Lead Story

Cloud computing is taking K12 by storm with fully 90 percent of K12 institutions relying on or implementing cloud technology in 2012, according to the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN). District CIOs are under increased pressure to cut costs and keep up with the latest technological trends, and implementing the cloud is an easy fix.

While technology has revolutionized how people communicate and learn, federal and state governments insulate schools from the disruptions technology creates in other organizations. To overcome these obstacles, we must persuade teachers that technology will empower them and help their students learn. Here are five strategies for successful teacher adoption of education technology.

In this University Business magazine column, higher ed tech expert Karine Joly offers K12 CIOs a wealth of information on the benefits and drawbacks of the responsive approach to web design, and why it’s catching on.

In the months following the Sandy Hook massacre, schools nationwide have stepped up efforts to provide safe environments for teachers and students, and many have turned to high-tech solutions.

Imagine access to your district’s email system on mobile devices tripling in two weeks. This is what Deb Karcher, CIO of Miami Dade Public Schools and her team faced after Christmas 2012. “Santa Syndrome,” a term coined by Karcher, resulted in the 50,000 users accessing the email system on personal devices before winter break jumping to 150,000 when the schools reopened after the holidays.

Right now, 31 states allow purely online schools, of which about 275,000 students attended in the 2011-2012 school year, according to “Keeping Pace with K12 Online and Blended Learning,” an annual report from the Evergreen Education Group, which works with districts to improve education outcomes through digital learning.

The Consortium for School Networking and global technology company Qualcomm have come together to help schools understand the evolving needs of education networks. Through Designing Education Networks, a project funded by Qualcomm’s Wireless Reach initiative, the partnership aims to provide guidance and resources for district tech decision makers who are developing a wireless infrastructure to support a one-device-per student 24/7 learning environment.

As Common Core implementation begins, education publishers are creating products that align with the standards and take advantage of technology that elicits student engagement. These products offer transformation beyond the regular curriculum to personalized learning, with content that adapts in real time to individual learners.

Over 25,000 teachers and millions of students in all 50 states participated in the second annual Digital Learning Day, a national campaign promoting digital learning and shining a spotlight on successful classroom technology initiatives. Though the event lasted one day, educators are encouraged to engage with technology year round, according to the Alliance for Excellent Education, a national policy and advocacy organization that hosted the event.

In the move to 1:1 computing, school district leaders are increasingly looking for alternatives to traditional PCs and laptops, and for many districts, the go-to device is the iPad. But now, for a growing roster of Apple competitors, the time has come to give the iPad a run for its money.