Catch up on what’s new in EdTech! From evolving opinions about EdTech, revelations about reading, and new insights from ACSD and POTUS, there's plenty to discuss. For this May edition of the DE EdTech News Roundup, we’ll cover:
EdTech Trends
As EdTech tools seem to be emerging everywhere you look, educators are working to balance how these tools can help enhance learning while not over-stimulating their students. Read on to catch up on the latest conversations around EdTech!
When it comes to the ideal amount of educational technology in classrooms, most K-12 officials say they’d like to either continue with what they have now or add more, a new EdWeek Market Brief survey finds. The nationally representative 2022 survey asked 215 district leaders, 531 principals, and 538 teachers for their opinion on the proper amount of EdTech in schools. Their responses underscore leaders’ and educators’ quickly evolving, and in some respects contradictory, views of the role of tech in teaching and learning. Attitudes toward technology in school districts continue to shift, as educators move further from the pandemic and the rapid take-up of digital tools that came with it.
ChatGPT and other Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) tools have caused swaths of school districts and government officials to ban the technology in classrooms—or at least attempt to. Concerned that these services will eliminate critical thinking and impact our ability to standardize assessment of intelligence, these leaders have left out one critical point of assessment: these tools aren’t going away and by banning the tools they are failing to prepare their students for the world they will graduate into.
Learn how one Florida educator uses EdTech products and services, including the award-winning Discovery Education Science Techbook, to differentiate instruction and make computer science more accessible to students.
Achieving gender parity in STEM fields in’t just about social equity, it’s about meeting the future economic demand for highly-skilled workers. The number of open tech jobs far outpaces the population of traditionally qualified candidates, and focusing on eliminating barriers to STEM education can support girls as they pursue STEM studies.
Readings About Reading
Literacy is the #1 indicator of student success and a core function of succeeding in other subjects, which makes reading a hot topic for parents and educators. We’ve gathered some readings that summarize the major conversations about reading – check out the following articles to join the conversation:
Fed up parents, civil rights activists, newly awakened educators and lawmakers are crusading for “the science of reading.” Can they get results? Read on to find out!
This article provides a breakdown of three specific technologies educators should watch out for and how each enhances language learning differently.
Insights from Education Leaders
Read the top takeaways from the latest speeches by leaders in education, politics, and the medical field.
Identity, dissent, and diamonds were all important lessons educator Fred Ende gleaned during the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ACSD) 2023 conference.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is bringing attention to the increase in youth mental health needs, which he calls “the defining public health crisis of our time.” He points to social media, sleep schedules, and the COVID-19 pandemic as issues affecting kids’ mental health. Read along to get the details on the mental health decline and what the Surgeon General says we can do to help young people.
President Joe Biden celebrated the National Teacher of the Year and Council of Chief State School Officers’ 2023 honorees from each state. During his remarks, Biden addressed the challenges that teachers face, including safety concerns and a recent uptick in book bans.
