Fifty from ISTE: 50 new ed-tech services
This year’s conference from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) was the biggest yet, with nearly 20,000 people convening in Atlanta June 28 to July 1.…
The former editor of eSchool News, Dennis Pierce is now a freelance writer. He has spent the last 20 years as an education journalist covering issues such as national policy, school reform, and educational technology. Dennis has taught high school English, math, and SAT prep. He graduated cum laude from Yale University. He welcomes comments at dennisp@eschoolmedia.com.
Latest posts by Dennis Pierce (see all)
- How will schools replace devices bought during the pandemic? - April 1, 2025
- Can technology help schools prevent AI-based cheating? - April 14, 2023
- How to ensure digital equity in online testing - July 6, 2022
Ten new AV products worth noting
We’ve already described some of the key AV trends to emerge from InfoComm 2014, North America’s largest AV trade show. Now, here are 10 AV products on display…
Four key AV trends from InfoComm 2014
As we noted earlier, collaboration was a key theme at this year’s InfoComm, and so was the introduction of more flexible and creative digital signage. Here are four…
Sign of the times? Digital signage gets creative
At InfoComm 2014, North America’s largest audio-visual trade show, there were several innovations in digital signage on display—and many of these new products could make it easier for…
New AV products enhance collaboration
Enhancing collaboration was a key theme at InfoComm 2014 in Las Vegas last week, as conference exhibitors demonstrated several audio-visual products designed to help students, educators, and other…
Ten new ed-tech products for June 2014
An app that could reduce the response time in a school emergency, a device that uses the same technology guiding high-end cruise missiles to make any surface an…
Vergara case is a ‘shell game’: Editorial
After a close reading of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu’s ruling in the landmark lawsuit challenging California’s teacher tenure rules, Vergara v. State of California,…
Want to engage students? Have them create apps
With mobile apps soaring in popularity, some companies have created programs that help teach kids how to design and build their own apps. These programs engage students by…
11 ed-tech tools emerge as SIIA Innovation Incubators
A “discovery engine” that uses a personalized search service to help professionals find reputable online degree programs from accredited universities, and an assessment application that allows teams of…
How can teachers inspire learning? By empowering students
How can today’s teachers inspire their students—and how can technology play a role? These questions were the focus of a unique professional development event held May 10th in…
Eleven new ed-tech services to know about
A “discovery engine” that uses a personalized search service to help professionals find reputable online degree programs from accredited universities, and an assessment application that allows teams of…
Instant logins among the latest ed-tech innovations
A new platform that allows for instant login to any software with a single click, and a "differentiated learning algorithm" that gives students personalized support inside or outside…
Five new ed-tech innovations for schools
Products that make it easier for teachers to control students’ tablet computers and leave notes within the margins of online lessons are among the latest ed-tech innovations we’re…
New software gives teachers more control over student devices
The lines are blurring between mobile device management (MDM) and classroom management software, as both now offer some classroom-level control over students’ mobile devices.
New ed-tech services aim to stop the ‘summer slide’
Research suggests that students lose two to three months of grade-level equivalency in math skills over the summer, which affects their readiness for the new school year—and this…
New science teaching tools shown at NSTA conference
Integrating the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into instruction, teaching science in the elementary grades, and getting students interested in science were key themes to emerge during the…
New service is like ‘Consumer Reports’ for ed tech
A new Texas-based service called Learning List could help K-12 educators choose the best instructional materials for their schools.
CUE exhibitors show new ed-tech innovations
At the annual CUE conference in Palm Springs, Calif., earlier this month, dozens of ed-tech companies showed their latest products for educators—including a new interactive computer game for…
New software lets teachers control student devices
The lines are blurring between mobile device management (MDM) and classroom management software, as both now offer some classroom-level control over students’ mobile devices. That’s good news for…
Google Apps spur rise of new ed-tech market segment
Student use of Google Apps is on the rise, and Google Chromebooks have exploded in popularity within K-12 education. In response to these trends, a new niche market…
New ed-tech products target Common Core readiness
At the 69th annual ASCD conference in Los Angeles, preparing for the Common Core was a common theme. In the conference exhibit hall, a number of companies showed…
Brain-wave sensors: Answer to engagement?
A Florida-based start-up firm called Nervanix is working on an idea that, if successful, could help educators find the “sweet spot” to effective teaching: maintaining active student engagement.…
Six strategies for persuasion in the digital age
Best-selling author Dan Pink kicked off ASCD’s annual conference in Los Angeles March 15 by noting how important persuasion is to school leaders’ jobs—and yet the dynamics of…
Ed-tech innovations curb cell phone cheating—and more
Each week, I’ll highlight new ed-tech innovations that readers should be aware of. This week’s column includes a next-generation wireless infrastructure, more powerful voice recognition software, a blended…
New laptops designed with students in mind
With so much recent focus on tablet computers and Chromebooks, it might seem as if traditional laptops have become passé for education. But that’s not the case, as…
Watch out, Apple: Chromebooks on the rise in schools
Education sales of Chromebooks, the lightweight laptops that run software from the internet instead of a local hard drive, have skyrocketed in the last year—and Chromebooks now account…
Amplify unveils new curriculum to ‘transform’ teaching
Amplify, the ed-tech company owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., is best known for creating a line of education-focused tablet computers. But that could change with its March…
Free software helps fuel digital instruction
A new software program from Promethean aims to simplify teaching with technology—regardless of what devices teachers or their students are using.
Parents are key to mobile learning success
Don’t overlook parents as key partners in the success of mobile learning initiatives, a new report suggests. The report, commissioned by AT&T and written by Grunwald Associates based…
Math products seek engagement with robotics, gaming
At the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference in Austin this month, several companies demonstrated products designed to help teach math. Two that stood out in particular were…
Two handy products to support school iPad use
At the Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA) conference last week, our editors were on the lookout for innovative, yet practical ed-tech products and services. Here are two such…
How K-12 leaders can cope with a ‘stunning’ power shift
Technology is transferring power from institutions to individuals—and this shift has huge implications for K-12 leaders, says Nicco Mele, a faculty member at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.…
Experts: Here’s how to turn data into achievement
School systems are collecting a “tremendous amount” of data about their students, but how can they use this information to improve instruction? The answer lies in changing the…
Librarians: Key to ed-tech success
School librarians are critical to the success of digital learning initiatives, and they deserve a place at the table in discussions about digital learning: That’s the message behind…
zSpace takes 3D learning to a whole new level
Imagine being able to learn about the human heart by picking up a still-beating heart, turning it over, peering through its outer walls, and watching the various valves…
Four school video tools worth exploring
A free library of instructional videos that comes with a powerful search tool for finding just what you want, and a platform for editing video collaboratively in the…
Brain-wave sensors: The answer to student engagement?
A Florida-based start-up firm called Nervanix is working on an idea that, if successful, could help educators find the “sweet spot” to effective teaching: maintaining active student engagement.…
Obama touts ed tech, 21st century skills
The jobs of the new economy will require higher-order skills such as “problem solving” and “critical thinking,” President Obama said during his State of the Union address Jan.…
How lawmakers have failed students living in poverty
Fifty years after President Johnson declared a “war on poverty,” there is broad disagreement over whether the nation’s anti-poverty measures have been a success. But when you compare…
Parents are key to mobile learning success
Don’t overlook parents as key partners in the success of mobile learning initiatives, a new report suggests. The report, commissioned by AT&T and written by Grunwald Associates based…