March 2018 - In This Issue

Hot Topic:
Blockchain in Education
 
Client Solution:
Catholic Curriculum Standards: More than just Academics

Teaching Trends: EdGate Services:
Introducing EdGate's New API
Standards Update
What's new in the repository? 

Top Stories


Greetings everyone,       

We are always amazed at the breadth of K-12 standards that exist in the U.S.  The number of Catholic curriculum standards alone is impressive.  After the Common Core standards were released, Catholic institutions worked diligently to determine if their schools should incorporate the CCSS.  The decision was made in 2014 by the Cardinal Newman Society as follows: "Catholic schools must consider standards that support the mission and purpose of the schools as a Catholic institution."  Due to the large number of dioceses in the U.S. and the varying manner in which they have chosen to "adopt, adapt, or reject" the CCSS and incorporate faith and human virtues into their curriculum, there are literally hundreds of variations of Catholic curriculum standards. 

As always, EdGate is your source for staying current with new developments in education and the impact of educational standards.  If you would like to learn if Catholic standards are a fit for your curriculum, please contact us.
 
Regards,


Gina Faulk
EdGate General Manager
 
 
 
HotTopicHot Topic

Blockchains, Cryptocurrency, and Ledgers, Oh My!

So what is a blockchain and what are the applications for a blockchain? Blockchain is a digital record of a transaction. A transaction is simply an exchange of data. One type of data are cryptocoins. Trending in the news are articles about cryptocoins which use blockchain methodology. The idea being that a transaction is verifiable. So if Sally wants to transfer a coin (spend) to Betty, then an entry is recorded in ledger (big database) that is centrally located.  Before Betty accepts the coin from Sally, she will want to confirm that Sally is indeed the current owner and that Sally has not transferred ownership of the coin to someone else. Traceability in the ledger can provide Betty with this information. Providing Sally has not previously transferred the coin to another person, then Sally and Betty record (add digital signatures to the transaction) that the coin is transferred to Betty.   So a change in ownership of a coin is a transaction that is record appended in a large ledger that records the history of transactions.  Records in these ledgers cannot be altered or deleted. They can only appended.  In addition to financial uses of blockchain technology, other entities are looking into how blockchain may be useful in recording ownership of other assets and vital information, for example, copyright ownership, credential validation, licensing agreements, etc.  It could be used for any application where there needs to be history and traceability of the data. Now blockchain is being considered for potential uses in libraries and across the educational sector for digital accreditation of personal and academic learning.

More information on Blockchains can be found in this EdSurge article.
 
Project Manager
 
ClientSolutionClient Solution

Catholic Curriculum Standards: More than just Academics  
 
In the past three years, Google searches for queries such as "best education system in the world" and the "whole child" approach have hit record highs as educators and parents across the nation eagerly seek out new ways to help students. State agencies and educational think tanks churn out new standards, tests, and methodologies yearly in response-and yet Catholic schools have always been focused on the whole person, body, mind, and spirit.

Many Catholic archdioceses in the U.S. have their own K-12 standards for language arts, mathematics, science, as well as for religion. Between the Washington D.C., Chicago, New York, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Austin archdioceses alone, nearly a quarter of a million students at over 750 elementary, middle, and high schools interact on a daily basis with these standards, learning the sacraments, doctrines, and workings of the Catholic faith. 

These religious standards form the basis of these schools' "whole child" approach, which aims to help students grow not only academically, but emotionally, socially, and spiritually, as well. And with many of these archdiocesan schools boasting graduation and college acceptance rates over 90 percent, consistent above-average scores on the SAT and ACT, and graduate scholarship offerings often totaling millions of dollars, the standards' results may just speak for themselves.

Contact EdGate to learn more about the Catholic Curriculum Standards.

By: Nathan Giermann  

 
Announcing New Resources Added to the Curriculum Matrix this past month

2,300 new resources have been added to the Curriculum 
Matrix from the sources listed below:
  • Grammar Revolution
  • GrammarBook.com
  • Illustrative Math
  • Royal Society of Chemistry
  • The Punctuation Guide
  • Weather Wiz Kids
 


There is an interest to expand the 21st Century Skills educational standards from the current 4 "Cs", to 5 or 6 core skills. The current "4C's of 21st century" skills consist of 1) critical thinking, 2) creativity, 3) collaboration, and 4) communication. The 5th 'C' would represent "Computational" skills, or computational thinking, and become another core skill of the 21st Century Skills, and would be taught to all students. Computational thinking is the thinking skills that are employed in understanding a problem and formulating a viable solution. More specifically, computational thinking is fundamentally about using analytic and algorithmic concepts and strategies to formulate, analyze and solve problems so that a computer can potentially carry out the solution. 

China has shown interest in also adding a "C" to the 21st Century Skills, representing "Cultural Competence", which could become core skill number 6.  Cultural competence is something every human could certainly use, especially with the digital era in such full swing. In essence, China advocates the importance of cultural competence in a global context. There are two documents that support this work: Framework for State Action on Global Education, and Teacher Guide to K-12 Global Competence Grade-Level Indicators. Cultural Competence will be a key feature of the application criteria when China launches their Global Schools Network (GSN) in 2018. Having 21st Century Skills that represent and embrace both 'computational' and 'cultural' skills makes total sense. Stay tuned!

By:  Larry Johnson 
Project Manager
 
EdgateServicesEdGate Services

Introducing EdGate's New API!

In 2017 we began development of a new and improved API and are happy to announce it is ready for implementation!
 
Depending on the level of service you receive from EdGate, you will have access to any of the following basic or premium features:
  • JSON format
  • Granular search and browsing of standards
  • Find related standards
  • Full search and granular filtering of content
  • Find related content
  • Upload, edit, delete content metadata
  • Batch upload, edit, delete content
  • Add concept tags to content (correlate)
  • Remove concept tags from content (delete correlations)
  • Create direct alignments
  • Hide existing correlations
  • Full access to browse and search concept taxonomy
  • Get suggested concepts based on content metadata
Whether you want to upgrade your existing API or you wish to expand your service by providing "live" correlations to your end users, let us know and we'll be happy to help!

To learn more about EdGate, our services, and partners, please contact us and one of our Account Executives will be happy to schedule an appointment with you.
 
Tracy_Olstad
Gina Faulk 
General Manager 
Tracy Olstad,  
Senior Account Executive  
Heather Hawthorne
Account Manager
 
standardsStandards Update

Updates to The EdGate Standards Repository include:

  • Alabama Early Childhood (2009)  
  • Wisconsin Computer Science and IT Literacy (2017 - Grades K-2,3-5,6-8,9-12)
  • Virginia Early Childhood (2013)
  • Virginia Computer Science (2017 - Grades K,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9-12)
  • Tennessee Early Childhood Education (2018)
  • Oregon Early Childhood Education (2017)
  • Puerto Rico DOE Social Studies (English) (2014 - Grades K,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12)
  • North Carolina Mathematics (2017 - Grades K,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
  • Newfoundland/Labrador English Language Arts (2017 - Grades 1,2,4,9-12)
  • Idaho Computer Science (2017 - Grades K-2,3-5,6-8,9-10,11-12)
  • CSTA Computer Science Standards (2017 - Grades K-2,3-5,6-8,9-10,11-12)

  https://www.facebook.com/EdGateCorrelationServices/
 
topstories

Wyoming passes ambitious computer science education bill

A new law passed in the Wyoming Senate adds computer science to the state's Common Core. This law requires every K-12 school in the state to teach computer science no later than 2022-2023.


Millennials Are Turning To Online Education

A study by the Mayo Clinic found many millennials thrive while learning online in comparison with traditional classrooms. 



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EdGate Correlation Services works with over 250 content providers to increase the value of their products in a rapidly expanding digital world. EdGate uses its patented technology and highly skilled staff to assure client success. Employing its nearly two decades of innovation experience, EdGate has proven learning platforms, robust metadata tools and comprehensive correlation services to serve every clients unique needs.  

EdGate currently focuses on correlation consulting, content and metadata development and management, media segmentation and licensing of international educational standards.
EdGate Correlation Services LLC is a division of EDmin, Inc., a learning management and instructional technology solutions company based in San Diego, California.