When we discuss STEM classes and content, by their very nature, we are talking about multiple cross-curricular concepts. Engineering is math and math leads to technology, which requires science, which is what engineers study, and so on and so forth. So why should we consider how STEM concepts can branch out even further into our classrooms?

The semester is about halfway done for most of you, which means you’re probably well into preparing your students for their end-of-semester assessments and projects before they’re distracted by the winter holidays. We know this can be exhausting, and you deserve a break––even if it’s just for the duration of this blog post.

As part of a campus extension, The Stonehenge School in Wiltshire, United Kingdom decided to overhaul its IT infrastructure to improve engagement in the classroom. Like many schools these days, Stonehenge had been relying on a mishmash of failing technology that was slowing teachers down and impacting students’ learning. With 840 students aged 11–16 and an increasing demand for school places, the school turned to Boxlight to bring revolutionary technology into the classroom—enhancing the learning experience and future-proofing the school ahead of continued expansion.

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that he was looking for a life change. He wanted a new start in a new place with a new career. He just threw it out there for people to tell him what they thought about his future plans.

Of course, there were some funny and non-serious comments, but there was also a wide variety of serious suggestions. From stand-up comic to running a small business, the ideas were very wide and diverse. My question to him was, “Why not teach?”

You’ve probably heard of STEM—you may even teach STEM in your classroom. The key to students’ success is not only to learn science, technology, engineering, and math, but also to understand how those disciplines apply to the world around them. Students need to develop the critical skills that will prepare them for beyond the classroom, enabling them to be tomorrow’s engineers and innovators.

Many of us probably remember wonderful days in our elementary classroom listening to stories read by our teacher. These stories, whether they were picture books in kindergarten or chapter books in fifth grade, were a major part of my upbringing in elementary school and one of my favorite times of the school day. I distinctly remember in fourth grade listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and being sorely disappointed when we watched the movie and the details had changed. I had such a vivid picture in my head of the characters and setting. Our entire class had the collective language of the story that we could talk about and discuss.

As we inch closer to 2020, we can look back at the significant strides and innovations in educational technology and the ways EdTech has redefined traditional education in the first two decades of the 21st century. Technology has become an integral part of the everyday learning process, with students, teachers, parents, and administrators all using important devices and software each day to increase efficiency and improve learning outcomes.

The breadth of parent opinions on technology is very wide. Philosophies differ from parents who give their 4-year-old a phone and Instagram account to those who wait until high school for a student to have an email address and everything in between. Speaking as a current parent of children between the ages of 1 and 15, navigating this world of technology is hard.

There are no real guidelines or rules for how we should handle it all. With the experiences and exposure of kids being so varied, it can feel like a constant uphill battle—all of which schools should consider. As institutions, we hope to work with parents as partners to help their students become successful. I believe all parents know that the ability to use technology is an important future-ready skill. But the age that we begin and the depth that we go to—that is up for debate.

As a busy teacher, it can be hard to find the time to sit down and read teaching blogs, articles, or books for motivation and professional development. Luckily, we live in the golden age of the podcast, making it possible to listen to this same motivational and educational content while you’re doing something else, like commuting to school, organizing your classroom, or making dinner at home.

Because podcasts are easy to record and publish, there’s an extremely rich market of content to choose from. Weeding through all this content can take time, but we’ve done the research for you and found 10 inspiring and interesting podcasts with great reviews and ratings. All of the podcasts on this list are rated 4.5 stars or higher on Apple podcasts, so you know they’ll have great content!