Krista Walker, Professional Development Program Manager with Boxlight-EOS Education, recently spoke with Larry Jacobs from Equity and Access Pre K-12 (ace-ed.org) about how school closures and the move to remote or hybrid learning due to COVID-19 changed professional development and support. Walker has 25 years of experience in education, including working with education technology, promoting accessibility and inclusive practices, helping educators include social and emotional learning into classroom instruction, encouraging community engagement, and advancing 21st-century enrichment. 

Stellenbosch University, a multicampus university in South Africa implemented Clevertouch interactive displays to maximize how their meeting rooms and learning spaces are used. Prior to the implementation of the Clevertouch displays, Stellenbosch used a mix of technology brands which created configuration challenges.  

It has become increasingly obvious that the inclusion of STEM – science, technology, engineering, mathematics - in a well-balanced instructional plan is critical. With the growing need for STEM-educated individuals to fill STEM jobs, students in schools today need the skills necessary for these jobs. This includes critical thinking and reasoning skills, collaboration and communication skills, and developing creative solutions to problems. Students clearly need consistent and varied STEM learning experiences, and educators need the resources to support them. 

As district and school leaders make decisions about how to best use federal funding to meet teacher and student needs, we are making available the edLeader Panel webinar - Act on Relief Funding Now – How It Can Be Used to Address Learning Loss and Meet Student Needs. In this informative webinar, Dr. Don Gemeinhardt, Director Strategic Grants and Finance Development for Boxlight, discusses what education leaders and decision-makers need to know to successfully apply for federal funding – CARES, ESSER, and GEER.  

The San Vicente de Paúl School (Limpias, Cantabria, Spain) provides Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary education to the surrounding communities. The school has long been a proponent of using digital media to innovate learning experiences for its learners. Antonio Medina, Director of San Vicente de Paúl School, stated, “(We are) applying training and innovation in our educational work, emphasizing new technologies and languages.” 

Coblonal Interior Design (Barcelona, Spain) is an architecture, interior design, and construction studio which has for over 24 years provided project and construction services for both residential and commercial areas. In 2019, Coblonal moved to a new, larger, and centralized space in Plaza Tetuán. The office was designed as an open space with different areas for the team and a collaborative reception area for clients and visitors. For this space, Coblonal chose to incorporate cutting-edge UX Pro interactive displays from Clevertouch Technologies. They were impressed by the way the UX Pro provides dynamic and multifunctional features that are well-suited to their needs, including collaboration with colleagues and clients. 

Stafford Public Schools (Stafford Springs, CT) is a nationally recognized school district and consistently strives to drive learning so that, according to their mission statement, their students are prepared “to assume productive, meaningful, and responsible roles in an increasingly competitive global society.” Made up of five schools with approximately 1500 students enrolled, Stafford is a 1:1 district, and this past school year, implemented a hybrid learning model – students learning from home and in-class.

Horsley Park Public School (Sydney, Australia) is a small primary school, situated in the semi-rural outskirts of Sydney. Made up of of eight classes - four mainstream and four providing support for children with autism and intellectual disabilities – a goal of Horsley Park is “positive behavior, cooperation, and a growth mindset are encouraged and supported through a positive environment.”

There is countless research that says an engaging learning environment supports student achievement and success. As a former classroom teacher, my favorite memories are of seeing my students totally into a project, hearing them talk with their classmates about what they were doing, and celebrating their successes when they understood a concept or completed a project they worked so hard on. A classroom should be a place for conversation and collaboration, combined with critical thinking and creativity.