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
  • The Latest

    DSC03088
    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
    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.
    Sponsor
    Classroom Technology Sponsor
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    6 min read
    ISTEDay2B08
    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
    4 min read
    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 We’re Finally Starting to Ask the Right Questions About Ed Tech
    Concerns about screen-saturated schools underscore a sense that “innovation” exacts a human cost.
    Rick Hess, August 4, 2026
    5 min read
    Image of a teacher and student balancing digital and traditional schoolwork approaches.
    Robert Neubecker for Education Week.
    Classroom Technology Schools Brace for Growing Backlash to Classroom Screen Time
    Many school leaders think a tech reset is overdue, but don't want to dump what's helping kids learn.
    Arianna Prothero, August 3, 2026
    7 min read
    Education Air Quality Oil and Gas 25147797641797
    Students at Loving Elementary School in Loving, N.M., participate in a science, technology, engineering and math lab on May 19, 2025. A rising number of school districts around the country are making decisions to cut back on the amount of time students spend using technology in the classroom.
    Susan Montoya Bryan/AP Photo
    Classroom Technology From Our Research Center How Much Time Are Students Spending on Tech in Classrooms?
    Schools are wrestling with the backlash against students' classroom screen time.
    Lauraine Langreo, July 24, 2026
    1 min read
    Students in Coach Harris' history class refrain from using tech, focusing instead on group activities using white boards and worksheets on April 7, 2026 at Sapulpa Middle School in Sapulpa, Okla
    A middle school history class refrains from using tech, focusing instead on group activities using white boards and worksheets on April 7, 2026 in Sapulpa, Okla. Some teachers are paring down tech, while others feel they have limited options to do so, according to their responses to an EdWeek story.
    September Dawn Bottoms for Education Week
    Classroom Technology How Teachers Are Tackling the 'Techlash'
    Some educators say they would like to pull back on digital tools, but lack alternative resources.
    Jennifer Vilcarino, July 16, 2026
    1 min read
    Housing HUD Time Limits 25197588934495
    Nintendo Switches, like the one the teenage boy is using above, are being used in the Denver Public Schools in an esports program designed to improve student engagement. Education Week recently talked to one of the educators involved in that program, who gave a presentation about it at the ISTELive 26 + ASCD Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., June 28 to July 1.
    Lindsey Wasson/AP Photo
    Classroom Technology Q&A How This District Is Using Esports to Increase Student Engagement
    An education technology specialist discusses an esports development program she created.
    Lauraine Langreo, July 9, 2026
    4 min read