Digital Education
The Digital Education blog covered personalized learning, artificial intelligence, adaptive testing, digital curricula, data privacy, future of work, and all things technology. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: classroom technology, personalized learning, future of work, and digital learning.
Teaching
Virtual-Reality Sharks in the Classroom
First Sharknado, now this: An educational virtual-reality program about sharks is in development, although VR devices have been slow to market.
Privacy & Security
Scaled-Back FERPA Overhaul Introduced in U.S. House
The Student Privacy Protection Act would update FERPA to ban the use of student information for targeted advertising and allow for fines of up to $1.5 million on educational agencies.
Federal
Obama Seeks to Connect Public Housing Residents to Low-Cost Internet
The ConnectHome initiative aims to help close the "homework gap" by enlisting corporations to provide affordable Internet to students living in public housing.
Privacy & Security
Microsoft Server 2003's Demise Could Bring Tech Woes for Unprepared Schools
Microsoft is ending support for its Server 2003 operating system, which could pose security and other risks to districts that haven't upgraded.
Federal
Helping Parents Find the Right Preschool, Via Better Web Tools
Public and privately funded web portals are being created to help parents pick a high-quality preschool based on data, rather than just intuition.
Privacy & Security
(Yet Another) Federal Student-Data-Privacy Bill Introduced
The bipartisan SAFE KIDS Act seeks to protect student data privacy by placing new prohibitions on companies and granting enforcement authority to the Federal Trade Commission.
Classroom Technology
Personalization, Tailored Instruction Vital to Blended Learning, New Report Says
In a new report, the nonprofit organization iNACOL explores the evolution of blended learning and argues that "personalized" learning is critical to the success of blended strategies.
Privacy & Security
Data Quality Campaign Unveils Resource to Help Define Student Data
A group that advocates for responsible use of data is circulating an infographic meant to define student data and explain how it is used.
Curriculum
Will 'Girly' Tech Attract More Girls to Computer Programming?
A New York City startup hopes that programmable friendship bracelets will be a hit with young girls - and stoke their interest in coding and computer science.
Curriculum
Rocket Explosion Means Loss of Outer Space Experiments For Ed. Nonprofit
When the SpaceX rocket exploded last month, education nonprofit Story Time from Space lost nine experiments meant to teach students scientific concepts.
Classroom Technology
Blunt Advice for Harried Ed-Tech 'Coaches' Offered at ISTE
The ISTE 2015 conference offered several sessions on the role of the technology "coaches" who are charged with helping teachers master digital tools.
Classroom Technology
Ed-Tech Lessons from 'The Simpsons'
In a recently aired episode, classic animated comedy The Simpsons parodied failed 1-to-1 student-computing initiatives in hilarious fashion.
Classroom Technology
Q&A
Maker Spaces for Early Learners: Q&A
School librarian Nan Stifel talked with Education Week about her process of creating a library maker space for children in prekindergarten through 3rd grade.
Classroom Technology
ISTE 2015: T-Shirt Nation
Even at ISTE, a national gathering of ed-tech teachers, vendors, and other digital-age enthusiasts, one of the most popular campaigns by companies to spread the word about their products remains the T-shirt giveaway.