In any organization, as it develops, grows, changes, and evolves, the mission of the institution can alter and change. This can be a natural progression and part of what makes an agile group successful. It is also true that as change happens, the original vision for why it all began can get lost and forgotten. 

This has also happened in schools. We are good at using textbooks, integrating technology, and differentiating instruction. We can find amazing Pinterest fonts and spend our salary on Teachers Pay Teachers. But in the end, do we remember why we are doing all of it?

Can educational technology really improve learning and teach critical 21st century skills? It can, but only when it is integrated into the learning environment to make teaching and learning more efficient, effective, and engaging.

Here’s how to get started on redesigning your classroom for 21st century learning:

Looking for informative online sessions covering educational technology, but need something that works with your busy schedule? We’ve got you covered! Our informative webinars focus on the effective use of interactive teaching technologies and content from Boxlight. Each session is recorded so that we can make it available to those who missed it or want to hear it again.

In an age where we communicate online more than ever before, it’s important to be aware of the footprint you’ve left behind on the web. Social media has the power to be a positive social and professional outlet, but only with responsible use. As important as it is for everyone to be mindful of their online footprint, it’s especially important to teach the next generation how to carefully curate their online presence.

Gobble gobble! There is so much to be thankful for this time of year as we get ready to gather around the table with our family and friends. But until the big day rolls around, there’s still plenty of learning to be done! Here is our collection of themed content to help you keep students engaged all month long:

On September 24, my district had an in-service day. The homeroom teachers in my building were piloting a new writing program and were asked to attend a training. This left specialist teachers with nothing to do, as we would not need to be trained on this new program.

We were all wondering what our duties would be for the day when we received an email from our principal encouraging us to make arrangements to observe in another district for the day. She proceeded to help us find schools to host us—fellow teachers will understand why this was amazing. When do we ever have the time to go to other districts without painstaking measures of using personal days and arranging for subs? And how many of us have principals who understand the importance of observing others in our same content area?

It’s that time again—time to move on to the next activity or learning opportunity. It is time to transition! These can be stressful times in a classroom, when disruptions increase and learning decreases. Transitions are a natural part of any classroom, so how can teachers capitalize on the opportunity to smoothly move on to the next activity and maybe learn something at the same time?

After-school programs are a wonderful thing for students of all ages—they can be fun, engaging, and inspiring. Students can meet new friends and learn even more than in their daily classes. Schools often host these programs, but the big issue they face is how to increase student enrollment. 

The key to this is in reaching the parents the right way. With a good marketing strategy consisting of content marketing, digital marketing, and visual marketing, you can attract parents. For one, focusing on content to communicate with parents is a good idea when combined with visual aspects. But in order to do that, you need to have a good content strategy.

When I began my career in education, the current theory was “Don’t smile until December.” I tried that, and I can tell you it didn’t work. The way to manage a class isn’t to pretend to be stoic and uncaring—you need to get to know your students and learn techniques to create a positive learning environment. Both rookie and veteran teachers alike benefit from learning and relearning classroom management strategies. Here are five online resources to help you with your management techniques. I hope they can be of use to you.

Exciting news: November 8, 2018 will mark the third Boxlight STEM Day (#BLSTEM)! Just like last time, students will work with their classmates in a hands-on, inquiry-based learning event designed to help them learn critical STEM skills and understand how STEM disciplines apply to the world around them. And as before, Boxlight will provide the lab experiment—the event will involve using our wireless Labdisc portable STEM lab, so it’s less “same old classroom activity” and more “exciting new real-world work.”

The event is open to every school that has the Labdisc data logger. No matter where you are, as long as you have a Labdisc, your class can join in the learning fun. This year, students will use the Labdisc to perform simultaneous experiments to observe and measure the light intensity of different light sources. Think about how incredible it will be to conduct this experiment and share data along with other science classes across the US and Latin America!