Author: Danny Hurd

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“Teachers Want to Teach!” Flexpoint Education Cloud on what Teachers Need from Online Learning

DECEMBER 6 – At the height of the pandemic, online learning was essential in keeping schools up and running on a remote basis. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2020, nearly 93{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of households with school-age children reported some form of distanced learning, with 80{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of that being online. Flexpoint Education Cloud, an online learning provider, helped school districts across the US train over 14,000 educators, amounting to more than 500 hours worth of live professional development (PD).

The Florida-based company has been operating for over 20 years in providing learning materials for schools to create kindergarten to K-12 level learning programs. This is coupled with their catalog of over 180 online learning courses which can be customized to various state standards. With this background, the company has pinpointed several training topics teachers are most eager to learn, from leveraging LMS to keeping students engaged.

A 2021 Survey from Educators for Excellence found that 67{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of teachers learned ways to integrate technology into their teaching and plan on carrying this on after the pandemic.

Personalized learning is a big issue that can be tackled through online tools. Teachers are looking at how best to utilize their learning management systems to create customized interactions with their students, according to Brooke Bess, the National Training Manager for Flexpoint. When training teachers in their PD sessions, Flexpoint uses a variety of visualization techniques that help educators transfer the activities they implement in a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom, to an online classroom setting. These activities are translated into the LMS, e.g. creating a digital homeroom that students can go to before logging on to their classes.

Bess goes into further detail about how LMS can be used by teachers, “we helped a group of science teachers build out a science fair project in their learning management system for students to participate in. We partnered with them to identify the assets and resources they wanted to include in the project and trained them on how to use the tools in the learning management system to create an engaging scientific inquiry experience for their students.”

Since 2018, Flexpoint has also been offering online learning courses for elementary school and pre-kindergarten teachers called Littlest Learners, which helps young students with learning online.

The Littlest Learners series contain multiple courses adapted for online learning, from their Emerging Readers course to their Littlest Mathematician course. Similar to the K-12 training sessions, teachers are taught how to implement LMS into their learning activities, and how best to plan and track the programs they deliver to their students. Also, like older students, young learners too benefit from connection and building a relationship with their teachers. This, in part, helps students become more engaged with their work.

“We show elementary teachers how to take their tried-and-true best practices from the physical classroom, and evolve them into fun and engaging activities for their students online,” Says Brooke Bess, when describing the type of training offered to kindergarten and elementary school teachers specifically. “Sometimes it looks like a “lunch bunch” so that teachers and students have more time to interact outside of lessons or teachers doing a science experiment that involves making a mess of their kitchen while their students laugh in Zoom. The engagement comes from the connections and relationships that the teachers make with their students.”

Flexpoint is also part of the Florida Virtual School (FLVS), a fully accredited statewide school district, providing tuition-free part-time and full-time online learning platforms. Students outside of Florida can also benefit from FLVS with the Global School.

The stress of the pandemic provided even more incentive for Flexpoint to extend online learning materials to hard-to-reach places. In early 2020, the company partnered with the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (AK DEED), to create its first statewide virtual school. Alaska is home to some of the most rural school districts in the US, where teachers from small schools tend to teach across multiple subjects and grade levels.

Deborah Meyer, the Senior Director at Flexpoint, went into further detail about the importance of a virtual schooling platform for such remote learning environments in Alaska. “The COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing school closures and requiring AK DEED to press fast forward on their plans for Alaska’s first statewide virtual school. With no time to spare, we partnered with AK DEED to launch Alaska State Virtual School in March 2020, two years ahead of schedule. We also licensed our digital curriculum with more than 180 courses and hosted intensive teacher training for more than 190 Alaskan teachers who wanted to help as many of their students as possible by teaching online during the pandemic. By partnering with AK DEED, we were able to establish a Kindergarten-12th grade virtual school to ensure equity and opportunity for all their students.”

With a virtual school, parents from hard-to-reach areas in America can enroll their children outside their designated state school, expanding their options for education.

A recent Flexpoint survey found that 75{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of parents believe that online learning does help their children learn new skills which they would not otherwise learn in traditional teaching.

Meyer goes on to cement the ethos of Flexpoint, explaining how the importance of online learning and training extends past the immediate needs of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our goal is to be able to help even more educators deliver the right learning experience so their students can succeed – whether they are new to online learning and are looking for best practices or have experience with online teaching and want new and innovative techniques to use in the classroom.”

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Physical activity promoting policies in the era of COVID-19: is Europe on the right track?

European Union (EU) countries have been making gains in the development of policy on physical activity promotion since 2015, but during the COVID-19 pandemic progress has slowed down, shows a recent WHO publication. The new report, “2021 physical activity factsheets for the European Union Member States of the WHO European Region”, is based on data from all 27 EU Member States and presents an overview of policies and actions that have been implemented in the countries to promote health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA).

Regular physical activity provides health benefits to everyone, regardless of age or fitness level. Among adults, physical activity contributes to the prevention and control of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, anxiety, depression, dementia and obesity, and reduces overall mortality and premature deaths.

Physical inactivity: a serious risk factor for the Region

The report provides an overview summarizing the overall situation across the EU, as well as detailed country factsheets for each EU Member State. Indicators in the report signify what kind of WHO-recommended HEPA policies have been implemented in each country.

According to the report, an overall improvement in policy indicators can be observed between 2015 and 2021. Across the Region, the average proportion of the 23 indicators accomplished by Member States increased from 2015 to 2021, although the pace of progress slowed down after 2018.

“In the WHO European Region, around a third of adults are physically inactive. Lack of physical activity is closely connected to overweight and obesity, and consequently to many noncommunicable diseases and health risks,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “It is time for us to remember that healthy habits – from balanced diets to physical activity – are key factors that protect our health much more than we tend to think.”

EU policies implementation: what’s new?

As the report data shows, in 2021 countries of the EU had made progress implementing the following measures:

  • supporting interventions to promote physical activity in older adults (74{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of countries);
  • promoting physical activity in the workplace (74{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of countries);
  • training of physical education teachers (89{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of countries);
  • granting wider access to exercise facilities for socially disadvantaged groups (78{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of countries);
  • producing national recommendations on physical activity for health (85{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} of countries).

WHO and the European Commission: commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles for all

To increase physical activity levels, WHO has been collaborating closely with the European Commission and EU Member States to increase health-enhancing physical activity across the region. This collaboration has helped to enhance policy and practice in line with the WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”.

The launch of the new report marked the start of an initiative called Healthy Lifestyles 4 All (HL4A) led by WHO/Europe and the European Commission. The 2-year campaign will showcase efforts and support countries in the EU to promote healthy lifestyles across generations and social groups, and to promote a global approach across policies and sectors – linking food, health, well-being and sport.

As an open and collaborative project, HL4A invites sports organizations, civil society, and international, national, regional and local authorities to join and create projects that bring together sports, physical activity and healthy diets. All participating organizations can submit a commitment for concrete actions in the online Pledge Board. WHO/Europe has submitted its contributions.

Looking forward, this important collaboration between WHO/Europe and the European Commission can play a role in supporting the societal and economic recovery from COVID-19, with a sustained and coordinated focus on attainment of a 15{e4f787673fbda589a16c4acddca5ba6fa1cbf0bc0eb53f36e5f8309f6ee846cf} reduction in physical inactivity by 2030 and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Impact of COVID-19 on physical activity

Physical activity can take place in various settings, during leisure-time activities, at school, at the workplace and at home during daily activities. However, maintaining sufficient levels of physical activity is becoming more difficult as most daily environments have become more sedentary.

According to the new WHO report, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of our environments and our access to opportunities to be physically active as part of daily life.

“Lockdowns and limited access to public and indoor spaces had a negative impact on levels of physical activity that were already at very low levels before the pandemic. Some countries of the WHO European Region still feel this impact. Now is a good time to bring physical activity levels up again. There are various health-enhancing policies to choose from, and they work best when combined,” said Dr Kremlin Wickramasinghe, Acting Head of the WHO European Office for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases.

By implementing HEPA policies, countries of the WHO European Region can provide long-term benefits for people’s health and health systems.

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PACF grant allows Kanawha Elementary School to expand broadcasting program | News, Sports, Jobs


Fourth-grade teachers Sarah Minor, left, and Stacy Allman, right, stand in the newly-renovated Brave House broadcasting room at Kanawha Elementary School. A nearly $4,000 grant awarded by the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation will allow the school’s Brave House Broadcast Project to purchase new and specialized equipment for students to use to produce new video and audio content. (Photo Provided)

DAVISVILLE — Kanawha Elementary School will revamp and upgrade its student media studio in the coming months thanks to a grant from the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation.

Fourth-grade teachers Stacy Allman and Sarah Minor said the nearly $4,000 grant will allow the Brave House Broadcast Project to purchase green screen equipment, new cameras and microphones and other equipment to produce student-led video content.

Students in Kanawha Elementary School belong to one of four Brave Houses which compete in character-building challenges and community service projects. The student media room has been renovated to include colors and logos from each of the four Brave Houses.

Students do a daily video broadcast called Breakfast with Brave House.

“It’s video announcements with content,” Allman said.

They also create standalone videos of events and projects throughout the school. Fifth-grade students act as house leaders, broadcasters and IT support.

Most of the video recording and editing now is done only with Wood County Schools-issued iPads. Students and staff have repeatedly run into the limitations of the technology, including poor audio, insufficient lighting and limited recording capabilities.

“We noticed the quality of the video was not that good for the amount of effort out students were putting into them,” Allman said. “The sound was pretty poor. When you are broadcasting to the school, you want it to look and sound good.”

The new grant-purchased equipment will allow the students to greatly improve their broadcasting capabilities, and officials hope they will be able to offer help to area agencies in producing video and audio content.

“I’m excited to get new equipment that I have never used, that the kids have never used” Minor said. “A lot of kids are interested in that content creator space. It is popular and very high interest. I think it is really going to benefit the students.”

“They look for stories throughout the school” and opportunities to showcase other classes, Allman said. For example, students produced a segment where kindergarteners told Thanksgiving-related jokes and third-graders created their own Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.

“The students work really hard. They have a lot of pride in what they do,” Allman said.

Minor said the specialized equipment will not only allow them to produce more polished content, but also will provide more opportunities for students to learn writing, broadcasting and editing skills.

“It is incredible how fast those skills develop,” Minor said.

Officials plan to purchase the equipment and begin producing new and improved content in January.




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Parent-teacher ties vital to home schooling during lockdown

A recent research has emphasised the importance of the relationship between parents and teachers during the lockdown to provide academic assistance to the students as well as practical and emotional support.

The findings of the study were published in the journal ‘Educational Review’.

With schools closed from March 2020 until the end of the academic year and again from January 2021, pupils were taught online. This put an expectation on parents to shoulder some of the responsibility in ensuring pupils were engaged in their learning and to try and minimise some of the disadvantages faced by pupils from lower-income families who may not have had access to the same learning equipment or facilities as others.

Academics from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) led a team of researchers who surveyed 271 primary school teachers from across the country during June and July 2000 and also carried out follow-up interviews with a smaller cohort in April this year to compare the second round of school closures from January 2021.

Participants worked in schools with differing levels of pupil premiums, with funding provided by the Government to schools based on the number of pupils in a school deemed to be at an economic or social disadvantage. Lower pupil premium schools had fewer children considered to be at a disadvantage, while higher pupil premium schools had more.

Also Read: Pre-schools reopen but home tutors stay with students

The vast majority (84 per cent) of teachers felt some pupils had been disadvantaged by school closures due to their home circumstances.

The researchers found that all teachers provided resources for parents to use at home, either created by them or using other sources. However, while pupils from schools with a lower pupil premium number were significantly better able to access all resources than those from schools with higher pupil premium numbers, middle-income families struggled to find the time to engage with homeschooling, with many working from home in white-collar professions during the pandemic.

The study highlighted the broad range of support that primary teachers gave to children and their parents during the pandemic, not only academically, but also practically and emotionally. Teachers kept in touch with parents more regularly, either through online calls or home visits, and as a result felt they gained a greater understanding of children’s home lives, which helped build trust.

Many gave examples of ways they supported families through other means, such as organising collaborations with charities to provide breakfasts for children, whose families were struggling to afford food, making up food hampers, and even providing loans. Some teachers provided specific sessions for parents to guide them through some of the teaching materials, or to boost their confidence.

Lead author Dr Sara Spear, Head of the School of Management at ARU, said, “The COVID-19 pandemic was a difficult and stressful time for many people, and for some families, it caused or exacerbated socio-economic difficulties. Our results showed that parental participation in schooling in middle-income families was predominantly impeded by parents’ work responsibilities, with one or both parents likely to be working, and long hours and high-pressured jobs leaving little time for supporting children’s home learning.”

“This was exacerbated in the second closure period, with more parents working, and increased expectations for children’s learning. Only the richest families had access to resources, such as private tuition and intensive private schooling that alleviated these pressures,” she added.

“It was clear from our research that a closer relationship between teachers and parents meant a greater understanding of the difficulties faced by some parents, and as a result teachers went above and beyond to try and make sure no child was left behind. Teachers are hopeful that this stronger relationship will lead to better engagement in future, with things like parents’ evenings being held online to encourage better attendance,” she stated.

“In the event of future school closures, schools should consult with parents when determining any requirements for learning at home, to ensure that this is inclusive for the families in their community. Schools should pay particular attention to access to technology, and consider parents’ ability and capacity to participate in schooling,” she concluded. 

Also Read: What working parents gained during covid

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NFL insider notes: Chargers learning to overcome their own demons, plus more from Week 13

Whatever got into the Chargers this afternoon, they need to bottle it up and take it with them from Cincinnati. For the first time all season they managed to attack and mitigate the run on early downs, and for the first time in a long time they got aggressively vertical with the play-calling and they may have saved their season in the process.

And then, true to form, they tried like hell to Charger it all away. Their 24-point lead quickly evaporated and they fell prey to the onslaught of mistakes that so often dooms them, but this time they didn’t give it up. For the second time in three weeks they found a way to put an opponent away that they let back in the game, and there was more than bad to build on from a 41-22 victory over the Bengals that probably saved their season (and made them 3-1 against the tough AFC North, amassing 129 total points in wins over the Steelers, Browns and Bengals).

Let’s hope the lessons are learned by a young coaching staff that had fallen into a rut in the middle of the season. They allowed Justin Herbert to show off his big arm at the start and finish of the game, they dialed up the big blitzes and shunned their zone-heavy nature at critical moments and they showed fortitude and gumption during a stretch from late in the second quarter through the early fourth quarter when the Bengals simply dominated.

Sure, there was some Chargering going on here. Thing is, they survived it, as they did against the Steelers two weeks ago. Yes, there was a span of 14 plays from the final minutes of the first half in which they allowed four sacks, threw a pick, fumbled (again), completed four balls for all of 22 yards, had three incompletions and one run for 4 yards. This after Herbert opened up that 24-0 lead by completing 11 of 15 passes for 172 yards and three touchdowns.

They remain a work in progress, prone to wild ebbs and flows. Yeah, I still have questions about the defense, though it won some early downs against a stout Bengals rushing attack and held Joe Mixon in check. It’s true it required a bizarre Ja’Marr Chase tipped-pass interception when the Bengals rookie had a clear touchdown in front of him to win this. And Mixon’s weird fumble, when he wasn’t even realty hit, was the biggest play in the game going for a score the other way.

But there is something to be said for just figuring out how to win games. Something to be said for creating sacks and turnovers in the fourth quarter (an end-zone pick of Joe Burrow cemented the win). And there is everything to be said for them getting to 7-5, with a win over the Chiefs already in their pocket, and staying alive for a division title, too.

Losing to Lions could seal Zimmer’s fate

The odds of Mike Zimmer remaining coach of the Vikings in 2022 never seemed great, but the events of the last two weeks probably cement it. He was under a mandate to make noise in the postseason, but things have fallen apart since a spirited win over Green Bay and injuries and ineffectiveness will likely doom this Minnesota campaign.

Falling behind to the Lions, trailing them by 14 at the half, allowing them to score 20 points in the first half (something that has eluded them in an entire game since Week 1), and then wasting a final minute go-ahead drive to allow an improbable game-winning TD drive to Jared Goff will doom you. His defense is a shell of what it once was, his staff has always begged questions and having things look like a bit of a mess on both sides of the ball — injuries or not — this late in the season with so much at stake tends to stick with ownership. Losing to a division rival that had not won a game all season under rookie coach Dan Campbell, try as they might, is not how you want to start December. It might be the loss that cements a change the Wilf’s have been pondering for quite some time.

More Week 13 insider notes

Bengals better hope they get their full offensive line in tact, soon. Joe Burrow was battered around Sunday in a scene far too familiar to his rookie campaign, and while he played through what looked like a fairly nasty pinky injury that’s something I am sure they will have to monitor through the week. I admit I am a Bengals believe and think that franchise is turning the corner, but the turnovers and mistakes and protection issues down the stretch in this game have to give you some pause.

The Giants’ offense is wretched and Freddie Kitchens ain’t changing much. Joe Judge continues to make bizarre timeout decisions and punting decisions. If you thought 264 total yards of offense last week against the Eagles was bad, how about 250 against Miami! And you can also check the box of the first-round QB injured again, and the first-round RB being a nonfactor yet again. Nothing trending the way you would want approaching the final stretch of his second season at the helm, and not much empirical evidence that he has the makings of a quality NFL head coach. Yeah, there is a lot of chatter about him being safe, but there is still plenty of football to be played and few signs of life from this bunch. I’d say stay tuned.

Ridiculous how much Rob Gronkowski still makes an offense go. Keeping him healthy is essential for Tom Brady and the Bucs. He was one of the primary differences in the game Sunday and without his touchdown heroics (plural), the champs probably blow that game to the rebuilding Falcons. Brady throwing a pick in a fifth straight game is worth noting, if nothing else, however.

Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady never took hold at the NFL level, and never sold ownership that he was ready for the job head coach Matt Rhule bestowed upon him. It’s long been a simmering issue there, with the offense yet to take hold and no quarterback emerging as the answer through two seasons, and I’m far from shocked he is out at the bye week. The bigger question is where do they go from here at QB and OC, long term, and just how good a match Rhule is with owner David Tepper. As I have been reporting, college programs swoon over Rhule, and a slow start in 2022 will only lead to more rumblings about the overall viability of this regime. Not sure how much patience there will be without major gains in 2022.

Have long believed Gardner Minshew is better than a bunch of starters in this league. Can’t knock the way he came out attacking the Jets in a spot start in place of Jalen Hurts Sunday.

The Dolphins are among the hottest teams in the NFL heading into their Week 13 bye. The defense is ferocious and has allowed a total of just 55 points during this five-game winning streak. The unit faces the Jets and Saints — offensively bereft clubs — the next two weeks after its break, so getting back above .500 is well within reach, before taking on the Titans and Patriots for what could be one of the most improbably playoff pushes in recent history, given the seven-game losing steak that preceded this. Brian Flores took a lot of heat for opting not to take his bye in October after their London trip, but that looks pretty sage now.

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Are You Interested in Increasing Your Physical Activity? Join Walk Across Northwest Arkansas

Do you feel stressed? Has your fitness routine lagged due to COVID-19 or for other reasons? You might need a new challenge to get back on track. Walk Across NWA can help you! 

It’s not too late. Register for the Fall 2021 Program and gain access to Health and Wellness resources from the U of A Division of Agriculture and make a difference in the environment. Participation is free. Registration is open now and the program lasts through Nov. 7. 

Online registration is available at walk.uada.edu.  More details are located on the following sites: uaex.uada.edu/nwa-wellness along with on the Facebook Page @NWALivingWell and our NWA Living Well Facebook Group to receive additional support with stress management, nutrition tips, healthy recipes and more.

Earlier this year, 890 Arkansans statewide participated in the Spring 2021 Walk Across Arkansas, logging 1,469,867 minutes, with 217 teams from counties walking across the state. Many of those participants reported they had more energy, slept better, controlled stress, strengthened relationships, lost weight or inches and improved their blood panels and blood pressure.

Physical activity can lower the risk of early death, coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and some cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exercise also helps with weight loss and can improve mood and energy level and help us stress less.

National physical activity guidelines recommend that adults achieve at least 150 minutes of aerobic physical activity and two strength training sessions per week, and youth need at least 60 minutes of exercise daily.

To participate, find a few friends, classmates, family members or co-workers to form a team and register online. If you do not know others who are interested, make up a team name and be a team of one. Joining a team provides support to help you reach your goals, but team members do not have to be physically active together. Then, through Nov. 7, just record the number of minutes you spend walking, jogging, gardening or getting any other form of exercise. You can do any type of physical activity to increase your heart rate or break a sweat.

Minutes can be logged online daily or entered weekly, or you can contact your local County Extension Agents for paper forms. Team captains can log in minutes for team members. Even if you do not have an email address, this program is still for you. 

For more information about Walk Across NWA, contact the Washington County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent Anna Goff by email at [email protected], or you can call or text 479-841-1212 or office 479-444-1755. In Benton County, contact Family and Consumer Sciences Agent Trudy McManus at [email protected] or 479-271-1060.

Have some fun this fall with friends and family — physically distancing of course — and make a difference as you get healthy with Walk Across NWA.

Special thanks to Jamie Baum at the U of A Center for Human Nutrition for support in promotion of this program.

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.