LATEST BLOG POSTS
How to Create Engaging Choice Boards
Raise your hand if any of these things have happened to you while in the classroom. You gave an assignment only for half of your students to immediately decide they weren’t going to do it. You explained the directions for an assignment and a student asks if they could do something else instead. You had […] READ MORE
Be Bold with Your K-12 Funding: Lessons from an Education Funding Expert
As 2021 gets underway, educators face an abundance of questions — specifically when it comes to K-12 funding. Despite the influx of funding available, districts must navigate how to make the most of the funds and ensure they are setting their students and teachers up for success during, and after, the pandemic. To help make […] READ MORE
How to Use Microsoft Teams for Virtual Check-Ins
Being a teacher means wearing a lot of hats. You are expected to be a subject area expert, a protector, a cheerleader, a disciplinarian, a great collaborator, an enthusiastic club moderator, a coach, an engaging presenter, and so much more. With everything else on your plate, how can you ensure the 30 or so strangers […] READ MORE
5 Ways to Use Remaining Title Funds
As schools and districts actively engage in the annual budget planning process for the upcoming school year, many will find that they have unused Title funding allocations – Title I, Title IIA, Title III, and Title IV. Although this is not an uncommon phenomenon, it may be unusually glaring this year due to the closure […] READ MORE
Setting Up Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences with Google Calendar
Parent-teacher conferences are a standard part of every school year. Conferences are a great way to alert parents/guardians of their child’s strengths and areas for growth. However, conferences can be difficult to schedule even in typical face-to-face circumstances. Scheduling and implementing virtual conferences can provide us with a whole new set of challenges. With that […] READ MORE
Creating Materials in Your Google Classroom
If you are using Google Classroom as a central online location to work with your students, you can create a set of documents and resources for them to use. Google calls these resources “materials,” and they are found posted in the classwork tab of your Google Classroom. Let’s see how it works! What kinds of […] READ MORE
Pennsylvania Funding by School District
Ready to Learn and School Safety and Security Grants Under the 2020-21 Pennsylvania State budget, all school districts will receive the same Basic Education and Special Education Funding allocations they received in the 2019-20 school year. Those amounts are listed in the linked PDF for each school district as well as estimated Ready-to-Learn Block Grant […] READ MORE
Exciting Updates To SMART Learning Suite Online
SMART Learning Suite Online, or SLSO, has become a favorite learning tool for teachers, especially during hybrid or distance learning. While SLSO already offers teachers many fun and easy-to-use features to engage students, there have been some special features the teachers have been requesting. SMART has always been responsive to teachers requests, and now, those […] READ MORE
New Options for Creating Google Meets
Google has streamlined the process for scheduling future meetings straight via Google Meet. We now have more options for scheduling our meetings and sending meeting invitations straight from meet.google.com. These new options are currently being released on a rolling basis, and should be available to all soon. Let’s take a look at how these new […] READ MORE
3 Ways Microsoft Teams is Great for PLCs
Your school/district just decided to start a Professional Learning Community. Now what? Don’t panic! Whether you are an administrator, teacher, or a member of the wider school community, establishing a PLC can be a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with your colleagues and increase student learning and engagement. With all of your other responsibilities at school, […] READ MORE
5 Ways to Create an Effective Flipped Classroom for Your Students
It has been almost a year now since teachers had to abruptly transition from their regular routine of teaching in the classroom to teaching remotely. It was a drastic transition that no one was truly prepared for. It created lots of frustration and anxiety, and for those students that lacked reliable technology, it prevented them […] READ MORE
3 Ways to Provide More Valuable Feedback Using Google Classroom
You just graded essay number 52 out of 87. What did you write on it? “Good job.” Who hasn’t left that comment on a student assignment? It’s quick, it’s complimentary, it can be used in almost any situation, and it makes you feel like you did your job as a teacher. No student will ever […] READ MORE
Using the “Reflect in Seesaw” Chrome Extension to Enhance Student Engagement
With virtual learning, teachers and students have taken on new challenges and also new opportunities for growth and exploration. Seesaw is a digital learning management system that specializes in creating portfolios and engaging students in learning. This platform allows students to complete and showcase their work, while teachers as well as parents/guardians can view, comment, […] READ MORE
Split Screen on a Chromebook and iPad
Using a split screen has several benefits and can increase productivity and outcomes for both students and teachers. As a teacher, how great would it be to have your presentation and a view of your students at the same time? For students, this is almost essential during collaborative work. Being able to see their classmates and the work at […] READ MORE
Title Funding to Improve Student Engagement and Professional Learning
Title funding is a great way to provide PD support for teachers and to improve student engagement and performance in either remote, blended, or in-school learning environments. Title Grants (Entitlement Grants) are federal funding allocations provided to K-12 schools and districts designed to supplement existing funding streams leading to improved academic achievement, particularly among disadvantaged […] READ MORE
Reimagining 3D Printing with the Glowforge 3D Laser Printer
As more products emerge in the STEM and STEAM space for education, Glowforge has reimagined 3D printing. With its component website, educators and students can access over ten million different prints and unique access to resources for the K-12 classroom teacher. Visit their site for a variety of different resources to help you get started with your […] READ MORE
