Editor's Desk

The Edtech Era

2/28/2013 By:

What a great time to be writing about education technology. Each month, we get to publish stories that define the epic transformations that are happening in schools and at home for today’s students.

At the expense of dating myself, I can remember other periods over the past 20 years when my articles became unwitting harbingers. In retrospect, they are almost comical. Back in 1992, one headline I wrote went something like, “Will email work in corporate America?” I’m happy to say the answer was yes! Later that decade, I recall an attempt to break down Amazon’s business model—actually sell books over the Internet!

Two features this month remind me of some of these landmark tide turners. School CIO editor Ellen Ullman turns to executives in the business world in order to examine the best strategies for handle the onslaught of devices in the classroom (BYOD: A Work in Progress). Then we separate some of the myths from the facts on cloud computing. What enthuses me about these articles is that they are smart. The writers and subjects don’t ask whether or not these things are possibilities. We all know that they are. What they do explain is how to best deal with these new realities.

Another indicator of this exciting time is the number of edtech events we get to cover around the world. This month, be sure to see our coverage from TCEA, BETT, EDUCON, and FETC. Next month, we’ll have reports from Tech Forum Atlanta, SXSWedu, and COSN. Also go online to follow developments in real time at techlearning.com. Who knows what’s coming next?

— Kevin Hogan
Editorial Director
khogan@nbmedia.com