Follett’s Lightbox finds approaches to learning for all teaching styles

Mitch Coulter is here today to share how Follett’s new Lightbox tool can you help adapt your instruction for students’ learning styles AND your own unique teaching style. Follett is a long-time supporter and sponsor of The Cornerstone, and I’m proud to help spread the word about this new tool they’ve released.

One of my favorite things about visiting schools is the incredible diversity of the teachers I meet. Each teacher has a unique personality and set of experience, but all teachers share something unique: they love teaching kids and finding ways to make concepts exciting and engaging for their students. Individual teachers may approach the challenge differently and take their own paths to meaningful instruction, but they are always striving to make the classroom experience one that students enjoy.

When I look at the marketplace for instructional tools and resources, I see something similar—whether it’s technology or print, project or inquiry based, there are a plethora of tools available for teachers to try. Over time, some rise to the top and others fall by the wayside, but there is never a one-size-fits-all curriculum.

Finding the right classroom instructional tool is like finding the right pair of shoes. There’s the old go-to pair that is perfect for almost occasion. Then there are the sporty, flashy new sneakers with the latest features, or the pair designed strictly for comfort that is far from fashionable. Summer flip flops, waterproof winter boots, heels and pumps (is there a difference?), high tops or cross trainers, loafers or flats. Whatever it may be, the choice of footwear is a personal choice and unique for all of us.

Yet when it comes to curriculum, we so often are stuck with one type of instruction meant to fit all of our classroom needs. One may not fit every teaching style or meet the needs of every instructor, and perhaps, through the eyes of the students they’re learning from, they may have no style, may not be fun or cool, but, more likely, are a boring pair of sensible shoes. When it comes to curriculum, there isn’t one size fits all, and there really shouldn’t be.

A new tool from Follett may be adaptable enough to be the right fit for classrooms and learning styles of all types. Follett’s Lightbox™ delivers a balanced approach to embedded technology tools and activities to engage students with learning.

Lightbox is a multimedia educational space that encourages users to see learning in a whole new light. With the click of a mouse, students are transported to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro; they see and hear a massive glacier break apart, crashing into sections the size of sky scrapers; and they explore the different parts of glaciers and how they shape the Earth’s surface—and this is just one title!

Titles in Lightbox make every lesson visual and vibrant, exciting, and strike curiosity and awe in kids as concepts come to life. Lightbox includes features like:

• embedded videos
• Google Maps integration
• teacher instructional tools
• audio support
• embedded formative assessments

Lightbox is also built to plug into a variety of additional support tools including an exclusive link to vocabulary.com’s adaptive vocabulary mastery program, and Follett’s Destiny™ Library Manager® (for those using this platform. Plus, Lightbox is set to expand its partnerships.

All of this comes in one easy-to-use interface available on any device. With 120 titles across commonly taught science and social studies concepts, Follett’s Lightbox is directly aligned to Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, National Council for Social Studies Standards, and selected state standards including TEKS.

Those are some of the stats, but you can’t really know what a new curriculum, or a new pair of shoes, is like, until you try it for yourself. Lightbox can be test driven right here. Take the sample titles for a spin, walk ‘em around the block, and see how they fit.

Mitch Coulter has worked for K-12 educational companies such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Pearson Education, and now at Follett holding various positions in editorial, marketing, professional development and training, and product management. He frequently presents at state and national conferences focused on K-12 educational technology.