News – Page 2 – Navigation North

Taking Canvas Open Source LMS – To The Schools of New Mexico

Post author By North Navigation
Post date December 26, 2017

This piece was based on a presentation we delivered at the 2017 Ed-Fi Data Summit in Austin TX. It is a summary of our work with Learning Tapestry in New Mexico to build and deploy the Canvas Open Source Learning Management System and then move two education agencies, their users and their courses from Blackboard and D2L Brightspace to their new open source LMS.

Need

In 2016, both the New Mexico Public Education Department and the state’s largest school district, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), found themselves with diminishing budgets to sustain two separate full-feature LMS solutions.

They needed an option that would significantly cut costs but not reduce features for their constituents and statewide course deployments.

Canvas has a growing market share and is the fastest growing enterprise level learning management system. Instructure also releases a full open source version of the Canvas LMS as freely available platform.

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Source: LISTedTECH LMS database under agreement with MindWires Consulting

Solution

Both agencies wanted to take advantage of the application-rich, flexible platform without introducing an ongoing, steep annual budgetary item. So we partnered with Learning Tapestry to examine the Canvas open source system. Our efforts focused on providing the following:

a full-featured platform
state-wide scalability
open source architecture
application-rich LTI options
community of practice
customizable
cost effective

[irp posts=”7979″ name=”Navigation North Named Leading Web Development Agency”]

To move forward with these implementations, we moved through deliberate, phased steps including initial needs assessment, environmental scans, modeling, prototyping, building, testing, migration, staff training, and final launch for both Canvas open source system deployments.

Double The Tech

On a technical note, we originally anticipated both agencies would reside on the same core instance, but we learned they wanted completely separate systems. APS serves the initial hosting for both systems with readily available capacity, virtual machines in place, flexible system requirements and configurations.

load-balanced across multiple front-end web servers
separate servers for cache, utility, and database
network storage for shared files, logs, and backup
centralized monitoring services provided by Zabbix
all powered by open source applications and services

The Easy Part – System Configuration

Learning As We Go

Not everything was apparent from the beginning of this project. Here are some things we learned along the way:

Not all of Canvas’ advertised features are available in the open source version
We had to build a custom Desire to Learn (D2L) course importer
Blackboard common cartridge exports transferred reasonably well
SIS data auto-integration is locked at administrative level
SIS data migration into Canvas was fairly seamless, while pulling user data back out was tricky
Clever has a development integration fee per month, per school site

[irp posts=”7100″ name=”What Supports EdTech Project Success?”]

System Readiness & Training

Given a very small window between course migrations, user account population, and launch – we built orientation as an actual Canvas course. We then had staff learn while working with their own content all in one shot, rather than simply providing a demonstration.

Future Growth

LTI / APPs

OER Content Repository
#GoOpen Node (115,000 learning objects)
User’s Owned Resources

SIS Management

Dynamic, Two-Way
Ed-Fi Integration to replace Clever and handle data in / data out capability
Proposed SIS management:

Course Sharing

Community Best Practices
Create a shared course directory as Canvass OSS Commons

[irp posts=”7049″ name=”4 Reasons Students Love The Smithsonian Learning Lab”]

Results!

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Robust

Enterprise-class LMS
Scalable statewide
Comprehensive tools

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Integrated

Plays nicely with external SIS data
Rich, diverse application library

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Cost Effective

Reduced initial costs over 60%
Reduced ongoing annual costs by 90%

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Interested In Learning More?

Reach out to our team to talk about how your agency can leverage the power of open source software like Canvas to reduce costs, improve connectivity, and provide the flexibility your educators and students need.

Case Study Company News Education Industry

Our Team Partners With Teach To Lead To Launch More Intuitive Website

Post author By North Navigation
Post date September 22, 2017

Navigation North partnered with Teach to Lead to launch a new website with improved user experience and a featured profiles tool.

Visual Facelift

During initial meetings with the Teach to Lead team, it was determined they wanted a more modern look and feel. They provided a few examples of nonprofit and education websites they liked, and we crafted a design together. A grid-like layout gave a contemporary aesthetic and provided seamless efforts to responsive display for mobile and tablet.

Previous website:

New website:

Improved User Experience & Journey

Teach to Lead staff addressed concerns regarding the dated appearance of their website. The design and content did not lead visitors to the most important information the agency provides. We improved user journeys to guide the audience to relevant information through direction in content rather than relying solely on navigation.

With this improved website structure, Google rankings will improve and the most important information will be highlighted to visitors. Leveraging open source resources available for WordPress CMS websites, our team provided more control to Teach to Lead for their metadata indexed by Google. After reviewing analytics and team goals, keywords were noted and added to descriptions and titles for improved search engine rankings.

Previous website:

New website:

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[irp posts=”8098″ name=”Navigation North Project Earns 2017 Gold MUSE Award”]

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Updated Profiles Tool

The website had an existing Stories tool, sharing information about Teach to Lead constituents and their projects.

Our shared goal was to emphasize featured Profiles and highlight the organization’s Summits. Leveraging the existing structure of the previously developed Navigation North Stories Tool, including updates to sorting and display options, allowed for impactful user experience improvements while being mindful of a limited budget for new development.

Previous website:

New website:

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[irp posts=”7100″ name=”What Supports EdTech Project Success?”]

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And the website looks great on a phone!

Is your educational agency looking to improve your website? Contact us today!

Company News Education Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resource (OER) Repository Plugin For WordPress

Post author By North Navigation
Post date August 16, 2017

Today our team launched WP OER – a free plugin which turns any WordPress education website into an open educational resource (OER) repository, available on the WordPress plugin directory.

Open educational resources (OER) are freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media useful for teaching, learning, and assessing as well as for research purposes.

[irp posts=”7638″ name=”Prepare Your Students For Digital Assessments By Using Free Online Resources”]

If your school or district leverages the power of WordPress for your website, users can now access millions of resources through WP OER. Alternative and more flexible licensing options have become available as a result of the work of Creative Commons, an organization providing ready-made licensing agreements less restrictive than the “all rights reserved” terms of standard international copyright. These new options have become a “critical infrastructure service for the OER movement.” Another license, typically used by developers of OER software, is the GNU General Public License from the free and open-source software (FOSS) community.

WP OER is easy to install, import, publish and administer!

Install the WP OER plugin – simply search for WP OER in your WP admin interface
Go through the setup options to customize
Import resources or spreadsheets of external resources
Publish your resources for everyone to use!

[irp posts=”8277″ name=”Is Your Education Website ADA Compliant?”]

More information about Open Education and the U.S. Department of Education’s #GoOpen Campaign can be found on the Office of Educational Technology’s website.

Visit www.wp-oer.com for more details.

CMS Education Industry

Is Your Education Website ADA Compliant?

Post author By North Navigation
Post date July 7, 2017

Many education agencies have received notifications from the Office of Civil Right (OCR) stating they are not in compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, standards. This could lead to some serious issues. If your organization leadership is unsure of the ADA compliance status of your website, we suggest investigating soon! An increase in unwelcome attention from federal agencies has this topic on the top of many administrators’ lists.

[irp posts=”7923″ name=”Web Design & Development For Education Agencies”]

ADA accessibility guidelines state any organization receiving federal funds need to accommodate people with disabilities. This includes school or agency websites and learning management systems.

If the OCR receives a complaint regarding your website, it will likely be investigated. You may be provided a warning. If you fail to correct the issues in the complaint, a disability discrimination complaint may be filed against your school or agency. This could result in losing funding or facing a lawsuit.

How do we get our education website ADA compliant?

Audit your website and document Section 508 accessibility failures
Update website content, including metadata and alt tags, to include necessary functionality for people with disabilities
Implement a plan with a reasonable timeline to fix all issues with your website
Train content creators and administrators on website accessibility
Arrange regularly scheduled future audits to ensure your website remains accessible
Add an accessibility policy to your website and provide a way for persons with disabilities to access information they’re unable to on your website, usually a contact form to ask for specific information or notify you of inaccessible content

[irp posts=”7100″ name=”What Supports EdTech Project Success?”]

Who can help make our education website ADA compliant?

Navigation North provides the United Stated Department of Education‘s Office of Educational Technology and Office of Innovation and Improvement support when complying with Section 508 accessibility requirements, both with core system navigation and content. We bring this same level of assistance to any other team we partner with when implementing ADA accessibility compliance resolution.

CMS Educational Leadership Industry

Web Design & Development For Education Agencies

Post author By North Navigation
Post date May 18, 2017

[fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]Navigation North has extensive knowledge of Content Management System (CMS) platform structure, design, and accessibility unique to district, state, and federal education agencies. Quite frequently, our clients’ needs can be met by leveraging the power of WordPress or Drupal. We elevate web development projects with content and messaging strategy support, partnered with technical expertise spanning over two decades.

Our team is made up of more than just web developers. Our backgrounds include teaching students in classrooms, leading professional development initiatives for educators and agencies, assisting communication specialists from higher ed institutions with their online messaging, and working with educational leadership to create new ways to share their stories.

Here are just some of the ways Navigation North has helped other agencies in the past.

In-Depth User Experience (UX) Testing, Content & Messaging Strategy

Usability testing administered by Navigation North provides insight into your website users, what they’re looking for, and how they get there. The practice of watching and listening to actual people navigate your website presents invaluable insights.

Our team digs deep with teachers, school administrators, and students to receive direct feedback from the end-users who matter most for education websites.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text][/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text][/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]Paralleled with a stellar UX design, content and messaging strategy aligns your website assets to the needs of your constituents. Overwhelming visitors with too much information often leads to confusion and increased drop off rates. Keeping information easy to find and understand benefits everyone![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/]

[irp posts=”7134″ name=”EdTech Thought Leaders To Follow In 2017″]

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Branding, Graphic Design, Search Engine Optimization

Branding is one of the most important facets of educational agency recognition. An effective brand strategy gives an edge when it comes to credibility. Brand is not just a logo. Integration into other visual assets, copy, email signatures, social media voice, and the list goes on. Our team provides design templates and brand standards for our clients for them to remain consistent in their look and feel. Consistency matters![/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text][/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text][/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]It’s important for schools or agencies to be found by your audience. Search engine optimization (SEO) is not a practice limited to ecommerce and news websites.

SEO consists of efforts to increase relevancy in organic (non-paid) search engine results. From the written copy of your content to including appropriate metadata on images and other assets, there are many ways to get your organization found. Structure of your website and proper implementation of site-search and plugins are always on the development list when partnering with Navigation North.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”0″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text][irp posts=”6738″ name=”12 Free Ways To Reach More Teachers By Improving SEO”]

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Flexible, Agile Development Model

No two projects are the same, which is why we approach every project differently. In general, our build process includes adaptive planning, evolutionary development, delivery, testing, and improvements. Our team customizes our development process to the staff needs of any educational institution.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”0″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text][/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_2″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”” animation_direction=”” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text][/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]We strongly advocate for a Project Discovery Phase, a process essential for any successful website build. During this time, we familiarize ourselves with your agency or school, audience, and goals. Our team will work with you to establish final requirements needed for your new website and will craft a formal build plan to meet these goals.

Often, this process includes functional wireframes allowing both clients and Navigation North developers to visualize information architecture and general website layout. Getting on the same page, so to speak, during this process will save time and money down the road by determining fundamental elements up front.[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”0″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text][irp posts=”7100″ name=”What Supports EdTech Project Success?”][/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”40″ bottom_margin=”0″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text]

Educational Agency CMS Development Highlights

Below are examples of education website development projects and educational agency web builds our team has completed in the past. We also provide ongoing support.

Not only are we specialists in open source development, but we also build custom systems.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”3_5″ last=”no” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_text]

U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology (OET) develops national educational technology policy and establishes the vision for how technology can be used to transform teaching and learning and how to make everywhere, all-the-time learning possible for early learners through K-12, higher education, and adult education.

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U.S. Department of Education Office of Innovation & Improvement

The Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) supports educators across the country to develop, learn from, and scale new and effective approaches to serving our nation’s highest-need students. These teachers, school leaders, and their partners in school districts and nonprofit organizations are at the forefront of building the tools and strategies that enable all our students to succeed.

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U.S. Department of Education Learning Registry

The learning registry is a new approach to capturing, connecting and sharing data about learning resources available online with the goal of making it easier for educators and students to access the rich content available in our ever-expanding digital universe.

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CTE Online

Navigation North built a large, custom system for CTE Online. Along with this, our team implemented specific content management features so administrators could easily publish content publicly and on the dashboard. Today, there are over 3,400 lesson plans aligned to Common Core, NGSS and CTE Standards, as well as integrated STEM pathways projects.

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Teach to Lead

Teach to Lead® is an initiative jointly convened by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, ASCD and the U.S. Department of Education. The program’s mission is to advance student outcomes by expanding opportunities for teacher leadership. This is achieved by providing resources, facilitating stakeholder consultation, and encouraging professional collaborations to develop and amplify the work of teacher leaders.

http://teachtolead.org/[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”2_5″ last=”yes” spacing=”yes” center_content=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” background_color=”” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” hover_type=”none” link=”” border_position=”all” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding=”” margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ animation_offset=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”30″ bottom_margin=”0″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text][/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” padding_top=”0″ padding_bottom=”0″ padding_left=”” padding_right=”” hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”yes” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”0″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text][irp posts=”7979″ name=”Navigation North Named Leading Web Development Agency”][/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”0″ sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text]Read our reviews on Clutch or reach out to our team. We’re happy to have an initial consultation to discuss your needs and determine if our team would be a good fit moving forward.[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Company News Digital Learning Design Education Industry Open Educational Resources

Navigation North Project Earns 2017 Gold MUSE Award

Post author By North Navigation
Post date May 15, 2017

The Smithsonian Learning Lab was launched last year as a result of the partnership between The Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access in Washington, D.C. and educational technology agency Navigation North. Last week, the project was awarded a 2017 Gold MUSE Award for Education & Outreach from the American Alliance of Museums.

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Joe Hobson and Brian Ausland of Navigation North spearheaded prototyping initiatives with educators determining how best to leverage digital resources in classrooms, leading to the team’s extensive user testing and post-launch research released last month.

The Smithsonian Learning Lab has received several recognitions over its inaugural year, including Top 10 Tech of 2016 by School Library Journal and Best EdTech of 2016 by Common Sense Education. Over 2 million digitized museum resources are currently available online, with thousands more are being added every week.

Learn more about the project here.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Company News Education Industry

Celebrating 12 Years Of EdTech Development

Post author By North Navigation
Post date May 5, 2017

We did it! Navigation North is turning 12 years old!

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In the spring of 2005, following a string of life choices which just weren’t working out as expected, Joe Hobson found he’d had enough with stifling his entrepreneurial spirit at a government job. So, he set out to try something new, on his own. After just a few weeks of searching for direction, Navigation North was born.

5/5/2005

Here’s a look back at what Navigation North was working on during May in each of our fantastic previous years!

May 2005

Our founder and President, Joe Hobson, could be found in his tiny home office. He was trying to figure out a way to make individual java portlets come together to create a new system. Don’t worry if you don’t know what that means, most people don’t.

#TechNerd

This is the desk and chair Joe had in his home office. He still loves and uses both today! The computer hiding next to a tennis ball was Navigation North’s first dev server, McBain.

May 2006

We installed new search options on CTAP Online and finally convinced our first intern he should find somewhere else to be incompetent. Wherever he ended up, we bet he’s still wearing the same Star Wars shirt he wore to work every day.

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May 2007

Our team rolled out new website administrator tools for Learning Support, helping afterschool program directors keep track of their kids. How many of these kids are old enough to drink today?

May 2008

Two distinct spinoffs from the Venture Communities Portal were developed by Navigation North: Golden Capital Network and Angel Fund Investments. This was one of our few forays outside of the education sector and ended up being a great R&D space for our next LMS.

May 2009

The CTE Pathways system began, connecting high school and community college coursework so students could get a jumpstart on their career aspirations. Meanwhile, we were also expanding the Minnesota Center for College Readiness to include Science and Math sections.

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[irp posts=”6790″ name=”California’s Blended PD/Curriculum Project Works To Explain Growing Popularity In Other States”]

May 2010

After completing and launching the rebuild of CTE Online, we turned our attention to minor feature additions, such as exporting curriculum in PDF format. Fancy!

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CTE Online 2007

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CTE Online 2010

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CTE Online 2012

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CTE Online 2017

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May 2011

One of the improvements to existing systems our team completed was the addition of Common Core Standards to Brokers of Expertise.

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May 2012

Navigation North held our first workshop for the Smithsonian Learning Lab prototype project, working with local teachers to determine how they use digital resources in the classroom.

May 2013

We started building the curriculum development tool we now lovingly call Cartographi. There were LMS improvements we wanted to implement over the previous five years, so we forged ahead and did it ourselves!

May 2014

Our team partnered with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology to provide updates to the Learning Registry, along with launching government WordPress websites like My Brother’s Keeper.

[irp posts=”7049″ name=”4 Reasons Students Love The Smithsonian Learning Lab”]

May 2015

At a pivotal time in the development of the Smithsonian Learning Lab, initial designs were scrapped, and testing continued to ensure the best user experience possible for educators and students. We had no idea how busy the next year would be!

Below is a snapshot from the project’s user testing documentation, with user clicks shown in red:

May 2016

While preparing the Smithsonian Learning Lab for full launch at ISTE the following month, we simultaneously began training a second Navigation North development team.

This is not an actual photo of the team. Our developers are even happier than these guys.

May 2017

This month our Director of Education, Brian Ausland, presented on how California State Parks can use the Smithsonian Learning Lab to provide digital experiences to website visitors at #InterpTech2017.

Your Park + Smithsonian = Digital Learning Collections for All!

Posted by National Association for Interpretation on Thursday, May 4, 2017

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Thank you for taking this journey with us as we walk down Memory Lane.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to see what happens next![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Company News Industry

Navigation North Named Leading Web Development Agency

Post author By North Navigation
Post date May 3, 2017

Washington, D.C. based research firm Clutch rates Navigation North as a leading service provider in Minneapolis for 2017! The company evaluates digital agencies to identify the best of the best on services provided, companies served, and independently conducted client reviews.

Navigation North has been partnering with educational agencies since 2005 to provide learning solutions and informational websites. Our clients include the U.S. Department of Education, the Smithsonian Institution, and the California Department of Education.

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container][fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][irp posts=”7100″ name=”What Supports EdTech Project Success?”]

Favorable client testimonials from our partners include a world-renowned education and research complex, who said, “Navigation North has brought unique expertise and agility to the engagement.”

Whether creating digital learning tools or online professional development environments, Navigation North combines educational expertise with innovative development to help promote the power of learning and sharing.

[irp posts=”6679″ name=”How Is Navigation North Different From Other EdTech Companies?”]

If you’re interested in learning more about our results, visit our Clutch.co profile and contact us to see if we’re a good fit for your next project.

Thanks, Clutch!

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Company News Digital Learning Design Education Educational Partnerships Industry Open Educational Resources

Leading OER Resource Research Partnership: Smithsonian Learning Lab

Post author By North Navigation
Post date April 24, 2017

For over five years the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access (SCLDA) has been researching, building, and improving the Smithsonian Learning Lab for educators. But now it is time to hear from the students!

We at Navigation North are proud to be a partner in this exciting venture which brings digitized collections from Smithsonian’s 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo into classrooms across the country.

And new resources are being added every day!

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As it currently exists, the Learning Lab was created with input from a variety of classroom teachers. Our leadership team partnered with Smithsonian staff to lead prototyping, along with providing recommendations for metadata and resources structuring.

Not only do we love teacher input on tools we develop for the classroom, but students also need to be heard!

Navigation North VP and Director of Education, Brian Ausland, leading an in-class session with students.

In 2015, SCLDA launched a research project, Understanding the Needs of Student Users of Digital Smithsonian Resources. The goal of this research was to provide additional insight into how digital systems, tools, and content can better align with the needs of student learners.

Last week, members of the SCLDA project team presented an overview of this research at the Museums and the Web Conference in Cleveland, Ohio. The findings from this research are also available on the Learning Lab blog here.

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If you have questions about how to leverage Open Education Resources (OER) or are contemplating a partner for your next EdTech research project, feel free to reach out to our team.

We don’t byte! ;)[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Career and Technical Education Education Innovative Instruction Open Educational Resources STEM

Prepare Your Students For Digital Assessments By Using Free Online Resources

Post author By North Navigation
Post date April 5, 2017

Preparing Students For Digital Assessments

The second half of the school year brings with it major education assessments which can be a stressful time for teachers, parents, and students. PARCC, Smarter Balanced, ACT Aspire, and Common Core States Standards (CCSS).

According to The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment:

“The average difference in the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in the CSTs between laptop and non-laptop students was 17 percentage points for English-language arts and 18 percentage points for mathematics, both favoring the laptop program. The greatest difference, 20 percentage points between the two groups, was observed in the sixth grade mathematics scores and eighth grade English-language arts scores.“

Student use of technology for learning and assessment prior to standardized digital testing improves test scores, along with several other benefits including directing their own learning, a greater reliance on active learning strategies, engagement in problem solving and critical thinking, and deeper and more flexible uses of technology than students without regular access to technology (source).

There are many challenges these assessments place on teachers. Here are some no-cost resources for the classroom which will help prepare students for digital assessments.

Comfortability With Technology Testing

Engaging students with a variety of online tools will help prepare students for an assortment of evaluation programs. Differences in user experience between testing platforms often confuse students. Students familiar with navigating and responding to questions in an online environment are able to focus more of their attention on the critical thinking, reading and writing requisite with assessments of all subject areas. Research shows reducing students’ cognitive load is crucial to helping them more accurately demonstrate their actual learning.

The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a free resource teachers love. The ability to add activities and assessments to the plethora of Smithsonian resources and collections provides a no-cost means to prepare students of all ages to navigate digital content, examine resources, and respond to online question banks similar to those found in the new digital statewide platforms.

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The newly released Sorting Activity Tool familiarizes students with timeline ordering and experience with another digital tool.

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Encourage Critical Thinking

Through the use of web-based tools, teachers create and publish their most innovative lessons and projects for use by colleagues on CTE Online. With over 4,000 unique lessons and tens of thousands of quality embedded OER instructional materials, this free educator platform has become a definitive source for teachers seeking ready-to-use curriculum.

[irp posts=”6790″ name=”California’s Blended PD/Curriculum Project Works To Explain Growing Popularity In Other States”]

Customize curriculum, projects, lesson plans, and resources for use in your classroom to encourage creative problem solving and get students thinking!

Creating a Martian Society STEM Integrated Project

What Works For Other Educators?

Use social media to connect with other teachers to see what works for them!

A hashtag we like to review regularly on Twitter is #EdTechChat – Educational technology experts and educators regularly share insights and reviews using this hashtag.

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A source for general standardized test preparation can be found on Education.com.

Have questions about these resources? Reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook, we’d be happy to help![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]