We Bought All This Technology—Now What!?!
A lot of time, resources, and budget dollars are spent evaluating, piloting, and implementing technology. Once all of that has been accomplished, how do you make sure the new technology is actually used by educators and students? And not just used, but incorporated in meaningful and effective ways that will really make a difference in student learning?

This is a journey for all involved that doesn’t just happen overnight. The commitment to effective integration involves much more than just purchasing the technology and holding typical introductory in-service training for staff. A culture of expectations must be established by all stakeholders to reach the full potential of the awesome set of new tools and resources available in your teaching toolbox. 

School is already back in session for many teachers, but some of us are still savoring the last weeks of warm weather, sleeping in, and grilling out. We all have our back-to-school lists close at hand, however: folders that need to be labeled, tech that must be tested, and lesson plans to get ready for the year ahead.

During this time of prep and anticipation, it’s good to find new ideas and inspiration. To give you an assist, we’ve pulled together a list of great content, training sessions for the month ahead, and other on-demand resources.

Finals are over and, hopefully, you had a chance to unwind during the Memorial Day weekend. So, are you rested and ready for the 2016 ISTE Conference & Expo? This annual event, the biggest ed-tech conference in the United States, is just around the corner: June 26-29.

For 2016, the conference and expo are being held in the “Mile High City” – Denver, CO – and we’ve compiled a short list of conference and city attractions that you won’t want to miss. To enjoy the full experience of ISTE 2016, consider doing the following:

With the current school year quickly coming to an end, you probably have a gazillion things to cross off of your end-of-year checklist. But because you’re a teacher, we’re sure there’s a little voice inside your head challenging you to prepare for back to school time right now. You know that if you do, your summer will be that much more relaxed and restorative.

Have you noticed how fast the K-12 educational landscape is changing? There are new laws, new research, and new approaches (derived from the new laws and research). And then there are the new tools to support those new approaches. It can all be a lot to stay on top of. The good news is that professional associations can help you to keep up. In our last post, we looked at five interesting professional associations for teachers. This time around, we look at five options for administrators.

Have you noticed how rapidly the K-12 educational landscape is changing? There are new laws, new research, and new approaches (derived from the new laws and research). And then there are the new tools to support those new approaches. It can all be a little overwhelming.

The good news is that professional associations can help you to keep up, move further along your career path, and even influence those laws. Sometimes just reading an association’s blog post or other available material can give you the information you need. With other organizations, you may want to become a full-fledged member to gain the maximum benefit.

Our list of the 10 most interesting educational associations out there is divided into two categories: one for teachers and one for administrators. In this post, Part I, we’ll tackle associations for teachers. Check out the list below and see which ones are right for you!

We hope you’re getting ready to head out to the TCEA 2016 Annual Convention and Exposition. This annual event in Austin, Texas, February 3-5, brings together campus- and district-level educators (administrators, teachers, librarians, etc.) to explore technology-related best practices, and products and services for engaging students, increasing productivity, and innovating teaching and learning. Austin is an incredible city – when Austinites say “Keep Austin Weird,” they mean it! So, once you’ve stopped by our booth #1126 (we are one of your first stops, right?), here are some of the other things you can look forward to:

As an educator, you’re in a position to empower your students to become better learners and better people. Most of the time we recognize the positive influence we have on our students, but there may be times when we feel we need new ways to motivate them and create a culture of involvement. Here are 10 tips you can use to help create a culture that makes learning a priority.

It’s almost time for FETC 2016! As always, the four-day event is a fantastic opportunity to greet past colleagues, meet prospective collaborators, and learn from the pros. At FETC you can get hands-on explorations of the latest hardware and software, and learn successful strategies for integrating technology across the K-20 curriculum. As always, the conference will be held in “The City Beautiful” – Orlando, Florida. From city attractions to workshops and the booths (don’t miss Mimio’s booth #835), here’s just a sampling of what you can expect: