Networking & Broadband
6 hallmarks of the ‘connected classroom’
How does the idea of the connected classroom impact teaching and learning? Every educator wants to teach in a connected ... Read more
The real problem with school internet
For schools across the country, mobile device management and online testing concerns start at the basic level: ‘how do we get the internet and infrastructure needed?’ As it…
7 strong facts that support school broadband
Broadband access is more important than ever, and the public agrees U.S. public opinion isn’t too positive when it comes ... Read more
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2013, No. 1: Broadband is king
1. President Obama’s ConnectED initiative prompts the biggest review of the eRate since the program’s 1997 inception. In June, President Obama announced a new program to ensure that…
Smart education networks: An action plan for leaders
In my September column, “Time to ask for more eRate funding,” I discussed how this is a historic moment. The eRate program is the largest and most important…
Ed-tech groups mull new FCC chief’s priorities
Ed-tech advocacy groups reacted to the confirmation of Tom Wheeler as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman, noting that the official move positions the agency to better act on…
CTOs give their best mobile deployment tips
School leaders hope to give their students access to mobile learning opportunities, but infrastructure challenges and access barriers often create complications during mobile initiative implementations. A group of…
Education secretary Duncan discusses plight of rural schools
Rural students need more access to college and technology to make up for the educational challenges they face, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told small-town teachers and school…
eRate survey highlights broadband needs
Nearly one-third of school districts (29 percent) did not apply for federal eRate assistance because they assumed the program would have insufficient funds for their needs, according to…
How school leaders can erase the digital divide
The digital divide is mentioned almost daily in ed-tech discussions: It prevents all students from receiving a technology-rich education that can help them compete on a global scale,…
eRate changes spur debate
Stakeholders weigh in on eRate program’s future Hundreds of eRate stakeholders made final efforts to show how critical high-speed broadband ... Read more
Mobile tech offers potential for formative assessment, authentic learning
It is increasingly evident that policy makers and educators should not ignore the fact that mobile technology holds great potential for student engagement, continuous formative assessment, and authentic…
What is America’s broadband agenda?
The Huffington Post reports that as the birthplace of the internet, there are those who continuously clamor for the United States to be "Number One" when it comes…
Why Not Wi-Fi?
The web offers a surplus of knowledge and information at the click of a button, Ed Tech Digest reports.
Five education trends for the new school year
education-trendsTrends in education are always appearing, such as iPads and online testing (and remember virtual reality classrooms?), but with recent developments in national standards and a new federal…
Facebook-led project seeks internet access globally for all
Facebook Inc's Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has enlisted Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, Qualcomm Inc and four other companies for a project aimed at bringing internet access to people…
Ed-tech stakeholders advocate for boost in eRate cap
Inadequate internet connectivity is more than an inconvenience to teachers and students—it has the capacity to limit the educational and ... Read more
Idaho schools flock to state wireless program
Eighty percent of Idaho school districts and charter schools eligible to participate in the state’s contract to install wireless equipment have signed up, the Idaho Department of Education…
LAUSD launches teacher training for $30M iPad project
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How are classrooms implementing mobile technology?
Advocates of mobile technology in the classroom say that devices such as tablets and smart phones boost student engagement and offer a way to personalize learning for each…
Our schools need better internet access, capacity
President Obama announced the ConnectED initiative last month to connect 99 percent of America's K-12 students to 1 gigabit of broadband and high-speed Wi-Fi in the next five…
New report maps young Americans’ library, technology use
Nearly all young Americans under age 30 are online, and as library patrons, are more likely than older generations to use library technology such as computers and internet…
LEAD issues five digital learning recommendations
On the heels of President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative launch, the bipartisan Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission released a five-point blueprint outlining specific actions to accelerate the…
Comcast expands Wi-Fi network with new ‘neighborhood’ initiative
Comcast is making it even easier for its broadband subscribers to access the Internet outside the confines of their homes, CNET reports.
Obama unveils ConnectED initiative to boost digital learning
President Obama today unveiled ConnectED, a new initiative intended to connect 99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within five years.…
Teachers: Ed-tech boosts students’ abilities, self-sufficiency
Technology's potential to aid teaching and learning when properly implemented and used is widely agreed upon, and teachers say that ed-tech has the potential to both positively and…
District’s $38M technology bond issue would add more iPads, teaching tools to classrooms
Angela Bagby's students in the autism classroom at Marshall Elementary School can't verbalize the answers to a spelling test or hold a pencil for more than a few…
Schools’ ed-tech budgets shrink as demand grows
While educators and parents continue to report a growing need for technology use in education and learning, schools are struggling to meet today’s needs and tomorrow’s expectations, according…
Administrators share top 10 thoughts on digital learning
More and more educators, parents, and education technology advocates see the need for classroom technology and digital learning, but say that stagnant or shrinking budgets continue to impede…
A failing grade for broadband
The internet is becoming as critical to student success as textbooks and blackboards—in many parts of the country, even basic homework assignments require access to the web, Slate.com…
Discovery Education offering schools free digital textbooks
During a conference on digital learning, award-winning Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told peers, publishers, and congressmen that going digital in schools is more than just…
Austin next city for ultra-fast Google Fiber
Google Inc. picked tech-savvy Austin as the next city where the search giant will wire homes with ultra-fast internet connections, but did not say how much customers will…
100 million ‘offline’ Americans to get cheap broadband, digital literacy skills
Three in 10 Americans are offline, citing both cost and digital skill barriers—but thanks to Everyone On, a new nonprofit initiative, more than 100 million offline Americans will…
How one school district deployed 10,000 iPads in five weeks
Sticking to its resolution to put iPads in students’ and teachers’ hands, the Mansfield Independent School District in Texas deployed 10,600 of Apple’s popular devices in just 5…
Could Verizon nix unlimited data for everyone?
Verizon Wireless isn't making it easy for loyal, longtime smart phone customers to keep their existing unlimited data plans, CNET reports. And now some subscribers, who are willing…
Survey: School web filtering can impede learning
More and more students are bringing personal mobile devices to school, but a new survey from the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) finds that content filtering often…
How proper ed-tech implementation can transform learning
A new report outlines four critical challenges facing public education and identifies steps that school and district leaders must take in the next two years to ensure that…
Mobile networks nearing normal coverage after Sandy
Cellular coverage for some carriers approached normal levels in the northeastern U.S. a week after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, but some areas remained cut off from mobile service…