What will 2017 hold for education? We’re hitting that time of year when there will be no shortage of articles and reports with predictions describing what to expect for the coming year. So, we decided to get a jumpstart on it.

Of course, it’s tempting to be dismissive—scanning the headlines knowing that predictions (or polls!) are far from a sure bet. Yet for educators, considering trends across industries in conjunction with current developments in education is constructive, strategic, and provides an edge. It gives us insight, helps us prepare and be proactive, and makes sure that whatever we choose, it needs to help our students be college and career ready—and able to compete on a global level.

Staying informed on current developments in education—whether you’re a teacher or an administrator—will help you to expand your knowledge base and allow you to better anticipate changes, innovation, and opportunities that are on the horizon. Yet your schedule, like ours, is likely already overbooked with a combination of work, family, and social commitments.

As Benjamin Franklin once said, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." So, to help push the knowledge train down the tracks, we’ve compiled a short list of seven survey results, reports, and studies that we think will be beneficial to you and your colleagues.

Launching new technology isn't as challenging as flying to the moon, but both require many of the same components for success. You need clear goals, good planning and testing, reliable and expert partners, and the right tools to get the job done. Educational technology is the rocket that can help enable students to reach academic success, while helping educators get them there more easily and effectively.

For this infographic and guide we have called on our experts to share their knowledge from many technology launches. Their experience and lessons learned can help you navigate your next mission.

Technology has had a major impact on the way we teach and learn over the past few decades, but the results from a recent digital education survey by Deloitte show that there is still plenty of room for growth. Deloitte analyzed over 2,800 responses from a demographically diverse group of teachers, parents, and students to learn how each group feels about digital trends—both inside and outside the classroom. Overall, the results are mostly positive for the use of digital tools in education, and the findings help show how technology can best be utilized to achieve student success.

Add These to Your Reading List
It’s not just student learning that’s going digital. More and more professional learning resources for teachers are moving online. In fact, many popular print publications for educators, such as District Administration and Tech & Learning, now have digital versions. But other professional development periodicals are only available online, which means some may be overshadowed by flagship publications or just lost in the massive wave of information that the Internet offers.

Don’t let good resources go to waste! Take a look at the following list of online publications you should be reading – some for administrators and some for teachers.

“Another day, another educational policy that changes how we do things ... again.” That’s the way it feels at times, doesn’t it? And sometimes, past negative experiences can cause educators to ignore potential opportunities because it’s just such a relief not to have to make another change. Well, brace yourself. Here is a quick overview of how four very recent federal policies are significantly changing (or may have the potential to change) what and how students learn.

Education Twitter Accounts You Should Be Following
Twitter has proven itself to be a crucial tool for educators around the globe. Whatever skill level you may be at, Twitter is out-and-out fun and worth your time. It can educate you, help enlighten you, make you laugh, and pretty much just keep you in-the-know. But you have to follow the right people/accounts. Otherwise, your Twitter feed can easily fill up with boring, useless tweets – and then, before you know it, you’ll stop checking Twitter and taking advantage of its power.

At Boxlight, we’re dedicated to the creation of effective learning environments. Of course, we tend to focus on student collaboration and direct interaction with lesson content. But other important ingredients in full student engagement in learning are the climate and culture of the school.

Some of you may be thinking, “Wait, aren’t school climate and school culture the same thing?” While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they aren’t the same, as an article from Principal magazine points out:

“School culture constitutes the common behaviors, beliefs, and other unwritten rules to which the adults and children in the institution conform…. School climate is the collective attitude or morale of everyone within the institution.”

As the educational technology industry has grown over the past 15 years, certain investors have become well-known for their contributions to ed-tech startups. We’ve compiled a list of the most notable investors active in this sector right now. The first three on the list, NewSchools Venture Fund, 500 Startups, and LearnCapital, are known as the biggest investors in ed-tech entrepreneurs, but all seven are worth watching. As the leading venture capitalists and investors in education, their current decisions set future trends and help to drive development across the educational technology landscape. What they invest in today will shape the classrooms for schools, teachers, and students tomorrow. Take a look at this quick overview of the financial giants behind much of the tech in schools today, and learn why they do what they do.

What the Boxlight Team Learned at ISTE

Our team has returned from this year’s ISTE Conference & Expo in the Mile High City. The event, as always, provided plenty of great opportunities to exchange ideas and information with educators, students, and journalists about all things related to education technology and technology implementation strategies.

We’ve asked our team members to share their most significant observations from ISTE 2016. So, whether or not you made it to Denver, you can gain some valuable information from the largest educational technology trade show in North America.

But before we get down to business, we want to celebrate a milestone: the company’s first conference as Boxlight and Mimio combined! In addition, we are pleased to have won Tech & Learning’s ISTE Best in Show Award for our P12 laser interactive touch projectors.