Maryland’s Wicomico County Public Schools Adds Innovative New Edtech Tools to High School Curriculum to More Deeply Engage Students in Science
Charlotte, NC (Tuesday, November 1, 2022)—Maryland’s Wicomico County Public Schools (WCPS) today announced an expansion of its long-term partnership with Discovery Education that is adding innovative new edtech resources to the district’s high school science curriculum. In this latest phase of collaboration, Discovery Education’s Pivot Interactives are helping educators in the district’s high school Chemistry and Physics classes actively engage students in the exploration of scientific phenomena while developing their scientific practice. Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place.
Located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Wicomico County Public Schools is a nationally recognized school district serving approximately 15,000 PK-12 students. District teachers, students, and staff have earned numerous honors and awards in their continuing dedication to “Excellence in Education”.
Recently, WCPS administrators sought high-quality digital resources aligned to Next Generation Science Standards that would support students’ development of scientific and engineering practices and grow their understanding of key concepts and knowledge. Following a careful review of potential solutions, district administrators selected Discovery Education’s Pivot Interactives for use in high school Chemistry and Physics classes.
Pivot Interactives, which joined the Discovery Education family of services in 2022, makes teaching science with active learning and scientific phenomena engaging and easy. Launched in 2012 by two visionary educators, Pivot Interactives provides users with more than 14,000 authentic, interactive video-based science activities crafted by Pivot’s expert curriculum team and teacher community. These resources, tied to state and national standards, are infused with research-based teaching practices and are simple to integrate into instruction.
Pivot Interactives activities offer opportunities for students to explore and learn for themselves. The service’s built-in tools—including IRISTM, a first-of-its-kind color and light gauge—make for quick and accurate measurements. A unique interface allows students to change what happens in the video and see how that change affects the outcome. Easy to follow instructions guide students through data collection, measurement, data analysis, and interpretation, while feedback provided by both open-ended and auto-graded questions reinforces correct ideas.
“At Wicomico County Public Schools, we’ve made it our mission for students to ‘Do Science,’” said Science Supervisor Hemalatha Bhaskaran. “We create learning environments in which students will learn through active engagement in science and engineering practices. Pivot Interactives provides students with new opportunities to immerse themselves in these practices and explore scientific phenomena—such as volcanos or the phases of the Moon—in new and exciting ways. The new opportunities this partnership offers our students are incredible.”
To recognize the full return on their district’s edtech investment, Discovery Education provided educators using Pivot Interactives professional learning focused on integrating these resources into instruction. Effective professional development maximizes the power of these resources, increases student engagement in learning, and supports students’ continued academic development.
Educators across WCPS already use Discovery Education’s K-12 learning platform to create engaging classroom learning activities for all students. Connecting educators to a vast collection of high-quality, standards-aligned content, ready-to-use digital lessons, intuitive quiz and activity creation tools, and professional learning resources, Discovery Education provides an enhanced learning platform that facilitates engaging, daily instruction in any environment. These resources, sourced from trusted partners, are aligned to state and national standards, and help educators bring the outside world into teaching and learning every day.
“Discovery Education is excited to deepen its long-term partnership with Wicomico County Public Schools,” said Eric Rhoades, Discovery Education’s National Partnerships Manager for Pivot Interactives. “The addition of Pivot Interactives to the district’s suite of digital resources will deepen student engagement in Chemistry and Physics. I look forward to supporting Wicomico’s talented team of educators as they work these resources into students’ daily lessons.”
For more information about Discovery Education’s award-winning digital resources and professional learning services, visit www.discoveryeducation.com, and stay connected with Discovery Education on social media through Twitter and LinkedIn.
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About Discovery Education
Discovery Education is the worldwide edtech leader whose state-of-the-art digital platform supports learning wherever it takes place. Through its award-winning multimedia content, instructional supports, and innovative classroom tools, Discovery Education helps educators deliver equitable learning experiences engaging all students and supporting higher academic achievement on a global scale. Discovery Education serves approximately 4.5 million educators and 45 million students worldwide, and its resources are accessed in over 100 countries and territories. Inspired by the global media company Discovery, Inc., Discovery Education partners with districts, states, and trusted organizations to empower teachers with leading edtech solutions that support the success of all learners. Explore the future of education at www.discoveryeducation.com.
Contact
Stephen Wakefield
Discovery Education
Phone: 202-316-6615
Email: swakefield@discoveryed.com