Istation Focused on Keeping Learning Fun
Technology is king in 2018, and that includes in the classroom, where screens and keyboards are business as usual for students and teachers.
July marks the 20th year for Dallas-based Istation, a leading provider of educational technology.
Operating from its mirrored gold-glass office tower on Central Expressway, the company stresses use of animated, game-like educational technology, small group instruction, and innovative types of reading, math, and Spanish-language activities and boast more than 4 million student subscribers and 8,900-plus campuses served in the United States and other countries. It’s also being used in Dallas ISD.
“Our goal is to harness the power of innovation to help our schools and communities achieve their utmost potential,” said new chief operating officer Ossa Fisher.
Before Fisher, a Preston Hollow resident, was named to her position in May, she served as Istation’s deputy COO and chief marketing officer. She has worked for Match Inc. and on the board of directors for Rackspace Hosting, a leading provider of cloud services.
But Fisher’s passion is education, as seen in her community work with Uplift Education – one of the largest non-profit charter school networks in Texas.
“While Istation’s mission to support educators, empower kids, and change lives remains steadfast, the environment surrounding us does not,” she said. “My job is to ensure Istation stays at the forefront of technology, creativity, and impact.”
Istation promotes use of “formative assessments” to precisely measure student growth with engaging, computer-adaptive screening programs.
“For teachers, the data provided by technology allows them to know instantly how students are doing in particular subject areas,” she said. “Istation takes that data a step further by notifying the teacher where students might need additional support. We then automatically recommend lesson plans that are specifically designed for a particular students’ needs.”
Presenting education through a game-like environment presents the ultimate “learning is fun” template, she said. “Our goal is to delight the student so that learning is engaging, while simultaneously supporting the teacher by saving time and streamlining the ‘what’s next?’ in the classroom.”
