Mobile devices have a deep and positive impact on student learning, but are still in the early adoption stage.

Survey conducted by MDR’s EdNET Insights on behalf of Mimio

Mobile devices are well on their way to becoming an integral part of K-12 instruction, and they are having a noticeably positive impact on students’ learning experiences. These are the major findings from a recent survey conducted by MDR’s EdNET Insight service on behalf of Mimio. This was the third annual survey authorized by Mimio to gain a deeper understanding of educators’ and students’ experience and needs within the interactive classroom.

While mobile devices are best known for their use in 1:1 or BYOD programs, the school administrators, technology directors, and coordinators who were the survey’s targeted respondents revealed that mobile learning is not at all restricted to such environments.

Some 75 percent of respondents indicated that their districts or schools were purchasing the devices for use by select grade levels or in specific content areas, rather than the more universal approaches of 1:1 implementation and BYOD programs.

Get the Funding You Need for the Technology You Want

The U.S. Department of Education offers a variety of funds that can help you get the technology you need and want for your schools, but the rules concerning these funds can seem complicated and confusing. To help clear away some of the confusion, we’ll be summarizing the requirements of five different funds over the next few weeks, beginning with the Title IV, Part B fund for 21st Century Community Learning Centers. Find out how you can make the technology you want one step closer.

 

Welcome to our new monthly blog, “Training with Travis.” Travis Rink currently runs Mimio’s Training program, works with our teacher teams, and assists with the MimioConnect® online community website. His 16 years as a teacher make him perfect at knowing what really works in the classroom when it comes to training, technology, and teaching. Travis looks forward to this new avenue of reaching out to educators and to getting your insights into technology, training, and teaching. 

5 Easy Ways to Get Started with New Technology in Your Classroom

So, you have some new technology that your principal gave you at the start of the year, but you haven't fully embraced it in your classroom? You’re not alone. Most teachers have limited time in their busy day to implement everything they would like to do. Combine that problem with a possible lack of support and appropriate training from your school district, and it’s clear why successful implementation of technology can be more cumbersome that it should be.  To break through the time constraints, here are a few helpful tips:

Want to easily integrate technology into your lessons?

Join us online for the webinar, Seamless Integration of Curriculum and Technology presented by High School Math Teacher Sarah Coughlin. 

From software to hardware, to an online teaching community packed with free lessons, Mimio solutions can help you create an exciting interactive learning environment. In this webinar, learn how curriculum and technology work together seamlessly in the Mimio classroom. Get the latest on new Mimio products that work with Apple and Android mobile devices to create a more engaging and collaborative learning environment. Register Now. >>

These days, everyone in education tech is talking about Chromebooks. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re really just inexpensive laptops running a Chrome OS. These devices are designed to be used primarily when connected to the Internet, though they have some functionality even offline. If you’re wondering whether you should buy them for your school, here’s a breakdown of the top pros and cons so you can better understand what these devices do or don’t offer.

Want to make your lessons more effective?

We are pleased to introduce a new monthly series of blog articles featuring cool, engaging, and unique things you can do with interactive technology tools. Each article will present a number of ways in which you can leverage the capabilities of a specific tool. We will cover everything from interactive whiteboards to assessment systems, and every article will show you new ways to make your classroom more engaging and fun for your students. 

Our first featured product is the document camera. Document cameras such as the MimioView™ document camera are relatively small cameras that a teacher can connect to the classroom computer and/or projector to show the class still images or live video on the front-of-the-room display.

How One School District Found Affordable Classroom Technology with Mimio

The largest district in the state of Montana, Billings Public Schools (BPS), was first introduced to Mimio in 2001, after Technology Integration Specialist Desiree Caskey secured a $1,000 grant from Billings’ school foundation to outfit classrooms with interactive whiteboards. She began researching what solutions might work, but soon realized that the district couldn’t afford the usual fixed whiteboard models. With a bit more research, she found the MimioTeach interactive whiteboard. Since the MimioTeach system uses the dry erase boards already in the classroom – and the device can easily be moved from classroom to classroom – its price is much more affordable.

“The Mimio technology has become the basis for my lesson
preparation and has enhanced both the way I teach and the involvement of my students in their learning process.”
- Bill Baumann, Teacher

Want to learn how to really collaborate?

Join Mimio for the webinar, Classroom Collaboration with Mimio presented by High School Social Studies Teacher Paul Gigliotti. 

Students must learn collaboration skills to be successful in school and in their lives. With MimioStudio™ software and the MimioMobile™ app for Apple and Android mobile devices, educators now have fabulous new tools to help students learn how to work together. This webinar will provide tips and suggestions for using the many features of these updated tools to facilitate and encourage collaboration in your classroom. You will also be introduced to some of the new collaboration lessons and activities that are available at no charge on mimioconnect.com. Register Now. >>

Understanding, Practice, Engagement, and a New Model of Assessment

Mobile devices allow for much more accessible, real-time formative assessment in schools. Teachers are finding that they can immediately assess how well their students are learning, and then adjust their teaching based on this feedback. With so many mobile devices already present in most classrooms, using them for assessment can also save on the cost of purchasing other types of assessment systems.

As Tech Specialist Lindy George notes, “District mobile devices…allow us to monitor student understanding of concepts to better inform instruction, and for formative assessment they have replaced the purchase of any type of ‘clicker’ system.”

While mobile devices are ideal for quickly checking student levels of understanding, there are other benefits to be gained from using them for assessment. We list the most popular ways to use them for assessment here.