Technology

Energy performance contract helps K-12 district recover from earthquake, pandemic and deferred maintenance

North Carolina school district overcomes ongoing challenges with innovative funding and stimulus.

Ransomware in education: Schools hit hard

Learn about the prevalence of ransomware in education, and what schools need to do to strengthen their defenses.

By Dan Schiappa, Chief Product Officer, Sophos • Oct. 18, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Ed Tech

Virtually overnight, the coronavirus pandemic forced a transformation of schools' approach to ed tech. We're keeping this page up to date with the latest ed tech trends and developments.

By K-12 Dive staff

Texas district erects Wi-Fi towers to expand internet connectivity

School systems get creative to connect students to reliable internet service after the pandemic exposed a greater need to solve the digital divide.

By Shawna De La Rosa • Oct. 18, 2021

3 cybersecurity best practices to keep school networks safe as students — and devices — return

An estimated 1,180 cyber-related incidents have hit K-12 since 2016, and an influx of digital tools opens new vulnerabilities as students return in person.

By Roger Riddell • Oct. 12, 2021

What College Board learned from one of the nation's largest-ever online exam deployments

The nonprofit adapted during a year of disrupted learning to preserve opportunities for 1.8 million students who opted to complete AP exams online.

By Jeremy Singer • Oct. 12, 2021

Report: Monitoring online student activity may create privacy disparities

Students in lower-income districts using school-issued devices are more likely to be monitored, according to the Center for Democracy & Technology.

By Kara Arundel • Sept. 27, 2021

Influx of school devices provides crucial opportunities for data privacy lessons

Experts suggest students be taught to clear search histories, hard drives and more before returning school-issued devices.

By Shawna De La Rosa • Sept. 08, 2021

Report: Despite struggles, pandemic-era online learning holds promise for student-centered learning

Ed tech and blended learning approaches need to be high quality and have teacher buy-in to be effective, research says.

By Kara Arundel • Sept. 02, 2021

FCC to open second application window for $7.2B Emergency Connectivity Fund

The agency is making the additional 15-day window available in response to outstanding demand for support for the current school year.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 26, 2021

Survey: Pandemic digital learning tools will impact curriculum for years to come

Top techniques educators plan to continue using include online polling or quizzes, on-demand instructional videos and project-based learning.

By Shawna De La Rosa • Aug. 24, 2021

Virtual tools adopted during pandemic can enhance classroom projects

Putting new technology and skills gained over the past year to work across in-person curriculum will be critical to make the most of those investments.

By Lauren Barack • Aug. 11, 2021

National K-12 cybersecurity learning standards aim to strengthen pipeline

Touted as the first of their kind, Cyber.org's optional standards define what students should know across four grade bands, beginning in kindergarten.

By Roger Riddell • Aug. 05, 2021

Summer Reading: COVID-19's impact on ed tech, connectivity

The past year and a half led to seismic shifts in efforts to address digital equity gaps and integrate tech in learning.

How will schools take advantage of $7B FCC fund to address the homework gap?

The Emergency Connectivity Fund, which provides money for devices and connectivity for off-campus learning, has an Aug. 13 application deadline.

By Kara Arundel • July 30, 2021

Lessons In Leadership: How a superintendent tapped SpaceX to help close homework gap

With a high ELL population, Texas' Ector County Independent School District is also committed to multilingual programming and parent engagement.

By Roger Riddell • July 20, 2021

Texting interventions increased during the pandemic, but are they worth the investment?

A new study questions the effects of parental texting programs on outcomes and suggests negative impacts in other parental involvement areas.

By Naaz Modan • July 14, 2021

Challenges, benefits of keeping school devices in students' hands over summer

Maintaining access to educational content over summer boosts equity, but there are also major tech management considerations and costs.

By Kara Arundel • July 09, 2021

GAO: Ed Dept can improve K-12 operations in 3 priority areas

Comprehensive reporting on COVID-19 relief obligations and expenditures is one area a new report recommends the department strengthen.

By Kara Arundel • July 08, 2021

ISTE 2021: School tech leaders also play a role in antiracist work

Boston-area principal Henry Turner suggests the design thinking process used by many tech companies can help schools begin addressing these issues.

By Roger Riddell • July 07, 2021

ISTE 2021: Special education experts advise keeping pandemic best practices

New and pre-existing tools broke down barriers to serving remote and hybrid learners, and now’s not the time to stop using them, panelists said.

By Kara Arundel • July 02, 2021

ISTE 2021: Be bold, not reckless, when investing relief funds in ed tech

Stakeholders want to ensure historic levels of COVID-19 relief funds are used wisely, creatively and have an impact on student learning and well-being.

By Kara Arundel • July 01, 2021

ISTE 2021: District tech leaders share pandemic learning takeaways in 'bootcamp'

The virtual discussion ranged from new approaches for distributing and managing devices to the silver linings of the past 18 months.

By Roger Riddell • July 01, 2021

The case for universal IAQ standards

Ever thought about indoor air? It's time you did – and the standards that provide peace of mind too.

How are schools fixing the digital equity conundrum?

Attention is being focused at the state and local levels to verify equity and effectiveness in student and teacher use of available digital tools. 

By Kara Arundel • June 24, 2021

After a year of distance learning, where are classroom design trends headed?

Pandemic-era partitions and barriers will eventually come down, but the push toward more flexible, modern classrooms continues.

By Shawna De La Rosa • June 23, 2021