Walk into an early education classroom and you might see children exploring sensory-focused items (blocks, sand, water), hear singing with repetitive words and lines, and you will feel the joy and wonder that these young ones experience as they discover something new. You might also see technology playing a larger role in their learning environment. From tablets and robotics to interactive displays and 3D printers, educational technology is transforming how our youngest students learn new skills.  

What do you remember doing when you were 4 years old? Maybe it was playing with blocks, sorting shapes, coloring inside and outside of the lines, or making mud pies. This was certainly my experience! But for my daughter and many children like her, technology played an influential role in their early development. In fact, it is not uncommon to see toddlers walking using smartphones to watch videos or play games. As we progress through the 21st century, there is a significant focus on integrating more technology to maximize the teaching and learning experience, including for our youngest learners (i.e., pre-K, ages 4 and up). But does concentrated use of educational technology benefit their learning development? 

Incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) learning is essential to foster so-called soft skills such as critical thinking, perseverance, communication, and creative problem-solving. Purposeful STEM education should begin at the earliest grades where these key skills can begin to develop. With the ongoing support of training and SME mentoring, even the most reticent teachers can implement STEM instruction with students at all ages and learning abilities. 

New goals help bring the start of any new year to focus, and our education webinars are no exception. Our main goal is to help more teachers implement educational technology with confidence so that they, in turn, support their students through consistent and competent use of tools to engage learning. We realize that teachers have a lot on their plates so our webinars are short, straightforward, and designed to provide strategies that can be implemented right away. 

Boxlight had some amazing experiences this year, such as addingFrontRow, a leading audio solutions company, to our family of brands and winning multiple education technology awards* including Overall EdTech Company of the Year. While our expansion and wins are noteworthy, what keeps us going are the partners, customers, and educators we engage with. Some of our Boxlight family shared their favorite experiencesfrom this past year. 

With the increase of education technology implementation comes the demand for information and resources on how to best use ed tech for instruction. The Mimio Educator blog aims to provide content that benefits educators in any learning environment. This year, our blog topics ranged from engaging STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) lesson experiences to ideas for increasing student collaboration during instruction. Our most-read Mimio Educator blogs include resources like videos, sample lessons, and ideas that educators can apply right away. 

We are living in a time of immediate satisfaction – we want news, entertainment, even our food, NOW! This need for bite-size pieces of information has also influenced how our students learn. Teachers are beginning to give students short, two- to five-minute lessons that demonstrate and/or provide concrete examples. EOS Education by Boxlight has taken up this method of Nano learning to help teachers they work with effectively learn and practice new skills, especially those using technology. 

Boxlight has earned a total of five awards in this year’s THE Journal and Campus Technology awards - four New Product Awards and one Campus Technologyaward! 

For many students, winter break is a welcome relief from assignments, essays, tests, and all that goes with going to school. But for those who now have these young ones at home and want to keep them busy (besides time on their devices or creating their “watch list” on the family streaming channel), try a few of the activities below. Not only will the activities keep them occupied (so you can work, cook, nap...), they might just help keep their learning juices flowing until it’s time to head back to school.  

The mission to implement educational technology in classrooms has grown substantially over the last few years. Districts are driven to invest in ed tech solutions that are comprehensive, integrate with current learning management systems (LMS), and are turnkey. While having the technology is wonderful, not using them properly or to their full potential is still a struggle. This is where the SAMR model can help teachers maximize what they can do to enhance teaching and learning.