How to create a cost-effective PD program that impresses
Professional development can be expensive. A 2015 survey by the New Teacher Project put this figure at an average of $18,000 annually per teacher. For the largest districts…
How a new model of autism treatment uses robots
One in 68 children in the U.S. has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As an occupational therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how ASD makes life-changing impacts on a child’s ability…
Should you care about Windows 10 S for K-12?
Back in January, we heard rumblings of a new cloud-based operating system (OS) in the works from Microsoft, which was referred to at the time as Windows 10…
4 ways to ensure a successful school culture initiative
A growing body of research confirms that school culture significantly influences student learning. Indeed, it’s in the culture that classrooms build their success. Yet, too many schools accept…
Do you know about the 3 circles that can Change School?
Will Richardson is very well known in the education world, partly because he has been active for a very long time, partly because of his well-known Tedx Talks…
Media specialist: These are “My Tech Essentials” to make students’ voices heard globally
Educators today are trying harder than ever to diversify their teaching practices, using a variety of tools and materials, incorporating different learning styles, and also allowing students to…
Teachers: How to use your voice for a positive school culture
Moving from the classroom into the role of a teacher leader and a coach was a transition, to say the least. I recognized I was credentialed in teaching…
3 ways Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers) paved the way for edtech
Regardless of whether Mister Rogers’ puppets, trains, and soothing voice touched your childhood personally, he was inarguably a very “good neighbor” to millions of preschool children during his…
How online high school prepared my sons for NASA
You could say my sons are on an education fast track! At 16 and 17 years old, Matthew and William graduated from high school with 60 college credits…
4 ways to use augmented and virtual reality apps in the classroom
Are you curious about using augmented or virtual reality in your classroom? If you've already tried it out, are you looking for more app and lesson plan ideas?…
Should K-12 schools teach financial literacy? The answer is yes-here’s how
Financial literacy, and the role of K-12 schools in promoting it, is getting lots of attention these days. To date, some states have developed standards for teaching financial…
Professor: The 3 innovative skills we’re giving new teachers and why
P-12 schools see a wide variety of technology in use, from overhead projectors and transparencies, to wired computer labs, mobile ... Read more
7 must-knows from blended learning’s early adopters
Earlier this year, the Highlander Institute, The Learning Accelerator and the Christensen Institute teamed up to bring together a conference on blended and personalized learning in Providence, R.I.…
Curriculum trend: 4 ways to become more competency-based
Why are students engaged in this work? What is driving the teacher’s feedback and next steps? If asked, the teacher would explain the goals of the unit and…
5 signs of a tech-friendly district
The efficiencies afforded us by technology can play a central role in a district’s mission. That’s not to say we need to overwhelm our parents, students, and employees…
Future-forward: How to incorporate the 5th ‘C’ of 21st Century learning
Many of you are familiar with the four C’s of the 21st-century learning framework: collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. But step back for a second and remember…
4 ways to customize classroom goals for students
Every student is different. There are various external and internal factors that may affect the pace of a student’s learning. ... Read more
Where will STEM education be in 5 years?
In 2015, there were nearly 8.6 million STEM jobs in the United States, and that number is growing every year. In fact, STEM job growth in the past…
These SEL strategies address bullying behavior
Positive school culture and strong relationships are the underpinnings of high academic achievement. We know that bullying can impact school culture and climate, and we also know that…
3 ways crowdfunding is reshaping the US edtech landscape
Nowadays, crowdfunding is one of the more popular ways to raise money. A community of backers or ‘the crowd’ contribute ... Read more
Identifying wolves among sheep in the age of student cyberbullying
It's sad news when research centers can't agree on whether cyberbullying affects one-in-three, one-in-four, or one-in-five teens. It isn't the specific number that's important; it's the fact that…
6 musts when selecting an A+ identity and access management solution
With IT becoming an important part of the classroom, choosing an IAM solution that can meet all these demands is crucial for the day-to-day function of schools and…
3 ways the modern school is becoming more like the modern workplace
As the office has evolved to allow a more creative and collaborative workplace, many educators have taken note, bringing those same features to classrooms, school libraries, lunchrooms and…
Celebrate Digital Citizenship Week this week!
Internet safety, online communication, digital footprint, strategic searching, copyright and fair use--these days, “tech skills” encompass so much more than simply learning to type and download files. Across…
How our school is personalizing learning through co-teaching
Greenwood College School is a not-for-profit, independent, grade 7 to 12 school with about 450 students and about 60 teachers. We focus not only on academic achievement, but…
Why protecting students at school is much more than just internet monitoring
The use of technology in schools has provided students with a whole new way to connect and communicate with each other and their teachers, in addition to being…
Teacher: These are “My Tech Essentials” for a 1:1 Classroom
Technology is an incredible resource for learning. It connects us to people all over the world, it enables us to find answers to our questions with the click…
Preventing bullying through…fiction? It works!
When you read, you become another person, if only for a short while. You see how that person lives and how they think. You experience their hopes and…
These 3 game-based components can increase student achievement-here’s how
Remember the days of Oregon Trail? How about Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? While learning games have been around for decades, technological advancements are creating an…
AR for ELL: ‘I had students screaming and jumping up and down’
Almost 10 percent of students in US public schools are English language learners (ELLs), and that percentage is growing every year. One of the biggest challenges today’s teachers…
How one teacher combats bullying by “Standing up for Pink”
Bullying has, unfortunately, become a common term in today’s education world. All students get into the occasional squabble or call another student a name—but bullying is different.
This is how we used technology to improve our school’s reading scores
As teachers and administrators, our goal is compliance. However, what we really should be striving to develop are self-sufficient classrooms where students are driving the learning. Ideally, by…
Math Teacher: These are “My Tech Essentials” for formative assessments
Part of preparing students for the real world is teaching them to collaborate and problem-solve while working with others in small groups. My classroom model includes a lot…
6 tips for making the most of your Chromebooks
Before my second year of teaching, my principal suggested that I pilot a class set of 35 Chromebooks in my ninth- and 11th-grade English classes. In exchange for…
These are the secrets to effective writing instruction
How do you know when a student has turned in a good essay? It can be tempting to answer this question as former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart…
How ‘early exit’ prepares students for the 22nd Century
San Benito CISD (SBCISD) lies at the southernmost tip of Texas, right on the border of Mexico. We have 20 ... Read more
3 ways to strategically incorporate creativity in schools
As the arts integration officer of Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland, it is the duty of my office to implement arts-integration strategies throughout this very large…
5 ways to apply Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to edtech for better outcomes
According to American psychologist Abraham Maslow, all humans have the same fundamental needs (food, clothing and shelter), and these needs must be met before an individual is motivated…
3 winning characteristics of a school STEAM program
What makes Shipley’s STEAM program so great? Access to cutting-edge technology and the integration of the STEAM curriculum across the School have been integral to success, but above…
8 steps to effective K-12 assessments
Developing quality assessments can be challenging for a number of reasons. And, because assessments are essential in so many student-focused decisions, it’s important to get them right. Here…