THE Insider
Critical Insights for K-12 Education Technology Pros
4/14/2023
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Editor's Choice

As ESSER Spending Ramps Up, Experts Offer Tips to Make Sure Students Truly Benefit, Now and Later

The pace of K-12 school districts' spending of ESSER Funds has picked up significantly this school year, and education leaders and researchers have shared tips and guides to help district leaders efficiently evaluate — or re-evaluate — their options when making procurement decisions, to ensure students benefit and stakeholders don't come to see spending decisions as failures.

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Top Articles of the Last Month

What K-12 IT Leaders Need to Know About the Proposed Expansion of E-Rate Eligible Services

A Funds For Learning E-rate expert shares what K–12 procurement officers and IT leaders need to know so they can be prepared to apply for the expanded funds if and when the FCC decides to expand the E-rate eligible services list — particularly if the expansion plan of choice means that the amount of E-rate funds to cover modern cybersecurity services is limited, at least for the first few years.

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CISA Alerts on Seven New Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

In the past week, CISA has published alerts on seven known exploited vulnerabilities — two of which put a long list of Apple devices at risk — ordering federal agencies to remediate the identified vulnerabilities immediately and encouraging all organizations to do the same.

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DMARC Study of Education Domains Warns of Widespread Vulnerabilities due to Email Security Settings

New research shows that an overwhelming majority of education institutions in the United States have incorrectly configured email security settings and as a result are more susceptible to phishing and spoofing threats.

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Turnitin Turns On AI Writing Detection Features for Educators

Starting today, plagiarism detection software Turnitin includes new live AI-writing detection features that “identify the use of AI writing tools including ChatGPT, with 98% confidence,” the company said.

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Ransomware Targeting K-12 Grew a Massive 827% Last Year, SonicWall Reports

Ransomware attacks targeting K–12 schools worldwide last year grew at an “absolutely massive” rate of 827% over 2021, according to SonicWall’s 2023 Cyber Threat Report, and the data shows that education customers — those whose data is compromised during ransomware attacks — had the highest percentage reporting ransomware attempts of all sectors studied.

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4 Ways IT Teams Can Secure the Future of Esports in Education

Electronic sports, better known as esports, is a massive industry. As of 2022, 532 million people watched video gaming events worldwide.

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Khan Academy Pilots GPT-4 Powered Tool Khanmigo for Teachers

Khan Academy has launched a limited pilot of a new learning guide called Khanmigo for educators, powered by GPT-4, the next-generation of OpenAI's large language model technology, which formally launched today as well.

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Ed Tech Groups Ask FCC to Extend Emergency Connectivity Fund Deadlines

Two prominent education technology-focused associations have teamed up to ask the Federal Communications Commission to extend service delivery dates for the Emergency Connectivity Fund.

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How to Help Students Cope with Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is a real problem, affecting 25% to 40% of U.S. students. Anxiety, along with academic stress, can appear as physical symptoms (such as headaches, nausea and sleeplessness) and psycho-emotional symptoms (like difficulty concentrating or increased irritability).

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Report: Ed Tech Aids Learning and Eases Student and Staffing Issues

The adoption of technology could facilitate student learning and social interaction. It could also ease the burdens on educators from staff shortages, according to a new report.

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OpenAI-Based Instructional Design Generator Nolej AI Now Available

A French generative AI ed tech startup called Nolej (pronounced “knowledge”) has quietly launched a new OpenAI-based instructional content generator for educators, called Nolej AI, ahead of its official introduction at BETT in London on March 30 and a planned commercial debut at the ASU+GSV Summit on April 19, the company's chairman told THE Journal.

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GotIt Unveils MathGPT Platform Custom Option for Math Education Providers

Expanded multi-modal MathGPT Platform possibilities mean any math content or curriculum can be turned into a personalized GPT-powered chatbot with interactive text, audio, and video learning, and GotIt can configure the MathGPT Platform to work with a wide variety of applications in math education, the company said.

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The Sky Is Not Falling: Turnitin Urges Educators to 'Meet the Moment' of ChatGPT

Two former classroom teachers who have been working on Turnitin’s AI writing detection tool and related features to help educators better understand ChatGPT — and show them teachers how to use AI to save themselves time and how to tweak assignments so that ChatGPT cannot earn a good grade on writing homework — both believe that ChatGPT has presented a growth opportunity — or perhaps more of a growth demand — for writing instruction, which they explained in the March episode of THE Journal Insider podcast.

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Report: Girls' Aptitude Far Exceeds Interest in STEM

A review of data from more than 225,000 female middle and high school students has revealed a major gap between the aptitude of girls for STEM and their interest in pursuing STEM careers. It also found their interest exceeds aptitude in some non-STEM disciplines.

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STEM Educators Report Shortage of STEM Faculty in Their Schools

New findings released today indicate a shortage of STEM faculty in high schools and middle schools.

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Why Ed Tech is Not Endorsing a Ban on ChatGPT in Schools

Depending on who’s speaking, ChatGPT is projected to either further erode K-12 learning outcomes or it will boost writing instruction and overall learning outcomes when used with appropriate guardrails. Several education technology leaders explained to THE Journal why they fall in the second category and how K-12 education should and can embrace ChatGPT in classrooms.

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How to Start Teaching Game Design to Get Students Excited About Computer Science

Christopher Kerr, president of the Connecticut Computer Science Teachers Association and a computer and information science teacher, shares his practical tips for engaging students with the exciting world of computer science and supporting them to realize their full potential.

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Upcoming K–12 Events

  • Tech Tactics in Education: Data and IT Security in the New Now

    Brought to you by the producers of Campus Technology and THE Journal, the 2023 Tech Tactics in Education conference offers hands-on learning, practical tips, and strategic discussions on critical cybersecurity issues and key data infrastructure and practices across K–12 and higher education. Access the latest thinking on current and emerging technology, data, and security trends impacting education institutions, as well as models for implementation, best practices, and strategies for effective technology leadership. If you are a technology leader in K–12 or higher education, data specialist, cybersecurity pro, or other individual charged with technology decision-making on campus, you’ll find valuable information for any experience level, team size, or institution type.
    Nov. 7–9, 2023
    Orlando, Florida

Upcoming K–12 Grants

Ongoing K–12 Grants

Call for Papers & Proposals

Submit calls for papers/proposals to [email protected].

Upcoming Webinars

Webinars On Demand

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Professional Resources

The Sky is Not Falling: Turnitin Urges Educators to 'Meet the Moment' of ChatGPT

Image shows a podcast icon and a ChatGPT icon with the words THE Journal

THE Journal Insider podcast spoke with two former teachers who are now working on Turnitin's ChatGPT detection and generative AI features for educators, who explained how OpenAI will change how writing is taught – and why that's a good thing. Listen to the podcast or read the full report.

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Testing 1-2-3: See the Nolej AI Interactive Lesson-Builder in Action

THE Journal tested Nolej AI's new software for teachers that automatically turns uploaded documents, audio, video or a website URL into an editable, interactive lesson package with summaries, glossaries, flashcards, and quizzes. Watch on YouTube or read the full report.

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THE Journal Insider offers readers the best our magazine has to offer. Each issue contains select articles chosen by the editors for their appeal to readers and for their significance in advancing the mission of education technology in K-12. THE Journal Insider is published monthly.

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