Recent articles

Teacher leads a group of parents at school technology event

3 Tips for Hosting a School Digital Parenting Event

01/20/2021

Topics: Parent engagement

Parents can be a school’s biggest supporter or biggest obstacle when it comes to technology for learning. Getting parents to understand the value that technology adds to learning is essential. But how do…

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Earn buy-in by sharing what digital age learning looks like

Earn buy-in by sharing what digital age learning looks like

12/19/2018

Topics: Parent engagement

Previous experience routinely colors our expectations, and that was certainly the case for us when 60 iPads arrived in our small village school in Purley on Thames, United Kingdom. These wonderful devices were presented to us by the JDO Foundation in response to our application to engage in its…

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Family tech nights can narrow the digital divide

Family tech nights can narrow the digital divide

10/17/2018

Topics: Education leadership, Parent engagement

When we talk about digital equity, the conversation often focuses on providing opportunities for all students to learn in an increasingly connected world. We talk about devices and home connectivity. We talk the importance of parental support. We talk about training all educators to  …

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Building parent capacity to support student success

Building parent capacity to support student success

02/07/2018

Topics: Education leadership, Parent engagement

When parents fill out registration forms for Sigler Elementary, they sometimes write in “Sigler Nation” instead. Students print it across the tops of their papers. Teachers hashtag it on Twitter.

In just a year,…

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two students smile excitedly as they look at a phone

Leverage Student Cell Phones To Engage, Assess and Communicate

09/29/2021

Topics: Assessment, Parent engagement

When we talk about school devices, we usually mean laptops or tablets. But there is another device the most teenagers own and are adept at using that can also come in handy in the classroom  student…

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Jack Gallagher: Embrace every student' 's strengths

Jack Gallagher: Embrace every student's strengths

11/09/2015

Topics: Assistive and adaptive technologies, Parent engagement, Personalized Learning

The concept of student-centered learning isn’t new. Parents of children who are not neurotypical have long been on the lookout for ways to accommodate individual learning styles and help their students relate…

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Better (and easy) ways to connect to parents

Better (and easy) ways to connect to parents

09/23/2015

Topics: Parent engagement, Tools

You hear it all the time: Kids are often more tech-savvy than their teachers. And these days, it’s not uncommon for their parents to be just as comfortable using new communications technologies. That’s why, if you want to stay connected with your extended classroom family, it’s…

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Should we limit kids' ' screen time? No

Should we limit kids' screen time? No

07/21/2015

Topics: 1:1, BYOD, Digital Citizenship, Mobile learning, Online learning, Parent engagement

I'm a mom of two and an educator. And I have to admit something right here, right now: I get bored easily when playing with my kids.

I try to engage with the little ponies, the fairies and the Tonka trucks, and for a while, it all works out. Give me 20 minutes and I am super…

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Should we limit kids' ' screen time? Yes

Should we limit kids' screen time? Yes

07/21/2015

Topics: 1:1, Digital Citizenship, Mobile learning, Online learning, Parent engagement

We should limit children’s screen time but do so in a thoughtful, rather than reactive, way. The "right" amount of screen time can fall anywhere on a spectrum, depending on a number of factors, including the purpose and use of technology as well as the child's ability to use it in a mindful and…

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a woman and her son play a game on a tablet

Don't Ban Technology; Help Kids Strive for Balance

03/01/2021

Topics: #DigCitCommit, Balance, Parent engagement

We seem to be living in an all-or-nothing, black-and-white world without any acknowledgment that there can be a middle ground. Our attitudes toward technology and our children are hardening into these types of fixed mindsets.

Figuring out how to integrate technology into our lives is not…

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