The journey to digital sustainability: A CIO’s perspective

Key points:

I recently had the privilege of co-presenting a session on digital sustainability with UDT at FETC this past January. Meeting with other education technology and instructional leaders affirmed how multi-faceted and critical digital sustainability is for school districts right now.

My unique path to serving as Chief Information Officer for Orange County Public Schools has enabled me to experience our district’s digital transformation from multiple perspectives. I began at OCPS as a first-grade teacher before joining the district’s teaching and learning team, where I helped plan our five-year 1:1 device rollout for 280k students. In August 2023, I transitioned from teaching and learning to IT.…Read More

6 ways you’re already using AI in the classroom

Key points:

Many educators are cautiously optimistic about AI, indicating that they’d like more guidance to effectively integrate it into their instructional strategies. But while generative AI tools like ChatGPT have dominated conversations for the past year, there are many classroom tools that have quietly used AI to deliver personalized and targeted learning to students.

Let’s take a look at some classroom tools that are already leveraging AI for efficiency and learning outcomes:…Read More

Digital equity means more than access

John Calvello represents TPR Education, including The Princeton Review and tutor.com. They aim to highlight their services for all students and districts, emphasizing equity and support structures. John discusses the evolution of remote tutoring, especially its impact on underserved communities. He also addresses the changing landscape of test preparation, focusing on digital SAT and training teachers. Additionally, John outlines two key focuses for the event: high-dosage tutoring and integrating AI into their services for faster and more insightful support.

Conversation highlights:

  • Equity and Support: TPR Education emphasizes providing support structures for all students and districts, highlighting their services’ accessibility and effectiveness, particularly for underserved communities.
  • Evolution of Remote Tutoring: The transcript illustrates how remote tutoring has evolved, especially during the pandemic, becoming more accepted and beneficial for students, particularly those in underserved areas.
  • Changing Landscape of Test Preparation: With the introduction of digital SATs and shifting educational priorities, there’s a focus on training teachers and providing effective test preparation services to adapt to these changes.
  • Focus on High-Dosage Tutoring and AI Integration: TPR Education is prioritizing high-dosage tutoring programs tailored to specific student needs and integrating AI into their services to provide faster and more insightful support, aiming to enhance student learning outcomes and streamline processes for educators and parents.

Below is a machine-generated transcript of the conversation…Read More

Crunch the Numbers: New data on student tech use; Chromebook predictions; and the impact of pandemic relief funds

Qustodio today released their 5th Annual Report, offering valuable insights into children’s digital habits across 2023. “Born connected: The rise of the AI generation”, reveals the app use and technology habits of children aged 4-18, detailing trends in screen time, social media and communications, mobile gaming, online entertainment, learning tools, and for the first time in the report’s history, use of artificial intelligence tools.

Qustodio’s report, involving over 400,000 families and schools, studies the popularity of apps and platforms used by children around the world, with further insights into habits in major world markets, including the US, UK, France, Spain, and Australia. In addition to revealing children’s favorite apps and platforms of 2023, the study also investigates the time invested over the year, detailing children’s screen time on popular apps such as TikTok, YouTube, Roblox, and Snapchat.

The extensive report also features surveys and interviews with families actively involved in their children’s digital wellbeing, giving insight into how parents and guardians navigate parenting in an increasingly online world and the tools they use to keep their children safe as technology, the internet, and artificial intelligence evolve at a rapid pace.…Read More

Districts call for guidance in developing classroom AI policies

Key points:

To date, only six states have formulated a comprehensive AI policy absent federal guidance for districts to look to, according to findings from The 2024 Administrator AI Report: Perceptions, Practices, and Potential in Education, a new report from digital curriculum solution provider Imagine Learning. The report aims to identify administrators’ perceptions on the benefits and advantages of generative AI and benchmark its current rate of adoption.

Although several organizations, such as the CoSN, ISTE, and the Council of the Great City Schools have released generative AI guidelines and best-use practices for K-12 educators and districts, according to the report, 47 percent of administrators are planning to implement comprehensive policies on their own and 54 percent have indicated they would also like help from education solutions providers to reduce risks and concerns associated with generative AI.…Read More

Classroom tech: The new and the tried-and-true of 2024

Key points:

It’s 2024! Chalkboards, heavy textbooks, and other analog tools of the past have no place in today’s schools. Over the last few decades, applied technology in the classroom has grown by leaps and bounds. This dovetails nicely with the fact that today’s students are full digital natives who instinctively know their way around smart devices.

Of course, there’s more to education technology than allowing computers in the classroom. School administrators should be continually on the lookout for emerging technologies that can increase student engagement, retain knowledge, and make learning more accessible.…Read More

EPS School Specialty Launches as EPS Learning, a Literacy-Focused Company

NASHUA, N.H./PRNewswire-PRWeb/ —  EPS School Specialty, a leading provider of PreK–12 supplemental ELA and math solutions, announces the launch of EPS Learning, a new, standalone company focused on literacy as the springboard to lifelong learning and opportunity. EPS Learning will enable teachers to support PreK–12 students across all tiers of instruction through the EPS Literacy Framework, which includes print and digital solutions anchored in the science of reading.

“Today marks a shift for our team as a burgeoning company that’s deliberate in its focus on high-quality literacy solutions,” said Steven Guttentag, Chief Executive Officer at EPS Learning. “EPS Learning embodies our dedication to combining the best of print and digital resources—empowering educators to meet the diverse needs of today’s striving readers. Our focused efforts and investments will further accelerate the ability of our solutions to support each student’s unique journey toward literacy and beyond. And, this is just the beginning as we’ll soon announce a significant technology enhancement that will further punctuate our commitment to providing our partners with the most effective literacy solutions.”

Schools and districts across the country have seen a  significant decline in their students’ reading achievement and low reading scores have persisted for over 30 years. Learning disruptions resulting from the pandemic exacerbated these challenges, making it more evident than ever that student reading proficiency is in crisis. With mounting pressure on educators and districts to implement high-quality, high-impact, evidence-based reading programs, EPS Learning provides educators with a robust, comprehensive suite of solutions grounded in research.…Read More

How ergonomics impacts student success

Key points:

Students are spending more and more time using digital devices, both in and outside of school. In fact, the amount of time teenagers spend in front of screens per day for entertainment alone is equivalent to that of someone with a full-time job!1 While those numbers might be lower for younger children, when in-school technology use is factored in, the total time adds up quickly.

Almost three-quarters of educators believe that physical comfort while using edtech has an impact on student engagement.2 And, over half of students report discomfort when using laptops3. Ergonomic problems are likely contributing to discomfort and sapping engagement in today’s schools.…Read More

SchoolStatus Announces Acquisition of SchoolNow, Enhancing Its Communication Capabilities for K-12 Schools

Ridgeland, Mississippi – SchoolStatus, a leader in K-12 data-driven solutions that empower student success, today announced the acquisition of  SchoolNow, a unified digital publishing platform for K-12 that streamlines how schools engage families and their communities.

SchoolNow combines ADA-compliant websites, mobile apps, social media, text, voice, and email into an all-in-one system created to broaden and deepen the school experience with families. Through this acquisition, SchoolStatus will be able to integrate SchoolNow’s comprehensive communication capabilities into its student success platform designed for K-12 educators and leaders. Users of the SchoolStatus platform will be able to easily create and update their website—the most important owned communication asset for districts. 

“SchoolNow is an excellent addition to our recently launched student success platform, SchoolStatus, as both companies share the common goal of solving schools’ biggest challenges in communication and making it easier for schools to connect and engage with families,” said Russ Davis, CEO and founder of SchoolStatus. “Integrating SchoolNow’s technology will further allow SchoolStatus to offer our district partners the leading solutions for improving student achievement and attendance—delivering another piece of the puzzle.”…Read More