Digital Transformation

Through student-faculty discussions about how synchronous online courses should look, among other avenues, educators at Minerva University hope to use the science of learning to improve virtual learning.

A state initiative will use $6.5 million in federal funds to finish creating digital maps of New Jersey's 3,000 public and private schools, including interior and exterior layouts, doors and surrounding areas.

With an abrupt move to online learning now in the rearview, schools have to make it work in the long run with training for both teachers and students, infrastructure investments, innovative new tools and a funding plan.

The leaders of various education-focused nonprofits single out cybersecurity, digital learning tools, sustainability, professional development and student responsibility with technology as key problems facing schools.

The University of Connecticut's Hartford and Stamford campuses will offer an in-person master's degree and a new graduate certificate in financial technology this fall, noting growing corporate demand.

The Editorial Board of the Charlotte Observer raises issues with body scanners installed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to detect guns, including false alarms and a lack of research about their effectiveness.

A Washington school district is expanding its online option, Wisdom Ridge Academy, to students anywhere in the state. They can also partially enroll in part-time learning programs elsewhere in the district and region.

Working with the nonprofit Constructive Dialogue Institute, universities are offering online resources to help faculty approach sensitive political topics in class without increasing conflict.

West Virginia's first two statewide online charter schools have less than half the number of enrolled students they projected last year, although officials say it's still too early to know what fall will bring.

In Washington, Kelso School District is using a series of grants to buy iPads for special education students, subscribe to educational apps and train occupational therapists to use new applications and devices.

With a TK-12 virtual schooling program created to satisfy demand, Newport-Mesa Unified School District gives parents the flexibility to keep students home while staying connected to the district.

According to LearnPlatform's annual report and top-40 list of digital tools used in K-12 classrooms, ed tech use held steady from the last school year, with Google Suite and learner-focused tools remaining dominant.

A Kentucky school district is debating the pandemic-era policy of livestreaming public meetings and showing them on TV, and whether that convenience for the public outweighs technological and equipment challenges.

A Pennsylvania school district is installing phones with emergency buttons that call 911 and send appropriate responders automatically, and requiring students to keep personal electronic devices in their lockers.

The NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars program challenged community college students to design a mission to the moon or Mars, including cost calculation, engineering work and studying the surface.

The university’s Media and Innovation Lab worked with digital mental health company Neolth on a platform that assesses students, then customizes curricula and suggests resources according to their mental health needs.

Recognized at the AWS IMAGINE 2022 event in Seattle earlier this month, the AWS Education Champions’ first cohort includes infrastructure and IT managers, cloud engineers, program directors and administrators.

As Marion County schools prepare to use facial recognition technology for campus security, neighboring school districts might do well to wait and see, given potential issues with parent consent and misidentification.