edWeb.net and Square Panda™ Host PreK-3 Digital Learning Community

Square Panda logoedWeb.net is excited to announce that Square Panda will host PreK-3 Digital Learning, a free professional learning community on edWeb. Through this community and edWebinars, Square Panda will support preK-3 educators as they navigate the rapidly changing world of edtech and the needs of early readers.

Research shows that quality early learning can prevent achievement gaps and help every student reach his or her potential. Although teachers have well-founded reservations about excessive “screen time,” technology has become an important tool to engage students and enhance lessons. And with the growing emphasis on personalized learning, digital tools have proved to be a valuable ally in the quest for educational equity. The PreK-3 Digital Learning community will offer educators a place to interact and learn more about integrating technology into the classroom to improve early literacy outcomes.

“At Square Panda, we are committed to helping solve the literacy problem, especially for students who struggle. As part of that commitment, we are delighted to provide teachers with a place to share best practices and learn about trends and research in early reading education,” said Liz Ralston, Square Panda Vice President of Sales. “Through our partnership with edWeb, we look forward to sparking conversations, learning more about educators’ needs, and facilitating deeper professional development for our community’s members.”

Lisa Schmucki, founder and CEO of edWeb.net, said, “Over and over again our presenters talk about the importance of closing the achievement gap early in a child’s education career and the valuable role technology can play in that process. I’m thrilled that Square Panda will help lead these discussions and bring their expertise to the community.”

Square Panda turns classroom tablets into multisensory phonics workstations with 45 tactile Smart Letters, using an interactive game-based approach that appeals to today’s learners. Research shows that students learn best with all their senses-sight, sound, and touch.

The first Square Panda edWebinar, “Haptic Learning Experiences, Technologies, and Smart Letters for Early Reading Success,” will take place Wednesday, May 16 at 3:00 pm ET. Dr. Bob Elwell, Square Panda Director of School Partnerships, will present the research findings on reading interventions that include student-directed visual and haptic (or tactile) exploration of phonological awareness, rhyming, blending, decoding, and more, with an emphasis on the relevance to low-performing and ELL students. Educators are invited to register for the edWebinar on the event page.

The free edWebinars offer a lively, real-time exchange of ideas with experts and colleagues. All edWebinars are recorded for on-demand viewing at any time. Educators earn a CE certificate for attending live or for taking a quiz after viewing the recording. Educators are invited to join the free PreK-3 Digital Learning community on www.edweb.net/prek3tech.

Education organizations interested in supporting educators with free professional development around their area of expertise may contact [email protected] for details about edWeb sponsorship opportunities.

About Square Panda
The Square Panda Classroom Edition is a multisensory phonics learning system that combines cognitive neuroscience with educational technology, developed in partnership with neuroscience researchers at Stanford University. Designed for learners in early literacy environments, Square Panda engages students at their individual level in visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile (VAKT) learning. Physical Smart Letters interact with a library of learning games that guide students as they explore the alphabet, phonemic awareness, phonics, rhymes, and vocabulary and build reading fluency. For more information, please visit www.squarepanda.com/schools.