Bob Wallace, a now retired high school biology teacher in Crawfordville, Florida, was resolute in his goal that his students graduate with a full range of academic skill sets and technical knowledge that would prepare them for a successful future. In his over 30 years of teaching, he found that textbooks alone could rarely explain important concepts that kept his students engaged and employed a variety of strategies to explain difficult science concepts to his students. He was consistently on the lookout for options that would keep his students engaged. He stated, “Over the years, I’ve used a lot of different things. I have done drawings on boards, still magnets, and I’ve used beads – the beads go bouncing all over the place and you end up losing all of them.”

Hands-on learning has shown to increase student engagement and boost problem solving and critical thinking skills, creating a classroom environment buzzing with the sounds of active learning. There are scores of news articles and social media posts of teachers and students using state-of-the-art technology to maximize the learning experience. Do you know of an educator who would like to incorporate more STEM-related technology in their teaching?

It’s that time of the year again…ISTE! The annual ISTE Conference and Expo is well-known for its informative sessions with expert educators and ed tech specialists, giving everyone a variety of opportunities to make connections and learn about new and innovative tools for teaching and learning. Of course, the hustle and bustle of educators talking, learning, and laughing throughout the conference space will be different this year. Now all the lively conversations, motivating sessions, and exhibitor demonstrations will all be done virtually. ISTE20 Live will be experienced via an online, interactive platform from November 29 through December 5 and Boxlight will be there!

It goes without saying that 2020 has been quite THE year. Boxlight has made big moves including the appointment of new CEO Michael Pope, the acquisition of Robo3D and MyStemKits, and the launch of MimioConnect® Blended Learning Platform designed in part to answer districts’ needs for innovative, simple-to-use tools for distance or hybrid teaching and learning.

Boxlight ProColor Series 3 display supports OTA firmware updates. This functionality requires that the built-in Android OS on the display is connected to a live internet connection. OTA firmware updates are helpful in keeping the panel up to date with the latest apps versions and bug fixes available. By using the OTA method versus a manual method, file settings are retained.

On October 7, 2020, Boxlight UK and EMEA held its first virtual event for Partners. The event began with Boxlight CEO Michael Pope and Sahara CEO Mark Starkey sharing the combined mission and vision for the company. The acquisition of Sahara Presentation Systems PLC will greatly strengthen the presence in the technology solutions markets globally. Michael and Mark helped set the tone for the rest of this inaugural event, reinforcing that Boxlight is in a powerful position to become the leader in education technology worldwide.

Moving forward, activation of Mimio products will be different. For Boxlight hardware such as our Interactive Displays and MimioFrame, a user will be provided a license key. This will allow them to activate additional software now included with each new panel and display.

On August 20, 2020, we held our first Boxlight Virtual Event for Partners. The event began with CEO Michael Pope sharing a short video of the successful and supportive relationship we have with Clayton County Public Schools. If you haven’t already done so, listen to a podcast with both April Mayo, Director of Instructional Technology with CCPS, and Dr. Alex Leis, CEO of Boxlight-EOS: Clayton County Schools GA – The Return to School and the Use of High Tech Professional Development. This was followed by a brief discussion of the state of education and our mission in the global smart education and learning market, as well as Boxlight financial and product highlights.

Boxlight has partnered with Samsung to provide an impressive education bundle: classroom displays, teaching and learning software, and professional development.