There has been a huge shift in AV discussions this year geared toward Mimio boards and how they are being used instructionally in the classroom. DTLs, teachers, ECTS personnel, and Ed Tech specialists have collaborated this year more than ever on exploring the innovation that Mimios bring to schools. One question was always left on the table... How are teachers using the boards in their classrooms? Ed Tech got the opportunity to go on a WORLD (School) TOUR and dive deeper into how these boards are being used instructionally in Jeffco.

Christi Reed, DTL at Westridge, and teachers throughout the building were gracious enough to set up a few classrooms for us to view at Westridge Elementary. In third grade with Mandi Lawrence and Abby Fehr, students were singing along with a YouTube video about quadrilaterals playing through the device. The teacher was able to pause and engage the students to trace/name the shapes being described for math vocabulary. Third graders also completed a whole-group Seesaw lesson sorting shapes to classify rectangles.

Second grade teachers Leslie Aranjo and Brooke Lundgren annotated with the pen tools to point out key features and vocabulary of PebbleGo  to give her students focus. Students were engaged in research on natural disasters and floods. They also projected their math slide deck for students in a small-group review lesson.

In fifth grade with Allison Olis and Sherri Kissinger, students were completing a QR scavenger hunt on their Chromebooks and sharing their responses to the Mimio board via the Unplug'd app. The Unplug'd app allows teachers and students to connect to the Mimio boards for wireless teaching. Other fifth graders were explaining their math thinking on the board with multiple students showing their work. Mimio boards can handle up to 20 touches at a time! 

Many teachers are interested in how to annotate directly on your Google Slides. Crystal Fassbinder and Kim Fulcomer at Warder Elementary dove head first into a Mimio app called Lynx to solve this problem. They connected their Google Drives and pulled up their Google Slides in the app to annotate throughout their lessons. Lynx also lets you co-create interactive Lynx lessons on your board or through the Lynx app on your device with live links, Lynx virtual manipulatives/games, visuals, and more! Crystal notes, "The Mimio Board is engaging and interactive with my students. I love the ease of the board and how I am able to access multiple platforms quickly and easily. As I learn more about Lynx, and spend more time using it, I realize that it is a solid replacement for SMART and allows me to present my information in a slide show way while still interacting and saving the students' writing and thinking."

Evergreen Middle School DTL, Christine Robb, was able to connect us with a 7th grade math teacher Emily Warren. Emily was proficient with the Mimio board and demonstrated next-level understanding. Emily used the Unplug'd app and Annotate extension on her device to write on the board from the back of the room. She was also slowly introducing her students to sharing their screens using the Unplug'd app. Students created their own reflection of shapes on a coordinate plane, then projected two computers to solve each other's problems.

Math teachers, Mike Nishioka and Eric Ponicsan at Golden HS are using tablets with their Mimios and see them upgraded SMART Boards. DTL Christy DeMeyer noted that others in the school have taken their SMART Notebook lessons they created and transferred them to MimioStudio Notebook lessons.

Our Ed Tech and AV Team want to thank the teachers and DTLs for helping us better understand how these boards are being used in their classrooms. We hope that this blog will give others insight on usage across the district and can help them make informed decisions about AV in their schools.

As always, we suggest that teachers start small and build a solid foundation. 

• Create a copy of Ed Tech's Levels of Usage document to help guide teachers' comfortability levels with the Mimio boards. 
• Join Boxlight's free online PD on ProColor Series 3 and MimioStudio Basics.
• Read our Ed Tech ebook on Getting Started with your Mimio Interactive Panel.
• Watch Boxlight's YouTube videos on the interactive boards.
• Research best AV solutions for your school and reach out to your IT and Ed Tech specialists for more information and a discussion on best options for your school.
• Reach out to schools in your area that have boards installed already.

Thank you to all of our dedicated teachers in Jeffco who truly strive and intentionally plan for equity and inclusion with tech integration! Want to learn more about equity and integrating technology with special needs students? Check out these resources: Equity Considerations for Teachers & Leaders and  Assistive Technology Team Resources  (for qualifying students).

Also, check out our partner blog The Pulse. 

Seth's passion for teaching, technology and most importantly his students shines through in all of his work.  His school and Jeffco are lucky to have him as part of #TeamJeffco.

Looking for a few books and podcasts to inspire you and fill your soul? In our Twitter chat this month, we asked participants to share their favorite Ed Tech reads. See their recommendations below! And, if you have a recommendation, be sure to share it with us on Twitter: #JeffcoChat + @JeffcoEdTech

When it comes to raising children in a digital world, every parent feels underprepared and overwhelmed. We worry that our children will become addicted to online games, be victims of cyberbullying, or get lost down the rabbit hole of social media. We warn them about all the things they shouldn't do online, but we don't do nearly enough to teach them the skills of digital well-being.
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It's time to start a new conversation. In Digital for Good, EdTech expert Richard Culatta argues that technology can be a powerful tool for learning, solving humanity's toughest problems, and bringing us closer together. He offers a refreshingly positive framework for preparing kids to be successful in a digital world—one that encourages them to use technology proactively and productively—by outlining five qualities every young person should develop in order to become a thriving, contributing digital citizen.

Kids walk into schools full of wonder and questions. How you, as an educator, respond to students’ natural curiosity can help further their own exploration and shape the way they learn today and in the future.

The traditional system of education requires students to hold their questions and compliantly stick to the scheduled curriculum. But our job as educators is to provide new and better opportunities for our students. It’s time to recognize that compliance doesn’t foster innovation, encourage critical thinking, or inspire creativity—and those are the skills our students need to succeed.

Book    Blog    Podcast

During these times, we are all having to find new ways to connect.  Join me every week as I talk with people that inspire me, about love, life, leadership, and silver linings. The hope is that we all leave with something I think we need these days… A Bit of Optimism.

The pandemic teaching of mid-2020 was not really distance learning, but rather crisis teaching. But starting now, teachers have the opportunity to prepare for distance learning with purpose and intent―using what works best to accelerate students’ learning all the while maintaining an indelible focus on equity.
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Harnessing the insights and experience of renowned educators Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie, The Distance Learning Playbook applies the wisdom and evidence of VISIBLE LEARNING® research to understand what works best with distance learning. Spanning topics from teacher-student relationships, teacher credibility and clarity, instructional design, assessments, and grading, this comprehensive playbook details the research- and evidence-based strategies teachers can mobilize to deliver high- impact learning in an online, virtual, and distributed environment.

Teach Like a Champion offers effective teaching techniques to help teachers, especially those in their first few years, become champions in the classroom. These powerful techniques are concrete, specific, and are easy to put into action the very next day. Training activities at the end of each chapter help the reader further their understanding through reflection and application of the ideas to their own practice.

Host Kasey Bell, is an edtech leader, international speaker, author, blogger, and digital learning coach for K-12 teachers. Kasey helps teachers learn how to meaningfully integrate technology in the classroom through her expert presentations, on-air coaching calls, and powerful interviews with educational leaders and discussions with student guests. Learn how to integrate technology and digital learning tools, grow as a leader, refine your instructional strategies, and transform your classroom. Kasey is also an expert in Google for Education and G Suite tools, as well as Google Certifications. If you’re looking for PRACTICAL ideas that you can use in class tomorrow, look no further. The Shake Up Learning Show will help you become a more dynamic teacher and Shake Up Learning in your classroom!

Podcast   Book