Top Educational Gift Ideas (Updated for 2018)

It is the gift giving season! What gifts can you give a child to ignite learning? 

I have found with my children that the right toys inspire learning. So together, with other Kent ISD consultants and parents, I have populated a list of educational gifts that we have seen engage our children and students.

I have categorized the ideas, but many of these really could fit into more than one category. I encourage you to read through each list. Please share with other educators and parents!

Top Educational Gift Ideas

It is the gift giving season! What gifts can you give a child to ignite learning? 

I have found with my children that the right toys inspire learning. So together, with other Kent ISD consultants and parents, I have populated a list of educational gifts that we have seen engage our children and students.

I have categorized the ideas, but many of these really could fit into more than one category. I encourage you to read through each list.

Plan Your PD for 2017/18

As we near the end of another school year, Kent ISD is ramping up efforts to provide outstanding professional learning opportunities in the 2017/2018 school year.

High Interest Topics for 2017/2018

Kelli Campbell, Teaching and Learning Director at Kent ISD, and I visited a few districts over the winter months to get an insight into what our local districts were looking for in the coming school year. We gathered all the information from our visits and found the following topics were of highest interest:

Increase Student Engagement Using littleBits

According a Kaiser Foundation study conducted in 2010, children between the ages of eight and 18 spend an average of 7 hours 38 minutes a day with digital media.

Bill Gates started hacking computers at age 13. At just 10 years old, Mark Zuckerburg created a home network. And, Steve Jobs started tinkering with electronics before he even started grade  school. What do all of these men have in common? They all created products of technology (Windows, Facebook, Apple) that our students spend 7 hours a day using.

Our students love these technologies…but how many of them know how they really work?

Are Your Students College and Career Ready?

Upon graduation, educators all hope and believe that our students will go on to be productive, healthy, happy, contributory members of our society. This means they will have a career path, and hopefully a trajectory that will fit well with their likes, their capabilities, and the market.

Educators Wanted for Share Fair Nation in November 2016!

“I observed a phenomenal school that focuses on STEM, flipped classes, and problem-based learning and I am inspired by the possibilities, especially with problem-based learning. I see that I can go so much farther with the technology I have than what I have been doing. I see that I can go so much farther with engaging students and providing them with an authentic learning opportunity that will engage them and get them hooked on learning forever. I am pumped to incorporate what I learned into my units for next year.” Aniko Z, 5th Grade Nonfiction Teacher, New York, NY.

The above quote comes from a teacher that attended Share Fair Nation, a professional development by educators for educators.  And Share Fair nation is coming to Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 12, 2016. By partnering with GVSU, and several local districts, Kent ISD is excited to bring this national movement to West Michigan.

Share Fair Nation provides PreK-12 educators the opportunity to join the conversation around

A Holiday Gift to Accompany New Science Standards…

STEM PD Comes With FREE Drones, 3-D Printers

Are you ready for the newly-adopted Michigan Science Standards? This Kent ISD PD and free technology from MDE can help.

Inside the standards is an engineering component, which is a great match for the drones and printers MDE’s 99s(5) grant will pay for. If you’re looking for effective ways to engage students in engineering concepts, these workshops and technology will equip you to advance both learning and awareness of the careers using these tools. Teacher’s will work with the equipment hands-on, then take the equipment back to their district (to keep) for use in the classroom!

And since Kent ISD an approved PD provider for this grant, it will even cover substitute fees to make it easier for teachers to participate. There are separate

Get Ready for School with Kent ISD!

Kent ISD is a pretty passionate group of people when it comes to helping our schools, teachers and students.  We’d love to have you join us and learn about all the resources and expertise Kent ISD can offer you and your district.  We’ll have our entire team of consultants available to help you learn about how we can serve you, your school and students.

The Kent ISD and REMC 8 open house is September 16 from 2:00 PM until 5:30 PM.

Science is Fun!

Science teachers from Kent County and Southwest Michigan unite to show students that science is fun!

Teams of teachers and administrators have been meeting to find ways to collaborate and share best practices that align to the Framework for K-12 Science Education. The science and engineering practices of the framework promote equity among students and truly get students engaged in doing science. These groups will continue next school year as we begin to look at ways to answer the question,

“How do we know what students know?”

Look Who’s Joining Our Family

Meet the newest member of the Kent ISD family, NAO!

NAO is a 23 inch tall, programmable humanoid robot.  “He is a little creature who helps you be your best. His humanoid form and extreme interactivity make him endearing and loveable.” (A-Robots…NAO)

“A star in the world of education,” NAO has been used in computer and science classes in more than 70 countries.  And now thanks to