Culture at School

Transforming Your Traditional Classroom into a Technology-Rich Learning Environment with SMARTdesks’ Classroom Tables At SMARTdesks, we understand that the landscape of education is constantly evolving. Gone are the days of rows of desks and a blackboard. Today’s students work individually and collaboratively, and sometimes remotely! To teach effectively, today’s educators need to embrace technology to […]

The ubiquitous technology of today – from televisions and computer monitors to tablets and smartphones – places design at the forefront of the user experience, with ever-slimmer and sleeker devices driving user engagement. From 2000 to 2018, the number of Americans using the Internet increased from 52% to 89%, according to the Pew Research Center. […]

Google Chrome OS long seemed like a solution looking for a problem. In a world dominated by Microsoft and Apple, it was hard to find a purpose for a lightweight platform that was mostly for basic applications like word processing and spreadsheet usage – and an OS that required internet access to function. Then K12 […]

A recent study is unlikely to surprise college professors: 94% of college students want to use their mobile phones in class for academic purposes. The survey found that a substantial number of students (58%) use their phones to take pictures of lecture slides, and similarly high percentages of students also use their phones to search […]

The so-called paperless society has long been an aim of futurists and technology innovators alike. As computers and handheld devices have proliferated in recent years, we’re closer than ever to making that vision a reality. But it turns out that there are some unintended consequences to favoring electronic devices over the printed page: namely, that […]

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) about an American family’s experience in the Chinese education system has gotten a lot of attention recently. Whereas in the U.S., where teachers are frequently questioned and challenged by students and parents alike, Chinese teachers tolerate none of it: they expect strict obedience from their […]

During the course of a lesson in an active learning environment, instructors may want to conduct some type of classroom poll, which can get complicated in a BYOD (“bring your own device”) environment. Fortunately, there are several options available that allow students to participate in classroom polls while using their own laptop or tablet, or […]

One frequent headache for the average college student is dealing with textbooks. They’re expensive, used copies in decent condition can be hard to find, and textbook companies frequently come out with “new” editions that are minimally revised versions of the previous edition. But an initiative out of Houston-based Rice University could help change that. OpenStax […]

To achieve the custom design for your specific active learning classroom, keep an open mind. When the goal is to create a space for interpersonal and hands-on education, the options are limitless. The key is that the layout must invoke something different. A new style of learning can’t very well occur in the same environment […]

Sometimes the most underutilized spaces on campus are the ideal testing grounds for active learning. Even if the space seems unfit, cluttered, small, or outdated, the main goal is to provide an environment where students can easily interact. Think outside the box. Experiment with extra furniture and available rooms. The latest technology isn’t always crucial […]

When preparing to implement a new active learning space, get ready for politics. Issues will most certainly arise if one department is being funded over another. Registrars in particular can make some noise because the more space given to active learning means increased difficulty for them to schedule courses with fewer available classrooms. This means […]

Another aspect of the transition to an active learning classroom is getting everyone familiar with an entirely new set up and way of doing things. This change will take time and adjustments on the parts of both the students and the instructors. Let students in on the goals of active learning so they are prepared […]

When considering available options for setting up active learning spaces, remember locations around campus that can be useful for many groups. If these revamped environments can benefit a large number of students, not only is it more cost effective, but the positive outcomes of the active learning model will be more evident. One of the […]

What if the very thing that keeps kids from focusing in school could actually help channel students’ attention? Smartphones are nearly impossible to ban, so working with them can actually allow students to become more engaged, as their lives are so technologically-centered. Since their futures depend on their ability to use technology proficiently, it could […]

With the growth in popularity of active learning methodologies, educators and institutions alike are looking for ways to adapt their learning spaces to allow for approaches such as collaborative learning.  In addition to having the right kind of active learning furniture, there are a number of other issues to consider, including lighting, instructor placement and […]

A number of different factors are aligning to drive interest in active learning. The need for improved teamwork among students, the explosion in mobile computer technology and the drive for improved learning outcomes are just a few of the reasons that educators are growing ever more interested in methods such as collaborative learning. But to […]

Most if not all of us learn fastest and most effectively by doing. This is being recognized in the world of technology and is being dubbed “experiential learning.” Closely connected to active learning, this approach says that learning needs to be internalized through individual activity and effort, and as such, the instructor needs to help […]

Cheating at the college and university level has been a problem from the beginning, but it has only gotten worse as technology has proliferated.  As smartphones (read: handheld computers) have become ubiquitous on college campuses, the ability for students to outsmart professors is overwhelming.  (There was even a question posted to Quora asking the best […]

Students are constantly faced with academic dishonesty. Unfortunately, although technology has become a powerful learning asset both inside and outside the classroom, it has also become an additional tool for cheating. According to major higher educational studies, an average of 75 percent of students admitted to at least one form of cheating over the course […]

Standardized testing is historically a hot-button topic in the American public education system.  From the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2002 and Race to the Top in 2009, to the more recent controversy surrounding the release of the Common Core State Standards in 2010, questions abound as to whether standardized testing can provide an […]

Collaboration is trending these days, especially in the education industry. In K-12 and higher ed, some educators strive to foster group interactions in class; others prefer a traditional lecture approach. This week, we spoke with middle and high school teacher Mosie Choudhry for her professional, empirical opinion on the subject. Read on to find out […]

Learning in the classroom and office takes place in an increasingly mobile world. Tablets are by far the leading trend in technology for the modern classroom, but laptops are also popular in schools across the country, such as in the Miami-Dade district, according to the Miami Herald. The trend is international; in Kenya, the government […]

SMARTdesks can help you embrace the challenge of digitizing your classroom and take advantage of increasing online classroom resources. We offer a variety of products that can make the transition easy. Here’s a list of products that are essential to making the transition to digital textbooks as smooth as possible.  1. The iPad FlipIT offers […]

At the Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, NY, print textbooks are a thing of the past. For the 2013-2014, school year, the school has converted its curriculum to digital textbooks stored on an Internet cloud. So far, according to Lisa Alfasi of Pearson Education, Stepinac is the only high school in the country […]