Recent articles

With imagination and the right apps, students learn — and can prove it!
05/03/2019
Topics: Assessment
In the classroom as in court, it’s not what you know, it’s what you can prove you know.
And for generations of students and teachers, test scores have provided evidence of learning.
…

So, you want to evaluate a technology tool?
04/22/2019
Topics:
In the world of instructional technology, evaluating tech tools is widely misunderstood. School districts are under pressure to quantify the impact of technology integration on student achievement.
…

Need an Edtech Grant? Then Get Writing!
05/25/2021
Topics: ISTE Conference & Expo
Your school needs technology resources now more than ever, but your district can’t afford them. What do you do?
Start writing your grant, says Sheryl Abshire, a veteran K-12 educator and…

Find edtech resources vetted by educators
02/12/2019
Topics: Tools
Think about the last time you picked out a restaurant, a hotel or even a phone. Chances are you went online, ran a search for, say, “best Italian restaurant near me” and began to read and compare reviews.
What you found out helped determine your next steps: go to the…

Personalize learning with VR creation tools
09/15/2017
Topics:
The role of virtual reality (VR) in the classroom is still being parsed, but early adopter Amanda Fox is convinced the technology is more than a fad. In fact, she sees it as the ultimate way to personalize learning and encourage students – and teachers – to use technology to create, rather…

G Suite + digital tools = sweet productivity
10/23/2017
Topics:
Busy educators are always on the lookout for ways to be more productive and save time. From streamlining repetitive tasks to plowing through an overflowing email inbox or planning for an event, there are a range of tools to help educators do more with the precious time they have each day. …

Find, Vet and Implement Edtech Painlessly!
11/21/2022
Topics: Online safety & security, Procurement, Student data privacy
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…

Build your own Flappy Bird to teach history and coding
10/30/2018
Topics:
Watching my children tapping away on screens to support an aerodynamically repressed bird remain afloat and navigate its way through a series of pipes, it occurred to me that an…

Merge Cube offers instructional AR power in the palm of your hand
10/05/2018
Topics:
The Merge Cube is a compelling little device packed with a tremendous amount of instructional potential. It can revolutionize science curriculum by allowing students to have their hands on an actual beating heart or look inside a functioning human system. It can transport social…

Help students show their learning with these 4 apps
07/02/2018
Topics: Assistive and adaptive technologies, Augmented reality, Tools
It’s a familiar hunt for educators – finding that one app that’s the magic bullet for teaching a skill or providing practice. It’s a search that’s futile, and one that should be replaced with a new way of thinking.
Imagine searching instead for tools that allow learners to…