When it comes to working with student data, most tech-savvy educators know how powerful spreadsheets can be. A basic knowledge of formulas and functions makes it possible for a teacher to generate quality information, reports, and charts. But the typical teacher grade book doesn’t allow for much data manipulation. Student scores on particular assignments in a grade book don’t necessarily show teachers whether students have mastered the material.

While grade books are probably here to stay, there is an additional tool that can help teachers gather more information from their students’ grades, including student mastery and testing information. It’s the Conditional Formatting function in Google Sheets.  

In most classrooms, individualized learning is the norm, and it can be problematic for many teachers. How can a teacher possibly keep all the students learning at a level that is challenging for each of them? How can a teacher tap into students’ curiosity to keep them motivated to learn? And how can a teacher make sure that all students have access to learning all the content standards? Short videos may be the answer.

Finding the Right Videos

Online videos are one powerful solution to these challenges. Students’ learning changes when they have a connected device to help them learn. But the number of methods for learning new information is almost endless on the Internet. Who has the time to sift through them all?

We’ve put together a “go-to” list of excellent sites with short videos that teachers can use to provide content knowledge and standards-based tutorials, or to tap into the curiosity of students.

What is STEM?

The acronym stands for Science/Technology/Engineering/Math, and it typically is used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and technology development. STEM Curriculum Specialist Nancy Tsupros defines it more specifically as follows:

STEM education is an interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy. (Tsupros, 2009)

STEM was created to encourage a greater focus on science and math disciplines, in order to build a workforce equipped for the high-tech jobs in the future. Simply teaching math and science using technology cannot accomplish this. STEM is about changing the way we approach these disciplines. It’s about going beyond the classroom and prepping students for the real world. 

As an educational technology specialist and enrichment teacher, it is important to me to plan projects that incorporate various subject areas. Tailoring my classes using project-based learning allows students to apply knowledge and skills from one subject (such as math) to understand and perform tasks for another subject (such as science). Team planning with teachers allows me to identify ways to share curriculum, aligning learning through multiple disciplines, and supporting creativity. On the student side, learning is scaffolded, as knowledge is built from one subject upon another.

The following are examples of various cross-curricular projects my students have completed, which are focused on grades 1-6.

While it can often be frustrating to teach writing, it’s equally frustrating for students to learn how to write well. Students understand the importance of being a good, clear writer, but grasping the concepts and ideas teachers are trying to convey is often challenging.

Here are four practical ways that sharing student writing can lead them to become better writers:

As an educator, you’re in a position to empower your students to become better learners and better people. Most of the time we recognize the positive influence we have on our students, but there may be times when we feel we need new ways to motivate them and create a culture of involvement. Here are 10 tips you can use to help create a culture that makes learning a priority.

Merry and Oh So Bright!

Everyone is counting down the days to holiday break – students and teachers alike. To power all of us through the end of the year, we’re bringing you some holiday cheer today. We asked fellow educators, administrators, and Mimio parents to share the holiday traditions that are observed in their schools and classrooms. These stories put a smile on our faces and also gave us some great ideas for next year.

Wonderful holiday traditions bring fun, the joy of giving, and the spirit of learning to one and all. Enjoy!

Mimio’s new webinars highlight such key topics as collaboration, effective lesson design, and the benefits of an online community.

Mimio is extremely excited to kick off the Spring Webinar series with our first session, Classroom Collaboration with Mimio on Tuesday, February, 10, 2015. The Spring Webinar series is hosted by educators who use Mimio every day in their classrooms or districts to engage and inspire their students. That's exactly what they will do for you in informative sessions covering topics from collaborative learning to integrating technology simply and easily into your lessons, and learning about the advantages of our online teaching community.

Get ready to get organized!


The first day of school is just around the corner – are you prepared for the 2014-15 school year? To help you start the year off right, we’ve got a Content Pack filled with "housekeeping" classroom templates and resources for customizing activities. This free Content Pack, available from the MimioConnect® online teaching community, will help you and your students get ready to get down to business.

Create fun lessons with these Valentine's Day inspired activities, artwork, and templates!

Share the LOVE. This Valentine Gallery Content Pack is full of activities, templates, and clip art, providing hearts, flowers, and cute Valentine characters. Students will enjoy practicing multiplication facts, putting hearts in alphabetical order, solving word problems, and much more. Better yet, take the templates and images and create just what you need for your classroom. It’s quick and easy! Download Now >>

Happy Valentine's Day! 

If you're not already a member of the MimioConnect community, sign up today. It's easy and it’s free!

Get Your Valentine Gallery Content Pack Now >>