Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

E-rate insight protects school technology infrastructure

Key points:

When the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program first emerged in 1996, only 14 percent of the nation’s K-12 classrooms were connected to the internet. Since then, the program has transformed to help schools and libraries connect to high-speed broadband. Today, nearly three-quarters of K-12 school districts provide internet bandwidth at a minimum rate of 1 megabit per second, according to the 2023 Report on School Connectivity.

Despite making significant technological advances over the past two decades, schools still rely on E-rate funds to upgrade and protect their technology infrastructures. However, many districts find it challenging to engage in long-term planning without outside consultation or tools that help them evaluate their programs and stay abreast of the latest E-rate policy changes. Keeping up with comment cycles and changing requirements can open new opportunities for students and library patrons.…Read More

Reflecting on the Parkland tragedy, its lasting impacts, and work still to be done

Written by Jen Easterly, Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Last month marks six years since 17 students and faculty senselessly lost their lives and 17 others were injured when a mass murderer entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida and started shooting. Since that horrific day, 124 more Americans have been killed and 331 injured on campuses across the country in 189 separate school shootings—almost 3 shootings a month since Parkland. This is simply unacceptable, and it must stop.

Last month, I joined Education Secretary Cardona to not only remember, but also to walk in the shoes of those who lost their lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School building 1200. I had the privilege of talking with the parents of Alex Schachter, Gina Montalto, Luke Hoyer, Jaime Guttenberg, and Alyssa Alhadeff, beautiful students with the brightest of futures ahead of them, and Debbi Hixon, the wife of Athletic Director Chris Hixon, who gave his life rushing into the building to save hundreds of students that day.…Read More

3 considerations to ensure a future-proof network

Key points:

In 2024, Wi-Fi and wired networks are critical infrastructure for educational organizations. Thanks to the continuous push for digitally literate students and interactive, immersive, and connected eLearning environments, chief technology officers (CTOs) are responsible for networks that must support greater demand than ever before.

There are three top technologies for school district CTOs to consider when planning for the health and longevity of their wired and Wi-Fi networks. Addressing these three key areas–video collaboration, the 6GHz migration, and network automation–will prepare networks to meet the needs of today’s and future students.…Read More

2024 National Education Technology Plan targets the digital divide

Key points:

The latest iteration of the U.S. Department of Education’s National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) takes aim at several obstacles limiting edtech’s ability to transform teaching and learning.

While past NETPs have largely served as surveys of the state of the field, the 2024 NETP frames three key divides limiting the transformational potential of educational technology to support teaching and learning, including: …Read More

The looming threat that could worsen the digital divide

Key points:

In an era where technology plays a pivotal role in education, the expiration of the E-rate program’s Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) funding poses a significant threat to underserved schools and libraries. This funding, which was crucial in bridging the digital divide, now stands at a crossroads, potentially leaving many educational institutions grappling with outdated technology and hindering access to the digital resources necessary for effective learning.

While the stakes are high and a potential crisis may be looming, there are several solutions to mitigate the impact on underserved areas as we transition to a post-ECF era.…Read More

Frontline Education Announces Chris Tonas as Chief Technology Officer

Malvern, Pa. (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Frontline Education, a leading provider of administration software purpose-built for educators in K-12, today announced that Chris Tonas has joined the company’s executive team as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Chris brings with him over three decades of invaluable experience in software engineering and development, having held leadership roles at Pluralsight and Oracle.

As CTO, Chris is responsible for leading the technological aspects of the company including engineering and development and managing cloud infrastructure and security.

Mark Gruzin, CEO of Frontline Education, expressed his excitement about Chris joining the team: “As we continue to grow and innovate, we are pleased to welcome Chris as our new CTO. We will gain the benefits of Chris’ extensive experience in software engineering, a track record of strategic leadership, and his commitment to engineering advancements. Chris’ passion for innovation and collaborative spirit align seamlessly with Frontline’s goals.”…Read More

BenQ Boards Create Affordable, Future-Ready Learning Pathway for Paso Robles Joint Unified School District

COSTA MESA, Calif. — BenQ, an internationally renowned provider of visual display and collaboration solutions, today announced that Paso Robles Joint Unified School District in California has selected and installed BenQ Boards in more than 200 classrooms across the district. The BenQ Boards allowed Paso Robles to bypass an expensive cabling infrastructure update many of its schools needed while introducing an affordable yet innovative classroom solution for fostering engagement and collaboration and nurturing future-ready students.

“We were at a fork in the road on how to move our classrooms into the future affordably,” said Scott Buller, MBA, director of information technology at Paso Robles Joint Unified School District. “Instead of rewiring our classrooms and using all available money toward replacing our legacy projectors, we were able to invest in BenQ Boards and propel our school district into the future of learning. We saved money, and increased engagement, accessibility, inclusion, collaboration, and tech skills — all while meeting the needs of our teachers and IT staff. The BenQ Boards’ features and tools have transformed our learning possibilities.”

BenQ Boards Increase Engagement and Interactivity
BenQ Boards immediately introduce a new, hands-on way of learning in the classroom. From the display’s antimicrobial screen, students can participate in lessons with enhanced interactivity. To boost engagement without expensive subscription costs, BenQ Boards include the license-free EZWrite 6 annotation and collaboration software. This gives teachers and students the freedom to annotate and work directly from the interactive display or a wirelessly connected device. Rather than sit-and-get lectures, EZWrite encourages students to manipulate content, explore concepts, and solve problems, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. With EZWrite’s Floating Tool, users can add text to any app, video, website, document, or image. They can also choose the pen color, erase, open files, or take screenshots.…Read More

Mitigating data breaches with live patch management

Key points:

According to a recent report from the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), aggressive hacking tactics by threat actors are increasing in frequency and complexity against K-12 classrooms and higher education institutions.

With public and private schools providing a broad attack surface area for exploitation, they often find themselves repeatedly targeted by malicious hackers looking for financial gain or to steal the sensitive information of students and teachers. These cyberattacks create potentially dangerous effects on the education sector via lost instructional time and the cost to recover from the incident.…Read More

Fixing the K-12 cybersecurity problem

Key points:

In early September, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) announced a voluntary pledge for K-12 education technology software manufacturers to commit to designing products with a greater focus on security. In the announcement, CISA mentioned that six leaders in the education software industry had already committed to the pledge: PowerSchool, ClassLink, Clever, GG4L, Instructure, and D2L.

“We need to address K-12 cybersecurity issues at its foundation by ensuring schools and administrators have access to technology and software that is safe and secure right out of the box,” said CISA director Jen Easterly. “I want to thank ClassLink, Clever, D2L, GG4L, Instructure, and PowerSchool, who have already signed this pledge and for their leadership in this area. We need all K-12 software manufacturers to help us improve cybersecurity for the education sector by committing to prioritize security as a critical element of product development.”…Read More

Companies go to high schools for career training

This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters.

Every now and then, Ayden Corbett has to explain to surprised homeowners what he’s doing in their front yard.

Since the second semester of his senior year of high school, he has responded to field calls as an employee of the largest underground utility locating company in North America — the Indianapolis-based U.S. Infrastructure Company (USIC). The white truck and multicolored flags marking the location of water, power, and telecommunications lines usually give it away. …Read More