k-12 learning

The school buses are on the move. I haven’t had a school-bus rider for some time, but I still feel a tug whenever bus D10 drives down my street. It’s an emotional time of year, and even someone watching from a distance can tell that students are excited and anxious. What’s less visible: one in seven…

Today’s classrooms boast more technology than ever before. In fact, a 2017 report from the Education Week Research Center notes that the number of laptops, tablets, netbooks, and other devices shipped annually to U.S. K-12 schools grew by 363 percent between 2010 and 2017, to nearly 14 million. Not…

Store shelves are crammed with lunchboxes: Pokemon and Paw Patrol, Spirit and mermaids, and superheroes of every stripe. While the designs available have changed over time—my Josie and the Pussycats lunchbox definitely lacked bento-style compartments—the reason for their existence has not. It’…

Located in suburban Johnson County, Kansas (and just ten miles from Kansas City, Missouri), Shawnee Mission School District is the third largest school district in the state, with 33 elementary schools, five middle schools, five high schools, and one alternative high school, which combine to serve n…

1:00 pm: Students trickle back into class after a well-deserved lunch break. Eager to get started with their next lesson, they grab their school-issued laptop out of their emptying backpack, log on, and start their next assignment while patiently waiting for the teacher to bring attention to the fro…

Setting up a 1:1 iPad initiative for 20,000 students In a rural public school district in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, Scott Miller, Director of Technology, had a vision: to set up a 1:1 iPad initiative for his students, flip his district’s classrooms, and ensure that every child had the same access to…

E-rate Application Filing Window Opens January 11 The E-rate FCC Form 471 application filing window has been announced! Schools have from January 11 until March 22, 2018, to submit their FCC Form 471 applications. Here’s what you need to know: E-rate Productivity Center (EPC) profiles will lock Jan…

Located on the eastern banks of the Hudson River, just minutes from Albany, New York’s capital city, Troy, N.Y., is home to some very imaginative and talented educators and students. They’re using video solutions to open a “window to the world,” and they’re seeing some amazing results. Video technol…

Four sites with four separate networks. No VPN capabilities, no streamlined network management, and no IT budget. Limited wireless access, inhibiting student learning and staff collaboration. Only a five person IT team. Starting to sound like a nightmare? This was the reality for Ascend Public Char…