The iPad and Education: How Tablet Computers Might Change the Classroom

When I was in seventh grade, one of my teachers assigned my class to write about what school might be like in the future. Calling upon my creativity, I dove into the assignment with gusto (open-ended writing assignments were my favorite). In my day-in-the-life narrative of a future middle school, students teleported to class, ate hot lunches served from a giant machine, and instead of textbooks, had their own personal, lightweight computers.

I didn’t know then that one of my ideas about the future might come sooner than I had realized. Today, Apple just announced their new iPad—a tablet computer they call their “most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device.” With the interface of an iPod Touch but the size of a laptop screen, it’s interesting to think what technology like the iPad might mean for schools and education.

Five Best Practices You Need to Know

If your students used Imagine Learning English in 2009, you already know the difference thirty minutes a day can make. Now we've got a few extra tips to help them excel even more. Start off the new year by trying these five best practices that are sure to help meet your best expectations.

Reassessing EL Assessments

Federal education leaders gathered with educators and assessment experts from around the country last month in Denver, Colorado, to reassess the way English learners are tested. In addition to mentioning Denver Public Schools' partnership with Imagine Learning, speakers gave recommendations for improving the assessment process. To read the entire 216-page transcript, click here. For a quick, more digestible overview, read on.

National Handwriting Day

Happy National Handwriting Day! It might not be an “official” national holiday, but people have been celebrating National Handwriting Day since 1977, when the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association established the holiday to “re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.”

National Handwriting Day is celebrated on January 23 in conjunction with the birthday of John Hancock, whose large, famous signature was the first to adorn the Declaration of Independence. It’s a wonderful day to celebrate and practice handwriting in your class—or to ponder the controversies regarding handwriting in schools today.

Motivating Students: Three Tips You Can Try

Do your students suffer from a lack of motivation? In the midst of holiday parties and on the brink of a break, it’s difficult to focus student attention on learning rather than plans of vacation.

Before you reach your breaking point, try these tips to motivate students and keep them interested in their own learning. Because once they can see their progress, students are more likely to want to progress. Take a look at these tried-and-true ideas teachers across the country are using to motivate their students.

Preparing for 2010

We all want to start out the new year right, so don’t let the winter break get in your way. As excited as your students may be for the time off school, they may not be prepared to fill all that time—at least not productively. We’ve prepared a few projects your students can start before they leave and can share when they come back.

For more ideas, check out last year’s activities, each designed to keep those literacy skills sharp.

New Year's Around the World

I hope all of you are enjoying the holiday season as much as we are at Imagine Learning! I can’t believe how quickly the holidays came this year. In only a few weeks we'll be starting off a brand new decade!

New Year’s traditions are so interesting to me. It’s amazing how one holiday can be celebrated in so many different ways. Every family, country, and culture has unique traditions and customs, and it's a lot of fun to learn about the different ways people ring in the new year.