We asked one of our favorite guest bloggers, Julia Cremin, to share her reflections as a teacher on summer break. This is the first of her three-part "Summer Break" series.

We were thrilled to be an Editor's Choice for TechFaster's preview of this year's ISTE conference. Ashley Allen, a staff writer for TechFaster, spoke to our Director of Marketing and New Product Development, Nina Swienton mid June. Check it out! You can see the original article here.

The National Association of Elementary School Principals's (NAESP) annual conference is just around the corner! This is such an incredible conference due in some ways to the organization's committent to best practices in schools. As they put it, "When it comes to defining the future of elementary school education, it only happens here." There are eight focus areas this year, four of which are topics we are passionate about and often cover in our blog and which visuals and visual learning can play a vital role. If you are attending the conference, perhaps these will give you some food for thought on the way to Nashville! We've also listed a few presentations in each category that we have been eyeing.

In the most recent issue of NAESP’s Communicator, a report from the National Panel of New Principals disclosed statistics from new principals regarding parent involvement and engagement. They found that “most new principals have clearly defined goals for engagement.”

Any teacher will tell you that you never have a classroom filled with students who learn the same way, so expecting them to is setting them up for failure. Differentiated instruction is all about customizing instruction, which can be difficult and daunting for teachers who are facing new challenges, standards, and expectations. While differentiating instruction may seem like a no-brainer for educators, teachers and principals must make the connection between technological tools and differentiated instruction in order to successfully integrate this practice into their schools and classrooms.

The annual education technology conference hosted by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is just around the corner.

Bullying remains a critical issue that requires the attention of an entire school. What’s more, bullies are no longer just a handful of students on the playground or in the classroom—cyberbullying has arguably created more dangerous bullies fortified with the illusion of anonymity acting behind a username can bring. So, what can schools do to make sure that at the very least students feel safe and supported within school walls?

Teacher Appreciation Week wrapped up last week, but we wanted to share a few experiences from our team members. After all, shouldn’t we treat every week like it’s Teacher Appreciation Week?

Preventing bullying or tackling an existing bullying problem takes an entire school. Action is required of administrators, teachers, students, and parents. On a larger scale, school culture and environment is crucial for students to feel safe and to prevent bullying actions.

Sherman Oaks School, a TK-6 Two-Way Spanish Dual Immersion School located in San Jose, California, uses the Awards Maker to recognize incredible student success, and has cultivated a culture that celebrates and covets these awards, therefore encouraging student’s drive to succeed.