Ensuring the safety of students and staff is a top priority for teachers and school administrators. When everyone knows they are in a secure place, teachers can concentrate on teaching, and students can feel confident about coming to school to learn and grow. This security is made possible with the right technology and providing teachers with effective training to ensure that the school environment is safe and supportive. 

EOS Education by Boxlight and Clayton County Public Schools (Jonesboro, GA) proudly united to host the inaugural Teacher Appreciation Celebration, an event organized by the EOS Education Digital Learning Specialist Team. This extraordinary occasion not only celebrated and honored the District’s exceptional teachers but also underscored our enduring partnership and commitment to supporting the district's goal of making a positive impact on students through educational technology and services. This celebration also serves as one of the many collaborative events we have planned with CCPS. 

On Tuesday, July 18th, 2023, EOS Education by Boxlight hosted an enriching day of professional learning for over 120 teachers in Port Neches-Groves ISD (Port-Neches, TX). The focus of this event was to provide educators with the knowledge and skills to make the most of their newly acquired MimioPro4 interactive displays and MimioView document cameras, taking their teaching to new levels of dynamic instruction. 

What do you think of when you see or hear “teacher professional development”? Do you envision lively discussions where everyone in the room is totally engaged and participating in the trainer’s presentation? Or perhaps you picture teachers sitting passively, flipping through pages of materials, and checking the time. Why is the latter the typical reaction? Because it describes the broad experience for most who have had to sit through hours of teacher professional development that was expected to motivate but lead to feelings of apathy and frustration due to time lost.  

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. 

Technology continues to change the face of education, including how teachers and students interact in the classroom. Even after a swift move to greater technology implementation in the past two years, managing the use of laptops, tablets, a front-of-class display, and students remote learning can be exhausting for teachers. Add to that the expectation for personalized learning that meets each student’s needs and frustration can grow for both the teachers responsible for planning and facilitating instruction, and the students who may not feel motivated or focused to engage. What support can be offered to help alleviate the challenges being felt? 

Because technology is playing a greater role in teaching and learning, in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, school districts are making high-quality professional development an essential focus. Las Cruces Public Schools (Las Cruces, NM) is one such district with an expectation that their schools are “diverse, equitable, and provide opportunities for the development of critical thinking and democratic ideals.”  

For educators, summertime is synonymous with teacher professional development and training in anticipation of the approaching school year. Oftentimes, there are new materials, textbooks, resources, and equipment to learn how to use. Districts try to plan dynamic professional learning experiences for their teachers knowing that it can be overwhelming to digest so much information squeezed into a few days. One forward-thinking district – Port Arthur Independent School District - planned a weeklong technology conference in collaboration with Visual Techniques Inc. and EOS Education by Boxlight to help their teachers learn to use new and existing educational technology including interactive displays, classroom software, and STEM solutions.  

Many of you have tiptoed into the new school year, testing the waters of teaching knowing that things may change as quickly as last spring. You’re building up your confidence with teaching using different tech applications and tools, either because you are facilitating learning using a blended model or are fully engaged in remote learning. You are doing this while getting to know your students, planning and presenting curriculum, and making sure your materials are organized. In the back of your mind, you may be wondering (as most teachers do) — Am I doing all that I can for my students? Are the tools that I have available being used to the extent that they should? 

Not to state the obvious, but education is in a time of dynamic change. This change will affect not just this school year, but long into the future of what education may be for our children and grandchildren. It is important, then, to rethink how administrators, teachers, and parents/guardians prepare for each school year so that students can still meet, or exceed, learning goals and objectives. Beyond what can be seen on paper, education also supports a child’s need to experience, explore, and apply learning to real-life now and in the future. To do this successfully, teachers who are now dealing with a virtual classroom environment must adjust their teaching practices. Why? Because remote learning requires specific skills such as conducting classes using video conferencing, sharing content in different ways, and providing feedback on student assignments and projects.