Chromebooks have made an incredible impact on the educational landscape in the past decade, starting with pilot programs in 2010, that showed educators how user friendly, dynamic, and secure these devices can be. In the last two years, Chromebooks have been especially critical when teaching and learning has had to shift between in-class to remote, and in quite a few cases, hybrid environments. Why have Chromebooks become a favorite for schools and classrooms across the country? 

Clearly, COVID-19 and its multiple variants have permanently changed how schools operate. More districts are implementing methods for sharing information quickly as needs arise – in many cases, daily. While sending emails and SMS messages are still popular, schools can also use their interactive displays to send important alerts and messages so that teachers, school staff, students, and parents can stay informed. The award-winning ProColor interactive display by Boxlight has recently added MimioMessage - an easy-to-use application that turns the display into a communications tool.  

Barry Sunder, Central Regional Manager with Boxlight, recently spoke with Larry Jacobs from Equity and Access Pre K-12 (ace-ed.org) on how large interactive flat panel displays can improve engagement for students with special needs. Sunder who has experience working with students with special needs, as well as a wife and sister who are both Special Education teachers, shares that in special needs classrooms, the use of technology has “gone up another level.” Referencing an experience his sister had with a student, he says, “His attention span was about 15-20 seconds. He has seizures. When he got in front of that board, (his) time with seizures was reduced. He was up there focused on that activity.”

The Boxlight team sends out a huge congratulations to Trox and Tierney on coming together to form one powerhouse of a business across the USA and Canada. Trox is our number one partner for Mimio, our K-12 division, and Tierney our number one Clevertouch customer and exclusive partner in the USA. This new super business will bring untold benefits to their customers as well as the Boxlight brands Mimio and Clevertouch.

Aleasha Stevens, Education Consultant for Boxlight, will be hosting four educational webinars in April that will focus on how technology can help improve learning in different teaching scenarios. As a former classroom teacher, literacy program director, and VP of Education services, she has the experience and knowledge to help educators see how technology can add dimension to what they already do in the classroom. As a passionate advocate of teachers and students, she has designed four webinar discussions that will help empower teachers to use what they have in optimal ways.

In late December of last year, Congress approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 in response to the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has created. In the CAA, over $54 billion is available for K-12 schools to use, which is in addition to what was provided in the CARES Act ($13.2 billion). The purpose of these funds includes purchasing materials and education technology to address learning loss and improve school facilities and infrastructure to reduce the risk of transmitting the coronavirus. Funding will be available through September 2022. There will be instructions from both the federal government and each state to explain the process the overall process of using the funding.

Boxlight is excited to announce that the Boxlight Store for accessories and software is now open to serve customers in the UK. We understand the need to expedite the process of purchasing accessories for your Boxlight hardware. On the homepage, simply click ‘Accessories’ and purchase items such as cables, remote controls, and stylus pens. Help educators maintain the flow of learning by having the accessories they need in one convenient place.

As a friend of Boxlight and a member of the education community, we know that you are committed to keeping children learning, even when schools are closed. Our Professional Development team has been hard at work developing new resources and tools that are specifically focused on helping educators and parents transition to distance learning.

In the spirit of community, we have created Boxlight Together, the easiest way to access a curated set of courses, tools and events to support a digital learning transition. All of these resources are now and will always be free of charge.

On Boxlight Together you will find: