Website: pivoted.com

What does it help with? pivotEd provides supplemental support for teachers in 1:1 classrooms in grades 3-6 who are teaching science, social studies, and language arts. pivotEd encourages collaboration between students and teachers and provides 500 pre-built lessons. 

What grade and age range?  K–12, but specifically focused on grades 3-6

Is this core/supplemental/special needs/extracurricular/professional development or what? Supplemental in science, social studies, and language arts

What subject, topic, what standards is it mapped to? pivotEd is aligned to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards and will correlate to individual state standards.

What lesson time does it use? pivotEd lessons are designed to be flexible and can be adjusted to fit each teacher’s and classroom’s needs. Lessons are led by the teacher, so they can adjust lessons to be as long or short as needed.

What is the pricing model? Annual subscription per school building per year

Are there services around it? Professional development services are available.

What makes pivotEd unique?  pivotEd provides more than 200 ebooks and 500 ready-made lessons in science, social studies, and language arts for grades 3-6. The platform allows for whole-class collaboration involving all students and the teacher. The lessons can also be customized and shared with others. Students can create their own graphs, publications, and video productions within the platform and submit them to the teacher. Students can work individually or in small groups during pivotEd lessons.

A description of the characteristics--how is it designed for user interface, user experience? What instructional design principles are at work here? pivotEd’s comprehensive lesson library offers more than 500 pre-built lessons and focuses on language arts, science, and social studies for grades 3-6. Each lesson is based on a Capstone book. All correlating ebooks are included in the lessons. Capstone titles are leveled and support Common Core, NGSS, STEM, and other learning standards. The platform includes professional resources to help teachers implement proven strategies in their classroom. pivotEd is a cost-effective way to transform lessons into interactive learning experiences for both the students and teachers.

The teacher-led instruction is formatted in a familiar lesson plan style to help teachers transition from print to digital lessons. pivotEd does not require teachers to change instructional style to adapt to technology. Instead, technology is used to enhance the lesson with a more engaging delivery and maximum social interaction.

Lesson plans are available in two formats: one for the teacher and one for the student. The educator version includes teacher instructions, tips, and resources.  Only the teacher is able to see student responses to poll questions unless he or she decides to share with the rest of the class. The teacher can watch individual and group work in real time while the system collects student data in the background. The informal polls and student activities serve as formative assessments and help the teacher identify when a student is in need of intervention.

The technology tools in pivotEd allow students to create their own graphs, publications, and video productions illustrating concepts they are being taught. Students can upload pictures and text, use drawing tools, access ebooks, play videos, and document their collaborate group work through a self-produced video. Finished products can be shared with the rest of the class via devices or an oral presentation. The students can work individually, in small groups, or as an entire class.

Platforms and Access?  Using a unique login and password established by the school district, students gain private access to pivotEd. While students work during school hours and at home, their activity and growth are tracked and reported through the platform. pivotEd is device-agnostic and accessible on all wireless devices including: tablets, iPads, laptops, Chromebooks, and all others in this category.

Technical support?  pivotEd’s professional services team offers assistance with implementation and ongoing support, furnishing educators with resources and strategies to leverage pivotEd in their classrooms.

Teacher review: 

Josh Jackson, fifth-grade teacher at North Trail Elementary in Farmington, MN

“pivotEd provides a slick solution for 1:1 schools to help students break out important aspects of text, reflect using a variety of mediums, and embed visual clues to help the learning process. pivotEd’s combination of digital and print resources gave me a variety of options at my fingertips so I could scaffold the material as I saw fit for my students. It also allowed me to quickly check for understanding through digital means, and follow up with any lingering questions by looking through the archived responses.”