DecisionEd to Add Watson Smarts to K-12 Analytics

Ed tech company DecisionEd plans to build in the use of Watson Analytics to add "learning" to district customers' use of data. DecisionEd says Watson's insights become more refined as the platform learns "what's going on" within the district, helping schools better understand how various factors influence each other. 

Jad Abumrad Reflects on Radio, Race, Technology and Education

Jad Abumrad doesn’t do things by the book, and he’s been rewarded for it. He’s co-host and creator of “Radiolab,” a popular public radio show that’s broadcast on more than 500 stations across the United States and has been downloaded as a podcast over 9 million times per month. He’s a 2011 MacArthur “genius grant” fellow, and his radio program won the George Foster Peabody Award in 2010 and 2015. Abumrad will be the opening keynote speaker at the ISTE conference, Sunday, June 25. 

Designing Your Online Course: Learning From an Expert

Christine Voelker teaches other teachers how to build their own online courses. She’s the K–12 program director for Quality Matters, a nonprofit educational organization based in Annapolis, MD, and will be presenting an all-day workshop at ISTE Sunday, June 25.

Study Finds Digital Exam Features Impact Scores for Younger Students

A study of 33,000 elementary and middle school students, conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, found that these students tend to perform better on paper-and-pencil tests compared to digital tests — especially for non-native English speaking students.

Competency-Based Education in Action: School Districts Share Advice

Digital Promise, a national nonprofit organization authorized by Congress, and Education Elements, an education company, yesterday released several free resources that are designed to help districts through competency-based education implementation.

Microsoft Boosts OneNote Accessibility, Offers Free Accessibility Training Course for Educators

Microsoft has unveiled new accessibility features for OneNote, the company's collaborative note-taking app for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.

Slow Internet Speeds Still a Problem at NYC Public Middle Schools, Audit Finds

Despite both public efforts by the New York City Department of Education and private efforts, internet speeds are still slowing down instruction at New York City’s public middle schools, according to a recent audit of high-speed internet connectivity in these schools.

Illinois District Streamlines Accounting Operations

An Illinois school district has parlayed its long-time use of a financial system into building a culture focused on continuous improvement.

Google I/O 2017: Standalone Google VR Headsets from HTC, Lenovo Coming Soon

At the annual Google I/O 2017 developer conference, Google unveiled an upcoming “revolutionary” standalone VR headset that will be manufactured by HTC and Lenovo.

Edmodo Investigates Millions of User Accounts for Sale on Dark Web

A hacker going by the name "nclay" claims to have stolen more than 77 million user accounts from Edmodo, a K–12 social learning network of 78 million teachers, students, parents and other members, and has put the data for sale on the Dark Web.

Privacy Advocates Release Toolkit for Parents to Protect Student Data

The Parent Coalition for Student Privacy and the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood earlier this week released a free, online toolkit that offers guidance to parents on how to protect their children’s personal information.

Blackboard Kicks Off First Hackathon for Developers and College Students

Education technology company Blackboard today launched its first-ever hackathon event called “Hackboard,” open now through mid-June.

Instructure, Kimono Partnership Opens Up Canvas SIS Integration

Instructure has partnered with startup Kimono to integrate the latter’s interoperability platform into Canvas’ student information system (SIS), enabling bidirectional SIS integration.

Grants & Upcoming Events (Week of May 22, 2017)

Upcoming K–12 Grants

Call for Papers & Proposals

Upcoming Events