Digital Transformation

For all the ed-tech innovations and bespoke software tools at the disposal of students today, don't let them overlook the power and versatility of one of personal computing's foundational technologies: the spreadsheet.

The higher-ed software company will integrate EduNav's academic planning tools into its SaaS offerings to assist universities with registration, transfer acceptance, degree planning and capacity planning.

A report from the enrollment firm EducationDynamics found that demand for online learning has been increasing among students in need of flexibility, as well as those looking for career certification programs.

Hiveclass, a “pandemic baby” startup with a video library, has reached more than 10,000 students across 20 states in less than two years, with a particularly strong interest in the nation’s largest school district.

A new company that has already partnered with 1,100 schools aims to provide project-based learning and STEM activities like programming robots and developing computational skills outside of school hours.

To bring a Spanish-speaking student into the fold and help him learn English, a Keene Junior High School teacher ordered Timekettle, a translator app with earbuds the student can wear during class or group work.

Researchers found that by asking large language models to tweak the wording of prompts to make them more effective, they could get the LLMs to generate more correct answers to math problems.

Sen. Joey Hensley said his legislation allows public K-12 districts and universities to make their own choices regarding if and how artificial intelligence should be used for learning, pending state approval.

State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley sees an opportunity in emerging artificial intelligence tools to give students personalized, high-dosage tutoring at far lower expense than well-trained human tutors.

Missouri launched a data visualization tool last month after educators and families repeatedly requested an easier way to view and understand student achievement and growth indicators for local schools.

Beverly Vista Middle School students in California used an artificial-intelligence program to fabricate nude images of people using real faces. Some experts say the legality of this has yet to be tested in court.

The York County School Division is working with Old Dominion University's Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center to build virtual-reality modules for students to practice languages in real-world scenarios.

While VR hardware costs remain a major adoption barrier for K-12, experts say the technologies could provide an outlet for students with autism or social anxiety to practice social and emotional skills.

Students are using apps such as Tor, Psiphon and Proton VPN, commonly marketed as “censorship circumvention tools,” to bypass school content filters. Schools need multilayered security strategies to meet the moment.

State Sen. Adrienne Southworth said schools should balance teacher-student interaction with digital instruction. Her bill also calls for regulation of third-party ed-tech tools that access student data.

Missouri's statewide "Close the Gap" program offered low-income students up to $1,500 each through an online marketplace with hundreds of vendors, but it was stymied by technical glitches, price gouging and lack of inventory.

Legislation requiring computer science instruction in California was referred to an Assembly committee last week. At a time when tens of thousands of computing jobs are available, most schools in the state don’t offer a single computer science course.

The tool, dubbed “GovScan,” allows policy analysts to scan large documents and data sets to research and find relevant information for policy proposals, cutting the hourslong process down to a matter of seconds.