ISTE

Seven major education organizations have joined forces to establish quality indicators for ed-tech tools in the EdTech Index, achieved by validation through a variety of third-party certification processes.

AI tools excel at generating content, but knowing what to do with that content is the skill that human users must bring to the table. Students tend to learn it best when trying to solve problems they care about.

School districts should be establishing flexible guidelines for AI use, providing AI-focused professional development, looking at data-privacy policies of AI tools and considering what data they were trained on.

For all the opportunities generative AI brings to middle and high school students, it could also undermine their proficiency at reading and writing. Experienced teachers have some suggestions for how to make it work.

Eight presenters at ISTE’s annual conference Tuesday in Denver shared their own visions, anecdotes and suggestions for innovative changes in their field, each making a case for exploration and openness to technology.

Experts say relationship-building, collaboration and effective pedagogy are essential to hybrid learning programs, ideally giving students flexibility while teaching them the drive to take control of their own education.

According to SETDA, 32 states have statewide digital learning plans, a dozen require local districts to come up with their own plans, and some have provisions other than mandates to encourage classroom technology use.

A report from the International Society for Technology in Education suggests educator preparation programs should go beyond just preparing entry-level teachers and provide ongoing professional development for technology.

The nonprofit International Society for Technology in Education is developing Stretch, an AI chatbot intended to be factually reliable, by training it only on information created or approved by educators.

An insurance rating agency found the cost of cybersecurity coverage doubled in a five-year period before going up another 75 percent in 2021 alone, but the decline of cryptocurrencies may be slowing that trend.

A June 26 panel at the ISTELive 23 conference in Philadelphia said schools should have, and practice, a plan for what to do immediately after a cyber attack, who to contact and what the next remediation steps are.

Sam Callahan, a third grade teacher and data consultant, says schools can use self-assessments and better systems of organizing and analyzing data to help teachers address racial disparities.

Speaking on behalf of a consortium of ed-tech organizations called the Cybersecurity Coalition for Education, project director Frankie Jackson shared a new cybersecurity resource available to schools free of charge.

Former educators Nate McClennen and Vriti Saraf shared their vision of future schools powered by emerging technologies, namely artificial intelligence, blockchain and the metaverse, at ISTELive 23 on Monday.

Former high school teacher and Apple executive Sabba Quidwai advocates a foundation of empathy in the classroom and a design-thinking approach whereby teachers can embrace AI as a partner and even a friend.

Experts in technology, education and artificial intelligence expect the next generation of tools will empower students, give them more autonomy over their education and generate more data as well as risks.

Districts across the United States can see the need for new professional development to coach teachers on the inner workings, use cases and hazards of AI tools, but many are waiting for more clarity or consensus.

Advanced chatbots could be used as powerful classroom aids that make lessons more interactive, teach students media literacy, generate personalized lesson plans and even save teachers time on administrative tasks.