The country’s largest education technology conference kicks off June 26 in New Orleans.
The International Society for Technology in Education conference, which is being held virtually and in person for the first time in two years, will draw thousands of teachers, school administrators, researchers, and ed-tech companies from around the world.
Some of the sessions at this year’s conference will explore how new technologies—such as the metaverse and artificial intelligence—will affect the classroom. And other sessions will focus on what schools can do as they recover from pandemic-related learning disruptions, such as creating quality online learning lesson plans, preparing new teachers for a technology-rich classroom, and addressing social-emotional learning.
Here are 5 Education Week stories that should help prepare you for the conference and the technology challenges ahead for the 2022-23 school year:
1. Accelerating Learning: Tech Advice to Make It Happen
One of the challenges that schools need to tackle is how to ensure students are ready to dive into the next grade, especially after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted learning. One way schools are tackling the issue is by embracing “acceleration,” or giving students access to grade-level content, even if they haven’t mastered every concept in the previous grade levels. And some schools might look to technology to help them tackle the problem. In this article, experts gave tips on how to make sure the technology you’re using embraces true acceleration.
2. Case Study: The Hard Transition to 1-to-1 Computing Continues
When the pandemic hit, schools had to scramble to find enough laptops, tablets, and hotspots so they could deliver virtual learning to their students. Because of the sudden shift to 1-to-1 computing, some districts didn’t have time to carefully plan the transition. A lot of that work is happening now. This article details how one school district in Illinois is dealing with the transition.
3. Is Tech Destroying Kids’ Social Skills? Here’s How Social-Emotional Learning Can Help
There is no shortage of headlines about technology’s negative effects on children’s social skills and well-being. And virtual learning has only increased students’ use of digital devices to socialize. What social-emotional skills do schools need to teach students so they can have healthy relationships with themselves and with others in a tech-centric world? SEL and tech experts weighed in.
4. ‘A Year of Tremendous Growth.’ How the Pandemic Forced Teachers to Master Technology
When schools turned to virtual learning at the beginning of the pandemic, many educators who were not that comfortable with technology had to figure out how to effectively teach their students through a computer screen. While educators nationwide said they mastered a slew of new technologies during the pandemic, there’s still a lot to learn. Read the article for more details on an EdWeek Research Center survey of teachers’ knowledge and feelings about education technology.
5. Students Are Behaving Badly in Class. Excessive Screen Time Might Be to Blame
Another problem schools are facing: A rise in behavioral issues likely caused by increased screen time. An EdWeek Research Center survey found that 80 percent of educators said student behavior worsened with more screen time. This article explores what counts as too much screen time and why context and content are critical when evaluating the use of digital devices.
