21st Century Classrooms

Is Social Media in the Classroom a Necessity or Distraction?

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I recently had a telling experience while sitting at a friend’s dinner table. The mother asked her son how his class was today. He answered, “It got deleted”. Let’s be honest. Unless you are living under a rock, most of us are not only reliant on our computers for daily functioning but are also involved with social media in one form or another. In this digital era, our youngsters may no longer know the difference between something getting cancelled and something getting deleted

Though I have no doubt that by the time our elementary school students graduate high school there will be many more “new and improved” digital social outlets, social media today is more than just a way to connect to friends. It has evolved into a serious tool used for education and business as well. As many of our young people are practically born with a Smartphone in hand, is bringing social media into the classroom a necessity or a distraction? read more

Hertz Furniture Transforms Old K-mart into a Cool New School

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Hertz Furniture transforms the Old Highland Kmart into a brand new charter school with active – flex seating

Watch ABC’s Channel 7 Eyewitness News video featuring Hertz Furniture’s installation of new active – flex seating in the brand new Entrepreneurship High School in Highland, California.

It doesn’t take a long to realize that this school is different. The design of the classroom tables and chairs allows for movement of antsy students according to Steve Neudorff, Hertz Furniture regional sales manager of Southern California. And check out the cool furnishings in the “Entrepreneurship Room”.  Ray Culberson, executive director of the school says that the school lends itself to creative learning. Watch the video and see for yourself! read more

5 Questions Every Teacher Should Be Asking About Classroom Furniture

Collaborative Desks For Your Classrooom
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It is so easy to get used to whatever classroom furniture you already have, especially if you are an experienced teacher. When we were in school, there was no such thing as collaborative desks or soft seating in the classroom, so it’s easy to get used to the idea that students don’t need these things to learn. No matter how easy it is, don’t allow yourself to get stuck in the rut of the status quo! Even if the classroom furniture you have right now is fine, why should you settle for satisfactory, when you could have fantastic? These five questions will help you evaluate what you have and how it can be improved to give your students the best learning environment possible. read more

Allowing Fidget Spinners in the Classroom is the Right Choice

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Fidget Spinner in the ClassroomIt seems like fidget spinners are everywhere I turn. I walk into a lesson, and instead of seeing faces, I just see small propellers spinning all over my classroom. While some teachers have chosen to ban spinners because they have become more of a distraction than a tool to enhance focus, I think that they can actually be helpful in the classroom, when used with the right guidelines.

Personally, I have never been so bothered by students doing small things on the side in my lessons. I don’t even mind when students eat in class, as long as they don’t make a mess or distract their friends, and they can still write and pay attention. So allowing fidget spinners in my classroom is a logical rule, as I have seen that they actually can help certain students focus, or at least zone out for a minute or two in a non-distracting way. As long as the students are writing and reading when they are supposed to, spinners offer a great way to take a mental break for a minute or two. read more

Hertz Furniture Announces Winner of 2017 New Year’s Success in the Classroom Contest

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Angella Hall, of Bullhead City Elementary School in Bullhead City, Arizona is the winner of the 2017 New Year’s Success in the Classroom Contest

Colorful Wobble Chairs

To enter the contest, teachers shared their goals and plans for success in the school year on social media attaching #hertzfurniture.  Angella Hall’s upbeat winning response was :

“…in 2017 my students and I will enjoy learning, being a part of a fun, loving and caring classroom environment together.” 

Ms. Hall will receive 1 Kore Executive Stool for herself and 4 Kore Wobble Chairs for her students! These wobble chairs are the perfect addition to her 21st century classroom. read more

Hertz Furniture 2017 New Year’s Contest

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New Year’s has finally arrived and at Hertz Furniture we made a resolution to start off the year by giving back to some of our favorite heroes, classroom teachers! We are giving away 1 Kore Executive Stool and 4 Kore Wobble Chairs to whomever has the best ending to this sentence.

In 2017 my students and I will be successful because __________”

New Years Wobble Chair Contest

Tell us how you will be a better teacher in 2017.  Why?  Because doing so can win you 1 Kore Executive Stool and 4 Kore Student Wobble Chairs for your students! Use your brand new Kore stool and wobble chairs to focus your most active students, as a center for a collaborative activity or as a prize for well-behaving students. read more

Information Literacy: How to Combat Fake News

Fake News and Information Literacy For Students
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Fake News and Information Literacy For StudentsIn a world where click-bait rules supreme and anyone can publish what they want, it is downright difficult to separate the truth from fiction. The internet is full of people manipulating the truth to serve their own agendas, at best. At worst, there are those who are deliberately lying to sensationalize people or events. If, as adults, it is difficult for us to know where to get reliable information, and when stories are blown out of proportion, how can we possibly expect our students to beat these challenges? If educators don’t make information literacy a priority, we run the risk of allowing precious minds to be contaminated unknowingly with all manner of falsehood and lies. read more

Designing and Optimizing Your 21st Century Higher Ed Learning Space For Millenials

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Administrators, Department Heads and Facilities Managers: Section 1: Setting Up Ideal Learning Conditions for Millennial College Students
Professors, Lecturers, Instructors, and Teachers: Section 2: Using Your Learning Space to Be a Better 21st Century College Teacher

Collaborative Higher Education Learning

The best practices in higher education spaces have evolved. University education isn’t what it used to be. Enormous lecture halls with hard seating and tablet-arm chairs, professors speaking with a monotone from printed notes, and standard library tables with old-fashioned seating are out. They have been replaced by collaboration, project-based learning and modern technology. If you want to stay in the game of higher education, you must update your space and learn how to utilize 21st century learning tools. read more

Can Cell Phones in the Classroom Be Educational Tools?

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Students Using Cell Phones in the ClassroomThe odds are that you will find cell phones in the classroom no matter where you are, unless you are in a school enforcing a zero-tolerance policy. Kids in elementary school are already engaged on an almost constant basis with personal devices. While the initial reaction to smartphones in the world of education was to eliminate phones from lessons, today there are so many ways to promote productive cell phone use in class. With the right tools and the right attitude, an educator can transform cell phones from a constant distraction into one of the coolest educational tools. read more

The Ideal Classroom Designed by Today’s Educators. What Would It Look Like?

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Designing The Ideal Classroom Infographic

Hertz Furniture is proud to present the Designing The Ideal Classroom Infographic detailing what today’s educators think our classrooms should and should not look like.  We surveyed a cross- section of educators including school principals, ed tech specialists, consultants, designers, and administrators.  They responded to questions about the most important components of a classroom, what ideal classrooms should and should not look like, what color scheme the ideal classroom would incorporate and more. read more

BOOK REVIEW: Tech Out Your Classroom: 6 Projects to Meet Common Core and ISTE Standards by Amy Prosser

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6 Projescts To Tech Out Your Class and Meet Common Core and ISTE StandardsOverview:

Amy Prosser takes the time tested practices of researching, writing and presenting which every one of our students needs to learn and weaves technology into six technology-rich, customizable projects aligned to Common Core and ISTE Standards.

The projects are:

Revamping Research Papers

Epic Student Presentations

Powerful Digital Storytelling

Spreadsheet and Chart Magic

Simple Screencasting

Why Blogging Won’t Die

The author provides the standards addressed in the project,  the tech tools and collaboration information that you need, details on how to plan the project, examples and grading considerations. read more

Innovative Use of New Collaborative Desks

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Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas shares their excitement over the innovative use of their new collaborative desks from Hertz Furniture.

Students Use Their New Collaborative Desks at Liberty Christian School

 

 

“The kids drew the urban models on their desks

and then presented them to the rest of the class!”

-Sharon Ramsey, teacher at Liberty Christian School

Students Use Their New Collaborative Desks at Liberty Christian School

 

 

 

 

 

Had to share!!! New desks being put to great use!

-Julie Barber, Director of Liberty Christian School

 

 

 

 

 

New Collaborative Desks at Liberty Christian SchoolNew Collaborative Desks at Liberty Christian SchoolStudents Use Their New Collaborative Desks at Liberty Christian School

Insights Into A Brand New 21st Century Commons Area!

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Crossroads Academy of Kansas City staff and students share insights into their new 21st century commons area and how it is already impacting student learning. Furnished by Hertz Furniture!

With Intrinsic Motivation Your Students Learn More and Better

Intrinsic Motivation. Need Motivation? It's Right Inside of You.
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Intrinsic Motivation.  Need Motivation? It's Right Inside of You.Keeping a room full of students interested in anything can be tough, but using intrinsic motivation in education can make a big difference. Tapping into students’ interests and making the information relevant can help them learn more, and better. But is it possible to keep your whole class intrinsically motivated? How can a teacher create a positive learning environment based on these principles? The challenge may be more than our educators have bargained for. 

So what exactly is intrinsic motivation? It is an internal drive to pursue a certain subject or activity for its own sake, without expectation of external rewards. Intrinsically motivated students enjoy learning a subject because it interests them and they feel that it is relevant. They can also be driven by a sense of accomplishment at mastering a difficult task or subject.  read more

Who Profits From Online Lesson Plans?

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Who Benefits From Online Lesson Plans?From administrators to department heads to teachers, we can all benefit from sharing digital resources. The abundance of online lesson plans and classroom resources available is revolutionizing the lesson preparation process. It’s no secret that good teachers spend many hours out of school grading papers, preparing lessons, speaking to parents and more. So why shouldn’t the global teaching community come together to share resources, thus saving valuable time and letting students all over the world benefit from great ideas? Maybe because things aren’t as simple as they sound. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.  read more