What to know about the new ed secretary; Distanced play and no hugs

Plus: Visually impaired students face challenges

No. 463 | 12/24/20 | Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by 'Tis the season for reflections and predictions, and when it comes to 2020 we've got plenty of them. Our annual year-end series, featuring thoughts from educators and edtech experts, began this week and will continue into the new year.   One question we haven't reflected on was whether the year actually produced much good news.    Highlights were hard to come by, but the World Economic Forum took a stab at it anyway, and found some reason for encouragement. Among its finds: Nearly 50 species have been saved from extinction since 1993; plastic waste is down in countries across the globe; scientists unveiled the world's first spherical artificial eye with a 3D retina, a major breakthrough; and advances in cancer prevention and treatment continued at a brisk pace. (So, not all doom and gloom!)   Wishing you a safe—and cheerful—holiday season and much deserved break,   Stephen Noonoo, K-12 Editor   💻 REMOTE POSSIBILITIES   SECRETARY SELECTION: The Biden-Harris administration named its pick for the top education job in the country: Miguel Cardona. He has spent most of his life and career in Connecticut, where he studied, taught and currently heads the state department of education. Here's what we know about the nominee for the 12th U.S. Education Secretary, and where he stands on issues such as reopening schools and state testing.   SPECIAL NEEDS UNMET: As parents and educators continue to navigate remote learning, children with visual impairments have an added burden: learning in virtual classrooms that aren't designed for them. Without many of the supports found on campuses, parents are taking on new roles and students are struggling to keep up. Reporter Nadia Tamez-Robledo explores why some families feel like they're running against a ticking clock.    CHILD CARE CHANGES: Everyday routines in child care centers, from dress-up and story time to socialization and sensory play, have been complicated by the pandemic. Educators have had to get creative about serving children in ways that are both safe and stimulating. Among the new rules: distanced play—and no hugs.   AUTOMATE THIS: The pandemic has wiped out many jobs. Some may never return, due to advances in artificial intelligence. A new nonprofit, the AI Education Project, aims to help students prepare for an uncertain future. EdSurge recently chatted with its co-founder Ora Tanner and Girls Who Code COO Tarika Barrett about their efforts to teach kids about the emerging technologies shaping tomorrow's workforce.   📆 GOINGS ON   ALMOST UNREAL: Tune in for this discussion on how leveraging interactive learning environments in the classroom can foster rich educational experiences and expand students' imagination and storytelling capacity. Panelists will discuss how immersive learning can serve students now and in the future. Register today. The following is a message from our sponsor The Education Essentials Company™ Cambium Learning® Group is an intentionally curated family of companies providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 markets. We focus on the elements that are essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a difference right now. 🎧 ON THE PODCAST   HOW MINDS 'GRASP':Forgetting is a feature, not a bug. That's one of the surprising truths about how the brain works found in the new book "Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn." We talk with the book's co-author, Sanjay Sarma, a professor and the vice president for open learning at MIT, who says the way teaching is typically done doesn't match with how the brain actually learns.   PUT ON THOSE NEW HEADPHONES: One way we tried to capture the nuances of teaching during a health crisis was through audio storytelling. Listen to our most popular podcast episodes of 2020. (They'll sound great on any new headphones you got for the holidays.) Spoiler alert: Zoom fatigue emerged as the biggest draw. 🤔 END OF YEAR REFLECTIONS   TIME FOR CHANGE: "Teaching in the year 2020 reminds me of a quote from 'Inherit the Wind:' 'Perhaps it is you who has moved away by standing still,'" writes award-winning Baltimore teacher Kyair Butts. As 2020 ends, education can't afford to stay static, but must revolutionize and reimagine itself—or else risk leaving its most vulnerable students behind. He shares his reflection and hope for the future.   THINGS FALL APART; THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD: That's a line from William Butler Yeats—and it's also how Jess Gartner describes the state of education. The teacher-turned-CEO of Allovue, an education finance startup, lays out the burden put on public educators, who've long been tasked to do more with less. And that was before a pandemic. "Public schools cannot rely on martyrdom and self-sacrifice to keep staff and students," she writes. 📚 FROM THE ARCHIVES   MOVIE MAGIC: When students at one Maryland school watched the documentary "Bending the Arc," about healthcare conditions in the developing world, they were moved to action. Soon they went from engaging in thoughtful discussion on whether healthcare is a human right to raising funds for a nonprofit. See why educator Lisa Vardi believes film can be a powerful medium for teaching empathy. 🐝 BUZZ ABOUT TOWN   New York is putting a moratorium on the use of facial recognition in schools—meaning at least one district must end its program. (Buzzfeed News)   "Digital self-harm," where students target themselves online, may be on the rise. (District Administration) "The idea of vaccinating teachers is high up in priorities," says U.S. coronavirus czar Dr. Anthony Fauci. (EdSource) Sponsored by AI Explorations In a world infused with technology and automation, all K-12 students need to know what AI is, how it works and how it impacts society. Download the Hands-On AI Projects for the Classroom guides from ISTE and GM, which provide elementary, secondary, elective and computer science teachers with innovative curricular resources about AI. Sign up here for more information about funded AI PD opportunities. Looking for a job in edtech? You've come to the right place. EdSurge has the leading edtech jobs board in the industry with openings from schools, nonprofits and companies.   Post a job | See all jobs Executive Director The Mission Preparatory School Seeking an experienced leader to continue the school's record of academic excellence & cultivate a deep sense of belonging for all. This individual will work with the board and school to develop/execute against a vision for the next ten years. C-Level Executive Leadership •    School   •    San Francisco, CA     Manager, E-Learning Peer Health Exchange PHE is looking for a Manager, E-Learning who will build interactive online modules and digital learning materials for PHE's program. The ideal candidate will have 3-5 yrs exp, including 1-2 years in designing and delivering training interventions. Curriculum Design   •    Non Profit   •    Multiple   Chief Information Officer Mary Institute and Country Day School MICDS seeks a chief information officer, starting July 1, 2021. Applications due January 18.  C-Level Executive Leadership •    School  •    St. Louis, MO   Curriculum Designer Next Gen Personal Finance We are looking for a passionate and energetic professional to expand our personal finance curriculum and resources to meet the needs of economics teachers. Curriculum Design  •    Non Profit   •    Palo Alto, CA or Remote   Senior Program Manager - STEM Classes and Camps Empow Studios Empow Studios is looking for an experienced Program Manager to lead a team of program manager(s), site directors, and dozens of instructors to deliver outstanding STEM classes, camps and other programs to thousands of local students. Operations  •   School   •    Lexington, MA   Middle School Computer Science Teacher The Blake School The Blake School seeks to hire a full-time, dynamic grade 6-8 computer science teacher for the 2021-22 school year. STEM Teacher  •   School   •    Hopkins, MN Events Post an event   •   See all events and meetups   Pathfinders Winter Institute The Infosys Foundation USA is excited announce the second annual Pathfinders Winter Institute - virtually - from Feb 12-15, 2021! This 3-day event will offer K-12 teachers an engaging professional development experience in CS and maker education. Feb 12   •   Online   •   More than $250 THANKS FOR READING   ➔ Got any feedback? We love hearing from readers. Shoot us a note, critiques, a joke—whatever you've got! ➔ Interested in reaching our readers? Sponsor this newsletter. ➔ Event planners: Feature your in-person or virtual event on our calendar & newsletters. EdSurge covers and connects the people, ideas and technologies that shape the future of learning. We are an independent news and research initiative of the International Society for Technology in Education. 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