Digital Transformation

The shift to remote learning and 1:1 devices for some districts coincided with problems with student attention and attendance, but it also gave educators practice with tech tools and prepared them for the upheaval of AI.

Bob Fishtrom used the downtime of COVID-19 to rethink the use of ed-tech tools across 230 classrooms. Now, as schools enter a new era of uncertainty, the district technology director shares how careful planning can pay off.

Since reorienting so much class time around screens, schools have seen lower student proficiency and fostered increasingly isolated childhood experiences, which studies show correlate with rising anxiety and depression.

To improve reading and math proficiency, K-12 schools should make deals with ed-tech vendors that calculate payments based on results, so purchases are accountable and vendors make more money if their tools are effective.

A recent event at N.C. A&T State University gave hundreds of students a hands-on experience with a robotic surgical machine and other medical technologies, with labs and stations nearby to answer student questions.

In response to students hiding vape pens, a school district in Pennsylvania is considering allowing staff to use handheld security devices to scan students suspected of hiding contraband.

The College Board is issuing refunds and rescheduling the SAT exam for about 10,000 students after a glitch caused the Bluebook app, which hosts the exam, to submit their tests too soon.

K-12 schools are embracing the use of educational apps for many functions, and while administrators feel positive about this approach, parents and teachers may have “app overload,” according to a report last week.

WeWillWrite, an ed-tech tool from Norway that launched in the U.S. last week, uses fast-paced, anonymous classroom writing competitions, along with AI imagery and analysis, to teach students the features of good writing.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins canceled state funding to OverDrive, a digital platform that lets users download and read books on their personal devices, over concerns about inappropriate material.

All public school districts in Washington state are transitioning from a patchwork of websites for student career planning to the new High School and Beyond Plan online platform, as mandated by the Legislature in 2023.

A Colorado school district has come out against legislation that would require the Colorado Department of Education to develop a new reporting database to receive complaints about contracts with digital vendors.

A freshman from Onalaska High School won her area's Congressional App Challenge with a tool that finds local health care providers based on the user's needs, such as distance, cost and type of care.

A partnership between Prodigy Learning and Minecraft Education offers students the opportunity to earn industry-recognized credentials while playing one of the most popular digital games.

A new competition from the National School Boards Association and the Center for Digital Education honored three school districts this month for their innovative approach to K-12 technology integration.

More than $20,000 from the Maryland State Department of Education will go toward gifted and talented education programs, including game-based learning software designed to develop analytical thinking skills.

With a team of teachers and an evidence-based approach, virtual tutoring startup Reading Futures is helping upper elementary, middle and high school students with the lowest reading scores in schools across six states.

Some school districts have begun using AI to help write RFPs while vendors use it to submit as many bids as possible, but this has generated some concerns about bias, inaccuracies or generally low-quality responses.