Just weeks away from one of the country’s largest education technology conferences, everyone is eagerly awaiting ISTE 2018 and all of the opportunities it offers. ISTE is an amazing place for educators and administrators alike to discover new EdTech trends and products, network with fellow education professionals, and brainstorm and share creative ideas and best practices for implementing technology into the classroom. 

This year’s conference and expo will take place in the third largest city in the US: Chicago, Illinois. Between the workshops and expo offered at the conference and the opportunities to explore the Windy City, here are the experiences you won’t want to miss to get the most out of ISTE 2018:

For all the time, energy, and money we put into books, technology, and curriculum, it’s easy to forget about the importance our school facilities play in student learning. The spaces we provide for students to learn in create an environment that is conducive—or not conducive—to deep learning. And while it might feel that as teachers we can’t impact our physical classroom too much, we can have a greater impact than we may think.

Thinking about purchasing new interactive tools for your school? There are many factors you should consider before taking the leap to ensure that you choose the right solution to best suit your needs. Here’s where you should start: 

1. “What Do I Buy?” vs. “Why Should I Buy?”

Planning for many technologies often seems to start with asking, “How many should we buy and which brand?” But it’s usually better to begin by asking, “Why are we thinking about buying these?” and “Are we buying tools to help the teacher do an even better job, or are we focused on tools to equip the students with new skills?” A well-considered purpose can provide strong guidance for subsequent decisions about choosing, implementing, and adopting any technology, including interactive flat panel displays, touch projectors, and student handheld devices such as iPads, Chromebooks, and Android tablets.

Every teacher’s goal is for students to use critical thinking in the work they do. Students who can think critically grow into lifelong problem solvers. Critical thinking with students means that they can take information and analyze it, draw conclusions, form and defend opinions with data to back it up, reflect on their work, and approach problems in a systematic way. Where does that begin in the classroom? And how do we promote critical thinking in the lessons we do with students? Here are a few suggestions:

It's the age of STEM—and many toy companies have taken note. Well-established toy makers now offer a variety of devices and kits to help you build an innovative makerspace in your classroom. Whether you have already set up a hands-on activity space for your students or are looking to create one in the future, these seven toy companies will help you build an engaging and fun collaborative workspace to help your students exercise their creativity and learn fundamental STEM skills. 

Ah, June. Summer is officially here! This signals the end of the school year for many. Hopefully, this time of the year also means some well-deserved time for rest, relaxation, and having fun somewhere in the mix. But before you finish up in the classroom, here is our collection of engaging themed content to get you through to the last day.

 
Professional educators should always seek out best practices. Because this term is thrown around a lot, teachers can feel confused and overwhelmed by all the “research” that is available about what we should do (or not do) in our classrooms. It can make our collective heads spin.

One solution to assist teachers with this is John Hattie’s research on Visible Learning. This resource can be very beneficial in keeping our heads on straight, but Visible Learning can be a bit overwhelming, too. There are 252 different categories of research sorted into a number of domains and subdomains. This is a lot of information to sift through, and if you’ve read the book, it is a formidable experience. 

To end the year on a high note, it’s important to keep students learning until the last day of school. This is easier said than done since students, and often teachers as well, are excited about the end of the year. All this excitement can make it difficult to ensure learning is taking place.

In order to combat this, teachers must use creative strategies that will be more engaging to students than the average lesson. Many teachers already have these tricks up their sleeve—it's just a matter of putting them into action and remembering to keep the focus on learning.

I always thought I’d be a nurse or a pediatrician. I babysat and enjoyed taking care of kids—I wanted to make a difference in their lives, if only for the short time I was with them. In the early years of high school, I was a volunteer at a nearby hospital. I realized pretty quickly that I hated seeing sick kids. I would cry in the bathroom after leaving a patient’s room because I worried about the child and his or her family. It was hard to feel like I could make a difference in their lives when I was so overcome by what they were facing.

Innovation in educational technology is steered by the minds of creative and skilled educators all over the world. Many of these EdTech experts share their ideas and experiences through the creation of blogs, teacher resources, and sometimes even the formation of a brand.

With the abundance of websites and resources available to educators, it can be hard to decide where to look for guidance through your next EdTech initiative. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of 15 of our favorite EdTech experts who you may or may not have heard of, as well as the brands, blogs, and resources they’ve created: