Boxlight Educator UK

May is Share-a-Story Month, instituted by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups in 1974, to celebrate the power of storytelling. By encouraging children’s interest in books and reading, this month is a great opportunity to try new ideas to promote the value of story sharing. For example, have you tried facilitating book discussion groups with your class?

Physical activity benefits more than the body’s health; studies have shown that physical activity also improves attention, mood, and reasoning skills. For example, increased activity has shown to improve concentration and sharpen memory. How?

Monte Vista Primary School (Cape Town, Johannesburg, ZA) is built on five mission statements that include building a foundation so that learners are able to meet life’s challenges now and in the future, and providing an excellent education wherein all work together to allow progress and adaptation to change. With these two goals in mind, Monte Vista educators sought to implement Clevertouch interactive touchscreen displays over three years. That plan quickly became a one-year capital project after teachers and students experienced the cutting-edge features and user-friendly interface.

The need to incorporate STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) regularly in the curriculum is essential. Why? Research has shown that the call for STEM-related jobs has grown much faster, as much as three times more, than the call for other jobs. The investment of time and resources in STEM instruction now is an investment in the STEM workforce.

Bennington Public Schools (Bennington, NE, U.S.) is a quickly growing district that has gone from one school serving all grades in 2005 to six schools today, including a new primary school that opened two years ago. Bennington expects to open four more schools within the next 10 years. According to the district website, their mission is “to provide educational opportunities in a safe, caring environment that will prepare all students to meet the challenges of the future.”

More and more schools are opening up to in-class learning, even as we get closer to the end of the school year. Regardless of if they have two months or two weeks left in the year, the excitement of being in their classrooms with their classmates and teacher can be overwhelming. We celebrate in-person learning and the effort it takes to ensure everyone’s health and safety but after the initial frenzy of first day, first week, first recess, what can be done to get students focused and ready to learn?

The British Computer Society (BCS, U.K.) was faced with the immense challenge of relocating 260 staff members with a focus on creating a digital-first environment. Says Hazel Reason, Senior Facilities Manager at BCS, “The transition from office-to-office made me realise we only had a few video screens and some old projectors. One of our key principles for this new project was to make sure we were ‘digital first’ by investing in technology which improves communication and collaboration.”

Earth Day is on April 22 and this year’s theme is Restore Our Earth which emphasises natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking to help restore the world’s ecosystems. Since its inception in 1970, the intent of Earth Day is to care about the natural world through proactive preservation measures. Clearly there is more work to do but there are fun and easy activities to start with in the classroom. Here are seven of our favourite Earth Day activities:

Hannah Olson, co-creator of the award-winning MyStemKits STEM Curriculum, recently spoke with Larry Jacobs from Equity and Access Pre K-12 (ace-ed.org) on the topic of STEM education and careers, focusing on encouraging young women to explore what STEM has to offer.