It’s been an exciting time to cover educational technology for Education Week and Digital Directions as the push for innovation in our schools and the debates over how to prepare students for the 21st-century workforce intensify. Over the past year, I’ve covered the ups and downs of technology integration in our schools, from the deepening budget woes to the need for professional development to the safety issues raised by the increased use of digital tools by students and teachers, and the slow progress toward integrating technology meaningfully and effectively.
After years of covering curriculum and policy for Education Week, I was surprised at how much my work in those areas prepared me for the issues related to the the ed-tech field. Some of my favorite stories touched on many of these issues, including one chronicling the hard road to reform for Philadelphia’s School of the Future, a recent piece about the complicated requirements of the federal E-rate program, the integration of whiteboards into more classrooms, experimentation with Twitter in the classroom, and the push to enlist technology as a tool for customizing instruction for all students.
There is more big news ahead on the ed-tech front, with the drafts of the National Broadband Plan and the National Educational Technology Plan due out in the coming weeks. My colleagues Katie Ash and Michelle Davis will be keeping you informed on those and other developments.
While I’ll be following the news as well, I will no longer be chronicling it for Education Week. After more than 13 years as a reporter for this great news organization, I am embarking on a new phase in my career helping nonprofits get the word out about their good works. Thanks to all the readers out there for your input, your comments, and your support.
Best of luck in all the good work you do.
