How EdTech Tools Are Changing Special Education n

A look at the tech tools transforming education

The number of students receiving special education has been on a steady incline for years. According to Pew Research, about 15% of students enrolled in public schools in the U.S. during the 2021-22 school year had a disability. EdTech tools are helping schools meet the growing demand for learning that supports a student’s unique needs. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the different types of edtech that might be used in special education.

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology refers broadly to technology designed to support activities of daily life. Most of us use some form of assistive technology in our daily lives, such as a pair of reading glasses that allows us to read fine print. A higher-tech example is a screen reader that can translate written text to braille. Both Microsoft and Google have features that are compatible with braille display devices.

Text-to-speech software is a form of assistive technology that translates text into audio, allowing students who have physical conditions or a learning disability that prevents them from reading to access text. Microsoft’s Immersive Reader incorporates tools like read aloud, text decoding and an image dictionary.

For students with ADHD or other executive functioning challenges, who may struggle to organize their thoughts, an app like Mind Node can help them organize and outline their ideas before sitting down to write.

Sip and puff devices enable users to command a device by using air pressure. By using the mouth to sip or puff air, students can control their wheelchair or computer.

Assistive technology can even be something unexpected, like a virtual sensory room. A virtual sensory room enables students who get easily overstimulated or emotionally disregulated to access calming tools, such as listening to a meditation, participating in a guided breathing exercise, listening to soothing music or watching a live animal camera.

Augmented and Alternative Communication

Augmented and alternative communication (AAC) refers to a variety of ways in which people who have limited or no verbal speech may communicate with others. Examples of AAC range from American Sign Language (ASL) to voice recognition software that enables learners to communicate with their teachers and peers. In a classroom setting, a student might use a device to communicate with teachers via text or visual images.

Beyond Education and Into the Workplace

Several of our partners have made significant strides in creating more inclusive technology and embracing inclusivity among their workforce. Microsoft has created the Inclusive Tech Lab, a facility devoted to inclusion in daily life, including in the areas of education and gaming. People with disabilities can visit the lab to interact with assistive and adaptive technology. Google has launched the Start With One program, which highlights individual makers and innovators who harness Google technology to solve a problem or make life easier in some way. Dell launched a Neurodiversity Hiring Program in addition to True Ability, an employee resource group that supports employees with disabilities.

Want to know more about how educational technology can help students with disabilities thrive in school and prepare for the future? Let’s talk!

The Evolution of Classroom Design: How to Create Engaging and Collaborative Learning Spaces

As we shift further away from the days of a one-size-fits-all education, the classrooms of the past– rows of uniform, neatly spaced desks facing a teacher poised at a blackboard– are being phased out, too. As school districts and educators move towards an educational model that emphasizes inclusion, acknowledges learning differences and balances technology with opportunities to practice social-emotional learning and soft skills, classroom design is evolving, too.

Technology

Rapid technological advances are changing the way we live our everyday lives, and education is no exception. Emerging technology such as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are likely to play an important role in classrooms of the future. The immersive nature of virtual reality provides an invaluable way for students– and educators– to learn about subjects that were previously abstract or inaccessible. From lowering the yuck factor in biology class by using virtual reality programs instead of having students dissect real frogs, to simulating travel to other countries and even planets, the possibilities for more engaging, immersive learning are infinite.

Technology has also helped increase accessibility. Students, teachers and parents can stay connected during times when they can’t meet in person. For instance, some districts continue to offer virtual parent-teacher conferences, which could help encourage participation among working parents.

Gamification is another increasingly popular tool in education. While teaching through play isn’t a new concept– as anyone who can recall playing the Oregon Trail game in the 1980s can attest–as the sophistication of technology increases, gamification becomes a more engaging and valuable way for students to learn.

Flexible classrooms

It’s estimated that between 15 - 20% of the population is neurodivergent– an umbrella term that acknowledges that people think, learn and process information differently. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences are all considered to be neurodiverse conditions.

Many educators are already incorporating more expansive seating options as they discover that some students learn better if they’re able to bounce on a balance ball, while others find it easier to focus if they’re positioned away from other students. Classrooms of the future are likely to continue to include flexible seating options such as wobble chairs, wiggle stools and bean bags.

Modular tables, desks or other types of workstations allow teachers to divide students into small groups for collaborative projects or to simply change up seating arrangements so students can get to know their peers.

Outdoor classrooms

To meet the unprecedented challenges of the Covid pandemic, educators were forced to think outside of the box. For many school districts, outdoor classrooms emerged as a way for students and teachers to gather more safely.

As it turns out, the benefits of incorporating outdoor classrooms go far beyond the pandemic. Spending time in nature has been shown to improve students’ focus, reduce stress and improve cognitive performance. Densely populated schools could benefit from using the outdoors as an extension of the classroom. Outdoor learning can also provide the opportunity for students to learn about environmental stewardship as well as skills like gardening and growing food.

Staying on the Cutting Edge

The New Year brings to mind resolutions and fresh, blank calendars– it’s a time for pondering the future and setting goals. But the change of the calendar can also be an ideal time to take a look at where we’ve been and how we’ve evolved. At Arey Jones, we have a rich and extensive history in the educational technology field that stretches back more than 100 years.

Our Humble Roots

Arey Jones was originally founded in 1897. The company was launched to support the stationary and administrative demands of the local education market in San Diego. As technology advanced, the company adapted to meet the shifting needs of educators.

In 1972, the Broadway Typewriter Company, owned by the Scarpella family, purchased Arey Jones. While our business has expanded over the years, at its heart, we’re still a family business. The Scarpellas, who bring their many decades of experience in the k-12 educational technology field, continue to be involved in the daily operations of the business.

We’re Laser Focused on Educational Technology

While Arey Jones has been serving the needs of school districts for more than 100 years, it was in the 1980s and 1990s that we discovered our true calling– harnessing technology to enhance and optimize the k-12 learning environment.

We have a deep understanding of the challenges school districts face amidst the rapid pace of evolving technology because our company has evolved and flexed as technology continues to become a more integral part of life and education. We know that technology can be overwhelming– and we consider it our job to make it less so. We provide hardware, software, integration, service and ongoing support to our clients. From choosing which specific devices are best for students in your district, to imaging and configuration, to setting up carts for charging devices, we’ll be with you every step of the way.

Our staff consists of seasoned professionals who’ve been vetted through background checks to ensure safety within the many schools we serve. Like the Scarpella family, the other members of our senior staff bring decades of experience to work with them.

We Work With the Best

We’re proud to partner with leaders in technology, including Google for Education, Microsoft Education, Dell and HP, to create the best solutions for school districts with varying sizes and needs.

We’d Love to Work With You!

With offices and fulfillment centers located throughout the United States, we’re poised to help school districts nationwide.

Our regional configuration centers allow us to design and implement technology solutions that meet the unique needs of the school districts we serve.

Our services continue well past the sale and installation of technology. Our support team is primed and ready to help with any issues that arise, allowing classrooms to stay focused on learning instead of troubleshooting. Our skilled designers, installers, systems engineers and support staff are ready to help when needed.

Would you like to know more? Contact us to explore how our educational technology solutions can serve your school district.

Cleaning up your Classroom Tech for Summer Break

Cleaning up your Classroom Tech for Summer Break

As the academic calendar winds down, it’s natural for educators and administrators to daydream about their summer plans. But before you leave your classroom behind for the summer, you might devote some time to do some digital decluttering of your devices. Think of it as the virtual version of wiping a chalkboard clean—it takes a little time now, but you’ll appreciate it when you return to the classroom next school year. Here are a few things to consider as you prepare for the summer break.

Decide on a strategy

Are you a dive-in-and-do-it-all-in-one-day type? If so, get out your calendar and schedule a day to spend on digital clean-up. On the other hand, if the thought of spending hours on end sorting through your devices makes your eyes cross, try setting aside smaller chunks of time. Spending just 15 minutes before or after each school day sorting through files can make the task more manageable. 

Delete, delete, delete

With the school year still fresh in your mind, it’s the ideal time to spring clean your devices. Are apps you or your school no longer use taking up space on your devices? Do you have saved parent email lists, photos, or lesson plans from previous school years that you no longer need? Go through and purge any apps, files, bookmarks, emails, and folders that you know you won’t need for the next school year. 

File it

“What if I might need it later?” is a common refrain when decluttering. If you’re finding you have a lot of files, apps, or lessons that you think you might need in the future, it might be helpful to create a “maybe” or “decide later” folder. You could even put a reminder in your calendar now for a date a few months into the next school year to review your “maybe” file.

Reflect. 

Let’s face it—the last few years have been incredibly challenging for educators. You’ve made it through another school year, enduring difficulties your professional training never could’ve prepared you for. Take a moment to acknowledge the wild ride it’s been, full of rocky moments and silver linings. You could even write yourself a short note summing up aspects of the school year that went well and those that didn’t.

Enjoy your well-earned summer break! 

The Best Tech for Summer

The school year’s end is an exhausting but rewarding time. Both educators and students experience the mixed feelings that accompany the conclusion of their grade levels and classes. Due to the unprecedented challenges caused by COVID-19, the end of this school year is particularly bittersweet.

Still, the summer season is always a welcome occasion for rest and renewal. In addition to keeping busy with physical activities and lots of outdoor adventures, it’s equally important for students and teachers alike to continue to exercise their brains. The following tech tools aim to blend playing and learning.

• In the world of convenient devices, HP’s Probook x 360 11 is top notch. This versatile machine is perfect for writing, drawing, reading, and creating. The durability provided by the Probook makes it practical and user friendly, and its spill resistance makes it Popsicle friendly.
  

• The Windows 10 operating system has always been fast and reliable and it also boasts new features that are fun and unique. With just the touch of a few keys, you can talk instead of type. Finding photos is quick and easy with automatic added tabs. Maximize your time by snapping apps side by side.
  

• Microsoft OneNote is ideal for the fast-paced brain of a teacher, and perfect for when you’re inspired with a great lesson idea. Spend a few August afternoons jotting down some lesson plan ideas and getting organized for the coming year. OneNote’s multi-user collaboration allows for sharing ideas with colleagues.
  

• With most summer vacations being put on hold, take an exploratory yet educational adventure with Google Expeditions. Create one to fit the needs of your students, or take an exciting tour created by one of the world’s most well known institutions. 
  

• Keep your mind sharp while having a great time! Geoguessr is an enjoyable way to blend the lines between work and play. The game places you in an unknown location. Using Google Street view, the player will begin to navigate their way home with the help of logic, clues, and the world of technological tools.

What tech tools do you love for summer? Drop your suggestions in the comments!

Learn More

Clean Out Your Electronic Files Like A Pro

When spring finally arrives, it’s not just classrooms, lockers and bookshelves that need a good cleaning but electronic devices as well. Just because a laptop case can be closed and a desktop shutdown, doesn’t mean the clutter magically disappears. The good news is the same principles that apply to cleaning physical spaces work in digital ones just as well.

Create a space for everything and put everything in its place.

A well thought-out organization system keeps all your digital files in order. Create new folders in storage spots that you can easily access from anywhere. Google Drive offers free cloud storage for up to 15 GB.

Consider organizing your files in bulk by year, and clearly label each file and folder with its exact contents to save stress and energy. The more accurate your labeling now, the easier the file will be to find next year.

Once you’ve created a system to keep you organized, stick to it. A great organizational system can only save you time and enhance productivity if you use it. 

Open and sort all your mail.

Start cleaning your inbox and then move on to your other folders. Gmail and Outlook both offer lots of ways to sort your email. Set rules to automatically sort emails from your teachers into a specific folder so they’re easier to sort through. Learn how here.

Stock up on cleaning tools.

Microsoft’s operating system comes with a host of cleaning tools, like Disk Cleanup. There are other options available for download, like Microsoft’s Total PC Cleaner, from the Microsoft Store. Google Chrome also offers extensions that can help clear cache and delete browsing history. Try this handy guide if malware or viruses are a problem.

Use the trashcan and use it often.

Don’t forget to trash the files you’re not using anymore. A cluttered desktop is distracting and hard to use efficiently. Random files in their different formats are easily glossed over or even missed. And the icons for PDFs, Word docs and images don’t always show what’s inside. Keep this rule in mind, if you don’t want to store it, don’t keep it! Save only the items you need to find quickly or things you use every single day. Rely on your filing system for the others. Delete the rest.

Arey Jones works with the best partners that provide the latest edtech solutions for your school. Read more about who we are here.

What will the Classroom Look Like in the Future?

Do you remember a time when classrooms didn’t have laptops or the Internet? Technological advances such as these have become such a huge part of our daily lives that most of us can’t remember life without them, or even want to. But, believe or not, there was a time when photocopiers and handheld calculators were the height of educational technology. Thankfully most classrooms in the United States have graduated to bigger (or smaller), faster, more efficient technology. It begs to ask the question then, what will the classroom look like in the future? 

Here’s what we think:

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR) offers the ultimate immersion learning experience. It provides students with unbelievable, even otherworldly, experiences they can’t get anywhere else - all without leaving the classroom. The benefits are many, including helping to develop empathy as students can personally witness communities in crisis or by allowing students to experience different careers through the eyes of a surgeon, soldier or other professional fields, plus it promotes curiosity and wonder. This technology is already available in classrooms. The Lenovo VR Classroom is being shipped out to schools across the country. The kit includes everything administrators need to introduce this type of immersion learning to students. We think it’s just a matter of time before more classrooms catch on and VR becomes as common as a Chromebook.

Paperless Classrooms

Classrooms are quite possibly the one area where paper is still widely used, especially for younger students; but as apps and software improve, paper will disappear. Take Microsoft OneNote, which eliminates the need for handouts as it creates notebooks for each class, offers a collaboration space and holds all the content students need, like assignments and calendars. It even offers opportunities to communicate with parents. Don’t forget Google Forms which take the place of worksheets, quizzes and paper tests. And, if your school isn’t already sending newsletters electronically, we guarantee it will in the future.

Global Capabilities

The world is opening up to schools, both with speakers and knowledge networks. Classroom speakers are no longer regulated by who is available locally. With Skype in the Classroom, students in Indiana can hear from a speaker in Egypt about an archeological dig. Or students can questions directly to the author of the book they’re reading. There are also several global learning networks that connect students by collecting and sharing data internationally about issues like The Globe Program and The National SEED Project. These global capabilities show students just how much in common they have with others across the world and we think it is destined to become commonplace in all classrooms.

What do you think will be a “must have” in classrooms in the future? Let us know in the comments.

Introducing … The Lenovo Virtual Reality Classroom

Imagine being able to take your students on a field trip to the African jungle, the solar system and even back in time to the creation of planet Earth. It’s possible with the Lenovo Virtual Reality Classroom. 

The Lenovo VR Classroom is now shipping out to schools across the country. The kit includes everything administrators need to introduce this type of immersion learning to students. The entire VR system is easy-to-use, easy-to-clean, highly-durable and offered in 3-, 10- and 24-student kits, but adaptable for up to 30 students.

The Specs

At the heart of the Lenovo VR Bundle is the Daydream VR headset. No cables, no PCs and no smartphones are needed to use it. Everything your teachers need is right in the headset. The Daydream VR also offers WorldSense™ motion tracking with a 110-degree field of view. And, bonus, the face and head cushions can be sanitized.

The Lenovo VR kit also includes:

• The Tab 4 10 Plus which connects to the student’s headsets, without disrupting the experience, and guides instruction to monitor student focus.

• The Bretford Mobile Cart offers secure storage for the headsets and includes integrated device charging. It’s made of sturdy steel, constructed in the United States and is certified for safety. Note - it is only included with the 10- and 24-student kits.

• The Ruckus R510 Access Point gives stunning, enterprise-grade Wi-Fi performance. It makes sure there’s a strong connection between teacher and student devices and is included with all kits.

Optional accessories are also available, like the Mirage camera with Daydream. This accessory allows teachers and students to create their own content that can be seamlessly uploaded to YouTube and Google Photos.

The Software

Virtual field trips go anywhere at any time, without the need of permission slips and bus rides, with experiences from Google Expeditions and The Wild Immersion with Jane Goodall.

The free Google Expeditions app has more than 700 virtual field trips. These can be integrated into included Scholastic STEM lesson plans that meet next gen Common Core standards. The environments support nearly every other subject as well.

The Exclusive Wild Immersion videos give students breathtaking views of Africa, Asia, the Amazon and more. Additional content is available from the Daydream OS store.

The Support

Rest assured, Lenovo has your back. Value-added services are included with every kit. Including:

• A one-year school-year warranty that can be upgraded to two years.

• Advanced Exchange for quick, no-hassle equipment swaps.

• Premier Support with one direct number to call.

• Device connection, testing, and access point provisioning all built in.

• Full setup so you can open the box and go right away.

Virtual reality not only helps students keep up, but stay ahead in a world that’s learning faster every day. Lenovo is leading the way with solutions to fit your school’s needs. Contact us to see how we can help put this new technology into your teachers’ hands.

Seek Mentors Out On Twitter

Twitter is more than tidbits of daily news and tweets about trending television. It is a great source to find like-minded people in your field and even a mentor.

Twitter influencers, experts, thought leaders and kindred spirits can help improve your teaching by supplying information and ideas that you can put into practical applications. Once you find someone to follow, you can build on that virtual relationship and use them as a mentor, either virtually or face-to-face.

Figure out who you’d like to follow.

The first step is to actually figure out who’d you like to follow. Sounds easy. But, the Internet is a BIG place and Twitter is no exception.

Use Twitter’s search to seek out influencers and people you want to follow. Type your keywords in the top search. You can also use Twitter’s filters and Advanced Search to search locally, which gives you a better opportunity for an in-person meeting.

You can try these five hashtags to get you started.

1. #GoogleET, #GoogleCE, #GoogleEI

2. #MIEExpert

3. #SkypeMT or #MinecraftMentor

4. #GoogleTeacherTribe

5. #STEAM

A search for these hashtags brings up the top results, but also people tied to them. This is a really easy way to start following an influencer and possible mentor. 

If you’re still having an issue finding who to follow, search through your other social media platforms. How many people do you know that use just ONE form of social media? You can increase your chances of connecting with a mentor if you can overlap social networks. 

Prepare to take the next step.

Once you find someone to follow that is mentor-material, do some research and learn as much as you can about them. Start a virtual conversation or check out any podcasts or blogs they have to find common areas of interest. Do they seem comfortable sharing their knowledge? If so, continue on.

The approach.

Build a rapport with your potential mentor. Promote their tweets, ask for their advice, comment on their blogs and so on. Treat the virtual world as you would the real one and get to know them slowly. The key is to build a dialog and show you have something of value to contribute. 

When you’re ready, email the influencer and simply ask if they would be willing to act as a mentor to you. Email works great because it is - literally - the electronic equivalent of a letter. It is more formal than a DM but not so formal as a mailed piece of paper.

Once you create and facilitate that online relationship, you can decide both decide if, when and how you want to meet in person. Even if you never get to that stage, there’s so much powerful information out there that just following posted advice provides a great opportunity for personal and professional growth. Reach out to Arey Jones for more advice on your professional development.

30 Educational Technology Tips in 30 Days

We all want to be more productive, rested, calm, collected, alert, and generally amazing. Here are 30 tech tips that can help you leave the month better than you found it.

1. Learn how to make SMART goals.

2. Drink your coffee from a spillproof mug. Trust us.

3. Work in 90-minute intervals.

4. Show your Chromebook (or laptop) some love.

5. Schedule breaks into your schedule to do something fun on purpose.

6. Add a calming picture to your desktop screen.

7. Then hang a pretty picture in your office, about 20 feet away. Looking up at every 20 minutes for twenty seconds can prevent eye fatigue.

8. Color-code your Google Calendar.

9. Silence notifications to minimize distractions.

10. Use Microsoft Word’s Gridline tool to keep your document in line.

11. Dedicate a set time each day to read and respond to emails, and stick to it.

12. Drive the above message home by adding a statement to your email signature like, “I check emails every morning and will respond by 10am.”

13. Follow these hashtags on social media.

14. Set an out-of-office message for after-hour emails that reminds senders you don’t take work home with you. Remember. Those who need to contact you for true emergencies will likely have your cell phone.

15. Create embedded links in a Google Doc by clicking CTRL+K and searching for the content within the pop-up menu. No more extra tabs!

16. Use Microsoft OneNote in your next meeting for amazing notetaking.

17. Organize your desktop files into folders.

18. Empty your trash.

19. Commit these quick keys to memory.

20. Schedule coffee with a friend via a calendar appointment, so you both remember.

21. Treat yourself to a new laptop or phone case. It will feel like a brand new machine at a fraction of the cost.

22. Organize your GDrive or Cloud files.

23. Follow Arey Jones on Facebook.

24. Add these tips to your OneNote vocabulary.

25. Put a seven-minute workout app on your phone and challenge yourself to do at least one circuit daily (here’s one to try)

26. Listen to an audiobook on your commute.

27. Sort and empty your Download folder.

28. Catch up on what’s new in Microsoft EDU.

29. Watch a TED talk.

30. Go absolutely tech-free for at least 30 minutes a day (when you are awake).

These are just a few ways to boost your productivity and get more out of life in general with (and without) technology. How many did you do? We'd love to know.

Tech Cleaning Tips From Your Grandmother

My grandmother fit every grandmother mold possible. Impeccable hair. Crisp aprons. Mouthwatering homemade bread on the counter. She ran a tight ship with even tighter hair. For Grandma, spring cleaning was as much a celebration as it was a chore (but then she always smiled most when she was working).

I have more than a little of her blood coursing though my veins, and now that the weather is shaking off winter’s chill, I have the urge to clean as she used to do. And I can apply her methods to my phones, laptop, and tablet just effectively as I do everything else in my home.

Get sorted. While my grandmother had an eye and a hand for organization, my grandfather had a different method. Every weekend, she would group the mail, his receipts, and his tools and put everything back where they should have gone in the first place. Take the time to organize your documents and files in a system that makes the most sense to you, and delete files that are no longer relevant. For every minute spent here, you’ll save twice. 

Put the right things into the right storage. It’s okay to hold onto things (I myself am pretty sentimental). The trick is figuring out where to put them so that they can be reached where you need them and out of the way when you don’t. Consider organizing your files in bulk by year, and clearly label each file and folder with its exact contents. This saves you stress and energy, whether you are looking for Aunt Lucy’s china or last year’s lesson on volcanoes. And no, “Science stuff” doesn’t count.

Clear your desktop. If Grandma could see my laptop screen, she would sigh, “Clutter, clutter, clutter, dear. How can you see what you mean?” It was an odd expression, but I understood it. If you save everything to the desktop, you’ll never find what you really need. This works just as well for your desk as well as your desktop. Save it only for items you need to find quickly or things you use every single day. Rely on your filing system for the others. Delete the rest.

Clean your Windows. Grandma loved a clean window (even if the birds didn’t). If you are running the digital version on your laptop, Windows 10 has a handy Disk Cleanup tool to clean up temporary and unnecessary system files that could be obstructing your computer performance. Use this handy guide for additional information.

Empty the trash. Now that you’ve gotten everything where you want it, it’s time to remove what you don’t need once and for all. My grandma always emptied the trash as the last part of her cleaning routine, grabbing a bag and hitting every bathroom and bin on her way out the door.

Grandma made the most of everything (I can still taste her creative leftovers), and I hope these above tips help you make the most of your time and managing your technology this spring. If you found any of these valuable, we’d love your feedback--follow us on Facebook for more!

Greener Pastures: The Dawn of the Paperless Classroom

I picked up my son’s backpack the other day, and the weight of it astounded me.

It was so...light. Empty even.

I remembered my school days. I didn’t just wear a backpack; I lugged it. I measured my progress in school by the physical weight of my assignments. I remembered how frustrated my mother would get when I home--yet again--with a broken arm strap or a ripped seam because I had demanded too much of it. After all, aren’t backpacks crammed with notebooks, worksheets, books, and scratch paper a normal part of education?

Not if technology has anything to do with it.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, technology--when appropriately used--can reduce paper usage by up to 30%. Take Bank of America for example (they did). When the largest bank in the country turned to online reports, forms, email, double-sided copying, and lighter-weight papers, it reduced is paper consumption by over one billion sheets of paper. That’s a 32% reduction--on internal operations alone. 

And if Bank of America can do it, so can your school district.

There are several ways to save paper and money through the use of technology. 

• Use emailed school and class newsletters instead of sending home printed ones.

• Direct parents toward a consistent website or web page for frequently asked questions, the latest news, or the most recent homework assignments.

• Store documents in electronic archives for instant retrieval (rather than relying on file cabinets).

• Encourage the use of on-screen editing features, instead of printing and editing by hand.

• Share events on a shared calendar with reminders.

• Use Google Forms instead of worksheets, quizzes, and paper tests.

• Use Google Drawings for scratch paper.

• Use OneNote for notetaking.

• Embrace the cloud system for swift data recovery and increased collaboration and distribution of resources.

But it’s more than just paper schools are saving. Printing supplies--everything from copier purchases to toner to maintenance contracts--are expensive line items. With reduced paper comes reduced printing costs, and printing supplies--everything from copier purchases to toner to maintenance contracts--are expensive line items. Moving to educational technology also saves more precious resources: family time, patience, creativity, sanity, and wear and tear on a backpack you can keep for years.

How does your school save natural resources while unleashing productivity, innovation, and collaboration? We can always help you find more ways.

How To Put Play Tech to Work

As an educational technology company, we love to talk about how technology helps kids learn more efficiently, engage in heightened collaboration, and access real-time data and resources that would otherwise be unavailable in traditional classrooms. Technology can and often does make us better at almost everything.

And it can make us really good at being distracted. 

One could argue that the minds of students have always been easily lured away from classroom activity. The only difference now is that instead of staring out of windows, they are staring into Microsoft’s equivalent; instead of daydreaming, they are building virtual realities in Minecraft.

As adults can attest, switching from “play mode” to “work mode” isn’t easy, especially when using the same device for both. Children have a particularly hard time making this transition; not only are they more easily influenced by technology, but they also don’t get as many chances to learn and practice their focusing skills--and the distractions are only a click away.

And I don’t think we’re alone when we say us adults could use a refresher course, too. Here are a few tips to help you and the students in your life focus on what’s important and still make time for play, be it in their Minecraft world or on social media.

Give yourself a clear lead.
You may never be able to remove every distraction from your classroom, office, or home, but you can learn to clear and calm your mind. If it helps (and it likely will), remove visible and audible distractions from your desktop, log out of your email and social media, silence notifications, and put your phone in a drawer. If all else fails, fight tech with tech. These distraction-diverter apps can help.

Classroom focus: Guide the kids through a quick mindfulness exercise that includes some deep belly breathing before starting a new task.

Intentionally place your focus on the task at hand.

It’s been proven that multitasking physically shrinks your brain, so stop doing it. Work on your task or watch television or text your best friend, don’t try to do all at the same time. Your attention will suffer on all, and you’ll only accomplish a fraction of what you want and need to get done.

Classroom focus: Clearly state the one task you want your students to accomplish and what you expect to be completed at the end of the alloted time. Have them write it down or repeat it (out loud or to themselves) to make sure it sticks.

Take short breaks.

“Downtime is to the brain what sleep is to the body,” said Dr. Rich of Harvard Medical School in a New York Times article. “But kids are in a constant mode of stimulation.” 

There’s a reason why productivity systems like Pomodoro are popular--because they work in realistic ways. The Pomodoro Technique, which is a time management method that interlaces timed bursts of productivity with short breaks, helps keep people focused because it keeps work and play in perspective, all while allowing access to both. Make sure some tasks or breaks are of the unplugged variety to give the brain time to process and adapt to something new.

Classroom focus: Incorporate tech-free breaks throughout your day and encourage students to take breaks from a task on a regular basis to do something physical or an activity that allows their brain to rest.

What else are you doing in your classrooms to maximize their focus and learning potential? If you ever need ideas, we've got a few.

16 Hashtags Worth Following (and Tagging!)

We do a lot of Twitter outreach at Arey Jones because we love to be in on the educational technology conversation, and there is always something to new going on in our industry. Whether you want to contribute to the discussion or learn something new every day, these hashtags will put you--and your followers--in the know.

By Platform

• #OneNoteEDU

• #MinecraftEDU

• #Skype2Learn

By Software

• #GoogleSheets

• #GoogleSlides

• #GSuiteEDU

By Company

• #MicrosoftEDU

• #GoogleEDU

• #AcerEDU

By Broad Reach

• #edtech

• #education

• #digcit 

By Teams

• #GTT

• #MIEE

• #GoogleEI

• #edtechteam

Obviously, this isn’t an extensive list, but it is a great start to learning just how connected educational technology is to how we work, learn, and share advancements. The next time you share a cool teaching-with-technology moment, add these hashtags to your post. You could inspire others with your ideas, and you also may learn a thing or two in the process.

Ready to learn more? Follow us @AreyJones, or feel free to contact us traditionally.

Setting SMART Goals For Your Classroom

While the New Year for the rest of the country started on January first, most teachers would agree their “new year” started last fall--and so did all of their goals for the school year. That said, January is the perfect time to review those goals, establish new parameters, and determine if they need to be adjusted.  

And using technology is a great way to do it.

We at Arey Jones are a big fan of the S.M.A.R.T. method of goal setting, a way of setting Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound goals. And when it comes to tracking and tackling targets, we dream big--and we dream in spreadsheets, calendar reminders, forms, and fonts - all in Google Drive.

Specific: Write Down Your Goals in Google Docs
On top of being portable and flexible, Google Docs allows you to share your goals with relevant people in your life, and they can leave comments of support, hold you accountable,  or add resources to help you along. How you phrase your goals is an important part of the process, and it’s important to keep these things in mind:

• What do I want to accomplish?

• Why is it important?

• Where must I focus my energy and time?

• Who is involved in its success?

• Which resources will help me succeed and which hurdles will make it more difficult?

Measurable: Using Google Forms to Track Progress

A SMART goal is a measurable one, and Google Forms is a relatively simple tool with many versatile uses. Simple set up the form to input all the metrics you want to track on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. From charting how many pages your class has read at home to keeping track of how many cups of coffee you’ve had each day, Google Forms is a highly-customizable tool that streamlines, validates, and consolidates answers and translates them into visible charts and graphs. 

Achievable and Relevant: Using Google Sheets to Keep It Together

Some people have found additional success using Google Sheets to track goals. Unlike a software with a steep learning curve, Google Sheets is easy to use, personalize, and adapt to your goals. Use Conditional Formatting to help you stay on track and organize your goals by worksheet to keep your thoughts, relevant resources, and successes handy. 

Time-Bound: Use Google Calendar To Set Reminders 

If friends, forms, and spreadsheets don’t hold you accountable, a daily reminder in your Calendar feed will. Create a fresh Google Calendar for your goals and set up small, actionable deadlines for the goals you want to work on today, next week, next month, and so on. 

What are your goals for the next semester? We hope you're able to accomplish them, and if you need help, we're always happy to chat.

Your End-of-Semester Tech Checklist For Google Classroom

Wrapping up a semester takes more than just accounting for all the class laptops, cleaning off your desk, and unplugging the printer; you should also spend a few minutes organizing your Google Classroom.

The emergence of technology in the classroom has given teachers something else to think about before locking up their classrooms for a long winter’s nap (or a much-needed summer break).

Google Classroom is a wonderful tool, especially when it is organized and maintained year after year. Here are a few suggestions to help you clean up after your last semester so that you can strike the right key with the next one.

Return all student work.

Google Classroom makes light work of homework by adjusting sharing permissions when it is assigned, and then once again when it is turned in. When you are done grading the assignment, don’t delete it; instead, turn it back to the student. This will remove the file from your drive and return it to the student (and they can delete it if they want). Emptying classroom files of assignments is a fairly cathartic process. Enjoy it.

More directions on how to return Google Classroom assignments here.

Remove students from old classes.

If you don’t want past students accessing (and potentially sharing) current class content, it’s a good idea to remove former class members from your student roster at the end of each semester. It may not prevent all forms of cheating, but it can be a strong preventative measure. 

Learn more about how to remove students from a Google class here.

Archive completed classes.

Archiving classrooms allows you to remove the class from your main Google Classroom page while still allowing you to copy, reuse, and access previously created material. The biggest reason to archive is that it helps make your page cleaner and easier to navigate--something most teachers appreciate, especially when logging in the first time after break. 

More about how to archive a Google class here.

Don’t forget about class calendars.

Every time you create an assignment with a due date, you automatically create a calendar entry in the class’s Google Calendar (yes, Google Classroom is just that good). Once the class is done, however, that calendar link just becomes one more thing to clutter your sidebar. Delete or hide the unwanted calendar in the Google Calendar Settings.

Clean up Google Drive.

Google Classroom is just a shinier, automated interface for Google Drive, which is doing all the heavy lifting of creating folders, sorting documents, and more. You may never want to dive this deep with your cleaning, but on the off chance that you want access to files in a different way, here’s your chance to keep your current files where you need them (in the Classroom folder) and to remove old ones to other locations as you see fit.

A good tip here is to create a Google Drive folder named “Archived Classes” and drag and drop completed classes from Google Classroom into this folder for safekeeping.

NOTE: You may never need or want to do this. This process doesn’t affect Google Classroom performance; it simply makes it easier to work within Google Drive for current classes.

Google Classroom has quickly become an invaluable tool for many teachers around the world. To keep it--and you--running most efficiently, it’s important to keep it maintained and organized. The good news? Unlike your physical classroom, where you have to move desks, take inventory, and haul boxes, you can clean up your Google Classroom at your kitchen table, coffee in hand, and in your pajamas--and it will still feel just as good when it’s done.

Want to learn more about what Google Classroom can do for you? We'd love to talk.

These STEM Lesson Plans Will Make You (and Your Students) Think

Coming up with creative, fun, and collaborative STEM (and STEAM) lesson plans is easier than ever thanks to Microsoft’s Hacking STEM library. From building machines that emulate human physiology to creating contraptions that help students understand speed, earthquakes, and electricity, these projects and activities are teacher-tested, student-focused, and budget-friendly.

Each complete lesson plan uses commonly found materials and includes a step-by-step guide, a customized Excel workbook, and a list of the technical and supply requirements (plus a shopping list!) to adequately capture the data necessary to learn. 

• The Anemometer: Students learn to understand wind by creating both basic and connected anemometers. From analyzing windspeed manually to physically representing the wind speed for locations around the world (using live data from a global weather service, no less), these motorized and sensor-enabled anemometers will blow them away!

• The Robotic Hand: This project actively integrates robotics with life science using materials like cardboard, string, straws, and servo motors to create a robotic hand. This project is not only hands-on, it’s also “hands in;” by the end of it, students create a glove that senses and tracks their own flexion while measuring the strength and dexterity needed to complete a certain set of tasks.

• The Speed Trap: Developed in partnership with the Mattel Children’s Foundation, this project uses a Hot Wheels ® car and track to measure speed by learning about forces and motion and is perfect for 4th through 8th graders who are always on the move.

• The Seismograph: Predicting earthquakes is one thing; visualizing them is another. The California Academy of Sciences and KQED joined together to create a lesson plan aimed to help students who have never experienced a tremor, and as those who have them as part of their daily lives, understand plate tectonics.

The goal of both STEM and STEAM is to make science, technology, engineering, math, and art both fun and accessible for both the students gearing up to learn and the teachers responsible for making it happen. Microsoft’s library of activities includes everything from weekly projects to “bite-size” projects that take just 15 minutes to 1 hour of classroom time, making it a great resource for teachers who want to make the most of STEM subjects.

This isn't the first time that Microsoft has made things engaging for students, and even Windows 10 has contributed. For other ways to incorporate STEM and STEAM into your curriculum, please contact us.

How The New Generation Of Chromebooks Are Upgrading Classroom Technology

There’s a reason Chromebooks are the #1 best selling device in schools in the United States, and why more than 20 million students worldwide are turning them on each day.  Google Chromebooks have been a reliable option year after year because they make learning accessible and affordable without compromising security or forward-facing features. 

And that’s what makes the next generation of Chromebook that much more exciting. 

Interactive touchscreen and stylus pens. 

With touchscreen and stylus pens, the latest Chromebooks put the right technology in a student’s hands right when they need it. Visual learners can watch it happen. Kinetic learners can sketch it out. Auditory learners can interact. And this is all before they even learn to type, code, write, and present—although it won’t be long before that happens, too. 

External camera.

The Chromebook’s outward facing camera allows students to take pictures of their progress. This has numerous applications for reporting and presenting, as well as developing a better understanding of how others see the world. 

Powerful, lasting charge. 

Perhaps one of the most remarkable features of the newest Chromebooks is the USB Type-C charger, the dedicated super-fast charging adapter that will be the standard for Chromebooks to come, making it powerfully future-proof. This is especially helpful in school environments that share devices as it ensures technology is always ready for the next student. 

Built-in security.

Privacy and security have never been more important, both to protect our students and our devices from malicious content. Google SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode keep kids focused. Multiple layers of security thwart viruses, which means no external antivirus software is necessary to purchase or keep updated. Administrators are given complete control of the devices for testing and assessments. And Google is right there when you need them for 24/7 support and automatic updates. 

Managed from the cloud. Deployed from the ground. 

Chromebooks are 93% faster to deploy and 68% faster to manage than desktops; simply open up and go. Administrators can oversee an entire fleet of laptops from a cloud-based management console, changing apps as they see fit to account for testing schedules and policies. The sub 10-second startup means a faster start to the day; No downtime means more opportunities for kids to become independent, proactive learners. 

Chromebooks have shaped education for a number of years, and they are only getting better, faster, and more affordable. Arey Jones is your educational technology partner in helping you close the digital divide. We’ll help you find the right technology and peripherals, and we’ll help you deploy them and keep you supported every step of the way. 

How Improving Typing Skills Can Improve Overall Communication

As someone who writes blogs as part of her job, I feel my words-per-minute more than most. I can pinpoint my early typing skills to particular summer I spent at a cousin’s house, stumbling inside out of the heat and falling into playing Stickybear Typing on their Apple II. This was during the era between electric typewriters and computer labs; computers were word processors and toys, not the educational, creative, data-collecting and professional powerhouses they are today.

Learning to type became just as crucial as learning to swim that summer, and it was a turning point in my confidence level and the way I put my ideas to work. I didn’t know it at the time because it was a game and I enjoyed it, but that summer spent typing was a game changer in my school and professional life.

Nowadays, kids learn their letters by the shape, sound, and where they are located on the QWERTY keyboard. How well they learn them, and how fast they can type them, could very well determine how well they do in school, how well they interact with others, and how well they communicate with the world at large.

Keyboarding gets their motor running.

And by this we mean motor skills. Keyboarding requires an artful application of fine and gross motor skills—locate keys by touch, applying just the right pressure when striking, and moving on to the next. It’s a common action those of us can do it take for granted; we simply think and the words seem to appear effortlessly on the page. The truth is, typing is a much more physical exertion, and one that requires constant practice, like playing an instrument or a sport, to maximize efficiency, accuracy, and confidence.

Keyboarding gets juices flowing.

This is where making keyboarding a part of early and ongoing curriculum just makes sense. Just like providing technology in the classroom on a one-to-one or shared basis is important to closing the digital divide for all kids, teaching keyboarding removes yet another barrier between inspiration and innovation. The faster kids can translate thoughts into sentences, sentences to words, words to letters, and letters into keys, the easier it becomes for them to use technology to express themselves, find what they are looking for, create what they mean to, and present what they intended. 

Keyboarding makes coding possible.

While coding will likely be a part of daily existence for our future workforce, it is simply another language our kids must learn to type. Basic computer skills start with typing, even in a touch screen environment. While Chromebooks and Windows10 laptops are becoming more and more hands-on with stylus pens and on-screen interactive elements, those advancements just give us more ways to use our hands to navigate the technological landscape.

Keyboarding apps and software abound, thank goodness, and the best ones, like Typing Instructor and UltraKey, teach children the correct finger-to-key movement as well as variety, drills, and tips on posture and how to improve accuracy speed. There are also typing programs geared for the younger set—Mickey’s Typing Adventure and Garfield’s Typing Pal, to name two good ones—that offer simple, fun, personalized games for the best results.

In the end, keyboarding makes students more proficient in educational technologies and the opportunities that come with them. The more exposure children get to a keyboard and what they can do with it, the faster and better they can learn.

10 For 10: Why Windows 10 Is Crushing It In The Classroom

Windows 10 keeps delivering more value to the classroom with a platform that is as fun to explore as it is to use while exploring.

Here are ten ways we think Windows 10 is a win for so many K12 schools and classrooms. 

1. Customized technology means personalized learning.
   According to PBS Learning Media, 73% of teachers say that technology allows them to create specific lesson plans tailored to individual learning styles. Teachers can specify the apps, programs, and settings for each student through their admin console, allowing them to create—and monitor—the learning environment for each student.

1. Students learn by touch, by movement, and by heart.
   Windows 10 devices speak education as their first language, and they translate accordingly to a variety of learners. The goal isn’t to teach every child the same way; the goal is to help kids realize how much they love to learn by approaching it in the way that comes most naturally to them. Touch screens, stylus pens, gesture inputs, and voice activation are just a few ways students can use technology to bridge the gap between questions and answers. 

1. Assisted learning gets an assist.
   It’s predicted that nearly 10% of the population is affected by a specific or undiagnosed learning disability, which can—and often does—have a profound effect on educational outcomes. Windows 10 supports inclusive classrooms by providing a technological environment that is compatible with a wide array of assistive applications that helps all students engage, interact, and collaborate with each other.  

1. Windows 10 puts it in writing.
   A recent study states that students who diagrammed their thinking with a pen scored up to 36% better on science tests than their keyboard stroking peers. Windows 10 takes advantage of Microsoft’s premier inking experience to bring ideas to life on every advice and application.

1. Keeping student data secret and safe.
   Ask any parent about technology in the classroom, and you’ll get their fears in the first two sentences. In fact, 79% of all parents are concerned with the security and privacy of their kids. Windows 10 addresses this head on with improved tools for data security, log-in validation measures, student identity protection, and malware protection.

1. Deploy in minutes.
   This one is for the teachers and administrators who didn’t necessarily sign-on to be IT professionals when they took their jobs. Windows 10 is arguably one of the easiest classroom technologies to deploy, monitor, and manage, offering a seamless transition process for users as well as in-place upgrades and assistance packages.

1. A class that works together, learns together.
   Collaboration is a skill kids learn early and practice often; to do it well takes repeated exposure to different ways of thinking, communicating, organizing and delegating. Windows OneNote makes easy work of this, enabling students and teachers to work on files simultaneously, whether they are across the room or across the country. Students stay on top of their work and, with collaboration tracking, teachers keep an eye on who’s participating.

1. Bring on the peripherals.
   Windows 10 not only makes it easier for students to collaborate and share with each other, but it also makes it easier to work across devices and connect to printers, cameras, digital microscopes, and several other devices.

1. More free apps mean more accessibility.
   School budgets are tight enough without having to add additional costs to one-to-one and shared technology. Microsoft’s education partners are constantly coming up with free and inexpensive ways to help children learn, and all are available in the Windows 10 app market.

1. Windows 10 puts the fun into getting things done.
   All in all, Windows 10 allows teachers to demonstrate ideas and concepts in a way that couldn’t do with traditional methods; they have moved beyond the front-of-the-room lecture and onto white boards, interactive presentations, video, and exploratory maps and wikis. By making learning more accessible and approachable, more kids participate in lessons and fewer kids get left behind. And that’s entirely the point.

Want to know how you can implement Windows 10 into your curriculum?