Is the digital divide entirely different from what we think it is?
For a while now, there’s been a great deal of concern over the digital divide—the gap between students who have easy access to technology and those who don’t.…
5 education trends of the future catapulted by blended learning
With so many students engaged in blended learning, it’s important to examine current trends and technologies to try and predict where blended learning could take students in the…
Superintendent: Gen Z achievement soaring with student choice
So how can educators find the perfect balance between traditional and digital approaches to better focus their student’s attention? How can they gain back control in a classroom…
How an edtech innovation is giving performance assessments new life
Internet access, electronic collection of student work, and online distributed scoring, for example, can all play significant roles in making performance assessments more manageable and efficient.
3 ways new-to-online students can thrive with virtual learning
Digital learning opportunities are widely available and abundant today. From MOOCs to digital study aids to virtual tutoring, there are many ways for students to hone their academic…
Real talk: This is what successful blended learning actually looks like
In theory, blended learning sounds straightforward: You replace a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction with web-based online instruction. In practice, though, launching and sustaining a blended learning…
6 IT nightmares plaguing schools-and 6 solutions to stop them
From constricted budgets to needing to protect large numbers of devices and users, educational institutions face a unique set requirements for data protection and business continuity.
School sees massive literacy boost thanks to new assessment attitude
At the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, 82 percent of Morgen Owings Elementary School’s students were working below grade level. Now, six months later, just 40 percent…
This is what Gen Z-designed curriculum looks like for the future
The generation in school now is the first generation raised entirely in the Age of Technology. They are digital natives, many of them using computers, smartphones, and other…
Why education needs strong advocates now more than ever
Spring time is invigorating, especially in my home town of Gastonia, North Carolina. Gastonia is very southern; its roots are in the textile business, and in many ways,…
3 keys to student success with early college programs
Like a growing number of school districts, North Carolina’s Guilford County Schools (GCS) has early college programs that allow students to earn college credit while they’re still in…
5 reasons why blended learning programs fail-and how to save them
Too often, educators who are considering investing in blended learning pull back after hearing horror stories of good programs gone bad. Whether it’s botched rollouts, network snafus, or…
The 5 components of a future-proofed technology initiative
The technology in the classroom has to be interoperable as students pass into different grades and their personal technology evolves. This is essential to meeting the needs of…
Greatest lesson: Teacher buy-in is overrated
One of the greatest lessons my 30 years of experience in education has taught me is that teacher buy-in is, sometimes, overrated.
Why Gen Z needs librarians now more than ever
Librarians and media specialists are in a unique position within schools, since they are very often the person responsible for introducing students to new technologies, and are also…
7 ways edtech boosts student confidence in the classroom
Edtech is making is easier and more efficient to help students at every level, and to bring even the most timid of learners out of their shells. Dr.…
District’s parental engagement soars with new “Glow and Grow” practice
When my district, Charles City Public Schools (CCPS), created our strategic plan, we established “Community Investment in Public Schools” as one of our five core goals. As a…
What does assessment without testing look like?
Educators at all levels agree on the need to assess what their students know, but a growing number of them find that tests are not the best way…
There’s an emotional side of edtech—and it’s affecting school innovation
At one of my recent workshops, I was approached by a teacher who had never redesigned her lessons to take advantage of edtech’s potential to transform learning. She…
5 tips for new, easy and affordable school edtech upgrades
Waiting on a slow computer to load or update wastes valuable time and can detract from lessons and class time. ... Read more
Teaching Generation Z? Start by engaging their parents—here’s how we did it
A huge body of research shows that parental involvement in a child’s education results in higher student achievement, both academically and behaviorally. I’ve been in K-12 education for…
Why STEM education could get a transformative makeover—soon
Engaging young children in STEM is critical for creating a lifelong love of learning and for developing critical thinking skills which will serve them well across all academic…
5 school areas that desperately need student voices
As a graduate journalism student over 20 years ago, I worked on a thesis project centered on education reform news reporting. I was analyzing how often education reporters…
The 3 biggest Twitter problems for teachers—and how to overcome them
Despite clear advantages to advancing digital literacy, schools often experience considerable roadblocks to implementing digital literacy initiatives. Interestingly, accessibility often isn’t the biggest factor blocking this process—more often…
How school districts are leveraging Twitter to become rock stars
When a student tweets at their school’s Twitter handle, chances are they don’t expect a response--it’s like tweeting at Starbucks, or the Office of the Comptroller of the…
These 8 schools have A+ mobile device programs—here’s why
Technology continues to raise the bar of what is possible in education. As more schools discover the power and benefits of education technology, mobile devices such as Chromebooks,…
March’s 11 buzzworthy edtech tools
Things move fast in the edtech world, and we hear all the time from teachers how hard it can be to keep up. This is why we've created…
Warning: These fraud attacks are wreaking havoc on education
On March 14, it was reported in CSO (a leading cybersecurity outlet) that 110 organizations experiences successful phishing attacks targeting their ... Read more
Teachers: Online learning goes 2.0 with new technology
Video tutorials in the style made famous by Sal Khan of the Khan Academy changed the face of education, empowering anywhere, anytime learning. However, they were Tutorials 1.0.…
Teachers: This change is causing dramatic gains in student achievement
What if we could empower our teachers to turn student assessment into a process of learning instead of a focus on measurement? Further, what if this mindset change…
How I use Skype to prevent school violence
21st century schools must include effective and high impact approaches to school violence prevention and student conflict resolution. Unfortunately, “school-wide” or “outside speaker” approaches to reducing student violence…
District sees massive STEM gains with VR
The students at Franklin Square Union Free School District in Nassau County, New York, had already studied the layers of the earth. They’d seen a video, discussed the…
11 online tools & apps for dyslexic students
In the past, dyslexia was rarely recognised, and when it was, very little was put in place for the student. It was assumed that students were being lazy,…
Teachers and IT: How to keep kids safe on Chromebooks
Just a few short years ago, Apple was the undisputed king of tech in schools. If you didn’t have iPads ... Read more
Are online preschools signaling the future of education?
Since 2008, Utah has given its families an alternative to preschool called Upstart. Developed and administered through a state contract with the Waterford Institute, the Upstart program provides…
3 ways a new E-rate funded technology is helping schools save
As schools near completion of their E-Rate filing for this year, one game-changing E-rate technology has the potential to save schools precious time and money. The technology--a new…
Groundbreaking school blends high school and college together
The way we prepare students for the future is beginning to change because our economy is undergoing a makeover. The Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce published…
Making the case for common K-12 standards
Education is changing, things are in flux, and there is uncertainty. In this ever-dynamic landscape, “common” standards for education seemingly get a bad rap, but they’re useful, particularly…
A new technology is fundamentally changing learning–here’s how
Middle school students across the U.S. are learning how the body works by studying the anatomy of a frog, a vertebrate with an organ system similar to that…
This is how you make PD engaging for teachers
Teachers constantly juggle a number of different national, state, and district initiatives in today’s fast-paced and complex educational environment. Organizing professional development days that meet the varying needs…