Classroom Technology

Digital literacy, screen time, cellphones. Learn more about how schools handling technology’s effect on teaching and learning

Explainer

Technology in Education: An Overview
From blended learning to computerized testing, digital and online technologies are reshaping the classroom experience for students.

Featured Special Reports

Special Report Technology & Student Wellness: How Tech, SEL, and Mental Health Are Now Linked
See how schools are trying to put student wellness front and center to help kids navigate a world in which social media and AI are all around them.
March 25, 2024
Custom illustration of a young female student in a meditative pose floating above a cell phone. She is surrounded by floating books and wide range of emotions reflected by different emojis. Digital / techie textures applied to the background.
Taylor Callery for Education Week
Special Report Math + Tech: Are We Solving the Equation?
Math educators are testing new technologies such as artificial intelligence to see if they can help improve math instruction.
September 18, 2023
Photo of girl using tablet computer.
E+ / Getty
Special Report Tech Is Everywhere. How Schools Are Using It
The rapid expansion of technology in schools raises important questions about the impact it is having on student learning.
March 27, 2023
Pre-K students Margaret Gilllespie and Noah Parangan attend a coding class at Hampton Street School in Mineola, New York, March 13, 2023.
Pre-K students Margaret Gilllespie and Noah Parangan attend a coding class at Hampton Street School in Mineola, N.Y., March 13, 2023.
Mostafa Bassim for Education Week
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    Classroom Technology Webinar
    Better Tools, Not More: What Educators Say About Teaching and Technology
    Optimism is up. AI use is rising. Coherence is the next challenge. Hear what the 2026 Educator Confidence Report reveals about the field.
    Content provided by HMH
    Students use their cellphones as they leave for the day the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts High School in downtown Los Angeles, Aug. 13, 2024.
    Students use their cellphones as they leave the Ramon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts High School in downtown Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2024. A new set of surveys of teen attitudes toward school cellphone restrictions shows growing acceptance of the policies by those most directly affected.
    Damian Dovarganes/AP
    Classroom Technology Are Teens Starting to Accept Cellphone Bans? A New Survey Has Answers
    Researchers surveyed teens and adults on how well school cellphone policies were enforced over the course of a school year.
    Arianna Prothero, September 30, 2026
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    5 min read
    A student stands at the front of a classroom presenting with a laptop, while a digital whiteboard displays text behind her. Other students are seated and working on laptops.
    Photo provided by ASUS.
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    Closing the Vision-to-Execution Gap: What the Archdiocese of New York Learned About Classroom Technology
    Reliable classroom technology helps teachers teach without disruption, students explore ideas, and schools turn learning goals into action.
    Content provided by ASUS
    This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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    Classroom Technology Webinar
    Screen Time and AI: An Evidence Playbook for School Leaders
    Get a clearer picture of the current policy landscape, a framework for evaluating new tools, plus language to use in the next board meeting.
    Content provided by Instructure
    The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
    Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
    Classroom Technology Opinion The Big Flaw With Ed-Tech Tutoring Isn't Technological
    Before focusing on the technology, we need to redesign the learning model, Michael Horn argues.
    Rick Hess, September 15, 2026
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    4 min read
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    Students at a high school in Plymouth, Ohio work on how to properly prompt the Gemini AI app on Aug. 28, 2026. A new report of the American Psychological Association warns that student engagement with tech apps should not be conflated with benefits for learning.
    Ruddy Roye for Education Week
    Classroom Technology Q&A Students’ Tech Engagement Doesn’t Equal Learning, Psychologists Warn
    A panel of psychologists shares recommendations for ensuring technology promotes meaningful learning.
    Lauraine Langreo, September 4, 2026
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    6 min read
    A teacher sits at a desk using a laptop in front of a classroom projector screen displaying a poem and handwritten notes. Several students sit on the floor facing the teacher.
    Photo provided by ASUS.
    This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
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    Using Your Student's Laptop In Lesson Planning, Not Just Independent Work: a Case Study From St. Joseph's Academy
    See how teachers can turn student laptops into active teaching tools that make lessons more visual, engaging, and easier to follow.
    Content provided by ASUS
    MEAD, CO - AUGUST 18: Parents watch and and take photos of their kids as they enter the school during their first day of class at the Big Sky PK-8 School in Mead on Aug. 18, 2026.
    Parents watch their kids as they enter the school on the first day of class at the Big Sky PK-8 School in Mead, Colo., on Aug. 18, 2026. As schools face growing backlash from parents over their use of educational technology, a school communications professional has some pointers on how schools can communicate with parents about how they're using technology.
    Joel Solis/MediaNews Group/Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images
    Classroom Technology Q&A Facing 'Techlash,' How Should Schools Talk to Parents About Tech Use?
    A school communications expert explains how schools should approach their messaging around tech.
    Arianna Prothero, August 21, 2026
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    5 min read
    Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler speaks during the National Forum on Education Policy in Washington, DC on Wednesday July 8, 2026.
    Assistant Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler speaks during the National Forum on Education Policy in Washington on Wednesday, July 8, 2026. Baesler urged educators to ensure ed tech is delivering results for students, rather than focus single-mindedly on the amount of time students are spending on screens in class.
    Demetrius Freeman for Education Week
    Classroom Technology It's About Quality Tech Use, Not Screen Time, Trump's Top K-12 Official Argues
    Trump administration's top K-12 official urges educators to focus on whether ed tech is effective.
    Alyson Klein, August 20, 2026
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    5 min read
    Imran, left, confers with his math partner Nataly as the fifth graders solve a problem using base-10 rods at Hawthorne Elementary School, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023 , in Seattle .
    Imran, left, confers with his math partner Nataly as the 5th graders solve a problem using base-10 rods at Hawthorne Elementary School in Seattle on Jan. 24, 2023. Some parents in the city, which issues devices to all students, have opted their children out of school-issued technology.
    Ken Lambert/Seattle Times via TNS
    Classroom Technology These Kids Are Learning Without Tech in a District That Gives Out Devices to All
    Some parents in this city opted their children out of school-issued devices.
    Claire Bryan, The Seattle Times, August 17, 2026
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    10 min read
    Ninth-graders Charley Mays, left, and Grace Coleman work on iPads during an honors physical science class at Minnetonka High School on Oct. 30, 2019 in Minnetonka, Minnesota .
    Ninth-graders Charley Mays, left, and Grace Coleman work on iPads during an honors physical science class at Minnetonka High School on Oct. 30, 2019 in Minnetonka, Minn. Some experts caution schools not to go too far in dialing back the use of classroom technologies, a trend called the "techlash" that is driven by concerns about the overuse of technology in schools.
    Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
    Classroom Technology Q&A Why a 'Blunt Force' Approach to Screen Time May Be Problematic
    District and state leaders should avoid one-size-fits-all mandates on screen time, expert argues.
    Alyson Klein, August 17, 2026
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    3 min read
    Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on the Screen Time Reckoning: Educators, Parents, and the Fight for Healthier Classrooms
    Screens are reshaping classrooms, but educators are pushing back to restore balance, protect learning, and prioritize human connection.
    August 14, 2026
    Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on the Future of Blended Learning: Finding the Right Model for Your School
    Discover practical insights for evaluating blended learning models and building flexible, future-ready schools.
    August 13, 2026
    Numberpad visible on keyboard of ASUS CX1 Chromebook, Lafayette, California, October 27, 2025.
    The Canon-McMillan school district in Pennsylvania is one of a growing number of school districts that are scaling back students’ classroom screen time. Students in grades K-2 will no longer have regular access to school-issued laptops or tablets, and students in grades 3-8 will have limited access through Chromebook carts.
    Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Sipa via AP Images
    Classroom Technology Q&A Why This District Is Getting Rid of Chromebooks for K-2 Students
    Some parents, educators, and even students are souring on the ubiquitous presence of the technology.
    Lauraine Langreo, August 11, 2026
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    6 min read
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    Robyn Lady, a member of the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia, left, and Rachel Edoho-Eket, a principal in Howard County, Md., participate in a panel discussion titled "Building Trust With Families in a Skeptical Age" at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., on June 30, 2026. The growing backlash against the overuse of technology in schools is forcing school and district leaders to have some difficult conversations with parents.
    Marvin Joseph/Education Week
    Classroom Technology How District and School Leaders Respond to the 'Techlash' Will Be Critical
    Educators recommend showing parents how technology is used for learning.
    Alyson Klein, August 4, 2026
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    4 min read