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 This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: classroom technology, personalized learning, future of work,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.
Ed-Tech Policy
Common Sense Media Launches $20M Education Advocacy Effort
Common Sense Media announced the launch of a $20 million national education-advocacy effort that the organization's CEO says is meant to make it an "AARP for kids" in terms of its reach.
Federal
Messer-Polis Data-Privacy Bill Endorsed by Educator Groups; Industry Wary
Changes to the new Student Digital Privacy and Parental Rights Act have won over some educator groups, but raised concerns from the ed-tech industry.
Classroom Technology
New Digital Learning Report Card Describes Promising Practices for States
States are making significant progress in digital education efforts, with over 400 digital learning policies implemented in 2014, new ExcelinEd report finds.
Federal
New Federal Student-Data-Privacy Bill Targets Loopholes
A revamped federal student-data-privacy bill would cover more student information, allow fewer uses of that data, and impose new requirements on ed-tech vendors.
School & District Management
States Expanding Mandates for Students to Take Computer Science
Fourteen states are now mandating that computer science classes be counted towards high school graduation requirements, a new report from Education Commission of the States finds.
Classroom Technology
Nev. Cites 'Breach of Contract' by Vendor, Smarter Balanced Amid Testing Woes
State superintendent Dale Erquiaga said Nevada's test providers "have failed to uphold their obligations."
Classroom Technology
New Research Reveals Teens' Near-Constant Use of Online Sites, Tools
Nearly a quarter of teens are online "almost constantly" and 73 percent of teens own smartphones, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Assessment
Florida Online Testing Disrupted Again, Vendor Apologizes
The American Institutes for Research, which was awarded a $220 million contract to oversee the assessments, accepted responsibility for the latest problems.
Federal
Ed-Tech Groups Give Thumbs Up to K-12 Tech Amendment in ESEA Rewrite
Although it's just a first step, bipartisan support for the "I-TECH" amendment by the Senate Education Committee is seen as positive by ed-tech advocates.
Classroom Technology
iPads, E-Readers, and Early Literacy: Emerging Research From AERA
Four pending studies presented at AERA offer surprising findings and a nuanced look at the use of iPads and e-readers with young children.
Curriculum
Q&A
Coding and Computer Science in School Libraries: Researcher Q&A
Given time and space to innovate, librarians can be instrumental in engaging students in using programming tools, researchers said.
Equity & Diversity
U.S. Students Awful at Evaluating Reliability of Online Science Readings
Fewer than 4 percent of students in a new study displayed the skills to effectively evaluate the reliability and credibility of online science information.
Curriculum
Deep or Wide? Two Takes on Ed-Tech Professional Development from AERA
Does providing more teachers with basic training, or a few teachers with intensive training, result in the most impactful integration of classroom technology?
Families & the Community
Previewing the 2015 AERA Conference, in Plain English
A preview of the jargon-filled annual conference of the American Educational Research Association, written at a 5th-grade reading level.