America has always had a culture set on dreaming up possibilities and then taking action to make them happen. I believe that the amazing innovation we have seen in the United States (and, in some cases, don’t even know about yet) is due to the “maker” mentality. Because the art of making is inherent to the very fabric of our culture, it’s central to 21^st learning.

Childhood has long been a time when young minds are allowed – indeed, encouraged – to play and “make.” It’s important to understand that allowing students to be makers opens the doors to both personalized and authentic learning.

The current Maker Movement in education puts greater emphasis on allowing students to imagine, envision, create, innovate, play, formatively learn, experiment, collaborate, share, and – most of all – dream of possibilities. Creating a classroom makerspace seems to be a natural progression in today’s schools.

What is STEM?

The acronym stands for Science/Technology/Engineering/Math, and it typically is used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and technology development. STEM Curriculum Specialist Nancy Tsupros defines it more specifically as follows:

STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy. (Tsupros, 2009)

STEM was created to encourage a greater focus on science and math disciplines, in order to build a workforce equipped for the high-tech jobs in the future. Simply teaching math and science using technology cannot accomplish this. STEM is about changing the way we approach these disciplines. It’s about going beyond the classroom and prepping students for the real world. 

Simon Sinek once said, “Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” As we thought about trying to articulate what attributes comprise a dynamo school leader, it began to feel a little like trying to eat bouillabaisse with a fork. Education is not an exact science: the qualities that are needed in teaching personnel will vary somewhat, depending on the specific objectives and needs of a school. But after hearing from some leading educators and doing some research into the topic, we came up with the following top characteristics of a strong school leader. These characteristics are generally the ones that diligent administrators will seek when looking for new teachers, and the ones that they will try to develop and improve in the veteran teaching force. 

The Mimio team has settled back in after FETC (January 12-15) in Orlando, Florida, and TCEA (February 6-10) in Austin, Texas. As always, both events were fun and informative. Here are some of the highlights and trends we noted at these two industry events.

Every day in the classroom, educators are inspiring students with their passion, creativity, and dedication. These same traits can be found in the eight organizations described below – progressive groups that are changing how we view education.
 

Turkey, Students, and Summer Break!

I am already deciding which of my favorite foods and desserts I will be having this Thanksgiving. As far as I’m concerned, Thanksgiving isn’t complete without green bean casserole and a dark chocolate pecan pie!

While I’m always thankful for delicious meals at this time of year, I am even more thankful for friends and family. For me and for many others involved in education and teaching, family includes the students and parents that make up such a large part of our lives. In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, here is a list of things to be thankful for when it comes to teaching and guiding students, which we have collected from educators and administrators.

Tablets and Smartphones and Laptops – Oh, My!

There are so many devices to choose from for your classrooms. Sometimes it is really hard to know what makes one a better choice than others. And by “better,” I mean a better fit for your educators’ and students’ needs, because that’s really what will determine what is the right device for you. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring the top reasons why you might want to choose one type of device over another. In this post we’ll focus on Chromebooks.

How to Find and Get the Most Out of Your Next Ed-Tech Conference

When you hear the word “conferences,” you probably think of parents waiting outside your classroom to discuss their child’s progress, report card, and perhaps behavior or academic issues. Now think bigger. 

Find the Conference That's Right for You
The education technology conference business encompasses local, regional, and national shows, and it’s alive and well. Attending these shows is a great way to pump up your skill set, connect with new colleagues and experts, and recharge your batteries. This graphic on 2015-16 ed-tech conferences and its two-page printout show you when and where you can find a conference. With so many on the list, chances are you can find at least one that’s convenient for you. 

20 Tips for Encouraging Student Collaboration

As you’ve no doubt noticed, collaboration is a hot idea these days in both schools and the workplace. Encouraging students to learn from one another not only facilitates positive interaction; it also gets them ready for the future. Collaboration can be fun, since it’s a good break from the one-sided learning model. But sometimes you need to take steps to ensure maximum engagement from students. Read on for 20 effective tips for encouraging collaboration.

Ideas worth spreading about education, technology, and more

The nonprofit Technology, Entertainment and Design (known as TED) is “devoted to spreading ideas,” according to its mission statement. How does it do that? By recording and posting online thousands of talks on many topics, given by experts in different fields.

TED began its work in 1984, but it has lately seen an explosion in popularity. Currently it has a worldwide following.

TED offers a wide range of talks devoted exclusively to education, and many of these talks deal specifically with education technology, including how best to integrate technological innovations in schools to engage students everywhere. All of these talks are available online.