As K-12 leadership struggles to retain high-quality teachers, giving educators a voice and choice regarding which EdTech gets adopted is one crucial way to support them. To win back more time for educators to focus on lesson planning or expand what they can get done in a day, K-12 administrators should develop an EdTech selection … Continue reading
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Project-Based Learning as a Tool to Close the STEM Gap
Project-Based Learning can boost students’ retention by letting them solve real-world examples that bridge the gap between theory and understanding the why behind what teachers are teaching. The ability to make these connections with a hands-on approach makes PBL a powerful tool for closing the STEM gap. Active learning enhances learning outcomes Project-based learning involves … Continue reading
Gear Up for National Robotics Week
The 14th annual National Robotics Week is happening April 8-16, 2023. Founded by iRobot®, the goal of this week is to provide kids with fun robotics activities and events in the hopes of inspiring future STEM professionals. You can find plenty of free resources available for all grade levels to get your students involved. Click … Continue reading
Tricks to Help Students Beat Writer’s Block
Creative writing can build better English and Language Arts skills, but creative writing is a different beast. If students are uncertain how to start writing, they’ll face what all writers, even professional writers, dread – writer’s block. Here are six activities to inspire their writing. When reading a book, poem, short story, or other lesson, … Continue reading
How to Use Assistive Tech to Unleash Creative Writing
Writer’s block may not be the biggest writing challenge students need to overcome. For some students, writing mechanics, including handwriting, typing, or grammar, are hindering students from expressing their creative ideas. When you think of ways to help students become better writers, assistive tech probably doesn’t make it on your list, but it should. Assistive … Continue reading
Teach K12 Novel Writing: Where to Start
November is National Novel Writing month, making it the perfect time to teach a unit on creative writing. Fictional narrative is unique from academic writing, leaving students confused about how to approach creative writing. Check out this infographic for tips and inspiration to help your students write their best draft yet. Infographic text: Free-flow writing … Continue reading
Explore the Future of K-12 Esports: Competitive Coding
Esports has gained recognition as a legitimate growth opportunity for students since 2018 when the National Federation of State Highschool Associations deemed Esports an official sport (NEA.org). Many competitions are open to students, and several colleges offer Esports scholarships. Now there is another branch in Esports growing in popularity: competitive coding. The mainstream gamification of … Continue reading
Conquering the Digital Divide: What’s the next hurdle?
Arguably phase one of advancing digital equity came down to providing a device for every student, and the pandemic fast-tracked these efforts. Then the pandemic revealed another digital equity hurdle: internet access. Phase two revolved around addressing connectivity issues and kids unable to do their homework, which became known as “The Homework Gap.” The Emergency … Continue reading
Teach Coding Unplugged
It is possible to teach coding unplugged. For National Wellness Month, we’re showcasing Makey Makey, a popular STEAM education solution that is an ingenious way to get kids active and learning to code without all the screentime. Teaching code through invention literacy What is Makey Makey? It’s a perfect way to instill confidence in kids … Continue reading
How Schools Can Advance Accessibility and Equity (3-minute read)
Pandemic learning showcased the state of accessibility and education equity across the U.S. Advancing education for all students starts with reevaluating what inclusive education means at your school. How to reevaluate inclusive education To advance accessibility and promote education equity, one assistive technology specialist believes teachers should reevaluate these 3 inclusive education myths: Myth 1: … Continue reading
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