When school districts invest in instructional technology, implementation is often measured through familiar metrics: How many teachers are using it? How often are students logging in? How many activities have they completed? How much time are they spending on the platform?

Those measures can tell leaders whether a tool is being used. They cannot necessarily tell them whether students are learning.

That distinction became especially clear to me while conducting a meta-analysis of Penda Learning, a computer-based science intervention. Across 13 independent school-based samples involving more than 33,000 students, we found significant gains in science achievement. But because results varied across schools, we were able to examine an arguably more useful question for education leaders: What conditions were associated with stronger outcomes?

One finding stood out: It wasn't simply the amount of time students spent using the intervention that best predicted achievement. It was mastery.

Students were considered to have mastered an activity when they demonstrated at least 80% accuracy. As the number of activities mastered increased, so did the effects associated with the intervention. Schools with low, moderate, and high levels of mastered activities showed effect sizes of 0.56, 0.89, and 1.40, respectively.

Mastery remained the strongest predictor of science outcomes even after engagement hours were considered. Time-on-task alone was not positively associated with better performance.

For district leaders, there is a broader lesson here that applies well beyond any single science intervention: Implementation should not be confused with usage. If we want evidence-based programs to produce evidence-based results, we need to pay much closer attention to what happens after the purchase.

Here are five ways district leaders can move beyond measuring usage and focus implementation on what matters most: student learning.

1. Define Successful Implementation Before Launch

Too often, districts decide how they will measure implementation after a program is already underway. Instead, leaders should define success before students ever log in. Adoption and participation matter, but these are starting measures, not end goals.

Ask more meaningful questions: Are students progressing toward mastery? Are they retaining and applying what they learn? Where are they struggling? Are teachers using the information generated by the program to adjust instruction?

The answers help distinguish between activity and impact. Digital programs make usage data remarkably easy to collect, but leaders should resist equating a dashboard filled with logins, minutes, and completed assignments with successful implementation. The metric that is easiest to measure isn't necessarily the one that matters most.

2. Measure The Quality of Engagement, Not Just The Quantity

Our findings illustrate why this distinction matters. The relationship between mastery and outcomes followed a dose-response pattern: as students mastered more activities, achievement effects grew substantially.

Rather than asking only, “How much did students use the intervention?” leaders should also ask, “What did students accomplish while they were using it?”

Two students can spend the same 30 minutes in a digital learning environment but have very different experiences. One may demonstrate understanding and progress while the other struggles without reaching mastery. Their time-on-task looks identical. Their learning does not.

When students spend significant time on an intervention without demonstrating progress, that should be treated as an instructional signal—not evidence of successful implementation.

3. Connect The Intervention To Instruction

Even a strong evidence base does not make an instructional resource self-executing. Technology works within an instructional system. It needs to connect to what students are learning, the standards teachers are responsible for teaching, assessment information, and the district's broader scope and sequence.

The studies in our analysis took place in real school environments, where teachers differ in experience, schedules vary, and local contexts affect implementation.

In one large implementation examined separately, teachers had a recommended schedule for using the science intervention, but support went well beyond usage expectations. They received professional development around curriculum integration and instructional alignment, along with ongoing opportunities to strengthen implementation and share instructional practices.

The lesson here is that leaders should think about implementation as instructional integration, not software deployment.

4. Support Teachers Beyond The Kickoff Training

Most educators have experienced some version of this: A new resource is introduced during PD, teachers learn how it works, and then everyone returns to their classrooms. That is adoption, but it isn't necessarily implementation.

Teachers need to understand not only how to use a resource but when and why to use it. They need support interpreting data, responding when students struggle, connecting digital learning to classroom instruction, and sharing practices with colleagues.

Variation shouldn't automatically be viewed as failure. It is information. If one school is producing stronger student mastery than another using the same resource, leaders should investigate what is different—whether it's instructional integration, teacher support, or opportunities for students to revisit concepts and demonstrate mastery. Implementation data become much more useful when districts use it to ask those questions rather than simply monitor compliance.

5. Treat Implementation As A Continuous Improvement Process

Perhaps the biggest mistake districts can make is treating implementation as something that happens only at the beginning of an adoption. It should be an ongoing feedback loop in which evidence continually informs practice.

District leaders should absolutely ask whether an instructional intervention has credible research behind it. But an evidence-based intervention doesn't automatically produce evidence-based outcomes. Research tells us what can happen. Implementation helps determine what does happen.

Conversations about edtech effectiveness need to move beyond adoption and usage. Are students mastering what they're learning? Do teachers have the support to act on the data? Are districts creating the conditions for the intervention to succeed?

Ultimately, the goal isn't to get students to spend more time using technology. It's to make the time they spend learning count.

Welcome to the September 2026 Back to School edition of Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

This month's new offerings include NGSS-aligned middle school science lessons, immersion language learning, AI literacy training and much more.

Extron | DTP3 T 321

The new DTP3 T 321 simplifies long-distance USB-C extension, sending video, audio, data, power, and bidirectional RS-232 signals up to 330 feet (100 meters) over a single shielded CAT 6A cable. The transmitter features a USB-C input, local HDMI output, and two USB device ports. It supports video resolutions up to 4K/60 with 4:4:4 color sampling, EDID Minder®, and HDCP 2.3.

GoGuardian | AI-powered Recommendation Engine

The AI-powered Recommendation Engine in GoGuardian Admin now enables district leaders with proactive policy recommendations based on student online behavior patterns. The Recommendation Engine translates student online activity into proactive guidance by turning emerging activity into governable policy, providing an AI-powered safety-net, and is built for every district, expert or not.

Magewell | Director Plus

Director Plus brings 4K production and enhanced network capabilities to Magewell's Director family of portable, all-in-one production and presentation systems. This new model can flexibly ingest up to six 4Kp60 sources or sixteen 1080p60 sources from HDMI, USB, and IP feeds, along with media assets from connected devices and third-party software platforms. Combining powerful streaming with flexible source integration, Director Plus enables creators and production teams to build hybrid or all-IP workflows for sports, Houses of Worship, healthcare, enterprise, education, podcasts, and more.

McGraw Hill | ROAR

Developed at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, Reading and Dyslexia Research Program, ROAR is designed to assess foundational K12 reading. Grounded in more than a decade of reading and neuroscience research, ROAR helps educators identify and support students with diverse reading needs, including students with dyslexia, earlier and more effectively.

Penda Learning | Cosmos

The AI-powered instructional assistant Cosmos provides scaffolded explanations, strategic hints, summaries and step-by-step coaching to help students work through science concepts and build understanding on their own. Cosmos works within the Penda Learning platform and teachers can see when and where students request help and use that information to identify areas where additional instruction may be needed.

Renaissance | Intelligence

Renaissance Intelligence unifies assessment, instruction, practice, and curriculum in a cohesive workflow. Built on 40 years of learning science and educator expertise, Renaissance Intelligence gives teachers real-time insights and recommendations designed to help them understand where students are, determine what they need next, and personalize instruction with confidence. It includes Renaissance Assessment, Renaissance Literacy, and Renaissance Math.

Rosetta Stone | Sapphire

Built on Rosetta Stone's Dynamic Immersion method and TruAccent speech recognition technology, Rosetta Stone Sapphire introduces a modern new interface, realistic conversation practice and powerful tools that help learners personalize their language journey. Rich imagery brings content to life, navigation is fluid and intuitive, and lessons, conversation practice and other learning resources are deeply connected, creating a sense of journey.

Squirrels | Ditto Android Receiver

The Ditto Android Receiver software allows schools to run three capabilities — screen sharing, digital signage and emergency alerts — directly on Android-powered TVs, projectors and IFPs. Installing Ditto on compatible Android devices from Google Play eliminates the need for a separate set-top box, dongle, adapter, media player or receiver hardware.

Symetrix | Cognio C20 Smart Processor

Built on an Intel x86 processor, the C20 brings powerful new processing capabilities to a compact, one-third rack-width device created for flexible deployment at the edge or in the rack. It supports multiple rooms through independent Signal Flow Spaces or operates with other Cognio processors and endpoints as part of a larger distributed installation. This processor-to-endpoint extensibility allows AV teams to add processing and functionality where they are needed, then expand the system incrementally as requirements change. The C20 supports VESA mounting, surface, podium, under-table, or optional rack-tray installation, letting AV teams deploy processing closer to the rooms and applications it serves.

Turnitin | Multipart Assignment Types

Multipart assignment types is a connected experience built for student growth and learning integrity. The new workflow allows instructors to design assignments with structured checkpoints for guidance and reflection throughout the writing process. It embeds formative feedback at every stage, from initial draft to final submission, within a single workflow.

Vector Solutions | AI Literacy Training

Vector Solutions' new suite of AI literacy and workforce readiness courses is designed to help schools, districts, colleges, and universities prepare students, educators, faculty, and staff to use AI responsibly, ethically, and effectively. The training gives schools and institutions a scalable way to build practical AI skills across campus and district communities through role-specific courses.

Vernier Science Education |Vernier Connections Middle School Lessons

Vernier Connections powered by Penda have expanded its online instructional platform with NGSS-aligned science content for grades 6-8. The hands-on lessons helps students explore real-world questions and engineering challenges. These span key middle school science topics, including thermal energy, light, chemical reactions, forces and motion, the Earth’s seasons, electromagnetism, sound waves, and energy transfer.

• Edtech Show & Tell

Sometimes teachers need a quick, useful resource that can slot into a lesson without hours of preparation, which is exactly what Rumie is designed to provide.

Rumie Learn is a nonprofit learning platform built around short, interactive "Bytes," with more than 2,500 published learning experiences covering everything from digital literacy and career skills to health, financial planning, and learning strategies. The platform has reached more than 2.5 million learners, with new Bytes added regularly.

This doesn't use lengthy courses, but instead breaks down subjects into small chunks that can generally be completed in around five minutes. That makes it great for teachers looking for starters, discussion prompts, flipped-learning activities, or quick ways to introduce a new topic.

What is Rumie?

Rumie is a free online library of microlearning content designed to make useful knowledge easier to consume and remember.

The basic unit is the Byte. These are short learning experiences, generally under 10 minutes, built around a specific concept or practical skill rather than an entire subject. Rumie says its Bytes use a chunked structure intended to make learning more efficient, while its lessons commonly combine short pieces of text with images, GIFs, memes, and quizzes.

That format makes Rumie rather different from a traditional learning management system. It doesn't have a huge course to enroll students in and work through from beginning to end. Instead, teachers can search the library for a specific idea and use an individual Byte when it makes sense for their lesson.

The library covers categories including Career Skills, Digital Literacies, Civics, Health, Business Acumen, Learning to Learn, and Innovation. More specific topic tags are also available, making it easier to find resources around particular skills or learning approaches.

Importantly for schools, the content isn't restricted to traditional academic subjects. A teacher could use one Byte to introduce digital citizenship, another to explore critical thinking, and another to help students understand financial planning.

That gives Rumie a useful role alongside existing classroom resources rather than trying to replace them.

How does Rumie work?

The simplest way to use Rumie Learn is to search its library, find a relevant Byte and share it with students.

Rumie also has guidance specifically for teachers on using Bytes as part of a lesson. Its recommended approach is to choose a Byte based on the skill being developed, share it with students, and then use the content as a starting point for discussion and application. That means a Byte doesn't have to be the lesson. It can be the thing that gets the lesson moving.

For example, students could complete a five-minute Byte before class as a flipped-learning activity. The teacher can then spend classroom time discussing what students learned, challenging their understanding, and asking how they could apply the idea.

Alternatively, the whole class can work through the Byte together. Rumie's own lesson-planning example suggests reading a Byte as a group or having students work in pairs before discussing their thoughts as a class.

This is where the short format becomes useful. A teacher can introduce a new concept without committing an entire lesson to a digital course, leaving plenty of time for explanation, debate, practical work, or assessment.

The platform is also designed around accessibility of learning rather than assuming students have hours available. Rumie describes its Bytes as quick, commitment-free learning experiences that can build toward broader skills over time.

What are the best Rumie features?

Thousands of short learning resources
The biggest advantage is simply the size and breadth of the library. Rumie currently lists more than 2,500 published Bytes, while its homepage highlights topics ranging from career skills and digital literacy to health, civics, and learning strategies.

New Bytes are published regularly, giving teachers an expanding pool of material from which to draw. That makes the platform useful when you need something specific rather than a complete curriculum.

Microlearning that fits into existing lessons
A five-minute resource is much easier to fit into a normal lesson than a 40-minute online course. A Byte can become a starter activity, homework task, revision exercise, discussion prompt, or introduction to a new topic. Teachers can also combine several Bytes around a broader theme.

Rumie's own classroom guidance suggests using Bytes in sessions ranging from 30 to 60 minutes, with time built in for discussion and applying the learning.

Interactive content
Rumie uses visual content, GIFs, memes, quizzes, and other interactive elements to make short lessons feel less like reading a textbook. The format is designed to keep the learner moving through a single idea rather than presenting a large amount of information at once.

Content created by professionals
Bytes can be produced by corporate employees taking part in volunteer workshops, community partners, and Rumie's own learning designers. Rumie says its learning designers plan, author, and peer-review Bytes, while the organization vets content against its standards.

Each Byte also identifies its author and, when applicable, the organization behind the content. That provides teachers with some useful context about from where a particular learning resource came.

Useful beyond traditional subjects
Rumie can be valuable for the skills that don't always fit neatly into a timetable. Its library includes resources covering areas such as communication, career planning, financial skills, digital citizenship, mental health, and learning strategies.

Classroom-specific resources are available, covering topics such as inclusive classroom management, facilitation techniques, and accessible worksheets. That makes it a potential source of material for PSHE, pastoral learning, careers education, digital citizenship, and tutor time as well as more conventional lessons.

How much does Rumie cost?

Rumie is free to use. That's one of its biggest attractions for teachers and schools. Rumie is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to make learning accessible, and its public Learn platform provides access to its library of Bytes without charging learners for the individual resources.

Separate Rumie products are aimed at organizations, including Rumie Connect and Rumie Build, which allow for the curation of learning experiences or the ability create their own microlearning content. Those are part of Rumie's broader learning platform rather than requirements for using the public Rumie Learn library.

For an individual teacher looking for ready-made learning material, however, there's no subscription to pay for simply browsing and using the public Bytes.

Rumie Tips

• Use Bytes as lesson starters
  Don't feel you need to build an entire lesson around Rumie. Find a five-minute Byte that introduces the concept you want to teach, then use it as the springboard for your own explanation or activity.
• Try flipped learning
  Send a Byte to students before a lesson and use the classroom time to discuss it. This allows students to encounter the material before they arrive and gives teachers more time for questions and application.
• Make students explain the learning
  After completing a Byte, ask students what surprised them, what they found useful and how they could apply the idea. This turns a short digital activity into a discussion rather than another piece of passive screen time.
• Build a themed sequence
  Search for several Bytes around a common subject and use them across multiple lessons. Because each resource focuses on a relatively small concept, teachers can gradually build a broader learning journey without asking students to complete one enormous course.
• Let students explore independently
  Rumie's huge range also makes it useful for independent learning. Ask students to choose a Byte on a subject they know little about, complete it and then present the most useful thing they learned to the class.

Change is afoot. Or at least that’s the impression I get from the college writing classes I teach, as well as my conversations with educators who teach at various grade levels, and just from generally observing societal trends around education.

As we emerged from the pandemic era in education, we jumped right into the early AI era. Yet as AI skepticism mounts in and outside of education, I think/hope we’re about to enter a new era.

Though readers be warned, when it comes to predictions, I’m not exactly the Oracle of Delphi. After all, I truly thought this year was going to be a good one for the New York Mets. Even so, I do believe all of these predictions have more of a chance of coming true than the Mets do of playing in the World Series anytime soon.

Here’s how I see things playing out in the coming school year.

1. The Techlash Continues

Okay, so I’m no exactly going out on a limb with this one. But I don’t see the ongoing pushback against certain forms of technology going away any time soon.

For example, I haven’t spoken with one teacher from a district or school that banned phones who wants them back--not one. Presumably some exist, but their numbers are evidently small.

Likewise, I believe there’s a sizable consensus that even though screens of various kinds can be helpful, these don’t hold all the answers to education. The emphasis going forward, as it should be, will be on eliminating the tech that distracts from education and focusing on the tools that really and truly help students.

2. AI Cheating Declines

This is a bold prediction, I know. But I see 2026 as the peak of the “I’ll just let AI do my assignment” era that has altered education.

Going forward, particularly at the college level, I think we’re going to see more institutional responses and more cultural responses to this. Encouraging trends include the movement toward watermarking from some of the tech giants, including Anthropic, which recently announced Claude will start watermarking all text it generates.

I’m also seeing a growing sense that passing off AI as your own writing is not a thing that you should do in any situation.

I’m confident the combination of better AI detection models and watermarks paired with more intense societal disapproval will greatly decrease the prevalence of AI cheating by the end of the school year.

Again, this is an optimistic take, but I really think the current AI writing situation can’t go on, and this is the year it finally peaks.

3. Job Anxiety Decreases

The existential dread most of us feel about the future of human-powered labor will subside by the end of this school year, and both educators and their students will breath a collective sigh of relief.

I think this will happen for the same reasons I think AI cheating will decrease. Society by and large has made their feelings clear on what we think of AI-produced work of any kind: We dislike it about as much as we disliked new Coke.

AI will continue to play a key role in research assistance and tutoring, and in areas such as vibe coding. However, as we drive unwanted AI from the classroom, we’ll also drive unwanted AI from professions it has no business in, such as writing, illustrating, and pretty much all artistic fields. This will help students better control their career paths and get rid of that dark cloud on the horizon for some.

4. The Tactile Revolution Will Continue (And Obviously Won’t Be Televised)

The pen and papers that many educators have turned to in a desperate effort to guard against AI misuse are not going back in the desk. Students won’t need to write by hand to prove they’re not using AI going forward, but I don’t anticipate this trend going backward as many educators have realized there is something important and beneficial in the tactile experience. Education in the post-COVID era has gotten a little bit away from it, but more hands-on lessons with objects students can touch and feel has staying power.

For me, I’ve realized the value of getting writing students to create a piece of work that exists in the real, non-digital world. Whether that’s a handwritten note or a printout, changing the medium helps students engage differently, and sometimes connect with their writing in a more meaningful way.

5. The Next Big Thing Is Coming

Forgive me for the vagueness of this one, but with AI use and abuse hopefully maturing in the coming school year and the post-COVID period moving more firmly behind us, I think the field of education is poised to enter a new era of some type. I don’t know what this will be. I just get a strong sense of transition in higher education due to changing demographics and declining enrollment. I think some of that will trickle down to K-12.

I also think this shift will involve some type of truce between the techlash and AI, and hopefully incorporate the best of both worlds.

Ultimately, I’m not sure exactly what the future holds, but I’m confident a new era is dawning. Here’s hoping we can learn some lessons from the past when it does.

Atlas is an AI-powered learning platform designed to help students study more effectively by providing personalized support across subjects. Unlike a simple chatbot, it aims to become a study companion that can answer questions and more. It helps to explain concepts, summarize documents, create revision materials, and even work with a student's own course content.

To minimize the risks of overreliance or academic dishonesty, Atlas positions itself as a platform built specifically for learning, with features designed to encourage understanding instead of simply producing finished answers.

Students can upload class notes, PDFs, presentations, and assignments, allowing Atlas to provide responses based on their own learning materials rather than generic internet information. The platform also supports lecture recordings, helping students revisit lessons and generate summaries or revision resources after class.

For educators, Atlas is an example of how AI is evolving beyond general-purpose chatbots into subject-focused learning assistants. While it shouldn't replace classroom teaching or critical thinking, it can help students review difficult topics, organize information, and prepare for assessments when used appropriately.

Here's everything you need to know about Atlas and how teachers can use it to support learning.

What is Atlas?

Atlas is an AI study assistant designed to support students throughout the learning process. It works across a broad range of academic disciplines, including mathematics, science, history, literature, languages, economics, and more.

Students interact with Atlas through a conversational interface similar to other AI chatbots. However, the platform places greater emphasis on learning by allowing users to upload their own educational materials and receive answers based on those resources.

This means a student can ask questions about a textbook chapter, a teacher's presentation, research papers, or their own lecture notes. Atlas can then explain concepts, summarize information, identify key themes, generate quizzes, or create revision flashcards tailored to that material.

The platform also supports image uploads, allowing students to ask questions about diagrams, handwritten notes, worksheets, or mathematical problems.

Responses can reference a student's own course content, so Atlas can often provide more relevant support than general AI assistants that rely solely on their existing training data.

How does Atlas work?

Atlas uses large language models alongside retrieval techniques that allow it to search through documents and resources uploaded by the student.

After creating an account, you can upload PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, research articles, lecture slides, handwritten notes, or images. These materials become part of the student's personal knowledge library.

Instead of answering every question using general AI knowledge alone, Atlas can search those uploaded resources and incorporate these into its responses. This helps students receive explanations that align more closely with the material they are actually studying.

Students can also upload lecture recordings. Atlas generates transcripts, produces summaries, highlights key concepts, and creates revision notes from the recording, reducing the amount of manual note-taking required after class.

Another useful feature is its ability to generate study resources automatically. After analyzing uploaded content, Atlas can produce flashcards, quizzes, practice questions, and condensed revision guides that students can use before exams.

For mathematics and science subjects, Atlas is capable of breaking problems into multiple steps rather than simply displaying an answer. Teachers may find this particularly useful when encouraging students to understand problem-solving processes instead of memorizing solutions.

The platform also supports essay planning and writing assistance. Students can brainstorm ideas, organize arguments, identify supporting evidence, improve structure, and refine drafts.

Atlas can also connect with learning management systems such as Canvas, allowing students to organize coursework and access AI support within the context of their classes.

What are the best Atlas features?

Personalized learning using uploaded resources
One of Atlas's top features is its ability to answer questions using a student's own learning materials. It doesn't just offer generic explanations, but instead can reference lecture slides, course readings, textbooks, and notes that have been uploaded to the platform. This makes responses more relevant to individual classes and assignments.

Lecture summaries
Students can upload recorded lectures and generate summaries, transcripts, key takeaways, and revision notes.

This can help learners revisit lessons, and is especially useful if English is an additional language or if they need extra time to process complex material.

Automatic flashcards and quizzes
Atlas can convert notes and documents into revision materials without requiring students to build flashcards manually. Teachers could encourage students to use these self-generated quizzes as formative assessment before classroom tests.

Step-by-step problem solving
Rather than simply producing answers, Atlas can explain the reasoning behind mathematical calculations and scientific concepts. This makes it more useful as a tutoring tool when students need additional support outside lesson time.

Essay support
Students can brainstorm ideas, organize essays, improve structure, summarize research, and refine written work.

Teachers should make clear expectations around academic integrity so AI supports learning rather than replacing independent writing.

Course organization
Because Atlas stores uploaded learning materials in one place, students can build a searchable knowledge base throughout the school year. Instead of searching through multiple folders, notes, and documents, they can ask questions directly about their existing resources.

How much does Atlas cost?

Atlas offers a free plan that includes daily AI usage limits, allowing students to upload course materials, generate summaries, create flashcards and quizzes, and chat with their documents.

Those who need more extensive access can upgrade to Atlas Pro, which removes many of the usage limits and provides significantly more AI interactions for intensive studying.

Atlas also offers weekly, monthly, and annual subscription options, with prices varying by region and platform. At the time of writing, U.S. subscriptions range from $9.99 per week to $19.99 per month, while a yearly plan is available for $129.99 through Apple's App Store.

Educators should check the Atlas website or app for the latest pricing before recommending the service, as subscriptions and regional pricing may change.

Atlas Tips

• Encourage students to upload class resources
  Students will generally receive more useful responses if Atlas can reference the same materials used in class rather than relying entirely on general knowledge.
• Use AI-generated quizzes for revision
  Ask students to create practice quizzes from lesson notes before a test. This encourages retrieval practice while reducing preparation time.
• Compare AI explanations with classroom teaching
  Have students compare Atlas's explanations with textbook content or classroom instruction. This helps develop critical thinking while reinforcing subject knowledge.
• Teach responsible AI use
  Discuss when AI can support learning and when independent work is expected. Clear classroom expectations help students use the technology ethically.
• Remind students to fact-check
  Like all generative AI tools, Atlas can occasionally provide inaccurate or misleading information. Encourage students to verify important facts using trusted academic sources before relying on AI-generated responses.

We talk with Brittany Miller, Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting, Southern Education Foundation about outcomes-based contracts and why they matter for students. You can enjoy Miller’s engaging insights into these important topics during The EdExec Exchange: Critical Issue Roundtable Discussion at the upcoming EdExec Summit, taking place September 10-11 in Chicago.

“We've learned over time that in order to develop a strong contract between a district and provider, there is a misconception that the contingent payment is all there is to it,” Miller says. “You can’t simply make part of the money contingent on outcomes and everything will work for kids. First, we must identify who the students are you want to serve and what program is best going to serve those students from the research and evidence base that exists for particular products.”

At the nonprofit Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting, the work is focused on supporting school districts and their service providers with contracting so that a minimum of 40% of payment to the provider is contingent on meeting agreed-upon student outcomes, says Miller.

She adds that the organization provides technical assistance, field insights, research and policy references, such as their policy document on high-impact tutoring, to help the field grow in their practice of outcomes-based contracting. Open-source resources are also available via the website, aligned with standards of excellence developed from research, to move the needle for student learning.

Defining the success outcomes and metrics that are most important for the district, state or student's individual learning experience is the next step.

“Contingent-outcome payments create a structure for how the contractual agreement will work,” Miller says. “The real power in the work comes with mutual accountability and continuous improvement work. Outlining who is in charge of what elements upfront, before services are delivered, develops a theory of change for implementation that we are contractually committing to across the partnership to achieve those student success outcomes.”

Miller says the actual contract is typically between the district and service provider, or in some cases between the state granting organization and the service provider on behalf of districts, which is a healthier, clearer partnership than a typical instructional services contract.

Both vendors and districts come to Miller’s organization wanting to learn how they benefit from and create these contracts.

“We have a district contract accelerator that districts can enroll in to create a contract, as well as a provider learning series where we help providers understand the model and what their go-to-market strategy can be,” she says.

5 Domains Essential to Outcomes-Based Contract Success

• Clearly defined population and program.
• Clearly defined outcomes and metrics.
• Contingent outcomes payments.
• Mutual accountability.
• Continuous improvement.

Dollars and Sense in Edtech Contracts

A real strength of the outcome-based contract model is to increase efficiency and get more bang for the edtech budget buck.

“Our goal is not to lessen the number of dollars going into education,” Miller says. “Education needs to be well-funded, but we are in a tight spot right now in the current market. Now is even more important to make the best use of not only district dollars, but of our most precious resource of all — teacher and student time. That resource is irreplaceable.”

Students only have so much time in the classroom with their teachers, so the question becomes how to use technology in a way that enables stronger teaching and learning to happen in the classroom.

“We want to support what the teacher is already doing,” Miller says. “It’s a real opportunity to make sure that classrooms are using purpose-built education technology instead of consumer-built technologies that aren't focused on student learning in the same way.”

Outcome-based contracts are a way for providers to differentiate themselves in this current tighter marketplace.

“It makes a big impact to say, ‘We know that our product can be really effective for students, so we're willing to put our money where our mouth is,’” Miller says. “The reason providers are willing to do this is there are mutual accountability responsibilities on the district side which are also contingent for payment. Districts have to make sure students are using the technology as it was intended, based on provider research.”

This element of the contract leads to much higher rates of usage, which is aligned with the implementation integrity required to achieve successful student outcomes.

“In our first national edtech cohort, we had 69% of contract-enrolled students meet the dosage requirements as recommended by the provider,” she says. “That’s a far cry from the 5% problem we normally see and really speaks to how following recommended guidelines can create more cohesive and successful implementation in classrooms.”

Outcome-Based Contracts and Accountability

One area everyone can agree with is that students deserve the best edtech for their needs.

“The real goal here is to get away from the finger-pointing that happens when contracts go wrong,” Miller says. “We need to delve into being accountable to whom we ultimately intend to serve, which is our students. When you can include clear outcomes with measurement modes and standards-of-excellence elements into the contract on the front end, it creates ideal conditions for students to be served.”

An outcome-based contract lays out the means of arriving at that end goal for all stakeholders.

“Knowing how the accountability metrics work can be a really powerful agent for change,” Miller says. “It translates what the value proposition is into something the whole ecosystem understands. It also proves to be a powerful mechanism when it comes to board approvals for contracts. We’ve started to see providers use this as a proactive strategy in order to make themselves better known in the market. It’s really valuable for school boards who must answer where the dollars went and the outcome questions that are actually much more complex than people assume.”

Perhaps the service provider will only get 60% up front, with the remaining 40% being contingent on meeting agreed-upon outcomes. Either the student outcomes are met and the provider will get paid that full amount, or the student outcomes are not met and the provider will get paid less than that full amount.

“A really common misconception is that it’s all or nothing,” Miller says. “It's a per-pupil price at the outcome level, with multiple outcomes that every student can achieve. We're detailed and clear about serving individual students effectively with the technology in the classroom and ensuring the provider is being compensated for each of those outcomes. This personalization de-risks the contract for everybody involved.”

Miller is seeing a massive shift in the tides and stronger contract renewals in places where they are otherwise cutting back.

“Districts can negotiate an outcomes-based contract with their current providers to make sure that they're still serving students, with a proof point for why it's important to keep that product in the classroom. It's much harder to pull that service out of classrooms when they can show the success through data,” she says.

Miller says there's a lot of interest in the model from districts, providers and the philanthropic community that invests in the classroom.

“What we're most concerned about is that quality is maintained as the model scales,” she says. “The way to do that is through those standards of excellence.”

NoodleTools is a research and citation platform designed to help students manage every stage of the research process, from finding sources to creating accurate bibliographies.

Rather than simply generating citations, the platform encourages students to think critically about the information they're collecting, organize their ideas, and develop original written work.

Concerns continue to grow around plagiarism, AI-generated assignments, and students' ability to evaluate trustworthy online information. As such, research skills have become more important than ever. Teachers need tools that don't just automate academic tasks but actively teach students how to research, analyze, and synthesize information responsibly.

That's where NoodleTools stands out. Thousands of schools and universities use this as it combines citation management, note-taking, outlining, collaboration, and teacher feedback into a single online workspace. The result is a platform that supports the entire research journey, not just the finished bibliography.

What is NoodleTools?

NoodleTools is a cloud-based research management platform built specifically for education. It helps students organize research projects by collecting sources, creating citations, taking notes, building outlines, and drafting written assignments.

The platform supports the major citation styles, including MLA, APA, and Chicago, while encouraging students to understand why citations matter -- no more relying entirely on automatic generation.

NoodleTools treats research as an ongoing learning process. Students evaluate sources, connect evidence to arguments, organize ideas visually, and prepare structured writing before beginning their final draft.

Teachers and librarians can also monitor progress, provide feedback directly inside projects, and collaborate with students throughout the research process.

How does NoodleTools work?

Students begin by creating a project and selecting the citation style required for their assignment. As they research, they can add books, websites, journals, videos, interviews, and many other source types to their bibliography.

Each source becomes part of a wider research workspace. Students can attach notes, quotations, images, PDFs, and comments before organizing everything into digital notecards.

These notecards can then be tagged, grouped, rearranged, and connected to sections of an outline. This helps students identify themes, compare evidence, and gradually develop stronger arguments before writing begins.

Teachers can access projects in real time, allowing them to monitor progress, identify where students may be struggling, and provide targeted feedback before assignments are submitted. This ongoing visibility makes it easier to teach research skills throughout the process instead of simply grading the finished product.

NoodleTools also supports collaborative projects. This allows multiple students to contribute to shared research, while making individual contributions visible to teachers. Because it's entirely web-based, projects can be accessed from virtually any modern browser without installing software. Schools can also integrate the platform with Google, Microsoft 365, and Clever for single sign-on.

What are the best NoodleTools features?

One of NoodleTools' top features is its focus on critical thinking rather than automation. Students are encouraged to evaluate sources, organize evidence, and build original arguments instead of simply collecting references.

The integrated citation tools support multiple academic styles and help students generate accurate bibliographies while learning proper citation practices.

Its digital notecard system remains one of the platform's best features. Students can collect evidence, record ideas, tag themes, and reorganize information as their understanding develops -- creating a much more flexible alternative to traditional paper note cards.

Visual outlining tools help transform research into structured writing. Students can connect evidence directly to sections of their outline, making it easier to spot weak arguments or missing evidence, before drafting.

For teachers, classroom management features provide value. Educators can monitor research progress in real time, comment on student work, track collaboration within group projects, and intervene early when students appear stuck or heading in the wrong direction.

The platform also places a strong emphasis on student privacy, avoiding advertising and marketing, while giving schools confidence that student work remains protected.

How much does NoodleTools cost?

Individual plans for NoodleTools are $15 per year.

Prices for school and district plans are quoted on an custom basis, with discounts available for larger groups.

Free versions, such as NoodleTools Express and MLA Lite, are available and provide more limited functionality.

Best NoodleTools tips and tricks

Build better source evaluation
Instead of asking students to find sources, have them explain why each source is credible.

Check progress before deadlines
Use the teacher dashboard to review student projects throughout the research process.

Teach organization skills
Encourage students to use digital notecards and outlines before writing.

Support group research
Assign collaborative projects in which each student contributes different sources and notes.

Focus on research
Use NoodleTools as a research-thinking platform rather than simply a citation generator.

Glint is designed to speed up that process of creating visual resources. The browser-based platform uses AI to generate classroom-ready visual supports from simple prompts, producing resources that can then be edited, printed, or shared digitally.

It is aimed at teachers, special education professionals, speech and language therapists, and families, with a focus on supporting learners who benefit from visual communication.

Formerly known as NerChat, the platform has expanded beyond AI-powered conversation tools to become a broader visual support system. Today, it offers everything from communication boards and classroom schedules to social narratives and interactive visual resources.

This does not aim to replace teacher expertise. Instead, Glint acts as a starting point. Educators can create a resource in seconds before refining it to suit an individual learner, saving valuable planning time while still allowing for personalization. That makes it very useful in busy classrooms where multiple students could need different levels of support.

What is Glint?

Glint is an AI-powered tool designed to help teachers create visual supports, communication boards, and social stories for students with additional learning needs. Formerly known as NerChat, the platform has evolved into a broader resource creation tool focused on helping educators and support professionals build personalized communication materials faster.

Creating visual resources can be an important part of supporting students with autism, speech and language needs, and other learning differences. However, designing effective schedules, symbol boards, and social narratives can also take significant planning time, especially when teachers need to adapt materials for individual learners.

Glint aims to reduce that workload by using AI to generate editable classroom resources in seconds. Teachers can create materials for specific routines, activities, or communication needs, then adjust any to better suit their students before sharing digitally or printing for classroom use.

With features such as text-to-speech, multilingual support, and QR code sharing, the platform is designed to make visual communication tools more accessible across different learning environments.

How does Glint work?

Glint uses generative AI to build visual learning resources from natural language prompts. A teacher simply describes what they need -- for example, a morning routine, classroom expectations, a communication board for snack time, or a social story about visiting the library -- and the platform generates an editable visual support within seconds.

Glint produces a starting point that educators can adapt. Teachers can edit text, replace or rearrange symbols, adjust layouts, and tailor resources to suit an individual learner's communication level or educational goals. This flexibility helps in SEND settings, in which even students with similar diagnoses may require very different supports.

Resources can include images, symbols, written text, and in some cases, speech output, to encourage communication and independence. Finished materials can be printed as traditional classroom resources or shared digitally, while QR codes make it easy for students, parents, and support staff to access any from a phone or tablet.

Because Glint is entirely browser-based, there is no special software to install. It operates across Windows and Mac computers, Chromebooks and iPads, making it accessible in most school environments. Schools can also manage users centrally, helping larger organizations roll out the platform across multiple classrooms while maintaining consistency between staff members.

The overall experience is designed to minimize preparation time while still giving teachers full control over the finished resource, ensuring materials remain appropriate for each learner rather than relying solely on AI-generated content.

What are the best Glint features?

The best feature of Glint is how quickly it produces resources that would traditionally take far longer to create manually. Visual schedules, communication boards, and social stories can often be generated in less than a minute. This allows teachers to spend more time working directly with students instead of designing classroom materials.

Support for more than 50 languages is another standout feature. This can help schools communicate more effectively with multilingual families while also creating resources that are accessible to students who are learning English or who use another language at home. Being able to generate matching materials in different languages also helps reinforce routines across school and home environments.

Interactive communication boards go beyond static printable resources by incorporating text-to-speech functionality. Students can select symbols to hear words or phrases spoken aloud. This can support communication development and promote greater independence for those who benefit from augmentative and alternative communication approaches.

Glint also offers flexible sharing options. Resources can be exported as PDFs for printing, displayed digitally on classroom devices, or accessed through QR codes, making it straightforward to distribute materials without additional software.

For schools and districts, administrative tools allow accounts to be managed centrally, simplifying deployment across multiple classrooms or campuses. Combined with the ability to save and reuse previously created resources, this makes it easier for teachers to build a growing library of personalized visual supports that can be updated rather than recreated each time.

How much does Glint cost?

Glint includes a free tier that lets you generate up to eight visual supports each month, making it a good way to try the platform before committing to a subscription.

For individual educators, the Monthly plan costs $18 per month (discounted from $25) and can be canceled at any time. The Annual plan costs $150 per year -- equivalent to $12.50 per month -- offering around a 30% saving compared with paying monthly. Both paid plans include premium languages, access to the in-app Google Images library, the Glint mobile app, QR code sharing, and advanced board editing tools.

Schools and districts requiring multiple licenses can request custom pricing. These organization plans add centralized billing, shared resource libraries, administrator controls, usage insights, Clever/SSO rostering, and onboarding and training to support larger deployments.

Best Glint tips and tricks

Start broad
Begin with a simple prompt to generate a draft resource, then personalize it for individual students rather than trying to create the perfect prompt first time.

Support families
Use the multilingual tools to create matching resources for home and school. This can help reinforce routines and improve communication between educators and caregivers.

Build a resource library
Save commonly used schedules, communication boards, and social stories so these can be quickly adapted for different students instead of recreated each time.

We talk with Chad Johnson, Managing Partner in Cherry Tree & Associates’ investment banking practice, about the state of the edtech market and how education companies are managing the current climate. You can enjoy engaging insights into these important topics during the CEO Keynote Panel: Strategies for Leading Through Market Uncertainty at the upcoming EdExec Summit, taking place September 10-11 in Chicago.

Chad Johnson is an investment banker with a focus in education and former Manager of Business Development for PLATO Learning (now Edmentum). He’s been in the education market for 25 years, primarily helping entrepreneurs or private equity firms who are selling education companies, and suggests that the current market seems to be leveling.

“The last few years, renewals were tough, new business was challenging,” Johnson says. “There's a few companies that are doing really well—certain pockets like STEM curriculum, career and technical education—but most companies are happy just to be flat this year.”

Although Johnson sees that as an encouraging sign, he notes that the market always has been cyclical.

“Education is driven by state and local budgets primarily,” he says. “As the economy goes up and goes down, that tends to impact schools in a lag. There was so much money pumped into the system during the start of COVID that when that money went away, there was a resetting of expectations in terms of budgets for schools. We're going through a down period right now, but we fully expect eventually it will turn around. I don't think that will happen in the near term, but at least it's flattening out.”

Changes in the market aren’t just about finance, but can translate to a direct effect on the classroom experience.

“What really matters is what's going to be the impact on teachers and students,” Johnson says “The easier question to answer is how it affects the administration, because with fewer resources they're just having to make do with less.”

Budgets are smaller and enrollment continues to drop, which is also having an impact, especially on large urban districts.

“Teachers might have to handle more kids,” Johnson says. “They've got more demands put on them. There’s certainly still a problem with teacher retention. Part of what the admin is focusing on is making sure that they have enough teachers. These issues also filter down to the students. You will probably see fewer options, fewer alternatives in terms of programs that these schools are able to offer.”

To pare their edtech investments, schools have been much more focused on engagement.

“Schools are looking at who is using this product that they bought and have been paying for every year. If it's half the kids, is that good, is that bad?” Johnson says. “You can argue that there's a lot that a good teacher can do without a lot of resources. You don't necessarily need all the bright, shiny objects to teach children. The most important thing is having good teachers.”

A back-to-basics, tech backlash is gaining popularity.

“Some states with large districts are talking about limiting the amount of time that students can spend on screens,” Johnson says. “WIth these challenges in play, there’s only so much time in the day, and there's just not enough time for every edtech vendor to make an impression.”

Effects of a Down Market on Edtech Companies

“There is no doubt that there are some great products out there that are just having a much harder time getting face time with the schools, getting implemented, making the sale because of the market pressure,” Johnson says. “They just are not in as strong a position as companies with more resources to have those conversations with decision-makers and with educators. That's bound to happen in a down market, which is unfortunate.”

While this could hinder smaller companies or startups, it’s a natural result of tougher competition.

“At the same time, let’s bring the taxpayers into the room,” Johnson says. “From their standpoint, have there been solutions that were purchased and never implemented or poorly implemented so only a very small subset of the intended population is actually using it.”

Schools are thinking outside the budget-box to save the programs of which they are passionate and in which they believe, such as high-impact tutoring.

“It's one of these things that you can do with kids to have a markedly positive impact,” Johnson says. “But it’s not part of the main core budget of schools. You have to come up with additional money for it. Some places are getting creative, applying for grants or even getting nonprofits (or in some cases for-profits) to sponsor elements.”

4 Pieces of Actionable Advice to Weather a Flattened or Downturn Market

Johnson offers advice to navigate the current edtech market.

Do an audit of the tech you already have. Look for any underused elements within existing tech that could work to replace programs being phased out. Analyze how many students are being served by the program, and whether additional professional development could aid educators in finding greater value for their classrooms.

Focus on what schools need. It sounds basic, but at the end of the day, delivering an engaging solution that really works and helps kids—which teachers find useful and administrators find they can talk positively to parents about—that’s what is going to make it through this downturn and come out on the other side in a much stronger position.

Strengthen your relationship with your schools. Spend the time to check in with your customers, make sure that they're getting what they need. Blocking and tackling is really important. Some companies are growing through this market. If you’ve got the right solution at the right time, take advantage of that. Not everyone is in a position where they can easily invest in that kind of time to make sure they are giving their customers everything that they need, but you have to try to do so.

Get in front of the stakeholders. Prioritize customer conferences—the ISTEs and FETCs of the world—even if attendance has been down at those conferences as a natural reflection of budget tightening. Whatever you can do to get in front of customers and teachers is the smart thing to do right now.

What to Expect From CEO Keynote Panel: Strategies for Leading Through Market Uncertainty

EdExec Summit panelists joining Johnson offer a broad spectrum of unique perspectives on the market. Johnson will speak about how the market's doing both from a business standpoint as well as his role as an M&A advisor in the capital markets. One panel member is an investor in a private equity firm that focuses on education and owns a number of companies in different market segments. Another is a sales and marketing pro who advises education companies. One panelist is the head of product for a very large education assessment and curriculum company, who sells nationwide to both small and large districts. This talk will offer curated insight aimed at CEOs, senior executives, owners of education businesses, as well as superintendents and school administration heads.

Welcome to the August Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

This month's new offerings include new digital curricula, an AI-powered smart pen, an air quality sensor, and much more.

Audiotool | 3.O

A step toward eliminating the bottlenecks musicians face when collaborating with one another, Audiotool 3.0 will bring Audiotool’s cross-platform music production ecosystem to any device, with native mobile versions coming soon. It will see the launch of NEXUS, a new open-source SDK that allows anyone to build their own instruments, plugins, and AI-connected music creation tools.

BandLab | BandLab For Education 2.0

Built to run on Chromebooks and other devices, BandLab for Education 2.0 is available free for eligible Title I schools and at a flat $2.50 per student per year for all others. The platform adapts BandLab Studio for education with teacher-managed classrooms, student assignments, and district privacy features. Students can record and create songs, tune vocals with AutoPitch, use an extensive library of samples through BandLab Sounds, and more.

Chief | Tempo Flat Panel In-Wall Single-Box Mount System

The Chief Tempo Flat Panel In-Wall Single-Box Mount System is designed for commercial and higher education environments, and supports small to medium displays in landscape or portrait orientation. It is engineered to streamline installation, support multi-phase installation workflows, and provide easy access to AV components for fast, efficient service. It combines mount hardware, in-wall device storage, and service access capability into a single integrated system that aligns with how commercial construction projects actually run.

ClassDojo | New Schoolwide Tools for School Leaders

ClassDojo's new capabilities help principals and school leaders communicate with families, strengthen school-home connections, and manage all staff outreach from a single platform. New capabilities include multichannel announcements (spanning email, text, voice, and mobile app), built-in Canva newsletter creation, one-click social media posting, schoolwide engagement dashboards, and new tools for middle and high school staff to communicate directly with students.

CyberNut | Neptune Navigate Digital Citizenship Platform

CyberNut has acquired the Neptune Navigate Digital Citizenship platform, adding an established student curriculum to its K-12 safety offering The company already delivers student safety and digital citizenship education alongside its staff-facing phishing simulation, security awareness training, and threat reporting. Neptune Navigate adds an additional deep, purpose-built curriculum. For districts, the result is a deeper, more comprehensive approach to online safety.

Daktronics | LiveWrx

LiveWrx is a fan engagement platform designed for high schools to create interactive experiences at live sporting events using video boards. It enables schools to run live polls, interactive games and fan challenges on their Daktronics displays while fans participate in real time using their smartphones. The platform is designed to increase crowd involvement, enhance school spirit and create new opportunities for sponsorship‑driven revenue during games.

Discovery Education | Social Studies Essentials

Social Studies Essentials is a new K–5 supplemental program designed to help teachers bring C3-aligned, inquiry-based social studies instruction into busy classrooms. The program was built to make rigorous social studies learning easier to implement with ready-to-use lessons, embedded literacy supports, primary sources, and teacher-friendly planning tools.

Epson | SureColor T3770E Education Edition

The SureColor T3770E Education Edition is designed to support schools looking to replace older equipment and confidently implement high-quality in-house poster printing. To ensure educators have everything they need to start printing on day one, the bundle includes the SureColor T3770E 24-inch wide-format graphics printer, easy-to-use Epson Print Automate software, 24” matte and glossy paper rolls, starter inks, plus an additional set of 110 mL ink cartridges, and a maintenance box, enough supplies to last well into the school year.

Extron | BT 100 AT D

This easy-to-use wall panel allows a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to be used as the communication device in a conferencing system. It also supports stereo audio playback from a range of Bluetooth-enabled devices. Flexible control for device pairing, volume, and media playback is available using the front panel buttons, RS-232 or the Dante network connection. The BT 100 AT D interfaces with any Dante‑equipped audio processor, such as an Extron DMP Plus Series AT Model, over a standard local area network.

Flowtica | Scribe

The Flowtica Scribe is an AI-powered smart pen that combines handwriting, voice recording, and AI to help students stay engaged during lectures instead of worrying about capturing every word themselves. It records both handwritten notes and audio simultaneously, allowing students to instantly revisit important moments, highlight key sections, and generate AI-powered summaries after class.

Just Right Reader | Knowledge and Language Building Library

Just Right Reader's Knowledge and Language Building Library is for pre-kindergarten students. The collection of 60 fiction and nonfiction books—available in both English and Spanish—are designed to develop students’ oral language, vocabulary, and background knowledge as they start their reading journey. The topic-based sets cover the themes of all about me, animals, building things, colors, community helpers, habitats, nutrition, plants, seasons, and transportation.

McGraw Hill | ALEKS Expansion

McGraw Hill welcomes additions to its AI-powered ALEKS portfolio of learning solutions: ALEKS Adventure for Grades 4–5 and ALEKS for Calculus II. These new offerings extend the reach of ALEKS and provide adaptive technology and actionable data help educators identify knowledge gaps and guide students to the skills they are ready to learn next.

Pimloc | Secure File Sharing

Secure File Sharing is a new capability in the Secure Redact platform that lets school districts and other organizations deliver redacted video, audio and documents directly to requestors through a secure, expiring link, accelerating delivery without the file ever being downloaded, re-uploaded, or emailed as an attachment.

PowerSchool | Schoology & NotebookLM integration

Gemini LTI users can now add Schoology course content directly as sources within NotebookLM. This allows educators and students to create AI‑powered study guides, summaries, audio overviews, videos, infographics, slide decks, and more, all grounded in materials already available in their Schoology courses.

SMART Technologies | Lumio WCAG 2.2 Accessibility Updates

Accessibility enhancements have been added to Lumio, the cloud-based teaching and learning platform, bringing the core student experience into alignment with WCAG 2.2, the internationally recognized standard for web accessibility. The update helps ensure that students who use assistive technologies can participate more fully and independently in classroom learning, engaging with lessons, activities and collaborative experiences alongside their peers.

Vernier Science Education | Go Direct Air Quality Sensor

The Go Direct Air Quality Sensor helps students investigate real‑world questions about the quality of the air we breathe with measurable evidence—right where they live and learn. Designed for high school and college use, this durable sensor supports indoor and outdoor monitoring so students can track pollutants over time, analyze spatial patterns, and connect air quality to human and ecological health.

• Edtech Show & Tell

Reading difficulties don't disappear when students reach middle or high school, but the resources available to help them often lag behind. Many literacy intervention programs are designed for early elementary learners, leaving older students to practice reading with books that feel childish or disconnected from their interests. That mismatch can make reluctant readers even less willing to engage, creating another barrier to improving literacy skills.

Storyshares' LIFT offers structured, evidence-based instruction that supports decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, with materials that respect students' age and encourage them to keep reading.

The Literacy Intervention For Teens (LIFT) program was developed for students in grades 6-12 who are reading below grade level. LIFT combines structured literacy instruction with age-appropriate decodable books and highly interesting texts written for adolescent readers.

The program seeks to build foundational reading skills using content designed to feel relevant and engaging.

The result is a comprehensive literacy intervention package that includes curriculum materials, classroom resources, and teacher support, making it suitable for intervention specialists, special educators, tutors, and classroom teachers alike.

Here's what educators need to know about LIFT, how it works, and whether it could be the right fit for supporting struggling secondary readers.

What is LIFT?

Storyshares Literacy Intervention for Teens (LIFT) is a structured literacy program designed specifically for middle and high school students in grades 6-12 who continue to struggle with reading.

LIFT combines evidence-based literacy instruction with books and activities that are perfectly appropriate for teenagers.

This focuses on high-interest, age-appropriate content that allows students to develop foundational reading skills without feeling like they're reading "baby books" aimed at younger years learners – as often that's all that is available.

LIFT uses structured literacy principles and the Science of Reading. The curriculum was developed alongside literacy experts, including HILL for Literacy, and is intended for Tier 2 intervention, making it suitable for small-group instruction, special education, English language learners, tutoring, and classroom support.

This doesn't concentrate solely on phonics, but instead the program also develops fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing through a connected sequence of lessons.

Designed to help teachers manage the wide range of reading abilities often found in secondary classrooms, LIFT provides a complete intervention package rather than simply a collection of books.

How does LIFT work?

The program is built around a structured sequence of decoding and fluency instruction that gradually develops students' reading confidence.

Students work through decodable chapter books written specifically for adolescent readers, alongside high-low (high-interest, lower reading level) books that allow them to engage with more mature themes while practicing core literacy skills.

Throughout the curriculum, learners revisit decoding strategies, build vocabulary, and improve reading fluency before applying those skills to increasingly challenging texts.

Teachers receive scripted and adaptable lesson plans, helping both literacy specialists and general classroom teachers deliver consistent instruction. The package also includes professional development, implementation support, and classroom resources that minimize preparation time.

Hands-on learning is another major component. Dry erase boards, sound-keyword cards, vocabulary cards, decoding workbooks, and fluency activities encourage students to actively practice multisyllabic word recognition rather than simply reading passively.

What are the best LIFT features?

One of the biggest strengths of LIFT is that it recognizes adolescent literacy requires different resources than early years reading.

Instead of relying on childish illustrations and simplistic stories, students get engaging chapter books featuring characters and situations more relevant to teenagers. This can help reduce the embarrassment some older struggling readers experience during intervention sessions.

The curriculum is also unusually comprehensive. Schools receive educator manuals, multiple book sets, student workbooks, vocabulary and decoding resources, classroom materials, and implementation training. This is all part of one coordinated package rather than assembling separate intervention resources themselves.

Another useful feature is its flexibility. LIFT is designed for special educators, literacy interventionists, tutors, multilingual learner support, and even general classroom teachers without specialist literacy training, making it easier to implement across different school settings.

How much does LIFT cost?

Storyshares lists the complete LIFT Intervention Program for Grades 6-12 at $2,399.

The package includes multiple classroom sets of decodable chapter books and high-low readers, educator manuals, student workbooks, classroom materials such as dry erase boards, and vocabulary cards, plus a 45-minute live implementation session to help schools get started.

Additional consumable student materials and professional development options can also be purchased separately.

Schools interested in district-wide implementation or customized solutions can contact Storyshares directly for quotes and partnership options.

Best LIFT tips and tricks

Use small groups
LIFT is designed primarily as a Tier 2 intervention, allowing targeted instruction for students with similar literacy needs.

Focus on confidence as well as accuracy
Age-appropriate texts can help reluctant readers stay engaged while developing core skills.

Take advantage of the scripted lessons
Even teachers without specialist literacy training can deliver structured intervention consistently using the provided manuals.

Build decoding into every session
Regular practice with multisyllabic words and fluency activities reinforces long-term reading development.

Use the implementation training
The included onboarding session helps staff establish consistent teaching routines and get maximum value from the curriculum resources.

Adobe is really known for professional creative software such as Photoshop and Illustrator, but its latest education-focused app goes in a new direction. Adobe Aqua is a free drawing and creativity app designed for children aged five to 12, to give younger learners a safe place to experiment with art, storytelling, and design.

Aqua focuses on building confidence through play. Students can draw, color, create comics, design fashion, explore simple 3D creations, and even digitize artwork they've produced on paper. The aim is to make creativity feel approachable while helping children develop artistic and visual communication skills.

For teachers, that means an easy way to introduce creative activities across multiple subjects without the need for previous art experience.

The app can support literacy, science, social studies, math, STEM, and social-emotional learning through drawing-based projects that encourage students to think visually as well as verbally. Adobe also provides classroom-ready lesson ideas that connect Aqua activities to curriculum topics.

Aqua is completely free, contains no advertising or in-app purchases, and has been designed with child safety in mind. That makes it an attractive option for classrooms looking to encourage creativity without introducing unnecessary distractions. Here's all you need to know about Aqua from Adobe.

What is Adobe Aqua?

Adobe Aqua is a free creativity app for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices aimed at children between the ages of five and 12. Developed by Adobe Labs, it combines drawing, painting, coloring, simple design tools, and creative games. This single platform is intended to make artistic expression feel fun rather than intimidating.

Students can work with traditional digital drawing tools, complete guided tutorials from children's illustrators, color thousands of templates, create comic strips, design clothing collections, and experiment with simple 3D artwork.

One popular feature allows children to photograph artwork they've created, on paper, and store it alongside their digital creations inside a personal virtual museum. This helps bridge traditional and digital art.

Aqua also includes collaborative activities such as "1-2-3 Pass," in which students take turns adding to the same drawing, encouraging teamwork and creative thinking. Other activities introduce design concepts such as color, composition, and pattern through playful challenges rather than formal lessons.

Adobe positions the app as a creativity platform rather than simply a drawing program. Alongside artistic skills, the company says Aqua is intended to help develop confidence, imagination, problem-solving, and communication through regular creative practice.

While these broader benefits depend on how the app is used, its emphasis on open-ended creation makes it great for a wide variety of classroom activities.

How does Adobe Aqua work?

Students begin by selecting from a range of creative experiences instead of opening a blank canvas. They might start with coloring pages, follow a guided drawing lesson, create a comic scene, build a fashion collection, or explore a collaborative game. Each activity gradually introduces creative techniques without overwhelming younger users.

The interface is intentionally simple, with large icons and clear navigation suited to younger children. Aqua concentrates on features that encourage experimentation and creativity while remaining easy to understand.

Teachers can use Aqua as an individual creativity tool or as part of wider classroom projects. Adobe's education resources suggest activities including illustrating vocabulary, designing historical costumes, creating diagrams for science topics, drawing story characters, and producing visual reflections for social-emotional learning.

Because the emphasis is on drawing ideas, rather than creating polished artwork, students with different artistic abilities can participate comfortably.

Some features make use of Adobe's Firefly AI technology to apply creative effects or help transform artwork into different visual styles. These AI features are presented as optional enhancements rather than replacing the student's own work. This allows learners to explore different artistic possibilities while keeping creativity at the center of the process.

Completed artwork can be saved inside each student's virtual gallery, creating a digital portfolio that can be revisited throughout the school year and shared with families when appropriate. Since Aqua also works offline for many activities, it can be useful in classrooms where internet access is limited.

What are the best Adobe Aqua features?

One of Aqua's biggest strengths is that it feels playful rather than instructional. Students are encouraged to explore ideas freely while still developing useful artistic and creative thinking skills.

The ability to combine physical artwork with digital creations is ideal for elementary classrooms. This allows traditional drawing lessons to continue while gradually introducing digital creativity.

Cross-curricular lesson ideas also make Aqua more useful than a standalone art app. Teachers can integrate drawing into literacy, science, history, or emotional wellbeing activities without needing specialist art knowledge.

Perhaps most importantly, Aqua removes many of the barriers associated with children's apps by remaining free, ad-free, and designed specifically for younger learners, making it easier to introduce safely in school environments.

How much does Adobe Aqua cost?

Adobe Aqua is completely free to download and use on supported iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

It has no advertisements, no in-app purchases, and no subscription required. Adobe has designed the app specifically for families and schools, with child privacy and safety forming a core part of the platform.

Best Adobe Aqua tips and tricks

Illustrate vocabulary
Ask students to draw new vocabulary words instead of simply writing definitions.

Support science learning
Create labelled life cycles, habitats, or diagrams using drawing tools rather than worksheets.

Retell stories visually
Have students recreate scenes or characters from class reading to demonstrate comprehension.

Watch above or listen/download below.

For nearly 30 years, E-Rate has been what one might call the most boring of utility programs — a broadband subsidy that quietly connects America's schools and libraries. Now the FCC is asking whether it should exist at all.

Reg Leichty, founding partner of Foresight Law + Policy and a longtime E-Rate advocate, joined the Tech & Learning podcast to break down the commission's newly opened review of the program. His first message: don't panic. His second: take this seriously.

"Sunsetting," he notes, is the polite framing — the proceeding is an inquiry into whether the investment should be terminated.

Leichty pushes back on the review's central premise, which ties E-Rate to concerns about student screen time. Questions about how much time kids spend online are worth asking, he says, but these fall outside the scope of the program and the FCC's telecommunications mandate — an inappropriate merger of two different streams of work.

The stakes are concrete. E-Rate is a need-based subsidy, scaled to community poverty levels, that supports everything from dark fiber projects to wireless access points. Remove it, and those costs fall on local communities — hitting hardest in low-income districts and expensive-to-connect rural areas such as the Nebraska town where Leichty grew up. He also sees a contradiction in questioning school connectivity at the very moment the administration is championing AI readiness.

Still, Leichty argues periodic review is healthy, and this proceeding is a chance to modernize the program's badly dated cybersecurity provisions using early learnings from the FCC's cybersecurity pilot.

The timeline offers breathing room: a 60-day comment period once the notice hits the Federal Register, 30 more days for replies, and likely no implementation before 2028.

Leichty's advice for district leaders: contact your members of Congress this month to educate them about what E-Rate does in their district, and file comments through the FCC's electronic filing system when the window opens.

Take action: The FCC's comment window opens once the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is published in the Federal Register, and as Leichty notes, the commission is obligated to review every comment it receives.

- District leaders can file directly through the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System — reference WC Docket No. 26-133 — using either a written document or the express comment field.

- The full NPRM and commissioner statements are available on the FCC's website.

- For advocacy resources and updates on the proceeding, CoSN has issued a statement on the review and maintains ongoing E-Rate advocacy tools for members.

- And per Leichty's two-part strategy: don't wait for the comment window — contact your House member and senators this month and tell them what E-Rate funds in your district.

Teachers have no shortage of AI tools that promise to save time, but most still rely on writing prompts and refining the results. TeacherForge offers a structured approach to help build classroom resources through dedicated lesson generators.

This is designed specifically for English language teachers and creates grammar worksheets, vocabulary exercises, reading comprehension tasks, writing prompts, listening activities, and complete exams. Teachers choose a CEFR level, select the type of activity they want, and let the AI generate ready-to-use materials.

Unlike general AI chatbots, TeacherForge keeps everything focused on ESL and EFL teaching. Resources can be regenerated to produce fresh versions, downloaded as editable Word documents or PDFs, and include answer keys automatically. Listening activities also come with audio and transcripts.

For language teachers looking to reduce planning time without sacrificing quality, TeacherForge offers a streamlined way to produce classroom resources in minutes. This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about how it could work for your class.

What is TeacherForge?

TeacherForge is an AI-powered lesson creation platform built specifically for teachers of English as a second or foreign language. It focuses entirely on producing language-learning resources, giving teachers a set of purpose-built tools instead of a general chatbot interface.

The platform is organized around six resource generators covering grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, and exams. Each one is tailored to the type of activity being created, so teachers choose options from guided menus rather than relying on carefully worded prompts. That makes it easier to produce consistent resources while reducing the amount of editing needed afterward.

Everything is designed around the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), allowing teachers to generate materials suitable for learners from beginner through to advanced.

Activities can focus on specific grammar points, vocabulary themes, or language skills, while reading exercises can either use AI-generated passages or text supplied by the teacher.

Once a resource has been created, it can be downloaded as an editable Word document or as a PDF for printing or sharing digitally. Listening activities also include generated audio and transcripts, while worksheets automatically include answer keys.

TeacherForge also stores the settings used to create each activity, allowing teachers to return later and generate fresh versions without starting again.

The result is a platform that feels less like chatting with AI and more like using a specialist lesson planning tool that happens to be powered by AI behind the scenes.

How does TeacherForge work?

Using TeacherForge follows a straightforward workflow that should feel familiar to most teachers. After signing in, you select the type of classroom resource to create before choosing the appropriate CEFR level for the learners. From there, each generator presents different options depending on the activity being built.

A grammar worksheet, for example, allows teachers to select the language point they want students to practice before choosing the exercise format. Reading activities can generate an original passage or build questions around text uploaded by the teacher. Vocabulary exercises can be based on custom word lists or predefined themes, while writing activities include prompts, guidance, and model responses. Listening exercises combine generated audio with accompanying classroom tasks.

After reviewing the generated material, teachers can download it as a Word document for further editing or as a PDF ready for printing. Because the documents remain editable, it is easy to adjust wording, replace examples, or tailor activities to a particular class before using any.

One of the platform's more useful features is its ability to regenerate resources. Instead of producing exactly the same worksheet every time, TeacherForge can create fresh versions using the same structure and level of difficulty. That makes it useful for parallel classes, revision activities, or assessment retakes in which teachers want similar exercises without repeating identical questions.

By guiding teachers through structured lesson builders instead of relying on free-form prompting, TeacherForge reduces the amount of trial and error needed to produce classroom-ready materials.

What are the best TeacherForge features?

TeacherForge's big appeal is its specialist focus. Every part of the platform has been designed around English language teaching rather than general classroom use, making the generated resources feel far more targeted than those produced by a standard AI chatbot.

The ability to regenerate worksheets is another standout feature, allowing teachers to produce multiple versions of the same activity for different classes without rebuilding the lesson from scratch.

Editable Word downloads also make it easy to personalize resources before reaching students. Automatic answer keys and listening transcripts remove several additional preparation steps.

Combined with CEFR alignment throughout the platform and these make TeacherForge really useful for teachers who regularly create their own language-learning materials.

How much does TeacherForge cost?

TeacherForge offers a free plan with a limited number of credits, allowing teachers to try each of its lesson generators before subscribing.

Paid plans start at around $5.75 per month when billed annually, with a higher-tier subscription offering unlimited generation and batch creation tools. School licences are also available for departments and institutions.

Best TeacherForge tips and tricks

Build differentiated lessons
Generate the same activity at different CEFR levels to support mixed-ability classes.

Upload your own texts
Turn class readers, articles, or curriculum materials into comprehension exercises instead of relying on AI-generated passages.

Create resit papers
Regenerate saved activities to produce fresh assessments that match the original level of difficulty.

Late one night, while scrolling through social media, a video from JoseMonkey appeared in my feed. JoseMonkey, who does not publicly use his real name and describes himself as a geoinfluencer, has built a substantial following by solving geolocation challenges submitted by viewers. In a typical video, someone records what appears to be an ordinary location and challenges him to find them. Often there are no famous landmarks, no readable street signs, and few obvious clues. Yet through a combination of observation, queries, research, and geographic reasoning, JoseMonkey is often able to identify the exact location.

While the videos are entertaining, these also serve a broader purpose. JoseMonkey frequently reminds viewers that seemingly harmless details in photos and videos can reveal far more information than people realize, including where they live, work, or spend their time. (An additional lesson about data privacy and cybersecurity is in here!)

I was initially drawn in by the challenge, but after watching several videos, I realized that the real appeal lay in the process. An ordinary scene becomes a puzzle, and every object, shadow, building, and feature of the landscape has the potential to become a clue.

But the popularity of JoseMonkey's videos reveals something important about geography, a subject that is often misunderstood in schools. Many adults remember geography as a collection of maps, capitals, and place names that had to be memorized for a test. While factual knowledge certainly has value, that narrow view overlooks what makes the discipline so powerful. Geography is fundamentally about understanding relationships between people and places, interpreting patterns in the natural and built environment, and making sense of the world through investigation.

JoseMonkey's work offers a compelling demonstration of these skills in action. In one challenge, an ordinary mailbox became the starting point for an inquiry when he researched where similar designs were commonly used, eventually narrowing the search to Taiwan. In another, details such as municipal infrastructure, license plates, and vegetation helped identify locations in Turin, Ontario, and North Carolina. Individually, these clues seem insignificant; the value emerges through context and the ability to connect small observations into a larger geographic story.

Locating Critical Thinking

JoseMonkey succeeds because he presents geography as a mystery to solve rather than a collection of facts to remember.

Viewers are invited to follow the clues, consider possibilities, test assumptions, and watch the investigation unfold–skills that involve critical thinking. The challenge is not knowing every mailbox design, license plate, or tree species in the world, but recognizing which details might matter, researching possibilities, eliminating alternatives, and refining conclusions as new information emerges.

In many respects, the critical thinking process resembles detective work, except the clues are embedded in landscapes, infrastructure, architecture, and the countless details that shape our understanding of place. Much of the learning occurs during the investigation itself as participants explore possibilities, encounter dead ends, and gradually narrow the field of options, all of which translate well beyond the classroom.

For educators, geolocation challenges also offer a useful reminder about engagement. People are naturally drawn to problems that require investigation and discovery. Geography provides rich opportunities for this kind of learning, yet it is often reduced to memorization. When students analyze landscapes, interpret maps, examine settlement patterns, or explore relationships between human and environmental systems, they engage in the same habits of mind that make geolocation challenges so compelling.

‘Where Am I?’

Perhaps the larger lesson behind JoseMonkey's success is not about geography alone, but about learning itself. His videos demonstrate the power of curiosity-driven inquiry. At a time when answers are increasingly available with a quick search, the ability to observe carefully, ask thoughtful questions, evaluate evidence, and make sense of complex information remains essential. Geography provides an ideal vehicle for developing those habits because every place tells a story waiting to be investigated.

The continuing popularity of geolocation challenges suggests that people have not lost their appetite for discovery. If anything, these remind us that some of the most meaningful learning begins with a simple question: Where am I, and how can I figure it out?

PlayKids Learning is an educational platform designed for children aged roughly 2 to 12. It combines videos, games, activities, stories, and original shows in a single app, with a focus on safety and age-appropriate content.

The company says this can help children develop academic and life skills while maintaining a healthy relationship with screen time. Something that could make this a parent's favorite educational app pretty fast.

PlayKids Learning lets children move between educational games, videos, creative activities, and interactive content covering areas including literacy, mathematics, arts, music, science, and social-emotional learning.

The platform is available across devices, including smart TV and interactive whiteboard platforms, making it accessible both at home and in school. This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about PlayKids Learning.

What is PlayKids Learning?

PlayKids Learning is an educational entertainment platform developed by Sandbox Group. It offers a large library of children's content that includes educational games, videos, cartoons, podcasts, and interactive learning activities. It is designed to provide a safe, ad-free environment in which children can learn through play and exploration.

The company says the platform is used by millions of families across more than 180 countries and supports multiple languages. Content includes both PlayKids original productions and licensed children's programming featuring familiar characters.

A key focus is helping children build skills beyond traditional academics. PlayKids highlights areas such as creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and social-emotional learning alongside literacy and numeracy development.

How does PlayKids Learning work?

PlayKids Learning works as a subscription service that gives teachers and families access to a large library of child-friendly educational content through a single app. Once an account is created, parents or teachers can set up profiles for individual children and begin accessing games, videos, stories, podcasts, and interactive activities tailored to different age groups.

The platform is available on smartphones, tablets, web browsers, and many smart TVs, allowing children to switch between devices while keeping their progress and preferences. Content can also be downloaded for offline use, making it useful for travel or situations where internet access is limited.

PlayKids Learning combines entertainment and educational activities in one place. Children can move between watching shows, playing learning games, listening to audio content, and completing creative activities, while parents can use built-in controls to manage screen time and monitor usage.

The service is designed for independent use by younger children, with a simple interface and large visual navigation elements that make it easy to explore without constant adult supervision.

What are the best PlayKids Learning features?

One of PlayKids Learning's appealing aspects s is the variety of content available in a single subscription. Children can watch educational videos, play games, complete activities, listen to podcasts, and engage with interactive learning experiences without needing multiple apps.

The service is also designed with parental oversight in mind. Parents can set screen-time limits, manage profiles, and download content for offline use. Multiple devices can access the same subscription, which can be useful for families with more than one child.

Safety is another major selling point. PlayKids Learning is ad-free and promotes its kidSAFE certification and curated content approach. This can help parents avoid advertising and recommendation algorithms.

The platform also encourages activities beyond passive viewing. Alongside videos and games, children can access drawing activities, creative projects, music content, and hands-on exercises designed to extend learning away from the screen.

How much does PlayKids Learning cost?

PlayKids Learning offers two main subscription options through its website. The monthly plan costs $7.99 per month, while the annual plan costs $79.80 per year, effectively reducing the monthly cost by around half compared to paying monthly. A free trial is also available for new users.

Subscriptions include unlimited access to the platform's content library, support for multiple devices, offline downloads, parental controls, and access across supported mobile, web, and TV platforms.

It's worth noting that pricing can vary slightly depending on whether families subscribe directly through the PlayKids website, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, or a partner platform.

Best PlayKids Learning tips and tricks

Start with age-appropriate profiles
Take time to set up profiles that match each child's age and developmental stage. This helps ensure the recommended content remains relevant and engaging.

Use offline downloads for travel
Download videos and activities before trips or long journeys. This allows children to access content without requiring an internet connection.

Balance screen time with hands-on activities
Look for the platform's creative projects, crafts, music activities, and offline exercises. These can help turn screen-based learning into wider real-world experiences.

Welcome to the July Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

This month's new offerings, many of which are being showcased at ISTELive in Orlando, include financial literacy games, a remote presentation device, and a promising iOS app that turns students' notes into flashcards, quizzes, and games.

ASUS Education | Chromebox 6a, USB AI Accelerator

ASUS debuted the ASUS Chromebox 6a, its flagship ChromeOS compact desktop and the UGen300 USB AI Accelerator at ISTE+ASCD 2026.

Equipped with 14th Gen Intel Core 7 processors, the Chromebox 6a features Zero-Touch Enrollment, Google Admin console and the Titan C security chip. The ASUS UGen300 USB AI Accelerator is a USB edge AI accelerator for both classic and generative AI, delivering powerful, low-power local AI inference at the edge. Equipped with over 100 pre-trained models for rapid deployment, the UGen300 transforms standard devices into AI-ready tools.

Avantis Education | EduverseSTEM

Avantis Education, a provider of virtual and augmented (VR/AR) technology for schools, will give educators an exclusive first look at EduverseSTEM, its new immersive STEM solution at the ISTELive 26 conference June 28-July 1, 2026 in Orlando, Florida. The complete solution will be available to schools in time for the new academic year. EduverseSTEM, is a complete, immersive STEM ecosystem that combines ClassVR Xcelerate headsets, curriculum- aligned STEM content, classroom management tools and a Gold Standard Project-Based Learning Framework into one ready-to-teach solution for middle and high school classrooms.

BandLab For Education | 2 .0

BandLab for Education 2.0 music creation platform for schools is built to support the way music is taught and made today. Available at $2.50 per student per year, with free access for eligible Title I schools in the US and comparable support in other markets, 2.0 is designed to put professional music creation within reach of any classroom.

Cambium Learning Group | ExploreK12

ExploreLearning | Learning A‑Z today announced it is rebranding as ExploreK12, marking the next phase of its evolution as a unified organization serving educators across literacy, math, and science. Beginning with the 2026–27 school year, ExploreK12 is introducing a set of back‑to‑school enhancements for literacy, math and science, including strengthened assessments, expanded content, and new instructional supports that help educators monitor student progress and provide targeted support.

ClassDojo | Websites

ClassDojo Websites is a new school and district website platform designed specifically for K–12 systems. The platform automatically keeps school and district websites up to date by connecting directly to ClassDojo—the platform already used by millions of families and educators. ClassDojo Websites brings website management and district communications into one connected platform, reducing manual work while ensuring families always see accurate, consistent information. Post once, and it shows up everywhere. No double-posting, no stale pages, and no extra work for staff.

Coolmath Games | Financial Literacy hub

The new Financial Literacy hub is designed to replace abstract classroom explanations with games that require decision making in simulated financial situations. Users are dropped into scenarios where every choice has consequences. In games such as Investor Tower, players learn what it actually means to make money work for them, building an understanding of investing through progression and risk based decisions.

Coursera | Ollie

Ollie is an AI-powered microlearning app that delivers short lessons drawn from content by leading partners including AWS, Duke University, and Microsoft. Available to Coursera Plus subscribers, Ollie brings Coursera's university and industry content into a new learning experience featuring interactive practice and conversational AI support. Key features include: Short-form lessons; instant practice exercises; conversational AI support; and Flow Mode and Explore Mode for hands-free listening and topic discovery..

CTL | OPS All-in-One Desktop Computer with ChromeOS

Ideal for education, this solution leverages the power of ChromeOS for its built-in and proactive security and easy IT management via the Google Admin console. An AIO with ChromeOS enables IT directors to deploy the power of ChromeOS to desktops. You can create a singular, cohesive ecosystem that streamlines policies and configurations across all Chromebooks and AIO desktops with ChromeOS.

Dimensions | Citation Check

Citation Check is an API-based editorial tool that automatically detects self-citation in manuscript submissions, evaluates each instance, and returns a risk rating to support editors' decision-making before papers reach peer review. The tool is the latest addition to Digital Science's research integrity portfolio, alongside Dimensions Author Check – designed to help the research community uphold integrity and trust in the scholarly record.

Edlio | Edlio Agents

Edlio Agents are agentic workflows built into the Edlio CMS. Specialists with a defined area of expertise and the skills to handle complex tasks. These complete multi-step processes without needing to be micromanaged, so schools can get more done in less time within the same Edlio platform they are already using. Edlio Agents will be launching through the Edlio platform during the 2026-27 school year, starting this fall.

ELEGOO | Centauri Carbon 2 Combo

Elegoo’s Centauri Carbon 2 Combo is the best versatile/well-rounded option on a budget. It caters to beginners with its accessible price point (ranging from $449-489) and simplified user experience while also satisfying 3D printing vets because it doesn’t sacrifice speed, performance or hardware for its cheaper price tag. It’s fast at printing multi-colored items, stable while withstanding high temperatures, and has smart automations to make printing easy.

Epson | LE-C1 Series

The LE-C1 Series, powered by chip-on-board (COB) technology, is Epson's first all-in-one dvLED line. Offering high brightness of 600 nits and excellent high contrast performance, even in the brightest of spaces, the new LE-C1 Series includes the LE-C1135 135-inch and the LE-C1162 162-inch Full HD 1080p models, plus the LE-C14K135 135-inch 4K model for ultra-fine detail and comfortable close-range viewing.

Extron | DTP3 T 322 D

The DTP3 T 322 D is a two-input wall plate transmitter that sends USB-C and HDMI video, USB data, embedded audio, power, and control up to 330 feet (100 meters) over a shielded CAT 6A cable. It can provide up to 100 watts of USB-C power delivery to charge the connected device when used with the Extron UPI 100 Power Inserter.

iClever | QuietShield Q950 Kids ANC Headphones

The QuietShield Q950 Kids ANC Headphones have received the TÜV Hearing Care Protection Certification as well as the 2026 Red Dot Design Award for its child-centered design. Key features include an 80dBA safe-volume limit as per WHO recommendation, Hybrid ANC (up to 35dB noise reduction), Transparency Mode, Wear Detection, Bluetooth Audio Sharing, and up to 60 hours of battery life.

Logitech | Spotlight 2

The Spotlight 2 Advanced Presentation Remote supports: Natural teaching by helping educators move freely through any learning environment, without being tethered to a podium, desk, or screen; human connections as advanced digital highlighting, spotlighting, annotation and magnifying, and a physical laser pointer support presence and more direct interaction with students; and simplicity with purpose through haptic feedback.

Luxor Workspaces | CellGuard Phone Pouch

The CellGuard Phone Pouch is a signal-blocking storage solution designed to help schools enforce phone policies while keeping student devices secure and in their possession. The pouch is constructed from reinforced fabric designed for daily use and features a hook-and-loop closure that produces a loud, audible sound when opened, allowing teachers to quickly identify when a pouch has been accessed during instruction. A lockable D-ring allows schools or students to secure the pouch when needed.

Magewell | Director Plus

Director Plus is a broadcast-grade, all-in-one portable 4K production and presentation system for end-to-end live video workflows. Users can connect live AV feeds and media assets from a range of devices, networks, and third-party software platforms. With production features including telestration and instant replay, creators can produce visually engaging content for enterprise communications, education, podcasts and more.

NoteFren | NoteFren

NoteFren is an iOS study app that turns a student's own notes (handwriting, PDFs, audio) into flashcards, quizzes, and games in ~10 seconds, built around active recall rather than AI summaries. NoteFren uses scientifically proven methods including spaced repetition (SM-2 algorithm), active recall, and the Feynman method. These techniques are backed by decades of research showing 2-3x better retention compared to traditional study methods.

Philips | Signage 7000 Series

The Philips Signage 7000 Series is designed with a depth of 30mm for the 65” model and 28.5mm on all others, 60 per cent less deep than its closest Philips Signage counterpart – the Philips Signage 4050Q. The 43”, 50” and 55” models are 10 per cent lighter than their 4050Q size equivalents, and the 65” model weighs 20% less than its 4050Q comparison.

Photon Education | Classwise Student Engagement System

Classwise, a student response system from Photon Education made its official U.S. debut at ISTELive 26, June 28-July 30 in Orlando, Florida. Classwise combines formative assessments, game-based learning, and data-driven instruction in a single platform, providing with a larage library of lessons, educational quizzes and teaching resources, plus a classroom set of Classpad handheld controllers. Students engage in learning in a screen-free way, using the Classpads to answer questions and respond to prompts

Smart | MultiStylus and SoundLift

MultiStylus and SoundLift are two new classroom accessories designed to extend the SMART Board experience by supporting collaboration, accessibility and engagement in learning environments. The MultiStylus puts full board control in their hand wherever they are in the room — switch pen modes, advance slides, or activate the air mouse to control the board without walking back to it. SoundLift routes the teachers voice through the SMART Board's integrated speakers, so no separate amplifiers, mixers, or cabling is required.

Telycam | Explore 100, Explore 300 and Explore 500

Building on the hallmarks of the Explore family, these new models deliver outstanding image quality, precise focus, and smooth mechanical movement across a wide range of production scenarios. Ideal for sports broadcasts, corporate events, educational applications, and live production environments, the new launches reinforce Telycam's commitment to empowering professional productions with high-performance, reliable, and versatile PTZ cameras.

Vivi | Live Captions and Device Alerts

Live Captions is a new feature that converts speech into real-time captions and translations across classroom displays. It provides students with translations in their native language with just a single click. Vivi Device Alerts has been upgraded to extend emergency notifications to Windows, macOS devices, and Webapp. The feature includes location-based targeting, mandatory acknowledgment tracking, and a complete audit trail to support compliance reporting.

• Edtech Show & Tell

Smore aims to solve the problem of poor school-to-home communication by turning school newsletters into visually engaging, mobile-friendly web pages that are easy to create and share.

Newsletters traditionally were blocks of text and a few images. Smore lets teachers and schools build interactive updates that can include videos, calendars, forms, links, images, documents, and more.

The platform is designed as a communication tool rather than a classroom teaching platform. Teachers can use Smore to keep parents informed about class activities, share resources with students, celebrate achievements, publish project work, or create information hubs for events and school projects.

Because everything is web-based, newsletters can be viewed on phones, tablets, laptops, or desktop computers without requiring parents to download a separate app.

So what exactly is Smore and how can teachers make the most of it?

What is Smore?

Smore is an online newsletter and family engagement platform designed specifically for schools and educators. It allows teachers and admins to create visually rich digital newsletters -- using drag-and-drop tools rather than needing web design experience, as some platforms demand.

Teachers can build newsletters from templates or start from scratch, adding text, images, videos, buttons, calendars, documents, forms, polls, and event information. Completed newsletters can then be shared through email, links, QR codes, social media, or embedded into school websites.

Lots of communication tools focus on one-way messaging. Smore is designed to encourage engagement. Features such as polls, event RSVPs, embedded content, and analytics help schools understand whether information is actually reaching families.

The platform is used by individual teachers, entire schools, and districts that want a more modern method of family communication.

How does Smore work?

Smore works through a browser and requires very little setup. After creating an account, teachers can choose from a range of newsletter templates and customize one using a drag-and-drop editor.

Content is added in blocks, making it easy to insert announcements, photos, videos, links, classroom updates, homework information, event details, and downloadable files. Teachers can rearrange sections as needed without having to touch any code.

Once a newsletter is published, it receives a unique web address. That newsletter can be emailed directly through Smore, shared as a link, embedded into another website, or distributed using a QR code.

One very useful feature for schools with diverse communities is automatic translation support, allowing families to read newsletters in their preferred language on supported plans.

Teachers and administrators can also track readership through built-in analytics, helping them see how many people opened a newsletter and which links attracted the most attention.

What are the best Smore features?

One of Smore's best features is its ease of use. Teachers can create professional-looking newsletters in minutes without needing graphic design skills.

The multimedia support is another highlight. Rather than attaching files to an email, teachers can embed videos, include image galleries, add links to resources, and create a more engaging experience for families.

The event RSVP tools can also be useful for school activities. These help teachers collect responses for trips, performances, parent evenings, and classroom events.

For schools focused on accessibility, Smore includes support for accessibility standards and offers translation options that can help improve communication with multilingual families.

Analytics provide another advantage, allowing educators to see whether important communications are actually being read rather than simply assuming an email reached its destination.

How much does Smore cost?

Smore offers a free version that allows you to create up to three newsletters, send up to 200 emails per month, and access basic designs and limited analytics. For teachers who want to use the platform regularly, paid plans are likely to be the more practical option.

The Basic plan costs $99 per year and includes unlimited newsletters, advanced analytics, customizable designs, PDF exports, file attachments, event RSVPs, polls, and up to 5,000 email sends per month.

The Pro plan costs $179 per year and adds automatic translation into more than 130 languages, Canva integration, custom headers, a table of contents feature, logo branding, and a higher monthly email allowance of 15,000 sends.

For larger schools or educators with extensive communication needs, the Premium plan costs $299 per year and raises the monthly email limit to 30,000 while adding priority support.

Schools and districts can also opt for Smore for Teams, which adds multi-user access, shared folders, collaboration tools, branded templates, enhanced analytics, and administrative controls. Pricing is available on request.

Best Smore tips and tricks

Create a weekly class hub
Use a single newsletter format each week so parents know exactly where to find homework, key dates, and classroom updates.

Showcase student work
Embed photos, videos, and project examples to give families a window into classroom learning.

Use analytics to refine communication
Monitor which sections receive the most engagement and adapt future newsletters accordingly.

Recent data from the 2024–25 school year continue to illustrate the persistence of academic achievement gaps for K-12 students. In response, headlines have blamed "screen time" and the purported detrimental effects of technology for much of this decline. From EdWeek to the New York Times, articles have presented a gross oversimplification; the story is more complicated.

Digital tools and programs present schools and systems with more durable, sustainable strategies to accelerate learning. During the 2024–25 school year, FullScale (formerly The Learning Accelerator) funded and evaluated 10 innovations through the Accelerating Adoption Network — six edtech tools, three programs, and one microschool model — each designed to scale promising, technology-enabled, evidence-based solutions.

Through this initiative, we learned about the complexities that emerge when evidence-based tools meet reality at scale.

3 Critical Lessons About Scale

The Accelerating Adoption Network sought to evaluate how these innovations scaled in terms of breadth, depth, and durability, as well as the impact on student learning, using a combination of teacher surveys, leader focus groups, and student outcome data (e.g., standardized assessments or course grades).

While the networks successfully scaled their breadth — expanding across 33 states, 130 sites, and impacting more than 3 million students — the depth and consistency of implementation varied significantly both across and within schools. Consequently, though student outcomes showed improvement over the course of the school year, the gains were not statistically significant. Regardless, most educators reported durable changes to instruction, with 62% reporting that the innovation positively influenced their instructional practices and 82% indicating that they wanted the work to continue.

The networks scaled, but the more interesting question is how. Three core learnings from the evaluation point to barriers that successful scaling need to overcome:

1. Implementation incoherence: The timing of the rollout, competing interventions, infrastructure challenges, or lack of consistency between the innovation and school or district priorities led to variation in implementation.
2. System conditions: Teachers largely found the innovations beneficial and easy to use, but system conditions such as from insufficient devices and bandwidth to competing tools and unclear expectations influenced implementation.
3. Research and evaluation infrastructure: Data-sharing agreements and institutional review processes, combined with rigid study designs, prevented agile and responsive decision-making, and limited our ability to gather interim data or revise research questions based on reality.

Despite current narratives about “screen time” and edtech efficacy, the Accelerating Adoption Network produced evidence of successful scaling. The included innovations reached more students, demonstrated growth on academic outcomes, and led to teachers making durable instructional changes, but this evidence is incomplete.

Evidence-Based Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient

Successful scaling depends on more than just having a high-quality, evidence-based tool. It requires a set of system conditions to be in place.

In our work with the Accelerating Adoption Network, we identified five interrelated elements that enable scaling. These cut across contexts and roles, offering actionable guidance for funders, policy-makers, and system-level decision makers.

• Strategic Alignment Before Adoption: Decision-making and conversations about edtech should begin with instructional strategy, not procurement. Clearly communicate how an innovation advances priority goals, what it replaces, and what it deprioritizes.
• Protected Time and Instructional Coherence: Make explicit decisions about when, where, and for whom an innovation should be implemented, not just used, and how it connects to curriculum, pacing, and instructional goals.
• Implementation Capacity: Build implementation capacity deliberately at multiple levels, ensuring educators have access to timely coaching, technical assistance, and leadership support within sites, while establishing routines that surface implementation patterns across sites.
• Enabling Infrastructure and Operational Readiness: Before scaling, ensure schools have reliable access to devices and connectivity as well as technical support.
• Continuous Improvement and Learning: Use formative data such as usage patterns, educator feedback, and interim student indicators to guide adjustments throughout implementation rather than waiting for end-of-year results.

Scale requires conditions that go beyond individual tools to include broader system readiness. As funders, policymakers, and leaders take an ever more critical look at the efficacy of edtech, the focus should include both selecting strong innovations and creating the conditions that allow educators and systems to learn, adapt, and improve over time so that the field can move beyond isolated successes and toward durable, equitable learning for more students. To do so, before adopting or scaling a new tool, it is critical to first ask these three questions:

• How does implementation of this tool fit coherently into our context?
• Do the necessary system conditions exist to ensure successful implementation?
• What research and evaluation needs to occur to support continuous improvement and to determine whether the tool achieves its intended outcomes?

zSpace takes a different approach to VR, offering immersive 3D learning experiences without asking students to strap a device to their faces.

Designed specifically for education, zSpace combines hardware and software to create interactive lessons that allow students to explore complex concepts in a more hands-on way.

From dissecting a virtual heart, to examining the inner workings of an engine, or investigating scientific phenomena that would be impossible to recreate safely in a classroom -- the aim is to move learning beyond textbooks and flat screens.

STEM subjects, career and technical education (CTE), and workforce readiness all get a focus. zSpace has found a place in schools looking for ways to make learning more engaging while helping students develop practical skills.

Here's everything you need to know about zSpace and how it can be used for teaching.

What is zSpace?

zSpace is an immersive learning platform that combines dedicated hardware with a library of educational software designed for schools, colleges, and training environments.

The company focuses on what it calls experiential learning. This aims to give students the opportunity to interact directly with digital objects and simulations -- rather than simply reading about processes or watching videos.

zSpace does not rely on traditional VR headsets. Instead, students use specially designed laptops or workstations that display 3D content that can be manipulated using a stylus. This creates the feeling of interacting with physical objects and dodges lots of the practical challenges associated with headset-based VR.

The platform is popular for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), but it also supports health sciences, manufacturing, skilled trades, and career-focused learning programs. The idea here is to help students better understand difficult concepts through direct interaction and exploration.

How does zSpace work?

zSpace is designed to make digital learning feel more physical. Students can pick up, rotate, enlarge, shrink, and examine virtual objects from every angle.

Rather than viewing a diagram of the human body, for example, they can pull virtual organs apart, explore anatomical systems layer by layer, and investigate structures that would be difficult to visualize using more standard teaching methods.

The same approach applies across other subjects. Engineering students can inspect machine components, science students can investigate molecular structures, and technical education learners can practice procedures in simulated environments before working with real-world equipment.

For teachers, the platform functions as another instructional tool rather than a replacement for existing teaching methods. Lessons can be integrated into classroom activities, used as part of blended learning programs, or offered in small groups.

Because students are actively interacting with the content rather than passively consuming it, the technology is designed to encourage curiosity, exploration, and discussion.

One of the biggest advantages is the ability to provide experiences that would otherwise be too costly, dangerous, impractical, or simply impossible in a normal classroom setting.

What are the best zSpace features?

One of the most standout features is the headset-free approach. zSpace removes the need to wear VR goggles, as many other immersive tech platforms require, making classroom use simpler and potentially more comfortable for learners.

The platform's interactive 3D models are another major strength. Being able to manipulate objects directly can help students grasp concepts that are often difficult to understand through static images alone. This is helpful for subjects such as anatomy, engineering, physics, and technical training.

zSpace also stands out because of its focus on CTE and career readiness. Much of the content is designed to teach academic concepts and to help students with skills and scenarios they may encounter in future professions.

The company also provides curriculum resources, implementation support, and professional development for educators, to help schools integrate the technology into existing teaching practices rather than treating it as standalone.

How much does zSpace cost?

zSpace does not publicly list pricing. Costs vary depending on the hardware selected, the software packages required, and the level of support and training a school needs.

As a result, schools interested in adopting the platform will need to contact zSpace directly for a customized quote.

Best zSpace tips and tricks

Use it for concepts students struggle to visualize
The biggest gains are likely to come when teaching topics that are difficult to understand through diagrams, photographs, or written explanations alone.

Build discussion around the experience
Rather than treating zSpace as a solo activity, use it as a starting point for questions, predictions, and classroom conversations that help students process what they have explored.

Focus on experiences you cannot easily recreate
The technology is at its strongest when it enables students to do something that would otherwise be impossible, unsafe, prohibitively expensive, or unavailable in a typical classroom.

We’ve all been here. A speaker steps to the front of the room at a conference, workshop, school event, or leadership meeting, and everything stops. The screen is dark. The audio does not work. No one knows the WiFi password. Someone calls for “the tech person.” The device goes to sleep. The audience waits while everyone acts as if this is just part of the program.

It should not be.

Every event space, from classroom to boardroom, should have a dedicated presentation station with a device that belongs to the room. Not the speaker. Not the organizer. Not whoever remembered to bring the right adapter.

The presentation station should be part of the space, the same way the projector, screen, microphone, lights, and chairs are part of the space. When people walk into a room to learn, present, or lead, the basic setup should already work.

The BYOD Presenter Model Is Broken

The bring-your-own-device (BYOD) presenter model turns every speaker transition into a new technical gamble with a different laptop, adapter, audio setting, sleep setting, software update, notification popping up at exactly the wrong time, etc.

That is not a presenter problem, but a room design problem.

A well-run event space should not depend on every speaker plugging in, pairing, restarting, authenticating, and hoping for the best. The better model is simple: one room device, many speakers. Get the device working before the event starts, keep it working throughout the program, and stop making every presenter start from scratch.

That means the host provides a presentation station that is already connected, tested, and ready. The WiFi, browser, display, audio, and shared materials should be checked before anyone is standing in front of the room. The device should not go to sleep mid-session or require a password no one in the room knows.

As I shared in Presentation Checklist: 5 Ways to Prepare for Presentations, presenters have preparation to do, but the device setup belongs to the host. The presenter should be focused on the message, not on troubleshooting the room.

Put The Materials In The Cloud, Not Someone’s Laptop

Speakers should submit materials ahead of time and access these through a shared agenda with a short, easy-to-type link. The room device opens the agenda, each speaker clicks their own materials, and the event moves on.

I have been writing about digital agendas for years. In Anatomy of a Killer Agenda and 7 Benefits to Ditching the Paper at Meetings + Events with a Great Agenda, I explain how a strong agenda keeps links, materials, and next steps in one place. The same logic applies here. Put the work in the agenda, and put the agenda on the room device.

This is not about being fancy but reducing failure points. If the only copy of a presentation is trapped on one speaker’s personal laptop, the event is more fragile than it needs to be. If that laptop will not connect, loses power, needs an update, or has the wrong setting, the whole room pays the price.

Access Matters, Too!

A shared agenda also makes the event more accessible. Participants may need to open slides on their own devices, use screen readers, translate text, enlarge content, follow links, or review materials later. That does not happen easily when the content lives only on one presenter’s machine.

In Checklist for Accessible Teaching & Presenting, I explain why digital materials, microphones, links, and accessible design matter. A presentation station does not solve every accessibility issue, but it removes one unnecessary barrier: the idea that access depends on whatever device the speaker brought.

A QR code can help, but it should not be the only way. As I wrote in QR Codes in Education: Use with Care, Not Just Because They’re There, QR codes are useful when they reduce friction. They become a problem when they create one more barrier. Use the QR code, but also provide a short link for anyone who cannot or does not want to use a phone camera.

The goal is not to look high-tech; it is to make access simple.

What Every Presentation Station Should Include

A strong presentation station should have:

• A dedicated room device connected to the display and audio
• Stable internet already connected
• No unknown password barriers
• Settings adjusted so the device does not go to sleep during the event
• Easy access to the agenda and all presentation materials in the cloud
• A browser ready for commonly used platforms such as Google Slides, PowerPoint online, Canva, YouTube, and shared documents
• Sound, camera, microphone, and screen sharing tested in advance
• Accessibility features available, including captions when possible
• A backup plan that does not require switching to random personal devices
• A designated person responsible for checking the setup before participants enter the room

Use this checklist as the standard operating protocol for successful presentations.

The Bottom Line

A presentation station should belong to the space, not the speaker.

When the room is ready, presenters can focus on their ideas, participants can focus on learning, and hosts can run events that feel smooth, professional, and welcoming. The fix is not complicated: provide a reliable room device, stable internet, accessible cloud-based materials, and settings that support the event instead of interrupting it.

Get the room ready. Put the presentation station in place. Make the materials easy to access. Then let the speaker do what they came to do: connect with the audience and deliver a message worth hearing.

Due to a technical issue, this podcast is only available in audio format, which you can "watch" above or listen to/download below.

Kris Hagel has a blunt take on the state of educational technology in his district — and probably yours. "Ed Tech Got Away From Us—and It's Kind of Our Fault" is the title of a talk he delivered at a conference the same afternoon he sat down with Tech & Learning. It's also a pretty accurate summary of where a lot of districts find themselves right now.

Hagel—a K-12 CIO with 25-plus years in education and CoSN Board Member— returned from this year’s convention energized by two conversations dominating the hallways: the screen time debate and the growing interest in districts using AI to build their own edtech tools. Both, he says, are wrapped in fear—from parents, from teachers, and from edtech vendors watching their clients start to build around them.

His prescription for the fear? Communication, transparency, and a hard look in the mirror. Hagel's Washington State district of nearly 10,000 students is in the middle of a deliberate pullback from what he describes as a pandemic-era "whatever works" posture toward technology—one that left his team with thousands of approved apps and no clear rationale for most of them.

"I look at our catalog of approved edtech apps and I'm like, 'oh my gosh, that is way too many things,'" he says.

Working alongside his chief academic officer, Hagel has begun re-establishing what purposeful technology use actually looks like in a classroom. He is also planning a district-wide transparency report, using AI to aggregate and synthesize usage data across grade levels and share it publicly with families.

On the parent communication front, Hagel credits ParentSquare as a key partner, citing its ability to route messages to different constituent groups in whatever format they prefer — app, text, phone, or push notification.

"You've got to get out there in front of it and tell the story," he says. "Once you tell those stories, parents get behind it."

He also draws a distinction that more district leaders would do well to internalize: consumer technology and education technology are not the same conversation. Conflating them, he argues, is a big part of how fear takes root — and how trust erodes. The average student, he noted, spends roughly 70 minutes per day on a device in school. Not six hours! Seventy minutes — mostly purposeful.

That number alone, he says, changes the tenor of almost every parent conversation.

Welcome to the June Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

This month's new offerings include online tutoring, HD/4K projectors, payment collection solution, ad-free streaming educational platform and more.

Ace Scholarships | EmpowerEd by ACE Scholarships

EmpowerEd by ACE Scholarships is the only white-label, end-to-end scholarship management technology built by a national SGO. The platform handles the administrative complexity behind the scenes, including application processing, eligibility, awards, donor tracking, secure compliance, and reporting. With scholarships and contributions managed in one place, partners have a clear, real-time view of scholarship and donor operations.

Acer | Swift Spin 14 AI

The premium Swift Spin 14 AI convertible is a military-grade 360-degree powerhouse delivering an industry-leading 80 TOPS of AI performance and up to 23 hours of battery life. Alongside this premium ultraportable, Acer makes history as the first PC maker to introduce a laptop powered by the all-new Snapdragon C processor, bringing affordable, efficient, everyday computing to the mainstream market.

ClassDojo | Dojo Tutor expansion

ClassDojo is expanding access to its private, online Dojo Tutor, which connects students with more than 2,500 certified and vetted teachers for one-on-one tutoring tailored to individual learning needs. The focus is on helping students make meaningful academic progress as tutors begin by understanding where each student is, identifying gaps, and building a plan to move them forward.

Cobalt | blueCORE Multi-Function Standalone Signal Processing

The new Cobalt blueCORE family of fully featured standalone signal processors is designed to bridge SDI and ST 2110/IPMX environments with exceptional versatility. blueCORE combines the audio and video processing functions required for live production and AV signal management into a single 1RU device. The self-contained architecture makes deployment fast and simple: power up the unit, connect signals, and it is ready to operate with or without a computer.

Common Sense Media | Youth AI Safety Institute

The Common Sense Media Youth AI Safety Institute is an independent research and testing organization dedicated to ensuring the AI that children use is safe and developmentally appropriate. The Institute will establish safety standards, build open-source evaluations that AI developers can run against their models, independently test AI products, and publish the results to provide transparency and accountability.

Epson | PowerLite and BrightLink projectors

Epson now has 10 new PowerLite and BrightLink projectors, offering Full HD and 4K Enhancement, across standard throw, ultra short throw and portable options. Built on Epson’s proprietary 3-chip 3LCD technology, the new lineup delivers higher resolution and brightness with larger image sizes, enhanced connectivity, intuitive software, updated controls, and improved casting to simplify installation and maintenance while enabling collaboration and larger-than-life visuals.

Extron | XTP II 8K Fiber Series

Extron's new XTP II 8K Fiber Series takes performance to the next level with industry-leading capabilities for XTP Systems. Four new products are now available: XTP II FT 402 8K – Fiber optic transmitters for HDMI and DisplayPort; XTP II FR 401 8K – Fiber optic receivers with local HDMI input; XTP II CP 4i F 8K – Input boards with assignable XTP Fiber or HDMI inputs; and XTP II CP 4o SF 8K – Output boards with scaled fiber and local, unscaled HDMI outputs. These new boards leverage the 50 Gbps backplane of XTP II CrossPoint Series matrix switchers to deliver the highest level of performance and reliability in the industry.

iCEV | Certification Readiness Tool

The Certification Readiness Tool allows educators to view readiness indicators for students enrolled in aligned coursework for certifications that are tested for on the iCEV Platform. Teachers can view student reports to understand performance, identify skill gaps, and take action before students sit for exams. The tool analyzes patterns from previously successful test-takers alongside current student data to provide meaningful readiness insights.

Lightspeed | Redcat and Topcat updates

The Redcat and Topcat systems now feature updated designs that simplify classroom use. Additionally, the company’s wireless Media Connector now pairs directly with Bluetooth devices, enabling wireless audio streaming from phones and tablets, making it easier to integrate classroom multimedia audio sources. The Redcat all-in-one speaker system is ready for use right out of the box, while the Topcat’s all-in-one integrated design and wireless audio capabilities make installation simple.

Parentsquare | Cashless Guide playbook

ParentSquare's Cashless Guide playbook for K12 leaders offers best practices and strategies to help districts reduce cash handling, simplify payment collection, and improve family response. Many districts are looking for ways to streamline payment collection for school activities, from field trips to extracurricular fees. This new guide provides a step-by-step framework to help districts transition to online payments without disrupting existing workflows.

PlayKids Learning

PlayKids Learning is an ad-free streaming educational platform for young children, bringing together favorites like Paw Patrol, CoComelon, Numberblocks and Alphablocks alongside interactive games and learning content designed around skill development. COPPA-compliant, and kidSAFE-certified, the platform combines 250+ hours of children’s TV with 150+ games and activities focused on communication, creativity, emotional learning and problem-solving, while also encouraging offline activities like drawing, dancing and singing.

TeacherForge

TeacherForge is an AI-powered material generator for language teachers. It produces structured, print-ready worksheets across grammar, vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing tasks, listening sets with audio, and multi-domain exams, all with answer keys. Teachers configure CEFR level, topics, and exercise types. Teachers choose specific exercise types per section, adjust difficulty per CEFR level, and get professionally formatted output ready for the classroom, not raw AI text to clean up.

Turnitin | Google Classroom Add-On

Turnitin's new integration with Google Workspace for Education brings Turnitin Feedback Studio features directly into Google Classroom. The new integration helps educators incorporate AI responsibly into written assessments, while building students' AI literacy, critical thinking, and writing skills. Educators gain visibility into students’ writing process, and students learn to use AI thoughtfully, ethically, and transparently.

Zedbud | Unified Platform

Zedbud now offers a unified learning and communication platform designed for K–12 schools. Zedbud brings learning, communication, collaboration, and family engagement into a single FERPA-compliant environment. Key highlights include: communication embedded directly within assignments and learning materials; real-time translation in 50+ languages; district-level oversight and role-based controls; integrations with tools such as Google Classroom and Google Drive; and support for family engagement from pre-K through graduation.

• Edtech Show & Tell

The recent trend of pushback against tech in the classroom is seeing schools across the country moving away from emphasizing 1-2-1 digital devices and focusing on old-fashioned classroom and group activities.

Dennis R. Willingham, superintendent of Walker County Schools in Alabama, recently realized how this trend has touched his own district when a principal told him about witnessing student behavior that had not been seen in years: the passed note.

“A little tear came in my eye that the kids were actually writing instead of texting,” this educator told Willingham.

In addition to reviving the once-extinct practice of students writing notes to one another, the new trend is cutting back on distractions in the classroom and helping support student learning, Willingham says. It’s been pushed by a combination of events, including decreased funding for 1-2-1 programs in the post-COVID era and a general fatigue among teachers and students that we’re all spending too much time looking at screens.

Willingham discusses the benefits of screen-free time he’s seen in his district as well as the challenges around continuing to provide device access to students, which remains a necessity.

Less Screen Time, More Social Interaction

Back in 2018 and 2019, there was a big push to provide every student access to a digital device, Willingham says. That intensified during the pandemic, but now many in the education world are realizing the embrace of digital devices may have been a little too enthusiastic.

“Now the trend seems to have shifted back the other way, and people are calling for more direct instruction from the teacher, going back to more cooperative learning groups, and more student engagement within the classroom,” Willingham says. “The big reason for that is for the sake of social skills. Because not only in the schoolhouse but also outside of school doors, kids are absorbed by electronic devices, with their phones, with laptops. And so we are seeing that students are lacking in social skills.”

In Willingham’s district, this movement has been facilitated by state legislation banning cell phones in schools, which went into effect at the start of the academic year. Most people, including Willingham, have applauded the new policy.

“We’re receiving positive feedback from just about every stakeholder about these electronic devices being banned in our schools,” he says.

The Need For Devices

Despite the benefits of cell phone bans, the larger movement away from 1-2-1 devices isn’t all positive. Walker County Schools still has a 1-2-1 policy in place that is needed, Willingham says, but funding for the program long-term is in question since COVID-era funds have dried up and federal funding for education is currently uncertain.

“We have state-mandated assessments starting in second grade. And those state-mandated assessments are electronic,” Willingham says. “It’s kind of a Catch-22. The trend now is going away from 1-2-1, but at times you need the 1-2-1.”

Federal funds are crucial to continuing to provide that access in Walker County Schools.

“It is going to be a challenge going forward. It is not feasible to continue finding 1-2-1 because of the upgrades and updates. That's not only with the hardware, but also with the computer systems and the software as well,” Willingham says. “We are a poverty district. We are about 70% poverty. And so we do rely on federal funding to keep our heads afloat.”

Advice On Going Device-Free

Ongoing uncertainty about federal funding notwithstanding, Willingham believes there is real benefits right now for teachers to provide more screenless activities in the classroom.

“Cooperative learning and student engagement, that's really where it's at. It's proven to be effective for learning, and it's also great for social skills, which we're seeing that our students greatly need,” he says.

Perhaps ironically, AI can help educators prepare more old-fashioned, pen-and-paper and group activities.

“It’s fantastic you can type in, ‘I want to teach a lesson on standard A3, and I want to involve cooperative learning and group activities,’ and boom, you’ve got all of that at your fingertips," Willingham says. "All you’ve got to just tweak it and make it your own.”

These types of group and in-person activities have the added bonus of limiting students’ increasing tendency to rely on AI themselves in unproductive ways, such as making it write a paper for them.

In a less digitized classroom, for instance, when students are writing notes back and forth to each other, you know, regardless of the content, that at least the students wrote the notes themselves.

Welcome to the May 2026 Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

May's edtech roundup features several AI-powered offerings, from Google's AI Educator Series to a multi-touch interactive display to edtech monitoring and more. AV standouts include an interactive 3D AV planner, a USB extender and a media hub for managing networks in real time.

BenQ | Pro RP05 Interactive Display

The RP05 is BenQ's most advanced AI-ready interactive display, featuring a dedicated 10 TOPS Neural Processing Unit. Powered by Android 15 and Google EDLA certification, the display offers secure access to Google Workspace and the Play Store. Key features include AI-assisted whiteboarding, automated transcription, and a 50-point multi-touch interface. Additionally, ClassroomCare technology provides germ-resistant surfaces and Eyesafe 3.0 certification.

Extron | UCS 910 Series

The UCS 910 Series of twisted pair USB 5Gbps extenders send USB data signals from peripheral devices to a host computer up to 330 ft over a CAT 6A cable. Compatible with USB 3 and previous standards, 910 Series extenders support data rates up to USB 5Gbps. The UCS T 911 features a USB-C host connection and can be powered from the receiver or locally. The UCS R 912 receiver features a two-port USB hub with USB-C and USB-A ports for connecting remote peripherals.

GoGuardian | Discover

GoGuardian Discover gives district technology leaders a unified, trusted view of their entire edtech ecosystem. It addresses three critical needs for district administrators: automated compliance and risk management; AI-powered identification of cost savings; and clear, actionable insights across the entire district. GoGuardian is offering free use of Discover for up to 60 days through July 31 for new and existing customers.

Google | AI Educator Series

Google has teamed up with ISTE+ASCD to create the Google AI Educator Series (GES)—a free, ISTE standards-aligned program designed to help use tools such as Gemini and NotebookLM. In just 15 minutes for K-12 and 45 minutes for Higher Ed, learn a classroom-ready Gemini use case and earn a badge to demonstrate your new skill.

Kiloview | AVX24-4 Media HUB

The AVX24-4 MediaHub enables operators to visualize, control, and trust their networks in real time. It provides full visibility of network topology and device status, intelligent diagnostics, and media routing with prioritized NDI streams and synchronization. AVX24-4 features broadcast-grade hardware design, built-in redundancy, and optimized cooling architecture.

Learning.com | K-8 AI Literacy Curriculum

Learning.com is making a free AI literacy experience available now: 18 lessons across grades K-8, open to educators, students, families, and district leaders. Districts using EasyTech can begin foundational AI awareness instruction immediately, with professional learning embedded to support students and teachers learning AI together. The full AI Literacy curriculum is available to schools and districts through EasyTech, Learning.com's digital literacy platform.

LearningSpring| LearningSpring

LearningSpring is an end-to-end school choice management platform. Co-founded by Cecilia Retelle Zywicki and Alex Paul, the company aims to empower families to discover and access their best-fit learning options by providing the critical infrastructure required to turn complex school choice laws into functional, auditable programs for states, and transparent programs for schools and families.

Lexia | Science of Reading Classroom

Science of Reading Classroom by Lexia provides aligned literacy instruction grounded in the science of reading, including LETRS-aligned explicit instruction embedded into daily student activities; flexible, modular learning paths that target skills; real-time insights and integrated assessment data; professional learning, including LETRS Coaching and LETRS Connect, alongside core ELA instruction; and systemwide visibility that helps monitor progress and inform decisions.

McGraw Hill | AI within McGraw Hill Connect

The new AI capabilities within McGraw Hill Connect, the digital learning and course management solution for higher education, offers extended personalized support for students, featuring Learning Coach; tailored reading experiences, including a translation tool; and AI literacy modules to help students learn how to apply GenAI thoughtfully and effectively.

Pleneo | Planner

Built on standards from AVIXA, Pleneo Planner allows users to enter room dimensions and generate a fully designed space. The system automatically places microphones, cameras, loudspeakers and processing based on optimal coverage, sightlines and performance. The result is an interactive 3D environment. Users can visualize microphone pickup zones, speaker coverage and camera fields of view and even step into the camera perspective to see what participants will see.

ProjX360 | AI Assistant

The ProjX360 AI Assistant is integrated into the platform, giving users immediate access to answers, guidance, and best practices directly within their workflow. Whether users need help navigating features, understanding processes, or finding information quickly, the AI Assistant acts as a real-time support resource—eliminating delays and reducing dependency on traditional support channels.

swXtch.io | swXtch.ai and the swXtch AI Router

swXtch.ai and the swXtch AI Router combine to bring AI into live media production through a chat-driven interface. The AI Router acts as a virtual broadcast engineer by translating operator intent into production-ready AI pipelines without requiring AI or networking expertise. The platform integrates with Microsoft Fabric and NVIDIA AI infrastructure to connect enterprise data and real-time AI inference directly into live workflows.

Typing Agent | Blizzard Type Essentials

Blizzard Type Essentials is a significant evolution of its core typing platform for students grades 3-12. The update preserves the standards-aligned curriculum teachers rely on while introducing a modernized interface, rebuilt Chromebook performance, and a new adaptive learning engine called SummitPath. Current Typing Agent schools and districts have free Beta access through the official summer release.

Vivacity | V Guide

V Guide provides schools with expert, consultative support that helps districts confidently navigate, secure, and optimize Google Workspace and ChromeOS environments without adding pressure to already stretched IT teams. It assists with all aspects of Google environment management, support for configurations, long-term strategy, deployments,audits, and training.

• Edtech Show & Tell

AI enthusiasm amongst educators hasn’t evaporated, but it's not as intense as it once was, says Carl Hooker, educator and author.

The former district tech director regularly speaks to educators around the country (often during Tech & Learning regional leadership summits) and polls them on their feelings about AI. He says that while school leaders are still interested in the potential of AI, they are being more cautious about how they are spending money on AI products. They are also more concerned about AI's impact on the environment.

In many ways, this waning enthusiasm is familiar to educators from previous tech innovations. It follows the Gartner hype cycle, a graphic of how at first a new technology is embraced, then people pull away from the tool when it doesn't quite live up to the promise. Ultimately, society learns how to best make use of the new technology.

With AI, Hooker says, there was initially intense excitement. “I think we hit that peak, probably, in the summer of '24; now we're in what they call the zone of disillusionment,” he says. AI’s limitations are becoming clearer, and educators are realizing that simply throwing AI at various problems is not always an effective solution.

On top of this, financial analysts are increasingly warning of a potential AI bubble burst based on the scale of investment and theoretical limits to the return on that investment. Time Magazine recently noted that analysts predict more than $5 trillion being invested in AI by the end of the decade, a staggering number that far outpaces the AI industry’s profits. For instance, Time Magazine notes, "OpenAI and Anthropic have annualized revenues of about $25 billion and $19 billion."

AI will be a part of education going forward, but the ways schools use it and engage with it is evolving, says Hooker, who is a proponent of using AI in ways that support deep learning.

The AI Bubble: Fewer Screens and Less Screen Time

One reason some districts are focusing less on AI, Hooker suggests, is funding. “We just ran out of all of our ESSER funds a year-and-a-half ago to replace all those devices that we bought, so now we have to figure out what to do with that,” he says. “Schools are shifting away from one-to-one.”

Beyond funding realities, there is a growing effort in many states and districts to prevent students from using their phones during school time. “Cell phones have been banned in 21 states,” Hooker says. “So now you're saying we don't have money for more devices, plus you can't bring your own.”

Generative AI went mainstream at the tail end of Covid, just after most districts had invested in one-to-one devices, which allowed schools to implement the technology in ways they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise, Hooker says. “If that doesn't happen and generative AI happens, we're like, 'Oh, it's cool. The high school kids get to use it.’”

The Future of AI In Schools

The AI hype cycle reminds Hooker of previous hype cycles around other technologies.

“I've lived through a couple of different eras with Web 2.0 and then mobile devices. I was a tech director when all of those came out, and everything was the App Store, and everybody was buying apps; it was this huge explosion of everybody spending money on that,” Hooker says. “Then it went from that to software as a service, and everybody needed to get subscriptions to everything, which is kind of where we're still at."

He notes that past tech bubbles never burst, "But they definitely deflated.”

That’s what he sees happening with AI: It will remain a thing in education, just not necessarily THE thing.

“It doesn't mean there's not going to still be adaptation, because there's still lots of schools that haven't adapted it at all,” he says. “I just think the fanfare and the buzz and the hype are probably way past their peak, and we're going to eventually get to a settling point.”

What that will be like is anyone’s guess. Hooker notes the field is still discovering what AI “looks like in a highly impactful way when it comes to learning. So we're still kind of figuring that out, because we're all learning this at the same time.”

In other words, AI is here to stay in education, but the AI gold rush in education may have run its course.

As education budgets tighten and federal relief funding expires, arts programs across the country once again find themselves on the chopping block. Recent federal and state budget proposals reflect a familiar pattern: when policymakers have to make difficult choices, creative subjects are often viewed as supplemental rather than essential. All the while, educators and district leaders continue making the case that the arts support academic achievement, engagement, and whole-child development.

But at a moment defined by rapid AI adoption and ongoing debates about screen time, the argument for protecting and investing in arts education needs to take on a new tone. The arts continue to be one of the most effective places in school for students to build healthier, more intentional relationships with technology.

In short, in the age of AI, we need the arts more than ever.

What Sets Arts Education Apart

While many conversations about classroom technology focus on access, guardrails, or efficiency, arts classrooms offer something different: a model for how digital tools can serve creativity, deepen thinking, and expand opportunity without replacing human judgment. In an era when AI can generate essays, compose music, and create images in seconds, students need structured environments in which technology is used responsibly and reflectively. The arts already provide that structure.

As a district arts coordinator, I have seen this firsthand. A band student of mine who had been uninterested in traditional instruments completely changed when we introduced digital music tools, becoming not only one of the most engaged learners in the class, but also a composer of original music. The introduction of digital tools didn’t replace musicianship — it revealed it. Technology gave this student an accessible entry point into the creative process, and once they had it, their confidence and artistry blossomed.

Digital composition software, notation tools, and recording platforms allow students to experiment, revise, and refine their ideas in ways that would have been far more time-consuming a decade ago. Students can layer tracks, hear immediate playback, annotate their own scores, and collaborate across devices. The same is true in other contexts besides music; in visual arts, for instance, a variety of digital drawing and painting platforms enable students to practice with new mediums, styles, and techniques without having to worry about supplies or messes. But in either case, the core intellectual work of looking and listening critically, understanding structure, and making aesthetic choices remains entirely human and part of the learning.

At every step, technology is embedded within a framework of authorship. Even – and especially – with the help of new tech-enabled tools, students are creators, not just consumers or editors of machine-generated content.

Practically speaking, teachers should encourage students to experiment with tech-enabled arts and music tools. For example, how can each student use the same set of sounds, samples, or colors to create a piece that uses their own unique voice? How can technology be an accelerant for creativity, instead of putting a damper on it?

Tech Also Frees Up Time

Technology in the arts also plays a less visible but equally important role: reducing logistical burdens so teachers can focus on higher-order instruction. Platforms such as MusicFirst streamline assignment distribution, submission, assessment, and feedback with a particular focus on the arts. Instead of collecting paper scores, managing physical recordings, or juggling disparate tools, teachers can handle routine tasks—organizing files, timestamping submissions, tracking revisions—which frees us to spend more time on musical interpretation, technique, and creative problem-solving.

Creating such efficiency also allows for more one-on-one conferencing, more targeted feedback, and more opportunities to guide students through complex artistic decisions. Rather than troubleshooting formatting issues or managing classroom logistics, teachers can ask deeper questions: Why did you choose this harmony? How does this dynamic shift change the emotional arc? What alternatives did you consider?

Cycles of Experimentation

Perhaps most importantly, arts technology creates safe, structured spaces for iteration and failure. In arts software, students can revise endlessly without wasting materials or losing prior drafts — whether that’s tempo and instrumentation in music or color and line in visual art. The experience of creating art enables students to manage pace, embrace iteration, and develop delayed gratification — skills that are increasingly rare in digital environments built around instant results.

The creative process will always require patience and sustained attention. Arts instruction gives students a structured, supportive space to slow down, revisit their thinking, and understand that excellence emerges from cycles of experimentation rather than immediate perfection. That’s an idea that teachers can encourage by dedicating time for students to review their own (or their peers’) work, or to make changes to tempo, color, or tone just to see what happens. They may very well like the result.

Arts Education: Tech At Its Best?

As education leaders navigate AI policies, digital citizenship frameworks, and technology procurement decisions, they should look to arts classrooms as proof of concept. The arts demonstrate what technology integration at its best can look like when it is grounded in human intention, structured creativity, and professional educator guidance.

If we want students to use technology with intention, creativity, and integrity, we must protect the classrooms that already teach all these how. The future of digital citizenship may depend on keeping the arts in our schools.

Located near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Highline Public Schools serves many students and families from around the world, including some who are new to the United States. Families across Highline speak more than 89 languages, reflecting the rich diversity of the Highline community. At the center of the district’s work is the Highline Promise. From classrooms to front offices to transportation and AI committees, staff across Highline play a role in bringing that promise to life.

“Highline Public Schools Promise is that every student is known by name, strength, and need, and graduates prepared for the future they choose,” says Teshon Christie, the Highline’s Chief of Digital Transformation and Innovation, and recent Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award winner.

It is a statement that Christie refers to not as a mission, but as a living accountability measure. “The amazing thing about that is that regardless of who you go to in our system, you know this promise,” Christie says. “Everyone from our bus drivers to nutrition services workers—everyone at Highline knows this promise and that it is our focus.”

Scaling the Personal Touch

For a district of more than 16,500 students across 34 sites, “personalization” is often a buzzword that loses meaning at scale. For Christie, scaling this promise isn’t about software alone, but about leadership consistency and human connection.

“We scale our promise through humans,” Christie says. “When you break down each part, it’s easy for a person to see what their role is. If a bus driver gets to know their students by name, they can identify strengths and needs during the ride and communicate those back to the office staff. It makes sense operationally and instructionally.”

This human-centric approach is organized around four board-adopted goals:

• Culture of Belonging: A culture where all are welcome, valued, and safe.
• Innovative Learning: Academic experiences that engage, empower, and challenge every student.
• Bilingual and Biliterate: Multicultural skills that enable students to live, work, and communicate across cultures.
• Future Ready: Students explore possibilities and develop mindsets that prepare them for a changing future.

Navigating the AI Frontier

As the Chief of Digital Transformation, Christie’s job involves managing everything from data assessment to instructional technology, as well as navigating the ethical and practical implementation of AI.

Highline is now two years into its AI journey, anchored by a group of AI ambassadors who have developed vision and guidance documents. Rather than banning the technology out of fear, Highline is focusing on future readiness.

“We’re really starting to shift the language from ‘cheating’ to a student’s ‘passive vs. active use of AI,’” Christie says. “Cheating is so binary that it doesn’t describe the whole story. If using a tool is seen as cheating, then what needs to change about education in order to support our ability to move forward with any tool?”

One of Highline’s most successful implementations is Colleague AI, a tool developed out of the University of Washington. Highline currently has 300 teachers actively using the platform.

Christie is particularly excited about involving students in the policy-making process, noting that their insights are often more nuanced than those of adults.

“I was at one of our high schools where they did a unit on AI policy,” Christie recalls. “The students were very specific. They said, ‘I don’t want to be graded by AI because that breaks the relationship.’ They actually mentioned 'culture of belonging.' They want their teachers to have grace and support them in ways that help them get better—things an AI currently won't do.”

Building Trust Through Authentic Engagement

For Christie, the success of any digital initiative depends on the strength of the district’s relationship with its community. He advocates for authentic family engagement, which moves beyond simply inviting parents to a meeting.

“Just being at the table isn’t enough,” Christie says. “You want people to be able to give input and then see their input reflected in whatever comes out. Even if it’s, ‘We weren’t able to do this because of these reasons,’ you still need to be honest and transparent so that trust is built over time.”

This trust is vital when tackling sensitive topics such as screen time. Christie points out that for many Highline students, a school-issued laptop is their only access to a large-screen device.

“Not every student using a district device after hours is on social media,” he says. “They might be learning how physics works on YouTube in a way that makes sense to them. You can't just say they spent eight hours on YouTube and assume it was wasted time.”

A System, Not a Set of Divisions

Ultimately, Christie’s goal is to dissolve the traditional silos between IT and instruction. By focusing on shared bodies of work rather than departmental responsibilities, Highline ensures that no stakeholder is left out of the conversation.

“It’s about how we intentionally involve everyone in our system so it feels more like a system rather than divisions, departments, and people who work on separate things,” Christie says.

By keeping the “Promise” at the center of every digital and operational decision, Highline Public Schools is proving that even in a high-tech world, the most powerful tool in education remains the human connection.

The K-12 education market has reached a critical inflection point. As the ESSER cliff shifts from a looming threat to a present reality, the easy money of the stimulus era has vanished. For edtech companies, the fundamental question has changed: How do we drive growth when the budget rules have been rewritten?

Now in its fourth year, Tech & Learning’s annual EdExec Summit heads to The Old Post Office in Chicago on September 10–11, 2026. This isn't a sprawling convention, but a curated, high-level strategic exchange designed specifically for the executives and functional leaders who must navigate this new landscape.

“No other event compares to the Tech & Learning EdExec Summit,” says 2025 attendee Allison Maudlin. “The intimate setting created space for real, candid conversations about the business of education, and the sessions provided the kind of depth and insight that most conferences overlook."

If you are responsible for the long-term health and scalability of an education company, here is why the 2026 Summit is an essential addition to your calendar.

Decoding the Post-Stimulus Economy

The era of rapid-fire spending is over. District leaders are now forced to justify every dollar through the lens of efficacy and essentiality. The 2026 agenda is built around a practical Executive Playbook to help you survive this scrutiny.

The session “State of the Education Market: What to Expect in 2026 and Beyond” provides a 360-degree view of an $800B+ market in transition. You won't just hear about funding; you’ll learn how to navigate the shift toward a skills-based economy and career-connected learning—the two primary drivers currently reshaping district priorities.

Direct Intelligence: The Modern Buyer Persona

The Summit’s most valuable feature is the removal of the barrier between vendor and customer. Every session is co-facilitated by district administrators, ensuring you receive candid, real-time feedback. Each day concludes with a panel of district administrators who share their reflections on the day’s conversations and explicitly state what they need most from their vendor partners.

Tracks for Functional Leaders

Success in 2026 requires total alignment across your leadership, sales, marketing, and product teams. The EdExec Summit is engineered to develop your entire bench of functional leaders through table discussions co-facilitated by district administrators and industry veterans. Key focus areas include:

• The Complex District Sales Cycle: Navigating longer procurement timelines.
• Privacy, Cybersecurity & AI Governance: Moving beyond simple compliance.
• Product Market Fit: Meeting the "Evidence" imperative.
• Marketing Trends: Breaking through the noise in a saturated market.
• From Pilot to Enterprise: Strategies for usage, retention, and expansion.

The AI Paradigm Shift: Hype vs. Market Reality

For an executive, the AI gold rush presents a dangerous fork in the road: Do you pivot your entire roadmap toward Generative AI, or do you wait for the dust to settle?

The session “The AI Paradigm Shift: Hype vs. Market Reality” separates VC-driven buzz from classroom reality. Our panel of experts will explore whether districts are actually shifting budgets toward AI tools or if they are blocking these due to privacy and safety concerns. You will leave with an understanding of where the actual revenue opportunities lie, ensuring your R&D investment is grounded in market demand.

Moving from Pilot to Enterprise

Perhaps the greatest friction point for edtech today is "pilot purgatory." Many companies have products in thousands of classrooms but struggle to convert those footprints into sustainable, district-wide contracts.

The Summit tackles this head-on with sessions such as “From Pilot to Enterprise Adoption” and “Creating Outcomes-Based Contracts.” In an era of skepticism, you will learn how to translate complex academic data into high-impact narratives that convince superintendents your tool is "un-swappable" during budget cuts.

Turning Compliance into a Competitive Advantage

Privacy and cybersecurity are often viewed by sales teams as hurdles. We reframe them as strategic advantages. Through sessions such as “Trust as a Brand Anchor” and “The Third-Party Data Leak,” executives will learn how to lead their teams toward “Privacy by Design.” By the end of the event, you will know how to position your company as the safe choice in a market increasingly wary of "Techlash."

The Bottom Line

The EdExec Summit is timed perfectly for September 10–11—just as the back-to-school season provides its first set of real-world data and before the primary planning cycle for the next fiscal year begins. Attendees will leave Chicago with a roadmap for leading through uncertainty.

“As both a sponsor and speaker, I left with new and growing relationships, validation of our market approach, and intelligently informed insights that will shape our strategy,” writes Trevor Minton, CXO of Openfield. “The EdExec Summit truly delivers on connecting EdTech companies with the decision-makers who matter.”

Ready to join the conversation? Visit tledexecsummit.com to view the full speaker lineup and register today.

NCCE is the Pacific Northwest’s largest edtech event, now in its 34th year. Even if NCCE hasn’t been on your radar, it should be: the opening session inspires, the exhibition hall buzzes with innovation, and attendees are set for an ed-tech adventure from the start.

The vendor hall featured 80 vendors, including partners from the Pacific Northwest such as Recycle Boise, the Computer Science Teachers Association, and a K-12 school. It was an opportunity for attendees to meet vendors face-to-face and see what was new and exciting. The conference provided dedicated time during an “Exhibitor Blitz,” ensuring attendees did not miss any sessions.

Having attended many conferences, I noticed some special things in the vendor hall. Here are my top 10 vendor Hall finds:

NCCE slideshow below

1. Ozobots are educational robots designed to teach basic coding through color coding, cards, and markers. This year, they have introduced new features to enhance their instructional capabilities. Ozobot Robotics’ latest product, Ari, now includes a touchscreen interface that allows students to input and execute their own code, in addition to reading color codes, offering a meaningful upgrade from previous Ozobot models.

2. The Epilog Laser. Laser engravers have been on the market for some time, and many schools have adopted these into their maker spaces and fabrication labs. I saw something a little more special at the Epilog Laser booth. The Epilog Laser engraver was flat-out cool. It can engrave, cut, and mark at micro sizes I have never seen before, and it made me think about replacing all my laser engravers immediately. One can’t go wrong with their CO2 laser or fiber laser. Better yet, why not select their dual all-in-1 machine? I must try.

3. EduProtocols paired with Learning Genie is a solution for building instructional units. Together, these tools help teachers design detailed lesson plans that align with standards, high-quality instructional materials, and specific locations, with AI elements supporting the process.

4. MagicSchool.AI is an AI-driven educational platform widely used in classrooms for its versatile tools and award-winning performance. At NCCE, the team showcased the platform’s adaptability through demonstrations and user stories. They also highlighted its Pioneer program at NCCE, where users shared ways they customized MagicSchool's tools to fit their classroom needs, demonstrating how the community helps maximize the platform’s effectiveness.

5. LightSpeed Technologies, which is a leader in educational audio enhancement, was at NCCE in a big way. They are sponsors at many conferences to assist in audio enhancements during presentations. What got them placed on my list was their Topcat Cascadia. It is an audio system that mounts the speaker in the ceiling and has a wearable microphone for the teacher. This microphone can connect to devices for classroom use, such as interactive displays and assistive listening devices, as well as emergency communication devices for active alerting, priority paging, and even two-way calling with location alert. This tool not only enhances audio but also provides some safety.

6. iPevo is a provider of classroom technology products, well-known for its document cameras. Over time, they have diversified their offerings to include additional educational tools. What I was most intrigued by at iPevo at NCCE was access to the audio tools. Their Vurbo.ai family had a little bit of everything. From AI-powered software that comes with each kit to a shared new personal mic for Vlogging. They have moved rapidly in this place to provide solutions for one-to-one audio recordings, to enhancements for virtual meetings.

7. Sphero devices. Sphero bots first came on the scene with their codable, waterproof balls. Sphero bots have helped students learn more about STEM and coding principles in classrooms across the country. Sphero introduced other items, such as their Indi for early learning, a car-shaped, screenless robot that moves based on the color tile used. At NCCE, Sphero launched its Blueprint engineering kits. These kits, incorporating components from the acquired LittleBits, are designed to support engineering and maker education, expanding their range for classrooms and makerspaces.

8. SchoolAI. Not to be outdone by competitors, SchoolAI had a booth featuring “Edu Stars” and held a session featuring “several nationally recognized experts and regional leaders who are shaping the future of AI.” As for the booth information, I was pleased and surprised by their browser extension. It allows for tasks such as chatting with pages, giving personalized writing feedback, and viewing a revision history. What I believe makes this tool powerful is the ability to create student spaces with SchoolAI. These spaces are teacher-monitored personalized AI environments that help engage, tutor, or reinforce the given lesson.

9. IBM. A long-standing technology leader, IBM has demonstrated its continued contributions to education by referencing its historic AI achievement with Watson and highlighting new advances. The show featured IBM SkillsBuild, a free educational platform for developing skills through project-based training and awarding credentials recognized by the industry. These skills include AI literacy and the ability to integrate AI into one's learning ecosystem and classroom. It is a must for those motivated learners of all ages.

10. Micro K12. Micro K12 is a reseller that has been helping schools and districts with their devices for years. Not only do they offer a white-glove service for device deployment post-purchase, but they also have so much more. From network security to esports solutions, Micro K12 has you covered. One of Micro K12’s edtech conferences is notable in the industry, which bring together vendors and resellers and include presentations for IT directors and teachers, as well as E-Rate support and device repair services.

The most affordable printers for schools means giving printable resource access to all, while keeping down costs.

Sure, that refers to the upfront cost of these print machines, but it also includes ongoing running expenses, ranging from ink and paper right through to parts replacements and regular maintenance.

This is mentioned right upfront here, as sometimes what can look like a good deal on the surface can hold some hidden costs down the line. In fact, printers that are cheaper to buy up front can often have higher ink costs ongoing, for example.

Printers in schools need to be simple enough to be used by teachers, admins, and students alike. But they also need to have enough complexity to work across wired and wireless networks and for a variety of tasks.

From laser to inkjet, auto feed to copying and scanning, printer speeds and features should be taken into account before embarking on buying a single printer, let alone for an entire school or district. Finding the best printers is a task worth taking time over.

This guide aims to lay out the most affordable printers for schools right now, to help you make the right choice.

Most Affordable Printers For Schools

1. HP Smart Tank 7001: Best overall for low running costs

The HP Smart Tank 7001 is a standout for schools that print frequently and need to keep ongoing costs under control. Unlike traditional cartridge printers, this uses refillable ink tanks, dramatically lowering cost per page -- critical for classrooms producing worksheets daily.

It also includes automatic duplex printing and strong wireless connectivity, making it easy for multiple teachers or students to use from different devices. Importantly, it ships with a large amount of ink in the box, enough to last potentially years in a moderate-use classroom.

Standout:
High print volumes, minimal ink costs, long-term savings.

2. Epson EcoTank ET-2850: Best for reliability and ease of use

Epson’s EcoTank line is widely regarded as one of the most cost-efficient printer ecosystems available. The ET-2850 is a particularly strong entry-level option for schools, offering cartridge-free printing, solid reliability, and simple operation.

It includes auto-duplex printing and wireless support, making it well-suited to shared environments such as staff rooms or small departments. Its refillable ink system keeps per-page costs extremely low compared to traditional inkjets.

Standout:
Low maintenance, predictable costs, and easy setup.

3. Brother HL-L2400DW: Best for high-volume black-and-white printing

For many schools, most printing is still text-based with worksheets, exams, handouts, and so forth. That’s where a monochrome laser printer such as the Brother HL-L2400DW excels.

Laser printers use toner instead of ink, resulting in far higher page yields and faster print speeds. This model also includes automatic duplex printing and wireless connectivity, ideal for busy departments or admin offices.

User feedback consistently highlights laser printers such as Brother’s as the most cost-effective option for heavy document printing.

Standout:
Fast, durable, and extremely economical for text-heavy workloads.

4. Canon PIXMA G3270: Best for affordable color printing

If your school needs vibrant color printing for posters, displays, or learning materials, the Canon PIXMA G3270 offers a strong balance of affordability and performance.

It uses a MegaTank system, delivering very low cost per page while maintaining good color quality. It also includes wireless connectivity and mobile app support, making it easy for teachers to print from laptops or tablets.

Standout:
Budget-friendly color output without high ink costs.

5. HP DeskJet 2922: Best for ultra-low upfront cost

For schools that need a simple, low-cost entry point -- perhaps for a single classroom or occasional use -- the HP DeskJet 2922 is one of the cheapest all-in-one options available.

It offers print, scan, and copy functionality, along with wireless connectivity, making it suitable for light-duty use. While ink costs are higher than tank systems, the low initial price makes it accessible for tight budgets or temporary setups.

Standout:
Minimal upfront spend for basic classroom needs.

6. HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e: Best affordable printer with ADF for schools

If your school needs to scan multiple pages regularly -- for student work, admin forms, or safeguarding documents -- this is where stepping up to an automatic document feeder (ADF) becomes essential.

The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e is one of the most affordable all-in-one printers that includes a proper ADF plus fast performance, ideal for busy school offices or staff rooms.

It also adds duplex scanning, strong wireless features, and app-based workflows, so teachers can digitize and distribute materials quickly without manual handling.

Standout:
Massively improves workflow when scanning and copying are frequent.

Welcome to the April edition of Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

This month's new offerings include AI-ready business laptops, new digital books based on popular video characters, a comprehensive data management solution, plus much more.

Acer | TravelMate P4 & P2 Copilot+ PCs

The Acer TravelMate P4 14 AI, TravelMate P4 Spin 14 AI, TravelMate P2 16 AI, and TravelMate P2 14 AI business laptops offer AI-ready performance; connected productivity with Wi‑Fi 7, Thunderbolt 4, and Acer smart videoconferencing tools; and Intel vPro options to simplify fleet management and deliver enterprise-grade security.

Brain Pop & Digital Promise | AI Literacy Framework

BrainPOP, in partnership with Digital Promise, offers a new AI Literacy framework — a research-backed approach designed to help K-12 educators confidently teach and navigate AI in the classroom, at a time when demand for trusted, vetted content is rapidly outpacing supply. This framework combines Digital Promise’s research expertise with BrainPOP’s classroom-ready platform to deliver scalable, equitable AI literacy support for districts nationwide.

Bundl

Bundl Kits are all-in-one technology packages designed to transform any room into a high-performance, connected experience. Each kit includes curated devices, touchscreens, accessories, cables, and setup instructions—all selected from the same trusted brands powering enterprise boardrooms, military and government agencies, hospitals, and studios. Whether for working, meeting, gaming, streaming, or relaxing, Bundl Kits make it possible to achieve results that once required custom installers and thousands of dollars in labor, now simplified into a guided DIY experience.

ClassDojo | Payments

Launching in late 2026, ClassDojo Payments enables schools to collect field trip fees, manage fundraisers, process technology fees, and accept payments. Powered by Pay Theory’s payment facilitation infrastructure, ClassDojo Payments eliminates the friction of offline payment collections and third-party portals while ensuring every family can participate—including through cash-to-digital acceptance at thousands of retail locations nationwide.

Discovery Education | Connected Ecosystem

The Discovery Education Connected Ecosystem is a unified K-12 framework that embeds AI, instructional resources, adaptive learning, and professional readiness directly into the daily flow of teaching. Grounded in 20+ years of teaching and learning, it integrates AI into everyday teaching—bringing together curriculum, adaptive learning, and tools like assessment creation and real-time insights—alongside AI literacy resources and professional learning to help districts move toward more cohesive, instruction-centered use.

Edlio | Edlio Chatbot

The new Edlio Chatbot is a native AI-powered assistant built directly into the Edlio CMS. Unlike bolt-on third-party tools, it lives in the same dashboard schools already use to manage their website, mobile app, mass communications, and payments, delivering instant, intent-aware answers in a family's language, 24/7, without adding a single task to a staff member's plate.

Edthena | AI Coach By Edthena On-Demand Coaching

AI Coach by Edthena now offers on-demand coaching for instructional coaches and teacher mentors. Available within the platform at no additional cost, this new module provides coaches with the opportunity to reflect on their coaching conversations and engage in flexible, self-paced professional learning just like their teachers do. The new AI Coach module, which was co-designed with expert coaches and leaders, mirrors the same reflective coaching cycle used by teachers.

Epic | Expanded Library

Epic announces a new deal with Nickelodeon that will help turn screen time into story time. Epic will add new books and reading experiences inspired by some of Nickelodeon’s most popular franchises, including SpongeBob SquarePants, PAW Patrol, Dora, Rugrats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shimmer and Shine, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Rusty Rivets and Blaze and the Monster Machines.

Extron| DTP3 CrossPoint 42 USB

The Extron DTP3 CrossPoint 42 USB is a compact 4x2 matrix switcher that supports 10 Gbps data at the local USB-C host port and four-port hub, plus host switching and USB 2 data extension. It features USB-C and HDMI inputs, HDMI outputs, plus a DTP3 output for extending video, audio, data, and control signals up to 330 feet (100 meters) over a shielded CAT 6A cable.

IPC | One Connect One Link

One Link delivers unparalleled electro‑acoustical echo cancellation and ultra‑loudspeakers and supports Point to Points, Party Lines, Fixed Groups, and IFBs. The keypanel offers unprecedented power, ease of deployment, and industry leading affordability. With smart button technology, users gain the flexibility and convenience of a software-based intercom system while still enjoying the tactile experience many operators prefer. Channels can be accessed through the touchscreen interface or through four programmable physical smart buttons.

Magewell | Pro Convert IP to AIO 4K

Pro Convert IP to AIO 4K builds on the features of the recently released Pro Convert IP to HDMI, with 4K decoding at 60FPS and output via both HDMI 2.0 and 12G-SDI with support for HDR10 and HLG. The new device supports a wide range of IP and streaming technologies, while an integrated multi-viewer displays up to four HD IP input streams in preset dual or quad layouts.

McGraw Hill & Renaissance | New Partnership

McGraw Hill and Renaissance have launched a new collaboration to enhance data-driven, personalized learning experiences and improve learning outcomes. Launching nationwide for back-to-school 2026, the collaboration enables the connection of data between Renaissance Star Assessments and McGraw Hill’s math and literacy curricula. Providing McGraw Hill curriculum insights within Renaissance Intelligence—Renaissance’s new unified data and insights system—strengthens educators’ abilities to connect assessment, instruction, and practice more meaningfully at scale.

Pearson | Foundations of AI for PK-12 Educators

Foundations of AI for PK-12 Educators is a self-paced online course now available to help teachers use AI confidently and responsibly. The program provides classroom-focused guidance to support learning, build AI literacy, and uphold academic integrity. It builds on Pearson’s research, “Assessment Evolved: Redefining Formative Assessment in a Generative AI Era,” which encourages educators to move beyond simply detecting AI misuse.

Photon Education & Midwich | New Partnership

Photon Education has signed an exclusive agreement with edtech distributor Midwich to bring Photo Education’s two flagship product lines, Classwise and the Photon Robot, to U.S. schools. The Photon Robot is an interactive robot that combines social competencies such as teamwork and communication with technical/STEAM skills, while Classwise helps teachers gamify lessons by enabling live quizzes, real-time feedback, and data-driven assessment.

Red Rover | Records

Built for K-12 HR administrators, Records is the newest solution available within Red Rover’s K-12 HCM platform, which is designed to help HR and administrators attract, retain, and develop the best educator talent. Records is available today and collaborates with Red Rover's existing solutions, including Absence Management, Time Tracking, Hiring, and Professional Development Management to streamline administrative processes and support the entire employee journey.

Summit K12 | Summit 360

Summit 360 is a comprehensive platform that collects, stores, and securely manages data across every stage of the English Learner journey - from identification through reclassification. Together with Summit K12’s Accelerated English Language Development platform Connect to Literacy, Summit 360 creates a solution that integrates accountability, assessment, and instruction.

Xthings | X Tower

X Tower is an autonomous, solar-powered security tower designed for rapid deployment in environments where traditional wired systems are impractical or cost-prohibitive. It is built to address common physical security challenges, including limited infrastructure, long installation timelines, and gaps in coverage across large, distributed, or remote sites. The system is designed to provide continuous monitoring, real-time detection, and immediate response capabilities in a self-contained platform that can be deployed without trenching, wiring, or dependence on grid power.

• Edtech Show & Tell

In this two-part virtual interactive “playground” webinar series from Tech & Learning, attendees had the opportunity to explore innovative edtech products and ask questions during a live Q&A. Hosted by Christine Weiser, Tech & Learning’s brand content manager, each event featured 15-minute live demonstrations.

Watch Part 1: Primary Education On Demand

Watch Part 2: Secondary Education On Demand

PRIMARY EDUCATION

Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs is a comprehensive, research-backed digital literacy program designed for primary education. Allison Ireland, Director of Product for Reading Eggs, described it as a "huge solution with four programs in one."

Key feature include:

• Fast Phonics: Teaches phonics using decodable readers and supports emerging/early readers, English language learners, and students with knowledge gaps.
• Reading Eggs (Flagship): Focuses on fluency, interactive lessons, and explicit instruction to build early reading skills, including addressing unusual words and sounds not covered by standard phonics rules.
• Reading Express: Centers on comprehension, vocabulary, and skills such as main idea, cause and effect, and inferences. This area has been revamped to focus on comprehension and concept retention over time.
• The Library: A large collection with more than 4,000 leveled ebooks (decodable, fiction, nonfiction) across various topics, which includes quizzes and a "read to me" option for lower-level Lexile books.

The program aligns with the five pillars of the science of reading, bringing together phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension in an evidence-based way. It offers flexible usage for teachers, including station rotation, whole-class lessons, or assigned homework, and is designed to work on both browsers and dedicated tablet apps. The company is actively working on accessibility, including adding high-contrast options and large text.

“The goal here is to make sure students are retaining the skills that we're teaching them, that they're learning in an engaging way, and that teachers can then see on the teacher reporting side just where students might need a little bit more help and utilize lesson resources we have specifically for each of these lessons aligned to standards,” said Ireland, who lead the demonstration. “I really love how this program works in a way that helps teachers in the classroom, helps students working individually, helps those that are ready for harder things and not quite so ready for harder things.”

Lincoln AI

Lincoln AI, from Lincoln Learning Solutions, is a curriculum-driven large language model developed in partnership with Creatium, built on the existing Lincoln Empowered curriculum. It is intentionally designed as an educational tool to guide student inquiry rather than provide direct answers.

“Lincoln AI is guiding the student through that learning experience," said Charlie Thayer, Chief Academic Officer for Lincoln Learning Solutions, who led the demonstration featuring Linc, the AI learning coach. “It is supporting them anytime, anywhere. It's always available.”

Key features include:

• Curriculum-Driven Model: It is built off of the company's decade-long curriculum development, ensuring content is educationally sound and age-appropriate.
• Homework Helper: This feature allows students to upload a worksheet (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) or notes. It guides them through solving problems and understanding concepts without directly providing the final answer, and it's available 24/7.
• Flexible Communication: Students can interact with the tool by typing or texting.
• Safety and Support: It is founded on Amazon Bedrock guardrails, creating a "walled garden" to ensure a protected network environment. The accompanying teacher dashboard provides valuable analytics at the student and class level, and the system includes a security feature that sends "red alerts" to stakeholders for safety concerns.

“This is age appropriate based on the enrollment of the student,” said Dr. Rachel Book, Chief Business Development Officer for Lincoln. “If I enroll my student as the second graders that I'm used to working with, it will automatically go up or down to meet their Lexile level, to meet their level of mastery. So if you have students who are struggling a little bit, it's gonna go down and it's gonna help them to move up. And the other way around, if they're excelling, it's gonna help to increase their vocabulary and talk them through.”

vGuide by Vivacity

vGuide is a new managed service vertical from Vivacity, a six-time winner of Tech and Learning’s Awards of Excellence, focused on supporting Google environments, especially for K-12 leaders, admins, and teachers. The service is framed as a partnership to help districts manage and optimize their Google experience, particularly with Chromebooks and Chrome OS.

It is designed to address the fact that the Google ecosystem is constantly evolving (noting more than 300 changes in the Google Admin Console in the last few years), and aims to provide a clear road map to help users get to a more secure, controlled, and informed environment, said Kendal Shomura, Google Partner Services Leader for Vivacity, who demonstrated the platform.

The service is built on four core pillars:

• Migration Support: Assisting districts moving from Windows or macOS to Chrome OS, including data migration and change management support to help teachers transition comfortably to Chromebooks.
• Confidence in Google Management: Helping teams, especially those inheriting complex environments, understand and manage their Google settings.
• Environment Health Audits: Conducting comprehensive audits of the Google for Education domain and Chrome OS management settings to ensure a secure and controlled environment.
• Ongoing Optimization Support and Training: Providing continued support and training for teams to optimize their Google environment over time.

“We realized there's another aspect to Chromebooks and Chrome integration in schools,” said Shomura. “It's a lot more about how do we provide support for the people that are providing support, and how do we provide support for the teachers that are frontline in the classroom, and they have never used a Chromebook, but now they're being asked to troubleshoot a Chromebook. So we're trying to figure out ways that we can address the system as a whole rather than in pieces. That's where vGuide really comes into play.”

SECONDARY EDUCATION

Lincoln AI

Lincoln AI is a curriculum-driven learning assistant built specifically for K-12 students to provide a secure, guided, and personalized educational experience.

“For students, Lincoln AI, it becomes an anytime, anywhere, 24 hours per day, seven days a week coach that is right there on the screen with them at any time that they'd like to use it,” said Dr. Rachel Book, Chief Business Development Officer for Lincoln. “It acts like a personal study partner, guiding inquiries, supporting understanding, and helping every student move forward with confidence. So while it's also reducing a workload for teachers, it's enabling a true personalized learning experience at scale.”

Key features include:

• Curriculum-Driven LLM: A proprietary Large Language Model trained exclusively on Lincoln Learning's content and aligned with all state and national standards, resulting in a reported 99.7% rate of "no hallucinations" (inaccurate or fabricated information).
• Safety and Guardrails: Built with Amazon Bedrock guardrails, it provides an enterprise-level secure environment for students. It will not write essays or give direct answers, instead redirecting students to guide them through the problem-solving process.
• Interaction: Students can communicate via voice or text.
• Homework Helper: Allows students to upload worksheets (supports free-form and handwritten info) and receive coaching on specific questions, such as geography problems.
• Teacher Dashboard: Provides an overview of student activity, including average usage, trending topics, and email/dashboard alerts for "urgent attention" if negative or abusive language is detected in a student's chat.

“It is not going to work like other regular AI models,” said Charlie Thayer, Chief Academic Officer for Lincoln Learning Solutions, who provided a demonstration featuring Linc, the platform’s AI learning coach. “What you're seeing here is kind of a safety net with our guardrails that are in place that we are consistently fine tuning to ensure that.”

Gardyn for Schools

Gardyn for Schools provides a hands-on, year-round learning experience through an AI-controlled, indoor hydroponics system for classrooms.

The system uses artificial intelligence to control all lighting and automated watering, earning it the nickname "the easy button for hydroponics," said Brad Peters, Chief Education Officer for Gardyn.

Key features include:

• Automated Monitoring: Fixed cameras and sensors take pictures every half hour to analyze the plants, providing feedback and necessary instructions (e.g., if leaves are browning) through an app.
• Compact Design: The standard unit is five feet tall, only takes up two square feet of space, and is on wheels for easy movement between classes or locations. A smaller, four-foot tall version is also available.
• Low Maintenance: The water tank needs to be refilled and the plant food changed only once every 30 days. It also features a two-week "vacation mode" for self-operation.
• Engagement: The system holds 30 plants at a time and is recommended for assigning a plant to a student to encourage ownership and pride in their growth.
• Educational Adaptability: It is suitable for all grade levels (K-higher ed) and covers subjects including STEM, health, nutrition, science, agriculture, and culinary arts.
• Cost: The most popular educator package is around $1,600 and includes accessories and a nursery/baby incubator unit for starting new plants.

“Have you ever bought a houseplant and killed it? Because I've done the same thing,” said Peters, who provided the demonstration in front of live vegetable plants that he’s grown with the system, even going so far as to break off a leaf and eat. “Our motto is no green thumb required.”

Pikmykid

Pikmykid is a safety and dismissal platform focused on transforming daily and emergency operations through streamlined front-office security.

“Right there in the front office from the beginning of the day to the end, Pikmykid has you covered,” said Eric Sala, Senior Customer Value Executive for Pikmykid, who led the demonstration.

Key features include:

• Visitor Management Kiosk: Uses an Apple iPad kiosk and a Brother label printer to manage all visitors.
• Automatic Background Check: Visitors scan the back of their driver's license to automatically run a check against the national sex offender registry.
• Real-Time Alerts: If a visitor is flagged (for background check, custody dispute, or a positive reason like a VIP), a notification can be sent instantly via text, email, or app push to the safety or admin team.
• Official Badges: The system prints a badge for visitors with their photo, name, reason for the visit, date/time, and a QR code for check-out.
• Quick Check-In: Parents can opt for a quick badge/QR code for faster check-in on subsequent visits while still running a background check.
• SIS Integration: The system integrates with major Student Information Systems (SISs) to automatically recognize parents and capture potential custody considerations.
• Staff and Student Sign-In: It includes a feature for staff sign-in/sign-out (which can serve as a clock-in/out function) and can be used for students who are late to school, tracking tardies and notifying parents.
• Web Dashboard: A central web dashboard allows administrators to see who is on campus in real-time, view visitation history, manually check people in, and run or schedule reports on visitor logs (e.g., all volunteers in the last 90 days).

“Sometimes schools might think, ‘If we're gonna be pivoting toward this, it seems a little much, especially for parents,’ said Sala. “But we've actually found the opposite. Usually, parents when they come to the school and they see this for the first time, they're actually pleased, and say, ‘Hey. the school is doing something here to level up their security.”

A teacher responding to recent reporting about parents asking schools to return to pen-and-paper learning argued that after banning laptops in his classroom, students became calmer and more focused. He explained that his administration even printed physical sourcebooks so students would not need devices.

The result, he says, is a better learning environment.

If “better” means easier to manage, that’s understandable. Anyone who has taught in a one-to-one device environment has seen students drift toward distractions. Removing laptops can simplify classroom management and reduce what teachers have to monitor.

But easier classroom management is not the same as better learning. And limiting students to pen and paper does little to prepare them for a world in which thinking, writing, and collaboration increasingly happen through digital tools. Schools also have a responsibility to help students learn how to stay focused and manage distractions in the digital environments they will live and work in every day.

That means teaching students not just what to learn, but how to manage attention, choose the right tools for the task, and remain productive in a technology-rich world.

Making technology the scapegoat for declining educational outcomes distracts from the real issue and risks removing one of the most powerful tools students have to explore ideas, create knowledge, and pursue their goals.

The problem was never laptops. The real issue is the learning model we built around laptops over the past three decades.

The Digital Revolution Didn’t Fail. The School Model Did

The rise of laptops and chromebooks in classrooms happened at the same time that high-stakes accountability policies reshaped American education.

Federal legislation such as the Every Student Succeeds Act, which governs modern school accountability systems, and its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, dramatically expanded standardized testing across U.S. schools and reinforced testing as the primary measure of success.

Research summarized in the Economic Policy Institute’s examination of how high-stakes testing narrowed curriculum and reshaped classroom instruction shows how these policies pushed schools toward memorization and test preparation rather than deeper learning.

When learning becomes test preparation, the medium matters very little. Drill-and-practice on paper is still drill-and-practice. Drill-and-practice on a screen is still drill-and-practice.

In my article explaining why laptops didn’t take away students’ brains but changes in the school model did, I argue that blaming devices ignores the larger structural forces shaping classroom practice. Technology did not break education. It was layered onto a system already moving in the wrong direction.

The “Primary Use Problem” Oversimplifies Learning

The teacher also referenced what neuroscientist Jared Horvath calls the “primary use problem,” the idea that students associate computers with entertainment because they spend thousands of hours gaming, streaming, and using social media.

Tools do carry habits. But the explanation misses something important. If a tool’s most common use determined whether it belonged in school, books would face the same criticism. Many students associate books with entertainment reading as well.

The real challenge is teaching students to use tools intentionally.

In my response to claims that laptops failed students, I explain that technology does not determine learning outcomes. Instructional design does.

A laptop used only for passive note-taking will not transform learning. A laptop used for research, collaboration, multimedia production, coding, and publishing student work to authentic audiences can expand what learning looks like.

The difference is pedagogy.

The Paper Vs. Screens Debate Is Often Misrepresented

Another claim embedded in the argument against classroom technology is that students learn better when reading on paper and writing notes by hand.

This idea gained widespread attention after a widely cited study comparing handwritten notes with laptop note-taking during lectures suggested that typing encouraged more verbatim transcription.

But the study measured short-term recall in lecture settings rather than authentic classroom learning.

Later research complicates the conclusion. For example, a large replication study published in Psychological Science examining the relationship between laptop note-taking and learning outcomes found that when note-taking strategies are controlled, the supposed advantage of handwriting largely disappears.

The issue is not keyboards. The issue is passive learning.

If students are simply copying information, it makes little difference whether they are typing or writing. Real learning happens when students analyze, question, synthesize, and create. Framing the debate as paper versus screens distracts from the real issue, which is how we design learning experiences that require thinking.

Schools Must Teach Digital Citizenship and Well-Being

If students are distracted or overwhelmed by technology, removing devices does not solve the underlying problem. It avoids teaching the skills students need. Schools should be responsible for preparing students to navigate the world they live in.

Today that world is digital.

Students need explicit instruction in managing attention, evaluating information, protecting privacy, engaging responsibly online, and maintaining healthy technology habits.

Digital citizenship is not a once-a-year lesson. It is a core life skill.

Some of the most promising resources for teaching these skills are created by students themselves. The student-produced content I shared in Take Two Media’s free digital citizenship video library demonstrates how young people can lead conversations about responsible technology use and online well-being.

If schools remove technology entirely, they also remove opportunities to teach these essential skills. Students will still encounter these tools outside school. The question is whether educators help them learn to navigate it wisely.

The Same Debate Is Now Happening With AI

The laptop debate is already repeating itself with artificial intelligence.

Some educators worry that because AI can generate essays or answers, the solution is to remove it from classrooms. But banning tools has never prepared students for the future.

In my Tech & Learning article examining how AI is transforming the writing process, I describe how writing is becoming more iterative. Students brainstorm, test ideas, revise drafts, and critique outputs using both human feedback and AI tools.

AI does not eliminate thinking. It shifts when thinking happens. Students still need to ask better questions, evaluate responses, and refine ideas.

As I explore in my analysis of whether AI could reconnect us to what matters most, emerging technologies may even reduce time spent on repetitive tasks and allow people to focus more on creativity, relationships, and deeper intellectual work.

That possibility should excite educators. But it requires rethinking what learning looks like.

The Experiment Was Never Finished

It is tempting to say the digital revolution in education failed. But the truth is that the experiment was never fully implemented.

For decades, schools invested billions of dollars in devices while investing far less in instructional redesign, digital literacy, and professional learning.

Even the OECD international study examining how computer use affects student learning outcomes concluded that technology alone does not improve results without thoughtful pedagogy. That finding should not surprise anyone. No tool has ever transformed education by itself.

Not chalkboards, textbooks, laptops, nor AI. Tools matter only when they support meaningful learning. The real question schools should be asking is not whether laptops belong in classrooms. The real question is whether we are designing learning experiences that prepare students for the world they actually live in and the tools they will use in it.

The ViewSonic® CDE31 Series is a line of turnkey, commercial-grade 4K UHD displays designed to anchor communication across the entire educational campus. Ranging from 43” to 98”, these displays offer stunning 500-nit brightness and a high-haze anti-glare coating to ensure clear visibility in brightly lit classrooms and hallways.

Engineered for 24/7 reliability, the CDE31 serves as a versatile alternative to traditional projectors or interactive boards, allowing teachers to instantly connect and share content via a single-cable USB-C solution or wireless AirSync™ casting. With a lightning-fast 7-second warm boot and a future-ready Android 14 platform, the CDE31 Series provides schools with a high-performance, sustainable visual hub that supports both active instruction and campus-wide digital signage.

Build A Unified Communication Network

In the classroom, the CDE31 is increasingly used as the primary front-of-room display. Teachers utilize its "plug-and-play" USB-C connectivity to instantly mirror laptops, eliminating the setup time and dim lighting requirements of traditional projectors. Beyond the classroom, schools and districts deploy the CDE31 for immersive digital signage in high-traffic areas like lobbies, hallways, and cafeterias. It functions as a dynamic bulletin board to build community, share real-time announcements, and display digital menus.

Administrators use these displays, alongside ViewSonic Manager and Manager Advanced software to create a unified communication network across multiple buildings, ensuring that vital information, from daily schedules to emergency alerts, is synchronized and visible to students, staff, and visitors in both landscape and portrait orientations.

Integrated Deeply Into School Infrastructure

The CDE31 stands out due to its "future-ready" architecture and commercial-grade durability. Unlike consumer TVs often repurposed for schools, it is rated for 24/7 continuous operation, features a 7-second warm boot, and offers a high-haze (25%) treatment that rejects ambient light reflection critical for student eye comfort and conceptual clarity. This, combined with ViewSonic Manager or integrated Pro-AV compatibility (Crestron, Extron, AMX), ensures it integrates more deeply into school infrastructure than standard digital signage.

For IT administrators, the CDE31 Commercial Displays supports community engagement initiatives by transforming static walls into dynamic hubs for sharing real-time school spirit, diverse cultural recognitions, and emergency alerts, ensuring every student and their families feel informed, safe, and represented within the school ecosystem.

Paired with the cloud-based ViewSonic Manager™ software, administrators can also remotely monitor device health, push software updates, and broadcast urgent messages to every screen on campus from a single dashboard.

GO HERE FOR MORE ABOUT VIEWSONIC CDE31 COMMERCIAL DISPLAYS

Actual performance may vary depending on system configuration, usage environment, and other conditions; programs, pricing, specifications and availability are subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Welcome to the March 2026 Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

This month's new offerings include an interactive display with a built-in 4K camera to promote collaboration, a full screen emergency notification system, an integration that supports easy creation of visual posts for parent notices, and much more.

Appotronics | MK Pro Series and S Series

ThAppotronics MK Pro Series and S Series projectors now both include High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology. The MK Pro Series is designed for immersive scenes, delivering sharp visuals at 4K UHD with over 12 percent red light ratio. Available in 2K & 4K resolution, the S Series projectors offer a brightness range from 11,000-15,000 lumens, deep contrast, and dynamic color gamut adjustment, all in the the most compact design in its category.

ClassDojo and Canva | New Partnership

ClassDojo has announced a new partnership with Canva Education, featuring an integration that supports easy creation of visual posts to share more engaging stories with families. With the new integration, district communications leaders, principals, and teachers can create content in Canva and instantly share it on ClassDojo, without managing multiple tools or workflows.

Digital PromiseCenter for Learner Pathway Innovations

The Center for Learner Pathway Innovations (CLPI) is designed to help schools, communities, and education ecosystems co-create learner-centered pathways that support postsecondary success, workforce opportunity, and economic mobility. CLPI combines Digital Promise's co-research and co-design methods work in supporting more than 350 school districts and partners, and expertise in career-connected learning and credentials.

Extron |EDID 121

TThe EDID 121 is a next-generation EDID emulator for 8K, 5K, and 21:9 ultra-widescreen displays. This problem-solving device features EDID Minder Plus technology to provide enhanced 512-byte EDID emulation for supporting additional memory blocks needed to convey advanced display capabilities via EDID and DisplayID structures. Users can choose from several pre-stored EDID profiles or capture and save EDID from a connected display.

ISTE+ASCD & Google | AI Literacy Training

ISTE+ASCD have partnered with Google to make high-quality AI literacy training available to six million K-12 teachers and higher education faculty across the United States. Through this partnership, Google will design and deliver an educator-centered AI literacy program grounded in pedagogy, ethics, and critical thinking, with ISTE+ASCD supporting both the design and delivery of the training. The training will include hands-on exploration of AI tools, including Google’s Gemini models and NotebookLM, while emphasizing broader concepts such as responsible use, instructional alignment, bias awareness, and student agency.

Kajeet | Connected Communities

Kajeet Connected Communities is a new digital equity program designed to help schools deliver affordable, managed internet access. The program offers community-ready 4G and 5G connectivity with rates as low as $8.50 per line per month as well as discounted hotspots and routers designed to keep connectivity initiatives sustainable. The program is intended to support K–12 and higher education student learning beyond the classroom.

Magewell | Pro Convert IP to HDMI

The Pro Convert IP to HDMI is a small, standalone decoder that converts up to four IP streams into a single HDR 10-compatible, QHD (2560x1440) HDMI output. Decoded input streams can be displayed in preset single, dual, or quad layouts. The device can decode one input stream up to 2560x1440 at 60 frames per second in single-view mode, or up to four 1080p60 streams in multi-view mode.

Pixalate | Know Your Developer

Know Your Developer (KYD) is a free, public, and continuously updated database to help parents, schools, and child safety advocates identify privacy and safety risks among mobile app developers from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. KYD evaluates 356,095 ad-funded mobile app developers, including 86,028 operating at least one child-directed app, for online child safety, privacy compliance, and advertising fraud risk.

Renaissance | Renaissance Intelligence

Renaissance Intelligence is part of the Education Intelligence System, a model of integrated learning technology designed to transform personalization, simplify teacher workflows, and accelerate learning at scale. Renaissance Intelligence replaces layers of apps and platforms with one connected workflow—enabling adaptive, research‑guided AI to deliver teacher-ready guidance, actionable groupings, and aligned recommendations.

Samsung | WAFX-P Interactive Display

The WAFX-P is a premium Interactive Display for education and enterprise environments, offering a new set of built-in features and the Samsung AI Assistant to enhance communication and collaboration. The WAFX-P introduces a built-in 4K camera that makes it easy to connect with other classrooms, remote participants or virtual guest speakers. Integrated microphones and dual 20-watt speakers ensure clear communication during discussions and presentations.

Severtson Screens | In-Ceiling Cable Drop Series

The new In-Ceiling Cable Drop Series of electric motorized projection screens (model SCDT) is available in multiple projection surfaces and sizes to meet the needs of small and large venues. The new SCDT can be operated by the included wireless handheld RF remote control or the RS-232 control enabling advanced control of all screen functions. The motor provides smooth operation, extended durability, and reliable performance.

Teradek | RF-X Auto Switcher

The RF-X Auto Switcher is engineered to provide smarter redundancy, stronger signal, and superior quality, allowing technical directors, ACs, DITs, and video engineers to replace complex manual failover solutions with a single device. It features intelligent auto-switching across up to six Bolt or Ranger receivers; automatically selection of the strongest available video signal; and a single, uninterrupted 12G-SDI output with zero delay.

Vivi| Device Alerts

Device Alerts is a new emergency notification system that delivers full-screen, acknowledged alerts to every staff desktop and laptop on campus. By ensuring that every staff member is reached instantly, regardless of their location, Device Alerts closes critical gaps in emergency communication and response. Device Alerts integrates with Vivi's existing school safety solutions and works alongside the company's network of safety integration partners.

• Edtech Show & Tell

Welcome to the February 2026 Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

This month's new offerings include new Chromebooks, AI supports, switchers, and more.

Acer | Acer Chromebook Spin 311 and Acer Chromebook 311

The Acer Chromebook Spin 311 and Acer Chromebook 311 are Acer's first two education Chromebooks powered by the MediaTek Kompanio 540 processor. Packaged in durable designs that can handle challenging school environments, the new Chromebooks provide up to 15 hours of battery life, have fast-charging capabilities and deliver a reduced total cost of ownership.

Avantis | EduverseTHRIVE

EduverseTHRIVE is a purpose-built wellbeing and inclusion solution that combines a dedicated set of VR headsets with immersive, educator-led virtual experiences designed to support sensory regulation, emotional readiness, and inclusive learning in mainstream classrooms. Designed to support students with differing sensory needs, emotional states, and energy levels. EduverseTHRIVE gives educators practical inclusive tools to help learners regulate, refocus, and return to learning.

Brisk | Curriculum Intelligence

Brisk's Curriculum Intelligence enables districts to implement AI that is aligned to their curriculum and instructional priorities. Teachers can generate libraries of district-approved lessons and supplemental materials, avoiding starting from scratch. The system produces activities, assessments, and practice sets grounded in the curriculum districts have already invested in, while also providing guidance on standards alignment and pacing.

ClassDojo For Districts | The 2026 District Communications Playbook: What Every K–12 Leader Needs to Know

The 2026 District Communications Playbook: What Every K–12 Leader Needs to Know is a new resource designed to help district leaders modernize communication, strengthen family trust, and improve alignment across schools. The new playbook was created to address the reality of changing communication demands on school leaders, drawing on insights from districts nationwide to provide a clear, systemwide approach to communication that supports families, educators, and students alike.

Creston | AutoMeasure

AutoMeasure is an AI-powered configuration feature designed to simplify and accelerate the deployment of Automate VX multi-camera systems. Integrated directly into the Intelligent Video Room Designer tool, AutoMeasure uses advanced computer vision and spatial intelligence to automatically detect and calculate placement of cameras and microphones, ensuring every system is aligned and optimized for a high-quality collaboration experience. AutoMeasure brings automation and AI into AV configuration, reducing the manual measurement step of deploying Automate VX to 15 minutes.

Discovery Education & IBM | IBM Skills Build

Discovery Education has partnered with IBM SkillsBuild to provide free, credentialed professional development in AI, cybersecurity, and digital literacy for U.S. high school educators. The initiative offers self-paced courses, industry-recognized credentials, and classroom-ready resources designed for grades 9–12. The collaboration responds to new research showing that only about half of teachers feel optimistic about using AI in the classroom, largely due to limited guidance and training.

Epson | PowerLite 810E

This newly designed extreme short throw display produces an 80-inch display from as close as one inch away and up to 160-inches from 14 inches away – up to 2.5 times larger than a 75-inch flat panel display. Fully loaded with enterprise wireless connectivity and dual speakers, this lamp-free laser solution displays impactful and colorful images with 3-chip 3LCD technology and 5,000 lumens of color and white brightness, ensuring readability in ambient light environments.

Extron | DXP 42 HD 8K

The DXP 42 HD 8K is a compact 4x2 HDMI matrix switcher designed for professional AV environments. Supporting resolutions up to 8K/60 and ultra-wide 5K at data rates up to 40.1 Gbps, this switcher is ideal for applications such as Microsoft Teams Front Row systems. The DXP 42 HD 8K is HDCP 2.3-compliant and features Extron-exclusive technologies including EDID Minder Plus, which manages advanced display features, and SpeedSwitch for fast input switching.

iCEV | Custom Assessments

The enhanced Custom Assessments experience is designed to make assessment creation more intuitive, flexible, and reliable for educators. Informed directly by educator feedback, the update streamlines workflows, reduces complexity, and strengthens alignment between instruction and assessment without disrupting existing work. The enhanced experience unifies Legacy and Beta Custom Assessments into a single, consistent workflow, creating a more predictable and scalable approach to assessment creation across CTE courses.

Imagine Learning & AI For Education | Beyond the AI Inflection Point

Beyond the AI Inflection Point is a collaborative effort from Imagine Learning and the nonprofit AI for Education, as well as a consortium of 20 experts and student voices, that aims to gives K-12 leaders an actionable framework for thoughtful AI implementation. The initiative explores three plausible futures for K–12 education and is designed to equip education leaders with the clarity and tools to shape a future that best serves students.

Linewize | Text Analysis

Text Analysis scans webpage content as it loads, allowing schools to automatically block proxies, unapproved games, and explicit content even when these appear on new, obscure, or typically trusted platforms such as Google Sites, GitHub, Wikipedia, and major news and search sites. Text Analysis addresses some of the most common challenges facing K-12 IT teams, including: Stopping proxy and VPN workarounds on new or uncategorized domains; blocking unapproved games embedded within otherwise trusted platforms; and preventing access to shared documents that list proxy or gaming sites.

OnWord Stories | AI-Powered Reading Platform

OnWord Stories has launched a comprehensive AI-powered reading platform that reimagines how students experience literacy learning. To build essential comprehension and fluency skills, the personalized learning materials offer K–5 students access to high-interest stories tailored to their unique interests and reading levels. The OnWord Stories platform brings the joy of reading into classrooms by enabling students to generate personalized stories in minutes by following a series of prompts tailored to their interests and reading level. Teachers can create and assign stories, track progress, and integrate classroom vocabulary lists to support differentiated learning.

Otus & Discovery Education | AI-Powered Instructional Recommendations

Otus is expanding its strategic partnership with Discovery Education to deliver AI-powered instructional recommendations directly within educators’ daily workflows. The expanded integration helps educators move from insight to instruction by connecting Otus’ secure, unified student profile, spanning academic and non-academic data, to Discovery Education’s standards-aligned instructional resources. Powered by Otus AI, the experience aligns real-time student needs with targeted instructional support, enabling timely, informed decisions without disrupting teaching and learning.

PPDS | Philips Signage 5000 Series (D-Line)

The new AI ready Philips Signage 5000 Series (D-Line) is an evolution of the Philips Signage 4650 (D-Line), having been remodelled and reimagined using the latest breakthroughs in advanced UHD visual technology, energy efficiency, and processing power for unbeatable quality and performance. Taking versatility, 24/7 reliability, and usability to unprecedented levels and to even wider applications in educational spaces, the portrait or landscape mountable Philips Signage 5000 Series is available now across an extended range of screen sizes to suit, including 32”, 43”, 50”, 55”, 65”, 75”, 86” and 98”.

Symetrix | Cognio

Cognio is a software-driven Audio, Video, and Control (AVC) ecosystem designed to dramatically simplify system design, accelerate deployment, and deliver more flexible, scalable AV experiences. By seamlessly connecting its modernized software application with a distributed approach to smart devices, Cognio unifies design, configuration, commissioning, control, and ongoing operation into unified, streamlined workflows in which a single device can power multiple spaces, or multiple devices can support a single space, allowing systems to scale naturally across rooms, buildings, or entire campuses.

Wiingy | CoTutor

CoTutor is built to work alongside tutors, not replace them. Every learning experience on Wiingy continues to be led by expert human tutors. CoTutor simply ensures that what happens during a session does not fade once the call ends. Research shows that without reinforcement, learners forget up to 70% of new information within 24 hours. CoTutor directly addresses this challenge by transforming each tutoring session into personalized study materials that help retain and reinforce knowledge.

• Edtech Show & Tell

The best of BETT 2026 is all here. Well, technically it was all laid out at London's ExCel Centre, as it has been every year since it started in 1985. But the best of that show is right here in this article, which has been created after walking the show floor, meeting the exhibitors, and exploring the less well-known brands and tools that give us a glimpse at the future of tech in education.

The event featured appearances from the usual big names such as Google, Microsoft, and Asus, but this year stand-out new names include WhimsyLabs, Routine Roo, and Faheem, among others.

Here are my very best picks from what I saw on the BETT 2026 show floor, featuring the technology to propel education forward in a way that makes teaching better than ever.

While this is our best bits from the show floor, be sure to check out the Bett Awards for the final decisions on the very best to come out of BETT 2026.

Best of BETT 2026: WhimsyLabs

WhimsyLabs stood out at BETT 2026, despite being hidden away, as the passion of its creators, and excitement of anyone giving it a try, made this a show gem. Having been secretly under production for sometime, the VR science teaching software finally made its BETT debut.

This platform scales to fit devices -- so a classroom with ChromeOS could access this on a relatively low-powered computer and will still get a fully interactive VR experience. And that's the point here as this is a near like-for-like physical world experiment platform, only purely digital.

This scales from schools to college with simple pre-made experiments right up to complex original creations. Educators can tweak details to a super fine level, even adding in impurities in the case of chemistry, for example. The end result is a chance for students to carry out experiments, with real hand movements and object interactions, as if in the physical world.

This has been used in universities as a helpful way to teach lab process to students so, when they get access to the physical labs, they're experienced and prepared to get the most out of the time they have. It's like a digital practice space for chemistry, biology, and physics experiments.

Best of BETT 2026: Routine Roo

Routine Roo is a charming and hugely exciting tool designed specifically to help parents, or teachers, and young ones. The idea for this app, due to launch in March, is to help empower young children to perform their routines with more enjoyment and -- for parents and teachers -- with far less resistance.

So, at home that can mean working on bedtimes that otherwise take hours and can be draining, by agreeing with the little ones on the process, so they can be awarded as they complete each stage. From setting up teddies and reading a certain number of stories, to brushing teeth -- it can all be included. This uses a visualized cartoon version of the child to make it even more inclusive and engaging for the children.

Routine Roo is digital, with an app, but also offers physical boards that are magnetized to help children see and lay out their routines as part of the empowering planning process.

Best of BETT 2026: Faheem

Faheem is one of the more interesting AI education tools appearing at BETT 2026 because it moves beyond static AI tutor chatbots into something closer to an agentic learning companion.

Rather than simply responding to prompts, Faheem is designed to proactively guide learners, adapt explanations based on mastery, and shift approach depending on a student’s intent or difficulty level.

Faheem stands out because it learns rather than having the usual novelty AI features. The platform positions itself as inquiry-led, encouraging students to explore concepts through questioning and adaptive pathways rather than linear instruction. For teachers, this suggests potential use as a differentiated support tool rather than a replacement for instruction.

This is Egypt-backed and -based right now but can easily scale internationally, with plans to do just that. Keep your eye on this one.

Best of BETT 2026: Agibot

Agibot was a stand-out at BETT 2026 thanks to its free moving robots that could be spotted wandering the halls of the show -- and getting lots of attention. This should also be the case in a classroom where these robot have huge potential for engaging students.

Agibot offers schools a tactile way to explore AI, automation, and human-machine interaction. Its robots are designed to move, see, and respond in human-like ways, making abstract concepts around robotics and AI far more concrete for students.

The robots can be used to support STEM teaching, coding, problem-solving, and discussion around how AI systems work in the real world. For teachers, this opens up new opportunities for hands-on demonstrations and cross-curricular learning, particularly in computing and engineering.

Best of BETT 2026: Intel AI PCs for Education

Intel AI PCs for Education are being shouted about this year at BETT 2026 as these have really come into the mainstream, bringing real-world AI use to the class.

AI in education often relies on cloud-based tools, but Intel’s presence at BETT 2026 highlights a growing shift toward on-device AI processing. Intel is showcasing AI-capable PCs designed for classroom use, focusing on performance, security, and responsible AI deployment.

For teachers, the key takeaway isn’t raw processing power, but what it enables -- faster AI tools, reduced latency, better data privacy, and offline or limited-connectivity use cases. Intel’s Skills for Innovation program also ties hardware directly into teacher training and curriculum development. From Asus and Lenovo to HP, lots of big brand PC manufacturers are getting on-board in this shift to onboard AI.

The ASUS Chromebook CL14 CL15 series stood out as a way to get that level of AI support while keeping prices reasonable without sacrificing on features.

Best of BETT 2026: BBC Bitesize Learning Hub

BBC Bitesize Learning Hub is the BBC’s classroom-friendly extension of its long-running Bitesize brand, designed to support teachers with high-quality, curriculum-aligned resources. It’s built to make lesson planning easier and learning more engaging, with a focus on accessible content that feels familiar and trustworthy.

The hub brings together videos, interactive activities, and teaching materials across a range of subjects. The idea is to help teachers add depth to lessons without having to build everything from scratch. It’s especially useful for quick explanations, revision support, and reinforcement of key concepts in a way to which students actually respond.

For educators, the real value is the BBC’s editorial rigor with content that is well-produced, clear and classroom-ready.

Best of BETT 2026: Muud

Muud (pronounced "mood") is a wellbeing platform designed for children, but also for schools, as a way to monitor moods. It provides teachers with tools to check in on student mood, track wellbeing trends, and respond with appropriate support.

The platform is built around simple, regular check-ins that help educators spot patterns early, and gives students a safe space to reflect on how they’re feeling.

For teachers, Muud offers a way to build wellbeing into the day without adding extra workload. It is especially suited for schools that want to add a more proactive, whole-school approach to mental health.

Best of BETT 2026: Promethean

Promethean is one of the most recognizable names in classroom technology, best known for its interactive whiteboards and touch displays. Here at BETT it stands out thanks to a focus on teacher-led learning.

That means fewer features than some but to the advantage of educators that get a reliable platform that supports their teaching style.

Teachers can build activities, annotate live, and involve the whole class without needing a tech specialist to run the show. It’s the kind of setup that keeps lessons moving and students engaged -- especially in busy, mixed-ability classrooms.

Best of BETT 2026: FocusSpring

FocusSpring is a South Korean-based software solution that's used in schools widely as a way to help inform educators on student mental and educational wellbeing. Started by a concerned father, due to high suicide rates in the youth of Korea, this is about preventing problems by offering useful data on how students are doing.

Crucially, this gets all that by collecting what students are doing, live, rather than them having to do anything. A combination of eye tracking, keystroke detection, voice sensing, stylus use, and more -- all from current hardware -- allow for key metrics to be monitored by educators and parents.

The outputs include learning behaviors such as attention and emotional engagement, self-regulation, stress, and more. While this is used to monitor students supportively, it's also being used as a way to help teachers train, seeing what works and what doesn't -- live -- using the data to help. Plans to launch this in the U.S. are already underway.

Best of BETT 2026: Pasco

Pasco is a hands-on science and engineering offering that brings real-world experimentation into classrooms. Rather than relying on simulations, Pasco’s equipment, from sensors to lab kits, lets students collect real data, test hypotheses, and see science in action.

What makes it particularly useful for teachers is how easily it fits into existing lessons. The tools are designed to be durable, straightforward, and curriculum-friendly, so teachers can run practical experiments without needing a specialist lab. Data is captured cleanly and instantly, to help students move from observation to analysis simply.

When STEM learning is increasingly becoming digital, Pasco stands out by keeping experiments tactile and authentic. It’s the kind of tech that supports deeper scientific thinking and real investigation. At BETT it’s a reminder that technology can enhance learning just as much through physical, hands-on tools, as through screens.

Check out the full list of USA EdTech tools at BETT 2026 here.

USA EdTech has landed at BETT 2026 where it is showing off all the best education tech that the U.S. has to offer.

I met up with the team's head honcho, Jim McVety, who explained that this group of U.S representatives has grown again. This increasing cohort is here with USA Ed Tech which has come to this event for the last four years. Since the government doesn't back a stand for the U.S., as is the not case for many countries at the event, McVety and his team created USA EdTech to serve that need.

The result is a perfect point for U.S.-based education technology companies to safely explore and make the move into Europe and beyond. And the flip of that is true, for other countries and companies looking to make a connection with U.S.-based edtech professionals. As such this year's selection of providers is more varied and pioneering than ever.

Below are some of the best that the USA EdTech stand has to offer at BETT 2026.

Want to check out more? Head over to the USA EdTech site for full details of everyone involved and your chance to join the community.

Some of the members at BETT this year include: Amplify, Trimble, ClassLink, ImagineLearning, EdLink, Walkabouts, Jupiter and more.

Here is some more on a few that were able to share time with us this year.

Amplify

Amplify is a long-established education technology company with a clear focus on supporting teachers in the classroom. You may know it for its work in literacy, maths and science over the years. Amplify blends research-driven curriculum design with digital tools that are genuinely practical to use day to day.

What stands out is how teacher-led the experience feels. Whether it’s formative assessment, intervention support, or full curriculum delivery, Amplify’s designed to help educators quickly understand where students are, adjust instruction, and keep lessons fresh. Data is laid out clearly, without being too much, which helps to make it easier to turn insight into action.

Amplify is also the home of the well-known math platform Desmos Classroom, bringing interactive, discussion-rich maths into the digital and classroom. Amplify is all about engagement, clarity and evidence-based practice. As such this fits well with schools looking for technology that strengthens teaching without complexity -- a theme that appears to resonate across BETT 2026 this year.

Walkabouts Platform

Walkabouts Platform is a learning system that focuses on bringing movement into the classroom. Built from research that shows movement is directly linked to greater neuronal activity in the brain, and therefore better performance, this is science derived.

The tool links movements, like squats or jumps, to different words that are the answer to questions. In this way students use their bodies to make movements which answer the questions on screen. This leads to a measurable increase in focus as well as academic performance, while also helping to decrease hyperactivity.

From Pre-K to 5th grade, this is tailored to help educators bring more movement into the classroom while keeping students engaged and learning. Lessons are correlated to national and states standards for easy integration across math, ELA, reading, science, social studies, financial literacy, and test preparation.

Jupiter

Jupiter is a learning management system, a gradebook, and a student information system for K-12 and higher education. Jupiter is used in all 50 states across four million students. Crucially, this is a minimal solution designed to make the lives of teachers easier rather than over-complicating it with more tools.

The layout, as such, is super simple and designed for clicks and taps rather than keyboard input. For example, students can be seen laid out on screen as they sit in the class, and all a teacher need do is tap each one to mark them as absent, present and so on. It just works and helps support teachers efficiently.

Trimble SketchUp

Trimble has taken to the show floor to give us a look at its SketchUp platform, acquired by Google in 2006 before Trimble nabbed it in 2012, used by designed professionals and now available as a free education specific tool.

SketchUp is a full 3D modelling system that allows educators to help teach students to work in this environment. It operates through a web browser, making it highly accessible across devices and easy to use for students and teachers alike.

The system works within Google and Microsoft LMS options and is standards aligned to help make integration a simple process for teachers. From creating buildings to modelling a solar system, there is a broad range of possibilities available for use here. And it's all totally free to use.

Imagine Learning

Imagine Learning is an education technology company focused on making learning more accessible, inclusive and effective for every student, particularly those who need extra support. Its tools are designed to fit effortlessly into classes as a way to help teachers differentiate instruction without more workload.

The platform focuses on language development, literacy, and maths, with support for multilingual learners and students working at different paces. Teachers get clear insights into progress, alongside resources that help adapt lessons simply.

Imagine Learning offers flexibility and responsiveness, so that educators can meet learners where they are. It’s a good fit for schools looking for technology that supports equity, personalization and real classroom impact -- some key themes at BETT 2026.

ClassLink

ClassLink is all about making life easier for teachers and students by simplifying access to digital learning tools. Best known for its single sign-on platform, ClassLink lets users get to all their apps and resources through one secure login. The idea is that this cuts down on lost lesson time and login problems.

Rostering, analytics and usage insights help schools understand which tools are being used and where support might be needed. With a strong focus on security, accessibility and ease of use, ClassLink works to remove friction from everyday digital learning.

Edlink

Edlink is a platform built to make school technology ecosystems feel less messy. Its core strength is connecting different apps and tools so they work together smoothly, without teachers having to be tech pros.

For teachers, that means less time wrestling with logins, spreadsheets, and manual rostering, and more time teaching. Edlink also helps school leaders keep systems secure and compliant, via third-party support, while giving a clearer picture of how tools are being used across the school.

Edlink’s focus on integration and simplicity is powerful and can make a big difference in day-to-day school life. This is the kind of offering that matters more than people realize -- until it’s missing.

FETC 2026 returned to Orlando this January, and the conference didn’t disappoint. New York EdTech Director Alana Winnick and her students opened the conference with an inspiring keynote, setting a student-centered tone that resonated through every session and across the Expo floor.

Below is a snapshot of the innovations on display, featuring advancements in AI and VR, personalized curricula, EDLA-certified interactive displays, and more. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.

BenQ | RP05 Interactive Display

The new AI-ready RP05 Interactive Display joins the RP04, delivering smarter and faster performance and intuitive tools to support interactive teaching. The EDLA-certified RP Series makes it easy to build dynamic lessons with responsive touch, whiteboarding, multi-window views, and app integration.

Luxor CellGuard | Cell Phone Storage Cabinet

The Luxor CellGuard Cell Phone Storage Cabinet is engineered to meet the rigorous demands of modern classrooms. Constructed from powder-coated steel, it includes 32 foam, numbered slots to securely cradle devices. Designed with a locking steel door and a clear acrylic window, CellGuard offers full visibility for easy monitoring and a Kensington lock receptacle for enhanced security.

ClassDojo For Districts | New Expanded Features

ClassDojo for Districts offers new capabilities that give K–12 leaders greater visibility and insight across schools—without changing how teachers and families already use the platform. These updates strengthen districtwide coordination and communication while keeping teacher-family relationships at the heart of ClassDojo. The expanded platform introduces powerful district-level capabilities in three core areas—visibility, communication, and insights—with even more features and enhancements rolling out in the months ahead.

ClassVR | ClassVR Xcelerate and EduverseCTE

ClassVR Xcelerate and EduverseCTE are virtual and augmented reality (AR/VR) solutions for high school, higher ed, and career and technical education (CTE) programs. The ClassVR Xcelerate headset provides a full range of spatial movement through six-degrees-of-freedom head and controller tracking. An innovative 90° flip visor enables seamless transitions between immersive learning and real-world collaboration. The headset comes with EduverseCTE, ClassVR’s library of curriculum-aligned VR/AR content that helps students develop both soft skills, and technical abilities. Through realistic simulations, students can practice teamwork, communication, and interview techniques and explore high-demand fields such as healthcare, construction, hospitality, and skilled trades.

CTL | CTL Chromebook Care Course

The CTL Chromebook Care Course for students is a comprehensive, Career and Technical Education (CTE)-focused program designed to train middle and high school students to become CTL-certified Chromebook repair technicians. The course, offered free to CTL customers and focusing on CTL-manufactured devices, addresses growing demands for skilled IT professionals while promoting technology sustainability within school districts. The CTL Chromebook Care Course is tailored for students in grades 8–12, establishing a structured, student technical support team.

Day of AI | AI Trivia Time

AI Trivia Time is a regular classroom game designed to turn AI literacy into a habit students enjoy and teachers can naturally fit into their day. AI Trivia Time is a brain break with a purpose. Whether used as a warm-up, an exit ticket, a mini-lesson, or a fun Friday ritual, teachers and students can dive into a regular series of short, five-question, AI-themed quizzes designed to spark discussion and reflection on what responsible AI use looks like in practice. The game works across grade levels, subjects, and schedules.

Discovery Education | K-5 Science Techbook & K–5 Social Studies Essentials

Science Techbook and Social Studies Essentials blend research-backed pedagogy with cutting-edge technology and are complemented by updates across AI-driven personalization, career-connected learning, and more. Science Techbook builds skills while delivering three‑dimensional, phenomena‑driven lessons that capture student interest and reinforce scientific and cross-disciplinary learning. Social Studies Essentials is an inquiry-based supplemental solution grounded in the C3 Framework, making it easy for teachers to deliver impactful lessons in history, civics, geography, and economics.

ExtronNAV E 222 USB-C and HDMI switching encoder

Adding USB-C input capability and input switching to the NAV Pro AV over IP Series platform, this new Encoder provides options to create high-performance streaming systems. Input switching modes are configurable as auto or manual. The encoder can power a USB-C device with up to 100 watts using the optional UPI 100 Power Inserter. The NAV E 222 supports the AES67 audio over IP standard, facilitating integration with Extron DMP Plus DSPs or other IP-enabled audio components.

Imagine Learning | StudySync 2027 Edition

The 2027 edition of StudySync features a restructured middle school sequence built around deeper knowledge-building themes as well as stronger fluency, vocabulary, and sentence composition scaffolds grounded in the science of reading. Educators seeking comprehensive, standards-aligned solutions can now pair StudySync (6–12) with Dragonfly (K–5).

Ingenuity Works | All The Right Type

All The Right Type prepares students for a world where keyboard skills are crucial. The online typing platform is self-paced and requires minimal teacher instruction time, making it easy to integrate into any classroom or homeschool setting. With engaging lessons and interactive challenges, students build speed and accuracy at their own pace.

LG | CreateBoard TR3DQ

Building on the success of LG’s TR3DK generation of CreateBoard solutions, the TR3DQ display, available immediately in 55-, 65-, 75- and 86-inch models, is engineered to enhance classroom engagement, collaboration and instructional flexibility. As the newest addition to LG’s expanding CreateBoard lineup – designed to support schools across a wide range of needs and budgets – the TR3DQ delivers meaningful improvements in processing speed, touch and writing responsiveness, audio clarity and ecosystem integration to support modern K-12 and higher-education environments.

Logitech | MX Ink

MX Ink is the first Mixed Reality (MR) stylus specifically designed for Meta Quest. A precision tool with a familiar pen-like feel, MX Ink allows users to navigate, annotate and create freely across 2D spaces like papers, desks, or whiteboards, as well as immersive 3D environments. The pressure-sensitive tip of MX Ink enables natural writing and gaming motions, merging the tactile sensation of a physical tool with the limitless possibilities of the virtual creative space.

McGraw Hill | Summit! and Soar!

McGraw Hill's new core ELA curriculum for 6th through 12th grades includes Summit! for grades 6-8 and Soar! for grades 9-12. Built on the previously announced Emerge! for K-5, these establish a comprehensive research-based literacy program. Both use data-driven personalization to help educators tailor instruction throughout the learning journey.

OWC | 8TB Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD

The new 8TB OWC Envoy Ultra Thunderbolt 5 SSD delivers unparalleled speed, versatility, and portability for professionals and enthusiasts alike. Its features/benefits include: more than 6000MB/s, making it up to 2x faster than Thunderbolt 4 and USB4; offers the most speed possible from Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 machines; easily handles daily data needs for pro-level creative projects while matching internal storage performance; works with Macs, PCs, iPad Pros, Chromebooks, and Surface devices; bus-powered with built-in Thunderbolt cable; fanless, heat-dissipating aluminum design that is crushproof, dustproof, and waterproof IP67 rated.

PBLWorks | PBL Teach project units for middle and high school

PBLWorks has added new Gold Standard Project Based Learning (PBL) units for high school and elementary school grades. The new TEACH units for elementary and high school include projects such as “Pitch Perfect” for fourth and fifth grade social studies in which students become entrepreneurs, creating business ideas that solve real problems in their communities. “Family Financials” is a 9th and 10th grade math project in which students model savings and investment plans for community members using linear and exponential functions. Each project includes lessons with clear outlines and in-depth, step-by-step instructions and resources to help even novice teachers execute the projects with ease.

SchoolAI | AI Isn't Replacing Thinking

To understand how teachers are actually using AI in their instruction, this study examined more than 23,000 SchoolAI Spaces created during the 2024–25 school year across ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. In SchoolAI Spaces, teachers, not the AI, design the learning experience. They supply the description and prompts that guide how Dot, the AI assistant, engages with students. This makes Spaces a unique window into how educators are choosing to integrate AI into real instructional practice.

SCIVR | Immersive Learning Platform

SCIVR showcased their virtual reality all-in-one immersive platform for Middle & High School STEM and Career Technical Education programs. SCIVR's Immersive Learning Platform includes interactive simulations for science, math, CTE, social studies, all offered in multiple languages. SCIVR works with Meta Quest or Pico VR headsets and offers hardware-agnostic Web-based devices all under one site license, allowing unlimited users and devices.

Smore and School Status | Human Connection in the Age of AI: A Guide to K–12 Communications