Educators and tech leaders look back on 2016; predict where edtech trends in teaching and learning will head this new year. With every new year comes new ideas. To get a glimpse into what the next 12 months will hold for everything from professional development to digital learning, and from communication to virtual reality, 15 ed tech luminaries looked back on 2016 edtech trends to help predict what’s in store for 2017. Here’s what they said:

At Moss, we partner with Boxlight to provide affordable solutions for:

• Whole Class Learning
• Collaborative Learning
• Assessments 
• STEM

If you are looking to keep up with the latest ed-tech trends, we can customize a solution affordable on almost every education budget. You tell us - what solutions you are looking to implement in your classrooms in 2017? How can we help? 

Have you checked out our MimioTraining™ Quick Learn series yet? It’s a great place to find tips to enhance your lessons, learn how to integrate our products into your curriculum, and stay on top of the latest education trends. We offer a variety of sessions every month taught by Mimio Expert teachers, as well as On-Demand recorded sessions, created to help educators achieve their classroom goals.

A few of the topics covered in the MimioTraining Quick Learn series:

• MimioStudio: Putting Instructional Design to Work (60 min) (New!)
• Mimio Goes Mobile: Set Up and Support (60 min)
• MimioTeach: Set Up and Overview (60 min)
• A Tour of MimioStudio (60 min)

This is a small sample of the lessons available. Each session is taught by teachers who have succcessfully integrated this technology in their classroom, so they can provide real insight and best practices. Click below to check out these or other lesson topics. 

Your turn -- share your greatest technology integration tip in the comments below!

Afinia is always looking to improve the user experience for educators, which is why they asked for your feedback, and incorporated your suggestions into the new and improved H800+. The updated 3D printer includes: 

• Fully-enclosed system with HEPA filtration
• Fully-automated platform leveling and height sensing
• *WiFi Connectivity
• *Power loss print recovery and “out of filament” pause switch
• *Customizable nozzle and platform temperatures
• 30% faster
• Ultra-fine 100-micron print resolution
• One button filament color changing
• *Upgraded printhead and gantry system
• Smart support material technology
• Easy filament spool loading
  

*  New to the H800+

Award-Winning InnovationThe Afinia H800+ 3D printer won the RAPID 2015 Exhibitor Innovation Award, which recognizes the most innovative new products or services exhibited at RAPID that are judged to have the greatest potential impact on the industry. Afinia 3D was selected as the recipient by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ (SME) Rapid Technologies & Additive Manufacturing (RTAM) Committee.
TechZone 360 also chose the Afinia H800+ 3D Printer for their 2015 3D Printing Excellence Award, citing Afinia 3D as a leader within the 3D printing industry. The TechZone 360 3D Printing Excellence Award identifies products, services, and applications that are driving the growth and evolution of 3D Printing from niche market hype to mainstream reality.
Learn More
This printer boasts the largest print surface for large-format designs, and superior print resolution to similar 3D printers on the market. Download an updated spec sheet, or contact Moss for more information. 

Weigh in: will these improvements make a difference in your classroom? How will you incorporate this updated technology? 

​Let’s talk about management systems for a moment. Classroom management is one of the crucial, key components of success in a Pitsco lab. If you’ve taught using Pitsco, you have likely seen the migration from Colleague to Synergy. Now, there is a migration under way to ITC.
 
ITC stands for “In The Cloud”, or a cloud-based management package. This technology makes the teacher more nimble, and gives back more control of the classroom instruction. We’ve compiled a list of the top benefits of using this classroom management system:

1. Real-time assessments
2. The ability to create custom assessments
3. A variety of student data reports
4. Content extensions
5. The ability to set Destinations, tasks, and Resources to required or optional

 
Students can monitor and manage their learning experience. 
Synergy ITC allows each student to log on – individually or with his or her partner – to complete assigned Expeditions, activities, and assessments. Students learn through hands-on, multimodal, collaborative activities while navigating through a digital Expedition at their own pace.
 
Each benefit amounts to one thing – more teacher control and more customization, which equals a better experience for both student and teacher.
 
Did you know? Pitsco adds an average of 10 features each month to ITC, based on user feedback. If you have a question or a suggestion, you can share via phone, email or live chat.
 
Have you used ITC management from Pitsco? Let us know what you think (and how we can help make your experience unforgettable!) 

We hear a lot about how important it is for today’s students to develop 21st century skills, in addition to ‘the basics.' The 4 C's (Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity) are often described as the ‘new basics.’ Learn how 3D design and printing can help students develop these vital new basics on Makers Empire's blog.

We want to hear from you -- do you use 3D printing in your classroom? How is it helping you teach the 4 C's of Education? 

Our Troubled World Requires a Skilled STEM Workforce
Elements of STEM are integral to our nation’s economy – from health care to infrastructure needs, energy, and the environment. That’s why one of the most important tasks we have as educators is to encourage our students to consider careers in STEM. To get them to that point, they need to develop the ability to question and plan ways through experimentation to find viable solutions.

Do I Have a Dynamite Class Lesson? 
Have you ever asked yourself, “Do I have a class lesson that I could sell tickets for?” In other words, a lesson that students will absorb and remember, and that will leave them excited to take the next step?  A lesson that does that probably includes more than just abstract theory or memorization of concepts.  It probably also challenges the students with “out-of-the-box” thinking (aka critical thinking) through self or team experimentation – which is a lot more interesting and engaging than listening to a teacher lecture or demonstrate a science concept.
As long as students are learning, you can use any means possible to turn on the “light bulb.” There is no more important gift than teaching students how science works through application and experimentation.

​Continue Reading...

​Launching new technology isn’t as challenging as flying to the moon, but both require many of the same components for success. You need clear goals, good planning and testing, reliable and expert partners, and tools to get the job done easily and effectively.

BOXLIGHT|Mimio has created this comprehensive guide with input from our experts, who have experienced many successful technology launches. The lessons they learned along the way can help you navigate your next mission.