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.

Critical thinking really can be taught, suggests a new study led by Michael Bishop, a professor of philosophy at Florida State University.

For the study, published earlier this year in the Journal of American Psychology, Bishop and his collaborators split 397 students into two groups. Students in one group took a critical thinking class while students in the second group did not. The students who took critical thinking saw significant advantages over the students who did not.

As Bishop and his co-authors note, “the results suggest that an appropriately designed critical thinking class can dramatically reduce four common biases in judgment and decision making: honoring sunk costs, inferring causation from correlation, ignoring regression to the mean, and overlooking opportunity costs.”

Bishop is currently working on a book about teaching critical thinking. He discusses some highlights from the study as well as his experiences teaching the topic to students.

Teaching Critical Thinking: Defining What Critical Thinking Is

Attempts to teach critical thinking frequently fail, Bishop says. He believes this is because most approaches don’t follow the proper steps to teaching the topic, the first of which is defining what it means for somebody to be a better critical thinker.

“A lot of people who try to teach critical thinking go wrong on this first step,” Bishop says. This is because Bishop believes common definitions of critical thinking often focus on the wrong things.

"One wrong answer is that a rational thinker uses good rules or rational methods," he says. "Or you might think a rational thinker is an expert debater." But he says these definitions of critical and rational thinking are incomplete. Instead, with students, he focuses on providing them with effective strategies for engaging more deeply and accurately with various topics.

“I think that, really, a rational thinker in the end, it's not somebody who wins a lot of debates or the person who's most well-informed about issues," Bishop says. "It’s somebody who asks helpful and fruitful questions. These are questions that tend to lead to better answers.”

Emphasizing that it's about learning the proper process, Bishop adds, “I’m not teaching them rules. I'm not trying to teach them to win debates. I want them to ask fruitful questions.” 

Implementing Critical Thinking Lessons

Once you define what critical thinking looks like, you have to accurately assess why your students are not asking fruitful questions.

Bishop says that often students can ask fruitful questions in idealized situations yet fail to understand the implications of these strategies in real-world scenarios. For instance, Bishop has a scenario he asks students about in which they have to imagine their country is going to war with an unfriendly country. Students are told that ultimately, the war will be beneficial for their country with rewards outweighing costs.

Putting aside the non-financial costs of war for the sake of this argument, most students say that going to war is a good idea. However, in giving this answer, they’re making a potentially costly assumption that becomes clear if they think about the problem another way.

Instead of going to war, Bishop asks students to imagine they’re given three envelopes and told they can have the contents of one of the three envelopes. If they look in the first envelope and see a $5 bill, they can stop the game then, and they’d be $5 richer than they were before the game started. But since seeing the contents of the other envelopes before making their decision is permitted, students realize that taking the $5 is a bad choice because there could be much more money in the other envelopes. 


Part of what Bishop tries to convey to students is that the envelope problem and the war scenario should be treated the same way. “When I argue that ‘Hey, we should go to war because it's going to bring us this benefit,' all of a sudden it's harder to see. It's harder to recognize.”

Critical Thinking in Different Contexts

The three-envelope and war example Bishop provides is a variant of the operational cost fallacy in which we tend to ignore the cost of pursuing alternative strategies — for instance, the benefits we miss out on by a course of action we could take instead of going to war. Each of these fallacies can take some time to understand and then implement in the real world.

This is part of why Bishop calls his strategies for overcoming these fallacies in real life "cheat codes.” Once students do the initial work to learn them, they tend to have more informed decision-making.

While this research focused on a handful of fallacies, Bishop says that teaching good critical thinking skills involves teaching additional fallacies and mistakes. For instance, another thing students should look for is confirmation bias. This occurs when people use good critical thinking when opposing ideas they disagree with, but throw all that out the window when examining their side of the argument.

This is so common that Bishop wrote a short ditty about it that serves as a quick and important critical thinking lesson all on its own. It goes: “Low standards for my views and high standards for yours/Make us bad thinkers, extremists, and bores.”

Blended learning is a teaching approach that combines both traditional in-class instruction with digital technologies for lessons, assessments, feedback and more. In other words, face-to-face teaching is supplemented and supported by online lessons and content.

The advantages of blended learning include flexibility, student engagement, and the ability to personalize lessons.

The following blended learning sites, many of which are fully free, provide a variety of features through which educators can implement their blended learning approach.

Best Sites for Blended Learning

FREEMIUM

Newsela
A multiple award-winning platform, Newsela includes ELA, social studies, and STEM topics, and is particularly strong for differentiated reading and current events. A 45-day free trial of premium Newsela is provided to educators with no credit card required. The free version, Newsela Lite, provides a new leveled article each week, standards-aligned skill-building activities, and access to the Binder to review student work.

Pear Deck Learning
From its beginning as a Google Slides add-on, Pear Deck has expanded to now offer three additional services: Pear Start, Pear Practice, and Pear Assessment. Pear Start offers more than 40 AI tools to save teachers time, while Pear Practice allows teachers to build, share, and assign practice sets for individuals or groups, and Pear Assessment enables formative and summative assessments and automatic grading. The original Pear Deck’s free educator plan offers generous features such as lesson creation, differentiated learning, Immersive Reader, and student participation controls. Each program provides a free account for educators and premium accounts for schools and districts. Well worth checking out.

Parlay
Parlay, a powerful platform for discussion and debate in classrooms, makes it easy for educators to sign up and explore its features. Create a new discussion (written or verbal), browse more than 7,000 discussion prompts, and select grades. Topics can be entered directly as text, or though a link or PDF. The output will feature everything needed for a productive classroom discussion, including learning goals, questions, and peer feedback instructions. Students can be invited via code, roster, link, or Google Classroom. Basic Parley Free for teachers includes up to six roundtables with 50 students per roundtable.

Kahoot
One of the oldest and best-known quiz game platforms, Kahoot offers millions of ready-made gamified quizzes as well as the ability to create your own. Kahoot offers four paid plans ranging from $36 to $228 per year. Kahoot’s free basic account for educators and others allows creating and hosting a limited number of games, as well as joining games and exploring public kahoots.

PREMIUM

Canvas LMS
A complete learning management system providing tools for course creation, grading, collaboration, and mobile learning. Canvas integrates with multiple other platforms, including Microsoft Teams, Nearpod, Google Assignments, Discovery Education, Skyward SIS, and Slate. Unfortunately, the popular Free-for-Teacher accounts are currently unavailable, as Canvas rebuilds the backend, aiming for a fall 2026 launch.

Starfall
Starfall’s easy-to-navigate site and modest membership cost makes it ideal for both home and education, while its gamified interface will engage young users. Aimed at preK-5 students, Starfall’s games are research-based, standards-aligned, and cover reading and math topics from rhyming to factor pairs. While they don’t offer a free trial, each topic provides one or two free games for interested users to try. Education accounts are modestly priced at $70-$355 annually for individual teacher, classroom, or school accounts, and include student access on campus and at home.

IXL
Offering a comprehensive, skills-based K-12 curriculum, the award-winning IXL platform also includes diagnostic, assessment, and analytics tools for language arts, math, science, and social studies. Unlike many other such sites, IXL permits generous exploration of skills and lessons without joining. A full, free 30-day trial is offered for educators.

WeVideo Classroom
Designed for education, the video-editing platform WeVideo Classroom includes a wide range of built-in tools for video editing and export, and the ability to upload and integrate text, audio, image, and other files. Teachers can create classes, add multimedia assignments and projects, and provide feedback. Webcam, screen recording, templates, interactive videos, storyboarding and podcasts, and more are all part of the WeVideo ecosystem. Free seven-day trial with no credit card required.

FREE

Khan Academy Kids
This educational app for kids aged 2-8 has earned a five-star rating from the independent nonprofit Common Sense Media. Friendly animal characters and the gamified interface create a welcoming and engaging atmosphere for kids to learn early literacy and math skills, as well as to explore the natural world. Teachers can assign lessons and track progress in the app, which is 100% cost- and ad-free.

CK-12
A robust education nonprofit that started by providing open source digital textbooks in 2008, CK-12 has steadily added digital teaching resources for the past 10 years. Their products include new AI teaching tools and agents, customizable, interactive digital textbooks and science simulations, PLIX (Play-Learn-Interact-Explore) interactives, and much more. A wide range of subjects and grades are covered, from K-5 science to college algebra to adult education. Integrates with Google Classroom, Canvas, and Schoology.

OpenStax
From Rice University, OpenStax claims to be the world's largest publisher of free, peer-reviewed digital textbooks. Although I can’t confirm that claim, I can attest to the diversity of K-12 subjects for which digital textbooks are provided. OpenStax’s textbooks are written by experts in their fields, peer-reviewed, and standards-aligned. Digital books can be viewed online or downloaded as PDFs. A free educator account with your school email is required for full access. Available in English, Spanish, and Polish.

TEDEd
Not only does TedEd offer a wide range of educational videos, it also offers lessons built around these videos. Even better, educators can customize video lessons according to their teaching goals or upload their own video as a lesson foundation. Each lesson includes questions as well as a discussion forum.

Nowcomment
A free collaboration platform that allows for the discussion and annotation of online documents, Nowcomment offers an easy signup process and a fairly intuitive site. Teachers can upload documents, create private groups of students, and invite them to add comments. Files accepted for upload include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, image, video, copy-and-paste from HTML, and text entry. For security and privacy, only invited users can comment on documents and private groups are not searchable by search engines.

iCivics Education
Top-notch collection of K-12 civic and social studies games, lesson plans, simulations, mystery-themed curriculum units, and more, iCivics Education allows educators to assign games, monitor student progress, and manage classes in one place. Integrates with Google, Clever, and other single sign-on solutions.

Khan Academy
A free learning platform that allows teachers to create and manage classes, assign courses, and monitor student progress, Khan Academy now also features Khanmigo Tools, free AI-powered tools for education. Courses include math, test prep, ELA, science, social studies, computing, professional learning, and more.

Prodigy
Fully free for teachers, schools, and districts, the game-based Prodigy platform gives educators the ability to create classes, assign lessons, monitor student progress, and identify learning gaps. Students play math and English learning games as individuals or in teams. Integrates with Google, Classlink, and Clever.

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 have been on this planet for a very long time and we've evolved,” says Kimberly Zajac, a speech language pathologist at Norton Public Schools in Mansfield, Massachusetts. “Society changes with time. Communication has always been a basic human right. Too often we put the onus of the work onto the wrong people to be able to access, engage, and be part of the community and what's happening in this world.”

Zajac aims to end this burden by smoothing the road for all students using technology and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. She has developed a replicable model for integrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) as an inclusive practice, providing comprehensive professional development and embedded coaching, ensuring that all educators—not just special education staff—are equipped to support students with complex communication needs. This dismantles systemic barriers, creating a learning environment in which students who have been historically marginalized are given the tools to thrive academically and socially.

Zajac, who was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award for this and other efforts, shares her “Guide to Preparing for Title II Accessibility Requirements” as well as tips for those interested in creating the best program possible.

An Evolution in Education

“The work I do around accessibility and inclusion and communication in tandem with policy that we've gotten from the DOJ with the ADA Title II and the WCAG guidelines really elevates this idea that we need to take a long, hard look at what we're doing and how we're doing it,” Zajac says. “We need to redesign that to be more accessible and eliminate the barriers in order to evolve as a human race.”

As communication continues to evolve alongside technology, Zajac suggests it was “a ripe time” to learn about the new developments and new ways to support students with their alternative and augmentative communication needs, and to fill in any gaps. Collaborating with district leadership, Zajac and her team did a survey and came up with a five-year plan to build capacity and elevate access and inclusion through communication from pre-K to 12 plus.

“We were able to articulate and apply to grants on a local level, which were well received,” Zajac says. “We received a significant amount of funding locally and at the state level to not only purchase hardware and software, but also to invite professional development and coaching, which is really the glue to helping things turn into actions and experiences for our students and their families.”

This effort brought positive results for everyone.

“The stewards along that path — the teachers, the stakeholders, the parents — are all in it together to bring our learners into the future and make sure their full capacity is realized,” Zajac says. “The point is that it takes a village. The stakeholders are far, wide and vast — they bring valuable individual-lived experience to the table that creates connection and benefits the learners we serve.”

5 Reasons Digital Accessibility Is Important Beyond Compliance

• One in Five People Have a Disability - Actions help more than you think.
• Legal Risks - ADA complaints, costly investigations, and lawsuits with private right of action.
• Educational Barriers - Digital inaccessibility means students with disabilities cannot access the same education.
• Reputational Damage - Non-compliance signals that equity is not a true district priority.
• Universal Design Benefits All Learners - Accessible design principles — captions, clear contrast, keyboard navigation — improve the learning experience for every student, not just those with disabilities.

How Implementation Looks in the Classroom

Zajac hasn’t reached the end of her five-year plan and is realizing it to be just the tip of the iceberg.

“We've experienced a wonderful transformation,” she says. “We have seen increased use of alternative and augmentative communication processes, systems, devices, strategies and assets within a great number of classrooms in our target range of pre-K to 12. It's making significant impact in the way that students are able to be engaged in and included in all aspects of their day.”

Zajac is seeing improvements in academics as well as in social-specific areas, ranging from circle time to snack time, lunch time extending into extracurriculars. Increasing inclusivity into these social-centered elements of a school day are critical to giving all students a sense of belonging.

“I just can't say how important it is that we inspire educators and families and stakeholders at scale to think about learners from the margins as we develop our systems and policies,” she says. “It's a human process to have blind spots. It's impossible not to have them, but that's where the stakeholders come in. Lived experience can inform who might have accidentally been excluded. You can then move forward with policies and strategic system approaches that do honor all the voices that should be represented.”

This has led to more participation from students, who are more eager to contribute to the conversation. Students who do not face communication issues are also curious and interested about how the technology works.

For example, Zajac says, “I was in a group this morning that included one of my non-speaking students who uses an iPad to support the expressive communication element of his participation. Every single student involved in the activity was choosing to utilize the iPad in addition to their verbal communication. Each time a student reached for the iPad, the non-speaking student’s smile grew bigger.”

The 5-Step Compliance Plan

• The Audit Comprehensive review of all digital properties to understand scope.
• The Roadmap Timeline to bridge gaps; prioritize high-leverage systems first.
• Procurement Reform Update RFPs to include accessibility requirements for all vendors.
• Staff Training Build internal capacity so accessible content is created from day one.
• Documentation Record all actions; publish a public accessibility statement online.

Zajac feels one of the most important things we need to establish for students in schools today is that when they arrive, they feel like they belong there—that they are seen, that they are heard, and that there are more things in common among their classmates than there are differences.

“We've known about UDL in the past, but there hasn't been this call to action for the tools to actually have features that make it possible for teachers to design, deliver, and execute the end goal with the student,” Zajac says, adding there's nothing more exciting than seeing it coming together.

“Today, my student— his face just lit up when other students were choosing to use the iPad,” Zajac says. “It hit me, ‘Oh my goodness, he feels so comfortable here. He's letting his emotions out.’ That's that ‘sense of belonging’ indicator. There is no finish line. You just have to commit to that dynamic ongoing process. But we're doing things right when students can let their guard down and be who they are in the space.”

Compliance, Whose Responsibility Is it? Know Your Role

• IT & Technology System configuration, assistive tech support, platform audits.
• Curriculum & Instruction Accessible lesson plans, screen-reader-friendly materials.
• Procurement Vetting vendors for WCAG compliance before purchase.
• Special & General Ed Aligning classroom tools with individual student needs.
• Leadership Steering the cross-functional team; accountability to the board.
• Families & Community Providing feedback on real user experience.

Tools They Use

• Google Gemini
• Glint by NerChat
• Lightspeed
• Everyway
• Canva

For Lauren Harwood, becoming Director of Instructional Technology and Operations at

Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District in Massachusetts has truly been a homecoming.

“My dad was a science teacher here for 40 years, and in the summer while my mom was at work, I was always with him when he'd come in,” Harwood says. “So, I would be roller skating in these hallways in the summer! It's just such a part of my life.”

And it even continues to be, as in addition to supporting the district she grew up in, her oldest daughter teaches science in the classroom across the hall from where her dad's classroom was.

Still, returning had its bumpy moments. At Harwood’s previous position, she had been a “one-man band” tech director at an agricultural school, which meant she was constantly on call and responsible for resolving any and all issues. Changing that mindset has been a work in progress.

“One of the hardest parts for me in the transition was not jumping up to fix everything because I now have people to do that,” she says, adding that the rural district of 2,600 students poses a mixed bag of new challenges, from coordinating route changes with bus companies and learning about HVAC systems. “I now get to learn something new every day and I enjoy that.”

Harwood, recently recognized by Tech & Learning with an Innovative Leader Award, has focused her energy on three primary areas: creating an AI strategy for the district, expanding its CTE programs, and boosting security and communication.

AI Strategy

Under Harwood’s leadership, DR (as the district is known) has taken a stance against immediately blocking AI sites, choosing instead to focus on teaching students and staff how to use AI responsibly.

“We need to make sure that we're teaching responsible use and that we're teaching respect for it,” she says. “Just because you ask ChatGPT a question, you need critical thinking skills when you look at the response. You still need to know how to find the answers. You can't just assume it can do your work for you.”

Like many districts, vetting and finding the right AI tools and platforms also continues to be a challenge.

“That's what drives us when we're looking at tools, you know, ‘How good is it?’ ‘How can we learn to use it in a mindful way?’” Harwood says. “Being mindful of how we're using it is probably the biggest key. Keeping in mind that potentially everything that it spits out is incorrect. I do think there's a lot of misunderstanding around that. Like, people think, ‘Oh, this is what AI told me, so this must be right.’ And it's not always.”

That includes being constantly vigilant and aware as AI continues to be added to tools that have been already vetted, which requires making sure that security and data privacy is always part of district-wide education efforts.

AI is also a focus during the district’s “DReam Seminars,” PD events featuring teacher-led sessions on using tools such as Brisk AI and Google Gemini, as well as external training on appropriate tool use.

CTE Program Expansion

Harwood is also helping to spearhead expansion of the district’s recently reimagined career and technical education (CTE) program, which is going to include three new career tracks: medical assisting, criminal justice, and culinary arts.

“When our freshmen go through exploratory, they do that for the first half of the year. They try all the different programs and then if they find one that they would like to continue in, they do so,” says Harwood. “This year, 100% of the kids that went through exploratory stayed in a program, so the retention is growing.”

Harwood has also been involved with upgrading all the support tech. For example, the engineering track recently received new computers, monitors, 3D printers, and projectors, which the engineering students used to design the spaces for the new tracks, a hands-on exercise that included real-world implications.

“We had a blizzard and they lost a week of school and they came back in and they said to the engineering teacher, ‘Are we going to get an extension on our deadline?’ And she said, ‘No, this is real. We need these plans,’” says Harwood. “And they did them and they presented them and they were so creative!”

Harwood was involved in the district’s recent purchase of VR headsets for the medical assisting track, which students use to learn how to draw blood.

“The software requires them to go through all of the steps–washing your hands, putting on your gloves,” says Harwood. “It’s not real, but it's also not like just, ‘Oh, I'm looking at it in a textbook, I'm watching a video.’ They're practicing it even though it's virtual. And it's pretty powerful.”

Security and Communication

Like all school districts, cybersecurity remains a priority for DR and Harwood. The district employs various security measures, including multifactor authentication, but understands that no system is foolproof.

“We've all learned that, sometimes the hard way,” says Harwood, who adds that she is constantly discussing potential issues with teachers and staff. “We do provide PD on scams as they come up, but a lot of times if I see a new phishing scam that's going around, something I know people are going to fall for because if it's almost catching me, it's definitely catching others. So I'll send out an email and illustrate what's happening.”

In addition to stressing constant vigilance and educating staff on how to look for warning signs, such as incorrect email addresses in scams, and noting that even large companies such as Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services can experience attacks, Harwood focuses on being engaging with her cybersecurity messaging. “I do try to do it with a little bit of humor like or or just make them a little more personable so people know when I send an email, maybe they want to read it or see what dumb things she's going to say now,” she laughs.

'Make The Most People Happy'

Ultimately, Harwood sees technology as a tool that should empower teachers and students. “It's not that we should be working toward supporting it,” she says. “It should be supporting us.”

She also emphasizes the need to be transparent with everyone as to the “why” behind any edtech or PD she implements.

“I get a lot more buy-in when I say, ‘This is why I would like you to do this, and when I am buying it or trying to do something with a new tool,’” she says.

For example, she cites the recent implementation of a communication platform. She created a committee of teachers and administrators from every school, vetted numerous tools, and then as a group decided on one. Consequently, those who participated in the process were able to go back to their colleagues and champion buy-in, which supported a successful implementation.

“You've always got resistance,” Harwood says. “And those people might come around or they might not. You can't please everybody. And I think in my career, I've finally had to learn that I can't make everybody happy, but I'll try to make the most people happy that I can.”

Tools They Use

• ParentSquare
• Apptegy/Thrillshare
• Google Education Suite
• Aspen SIS
• Open Architects
• Operations Hero
• Lexia
• ST Math
• Wonders
• Renaissance
• Brainpop
• Noodle Tools
• Edpuzzle
• Kahoot
• IXL
• CrisisGo
• Verkada

ispring Free is a specific version of the larger ispring ecosystem that's designed to help make courses, and lesson creation, a simple process. Crucially, this offers a way to help teachers make digital interactive lessons using their own skills.

The idea here is to work as an add-in with Microsoft PowerPoint so that educators can build slides into lessons easily. This means using a platform that may already be familiar, only now with the option to add questions and more before outputting to an LMS for use.

The powerful free version lets you get going with lesson making right away, but you also have some other paid features including AI-driven tools to enhance the offering even further.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about ispring Free, primarily, with those extra paid tools mentioned later on so you know what else is available too.

What is ispring?

ispring is an elearning creation tool that works directly within Microsoft PowerPoint. This adds extra teaching and publishing features right there within a tool that many educators already know how to use.

Teachers can create lessons using standard slides, then enhance those with quizzes, embedded video, audio, YouTube clips, web objects, and interactive elements. Once finished, the presentation can be exported as HTML5 content or packaged as a SCORM course for use within an LMS.

You can also use PowerPoint animations, transitions, triggers, and layouts as these are preserved during conversion. Consequently, existing classroom presentations can often be repurposed rather than rebuilt from scratch.

The free version includes three quiz types: multiple choice, multiple response, and short answer. These are enough for many classroom assessments and knowledge checks, plus you can pay for the more premium features if needed.

How does ispring work?

ispring Free appears as an additional tab inside PowerPoint. Teachers build lessons as they normally would, then use ispring’s tools to add interactive and assessment elements.

To publish, educators can export lessons as SCORM 1.2 or SCORM 2004 packages for upload into LMS platforms, or simply create HTML5 lessons that can be shared via links or websites.

Courses are responsive, so these automatically adapt for phones, tablets, and desktop devices without extra work. That's very useful for homework, remote learning, or flipped classroom teaching so students can then access content on different devices.

Teachers can track learner progress when using an LMS. Quiz scores, completion rates, and learner participation data can all be monitored through these systems.

This is built to be quick and easy to pick-up and use. So while there are limitations in terms of complexity, for a lesson building tool that works with ease, this does the job well.

What are the best ispring features?

ispring is integrated into PowerPoint, which is one of the main appeals here for ease of uptake and simplicity of creation. No training is going to be needed here in most cases.

SCORM publishing is another major appeal. Lots of other free tools struggle with LMS compatibility, but ispring Free supports SCORM 1.2 and 2004 output, allowing courses to work with platforms such as Moodle and Blackboard.

Courses automatically resize for different screens, which helps students access lessons on phones or tablets -- something that's rare to find in free tools such as this.

Quiz creation is simple but effective, with built-in knowledge checks that can include timers, shuffled answers, and feedback. In addition, there's support for embedding web objects and multimedia directly into lessons, helping otherwise less engaging slide decks feel more interactive and enthralling.

The biggest limitation is depth. The paid ispring Suite adds far more advanced interactions, branching scenarios, drag-and-drop tasks, AI tools, narration features, and richer quiz options.

How much does ispring cost?

ispring Free is just that, without any cost to use. It has no limits on time or slides, and does not include forced branding.

It's worth noting that the free version is very much intended as a gateway into the paid ecosystem. Those who want advanced quiz types, video creation tools, AI features, role-play simulations, or content libraries will need to upgrade to ispring Suite.

Individual accounts for the full suite start in the hundreds but for education institutions there are bespoke prices available on request.

ispring best tips and tricks

Reuse old presentations
Convert existing PowerPoint lessons into interactive online resources rather than rebuilding content from scratch.

Add quick knowledge checks
Use the built-in quizzes after key slides to reinforce understanding and keep learners engaged.

Publish for mobile learning
Export lessons as responsive HTML5 content so students can revise on phones and tablets.

Education budgets are tightening, screen-time debates are intensifying, and AI has dominated every industry headline. How can today’s education companies break through the noise?

One word: relationships. As in humans talking to humans. And listening to humans. In a crowded marketplace, the vendors who survive and thrive are those who stop pitching and start partnering.

This theme is at the heart of Tech & Learning’s EdExec Summit, taking place in Chicago September 10-11. While the agenda will focus on the key components of developing a strategic plan–including sales, marketing, research, and compliance–what makes this event different is the opportunity for education company executives to have deep conversations with their buyers and create meaningful relationships.

To offer a sneak peek into these conversations, Tech & Learning has partnered with the Ed-Tech Leadership Collective to present an Industry Briefing that will explore how current market pressures are fundamentally reshaping how districts choose—and stay with—their vendors.

Event Details

• Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
• Time: 2:00 PM ET
• Registration Link: Secure Your Virtual Seat Here

What You Will Learn

By attending this briefing, education executives will gain actionable insights on how to align their strategies with district realities:

• Understanding District Priorities: Discover how current district challenges directly shape their buying decisions and partnership expectations.
• The Relationship Pivot: Learn how to transition your sales approach from cold, transactional outreach to value-driven, relationship-focused engagement.
• Network Maximization: Strategies to leverage your current district successes to build organic exposure across peer networks.
• Pilot Programs with Purpose: How to structure pilots that deliver clear ROI and cultivate long-term partnerships rather than forcing a heavy, upfront investment.
• Flexible Commercial Models: Creative ways to think about pricing, packaging, and budget alignment in a tight economy.
• Proving Impact: Why vendors must demonstrate measurable, high-quality outcomes rather than superficial engagement metrics to retain district business.

Featured Speakers

Hear directly from the leaders who make the purchasing decisions:

• Joe Ayala | Director of Information Technology, Santa Clara Unified School District, CA
• Trina Reaves | Director of STEM and Innovation, Clayton County Schools, GA

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR NOW

Join us for this conversation on June 16 to learn how your company can become an indispensable district partner, and in Chicago on September 10-11 for the Tech & Learning’s EdExec Summit to meet one-on-one with buyers and put those relationship-building strategies into practice.

• Navigating the ESSER Cliff: Why Education Company Leaders are Heading to the 2026 EdExec Summit

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

As a journalist who writes about education tech, my kids' favorite education apps are those that have been tested and stand out above the rest. Over the many years of doing this there are some that really jump out, are loved by my kids, and get used continually over longer periods of time. Crucially, these also have a noticeable effect on their schooling and progress.

The apps I've written about have largely fallen across a few categories, some feeling too like homework, others repetitive when the novelty wears off, and some which strike the balance between playful and instructional while staying engaging. That last category is from where these app recommendations are coming.

So these are the apps that my kids genuinely returned to, out of choice, over the last year as I've been trying them out in our home.

Best of My Kids' Favorite Education Apps

Best overall

Wayground

Wayground is one of our favorite apps, bar none. This manages to combine the best of quiz-style platforms in a way that plays to the needs of the child.

So, in my house for example, one child was drawn to using it in a competitive way while the other was a lot more exploratory. It supports both, allowing them to enjoy it their way while still getting the learning from being on here.

While a lot of apps can feel built for the classroom and teacher-first, this is also good as an at-home app. It's easy enough to setup and use for parents and children, but that it can also be a bridge between class and home use.

Since this works across devices, using a browser, I could have one child on the laptop and another on my phone so they get their own experience, at their level. The pre-built quizzes make it as easy as handing over the device and letting them explore.

That said, the addition of AI now makes adapting to each child far more accessible as an option that's easy. Crucially, for me as a parent and for teachers, this isn't time consuming so you actually use it and -- as a result -- so do the kids.

To be clear, this is designed for teachers to setup and use, and works best that way. So if this is something your child's school is offering, or considering, I'd very much encourage you to take advantage of this and have your littles ones give it a go.

Best for literacy

IXL

IXL is a literacy app that's far less repetitive than many similar platforms by breaking learning into smaller, achievable chunks that build confidence steadily over time. Covering everything from spelling and vocabulary to grammar and reading comprehension, it offers a huge amount of structured practice while still feeling approachable for younger learners.

What worked well with my kids was the sense of progression. They could complete shorter activities, earn rewards, and immediately see improvement. The adaptive system also helped keep frustration levels lower by adjusting difficulty as they worked, which made it easier to maintain engagement.

The platform’s clean layout and focused exercises keep distractions to a minimum. While it still feels academically solid underneath, IXL avoids becoming overly classroom-heavy, which helped it slot naturally into home use. It became very useful for quick daily practice sessions that never felt too demanding.

Best for math

Buzzmath

Buzzmath feels much closer to puzzle-solving over traditional drills, which immediately made it more appealing in our house than many worksheet-style alternatives. Designed for middle school learners, the platform combines interactive challenges with visual learning tools that encourage experimentation and problem-solving -- rather than memorization alone.

One of the strongest features is how it handles mistakes. Instead of simply marking answers wrong, Buzzmath encourages students to retry, rethink, and work through problems independently. That helped reduce frustration levels, particularly with more difficult topics.

The game-inspired structure also works well without overwhelming the educational side of the experience. Progression feels rewarding, but the learning remains central throughout. Visual explanations and interactive feedback helped make more abstract concepts easier to grasp, especially for anyone that struggles with text-based instruction.

For kids who normally disengage quickly from math practice -- my daughter -- Buzzmath offers a far more approachable and confidence-building alternative that still delivers strong educational depth underneath the playful presentation.

Best for STEM

NASA Space Place

NASA Space Place stands out because it captures the sense of curiosity that great STEM learning should inspire. The platform introduces complex ideas through playful activities, bright visuals, games, videos, and short articles that make science feel approachable and exciting.

Space is naturally engaging for my and most other kids, and this platform uses that brilliantly to pull learners into wider STEM topics, including engineering, climate science, physics, robotics, and astronomy. One minute my kids were exploring planets, the next they were learning about satellites or weather systems without really noticing the educational shift.

The platform also feels refreshingly straightforward. Plus, no subscriptions, pop-ups, or overly gamified distractions competing for attention. Instead, the focus remains firmly on exploration and discovery.

For younger learners especially, NASA Space Place strikes an excellent balance between education and accessibility. It offers great STEM learning while still maintaining the excitement and imagination that often gets lost in more formal educational platforms.

Best for gamification

Roblox

Roblox may not look like a traditional education platform at first glance, but the creative side of the experience offers far more learning potential than many parents initially realize. Beyond simply playing games, children can build environments, experiment with coding concepts, design interactive experiences, and collaborate creatively with others.

What stands out most, watching my kids use Roblox, is how naturally problem-solving becomes part of the experience. Whether adjusting game mechanics, building worlds, or figuring out systems together, there is a constant layer of experimentation underneath the entertainment. It encourages creativity in a way that feels self-directed rather than instructional.

That said, Roblox still benefits from active parental involvement and sensible controls, particularly given the scale of the platform. The educational value depends heavily on how children engage with it.

Used thoughtfully, though, Roblox can become a surprisingly effective gateway into coding, digital creativity, collaboration, and design thinking. For children already interested in gaming culture, it offers opportunities to shift from passive consumption into active creation, which is where its strongest learning potential can emerge.

Best for AI

aiEDU

aiEDU offers one of the most accessible introductions to artificial intelligence I’ve seen for younger learners, managing to explain a fast-moving and often intimidating subject in a way that feels clear, balanced, and genuinely useful. As AI tools increasingly become part of everyday life, helping children understand the technology behind it all feels more important than ever.

Rather than focusing purely on flashy demonstrations, aiEDU places a strong emphasis on digital literacy and critical thinking. Lessons explore how AI systems work, where biases can appear, and why understanding the technology matters, all without becoming overly technical or difficult for younger people.

The platform also offers a clean design that keeps the focus firmly on learning rather than distractions. My kids engage particularly well with the real-world examples and discussion-led style of the content, which encourages curiosity rather than passive consumption.

Considering the quality of the material available completely free, aiEDU feels really valuable for families and schools looking to introduce AI concepts without adding yet another expensive subscription service into the mix.

Best for video

ClickView

ClickView takes the strengths of video-based learning and packages it all into a far more focused educational experience than the open-ended chaos of general video platforms. With curated educational content, interactive quizzes, and classroom-ready resources, it creates an environment in which children can stay engaged without constantly being pulled toward unrelated distractions.

What works particularly well with my kids is how effectively video helps unlock topics they might normally avoid in text-heavy formats. Complex ideas often becomes easier to understand once presented visually, especially through shorter clips and structured explanations designed specifically for learning.

The platform also feels thoughtfully designed for both school and home use. Teachers can integrate lessons easily while parents benefit from knowing the content has been curated with education in mind.

Importantly, ClickView avoids making video learning feel passive. Interactive elements throughout encourage participation and reflection rather than endless watching. The result is a platform that manages to feel engaging and educational in equal measure, which is surprisingly difficult to achieve consistently.

The high school tech department of RSU 22, located along the Penobscot River near Bangor, Maine, offers traditional programming, such as woodworking and shop, as well as a bringing variety of engineering tech tools and an extremely well-equipped makerspace secured through grant funds. However, through a series of community partnerships and funding opportunities, it was able to launch its Higher Vision Drone Program.

“One of the things that appealed to me is that we already have nine community partners, which represent a range of businesses and organizations,” says Jennifer Nickerson, the district’s Director of Curriculum, who saw an opportunity to add drones to its career pathways. “A little local blueberry farmer in one of our four towns uses the drone to inspect her crops and plan what she needs to do for work that day. The Maine Forest Service visited, sharing stories about their advanced, expensive drones. But they use the same skills our kids are learning to use the drones to find missing people or protect forests and Maine’s natural beauty.”

ESSER funds enabled the school to create an esports lab, tech which served perfectly to accommodate the drone program’s flight simulators. Nickerson worked with Charlie Huff, a technology teacher at Hampden Academy and the department head, Todd Moore, to implement the Higher Vision Drone Program. Title II funds secured out-of-state training for the pair to get certified to teach the young prospective pilots.

“Each certified instructor can have eight kids fly under their license,” says Nickerson. “The first year, they co-taught the intro class together with 16 kids in the program for the fall semester. Of the 16, 14 continued on to take the Commercial Drone course for the spring semester. We have 11 students scheduled for their FAA Part 107 tests, with two passing this week.”

And from there, the program has taken flight.

“Now other students are seeing all this hard work pay off and next year's course enrollments have jumped up,” says Nickerson. “To be fair, some of it is probably because when you are sitting on the second floor in your English class and you see a drone fly by outside, it’s pretty good advertisement."

For this and other efforts, Nickerson was recently honored with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award. She shares her “Higher Vision Drone Program” implementation successes and tips for those interested in creating a similar program in their district.

Enrollment, Enlistment, Employment

RSU 22 dates back to 1803, and Nickerson’s family has long been a part of it.

“We like to say, ‘We’re rooted in tradition, but focused on the future,’” says Nickerson. “My kiddos are fifth-generation Broncos, I joke that I bleed purple. The success of RSU 22 is really personal to me and my family and to the four towns in our district. One of which is more affluent than the other three, which can cause issues with programming. However, it was also an inspiration to seek out the Teach with Tech grant from the Maine DOE, which includes a requirement to support underserved students.”

Nickerson saw it as a real way to level opportunities within her district.

”We have tons of AP classes in our high school, Hampden Academy, and we add to them every year,” she says. “But we wanted exciting opportunities for kids who don't fit in that AP niche. I went to a conference which leaned heavily on the concept of three paths for kids, all being equally valuable. Enrollment, enlistment, employment — we need to honor those kids by supporting them with a clear path to success. This was a great motivation to create our drone program.

One very exciting opportunity has presented itself from Cianbro, a nationwide construction company.

“They learned about our program and told me, ‘If you get kids to take and pass the FAA Part 107 test to earn their drone license, we will hire them the day of graduation,’” says Nickerson. “We want those opportunities for our students, because not everyone is going to go to college.”

The Importance of Community Partnerships

A distinctive feature of Hampden Academy’s drone program is its collaboration with nine community partners who share their expertise directly with students. These partnerships include:

• Hampden Public Safety: Demonstrating emergency response applications and public safety uses for drone technology.
• Cianbro: Showcasing industrial applications in construction and infrastructure development.
• News Center 2: Illustrating journalistic and media applications of drone photography and videography.
• Haley Ward Civil Engineering: Providing insights on surveying, mapping, and engineering applications.
• American Forestry Management: Highlighting environmental monitoring and forestry management techniques.
• Matt Thomas Media Productions: Sharing expertise in commercial drone photography and cinematography.
• Allan Gordon Jr Surveying: Demonstrating precision mapping and land surveying applications.
• United States Military: Offering perspectives on drone operations and career opportunities in defense.
• Maine Forest Service: Showcasing thermal imaging and precision aerial surveillance in public safety and natural resource management.

These partnerships provide students with real-world context for their learning and exposure to potential career pathways within their own communities.

“You can't just do it alone,” says Nickerson. “When your community gets behind you to share their expertise and open kids’ eyes to possibility, that culture can be one of your greatest resources even in small, rural, less affluent parts of the world. That’s one way this drone program will be sustainable for the future.”

Ultimately, Nickerson’s goal is just to do the right things for her students by securing the best tools for success.

“No one wants to build a house with a hammer that doesn't have a handle,” Nickerson says. “We need to have the best tools to do the best by our kids. Fortunately, this district has always put technology at the top of their priorities. We have a really supportive superintendent and assistant superintendent who believe in thinking outside the box. It’s just really great, because we need to prepare them. They are going to leave us one day, so we need to help them learn how to fly.”

4 Tips When Starting a New Tech Initiative

Nickerson offers advice to others who might be interested in launching a similar initiative:

• Don’t let lack of funds stop you. Think outside of the box and be creative and you will find the support.
• When securing grants, read the fine print. Some funds require specific choices in tech, such as drones that need to be made in the USA.
• Find your North Star and stay true to it. Think about what is most valuable to you and persevere. Don’t let setbacks stop you.
• Lean on your community. Resources don't have to be financial, expertise is invaluable.

Tools They Use

• Parrot ANAFI Drones
• Claude
• MagicSchool
• Google Suite
• Kibo Robots (Kinderlab)
• zSpace
• edWeb
• Chalk
• Smore
• SWIS/PBIS Apps
• Canva

As school is almost out around the country, I think a great deal about transition and change opportunities, knowing a new path forward can present our choice of solutions over persistent problems. I can remember when I started my leadership journey, handling a faculty that was carved out of the “us against them” mentality . . . .

School leaders need to leverage change when faced with this. Considering challenges like this remind me of a hit dystopian show, The Handmaid’s Tale. In it, The Eyes are the secret police of Gilead—ubiquitous, invisible, and terrifying. They don’t just enforce laws; they create a climate in which everyone becomes a volunteer spy, terrified that a coworker, friend, or neighbor is documenting and reporting their every "indiscretion."

When a school culture mirrors this, we are stuck in our own dystopia; it becomes a place where teachers and leaders look over their shoulder instead of at their students.

Here is how that toxic dynamic manifests, and how a principal can act as a buffer to disrupt–or better yet–dismantle it.

The Faculty Lounge as a Surveillance Hub

In a toxic school environment, "The Eyes" are not a formal department but rather a culture of lateral surveillance through which staff members monitor each other’s clock-in times, lesson plan quality, curriculum delivery, or management styles.

This is rarely done to help; instead, it is used to gather "intel." In these places, gossip serves as a weaponized currency used to gain power, influence, or divert attention from personal insecurities. When mistakes occur—whether it is a parent complaint or a botched lesson—the immediate instinct is not to solve the problem, but to find a scapegoat.

The Principal as a Protective Shield

School leaders need to own this problem even if they didn’t create it. They must consistently and respectfully manage these “blamers,” responsibilities, problems, and complaints back to their rightful owners.

Principals must act as a shield that absorbs negativity from those attempting to weaponize others' vulnerabilities so it doesn't crush the staff morale, or worse, hamper their impact on children.

This process begins by actively filtering the "intel." When a staff member attempts to "report" a colleague’s minor infraction, formally or informally, a protective principal shuts it down, redirecting rather than using that perceived, or worse, real power to build a file on a peer.

The principal must redirect by shifting the focus from who made a mistake to what went wrong with the system. For example, if an assembly fails because of a technical error, the leader pivots others from blaming an individual to analyzing how to make the technical checklist more transparent for everyone.

By practicing accountability and absorbing the shock for others' mistakes, the principal removes the incentive for staff to blame one another. If the leader says, "That’s on me," the staff no longer needs a scapegoat, unless that scapegoat becomes twisted into the principal to blame (more on that later).

Building a Sanctuary of Practice

Disrupting this culture requires an intentional focus on psychological safety. School leaders must move the environment away from a system of surveillance and secrecy toward one of support and transparency. Instead of monitoring for mistakes, the leader transforms the organization to monitoring for needs. This shift replaces finger-pointing with process analysis and ensures equity, through which everyone is held to the same clear standard rather than utilizing toxic informants.

When a principal refuses to allow staff to throw each other under the bus, the "Eyes" eventually lose sight of the cause. If snickering, spying, and sabotage no longer result in social or professional capital, the behavior is minimized, or better yet, stops altogether.

By serving as a filter, the principal can build a safe practice space. Teachers begin to take risks and innovate because they know that if they stumble, their leader will catch them rather than let the "Eyes" report them.

If All Else Fails: Dismantling "The Eyes"

Sometimes, despite your best efforts to empower decent people, a toxic culture has taken deep root. If all else fails, you have to look at the climate of surveillance that the police state has built and act to dismantle it. Break up the group!

The vocal, negative minority rarely perform their negativity in a vacuum and thrive on a specific kind of fuel: an audience. These cliques require the middle-of-the-road teachers to watch, nod, or remain silently compliant.

Neutralizing a negative clique is about protecting the classroom for those who are there for their kids. This process starts by identifying the ringleaders—often veterans with high informal influence—and addressing them with surgical precision. By dealing with these bad actors individually and privately, the leader prevents the public access to the theater of their "gotcha" moments, removing their ammunition of derailment, ensuring the oxygen in the room remains focused on student growth rather than adult grievances.

As the leader works to shut the "Eyes," systems thinking becomes a silent form of cultural reorganization. Because negative energy is highly contagious in close quarters, the architect of a "win-win" faculty thoughtfully disperses these magnets away from one another, breaking up the echo chambers in which gossip acts as a weapon.

When the focus shifts from the challenging individuals to the majority who stand together for children over power, the social capital of the negative group begins to deteriorate. By giving the best teachers the loudest voice and the most significant influence, the principal makes it socially "uncool" to join the surveillance culture. If spying and sabotage no longer result in proximity to power, the "Eyes" eventually go blind.

Administrative transfers are equivalent to retirement and other “miracles,” when relocating individuals to different departments, grade levels, or schools permanently disrupts the clique’s daily operational power.

In the end, the goal is to curate a faculty in which every member is invested. By removing these final toxic roadblocks, the leader ensures that the negative individuals move on to environments better suited for them, while the remaining staff finally finds the psychological safety they need to thrive, innovate, and look forward instead of over their shoulders.

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.

Edcafe AI is a rare tool in the world of AI as it, unlike many others out there, is specifically designed to support classes through the entire teaching cycle.

Built for educators, this AI tool works to offer support across the full teaching process, from lesson planning to assessments -- all in one easy-to-access platform.

The idea here is to offer a more time-efficient way to work, without jumping around between tools. From building a lesson from scratch -- differentiating for mixed abilities -- to tracking student progress, this tool should streamline that process for ease.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Edcafe AI for use in your class.

What is Edcafe AI?

Edcafe AI is a digital AI-powered assistant for teachers to help across planning, teaching, and assessing lessons. By combining multiple tools, this offers a single platform for teachers to create, organize, deliver, and evaluate learning.

This allows teachers to plan curriculum-aligned lessons and then create classroom-ready learning materials. Assigning these to students, and assessing as well as tracking progress, is also built into the platform.

That all should mean teachers only need to open this one tool to get everything done, saving on time and effort -- so they can focus on more valuable teacher-student time.

How does Edcafe AI work?

Edcafe AI combines the power of artificial intelligence with the materials already being used by teachers. Current and sourced materials can be uploaded for use, all being enhanced to work with the AI ecosystem.

What that actually looks like is a teacher uploads a document, slides, or curriculum content. The AI then generates lessons, quizzes, or activities that can be shared using links or QR codes. Students can then work with these materials as teachers track engagement and performance in real time.

Usefully, there are feedback loops that allow teachers to see how students are responding, so as to refine future lessons based on student ability.

Since students don't need accounts, this is all super simple to setup and share so students can begin working with the materials right away.

What are the best Edcafe AI features?

Edcafe AI uses artificial intelligence to make the creation of materials fast and easy from full lesson plans, slides, and quizzes to reading activities.

Chatbots can also be created, with custom inputs, which are then able to assist students as they work through topics. They then can get personalized feedback and help as they work, without it costing teachers on time.

Those quizzes that can be generated are also able to be auto-graded, saving even more teacher time. This can be a quick way to assess student ability with any learning gaps easy to identify and work on improving.

Since Google Drive can be used with this system, it makes for an easy way not only to access and enhance current materials, but to generate and share more across the school.

Everything is end-to-end here, so teachers can work in one platform to get everything done. This is not only helpful for saving on time, but can also be far less mentally straining.

How much does Edcafe AI cost?

Edcafe AI offers a tiered pricing model, including a free option. The plans break down like this:

Free plan: Limited AI generations and core tools.

Pro plan: From around $7.99/month (annual billing) with expanded features.

Premium plan: From around $14.99/month with unlimited usage and school-level tools.

Custom options are also available for schools and districts, including onboarding and integration support.

Edcafe AI best tips and tricks

Start with your own materials
Upload existing lesson content to get more accurate, curriculum-aligned outputs.

Use chatbots for differentiation
Set up different chatbots for varying ability levels or topics to personalize support.

Generate then refine
Treat AI outputs as a starting point and tweak for tone, accuracy, and class context.

Watch above or download/listen below.

Karl Rectanus has a new mission: change the trajectory of U.S. literacy. The edtech veteran — best known for founding Learn Platform, the evidence and edtech management company — has taken the helm as CEO of Really Great Reading (RGR), one of the country's oldest and most established science of reading organizations.

I was lucky enough to catch Karl for a few minutes. He made it clear that his arrival at RGR is not simply a leadership transition — it's a strategic pivot toward accountability. "Two-thirds of our kids cannot read by the end of third grade," he says. "And they're not reading at grade level by the time they graduate."

RGR was doing science of reading before it became a buzzword, Rectanus notes, tracing its roots to Learning Without Tears around 2005–2006. The organization has evolved from print-first materials — letter blocks, syllable boards, classroom posters — into a full suite of digital tools, professional learning, and coaching. Now, under Rectanus, the organization is going further: positioning itself as the first literacy outcomes company in the space.

Central to that ambition is outcomes-based contracting, a model Rectanus says has never been applied to literacy at scale. Rather than selling books or apps and hoping for the best, RGR will tie its agreements to measurable student progress. "We will be holding ourselves accountable," he says, pointing to more than 5 million foundational skills learned by students using RGR tools in the current school year alone.

Rectanus cites Mississippi's dramatic rise in reading scores — from 49th to 18th nationally — as proof that the model works when implemented with fidelity. "It's not a miracle," he says. "It's a Southern surge. They focused on three things: aligned curriculum, a caring adult, and a feedback loop."

He also addresses the pending federal Read Act, cautioning that legislation alone won't move the needle. "Unless states and districts do something with whatever happens there, it will not mean anything," he says.

His prescription for tech directors and curriculum leaders: stop asking for content, start asking for outcomes.

ClassPoint is one of those tools designed to perfectly blend other software that teachers, until now, have been using separately. The idea being that this can save time and effort with one do-it-all solution.

The combination here is of the ever-helpful slides-based tools, such as PowerPoint, with quiz-style apps that allow for more measurable engagement.

This does plenty more though, thanks to AI and the ability to gamify learning, all while offering real-time feedback to educators.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about ClassPoint to see if it could save you time and enhance your instruction.

What is ClassPoint?

ClassPoint is a digital tool that combines slide-based teaching with interactive assessment options to offer a more dynamic class experience.

This integrates directly with Microsoft PowerPoint so teachers can use current tools and slides to make it all more interactive.

The app offers quizzes and polls that allow educators to measure student answers, live. This also helps teachers to turn slides into interactive whiteboards, with slide annotation live as the class works through materials.

To be clear, this works within PowerPoint, so existing class materials can be reused rather than doing everything from scratch.

How does ClassPoint work?

ClassPoint works as a PowerPoint add-on, so you can get this installed and then work on your slide decks directly.

Teachers can work with the interactive elements right there from within the slides. Students are sent a join code that allows them to interact using their own devices. Everyone can be working on the main whiteboard screen, with interactions sent live from their devices.

So while teachers are presenting as normal, students are able to respond with answers to quizzes, annotation drawing, or even uploads from their devices. The results of all this can be shown immediately on screen at the front of class.

Also integrated is an AI quiz generator. This scans the slides you're using and automatically offers questions that will work with that presentation. That can mean a huge saving on preparation time for teachers as well as the ability to get into a quiz on any slide section, even if previously unplanned.

What are the best ClassPoint features?

ClassPoint is all real-time so feedback from students is live, allowing teachers to adapt their teaching -- stopping longer on a topic or moving on -- as the lesson progresses.

That AI quiz generator is a really big value as saves time, offering more spontaneity and the ability to adjust these to suit different ability levels.

Teachers can gamify everything as there is the option to award stars, track progress, and even display leaderboards to help with motivation and participation.

Thanks for the ability to annotate directly, this allows any PowerPoint slide to become an interactive whiteboard canvas. This is for teachers, live, but also for students that want to add text, images, audio, video, drawings and more.

Usefully, for teachers, this can help with tracking of participation, with built-in reporting tools.

How much does ClassPoint cost?

ClassPoint offers a tiered pricing model that includes a free plan. The levels break down into:

Free (Basic): Limited features, small class sizes, and capped quizzes.

Pro: Around $8/month (billed annually), unlocks larger classes, unlimited questions, and more advanced tools.

Premium: Custom pricing for schools, with features such as unlimited AI credits and deeper analytics.

The free tier is functional enough for trying it out, but most of the more powerful features, especially AI and analytics, sit behind the paid plans.

ClassPoint best tips and tricks

Turn slides into instant quizzes
Add interactive questions directly into your PowerPoint to check understanding without switching tools.

Use live responses to guide teaching
Adjust your lesson in real time based on how students answer polls and quizzes.

Gamify participation with points
Reward correct answers and engagement to motivate quieter students to get involved.

In a recent interview with child and adolescent development expert Ellen Galinsky, we discussed why developing executive functioning in our youngest learners is the “secret sauce” to lifelong success. To see how these theories translate into the classroom, I spoke with Michelle Miller, Superintendent of the South Fayette Township School District, about how her district is operationalizing this mindset.

South Fayette is currently one of 10 pilot sites testing a new curriculum focused on executive functioning, developed in partnership with Galinsky and the School Superintendent Association (AASA).

Miller, an educator with nearly 30 years of experience, notes that while these foundational skills have always been important, these became vital following the social isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the younger grades, Miller observed a visible gap in regulation skills.

“Kids missed a year or two of critical social development,” Miller says. When schools returned to in-person learning, she and her colleagues found students who were capable of memorizing facts but struggled to navigate social friction or manage their own cognitive loads.

By prioritizing executive functioning—the mental processes that allow us to plan, focus, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks—students (and adults) can better manage emotional well-being and academic rigor. As the global workforce shifts its demand toward adaptability and self-regulation, these are no longer soft skills but the tools students need to navigate the futures they choose.

The Case for Early Intervention

Miller agrees with Galinsky that the foundation for these skills must be laid long before high school. While elementary environments naturally embrace the whole child, Miller notes a common disconnect as students move up the academic ladder.

“If we wait to start talking about these skills in high school, we’ve missed nine years of schooling and opportunities,” Miller explains.

Valuing executive functioning is one thing; operationalizing it within a complex school system is another. Miller suggests districts move away from the traditional “Portrait of a Graduate” toward a “Portrait of a Learner.” This subtle shift ensures that goals such as collaboration, communication, and grit apply to a kindergartner just as much as a senior.

Here are three ways South Fayette Township School District brings their “Portrait of a Learner” to life:

1. Building a Common Vocabulary

Systemic change begins with linguistics. Miller’s district uses a shared vocabulary to create a culture that supports their strategic plan.

“Our plan is rooted in being ‘future-focused,’” Miller says. “We are always looking at what our students need to be successful beyond our walls. Strong executive functioning aligns perfectly with the attributes companies look for in their employees.”

The district’s focus centers on two key pillars:

• Student-Centered: Keeping the “whole child” at the center to ensure well-being in all areas of life.
• Innovation-Driven & Embracing Failure: “As an innovative district, we want to be a model for failure,” Miller says. “When we fail, we fail fast and fail forward. We celebrate failure here. That’s a tough thing to instill in families used to measuring success by traditional grades, but it's essential for the growth of our students' executive functioning skills.”

2. Creating Space: "Flex" and "WIN" Time

Executive functioning requires the ability to self-assess and prioritize. To foster this, Miller builds intentional time into the school day:

• WIN Time (What I Need): At the elementary level, this allows students to work through academic struggles before any trigger paralyzing anxiety.
• Flex Periods: In high school, these periods allow students to choose their focus—whether visiting a math lab, collaborating on a project, or taking "down time" to regulate.

3. The HEART Curriculum

The district is planning a course titled HEART (Health, Emotion, Awareness, Relationships, and Tech Safety). It addresses the physiological roots of executive functioning—such as nutrition and sleep—alongside emotional regulation.

Miller shares an example of helping a student reframe anxiety before a football game: “I told him, 'Getting butterflies is okay. That stress is just a chemical reaction to doing something important to you.' We need kids to identify that being nervous doesn't have to be paralyzing.”

Advice for District Leaders

For leaders looking to implement similar shifts, Miller offers a roadmap rooted in intentionality:

• Start With Why: Ground initiatives in brain research. When stakeholders question the shift away from traditional metrics, cite the science: regulation and attention are prerequisites for learning.
• Focus On Specificity: You cannot be everything to everyone. “If we focus on one skill, such as dysregulation at the elementary level, I bet we'll see attention, social interaction, and persistence increase," Miller says. Pick one or two skills to start; these will serve as a foundation for all other cognitive growth.
• Support Educators: South Fayette uses tools such as TeachFX, an app that gives teachers real-time feedback on high-leverage instructional practices such “teacher talk time” versus “student talk time.” When teachers reflect on their own engagement practices, they are better equipped to mentor students in theirs.

“Executive functioning skills are not soft skills anymore," Miller emphasizes. "They are essential skills."

ClickView is a video-learning platform that's been designed specifically to work in education class scenarios. That means this is a safe, classroom-appropriate resource that's loaded up with educators in mind.

Unlike the mine-field that can be YouTube, this is filled with curriculum-aligned content that is well-organized so teachers can find and use what they need with ease -- saving on time and effort.

Thanks to the vetted and curated content, along with interactive tools, this can be used as a powerful way to deepen or introduce learning in class and beyond.

This guide aims to lay out all you could need to know about ClickView as a potential tool for your class.

What is ClickView?

ClickView is all about video, specifically school-based video viewing. This education-focused video platform offers access to thousands of curriculum-aligned, curated videos that cover a range of subjects and topics.

Since this is built for education specifically, the content is all age-appropriate, curriculum-linked, and vetted for classroom use.

Usefully, it's all well-organized too. Teachers can browse by subject, topic, or learning level to get to video content that relevant and high-quality -- ultimately saving on search time. Plus, it's possible to add interactive, assessment elements to make this even more engaging.

Students can access this via a single sign-on, class code, or school credentials -- all meaning access through a secure and school-friendly system.

How does ClickView work?

ClickView is made to work as a tool that teachers can use to make their planning easier, more rich, and ultimately, faster -- while still giving students the most engaging experience.

Teachers start by logging in to their school account. They can then immediately search by topic, subject, or keyword as needed. Filters help to narrow results with results focused on level, content type, and topic.

When the video has been picked, it can be played in class, shared with students directly, embedded into lesson plans, or assigned for independent study at another time.

Teachers can give student access via a class code, or students can get in using their own login, depending on how the school is setup. This can mean in-class use but also at-home learning, if a hybrid model is being used with this setup.

Usefully, teachers can also add interactive layers to follow after the video has been watched. These include questions, annotations, and interactive timeline elements. All that should make for a more active learning experience that sticks.

What are the best ClickView features?

ClickView has thousands of videos that are all curriculum-aligned, so teachers can search by specific topic to quickly find ideal materials without the need to vet it themselves.

The interactivity of videos is a big draw here as it allows teachers to tailor the follow-up experience. That can lead to a more engaged viewer, knowing they need to answer questions after.

The search functionality is a big draw here as it allows for direct keyword searches but also a browse function. This can help stimulate lesson planning by browsing what's available, or offer direct results to save on time.

Since students can access these videos via a shared code, or school login, it makes for easy access across devices. Sharing these for in-class or at-home use is just as easy either way.

Analytics tools allow teachers to see how students have engaged with the videos and interactive elements. This should be useful in guiding help for students, adapting lesson plans, and generally tailoring support.

Teachers can even upload their own videos and resources to help build the customized library available across the school or class.

How much does ClickView cost?

ClickView pricing is not publicly listed and is typically offered via a school or district subscription model.

Costs vary depending on school size, region, feature access, and licensing requirements.

Schools usually need to request a quote or demo to get specific pricing details.

ClickView best tips and tricks

Use clips instead of full videos
Short segments keep attention high and allow for more targeted discussion.

Add questions directly into videos
Embedding quizzes help check understanding in real time without extra worksheets.

Flip the classroom
Assign videos as homework so lesson time can focus on discussion and application.

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

Dotstorming is a digital point of centralization for a class to help get everyone contributing as a team.

While real-world voting and brainstorming can leave out the quiet voices, this tool works to help everyone have a say. It's equal parts digital sticky notes and voting system, all working live in the room.

This is a simple tool at its heart, offering voting to the class, but in a way that's powerful in its potential output. With the option to span in class use and hybrid learning models, this is a helpful way to keep the class focused as a group.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about how Dotstorming could work for your class.

What is Dotstorming?

Dotstorming is a digital tool that is browser-based for easy access across the class and devices available. This works as a brainstorming and decision-making system that lets the group share ideas and vote in real time.

Use text, images, videos, and PDFs, as the virtual board system allows for a range of materials to be shared in the class for discussion purposes.

This, used in conjunction with the "dot voting" system, allows the students to participate in group decisions instantly. Teachers can then cut the debate and noise when trying to get directly to a group consensus, or gauge of class opinions on a matter.

Easy organization of these "boards," by popularity, allow for further streamlining of this process for use in class with minimal teacher effort.

How does Dotstorming work?

Dotstorming offers teachers a space to create boards that can then be shared with students via a link. Since there is no login needed, or special devices thanks to browser access, this can be used across student devices easily.

Students are then able to add their own ideas in a post-style system using text, images, and videos. They can see the contributions of others and vote on preferred ideas using their limited number of votes to pick and choose.

For teachers, there is the chance to manage the number of votes each student has before letting them take part. Control over chat and commenting is also available, with the option to disable. Finally, teachers can also lock submissions ready to move onto voting as the only option, for simplicity.

Once voting is all done, the results can be stored and used as part of future discussions or lesson planning. All that helps this become a useful formative assessment tool as well as prioritization pointer.

What are the best Dotstorming features?

Dotstorming works in real-time so group collaboration, at speed, is possible without getting lost in debate or counting of votes. That can result in high-energy and inclusive lessons while keeping everyone involved in voting.

The rich media support makes this a powerful tool to use across a range of subjects. That means using images, videos, text, and PDFs to help teachers bring in ideas but also to allow students a way to freely express themselves.

The sticky note-style layout on the board makes for a very visually engaging way to share information. It strikes the balance between digital and analogue that feels easy to use while still staying efficient and organized.

The fact students can join in with a simple link and their name, without account creation being necessary, is a hugely powerful part of how easy and effective Dotstorming is for use in classes, even for the first time. It also supports student data privacy.

How much does Dotstorming cost?

Dotstorming works on a freemium model. That means you have two levels:

Free: Limited boards and topics, but fully functional for basic classroom use.

Paid plans: Offer expanded usage and additional features (pricing varies).

For many teachers, the free tier is enough to run effective sessions, especially if boards are reused.

Dotstorming best tips and tricks

Start with a focused prompt
Clear, specific questions lead to better quality ideas and more meaningful voting.

Limit the number of votes
Restricting votes forces students to prioritize rather than select everything.

Use it for checks
Have students post what they don’t understand, then vote to surface key gaps.

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

These provocative and powerful words are familiar to most 21st-century Americans. But to truly appreciate their radical and revolutionary meaning, we must understand what political and social ideas were commonly held during the Colonial era.

These semiquincentennial lessons and activities provide a broad range of pathways through which educators can teach the founding of our country, its remarkable exceptionalism, and equally remarkable divergence between ideals and practice.

A note about the word semiquincentennial: As the semiquincentennial approaches, you may be feeling nostalgic for the days of the bicentennial, which was easier to pronounce and spell. But the word is actually quite logical in both. Based on Latin roots, semiquincentennial deconstructs as follows: semi meaning half; quin meaning five and centennial meaning hundredth. It’s pronounced sem-ee-kwin-sen-TEN-ee-uhl. Happy 4th of July!

Best Lessons and Activities for the Semiquincentennial

National Constitution Center: The Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights
What’s the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? And what about the Bill of Rights – how does that fit? Although the U.S.Constitution and Bill of Rights didn’t exist in 1776, it’s best to understand these documents as part of the same striving toward democracy and freedom. This in-depth article, written by constitutional experts Jeffrey Rosen and David Rubenstein, explores and clarifies the similarities and differences among these three crucial founding documents. An ideal place to start for students in grades 6-12.

American Battlefield Trust: Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan
A detailed, standards-aligned lesson plan for use in middle and high school classrooms. Students will learn about the process of creating and adopting the Declaration of Independence as well as its importance in history. Includes a teaching guide, PowerPoint presentation, student worksheets, and digital versions of primary source documents.

PBS: The American Revolution Learning Resources
Based on video excerpts from Ken Burns’ The American Revolution, these standards-aligned lessons explore topics such as: demographics and economy of the colonies; causes of the American revolution, key events and figures; and consequences and legacies of the era. Lessons are classified by grade and include teacher guides, discussion questions, vocabulary, and handouts. Shareable to Google Classroom with a free PBS account.

DocsTeach America 250 Activities and Documents
From the National Archives, a selection of downloadable digital versions of the key primary source documents related to America’s founding and early years. Each document is accompanied by explanatory text as well as a complete transcript so readers don’t have to try to decipher faded old- fashioned handwriting. Activities for selected documents serve as grade-leveled lesson plans and formative assessments, and include suggested teaching instructions. Sharable to Google Classroom.

Bill of Rights Institute: Declaration of Independence Lesson
What were the philosophical bases and practical implications of the Declaration of Independence? This complete, scaffolded lesson plan takes a deep dive into these questions about our country’s founding document. Includes all required readings, activities, educator answer key, lesson extensions, student handouts, and graphic organizers. A free account is required to download the full lesson plan in a single PDF.

Museum of the American Revolution Mini Lesson Plans
Ten American Revolution lesson plans that while concise, nonetheless include everything needed to cover topics including historical object analysis, dissecting the Declaration, Alexander Hamilton, the people of colonial America, and George vs. George–a comparison between King George III and George Washington.

Museum of the American Revolution: Season of Independence
To Americans of our modern era, it may seem “self-evident” that all colonial Americans would have supported their states’ efforts toward independence. While the majority did support independence, this was not universal. Explore how the demographics of Revolution supporters vs. Loyalists changes over the first six months of 1776. Map-based interactive with links to further inquiry about people and places.

Beyond the Battlefield: A Virtual Field Trip to the Museum of the American Revolution
An enthusiastic and engaging virtual visit to the Museum of the American Revolution, hosted by Lauren Tarshis, author of the bestselling I Survived children’s book series. The video appears to be aimed at younger learners but the classroom kit that accompanies the video contains readings for students in grades 2-8. Downloadable PDFs include vocabulary, discussion questions, and answers. An excerpt from Tarshis’ I Survived the American Revolution 1776 is also provided. This would be a great place to start with younger learners or any students who respond well to a people-centered approach to history.

iCIVICS Education Investigation Declaration Game
Oh no! A criminal enterprise, known as Baddies Against Rights and Freedom (B.A.R.F.) has hacked into the Bureau of Ideas with the intent to destroy files related to freedom, democracy, and rights. Enlisted as Special Agents, players will collect clues from 1776 to restore the ideas and damaged files of the Declaration of Independence. This absorbing game is intricate enough to keep older kids involved, while also providing a glossary for younger learners. Available in English and Spanish. A free account is not required, but does allow users to save in-game progress and compete with others.

National Humanities Center: The American Revolution as Civil War
We think of the conflict that led to American independence as a revolution—and we commonly refer to it as the “American Revolution.” But at its heart, wasn’t it actually a civil war? In this lesson for grades 10-12, students will read and analyze a travel journal from 1775, written by a Scottish woman who visited her brother in North Carolina and observed patriot and loyalist activities. Provided are a teacher’s guide, close-reading questions, and a fillable PDF assignment for students. An excellent lesson for advanced students.

Gilder Lehrman Institute: The Declaration of Independence at 250
A wealth of activities devoted to the Declaration’s 250th anniversary. All activities are grade-leveled and include formative quizzes, teacher’s guide, and interactive elements. Explore topics such as whether the revolution was justified, how and why Congress changed Thomas Jefferson’s initial draft, and the reaction of British people to their colony’s assertion of rights.

iCivics: Why Do We Have So Many Governments?
In this inquiry-based, standards-aligned lesson plan, students will learn about the three levels of government, the principle and practice of federalism, and how life in the colonies and the Articles of Confederation affected the founders’ decision making. Includes Google Slideshow, PDFs, and student handouts. With a free account, educators can create a class and assign this lesson.

Abigail Adams and “Remember the Ladies”
Abigail Adams is famous for appealing to her husband John Adams during the months prior to the signing of the Declaration. Students will read her letters and analyze their words in response to close-reading questions. A teacher’s guide, fillable PDF, vocabulary, interactive exercises, and follow-up assignment are all included.

Discovery Education: Free Classroom Resources to Commemorate the U.S.'s 250th Anniversary
Organized by grade level and theme, this downloadable guide offers selected K-12 social studies resources relevant to the semiquincentennial. Topics covered include the Declaration of Independence, origins of the U.S. Constitution, equal protection under the law and more. Video, slideshow and interactive text materials are included.

Flint is an AI tool designed to offer personalized learning, and teaching, to students and educators in a very effective way.

Unlike many of the ever-appearing new AI tools out there, this is designed from the ground up as a way to make learning better. That's where this stands out. Rather than acting as a generic chatbot, it is designed specifically for classroom use, with guardrails, analytics, and structured activities that aim to keep teachers in control.

This is about extending teaching by giving each student something closer to one-to-one support, while still aligning with curriculum goals. Offering AI tutoring, assignment creation, and classroom analytics, this is built to make life easier all round.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about how Flint could work in your class.

What is Flint?

Flint is an AI-powered learning platform built specifically for K–12 schools, designed to support personalized instruction across subjects including math, science, English, and languages.

Two key parts are available here: one in the AI teaching assistant, to help create lessons, activities, and feedback. But there is also the AI tutor part, called Sparky, which helps students by adapting explanations and supporting individual needs.

Centered around class workflows, these tools help teachers make AI-driven assignments, upload curriculum materials, and define how much help the AI is allowed to give, ranging from gentle guidance to more direct support.

Usefully, this can be deployed across schools, with admin oversight and LMS integrations, as well as helpful analytics and engagement tracking, all as part of the package.

How does Flint work?

Flint lets teachers create or upload content using items such as worksheets, rubrics, lessons, or external resources as needed. Using that as a foundation, the AI is then able to generate interactive learning activities to be completed.

Students can then interact through the sessions, asking questions, working through problems, or getting writing feedback as they go. This is great for projects, in which structured support can help them work at scale without the need for lots of teacher-based scaffolding along the way -- potentially helping build confidence, too.

The system uses large language models with tools such as web search, code-based calculations, and translation to improve accuracy and flexibility.

Teachers keep control throughout, since they can design and implement guardrails. This includes preventing the AI from giving direct answers or requiring it to guide students through reasoning instead, for example.

Admins and teachers can also view interaction histories, allowing for transparency and safeguarding, with automatic flagging of inappropriate content.

What are the best Flint features?

Flint is all about that AI tutoring for students to feel supported and engaged with at their level -- helping high achievers progress at their pace while anyone struggling can be supported to grow comfortably.

The ability to implement guardrails is a huge positive for educators. They can define how the AI behaves, ensuring it supports learning without simply giving answers.

The use of content already available, such as teacher materials currently in use, is a really powerful way that this extends teaching and learning without going from scratch. It can also help sticking to current lesson plans and standards easily.

Feedback is powerful here with real-time looks at student performance and engagement. This is individual but also with a general overview across the class.

When it comes to assignments, this AI can help with deadlines, time limits, and follow-up activities. At the same time it supports multimodal learning tools with text-to-speech, speech-to-text, image processing, and even graphing and code support for STEM subjects.

All that, plus it integrates with LMS and SIS, such as Google Classroom, to make integration and deployment an easy part of the process also.

How much does Flint cost?

Flint offers a free tier for up to 80 users, making it accessible for individual teachers or small pilots.

Paid plans are structured by school size, starting at around: $3,000/year for smaller deployments. This scales to custom pricing for larger institutions.

Paid tiers add features including LMS/SIS integration, advanced analytics, and dedicated support.

Flint best tips and tricks

Start with one class
Pilot the platform with a single group to refine how you want the AI to behave before scaling.

Set clear guardrails early
Define whether the AI should guide, hint, or explain, to shape student learning habits from the start.

Upload your own materials
Ground the AI in your curriculum to improve relevance and reduces generic responses.

Repetitio est mater studiorum.

Or to say it another way, repetition is the mother of learning.

And while repetition sometimes gets a bad rap (as in “drill and kill”), properly utilized, repetition can help cement foundational concepts and allow students to advance to more deeper and nuanced forms of learning.

The learning platform I Know It provides a wide range of activities and exercises for K-5 math and English language arts practice, as well as progress reports for educators and parents and gamified feedback for students.

What is I Know It?

I Know It is a math and English language arts practice site that provides extensive, individualized exercises for students in grades K-5.

The platform includes some of the most engaging features of gamification, such as congratulatory graphics and animations, sound effects, awards, and badges. I think it strikes an excellent balance between fully gamified interactives on one hand and dry data-driven instruction on the other.

I Know It goes beyond simple practice modules by aligning the majority of its exercises with Common Core Standards or selected state standards. Plus, its student-friendly features will encourage timely assignment completion as well as exploration of additional, unassigned problem sets.

How Does I Know It Work?

I Know It makes it easy for educators to sign up for its generous free trial. Simply provide your name, school name, phone number, and email and you’re ready to explore the site. Once signed in, teachers can set options for the following parameters:

• Standards (Common Core, Texas or Florida)
• Hints (none, three or unlimited)
• Animations (on/off)
• Students may explore on their own (yes/no)
• Questions may be read aloud (on/off)
• Progress report to parents via email (yes/no)

Given the level of control and optimization provided, I Know It has a remarkably clean interface with intuitive navigation. It’s also very easy to edit any of these parameters at any time later.

CREATING A CLASS

Create and name your class from the My Students tab. The easiest way to populate your online classes is to use the Rapid Roster feature, which accepts text input, or copy-and-pasted names from a text file, spreadsheet, or email. The system will then create the user names and passwords for you. These can be edited later if you wish. You can also print out a PDF with all student names and passwords.

GETTING TO KNOW THE EXERCISES

I Know It offers two categories of practice: math and English language arts. To start exploring practice sets, select a category and grade from the top menu or from the teacher dashboard. Now you’ll see the entire range of problems for that grade, with large bold print headings so you can easily find your preferred activities.

To get a quick view of a problem type, mouse over the description and an example will pop up. To try it yourself, click to open the problem. Your view will be identical to the student’s view, so you can see what happens following a correct answer or an incorrect answer.

Note the animation option toggle in the lower right corner. Students who prefer not to have graphic or animated feedback can adjust their own settings.

If you’d like to experience and test the platform exactly as a student would, sign in as a student in a separate browser. First add a student; e.g.; Test Student. Open a new browser (for example, use Edge if your teacher account is open in Chrome) and sign in as Test Student, logging in with user name, the class code and the password. A separate student email is not required.

ASSIGNING EXERCISES

To assign activities from the teacher dashboard, select grade and subject (math or ELA), then select the desired exercise. The Assign Lesson window gives you multiple options for the assignment, including number of questions (1-80), which students to assign, display options, auto reassign, and several others.

What Are the Best I Know It Features?

LESSON DIFFERENTIATION

One of most useful features built into the I Know It platform is the ease with which teachers can differentiate lessons. This can be accomplished in two ways:

1. Assigning a lesson of a lower or higher grade level to individual students.
   Instead of assigning fourth grade math sets to Jane Doe, you can assign second grade problem sets, since she's currently working at that level. You can then quickly assign grade-level work to the rest of the students if desired. Importantly, there will not be a grade level displayed on assignments.
   
2. Setting the "ability level" to a lower or higher grade.
   The "ability level" is an optional feature that, if set, will guide the level of exploration exercises offered to a student. These are the optional activities displayed underneath the student's assigned work.

PROGRESS TRACKING AND REPORTING

Student progress tracking allows teachers to see overviews of a class or student, or drill down into details if desired. "Recent Activity" lists students, lessons worked on, and scores, with a link to a detailed view for each student. Here teachers can view all of a student's questions and answers as well as time spent on tasks.

Teachers may also export a printable PDF progress report for selected intervals, or view awards won by students for completing lessons. Weekly progress reports will be emailed to parents if enabled in Settings.

BUILT-IN ACCESSIBILITY TOOLS

Each activity window sports a sound icon in the top left corner, allowing questions to be read aloud. Incorrect answers yield explanations clarifying the correct answer and offering the chance to view the question and answer again.

Does The Robot Have A Name And Why Is It So Much Fun?

Maybe it's just the fifth grader in me, but I love the animated robot character that responds to answers (if animations are permitted in settings). The variety of playful animations for correct answers—all with apt and amusing sound effects—include: blowing bubbles; barking dogs; flying birds; rain; rainbows; rocket ship taking off, circling the moon, parachuting back to Earth; juggling; a flower garden springing from the head; eating an apple that turns into a pie; and more.

My guess is that most kids will enjoy these animated rewards and hopefully, be more motivated to complete their work. Sadly, the riveting (and no doubt, riveted) robot is nameless.

How Much Does I Know It Cost?

I Know It offers three account types: Family, Single Teacher and School/District, with varying pricing and features. A 30-day free trial, with no credit card required, makes it straightforward to discover if the platform is right for your class.

The Family membership allows one parent and up to four children, using a single login, for $45 annually.

The Single Teacher account includes one teacher and 25 students (each of whom has an individual login) for $150 annually and the option to add additional student licenses at $7.50 each.

The District/School account provides additional benefits, such as a unlimited teacher accounts, a dedicated account manager, teacher training, phone tech support and others. The cost is per student and varies depending on the size of the school or district.

As the founder and director of Tech Camp for Teachers, Eva Harvell, Director of Technology, Pascagoula-Gautier School District in Mississippi, designed and led a multi-day institute that includes multiple presenters, reaching K-12 and higher ed educators from across the U.S.

The program focuses on practical ways to bring digital tools into the classroom, helping attendees move from basic usage to high-level digital pedagogy. By creating scalable learning opportunities, for both school-level and university-level educators, Harvell and her team ensures technology was a powerful tool instructors at all levels felt confident using.

“It started off with us just wanting to provide teachers technology training for those who were not able to get tech training, or who just wanted more than was made available to them,” Harvell says. “The presenters were actual teachers in the field. Vendors were showcasing what they used in the back of the gym where we met. It was just two days of pre-K all the way to higher education professors getting together, talking about edtech and how to incorporate tech tools in the classroom.”

The Pascagoula-Gautier School District spans 19 campuses serving roughly 6,300 students. As Technology Director, Harvell’s commitment to innovation is best seen through her work in empowering others to master new technology. For this and other efforts, she was recently recognized with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award.

Cost-Cutting Creativity Meets Generous Helpers

Smart planning and letting a program grow organically builds a budget-friendly way to connect with big impact.

“Our very first year, I went to vendors we had a very good relationship with and said, ‘Hey, we're looking to do this for two days and I need to provide food. Can you help me?’” Harvell says. “Our presenters were teachers on contract with us, so we worked with their principals to borrow them. It was a professional learning day for them, so they got some PD time as well. It was zero out-of-pocket for anybody who attended.”

A partnership with William Carey University provided an extra bonus, with teachers from the state of Mississippi earning free CEUs. Educators from other states received documentation to qualify at home.

“This started in our unused former high school building with word of mouth from my emailing tech directors and asking them to share with any teachers who were interested,” Harvell says. “We met in the gym and did trainings in the classrooms. It just stayed very grassroots. Anything we needed, we would ask one of our vendors or just figure out how to do it for free.”

4 Tips for Creating a Tech Camp for Teachers in Your District

Harvell shares advice for others considering such a program.

• If you're thinking of doing it, do it. “Don’t be afraid to go for it,” she says. “There can always be hiccups. At the end of the day, you are bringing teachers together and giving them a community so they can have the conversation — that’s what matters.”
• Build relationships and don’t be afraid to lean on them. “You never know unless you ask, but I didn’t think they would say yes,” Harvell says. “They didn’t even hesitate. I’m not sure that would have been the case if we didn’t already have that communication and established relationship.”
• Make it a day of fun — not just your normal PD. “Brand it, name it something cute,” she says. “Get teachers excited to attend by thinking outside of the box.”
• It will grow. They will come. “I was so nervous that first year,” Harvell recalls. “And now we have people driving eight hours to be a part of it. But even if it had been eight people, it would have been worth it. The goal was to provide resources and training. The goal was to help teachers.”

Too Much of a Good Thing is Still a Good Thing

With such an initial resounding success, Tech Camp for Teachers faced a new challenge when they were forced to step away from their in-person model during the COVID-19 pandemic to go remote. Some might have wondered if the infectious, fun element would be too diluted to still draw the crowd.

”It really ballooned when we went virtual,” Harvell says. “Everyone from pre-K to university professors across many states signed up. I have two technology integration specialists who help do this. It suddenly became a full-time job above the full-time job.”

All of the Tech Camp for Teacher training videos were pre-recorded for the virtual event. They were scheduled and then presented with a video live chat.

“Leading up to it, getting the presenters, maintaining the branding, getting all the videos ready to go,” recalls Harvell. “We spent hours upon hours getting it all loaded and put together. It was daunting but it was something that we loved doing, because we knew we were helping teachers.”

Harvell and her presenters have discovered that facilitating the camp has raised their visibility in unexpected ways.

“Now, when we go to our Mississippi state conference — people recognize us as ‘those tech camp people,’” she says. “WLOX, the news station here on the coast, even did a story on it. I’m working on my doctorate at William Carey University and I hear from my professors that they sat in on Tech Camp! I thought that was great because they are teaching pre-service teachers.

Harvell says the event is a win-win for everyone.

“Ultimately, providing resources for teachers is what we were all there to do,” she says. “It's grassroots. It's not a conference, it is just a big group of teachers getting together and sharing what they do.”

Tools They Use

• Acer and HP Chromebooks
• Fortinet
• Incident IQ
• Clever
• MagicSchoolAI
• Google Workspace for Education

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.

For Newton County Schools, a district in rural Georgia of more than 19,000 students spread across 24 buildings, ensuring that innovation is not isolated but systematically embedded into daily teaching and learning, can be a challenge.

Nonetheless, a comprehensive, district-wide digital learning ecosystem that measurably expands access, strengthens literacy, and prepares students for future careers has been developed under the leadership of Jennifer Williams, Director of Instructional Technology and Media Services.

“We do everything in my department based on ‘3E’--engagement, exposure, experience,” says Williams, who was recently honored with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award for her efforts.

The 3E approach ensures students do not passively consume technology but actively use it to build literacy, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.

• Engagement features high-level activities that make students creators and producers rather than just consumers, keeping a global focus.
• Exposure involves taking students on field trips to places as simple as the Microsoft store to more college- and career-focused destinations such as nearby Spelman Innovation Lab and Georgia Tech.
• Experience is providing hands-on opportunities in class, on field trips, and through partnerships.

“We want to engage our students, we want to expose them to new things, and give them experiences,” says Williams, adding that they’ve taken more than 20,000 students on field trips over the past three years alone. “We have to think of everything as not just a Newton County focus but a worldwide focus. They're in a global society. So we want to constantly engage them with different perspectives, different outlooks, different ways of learning.”

Newton County Schools has a scalable, future-ready digital ecosystem that prioritizes safety and compliance with federal laws, with Williams’ department vetting and re-vetting digital products. To ensure equity and access, all activities are free to all students, via grants and partnerships, which Williams and her team aggressively pursue.

The Rule of 3

Williams has worked to develop three major programs in the district: the Inspire program, which addresses the gender gap in coding; Read Across Newton, a district-wide literacy initiative; and Teach for Tomorrow, an annual technology conference providing training. All are underpinned by the 3E approach.

The Inspire program is a year-long effort focused on getting girls involved in science and coding through hands-on opportunities, visits to nearby Georgia Piedmont Technical College, a week-long coding camp, and a trip to a coding conference, much of which is sponsored by Amazon, who Williams has partnered with and who has provided grants. Students also get to explore 3D printers, LEGO robotics, and more.

“It's one thing telling them, ‘Oh, this is computer science,’ but actually taking them to a college, taking them on these field trips, working with the computer science department, all make a real impact,” Williams says. “They have the world-renowned computer science program nearby and they didn't know about it or think about going there, and it's only 45 minutes from their house.”

Read Across Newton is another year-long initiative during which students participate in book clubs, have people from across the district read to them, and have local authors present reading and writing workshops. During the district’s literacy extravaganza, celebrated the first Saturday in February, students get books to take home.

“So this year we had 3,600 people come and we gave away 55,000 books,” says Williams. “So, if you want to know what 55,000 books feels like, ask my back!”

Teach for Tomorrow, the district’s annual technology PD event right before the school year begins, drew more than 850 teachers last year, which is more than half of those in the district. The event is led by the instructional leadership team and the district’s vanguard teachers, who pilot tools and guide technology integration at the schools. Attendees learn about the district’s LMS, various digital tools, and of course, AI.

“It was amazing because these teachers came, sat, and did full technology learning, like a little mini ISTE conference,” says Williams. “We try to make it so when we do professional development, we help people fall in love with technology so they can help students fall in love with literacy and technology.”

Living The Dream

When it comes to leadership, Williams recommends being a constant student, and continuously learning about new products and understanding the relevant laws. Her best advice, however, is not to be “a lone wolf.”

“Be a part of a group of people who are like-minded, who can share with you and give you advice on how to do things,” she says, suggesting joining a professional networking group such as CoSN. “Find a tribe, a group that is going to help you be your thought partner as you make changes. You don't want to make a big change in your system without getting advice from others who are also in the same job because you're usually one of one in your district.”

In that vein, Williams says she’d be remiss if she didn’t mention “the secret sauce” in everything she does: her team. “I have some spectacular people that I work with,” she says, also citing the support of Dr. Sheila Thomas, Chief Strategy and Support Services Officer.

She also mentions the importance of having a collaborative team, which she also cross-trains. “We sit down and we talk about things,” she says. “And I hire people who are different from me. I don't need a whole ten Jennifers.”

Ultimately, she says being the instructional technology director and media services director, allowing her to merge her passions for reading and technology, has been a dream.

“I can have a lot of jobs but this is my passion–I tell my daughter this is my life's work,” says Williams. “I love going to work every day. There's not a morning that I don’t wake up and am like, ‘Oh boy, it's Monday! It’s another day that we're going to be able to do something great for a kid!’ I couldn’t ask for anything more."

Tools They Use

• Canvas
• Nearpod
• Book Creator
• Sora (the literacy app)
• ClassLink
• Microsoft
• Google Education

I have written previously about dealing with challenging staff and community members as a school leader and teacher.

This article was motivated by a reader reaching out to thank me for sharing hands-on, practical methods I offer. But she wanted one more: “What about difficult bosses? Aren’t they in a position of power, where I have little control over the outcome, even and especially if I disagree with them?”

I’ve written about a boss who missed the single biggest moments when leading. He never praised our accomplishments. It was remarkable; he was working harder not to acknowledge those of us that led our schools and needing support on the hardest of days.

Lack of worthy praise is one thing. How do we handle a boss who uses intimidation, blame displacement, and worse, steals credit for our work? I would love to tell you that they are far and few between, but I am writing this because that is untrue. Decades of research shows how we can lead successfully and help staff feel supported, acknowledged, and accessed in those important moments. The research keeps coming and I keep writing about it because the problem stubbornly persists.

We might think the issue is less pervasive in the education profession. After all, we are educators at heart. We came into this profession because we care about kids. In many instances, this is true, and we enjoy decent, ethical leaders. Too many times, educators became leaders because they possessed a greater desire for personal achievement and power. The first part is not the issue, however, power can change leaders. I have seen it happen.

I spent years riding out the kinds of leaders and leader-colleagues who made the organizational environment toxic, unproductive, and very, very CYA (cover your a--). We can all recall the days bosses such as this finally left the organization–there were parking lot parties while "Celebration" played as well as this easy-to-hum song as you waved them “good bye.” These are not environments in which children win, and that is the root of the problem. Secondary to that is our own wellness, which matters so we can lead learning environments, in spite of the incompetence above us.

Practical Ways to Survive Difficult Bosses

What do you do when you have to deal with difficult bosses day in and day out, knowing there is no end in sight? This can be a major stressor, let alone translating to obstacles they put up in our attempts to help students thrive.

Here are practical steps to hang in there, manage your wellness so you can lead and teach well and interrupt their influence from behind.

1. The 80/20 Principle

Keeping my side of the street clean empowers me to focus on the aspects of a situation you can control (the 80%) while letting go of the uncontrollable (the 20%). Instead of wasting time and energy fighting insurmountable challenges such as bureaucracy, difficult colleagues, or uncooperative leaders, it is more productive to adjust my approach, sidestep obstacles, and focus on progress within my sphere of influence. This mindset helps save time, resources, and frustration while moving toward goals more effectively.

2. Mind Games

I am always surprised at how little is known about methods for tuning the brain for wellness that are rooted in decent science, such as binaural beats. These sound like sci-fi gimmickry yet there is strong evidence supporting the effectiveness for effectively reducing anxiety and modulating emotional states. These are easily accessible, if you have a pair of earphones (we all do!). So why not try it?

Here’s how these work: When the brain processes two different frequencies played simultaneously in either ear, it compensates for the discrepancy by perceiving a third, rhythmic "phantom" frequency known as a binaural beat. This audio hack works in calming the mind and reducing anxiety, and gives you a shot of what you need in those most stressful moments. Evidence shows 6-9 minutes of listening does the trick, so why not? Here’s a free online example.

Now that you’ve got your wellness honored, let’s take a look at practical strategies, with a well-mind you can use to approach the difficult boss…

3. Use AI (YES, AI!)

In my work, I have discovered that using AI can make my work more effective and efficient, which means I can offload unnecessary tasks to focus on qualitative experiences, interactions with staff, students, and parents, and yes, even that boss.

I have written about making use of AI as a school leader, and I characterize it as remarkably imperfect productivity. AI is remarkable for its ability to produce what appears to be high-quality work at immense speed, yet it remains imperfect because it acts as convincingly knowing while tricking users into accepting "workslop" that lacks substance or accuracy.

Employing AI wisely helps offload work that bogs me down, so I feel less stressed, and far more prepared to manage ineffective bosses. Be strategic, refer to “source grounded” materials and use it to make your work better quality and far more efficient, such as I did incorporating AI into writing better evaluations for teachers.

3 Other Strategies to Consider

In addition to what I’ve described above, consider these actions to help manage an unwieldy manager.

1. Document Everything (Build a Paper Trail)

• Confirm Conversations: After verbal instructions, send a follow-up email saying, "As we just discussed, I will do X by Y date.”
• Keep Records: Maintain a private log of projects, instructions, and outcomes to prove your actions if needed. Case notes, detailed and dated hold up well, if and when needed.
• Outline Responsibilities: Start projects with a written review of discussion, outlining who is responsible for what, signed off by everyone, suggests Robert Hosking via Fortune.

2. Manage the Interaction

• Stay Calm and Neutral: Do not react defensively immediately. Do not match their energy.
• Use Fact-Based Language: When blamed, focus on the facts. Ask questions like, "Can you walk me through the timeline so I can understand what happened?" (YouTube).
• Redirect to Solutions: Instead of defending yourself, focus on fixing the issue. Say, "You're upset, I'm upset. What do you think we should do?" suggests Quick and Dirty Tips.
• Don't Take it Personally: Understand that a blaming boss often behaves this way due to their own incompetence and insecurities.

3. Take Action

• Have a Direct Conversation: If the behavior continues, discuss it privately. Start with positive feedback, then use specific examples to show how the blame-shifting affects your work, recommends Dr. Pollack.
• Involve HR or Superiors: If the behavior is bullying or threatens your career, consider involving HR or a higher manager. However, warn your boss first to avoid being seen as "going behind their back."
• Find a New Job: If the environment is toxic, start looking for a new position. Do not feel compelled to stay in a situation that damages your mental health and career.

Our work as educators and school leaders is too important to let bad bosses funnel down from us to staff and kids. Too many people need us and stopping the cycle of bad leadership poisoning student growth starts with practical wellness and protective factors. Be strong and remember, our work is too significant to let bad management disrupt our control, and we have 80% control -- most is better than none!

Buzzmath is, as the name suggests, creating a real buzz around the subject of math for young students. The idea is to bridge that gap between students who thrive on problem-solving, naturally, and those that struggle to grasp the sometimes abstract ideas.

By offering live feedback and gamified math interactions, Buzzmath works to help bring all students into a fun and engaging digital environment for learning.

Aimed at students from ages 6 to 16, this inclusive learning platform offers curriculum-aligned content that's made fun through the gamified process. They are allowed to explore at their pace, crucially, so they can feel in control while also giving teachers useful insights into their learning.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about how Buzzmath could work for your class.

What is Buzzmath?

Buzzmath is a digital math practice platform that offers gamified tasks as a way to help students gain mastery in math.

The platform offers more than 14,000 math-based questions for students to tackle. This is very much useful as a tool to complement teaching, rather than to teach directly. Educators can assign activities, for example, as a way to reinforce learning after something new has been taught.

While teachers can tailor learning to individuals or groups, in either case there is storytelling and gamification involved with missions, rewards, and challenges to keep students motivated.

Teachers can use this to have students practice curriculum-aligned skills and see progress to then better tailor future sessions as needed.

Since Buzzmath is web-based, it should be easy to access across devices and internet connections -- both in school and at home.

How does Buzzmath work?

Buzzmath can be used freely, by students exploring the activities at their own pace. Or it can be utilized to assign tasks to students or groups specifically.

Students answer questions and are immediately given feedback with answers marked as correct or incorrect. In the latter case, guidance can be triggered to help them grow through productive failure.

Students can retry questions as needed and access hints or examples to help them progress. Teachers are then able to monitor progress using a detailed reporting dashboard. This can help to spot learning gaps from data such as time spent on task, attempts made, and overall accuracy.

Accessibility features include audio narration and visual glossaries to help students with varied learning needs get the most out of this service.

What are the best Buzzmath features?

While there are a huge selection of questions on the platform, thanks to dynamic variables, students are able to practice without the problem of repetition fatigue holding them back.

The real-time feedback and ability to retry allows students to feel supported while working at their own pace. This also equates to direct support that allows for independent working without teacher time being required. That should also lead to deeper levels of learning rather than surface-level answering.

Since teachers are able to personalize learning to suit individuals or groups, this can work as a very specific tailored learning support system.

Educators have access to a powerful dashboard that allows them to monitor student progress. Data such as time spent on tasks, attempts made, completion rates, and concept-level performance, can all help teachers define future learning requirements.

The gamification of everything -- with stars, badges, and missions -- can really help to keep students engaged and come back for more practice, naturally.

How much does Buzzmath cost?

Buzzmath varies in pricing based on usage. A limited 30-day free trial is available for teachers who want to give this a go before committing to any particular plan. The plans break down like this:

Schools and districts: Typically licensed per student, with pricing starting around $1 per student annually (minimum spend applies).

Families: Around $20 per month or $120 per year for home use.

Custom quotes are often required for institutional use, particularly outside the US.

Buzzmath best tips and tricks

Start with diagnostic assignments
Use early tasks to identify gaps before tailoring future work.

Use retries as learning moments
Encourage students to reflect on mistakes rather than rush through answers.

Assign differentiated pathways
Target individuals or groups with specific activities to support mixed-ability classes.

NASA Space Place is a digital resource that's built to help educators bring space and earth science into the classroom in an exciting way.

Also, crucially, it combines the rich resources of NASA is a way that offers depth but simple access for teachers. The fact this has been up and running since 1998 is clearly reflected in how well it has been refined and tailored to suit children over the years. The result: a powerful tool for the upper-elementary-aged students.

This free resource blends scientific accuracy with playful, engaging layouts, making complex concepts feel intuitive rather than intimidating.

The curriculum-friendly resources cover science topics from climate and the solar system to space tech and more. For a STEM-focused offering that comes from a credible source, this is a really wonderful option to have.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about how NASA Space Place could work for your class.

What is NASA Space Place?

NASA Space Place is an education platform that offers a free way to teach upper-elementary students through inspiration and engagement -- all provided by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Science-specific areas covered include the solar system, Earth sciences, the Sun, and the universe, plus broader science and technology topics. Topics vary in depth and complexity to suit different student abilities, going from black holes to climate change.

Usefully, this is all set up as an engaging exploratory environment, rather than just a static set of tools. That means there is reading, there is watching, but there is also doing. Students can read about a topic, then play a game on what's been learned, followed by a hands-on activity in class or at home.

Educators have a dedicated section with materials such as printables, resources, and guidance across English and Spanish.

How does NASA Space Place work?

NASA Space Place is browser-based, so it can be accessed from most devices and internet connections. Everything is arranged into helpful categories that allow teachers and students to navigate by topic or activity type, for example.

So a student might browse a subject such as Earth then filter into articles, games, and hands-on activities -- ideal as it can be suited to how that particular student prefers to learn.

Articles break down scientific concepts into simple, digestible explanations, often supported by visuals or animations. Games reinforce learning through interaction. While DIY activities encourage practical application, such as building simple models or conducting experiments at home or in class.

Teachers have a few ways to take advantage of the platform. They can use it as a lesson starter, a supplementary resource, or even a flipped learning tool through which students explore topics independently before class discussion.

The material is aligned with real NASA missions and scientific research, so it also offers a level of authenticity that can deepen student engagement.

Plus, it can all be scaled. It's aimed at younger learners but the clarity can be helpful to older students who need to work on foundations.

What are the best NASA Space Place features?

NASA Space Place takes often complex scientific ideas and makes each one easily accessible and digestible -- but, crucially, without oversimplifying anything. This is thanks to those different formats available that can suit varying learner styles.

The games, which offer an interactive way to learn, are a powerful feature. Students can explore satellite tracking or planetary motion in a hands-on way, turning abstract ideas into something tangible. Then, the short videos and animations help visual learners grasp topics such as eclipses or space weather.

For teachers, the hands-on activities can be very useful with crafts and experiments offering experiential learning that can reinforce theoretical knowledge.

A wide range of subjects are covered here, from climate change and Earth systems to deep space exploration. The platform connects classroom learning to real-world science and ongoing NASA missions.

Educators can access the resources, such as printables and guidance, as a way to enhance teaching and make using this platform even more valuable and time-rich.

It's also worth mentioning that the bright visuals, simple language, and general sense of curiosity-driven exploration can all help to maintain student engagement.

How much does NASA Space Place cost?

NASA Space Place is completely free to use. No subscriptions, paywalls, or premium tiers to navigate. Everything on the platform is openly accessible to students, teachers, and parents.

In addition, there are no hidden requirements in terms of hardware or software. Because the platform runs in a web browser, it works across most devices, including desktops, laptops, and tablets. This flexibility makes it suitable for classroom use, remote learning, and homework alike.

NASA Space Place best tips and tricks

Hook with play
Start lessons with a quick game or animation to spark curiosity and ease students into complex space concepts.

Guide exploration
Set focused tasks that have students navigate specific sections of the site to build independent research skills.

Make it hands-on
Use the DIY activities as the core of lessons to turn abstract science into practical, memorable learning experiences.

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 a district with more than 20,000 students set right on the banks of the Microsoft campus in Bellevue, Washington, a natural goal seems to be getting everyone to speak the same language when it comes to school direction and cohesion.

Ironically though, this district is home to students literally speaking more than 117 languages.

“Just at Ardmore, we have students speaking 37 or 38 languages, which gives you a picture of how diverse our school is,” says Yusra Obaid, Principal of Ardmore Elementary School, who was recently recognized for her leadership with a Tech & Learning Innovative Leader Award.

Bellevue School District not only celebrates that reality, but builds on their beautiful blend of cultures and backgrounds with a global competency initiative. One element of this is the Multilingualism for All language programs that include both Spanish and Mandarin programs, with unique language opportunities in Arabic, Korean, and Hindi. BSD middle and highschoolers can take Arabic, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Spanish.

“Students learn the majority of their day in English, with an hour and 20 minutes of daily Arabic instruction in language arts with additional translanguaging throughout the day,” says Obaid. “If you walk into our Arabic classroom, you can't tell the difference between it and a general ed classroom. Half of our classes are multi-language learners. The vision of Ardmore is to affirm and identify this idea that our kids come to us speaking either one or multiple languages. We provide opportunity for those kids and make sure that any students who don't speak another language at home can learn in some way or form here.”

That vision is creating results.

“There is a science where students learning a new language at an early age tend to do better in math, science and overall academics,” says Obaid. “This is an accelerated program because kids are actually learning two languages at the same time, which places extra cognitive demands on students. It helps shape their brain in a different way.”

Using Tech Translates to Success

While many of the students come from backgrounds in which they learned languages naturally in the home, it never hurts to use the latest tech to aid acquisition.

“There's a range of tools that make learning more accessible to kids, even language learning,” says Obaid, noting BDS is a Microsoft district. “We know a lot about language acquisition and students learn by repetition and visuals. Our teachers use our whiteboard touch screens in an interactive way to have kids repeat the language. They press on it and can hear the word pronounced. They do image and word matching, they annotate specific words, drag and blend certain letters together — it’s created an accessibility for language learning in general.”

Obaid says these platforms bring together the four different domains of language acquisition (listening, reading, writing and speaking) more effectively than simple worksheets.

The program creates language learners, but also has a bigger picture of enhancing global citizenship.

“When kids come to us, we want to create global citizens who are thinking not just about their local community, but the larger world and their impact on it,” says Obaid. “We want to create that sense of community that our actions affect others not only here in Bellevue, but in the world.”

Obaid has integrated the Global Goals of UN Sustainability framework across grade levels to support this effort on a daily basis.

For example, for first grade, it offers a literacy unit about animals focused on building vocabulary about endangered animals. “They learned about all the animals and then focused on elephants. ‘How do we protect elephants? They're being endangered,’” says Obaid. “Students learned about dangers involved in their habitat, and then raised money and adopted elephants which they continue to nurture and care about. The organization sent a certificate and they have a website with a live camera feed.”

Using technology to connect a lesson to the real world still continues to be effective.

“It's really cool to just see kids thinking, ‘Wow, we learned about this, and now we actually did something that helped this animal survive those dangers in a place on the other side of the world,’" says Obaid.

3 Tips on Creating Global Initiatives in the Classroom

Obaid offers this advice to other educators:

1. Don't wait to make change. “We can get stuck in a place of ‘It has to be perfect, do I have the funding?’” she says, emphasizing the importance of partnering with students and families to learn their aspirations and goals. “Languages and global citizenship were important for our families, so we didn’t wait for things to happen, we just acted by starting with simple things and letting it grow.”

2. Community partnership is huge. “Look within the community for expertise, rather than thinking about outside resources,” Obaid says. “Shifting that idea to where is capacity and expertise within our whole community — our families, our teachers, everybody who walks through our building are potential partners.”

3. Engage all stakeholders right from the start. Assess, adjust, and collect feedback with everything that you do to demonstrate the success for stakeholders. “When something is innovative and new, partnering with the people who you're serving the most helps,” she says. “We have listening sessions. We collect numerical data. We listen to stories from kids. We do empathy interviews. This is how we continue to refine and adjust anything that we bring into our school.”

Finding Local Funding for Global Awareness

The thought of tapping already-stretched budgets for bonus initiatives can be intimidating, but the adage of “use your resources” certainly applies.

“When we think about innovation and change with a financial aspect, sometimes we forget about the open resources, the free availability, the opportunities in our local community that exist where we can make connections,” Obaid says.

The first grade project which made such an impact on the students was born of a simple wildlife trust website and adoption program. Local fundraising helped with the rest.

“Tapping areas of expertise and opportunities within our local community might not necessarily include a direct financial aspect, but are still very valuable,” she says. “It's about relevance. It's about connection. It's about kids thinking, ‘Wow, what I'm learning matters, and I can do something.’ It's not always about money.”

Creative problem solving goes a long way, but the district also benefits from the Bellevue Schools Foundation, filled with local stakeholders.

“One of the really great things we're really proud of is our amazing educators,” Obaid says. “They really go all out looking through different organizations and partnerships. They would reach out to the Pacific Science Center, ‘Hey, the budget is really tight. Would you be willing to host us?’ Our educators do a really good job in advocating and finding opportunities for community partnership.”

Another way of generating funding is spreading word about the innovative programs at the school. Ardmore got a big boost of publicity when Trevor Noah decided to join the school’s “Hour of Coding.” As Microsoft’s Chief Question Officer, the comedian and actor sat in on a fifth-grade class and discussed tech with Ardmore teachers.

“It was such a great connection,” Obaid says. “We have a whole ‘Wall of Wow’ at Ardmore where we post photos and news articles—every time our school gets recognized or we have a special visitor. It's a great inspiration for us to continue to reach for the stars.”

Tools They Use

• Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
• Microsoft Tools for Education 365
• i-Ready Assessment and Personalized Instruction (My Path) K-8 for English and Spanish dual language immersion, literacy, and math
• Code.org Hour of AI/Code

Pathwright was created as a modern learning management system, LMS, that could work in education on all levels.

Spawned from an idea back in 2010, this was what co-creators Paul and Mark came up with as a far more usable solution. The space then was cluttered, wordy, and chaotic. Their design-focused solution birthed the far more user-friendly Pathwright.

Built over a decade alongside creative educators, the goal was to offer a personal learning experience for others. At time of publishing, this system has helped more than 2 million learners who have completed 80+ million steps on these learning paths.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about how Pathwright could work for your class.

What is Pathwright?

Pathwright is an online learning platform that's design-led -- it offers a way to make instruction easy for teachers and engaging for students.

This course-building platform lets educators create what the company calls learning paths, which guide students through lessons, activities, and discussions.

Teachers can design courses as needed with details such as deadlines, milestones, peer interaction, mentorship, and more, all included.

As such, this can work for schools delivering courses as well as individual educators selling online courses, for example. Not only can educators create courses but this also allows them to take advantage of student management features, monetization options, and more.

This digital classroom, professional development hub, and school learning platform is a versatile tool built for a wide array of uses.

How does Pathwright work?

Pathwright is primarily an online course creation and learning management platform. Teachers can be guided through the process of creating their own pathways, using video content, written lessons, assignments or projects, discussion prompts, plus quizzes and assessments.

This works with self-paced learning but also with cohort based programs. The latter sees students move as groups though the courses, which can be run with defined start and end dates, releasing lessons over time and encouraging students to progress together.

This model allows teachers to lead discussions, provide feedback, and create a more classroom-like experience online. Teachers can then track progress to see completion rates, areas of struggle, and discussion activity.

What are the best Pathwright features?

Pathwright offers a broad selection of tools that can be tailored to work across subject and topic ranges, inside and outside of school.

The way this works is that by using paths, it allows students to stay focused with a clarity from seeing what's coming next across the sequence of the course ahead.

The cohort-based learning is a helpful way to release lessons over time, allowing students to work through the tasks together, interacting with one another along the way.

That interaction moves into the community with an ability to post comments on lessons, join in discussions, and ask questions -- much like being in a physical world lesson.

The system allows for mentors. This can work with teaching assistants or other students, as a way to oversee groups of learners with support throughout.

For those selling in courses, this also offers a built-in payment system and the ability to integrate other apps, such as Stripe, as needed.

How much does Pathwright cost?

Pathwright uses a tiered pricing model designed for educators, small teams, and larger organizations. A free trial or free account option is available that allows educators to start building courses before committing to a paid plan.

Starter Plan: Around $99 per month for up to 1,000 members and one administrator.

Essentials Plan: Around $199 per month with more staff accounts, custom domains, and additional course features.

Complete Plan: Around $499 per month with unlimited cohorts and advanced capabilities.

Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing starting around $1,499 per month for large organizations requiring integrations, APIs, and advanced management tools.

Pathwright best tips and tricks

Start with a clear learning path
Outline the sequence of lessons and learning objectives so students move logically through the material.

Use cohorts for engagement
Run courses with start and end dates rather than leaving it fully self-paced. Cohorts encourage discussion, accountability, and higher completion rates.

Mix content types
Combine videos, text, and assignments to keep lessons engaging. Short interactive activities can help reinforce learning better than long lectures.

Montana Digital Academy (MTDA) is a designated state virtual school in Montana, created by the 2009 Legislature to provide supplemental online learning to K-12 public school students. The Frontier Learning Lab (FLL) is MTDA’s new statewide hub for cutting-edge learning tools —a place where teachers and students can explore AI, virtual and augmented reality, and other emerging tech.

“It was a natural space for us to go into with applicability in K-12 across the state,” says Jason Neiffer, Executive Director of Montana Digital Academy. “We were early to the AI conversation because we saw an issue we would have to come to terms with at our state virtual school. In January 2024, members of our team were invited to testify about the role of AI in education. That turned into a deeper conversation about what we wanted to do to support Montana schools.”

In an effort to ensure such rural schools could offer access to interested teachers, a solution for opening exploratory spaces for all regardless of budget toward high-quality PD needed to be reached. Having awareness and a deep understanding of that state’s unique needs and challenges was critical.

“One of the things that we've been very conscious of is that the rural nature of Montana is sometimes underestimated,” says Neiffer, who notes that the state is the size of Germany with one-eightieth of the population. “We have a couple of counties that are larger than some U.S. states with a single school district. The superintendent is also the K-12 principal and substitute bus driver and has their boiler's license in case they're pressed into service.”

Neiffer, who was recently recognized with an Innovative Leader Award during Tech & Learning’s recent Northwest Regional Summit, and his team knew truly rural Montana kids were just as important a constituency and deserve to have access to tech experts and resources.

“The Montana School Boards Association stepped up this year and provided a model policy for districts across the state,” he says. “There are endless organizations, nonprofit and for-profit, that help with policy development in schools. However, they don’t always understand that a rural school doesn’t have a full-time tech person — maybe not even any part-time staff — and might have to rely on third-party vendors for that role.”

That is where the Frontier Learning Lab, under the umbrella of the 16-year-strong MTDA state virtual school, stepped in to form a core planning piece for time-challenged leaders.

Time Is Everything

Time management is an important element of any endeavor but already-stretched rural districts really feel that pinch when faced with absorbing new tech initiatives.

“The time piece is a critical factor here,” Neiffer says. “I've been in the business for almost thirty years now and I do think we underinvest in professional learning around technology. We also get that you can't spend all of your time learning about evolving technologies because teaching is a very technical job.”

Neiffer feels part of any strategy needs to be meeting teachers where their resources are.

“Is it face-to-face training, or is it asynchronous online training?” he asks. “We’ve opened up a help desk for teachers that they can email and ask for assistance because not every one of our teachers will be able to dedicate significant professional learning time. So they really do need the old ‘just-in-time’ training. Sometimes that's really just a one-on-one conversation. We want to be able to provide it however works best for their busy schedule.”

The help desk accepts emails 24/7 with someone manning and responding 9-10 hours a day. This has been particularly helpful for those teachers exploring on their own time or who may not have colleagues at their level.

3 Actionable Tips When Starting a Virtual Academy Such As Frontier

1. Need should drive everything. “One of the reasons why our program was originally created was because Montana’s vast geography needed a virtual option with stable funding and consistency in availability for students every semester,” Neiffer says. “Investment in the program is critical so funding at minimum ensures schools know when they need access to the program, they have access to the program. It can’t be dependent on an unstable funding source. You only get that consensus around need. Look at where gaps are and get coalitions together across many different political, philosophical, pedagogical views.”

2. Don't recreate the wheel. “Unless you are on the exceptionally bleeding edge of something (and if you are, great, just make sure you tell the rest of us what you did!), look at existing models,” Neiffer says. “Montana Digital Academy is part of the Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance which is a coalition of 20 state virtual schools across the United States. Instead of coming up with something from scratch, find something that's 50%, 70%, 80% of the way there and just adjust it for your locality and specific needs. Chances are someone is already doing this work elsewhere. If they aren’t far enough along to give you hints, they'll be a wonderful collaboration partner.”

3. Don't be afraid to ask for resources from others. “We don't spend enough time asking our colleagues down the street what they're doing,” Neiffer says. “Whenever you can take advantage of a room of people that agree or disagree with you about your approach, it's a real opportunity to push yourself and make your planning process that much richer.”

Looking To The Horizon In Big Sky

In an era of ever-tightening budgets — the sky is not the limit, even in Big Sky Country. Investment into innovation can be an intimidating mountain to climb.

“We are actively balancing costs, which are still significant in this space, with utility inside of a classroom,” Neiffer says. “I have no doubt that we can find lots of good, showy, fun, interesting, even pedagogically useful places for virtual reality, but it's always balanced against the cost of the hardware and the cost of maintaining those pieces.”

One pilot that Neiffer and his team is exploring is securing access to virtual dissections for online anatomy and physiology students. “There are anatomy and physiology classes available from two and four-year Montana colleges, but it can be very geography-based due to the human dissection lab requirement,” he says. “So how do we provide that access to online students?”

Stretching resources continues to be a challenge.

“We have four different departments in Montana Virtual Academy with a mix of public, private and school-based funding,” Neiffer says. “In particular, in our Business Learning Program and our Digital Learning Clearing House, we find a reasonable cost to share with schools. The legislature wants schools to have skin in the game so that they know that it's something they are investing in for access to opportunity.”

Embracing partnerships is key. For example, MTDA has access to STEM experts and research professors at the University of Montana who provide guidance on AI, virtual and augmented reality.

Neiffer believes that the lab itself — the professional learning — should be covered with a combination of state appropriation, federal grants and private foundations to help create a sustainable model to ensure access for the most rural schools when public funding might not reach that scalability down to the smallest of schools.

“With such great future-looking leadership in this space, we are now working with vendors to find the most affordable solutions for what is to come,” Neiffer says. “A previous superintendent of public instruction called Montana a frontier state. I think that that's an accurate way to describe what we do.”

Neiffer is enthusiastic about the future of education as well as the hard-working team around him.

“Find people who are interested in helping you and don't be afraid to fail,” he says. “Chances are not every new initiative will be successful so just use that as an opportunity to grow and become better. It’s a really critical part of being a design-thinking forward organization, but it's also the best way to approach teaching and learning. Institutions are learning as much as the students.”

Tools They Use

Neiffer discusses some of his go-to tech tools.

• TextExpander - “I can’t live without a text expansion app. My longtime favorite is TextExpander, which works on Windows, macOS, and ChromeOS. I use it for stock AI prompts, phrases I type all the time, such as, ‘Hello, my name is Jason Neiffer, and I am the Executive Director of Montana Digital Academy,’ and even bits of code.”
• NotebookLM - “I experiment with many fast-moving AI tools, but I keep coming back to Google NotebookLM as a dependable place to organize the large volume of information I collect for work and personal projects. That includes reports, journal articles, presentations, travel guides, restaurant recommendations, and videos about places I want to visit.”
• ChatGPT CustomGPTs and Gemini Gems - “One of the most useful things about today’s generative AI tools is the ability to create small, purpose-built helpers that work through information with you. I love building CustomGPTs and Gems to handle specific tasks, like creating alt text for images, rewriting assignment directions for clarity, brainstorming workshop materials, or helping organize drafts and ideas. They are not perfect, of course, but they can save a great deal of time and mental energy.”

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.”

Knoword is a gamified platform that's built to help students progress in building vocabulary. The idea here is to make things so fun that students want to come back for more.

This learning-while-playing setup is designed to work across age and ability levels so that it's widely accessible to help all students, and educators, when it comes to vocabulary building.

The platform is already widely used and can be applied across subjects to allow for an uptake, which works school-wide, rather than specifically for English learning, for example.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Knoword to see how this could work for your class.

What is Knoword?

Knoword is a web-based game so it's easily accessible across a wide range of devices and internet connections. It uses game-based learning to help develop vocabulary expansion. This is done with immersive word games and customizable activities.

The most basic offering here is vocabulary practice being turned into interactive challenges. This blends learning with gameplay to keep students engaged, and even eager for more.

Thousands of community-made packs to pick from are available. These range from academic-specific vocabulary to trivia packs. You also have the option to build custom packs, or edit pre-existing ones, to get the perfectly tuned result for a certain subject or unit, for example.

That all makes this useful both for self-guided learning as well as in-classroom use and even remote assignments.

How does Knoword work?

Knoword comprises thousands of word packs that are interactive sets of definitions and answers. These are broken down into several play modes to allow students and educators to pick the format, which includes multiple choice, typing mode, or pairs/recognition matching.

Educators can pick from a selection of pre-created packs in subject-specific areas, make their own from scratch, or duplicate and edit packs as needed. Helpful parameters are available, including setting time limits, answer strictness and more, to help teachers build ideally suited sessions. Then, once completed, educators can track student progress using detailed analytics.

The system also uses AI as a way to help generate text clues from lists to help automate pack creations -- saving time for teachers.

Students can get playing right away without the need to create individual accounts, making it an easy option to introduce into the class.

What are the best Knoword features?

Knoword offers a great selection of packs that can be aligned to subjects or topics. Crucially, these are adaptive and allow students to go at their pace so as to grow but at a rate that feels fun, comfortable, and engaging.

The immediate feedback and multiple play modes make this a stand-alone tool for students to work with on their time, but also with teacher assistance and interaction as wanted.

The AI-powered Magic Import feature is a helpful way to generate clues with ease. This allows educators to convert lists of terms into engaging gameplay in minutes.

Assignments offer a way to provide structured options to guide learners through material, while giving educators insights such as trends in accuracy and areas needing reinforcement.

Offline materials are also available, including printable worksheets. Any pack can be turned into customizable worksheets or physical flashcards, ideal for off-screen practice or differentiated learning.

The various game modes help to make this varied and fun while staying engaging over longer period of use. The different gameplay formats -- typing, multiple choice, match pairs -- appeal to varied learning styles, from visual to recall practice.

How much does Knoword cost?

Knoword operates on a freemium model. But there are tiers for more.

Basic (Free): Create up to five packs, generate content with AI, assign activities, track basic student progress, integrate with Google Classroom, and download worksheets.

Pro ($9.99/month): Allows unlimited packs and assignments, creates image and audio clues, and removes branded watermarks on cards.

Team Plan (~$80/year): Designed for schools or departments to manage multiple educator accounts.

Knoword best tips and tricks

Kick off with curated packs
Before creating your own, explore the community library. Thousands of packs across subjects are already available -- and bookmarking makes future reuse easy.

Use assignments strategically
Assignments let you control the learning environment: time limits, modes, and even answer strictness (capitalization, punctuation). Tailor these to your learners’ proficiency.

Blend digital and printable exercises
Export packs as worksheets for class use or homework -- great for reinforcing vocabulary with written practice.

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.

Groovelit is a classroom platform created to help encourage writing through gamified guidance that works alongside teachers.

The idea here is to tap into the creativity in every student that might otherwise go underused in the face of literacy challenges. By gamifying the writing experience, and adding direct feedback, this can help to draw every student into the world of writing.

Creative prompts are used to help get started while a scoring system can work to progress students along toward mastery. This can be used to improve writing skills and fluency in a way that allows this to benefit students across a range of subjects, from ELA and social studies to science.

This guide aims to explain all you need to know about how Groovelit could work in your class.

What is Groovelit?

Groovelit is a gamified creative writing platform aimed at use by students from fourth to tenth grade. Through guidance and gamification, this works to ignite the creative spark in all students while empowering them by helping to learn how to use that effectively as a writer.

Groovelit prompts a student to produce written response -- be it narrative, persuasive, or vocabulary-rich -- within a short, structured time frame.

The system uses AI to evaluate submissions against criteria such as grammar, relevance, vocabulary usage, and adherence to the prompt. Points are awarded in ways that feel immediate and game-like rather than punitive.

This idea should help writing to feel less like work and more like play. Competition and natural reinforcement also help to shift student perspectives toward writing to be sought more readily, by choice.

How does Groovelit work?

Groovelit works a little like a quiz game, yet students don't select answers, instead they write answers. A teacher can pick a genre such as narrative or argumentative, for example, before setting prompts and aligning to curricular goals. Then they can send a link to students to begin.

Students work with a countdown timer, responding directly from within a browser window. They are assessed, live, by the AI, which uses criteria such as vocabulary, grammar, and engagement levels to provide feedback to students as they go.

Once the timed round is complete, the results are shown right away with scores. Teachers can later assess aggregated data, or spotlight certain areas to celebrate success.

This cycle continues with quick writing, instant feedback, and visible achievement, motivating students to progress further and faster toward mastery.

What are the best Groovelit features?

Groovelit gamifies learning but in a way that stays fresh thanks to a selection of game modes. These include narrative storytelling, argumentative responses, vocabulary connections, and root-based word games.

Teachers can also tailor the experience to suit needs, including adapting pacing, content focus, and student readiness.

The AI scoring works well as a way to offer immediate feedback and guidance that's tailored to suit the student where they are in their learning. This can help sustain focus and reinforce teaching moments.

For teachers, the formative data analysis options help offer actionable insights. The system offers growth areas, word-choice creativity, and standout sentences that exemplify strong writing.

The platform supports English language learners (ELLs), with customizable prompts and difficulty adjustment that should make this helpful for a wide range of language abilities.

How much does Groovelit cost?

Groovelit is free to sign up for and to use. Teachers can sign up from a school account, or it's possible to sign in with third-parties such as Google, for example.

This has no ads or tracking, and remains free to use for as long as needed.

Groovelit best tips and tricks

Alignment
Align prompts directly to your current unit of study so students see the activity as meaningful reinforcement rather than a standalone game.

Learnings
Review the formative data after each session to identify patterns in grammar, vocabulary, or comprehension that may need reteaching.

Wins
Spotlight strong student responses (anonymously if preferred) to model effective writing and build classroom confidence.

I recently wrote an article about the gamified STEM teaching and learning platform Brilliant. While Brilliant is indeed a top performer, it's not the only math "game" in town. I decided to round up a selection of similar online math platforms to help teachers find the perfect match for their students.

For this review, I focused on math or STEM platforms that provide a robust set of online practice tools and manipulatives. Platforms that relied primarily on printed materials were excluded, as I wanted to focus on the learning and engagement benefits of digital manipulatives.

These exceptional math learning tools are fully free or modestly priced, and aimed at engaging learners of all levels with their interactive tools, gamified features, graphics and sound effects. Simply put, they make learning and doing math fun. And because teachers have the ability to individually assign lessons, each platform serves as a personalized learning tool for every student.

Best Online Math Platforms for Education

BEST FOR K-8 MATH CURRICULA

ZEARN

Zearn, a nonprofit platform designed by teachers, provides more than 1,000 research-backed K-8 digital math lessons, and has earned the highest designation (Strong) rating from Evidence for ESSA. Individual teachers can sign up for a full suite of content at no charge, while schools and districts can pay for premium features. A teacher's account includes all Zearn math instructional materials, for up to 35 students and one teacher.

Unique among the platforms featured, Zearn provides brief video introductions that demonstrate how to solve problems in upcoming lessons. In addition to the interactive video lessons, it also provides fluency practice activities and mastery-based quizzes.

Zearn is also distinguished by its level of reporting. Using the four types of reports— Pace, Progress, Tower Alerts, and Sprint Alerts—teachers can easily monitor student progress and pace of lesson completion. Importantly, the two "Alerts" allow teachers to identify students who are struggling with content and fluency.

BEST FOR TARGETED SKILLS PRACTICE

Struggly

Struggly is a preK-8 gamified math supplement that emphasizes the value of persisting through mistakes. Instead of a sad buzzer sound with an error message, kids are congratulated for their mistakes. By acknowledging that mistakes are foundational to learning and brain growth, Struggly takes some of the pressure off both high-achieving and low-achieving students.

Consistent with Struggly's teaching philosophy, no instructions are provided for its engaging exercises. Instead, high-quality animations, pop-ups, and sound effects guide students on where to click on each page. Users can click on "hints" to get help if needed.

Struggly makes it easy for teachers to try its interactive tasks before assigning any. Currently, there are 68 separate tasks available, searchable by Common Core State Standards or topic. Although 68 is relatively few, each task includes a number of levels, so a single task can serve as deep practice across multiple grades. Struggly aims to release one to three new tasks per month.

Although Struggly is a modestly-priced paid platform, it offers a generous 60-day free trial—with no credit card required—to determine if it will be a fit for your classroom.

I Know It

I Know It shines as an easy-to-use K-5 interactive math practice site. Its clean, uncluttered interface offers intuitive navigation for teachers and students alike.

To find lessons, simply select Math from the top menu, then click on your desired grade from K-5, also on the top menu. Teachers can easily try each lesson simply by clicking on it, and also directly assign any lesson from within it. Creating classes and adding students is similarly frictionless.

While it's a fully interactive platform, I Know It's lessons aren't gamified at the same level as other platforms featured here. However, its amusing robot mascot does provide encouragement via sound effects and comic reactions to answers, right or wrong. Hints and encouragement are offered along the way as kids work through their problem sets.

Annual memberships, costing a modest $150, include up to 25 students, while the 30-day free trial (no credit cared required) will allow educators to fully experience the platform's tools and benefits.

BEST DYNAMIC TOOLS AND VIRTUAL MANIPULATIVES

GeoGebra

A fully free interactive math platform for grades 4-12, GeoGebra focuses on dynamic tools that help students visualize and understand concepts in algebra, geometry, numeracy, statistics, and more.

GeoGebra boasts an impressive library of more than one million math learning resources, including lessons, exercises, digital books, and interactives, contributed by the GeoGebra Content Team, as well as GeoGebra’s global community. Users can create and upload their own resources incorporating applets, text, video, images, PDFs, notes, questions, and more.

GeoGebra's intuitive website is easy to navigate and use. It's ideal for exploration, demonstration and formative assessments. Given the platform's extensive scope, educators should familiarize themselves with the interactives and curate relevant resources prior to classroom implementation. Fortunately, GeoGebra offers strong guidance via its Help pages and YouTube channel.

Although an account is not required for either students or teachers, teachers will need to create one in order to fully utilize this versatile and engaging platform.

Polypad

The fully free award-winning Polypad is a digital math playground that uses multimedia interactive tools, sound, and music to teach geometry, algebra, probability, and statistics to middle and high school students. Requiring no login or installation, Polypad runs on all devices and browsers, and provides an extensive set of pre-designed puzzles, activities, and lesson plans.

Available in English and Spanish, Polypad allows users to add co-teachers to their classes and offers detailed student progress reports. The recently added Snapshot Tool makes it easy for educators to select and sequence student work for class discussion.

Polypad also distinguishes itself with logic-based games, such as chess and dominoes, as well as interactive music tools that let users explore and compose music digitally. Open to teachers and students, the Polypad Art and Music Contest is an excellent opportunity to showcase creativity and skill in using the Polypad tools. These unique features of Polypad qualify it as not only a top-notch STEM tool, but also a first-rate STEAM tool.

BEST FOR ENRICHMENT

Brilliant

Brilliant features super snappy graphics and sound effects that mimic those of your students' favorite video games.

But Brilliant is much more than amusing characters, badges, points, and sound effects. In fact, it offers a huge variety of grade 3-12 STEM lessons in math, computer science, science, and data. Each lesson contains multiple levels, progressing from simpler to more complex, allowing students to build mastery and confidence as they work.

Ideal for highly motivated and advanced students, Brilliant allows users to jump ahead in lessons, preventing boredom for quick learners and encouraging them to explore STEM topics on their own.

Premium Brilliant is 100% free for qualified educators and their students.

Watch this conversation above or listen/download it below.

A $9.99 million Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant is bringing together three partners to tackle one of education's most persistent challenges: helping young readers build the skills they need to succeed, especially in rural communities where specialized support is hardest to access. I had a chance to chat with two of the program's architects about their efforts, Allison Zimmermann, CEO of Foundations in Learning, and Dr. Seth King, Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Iowa.

WordFlight, developed by Foundations in Learning, has partnered with the University of Iowa Reading Research Center and Wyoming State to conduct a five-year study involving 80 to 100 schools. The project builds on previous success—a randomized controlled trial with middle school students that showed the intervention was "extremely successful" in moving students forward on foundational skills and fluency.

The study uses a wait-listed design in which half the schools implement WordFlight in year one while the other half serves as a control group, with all schools receiving the intervention by year two. Independent evaluators from Iowa's Center for Evaluation and Assessment will measure outcomes using assessments not directly aligned with the curriculum.

"We have to stop the bleeding," Alli emphasizes about older struggling readers. "We have to give them the foundation that they need to be successful."

• Tech & Learning Conversations with Kevin Hogan

Although women make up more than 50% of humanity, only since the 20th century have they achieved full legal rights and privileges in the U.S.—and in some countries, they are still second-class citizens. Consequently, women’s role in history and contributions to culture have been woefully overlooked.

Designated as Women’s History Month, March is a great time to dive deeply into women’s struggle for equal rights and triumphs in every arena. The lessons, activities and resources here are an excellent way to investigate and understand women as changemakers, activists, and heroines—worthy of becoming an integral part of the curriculum all year long.

Best Women's History Month Lessons and Activities

Bill of Rights Institute Women’s History Playlist: 1844-1860
Eight outstanding standards-aligned multimedia lessons explore the lives of notable mid-19th century women, both famous (Sojourner Truth, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman) and little-known ( Louise Smith Clappe). Each downloadable lesson includes a detailed narrative, primary sources, review questions, and suggestions for pairing with other lessons. Bonus: Download a single interactive PDF with all eight lessons included. Free account required to download.

American Experience: She Resisted
A highly creative, interactive audio/visual experience that delves into the wide range of strategies employed by suffragists in their quest for the right to vote. The opening sequence, featuring thrilling music and compelling film, will draw students into investigating the nine featured strategies. A riveting production that brings history and historical characters to life.

National Women’s Hall of Fame
A showcase for women’s achievement in every arena. Discover the Women of the Hall, then check out the online solitaire game, which combines the fun of solitaire with cards featuring fascinating women of achievement.

National Women’s History Alliance: This Month in Women’s History
Learn all about important dates of women's history throughout the year with this easy-to-use calendar, featuring birthdays of female trailblazers and important historical events from civil rights, politics, and culture.

Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote
Seven online exhibitions from the National Archives investigate topics such as “Who decides who votes?” and “What voting rights struggles persist?” Digitized original documents and photos featured.

Singing for Women’s Suffrage: A New Digital Collection from the Library of Congress
Add a musical note to your history lessons through the women’s suffrage songbook. Included are prompts and ideas for classroom and elearning lessons.

Women athletes who changed sports history
With female athletes starring in tennis, track and field, basketball, soccer, golf and other sports, students today may not realize how women of the past struggled to compete in the athletic realm. This round-up of notable female athletes includes many famous ones, like Serena Williams—and some little-known, like Toni Stone, the "female Jackie Robinson."

iCivics Women’s History Month Resources
A wealth of resources for teaching women’s history, including downloadable planners, videos spotlighting pioneering women, and standards-aligned lessons.

PBS Teaching Women's Suffrage
Women’s right to vote, and the struggle to achieve it, form the foundation for all successive rights. This extensive collection of multimedia lessons and activities is grouped according to topics such as the 19th Amendment, advocates and organizers, primary sources, and modern-day legacies. Each standards-based lesson includes downloadable support materials for teachers.

Unsung Women Who Changed America
26 short films and a one-hour documentary examine the lives of trailblazing women from the turn of the 20th century. Although most of these women are not widely known, their accomplishments call for recognition. Available in Spanish.

HMH: 10 National Women's History Month Activities for Students
A diverse collection of activities using research, writing, critical thinking, and art to analyze women’s history and the changing social mores about women’s role in society.

65 Famous Women in History Everyone Should Know
From astronauts to politicians to athletes to writers, these 65 women—some famous, others less so— have made their mark on the world. Read the brief biographies, then explore the links provided to learn more about Sally Ride, Shirley Chisholm, Soraya Jiménez, Empress Dowager Cixi, and many more.

Clio Visualizing History: Click! in the Classroom Lesson Plans
Organized by grade level, these lesson plans examine women's history through the lens of feminism, politics, careers, sports, and civil rights.

Scholastic Action: From Out of This World. . . To Under the Sea
What do the depths of Earth’s oceans have in common with outer space? Both are otherworldly realms, inhospitable to human life while captivating our imaginations. Meet a woman who has traveled to each place and find out why. A video and quiz round out the article. Integrated with Google drive.

Women's History Month: Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote
An online version of the Library of Congress exhibition "Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote" looks at the history of the struggle for suffrage via handwritten letters, speeches, photographs, and scrapbooks created by American suffragists.

National Women's History Museum Digital Classroom Resources
A wealth of digital resources for women's history featuring lesson plans, quizzes, primary source documents, videos, and more. Searchable by type, topic, and grade.

Alice Ball and 7 Female Scientists Whose Discoveries Were Credited to Men
Learn about women who broke barriers in science but who were, until recently, not credited properly for their achievements. Compare this to the list of women recognized with the Nobel Prize.

DocsTeach: Primary sources and Teaching Activities for Women's Rights
Explore a wealth of primary sources covering topics ranging across women's suffrage, political cartoons, the Equal Rights Amendment, and many others. Teaching activities include online interactives investigating all aspects of the fight for women's suffrage and the passage of the 19th Amendment.

Learning for Justice: Women's Suffrage Lesson
This Common Core-aligned lesson guides students in learning how women achieved voting rights and in evaluating the role of the federal government in the fight for suffrage.

National Museum of Women in the Arts Curriculum & Resources
On the website of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, find free resources to support teaching about women artists, including a complete curriculum, "Art, Books, and Creativity," and pre-K12 educator guides. Be sure to explore the extensive online exhibitions.

National Women's History Alliance: Women's History Quizzes
Seven quizzes on women's history cover topics including women in STEM, peace activists, Black women's history, and more.

Nobel Prizes Awarded to Women
Note how the rate of female Nobel laureates has changed dramatically in the 21st century.

Smithsonian Learning Lab Women's History
Sixty-three collections of digitized objects related to women's history add a rich context to the written word. The Learning Lab is a free, interactive platform allowing educators and other users to find digital resources and create content with online tools.

In 1870, Henrietta Wood Sued for Reparations—and Won
Ever heard of Henrietta Wood? Formerly enslaved, Wood successfully sued her enslaver for reparations in 1870. This Smithsonian magazine article details her amazing story, forgotten until very recently.

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

When I first became a school leader, one of the first realities I had to confront was email volume. Not a handful of messages but sometimes dozens before 8 a.m., sometimes hundreds by day’s end. Staying on top of it required strategies, routines, and discipline as I had to learn how to triage, delegate, and protect attention so the inbox did not become my only job.

But even so, I never assumed silence was the answer. Not every email deserves a long reply, and some do not deserve any. Still, for legitimate questions tied to work, decisions, and people, I’ve always tried to respond because email is often how others experience your leadership when they cannot access you in the moment.

‘Digital Snubbery’

I hear from my educational leadership students all the time that their school leaders do not answer emails. Messages go unanswered for days or weeks, sometimes indefinitely.

This may sting for some readers, but that is not acceptable. Not because leaders should be available 24/7, and not because instant replies are the standard. It is unacceptable because sustained non-response communicates something, whether you intend it or not.

Adam Grant has called this “digital snubbery,” the online equivalent of walking past someone who waved at you. His point is not that every email is urgent. It is that silence of a non-response that is interpreted. And in schools, interpretation becomes culture.

What makes this especially tricky in schools is the power dynamic. When a leader does not respond, the silence carries more weight than when a peer does. People hesitate to follow up because they do not want to appear needy, impatient, or out of line, and wait longer than they should, even second-guessing themselves. In some cases, they stop asking altogether.

This lack of communication creates blind spots for leaders. The very people closest to the work begin to go quiet because experience has taught them not to expect a response. Over time, this weakens feedback loops and slows organizational learning.

Some consequences are obvious: Work slows, decisions stall, and people follow up repeatedly or escalate issues that did not need escalation. Non-response also erodes trust, discourages initiative, and can delay a problem until it is bigger, messier, and harder to solve. Over time, people start working around you instead of with you. That should worry any leader who values coherence, collaboration, and shared ownership.

Not Time Management, But A Disposition Problem

Perfection is not the point here, nor is inbox zero the target. The goal is a mindset shift: email is not just administrative or technical, it is part of your leadership presence. You can and should have boundaries, but these must be communicated.

It is also worth naming the emotional labor involved in email. Many messages carry frustration, urgency, or disappointment, so avoidance is sometimes less about time and more about discomfort.

Leadership often requires engaging with discomfort early, when issues are still manageable. Delayed responses allow tension to grow and misunderstandings to harden, so a short acknowledgment can de-escalate more effectively than a perfectly crafted response sent too late.

Sometimes this is not just a personal habit, it is structural. If a leader is hard to reach by phone, unavailable on video, and inconsistent in person, then email becomes the only door. When that door stays closed, leadership becomes something people cannot access, only assume.

If you want a staff that takes initiative, raises concerns early, and brings you solutions, you can’t train them – explicitly or implicitly – to expect no response.

5 Practical Ways To Handle Email Without Breaking Trust

1. Schedule response time and put it on your calendar. If it matters, it gets scheduled. Two short blocks a day can produce meaningful changes.
2. Set up folders and prioritize on purpose. Keep it simple. Examples: Urgent Today, This Week, Waiting On, Read Later. The goal is not a perfect system. The goal is not losing important messages.
3. Acknowledge quickly, then follow through. “Received. I’ll get back to you by Thursday.” Then actually do. Trust is built in the follow-up.
4. Use AI to draft non-sensitive, non-confidential correspondence. Let AI create a first draft for routine updates, confirmations, next steps, scheduling, thank-yous. Add your personal touch, correct tone, and keep confidential content out of the prompt.
5. Create a routing plan so you are not the bottleneck. Some messages should go to a point person or team. Proper routing is not avoidance, it is clarity.

Responsiveness is not about replying to everything instantly. It is about accountability. Whatever system you choose, protect your time, but do not disappear. Email silence may not be a visible leadership trait, but it is felt – and it shows up as trust, or the loss of it.

The best tools to teach storytelling can also be some of the most ideal ways to engage students, both creatively and more generally with education. From sparking their imaginations to helping structure a creative toolset, these digital assistants can be powerful in the classroom and beyond.

Giving a student the ability to structure and tell a compelling story can help to empower them in terms of literacy, empathy, and critical thinking.

Students can be given the opportunity to explore historical perspectives, dive into personal narratives, build fictional worlds, and present research in a story form. All of which helps strengthen communication skills while learning at the same time.

This guide aims to lay out some of the best tools to teach storytelling in the class and beyond.

Best tools to teach storytelling

Best to teach storytelling overall

Story Xperiential

Story Xperiential is a structured storytelling platform designed to teach narrative creation from the very start. Developed with input from professional storytellers, it focuses on helping students understand how to write a story and why stories work. Rather than functioning as a simple writing app, it delivers a curriculum-driven approach that breaks storytelling into clear, teachable components.

Students can move through the guided stages from idea development and character creation to plot structure, visual storytelling, drafting, and revision. Teachers can assign projects, monitor progress, and facilitate critique sessions -- essential in developing narrative strength. The emphasis on feedback and editing makes it especially strong for longer term development rather than one-off assignments.

Stand-out features include structured storytelling frameworks, scaffolded learning pathways, and cross-curricular flexibility.

This can be well used as part of a longer storytelling system while building in peer critiques to deepen understanding of structure and character development.

Best for interactive stories

SceneCraft

SceneCraft is an AI-powered storytelling tool that allows educators to create interactive, branching narratives through which students make decisions that shape outcomes. This is designed for classroom use by blending writing with decision-based learning, making it ideal for exploring cause and effect, character motivation, and ethical dilemmas.

Teachers can build or edit scenarios while students navigate storylines by selecting different paths. The interactive format often increases engagement, particularly for students who respond well to game-like experiences.

Standout features include AI-assisted scenario generation, branching pathways, and opportunities for social-emotional learning discussions.

Educators can pair digital storytelling with pre-writing story maps -- plus post-activity discussions -- to analyze how different narrative choices alter outcomes.

Best for visual inspiration

Storybird

Storybird is a visual storytelling platform that combines student writing with curated professional artwork. Students select images and build stories or poems around these, using visuals as prompts to inspire story ideas. This makes it effective for younger learners and reluctant writers, who can benefit from visual scaffolding.

The interface uses a book-style layout, encouraging students to construct stories page by page. This format reinforces pacing, sequencing, and concise writing.

Teachers can create assignments, review student drafts, and provide feedback directly within the platform.

Strong artwork libraries, support for both poetry and short fiction, and accessible publishing tools are key features.

Teachers can find it effective to use artwork for character development exercises or to set word limits per page to strengthen clarity and narrative precision.

Best for collaborative storytelling

BoomWriter

BoomWriter turns storytelling into a collaborative classroom experience. Students contribute chapters to a shared story, and classmates vote anonymously on submissions to determine which version becomes part of the final narrative. The completed work can then be published as a professionally printed book.

Teachers begin by setting a prompt and writing the opening chapter. Students submit their versions of the next installment, and peer voting selects the continuation. This structured cycle repeats until the story is complete, reinforcing narrative continuity, audience awareness, and revision skills.

The anonymous voting system promotes thoughtful critique while maintaining engagement.

Teachers can use this to establish clear evaluation criteria focused on storytelling craft rather than popularity. This can lead to discussions about why certain chapters effectively advanced the narrative and others did not.

Best for gamification

Imagine Forest

Imagine Forest combines creative writing tools with gamified elements to encourage ongoing storytelling skills. Students can respond to prompts, draft original stories, and publish their work. Badges and achievements help motivate consistent participation.

The structured editor supports story creation while offering built-in prompts to spark ideas. This makes it very useful for daily warm-ups, creative writing clubs, or independent literacy work. Students can develop stories over time, building confidence and fluency.

Pair prompt-based writing with mini-lessons focused on dialogue, pacing, or descriptive language. Also, encourage revision before publication to reinforce storytelling basics.

In today’s world, social media gas-lighting and primal cynics deceptively pull power from others, making us wonder how students can wade through the weeds and come out successful on the other end.

This challenge can and should matter to educators and parents. Here’s how to change the dynamic of the people who try to take others down, especially children . . . .

Remember in middle school the looks, the whispers, and the low expectations that hung over you like a fog? As a kid, this makes us feel vulnerable.

One approach we can teach kids enables them to transform those low expectations into a great advantage. The Pygmalion effect study demonstrates evidence that when educators maintain high expectations, students internalize that belief and rise to meet it.

Consider how doubters and shouters play: they link an external locus of control, blaming outside forces. We see this online everywhere–they shout at others and feel empowered by blaming everything, and everyone else.

We can help children exposed to this with time-tested evidence of how to take back control, and more importantly, to thrive. It is a philosophy that when properly taught can shift self-fulfilling prophecy and silence the doubters.

The Power of Proximity

I wrote about this in a post recently when second guessing reminded me of what works for learners:

“When a doubter is in the room, I sit close by. When they make a frown, I smile. And when they try to intimidate me, I sit even closer.”

It is human nature when faced with a critic or bully, our primal instincts are to fight, flight or freeze. We want to put as much distance as possible between us and the person who makes us feel small. This is also the exact opposite way to thrive as a learner.

The message we can teach children must be that when they shy away from a doubter, they validate the doubter's power over us. We signal that their opinion matters enough to influence us. But when you pull up a chair and sit right next to them, you start to disrupt the dynamic. You show them that you are comfortable in your own skin, regardless of what they think, and more importantly what you think.

An example of how I teach children this is like when my own daughters asked me, “In a room with two difficult people, who do you sit next to?” My answer: “Whoever is most difficult.”

This isn’t about confrontation. It’s about presence, and occupying space in which the doubter thinks you don’t belong. When they frown and you smile back, you aren’t just modeling ethical behavior, you are refusing to let their negative energy dictate your right to be present and be you. Students who learn this skill are maintaining their zone of indifference to toxicity while preserving their dignity and well-being.

The Element of Surprise

I was a special educator. When I got to teach children that there is an advantage to being underestimated, I would demonstrate to them how they have a surprising advantage. Doubters think they are better. This is the nexus where the element of surprise thrives: when I outwork them and don’t blame setbacks on something else, I catch them completely off guard. You can imagine how deeply satisfying this is.

When others expect a child to be inferior, they aren’t prepared for the hard-working underdog. What perpetuates this advantage is when they refuse to blame external sources, such as we see so often happens on social media today. Instead, they accept the hand of cards they were dealt, and work hard within their incredible potential–and every child, every underdog has incredible potential.

David vs Goliath

When students learn to develop compensation strategies—such as unconventional problem-solving or sheer persistence—a competitive edge over those with traditional advantages is often overlooked. It offers a wonderful, unseen opportunity for the underdog, and feels tremendously empowering..

Students with learning challenges navigate their gaps, showing how they use specific compensatory supports to succeed. These strategies include meta-cognition, self-advocacy, and individualized planning to overcome low institutional expectations.

Struggles faced by students, such as David against Goliath, provide for resilience and unconventional strengths that serve as a hidden advantage against challenges. So a weakness becomes a strength.

When the doubter assumes they are better, they get complacent. Meanwhile, the student who harnesses internal locus of control is in the trenches, grinding. They are stacking up micro-wins—small, consistent victories that are subtle, until they compound into something undeniable. When students become so good they can’t ignore you, they feel a deep sense of appreciation and the victories keep piling up. This is a perpetual cycle we want children to be situated in, not all the time, but enough to want more.

Students discover that while doubters are busy looking down on them, they are busy outworking them. The student who embraces their internal locus of control isn’t wasting energy complaining about the unfairness of the situation or blaming a lack of resources. They are simply doing the work.

A Message to the Kids

To the students, the kids, and anyone currently feeling the weight of someone else’s doubt: Lean hard into that advantage.

Don’t try to argue them out of their opinion. Don't waste your time (and remember it is YOUR time) defending yourself. Let them doubt. Let them think you’re out of your league. It only makes it easier for you to blindside them with your success later.

While doubters run their race, students who learn this are running their own race based on outworking them. They are looking at you; you are looking at the finish line. Students transform their doubters into the ultimate fuel and prove that the greatest victory comes from turning that negative energy into positive motivation.

Smile at them. Sit close. And get back to work.

Artsonia is the solution to the problem of storing and showcasing artwork in a digital age. This free do-it-all platform was created as a place for students to store and display their artwork in a digital portfolio.

This is one of the world's largest online galleries for student artwork, built to operate as part of the school ecosystem. At time of publishing, this is used by tens of thousands of students with more than 100 million pieces of artwork being hosted.

So while this allows students to collate their work, it's also a place for teachers to manage and showcase class work with easy uploading and sharing options. They can even make money from it to fund future art classes, too.

This guide aims to lay out all you need to know about Artsonia and how it could work for your class.

What is Artsonia?

Artsonia is a digital art storage and sharing space that is designed specifically for K-12 environments with a focus on safety, privacy and compliance -- with support for both COPPA and FERPA requirements.

This free online-based platform is a permanent and searchable archive of student work. Students can choose to share with approved viewers and are able to collate their efforts right through their school lives.

While this is primarily created for use by students and teachers, it's also possible for parents and family members to create accounts and follow students' progress -- as well as leave supportive comments.

A class portal makes submitting work for teachers to moderate a simple process that should help reduce administrative workload. Many more features are available, including social and lesson supportive, but more on those below.

How does Artsonia work?

Artsonia is easy to setup for a teacher account, which can be done by registering the school. Class rosters are then established and artwork can be published immediately using the website or dedicated apps.

Students or teachers can use a smartphone camera to photograph the artwork for direct upload to the platform. Students are then able to submit their work using a class portal. Teachers can then moderate before publishing.

Approved work appears in the student personal online gallery, which family can access through secured logins. Parents get notifications when new artwork is published so they can comment and encourage student progress.

Artsonia is COPPA and FERPA compliant, includes moderation tools, and allows teachers to manage permissions and visibility, so it's suitable for a wide range of school contexts and age groups.

What are the best Artsonia features?

Artsonia is for teachers, students, and family. Features such as the ability for families to order keepsakes of the work -- mugs, prints, magnets, jewelry, etc. -- help add to the richness of this platform. Schools can even earn 20% on the sales of these offerings.

But on a more class-practical level, this is a really helpful way for students to collate all their work, across the years, for future self-reflection and assessments.

The class portal lets students submit artwork independently, significantly reducing teacher workload while encouraging learner autonomy and reflective thinking.

Teachers approve all submissions before publishing, maintaining quality and safeguarding standards. Parents can then view the gallery, strengthening school-home relationships and student motivation.

COPPA and FERPA compliance, along with moderation workflows, mean that student data and imagery are handled responsibly. This makes Artsonia suitable for large-scale use in schools.

How much does Artsonia cost?

Artsonia is free for teachers, students, and families to use. No subscription fees are required to create student portfolios, upload artwork, manage classrooms, or invite parents to engage.

Revenue is generated through the optional sale of custom keepsake products featuring student artwork. When families buy items such as mugs, prints, magnets, or jewelry, Artsonia returns 20% of the purchase price directly to the school’s art program.

Artsonia best tips and tricks

Use student uploading early
Introduce the class portal from the outset to empower students to take ownership of documenting their work and reduce teacher admin time.

Create consistent photography stations
A simple backdrop or light box setup can significantly improve image quality and presentation, making digital galleries more visually impactful.

Encourage reflective writing
Ask students to add titles and short artist statements to help develop metacognition, creative thinking, and literacy skills alongside visual art.