Today's digital natives are primarily "tech comfy." Teens may need to show adults how to use SnapChat, but age and experience help adults know more about how to evaluate the content on this platform and other digital spaces.

In order to create critical thinkers who are able to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate digital content, educators must be intentional in preparing  students for 21st century learning. That includes reading content on the screen from a variety of sources—blogs, social media posts, databases, articles, and forums.

There's no doubt about it: when parents are involved, students do better. According to the Family Engagement Collaborative of the Miami Valley, family engagement in schools leads to higher student achievement and graduation rates, fewer behavioral problems, better self-esteem, and stronger performance by students from diverse backgrounds. 

There will always be barriers to family engagement, but framing it as an "opportunity for all" can help schools move beyond the barriers. The Framework Institute advises that promoting family engagement as an equity issue and policy matter focuses the initiative on inclusivity and opportunities for achievement for all children and will help schools look at how current practices may exclude some students and families. Introduce the high-quality instructional materials available at no cost from INFOhio to families to help remove barriers and provide opportunities for all.

Check out INFOhio's Monday Mini Lessons to support educators in integrating digital content into instruction and remote teaching. INFOhio will be featuring a series of videos that showcase best practices for remote teaching using INFOhio's high-quality digital content. Learn more about this series and how to stay informed. 

Classic childhood books capture the joy and freedom of play and imagination. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is one of those. This award-winning book tells the story of Peter and the adventures he has on a snowy day. Readers young and old can imagine the red snow-suited figure of a young boy playing in the wintry city. Many will also remember that Peter is an African-American child, and recognize that childhood delights are not determined by race, location, or gender. Everyone has fun in the snow.

As Ohio's PreK-12 Digital Library, INFOhio is prepared to help Ohio connect during a period where social distancing is the norm using quality digital resources and web tools available at no cost to all students, teachers, and parents.  We rely on a robust network of people in all areas of Ohio to help us transform instruction and impact learning. INFOhio is actively seeking new members for the INFOhio Integration Partners, or IPartners, program to boost our reach, support our efforts, and strengthen our connections.

INFOhio, Ohio's PreK-12 Digital Library, licenses high-quality digital resources and develops robust web tools available at no cost to Ohio's students, teachers, and parents. Tune in to these new videos to ensure seamless access to premium content that transforms instruction and impacts learning.

Did you know that INFOhio has purchased a Premium Membership on behalf of all Ohio PreK-12 schools to OhioNet? That membership has benefits!

Need a new series to binge over the summer? Check out these Learn With INFOhio webinars we've dusted off that support blended, flipped, and hybrid learning! Brush up on your web 2.0 tool skills, online instructional approaches, and innovative teaching strategies with these webinars featuring educators from around the country!

Whether you need printed packets for learning activities or plan to make the learning happen digitally, World Book webquests are a great way to help students build foundational knowledge on a topic.

Want to link to streaming videos like Bill Nye the Science Guy's Phases of Matter or Our Ohio–Exploring Our Heritage in your Google Classroom? INFOhio has added Google Classroom integration to the Digital Video Collection!

It's autumn—cooler temperatures, shorter days, crisper air, and yes, runnier noses. It's a great time to teach your little learners about the change of seasons and how they affect the world around them. Check out these resources and tips from INFOhio to help teach your PreK-3 students about autumn.

Teach more than one standard with this lesson idea. Use science content and apply reading standards for a lesson that will get 7th grade students set up for success.

Using digital text and tools is a way to engage readers in text, as well as empower them with one of the most critical needs for their future—digital literacy. INFOhio is dedicated to providing high-quality digital content, resources, and tools for students and teachers in Ohio that will develop the necessary skills for early literacy, inquiry, and college and career readiness. 

Do you use Scholastic News in your classroom? What about Scholastic Scope or Scholastic Science? These subscriptions are a popular teaching tool in many schools. Full of informational text and critical thinking activities, Scholastic's classroom magazines offer teachers a wealth of resources that feature popular topics and engaging graphics. You can learn more about these resources, their grade levels, and content at Scholastic's Classroom Magazines site. Additional features are available through a Scholastic school subscription.

Using graphics to support learning is a strategy proven to have maximum results for student learning in classrooms. According to the National Council for Teacher Quality in a recent study, Learning about Learning, "Young or old, all of us receive information through two primary pathways - auditory (for the spoken word) and visual (for the written and graphic or pictorial representation). Student learning increases when teachers convey new material through both." Not only should teachers pair words with graphics, they should also provide concrete and tangible examples for abstract ideas. These are two strategies identified as, "proven practices that improve learning for all students." Using PDFs from INFOhio's Explora database is one way to integrate images and concrete examples into your classroom.