In some areas of the country, qualified teachers are harder and harder to come by for certain content areas. Some states and districts have had to use creative means to find teachers. One of these avenues is using transition to teaching programs in order to find teachers. In these programs, individuals usually have a degree in a content area, such as science or math, but lack the credentials or experience necessary for teaching.  

As with most things, there is an upside to these teachers as well as some drawbacks. It does allow your school to think outside the box to fill positions, which is a major advantage. At the same time, it is good to consider what the possible potholes will be of hiring one of these teachers.

If you’re like me, you ended the school year with summer goals: work-related tasks, household chores, educational books to read, and so on. You may have been assigned a book by your administrator, or perhaps you’re taking a class that requires intensive reading. As an English major, lifelong reader, and elementary teacher-librarian, I believe in the power of stories. And as much as I enjoy reading books that help me become a better teacher, I also like to read positive and inspirational stories about students and teachers.

Over 20,000 industry professionals from 81 different countries were in attendance at the 2019 ISTE Conference & Expo in Philadelphia, and more than 550 companies came out to present their EdTech solutions. For every teacher, administrator, technology specialist, and education leader in attendance, this year’s conference offered many opportunities to discover new products, explore innovative ideas, and develop new connections with others in the industry.

After another exciting year at ISTE, the Boxlight team has returned home with new industry trends in mind as we approach the 2019–20 academic year. Keynote speeches, BYOD sessions, and vendor presentations at the conference focused on a wide variety of EdTech topics and trends from robots to human connection. For those who were able to attend, the 2019 conference made a lasting impression.

It’s June, which means the ISTE 2019 Conference & Expo is right around the corner. For 40 years, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has created a strong EdTech community, giving teachers tools and best practices to advocate for technology in the classroom. This year, the ISTE Conference & Expo is being held in the City of Brotherly Love— Philadelphia, PA—and attendees can expect to find not only community and support from over 16,000 other educators, administrators, and EdTech leaders, but also a wide variety of new EdTech tools and trends.

Between the beautiful city of Philly and the countless opportunities for growth at the conference, here’s what you won’t want to miss at ISTE 2019:

Educators tend to focus on what students know in school. We teach, we test, and we intervene if needed. We also take into consideration the social and emotional wellbeing of students, caring about their socialization and their effort. But one of the most foundational factors in a student’s future is often ignored. One thing that, when changed, can literally change the course of a person’s life: their belief.

When school districts invest in technology, the tools they buy must be user-friendly, integrated, and ready to use to support instruction—not something that creates an additional burden for teachers. That’s the foundation that Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS)—Georgia’s fifth-largest school district—used in 2018 when it was time to refresh digital classroom tools.

Years earlier, CCPS had spent millions of dollars putting digital technology into classrooms, ending up with a very disjointed solution that included projectors from one manufacturer, whiteboards from another, student response systems made by a third provider, and slates and cameras by yet another. “None of it worked well together,” says Chief of Technology Rod Smith, M.Ed. “From an instructional standpoint, teachers need something that's seamless so they can save instructional time and focus on teaching students.”

This spring, hundreds of educators joined us for our Transforming Learning in the Classroom webinar series. Each of our 45-minute sessions were led by experts and leaders in the field of education and technology, who shared their insights into creating successful learning environments. These presenters work in schools and make an impact every day, and they brought their vast knowledge, expertise, and advice to our series.

We will launch another series in the fall, featuring new topics and speakers to offer their insights into educational trends. If you missed our live spring series or can’t wait until fall to be inspired, don’t worry! You can still be motivated by all of these wonderful educators and innovators by viewing any of our sessions at your convenience.

Every year, there are dozens of educational conferences and expos in the US that bring educators together to discuss best practices, test new tools, and make connections with fellow educators. One look at a calendar of all of the year’s upcoming conferences might just seem like a jumble of strange acronyms. With so many different conferences to choose from, it can be hard to decide which conferences you should attend.

As an educator, it can be hard to find the time to seek out new ideas and important industry news when all you want to do after a long school day is kick back and relax. Some days, you just want to consume content that makes you smile.

That’s where Twitter comes in. With over 261 million users worldwide, Twitter is an endless stream of inspiration—shared in 280 characters or less, of course. It can be very overwhelming to filter through millions of accounts, from political figures to your favorite musicians, just to find accounts to follow that will bring some happiness to your day. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 15 Twitter accounts you should follow to inspire your teaching and uplift your day: