How do I share something difficult with my colleague?
Something happened. Your colleague said something you found a bit harsh or inappropriate. Something inaccurate or uncalled for. She said it to you. Or to a student. Gulp.…
5 ways tech + education can change the world
Twenty years ago, Cisco recognized a shift toward a knowledge-based economy. We felt it was important that everyone have an opportunity to participate in this economy—and that education,…
How we developed a personalized PBL model for STEM
How can schools and districts prepare students for college and careers in STEM? Is it by asking them to passively read a textbook or listen to a teacher…
3 budget-friendly ways to take science learning outside
As teachers, we're always trying to find new and exciting ways to make our class content more relevant and engaging for our students. Fortunately, science offers many connections…
What research says about virtual reality in classrooms
While we've been inundated over the past few years with the promises and potentials of virtual reality (VR), it's been tough to slice through the hype to find…
How does culture impact our ability to learn?
When educators think about diversity in the classroom, culture may be one of the characteristics that crosses their mind. But as they select their curriculum and develop their…
5 ways to ensure cultural inclusivity
Have you ever wondered what goes into developing curriculum? The audience that Reading Horizons serves is diverse, and our footprint has grown significantly in the last decade as…
The best edtech PD isn’t about technology
Schools and districts spend billions on edtech, even while questions continue to swirl around whether such investments yield solid returns. Few companies can reliably ensure the educational outcomes…
How to integrate emotional intelligence into the classroom
Social-emotional learning. Character education. Bullying prevention. These programs all fall under the larger umbrella of emotional intelligence (EQ)—the ability to manage one’s feelings and interact positively with other…
5 steps to implement OER in your LMS
As open educational resources (OER) become a more viable option for K-12 school districts that want to adopt new resources, curating these “free” and “open” educational assets has…
Want to improve literacy in your school? Here’s how
Last year, Chemawa Middle School faced a huge literacy need. We are a Title I school in Riverside, Calif., and state assessment data showed that 62 percent of…
Pay attention! 5 ways to improve your students’ attention spans
Paying attention sounds easy. But is it really? How many times have we reprimanded students for not paying attention? Attention is the ability to focus on information and…
A tale of two competency-based districts
Districts around the country are moving away from teaching models based on lectures and textbooks—but transition isn’t always simple. Creating a competency-based or mastery-based environment requires re-thinking everything,…
Tech holds great promise for students with autism
Research indicates that due to a heightened interest in visual materials combined with strong visual processing capabilities, many individuals with autism benefit from using technology. From devices to…
Beyond ESSA: How to use your data to make informed decisions
The deadline has passed for states to submit final Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) plans. Now it’s up to school districts to figure out how to capture and…
Girls and STEM: A female engineer shares her path
Many people leave Disney World dreaming of becoming a princess, but when I experienced Disney for the first time as a three-year-old, I left the parks with a…
How we built an ePortfolio platform for our district
As technology increasingly sweeps through classrooms, it is crucial that educators capitalize on digital tools that will allow them to effectively engage students and set those students up…
Want to put your data into action? Here’s how!
Classroom assessments represented a nearly $1.6 billion market in 2017, and that market is expected to grow by 30 percent through 2020. In fact, classroom assessment now makes…
3 tips to help inspire self-reflection in teachers
As the supervisor of instruction in Haddon Township School District in New Jersey, I would love to be able to give my teachers feedback every week. Feedback is…
How to start a project-based-learning movement in your district
Throughout my entire career as a computer teacher, I have used project-based learning (PBL). I’ve had students as young as first grade working on projects using LCSI’s Microworlds,…
4 proven ways to get teachers to use technology
Without proper guidance and support, it is easy for teachers to feel overwhelmed and anxious about integrating technology into their classrooms. An Education Week report revealed that only about…
The power of online communities for teachers
This may be surprising to some, but teaching can be a lonely profession many days. While teachers are surrounded by people, there’s often little time for collaboration or…
5 biggest data center mistakes (and how to fix them)
Behold, the school district data center. To the untrained eye, it’s just a room full of servers, racks, cables, power supplies, storage devices, and whatever other components happen…
How do I share something challenging with my supervisor?
Almost everyone of us has someone we work with who is “above us” on the hierarchy. A principal, a manager, a department chair, a director, an assistant superintendent,…
3 ways our school uses data to drive instruction
For the last six years, data has been part of our “secret sauce” here at Bronson Elementary School in Bronson, Fla. Many of our students come from economically…
Dos & don’ts for fostering creativity and innovation in the classroom
Creativity in the classroom provides a more relaxed and open environment for the students to freely express their opinions and to learn faster. Here are some tips for…
How we improved our blended-learning program
Ubiquitous access to technology means that acquiring knowledge is no longer dependent solely on a classroom teacher. Google provides quick and easy access to information while YouTube provides…
How I became an active learner at ASCD “Empower18”
As ASCD Empower 18 kicked off in Boston on Friday, March 23 I knew the four days were going to be “wicked awesome”—I mean, come on!—it’s Boston. But…
The New Librarian: Using advocacy to promote leadership
As innovation coordinator for instructional technology, information & library media at Parkway School District in St. Louis, Missouri, Bill Bass has long demonstrated his commitment to 21st-century learning.…
The 3 superpowers of collaborative nonfiction writing
Kids love to tell and share stories, but writing nonfiction is different, because they have to take concepts or events and not only understand them, but convey that…
How to take a student-centered approach to classroom AV
Schools are increasingly moving toward personalized and adaptive learning programs. The idea of tailoring teaching styles, materials, and approaches to individual students promises deeper engagement and better academic…
8 benefits of cloud-printing solutions
It has been nearly 600 years since the printing press was invented. With this much history behinds us, why is printing across all the schools in a district…
Are K-12 data systems ready for AI?
As educators who love technology, we can barely contain our enthusiasm for the potential applications of artificial intelligence (AI). But AI requires massive amounts of data, so before…
Three steps to developing an engaging summer school curriculum
Summer school can be a daunting time for educators. Many struggle to create a concise curriculum that effectively teaches material while meeting the shortened timeline of summer school.…
3 tips for jumpstarting your district’s connectivity discussion
This year’s E-rate cycle may be over, but in order to be well prepared for the next one, now is the time to start the connectivity conversation with…
Everything you ever need to know about interoperability standards
Digital systems need to work together to meet your district’s needs, but today’s digital learning environment is disjointed. The ever-growing number of tools do not seamlessly integrate into…
How to get your students to love reading
Getting kids to read is one of the most rewarding and challenging things a teacher can do. Opening the world of adventure and imagination from a book set…
Why my school switched from virtual to blended learning
Online learning has transformed contemporary education. It has opened the doors for students to digest information in an entirely new way, learn on their own time and at…
The New Librarian: How I created a makerspace
As an elementary educator for most of my career, I’ve had the privilege of working with a variety of learners—from inner-city students in North Carolina to university-level students…
What it really means to be a data-driven district–and how to make it happen
A simple internet search for “data-driven instruction” yields nearly four million hits. Clearly, the concept is neither new nor novel. Yet still, research continues to show that educators’…