May 08, 2020

Meeting Students’ Needs Amidst COVID-19

I began my education career in 1985 and I am not at all sure anything could have prepared me, or anyone, for educating under our current mandatory stay-at-home conditions. 

May 01, 2020

Coronavirus Relief Grants

As the pandemic unfolds, more and more funding needs are arising for schools, educators, and communities. Community foundations and companies are stepping up to fund these needs. Here are just a few of the grant opportunities that are available to schools and educational organizations in need:

Apr 24, 2020

Connecting in the World of Physical Distancing

Just a few short weeks ago we saw, heard, and hugged some of our best friends almost daily. Now the world has been turned upside down and we are all trying to find a new normal. I’m reminded of the graphic below. This is truly what it feels like right now. We were on a pretty solid upward trajectory, with a few bumps in the road. Now we’re squarely in the middle of chaos and we realize we will come out higher, stronger, and better than ever.

Apr 17, 2020

Our Top Resources in March 2020

Each month we publish blog and several newsletters full of digital learning, funding, professional growth, social media, and STEM resources. Below are items from our blogs and newsletters that educators turned to the most in March.

Apr 10, 2020

Preparing Students for Jobs of the Future

For 27 years, I have taught at an elementary school in a diverse, high-poverty, and vibrant community. Seven years ago, a retiring colleague told me that we needed to teach to the children of today and not as we were taught. This comment started me on a journey of researching and developing a program to prepare my students for what they will need to thrive in a virtually unknown workforce.

Apr 03, 2020

The Gift of Time

How many times as educators have we uttered a version of these phrases? “We don’t have time for that” or “I would love to do that but I don’t have time.”

Suddenly, guess what we have? Time. Unexpectedly we have received the gift of time. The gift of time to do those things we never have time to do. We have the gift of time as educators. We have the gift of time as learners. We have the gift of time as parents.

Mar 27, 2020

4C’s Come to Life Through Digital Tools

Super skills, twenty-first century skills, best practices—whatever you want to call the 4C’s (creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication), they are an integral part of the student experience in our classroom. Even so, sometimes a pathway to incorporate the 4C’s may seem evasive or like it takes too much time. Adding the following tools and ideas to an instructional toolbox can support a seamless incorporation of the 4C’s into our teaching and learning for all students.

Mar 20, 2020

Enhancing Human Connection in the Classroom Through Technology

“What do you remember most about elementary school?”

While preparing for an international conference presentation in Finland on quality education, I reached out to my former 5th grade students (who are now in their mid-20s) with this question via social media. I anticipated typical responses like friendships, sports, and field trips.

Instead, their responses left me speechless

Mar 13, 2020

Preparing for Coronavirus: How to Harness EdTech to Keep Students Learning During School Closures

As the coronavirus spreads, talk of school closings have increased. Schools near outbreaks in China, Italy, and parts of the US have already been closed to prevent the spread of the virus. Whether or not the virus effects your community, it is a good time to develop or review your plan in the event of a school closure for any number of reasons (including inclement weather, fires, or other unforeseen circumstances). Educational technology tools make it possible for your students to continue learning even when they can’t make it to class.

Mar 06, 2020

Start with Something You Love

People often ask how I became interested in writing grant applications for my school. The answer is simple—there are many interests I want to foster in my students that often require additional funding to achieve. Here’s how I went about making that happen.

Feb 28, 2020

The Importance of Coding

“Yay! We love coding!” The students shout. One student starts jumping up and down. This is the excitement I love seeing in the computer lab. My students get excited about different projects and activities, but there is something powerful about learning to code. I tell my students it is like having digital superpowers.

Feb 21, 2020

Wrapping up an Epic Learning Experience: How to Facilitate Student Reflection

Each time you and your students embark on a new story, your characters undergo a transformation. If you lead your students through the elements we’ve discussed (creating an epic classroom, uncovering a conflict, and traversing the rising action to solve the conflict) then the transformation will happen by itself. A critical part of epic learning is helping students to realize that metamorphosis and use what they’ve learned. Here are a few activities to facilitate reflection and wrap up your epic learning experience.

Feb 14, 2020

Our Top Five Resources in January 2020

Each month we publish blogs and several newsletters full of digital learning, funding, professional growth, social media, and STEM resources. Below are items from our blogs and newsletters that educators turned to the most in January.

Feb 07, 2020

Integrate Computer Science and Literacy in Your Elementary Classroom

Are you curious how you might integrate computer science in your upper elementary classroom, or are you looking for a unique way to have your students share their favorite books? With technology playing an increasingly important role in every profession, a foundational understanding of computer science is becoming an essential component of student learning. To authentically integrate computer science and literacy, I’m going to teach you how to support your students in using block-based coding to program book trailers.

Jan 31, 2020

Train, Observe, Collaborate

As an educator of many years, change has always been an influential companion on this exciting journey of teaching students. Lately, change seems to be the driving force of everything. This became very evident when I asked my students what careers they would like to have in the future. Their answers were very different from the usual pro ball players and nurses—they said they wanted to be YouTubers! This shows just how prevalent technology is in their everyday lives, both in and out of school.