Central Kitsap School District (Silverdale, WA) is a large district with 12 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 2 high schools, a secondary school (grades 6 – 12), and a K-12 community school serving over 11,500 students. A primary goal for Central Kitsap SD is to make sure that students have the skills needed to face challenges “in school and beyond graduation.” To do this, the district Department of Information Services and Technology (DIS) works to provide the technology needed to support, and spark, student learning in innovative ways. DIS faced the challenge of trying to extend the value of aging, wall-mounted projectors of varying ages and functionalities. They wanted a teaching and learning solution that would not only allow for more STEM integration, but essentially serve as a multi-use product to update their science learning environments.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that helps teachers create flexible learning environments that can accommodate students’ unique learning needs. Research shows that when teachers incorporate UDL, they are better able to meet the comprehensive needs of their students, including students with learning disabilities. The goal of UDL is to implement a variety of methods to engage students, represent information, and encourage students to actively participate and express themselves. Essentially, the application of UDL eliminates barriers to learning.

EdTech Breakthrough, part of Tech Breakthrough - a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes industry leaders in the education technology market – has awarded our MimioConnect Blended Learning Platform as Classroom Technology Innovation of the Year in its third annual EdTech Breakthrough Awards program. The mission of the EdTech Breakthrough Awards is to honor excellence and recognize innovation, hard work, and success in a range of educational technology categories. This year’s program attracted more than 2,000 nominations from over 17 different countries.

At Boxlight, we are excited to announce the launch of our Financial Services Program and partnership with TEQlease Capital, a technology equipment financing company. The program enables schools and organizations to lease or finance Boxlight Mimio and Clevertouch branded technology solutions, helping you get the tech you need, when you need it.

Applying for lease financing is quick and easy. Rates can start as low as 1.49%, and approval can take less than a day. In addition, we offer a wide range of options including financing, leasing, monthly or annual payments, and deferred payments.  

Fairland Primary School (Fairland Laerskool), a government primary school in Johannesburg, South Africa, strives to unlock every student’s potential and help them develop as successful independent learners. To do this, staff must have the tools needed to provide quality education. While looking for alternative solutions to aging classroom technology, Fairland decision-makers were introduced to the Clevertouch interactive touchscreen displays.

Hickory Creek Elementary School (Warren County Schools, McMinnville, TN) has a vision of motivating their students to “strive for academic excellence” so that they are empowered to “become productive members of society.” Principal Mike Mansfield and Katrina Haley, Director of Technology at Warren County Schools, understand that this generation’s children are digital natives so to best serve their needs, as well as prepare them for the future, they look for education technology solutions that will engage both students and teachers.

It is nothing new that teachers juggle multiple resources, tools, and programs with the aim of providing their students with high-quality instruction that is engaging and improves their learning progress. With the move to remote and hybrid learning for many schools, teachers also had to juggle multiple platforms, software, and applications to facilitate synchronous learning sessions that would help students overcome education-related challenges. But does it have to be this way?

Ensuring that every student in a class has access to high-quality instruction is an ongoing need for many schools, especially when considering how students with disabilities have varying educational objectives. In recent years, teachers have explored different technologies to support student learning including but not limited to interactive hardware, software, and apps. Teachers have found quite a few of these technology solutions to positively engage students and support active learning.

Barry Sunder, Central Regional Manager with Boxlight, spoke with Larry Jacobs from Equity and Access Pre K-12 (ace-ed.org) on how large interactive displays (interactive flat panel displays, interactive boards, interactive panels) can improve engagement for students with disabilities. Sunder who has experience working with students with disabilities and special needs, as well as having a wife and a sister who are both Special Education teachers, shares that in these 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.”

Shamrock Independent School District (Shamrock, TX, U.S.) has long strived to provide its teachers and students with innovative technology to engage and boost active participation in all grades, whatever the situation. A case in point, they were able to respond quickly to school closures due to the pandemic because they are a 1:1 school and students could connect to remote learning without extensive issues.