroom, will take time and money, educators said.

‘Teachers need time to reach agreement on what the standards mean for day-to-day instruction,’ said Ms. Young, who chairs a panel that advises the state education department on curriculum, instruction, and assessment issues.

Good luck to Kentucky as it begins to set the standard for other states seeking to join the Common Core. Because the standards are only in their infancy, much more will need to be learned on how effective they are; however, many educators seem genuinely excited for taking a different approach

Grants, incentives, and initiatives for innovative education reform have budget-conscious administrators blazing trails into new technology-rich territory. For some teachers, the terrain is fraught with hidden dangers, instilling fear in the hearts of heroes who could once, with only textbooks and a chalkboard to defend them, handle a whole classroom full of teenagers without a bead of sweat on their brows. What is it about embracing instructional technology that makes knees knock and anxiety shift into overdrive?

While the details may be different, the simple answer is fear.

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When we think about dropout prevention, meeting the needs of each singular student is the immediate goal. Unfortunately, America’s dropout problem has a further reaching, rippling effect that lasts for generations. Consider the following:

• Because high school graduates are less likely to commit crimes, increasing the high school completion rate by just one percent for all men ages 20 to 60 would reduce costs in the criminal justice system by $1.4 billion a year (American Youth Policy Forum, 2006).

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