3 educational technology tools to be thankful for

The three Ts: Thanksgiving, turkey and tech. It’s a given we’re all thankful for the first two–spending time with family and friends and devouring a giant turkey. Now is also a time to reflect on what educational technology tools U.S. school districts are thankful for this year.

1. Chromebooks

With 1:1 initiatives increasingly being either considered or implemented across the US, school districts need an affordable and easy-to-use device for their students: enter, Chromebooks.

Google is a familiar platform for most students, so it comes as no surprise that the Chromebook, which uses the Google Chrome browser, is the number one device of choice for more than 58 percent of U.S. K-12 schools.

These devices and the included applications like Google Docs support collaborative learning. Using Chromebooks for interactive lessons and group work helps encourage problem-solving and teamwork in the classroom–skills students will be grateful to have in the future.

2. Broadband improvements

US schools, particularly those in rural areas, have struggled to provide broadband that is fast enough to allow for the benefits of devices like Chromebooks. However, investments of over $1.5 trillion in American Internet infrastructure have helped to improve broadband speed by 660 times since 2002.

These efforts now provide 39.2 million students, 2.6 million teachers, and 73.9 thousand schools with the minimum connectivity goal to give students equal access to digital learning opportunities–a figure schools can definitely be thankful for.

3. Monitoring software

As stricter anti-bullying laws, bills and policies get put in place, more school districts are implementing monitoring software solutions to help them detect potential bullying concerns. As students become more tech-savvy and spend more time online, the potential for cyberbullying increases.

Having a monitoring system in place for the devices students are using in school, helps teachers keep students focused, detects potential instances of cyberbullying and helps keep students safe online–something the whole school can be thankful for!