App of the Week: Google Applied Digital Skills
Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education, which helps educators find ... Read more
More than robots: Inspiring STEM education and life skills via robotics
Nearly 70,000 people cheering for their favorite teams, bleachers filled with signs and costumes, and fans gushing over game highlights and strategic execution. This was the scene in…
Why creative thinking might be our strongest asset
Developing a creative mindset is more important than ever before, not just for our students, but for educators as well. The advancement of technology, the connectedness of society,…
How to avoid a cyber attack
From credit card hacks to social security breaches, cyber attacks are more common with each passing day. Organizations in every industry are on high alert to ensure networks…
5 best practices for starting a successful cybersecurity program
While there’s no question technology adoption creates powerful learning environments, it can also present significant security risks to teachers, staff, and students. According to Verizon’s 2017 Data Breach…
10 ways we made our school happier
After the recession hit in 2013, it was evident that something was off at Mashburn Elementary School (part of Forsyth County Schools in Georgia). I watched teachers being…
The New Librarian: Building confidence through coding
When reading became more digital with the introduction of tablets and e-readers, libraries became pressured to innovate and remain relevant. As a former classroom teacher and current literacy…
How one organization is changing the STEM education landscape
Six years ago, I founded 100Kin10, a national network focused on training and retaining excellent K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers. Originally inspired by Barack Obama’s…
How podcasts can improve literacy
I’m going to confess, I did not bring podcasts into my English classroom with any intention of improving my students’ literacy skills. The idea came from a more…
Is STEM getting ‘IT’ right for female students?
March 8th was memorable for many reasons. Not only was it International Women’s Day, but Meghan Markle made one of her first official public appearances with her future…
3 tenets for developing cultural competency in schools
Although educational equity is a fundamental pillar of the American education system, school districts are struggling to ensure their students feel included, safe, and supported. This is in…
App of the Week: Bear
Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education, which helps educators find ... Read more
4 reasons teaching coding improves SEL instruction
Being able to recall facts may help you look good in front of your friends during trivia night, but memorizing content of the past has become largely irrelevant…
Picture this! 4 steps to understanding copyright issues
Schools are using digital content more than ever before. They are relying on digital resources, open educational resources, and teacher-created content to support curricular goals. As more of…
Finding the money for SEL
Effective social emotional learning (SEL) requires a thorough understanding of the student population’s needs, training to integrate SEL into everyday lessons, and the instructional resources. Although educators and…
4 takeaways from the IMS Global Learning Impact Leadership Institute
For K-12 education leaders working to create a more integrated, interoperable digital ecosystem, Learning Impact Leadership Institute was the place to be! This year’s conference attracted nearly 600 attendees…
6 questions (and answers!) to ask before moving to PBL
Don’t jump into project-based learning (PBL) too quickly. But at some point you’ve got to just jump. Does that sound like conflicting advice? Let me explain. Some teachers…
7 lessons for surviving a tech upgrade
Several school district officials have told us they want to embrace our philosophy of empowering students and teachers through technology innovation, but lack the right infrastructure to support…
5 easy, low-cost ways to do AR & VR in your classroom
Our classrooms are transforming—not just with new technology or furniture—but by completely transporting students to new places and experiences. Location, funding, and even reality are no longer limiting…
Measuring the hidden costs of OER
Open educational resources (OER) have been promoted as a solution to the rising costs and scalability needs in education. The idea that free content can solve curriculum needs…
App of the Week: Kiddom
Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education, which helps educators ... Read more
Designing a school for next-century learning
Sartell-St. Stephen Independent School District, located in central Minnesota, is one of many school districts across the country that recognized a need to dramatically evolve traditional classrooms to…
How team teaching (and other innovations) can impact blended learning
Personalized learning’s rationale has strong intuitive appeal: We can all remember feeling bored, confused, frustrated, or lost in school when our classes didn’t spark our interests or address…
Now is the time to redefine readiness
Today’s working adults have seen a lot of change in the employment landscape. But that change is likely to be modest compared to the changes coming between now…
How I intregrate coding across subjects
As educators, it’s our job to figure out how to equip students with the skills they need to be well-prepared for college and careers. At Amana Academy, a…
How to have true inclusion
Too often, an “inclusive education” for students with complex support needs means helping them take part in a single class activity before they go off to a different…
Being influential: What does it take?
I coach many a teacher who shares with me that they are frustrated with the system in which they work. They have ideas to make things better but…
Here’s how to make your digital strategy seamless
When a district goes digital, it is doing everything necessary so that students can seamlessly access and use all of the digital learning tools available and teachers can…
3 great tips for experiential learning
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin is often credited with this quote that resonates with teachers as…
Here’s how we made data usable for our teachers
In today’s digital classroom, teachers have access to more data than ever. With a few clicks, we can view detailed reports on student test scores, formative assessments, progress…
Putting the SEL into PBL
In project-based learning (PBL), teachers present students with a real-world problem and challenge them to solve the problem through research and inquiry, often collaborating with each another and…
It’s time to develop an anti-cyberbullying policy; here’s how
As technology continues to permeate our lives inside and outside the classroom, educators, administrators, and students should work together to prevent the development of a cyberbullying culture. Research…
Do you make these common classroom-management mistakes?
The dunce cap, a ruler on the knuckles, kneeling on rice: Modern teachers wouldn’t think of using these methods to correct students’ behavior. But for all the progress…
8 informal assessments to pinpoint what your students need
The great thing about informal assessments is they help us gauge students’ understanding during the learning process instead of after. Informal assessment also changes teachers’ relationship to student…
3 ways our district avoids data overload
Schools give many tests throughout the year to identify students’ skills and gaps in their learning, including universal screening, diagnostic, formative, interim, and summative assessments. These tests generate…
The New Librarian: How I use tech to build relationships
My role as a librarian at George Washington Carver Elementary in Maryland, a Title I school, started five years ago. I have watched the title “librarian” and the…
App of the Week: Anti-Defamation League
Ed. note: App of the Week picks are now being curated by the editors of Common Sense Education, which helps educators ... Read more
6 reasons why district-wide tech implementations are the right choice
In any given K-12 district, you’ll find at least some teachers choosing their own edtech products. Why? If their district hasn’t shown tech leadership, there are no shortage…
What role does personalization play in college and career readiness?
College and career readiness has grown to be a hot topic that is on the mind of every educational leader in the nation. But being college and career…
3 lessons on innovating in PBL
After 28 years as a classroom teacher, administrator, and superintendent in rural, southwestern Pennsylvania school districts, I left the traditional ... Read more