Technology in the Classroom

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 Iowa STEM Teacher Award

The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education is partnering with Kemin Industries for the 10th year of the Iowa STEM Teacher Award. Nominations opened Aug. 20 and will be accepted through Oct. 10.

 

The Iowa STEM Teacher Award recognizes one full-time, licensed PreK-12 teacher from each of the state’s six STEM regions whose passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) motivates their students to develop a lifelong interest in STEM fields—both in and out of the classroom. The six selected recipients will each receive an award of $1,500 for their classrooms and $1,500 for personal use. 

 

For more information click here.  

 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and uPar

Iowa AEAs in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education are offering free access to uPar and Texthelp's Read and Write to interested Districts/schools.

uPar (Universal Protocol for Accommodations in Reading) assists students with accessing grade-level text and serves as a diagnostic to help identify their path for understanding. Over 50% of students who are reading below grade level can access grade-level text independently with a reading accommodation.* uPAR identifies these students through an automated online process—showing their path to understand the text through listening (”ear” reading) compared to traditional “eye” reading. The effect? Students gain access to grade-level text for real inclusion outcomes! 

What is uPar?

Contact Keystone AEA School Improvement Consultant: Tracy Grimes for more information. 

 

U.S. Department of Education and Artificial Intelligence in Schools

The U.S. Department of Education recently released insights and recommendations on AI for schools. The White House also put out its Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights. 

 

 

 

 

 

Keystone AEA OneClick

Keystone AEA ClassLink OneClick streamlines student and educator access to all of our AEA Digital Resources and so much more using a customized dashboard for schools with G Suite or Microsoft login.  In collaboration with LEA Technology Coordinators, Classlink OneClick caters access to our AEA digital resource suite to the appropriate interest/age levels through single sign-on technology. 

Learn more about Keystone ClassLink OneClick from this Media Minute short or extend your learning about our version of ClassLink through this self-guided course.

Please contact Karen Randall or Mindy Reimer with any questions or support. 

 

 

 

NEW! Health Module Released for Pebble Go Next

PGN Health is a collection of 81 new articles for our intermediate/middle school learners. Topics within the module include physical and mental health, careers in healthcare, and more. These articles are connected to the state and national health standards.

Here is a preview of the new articles now available for intermediate learners.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Pear for a Great School Year with Pear Deck

Make classroom engagement more fruitful! Iowa AEAs continue to afford free access to Pear Deck Premium to Iowa-accredited schools. With solutions rooted in active learning and formative assessment, Pear Deck makes it easy to connect with every student, every day. Discover the benefits of bringing Pear Deck to your school or district today.

Learn more

NEW FEATURE!  Pear Deck District Library Collaborate and create learning experiences more seamlessly with access to the newly released District Library feature in the Pear Deck Teacher dashboard.

 

Busy Educators Value Our AEA Digital Resources Suite! 

No cost access is afforded to all Iowa accredited PK-12 schools' educators and students.