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Educational Technology at IU13

Tim Leister

Instructional Technology Specialist - Lancaster-Lebanon IU13
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Discovery Education - April 2026 Updates

Posted by Tim Leister on Tue, Mar 24, 2026

 

Discovery Education LOGO

DE Updates for Classroom Teachers and School Leaders! 

Discovery Education is your daily hub of resources for your classroom with digital media and ready-to-use learning activities. Take some time to check out the new content and educator supports from Discovery Education Experience. This content is summarized from the full DE April School Leader Newsletter.

Be sure to log into your district's single sign-on link for Discovery Education before clicking on the links in this post.

Make Cents of Learning This April 

Financial Literacy Month DE 2026

  • Financial Literacy Month is rolling in with fresh, real-world content to help students budget, save, spend, and dream big. From career-connected lessons to ready-to-use classroom resources, it’s never been easier to bring money-smart thinking into everyday instruction.
  • 💰 Explore these Content Connection Resources!

 

New Content Spotlight

Vooks Banner

  • Grades K-2
    • 📚 Vooks Just Got Even Better - Fresh titles have landed in the beloved Vooks series! These animated storybooks combine read-aloud narration with engaging visuals, plus ready-to-use PDFs and lesson plans to extend learning beyond the screen.
    • 🔗 Explore New Titles
  • Grades 3-5
    • 📖 Build Stronger Readers - Support comprehension with a structured approach to informational text. Students read, annotate, and summarize chunked content—building essential skills they can apply across subjects.
    • 🔗 Explore Resources
  • Grades 6-12
    • 🧬 DNA Day Resources - Bring genetics to life with ready-to-use lessons and hands-on investigations for DNA Day.
    • 🔗 Explore Resources

Instructional Strategies Center

Connect the Dots

  • Connect the Dots- Making personal connections through concept mapping helps students link new learning to their own experiences, strengthening relevance and supporting long-term retention through meaningful understanding.

 

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Discovery Education

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Topics: Discovery Education

Sora - Spring 2026 Updates

Posted by Tim Leister on Fri, Mar 20, 2026

 

Sora OverDrive Reading app cropped

Sora Spring 2026 updates

Spring is almost sprung, and with it blooms new opportunities for professional learning and fresh classroom strategies - plus some can’t-miss discounts! -  to support reading until summer (and beyond). Check out what’s new:

 

Podcast: How educators use Sora to support diverse reading

What does Sora look like in real classrooms? In this inaugural episode of the Classroom Book Talk podcast, Andrea from @theliteracyjunky shares how she uses Sora to support choice, access, and diverse reading

 


Classroom Book Talk Podcast

 

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Sora

 

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Topics: SORA

Discovery Education - Feb-March Updates for 2025-26

Posted by Tim Leister on Fri, Feb 20, 2026

 

Discovery Education LOGO

DE Updates for Classroom Teachers and School Leaders! 

Discovery Education is your daily hub of resources for your classroom with digital media and ready-to-use learning activities. Take some time to check out the new content and educator supports from Discovery Education Experience. This content is summarized from the full DE Feb-March School Leader Newsletter.

Be sure to log into your district's single sign-on link for Discovery Education before clicking on the links in this post.

 

Classroom Connections

February + Early March Classroom Connections Title slide

Classroom Connections

 

New Content Spotlight

Discover four famous natural and human-made landmarks in the United States.

  • Grades K-2
    • 🆕 Big Ideas for Little Learners - Help K–2 students explore essential social studies concepts through engaging animated videos that simplify complex ideas.
    • 🔗 Explore Lessons
  • Grades 6-12
    • 🆕 The Levi’s Wear Longer Project - Rethink Fashion. Reduce Waste - High school lessons exploring clothing care and circular sustainability.
    • 🔗 Explore Resources

Instructional Strategies Center

Spotlight Resource: Get Venny-y With It

 

Educators - Ready for an Afternoon of Hands-On Learning?

  • Join DE on March 10 for Educator Essentials: Powering Everyday Practice with Experience — a virtual learning event designed to help students engage deeply, think critically, and demonstrate understanding.
  • Save your Spot!

 

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Discovery Education

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Topics: Discovery Education

Discovery Education - Winter Updates for 2025-26

Posted by Tim Leister on Tue, Jan 20, 2026

 

Discovery Education LOGO

DE Updates for Classroom Teachers and School Leaders! 

Discovery Education is your daily hub of resources for your classroom with digital media and ready-to-use learning activities. Take some time to check out the new content and educator supports from Discovery Education Experience. This content is summarized from the full DE Winter School Leader Newsletter.

Be sure to log into your district's single sign-on link for Discovery Education before clicking on the links in this post.

 

New Classroom Connections is Here!

DE Classroom Connections Jan 2026

Classroom Connections

  • The latest Classroom Connections to give teachers quick access to timely resources, trending picks, and inspiration they can use tomorrow.
  • 🔗 Share Classroom Connections

 

Content Spotlight

DE Winter Fixit 2026

  • Grades K-2
    • 🆕 Sentence Fix-It: Winter Olympics - This resource helps students to practice subject-verb agreement and adjectives and adverbs in sentences while learning about winter sports and the Olympics.
    • 🔗 Open Winter Fix-It
  • Grades 3-5
    • 🆕 Timely & Relevant Background Builders - Learn about the impact of Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Ruby Bridges with ready-to-use Background Builders - students will watch a video, read an informational text, and summarize their learning.
  • Grades 6-12
    • 🆕 Behind the Network: Explore Cybersecurity Careers - What keeps our digital world secure? Mastercard’s Behind the Network video series gives students a front‑row look at fast‑growing careers in cybersecurity and biometrics.
    • 🔗 Explore Resources

Instructional Strategies Center

Myth Busting

 

COMING SOON! K-5 Careers Hub is GLOWING UP

  • Keep an eye out because at the end of January, the K-5 Careers Hub will be adding Future Ready Skills resources! These resources will be organized by skills students will need to be successful in any career. 

 

Information compiled in this update was provided by our partners at Discovery Education

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Topics: Discovery Education

BrainPop Bulletin - Back-to-School 2025

Posted by Tim Leister on Tue, Sep 2, 2025

BrainPop Bulletin

BACK TO SCHOOL UPDATES!

Check out this year’s back-to-school updates from BrainPop! With new ways to browse by core curriculum, expanded access to our most engaging learning activities, and built-in reading scaffolds that meet students where they are, BrainPOP helps teachers do what they do best—ignite curiosity, build knowledge, and differentiate with ease.

This IU13 IMS BrainPOP Bulletin has highlighted some of our favorite updates below: 

Browse by ELA Core

  • Discover a new way to discover BrainPOP 3-8 and BrainPOP Jr. topics—now aligned to the scope and sequence of your ELA core curriculum*. Simply choose the lesson you’re teaching that week, then explore activities that build the background knowledge and vocabulary students need to access (and get excited about!) the texts in your core program.
  • Check out which curriculum alignments are now available
BrainPop curriulum integration

Connected Texts with Built-In Scaffolds

  • Connected Texts* are high-interest reading passages that extend learning beyond the movie, reinforcing key vocabulary, deepening topic understanding, and promoting stronger comprehension.
  • New this year, students can highlight any word or sentence to instantly access a simplified version or a grade-appropriate definition, providing just-in-time reading support. 
  • Learn more about this new feature

Connect Texts BrainPop

 

Pause Points in BrainPOP Jr.

  • Pause Points—already a fan favorite in BrainPOP 3-8—are now in BrainPOP Jr.! These short, interactive prompts, embedded into the movie, encourage students to pause, reflect, and respond as they watch. 
  • Help young learners stay focused and engaged with prompts that encourage thinking, talking, and connecting ideas as they learn.
  • Learn more about this new feature

BP jr pause points

 

Reminder Teachers - Don't miss out BrainPop classroom swag!group_01



 

Information for this blog post is provided by our partners at BrainPop and was a summary of the full Back to School 2025 with BrainPOP from Summer 2025

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Topics: BrainPop


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