Is it time to fire up gaming consoles in classrooms?

What might the use of video games and game consoles in the classroom look like to engage students with a model they’re already invested in?

Digital learning has become a significant part of education as a result of the pandemic, and schools are continually finding innovative ways to engage and motivate students online. So, with Ofcom revealing six in ten children played games online in 2021, what might the use of video gaming in the … Read More

Will gamification replace paper tests?

Gamified assessments can provide richer data for a more holistic analysis of students' skills and progress

Nearly everyone remembers the stress of taking a test in school. In-class exams have the power to make even the most dedicated of students quake with fear, not to mention the damage they can do to the egos of struggling learners. For some students, the stress causes their minds to … Read More

5 ways to engage your students with Minecraft

The game-based learning platform promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive digital environment

As an educator for over 27 years and a Digital Learning Specialist (social studies) for the past 7 years in Atlanta Public Schools, I have supported educators across my district and beyond as they purposefully integrate technology in the classroom to promote engagement and 21st century skill development. While there … Read More

3 ways gamification engages students

Gamification can help students overcome some of the troubles that accompany virtual learning--here's how

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, hundreds of thousands of K-12 and college students have transitioned to online learning. However, not all teachers have received the adequate resources and training needed to teach remotely. One of the major issues teachers are struggling with is effectively engaging students. In a … Read More

How Minecraft leads to engaging play and strong learning

Minecraft is more than a popular sandbox game--it offers limitless engaging learning potential for all students

Of all the tools available to educators today, Minecraft is fast becoming one of the most useful. It may seem strange that we say that about a video game, but it is the case. Put aside the popularity of Minecraft, which has sold over 200 million copies, and you find … Read More

Gamification tools that increase student engagement

Gamification offers many benefits for teachers and students alike--here's how to integrate these tools into your instruction

Who out there doesn’t enjoy some form of game? Whether it be watching or playing a sport, a card game, a board game, or video games, most people would say they at least enjoy one. Games are part of many people’s lives–so why not use them to benefit students when … Read More

How mixed reality glasses can help struggling readers

Young readers read scientific text using mixed reality glasses to deliver supplementary content in the virtual world

Imagine you are a struggling reader. You dread reading…in any class. You feel like a failure, and you are starting to hate school. One day, your science teacher brings in a Microsoft HoloLens headset. You put on the mixed reality glasses and pick up the science article that the teacher … Read More

How an AI tutor more than tripled my school’s literacy rates during the pandemic

The AI tutor helps teachers by lightening workloads and providing recordings and simple reports to understand students’ reading deficiencies

In pandemic and post-pandemic era education, teachers, school leaders, and parents have been concerned with getting kids back on grade level and closing the achievement gap. In fact, according to the most recent Educator Confidence Report from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 62 percent of teachers say students falling behind is a … Read More

Building the ‘why’ into a districtwide literacy implementation

A dean of elementary literacy explains how she is working with multiple stakeholders to get buy-in across a large district

At Rockford Public Schools, we have a strong commitment to literacy growth. We take a comprehensive approach beginning with our foundational curriculum. Foundational literacy instruction accounts for 50 minutes of the literacy framework; this includes up to 30 minutes for core instruction and 20 minutes engaged in the aligned software. … Read More

How our reading platform changed our instruction

How literacy platforms designed for teachers can help them master reading instruction

Nearly all students can learn how to read, yet only 35 percent of them are reading proficiently. This widening gap seems insurmountable, but the bottom line is that teachers are the most essential factor in student reading success. However, here’s the problem as I see it: only about half of … Read More