Classroom

Schools Turn to Technology for Teaching’s Sake

The classroom and tech for teaching are once again attracting serious attention.

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As Editor in Chief, Ryan works on developing editorial strategy and is always on the lookout for new writing talent and sharing great stories with the IT world. In his spare time, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family, biking and obsessively following Iowa Hawkeye sports and Cubs baseball.

An intriguing thing has been happening in schools.

A decade ago, the idea of integrating technology into the classroom changed the possibility of what teachers and students could accomplish or even imagine. While that classroom tech created seemingly endless opportunities, districts soon realized they didn’t have the necessary infrastructure in place to support it all. School leadership then shifted their attention to building or rebuilding networks, tackling data management and bolstering enterprise security in order to advance their academic missions.

But now that many have made those investments, the classroom and tech for teaching are once again attracting serious attention. That foundation allows more opportunities in the classroom than was possible even a couple years ago. This issue of EdTech: Focus on K–12 reflects that fast-changing technology landscape, and explores how districts and IT leaders are traversing it.

Learning-Centric Tech

While the use of classroom technology is in demand, there’s also an understanding that it requires a direct link to the curriculum to deliver value. In “The Team Tactic”, we reveal how Springdale, Ark., and other districts are closely marrying their IT and curriculum planning to ensure the goal of improving learning.

The spiraling adoption of cloud, Software as a Service, Google Apps for Education and Wi-Fi also come under our lens, in “The Cloud-Friendly Classroom”. Our Tech Trends, "Schools Enjoy Flexibility with SaaS," delves into the ways that SaaS tools such as Adobe Creative Cloud can help IT teams deliver individualized apps more effectively.

We also put the spotlight on some clever ways teachers nurture an interest in science, technology, engineering and math careers. You might want to borrow a few ideas from “For the Love of STEM.”

Once you finally put down the magazine, visit the EdTech website at edtechmag.com/k12/events to check out our latest K–12 conference coverage, including TCEA and CoSN. It will almost be like you were there yourself.

DAN VIDETICH & PHOEBE ROURKE-GHABRIEL