Can Teachers Help the Tech Team?
Yes! Effective communication is the key that helps you deepen your connections to others and improve teamwork, decision making, and problem-solving. It enables you to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust. When you hear the word ‘key’ several words may come to mind; lock, unlock, guard, protect. Communication has […]
Can the Tech Team Help Teachers?
The answer to the question in this post title may seem obvious: the tech team helps teachers by fixing their technology, right? Yes, that’s true, but I would like to look at ways we can go beyond basic fixes. How can we make the process of repairing technology more efficient? Less painful? The key to making […]
Can the Tech Team Help the Tech Team?
“No one can whistle a symphony alone. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.”-H.E. Luccock Effectively communicating with co-workers can sometimes be a challenge. Despite our best efforts, sometimes we say one thing, but others hear something different based on our tone, facial expression, or body language. When you are a technician, face-to-face communication […]
Protect – Monitor – Teach: 3 Ways To Keep Your Students Safe Online!
As I’m sure you are aware, cybersecurity is increasingly becoming a priority for the Indiana Department of Education. In fact, technology directors are now being asked to evaluate their schools in the following areas: Risk Analysis Internal Penetration Testing External Penetration Testing Phishing Campaigns Password Procedures Vendor Practices Data Security Denial-Of-Service Attacks Ransomware Attacks Physical […]
When Student Struggles Are More Than Meets The Eye
As an educator, could you ever imagine requesting one of your students who wears prescription glasses to remove them during guided reading instruction? A more absurd scenario might be requiring a student who uses a wheelchair for mobility to attend second-floor classes in a building with no elevator. These are examples of visible disabilities that […]
5 Things We Learned at ISTE19
ISTE19 in Philadelphia has come and gone, but our team is still engaged in invigorating conversations as we process and share the awesome learning that occurred at the conference! Here are some of our learners’ top takeaways. 1. I met @Mister_Kelly at a poster session and absolutely loved what he was doing to personalize learning for his teachers! […]
New Google CS First Workshops Available!
Over the last several months, Five-Star Technology Solutions has partnered with Google to lead workshops across the United States focused on empowering educators to take advantage of CS First, a free computer science curriculum. Building on the success of this program, Google recently announced Code with Google, a set of activities and opportunities for students in third […]
Bandwidth 101: How Much Is Enough?
What is bandwidth? Bandwidth is a measure of the data flow over a given time period. It is measured in bits per second. For example, 1 Gigabit per second (Gbs) = 1000 Megabits per second (Mbs), 1 Mbs = 1000 Kilobits per second (Kbs), and 1 Kbs = 1000 bits per second. For the most […]
Developing 21st Century Citizens
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Beginning in kindergarten, students are taught how to be good citizens. We teach them the importance of being honest, trustworthy, kind, respectful, responsible, and safe. Students read books, analyze characters, watch videos, and act out scenarios to discuss and practice each of the skills needed to help make the world a better place. We […]
New STEM Workshops from Five Star
The IDOE’s release of the third STEM Acceleration Grant has educators in Indiana all abuzz! This particular grant can offer up to $100,000 to qualifying schools that want to improve STEM instruction, integrate STEM curriculum into their classrooms, and train teachers in strong problem/project/inquiry-based pedagogy. The application requirements for this round are rigorous. Meeting the […]
