Recent articles
Find, vet and implement edtech painlessly!
12/13/2018
Topics:
Protecting student data online can be difficult in a district with 8,500-plus students — especially when teachers can easily find their own free apps for classroom use, bypassing the official procurement process and potentially putting students’ privacy at risk.
But Sun Prairie Area…
How a schools culture affects edtech
12/12/2018
Topics:
Boni Hamilton has been evaluating how technology works in the classroom for more than two decades.
She has written two books about integrating technology in schools and wrote a doctoral dissertation about how computers are actually used in classrooms and the…
Digital equity starts with teachers-in-training
11/13/2018
Topics: Standards, Teacher prep
For teacher educator Nicol Howard, addressing digital equity issues starts long before K-12 students ever get close to a classroom.
One of the key starting places is the training those students’ teachers receive in their degree programs. But it’s not as simple as…
Digital equity: Don't leave mobile-only families behind
11/06/2018
Topics: Digital Citizenship
A few years back, I was chatting with a dedicated and passionate third grade teacher who was showing me her fully developed website and her beautifully designed weekly newsletters. As the…
Family tech nights can narrow the digital divide
10/17/2018
Topics: Education leadership, Parent engagement
When we talk about digital equity, the conversation often focuses on providing opportunities for all students to learn in an increasingly connected world. We talk about devices and home connectivity. We talk the importance of parental support. We talk about training all educators to …
There's more to digital equity than devices and bandwidth
10/03/2018
Topics: 1:1, Assistive and adaptive technologies, Augmented reality, BYOD, Computational Thinking, Curriculum, Education leadership, Gamification, Gaming, Makerspaces, Mobile learning, Personalized Learning, professional learning, Project-based learning, Robotics, STEM & STEAM, Technology infrastructure, Tools
The past decade has seen a narrowing of the digital divide when it comes to two things: the number of devices in classrooms and the Wi-Fi that transforms these devices into powerful learning tools.
But it’s premature to say the digital playing field has been leveled.…
TED helps educators tell stories worth sharing
09/13/2018
Topics: Assistive and adaptive technologies, Education leadership
Earlier this year, I received an intriguing email. The subject line read: “ISTE/TED Invitation,” and my attention was immediately piqued. As I read on, I learned that as an ISTE PLN leader, I had been selected to pilot…
Navigating the smartphone minefield: A guide for middle school leaders
09/12/2018
Topics:
Educators and parents have something in common when it comes to the kids in their care: They are both navigating the treacherous waters of media, devices and children.
…
1:1 does not ensure digital equity
08/28/2018
Topics:
In our rural Massachusetts district, great things are happening. We’ve rolled out a 1:1 Chromebook program, established monthly faculty-driven tech camps and established our district online presence with a learning management system partnership.
In just a short 18…
3 myths about OER
08/22/2018
Topics: Education leadership, OERs
When Ben Churchill rejected his district’s textbook adoption process in favor of using open licensed resources, he got a little excited. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on published instructional materials, he watched his teachers come alive as they created — and shared —…