EdTech K12 Magazine
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EdTech Magazine explores technology and education issues that IT leaders and educators face when they're evaluating and implementing a solution for K-12 and Higher Ed.
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Digital accessibility in K–12 education has largely been something districts respond to when a specific need arises. The latest update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act changes that framing. With the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2024 rulemaking, digital accessibility is now a systemwide requirement. By April 24, 2026, digital content produced by state and local government services serving populations of 50,000 or more must meet accessibility standards. Early childhood education providers and K–12 districts are included among these institutions. The digital content…
At the CoSN 2026 Annual Conference in Chicago, educators, IT leaders and administrators will gather for educational and networking opportunities and to learn about the latest ed tech products and services from exhibitors. The theme for this year’s conference, which runs from April 13-15, is “Building What’s Next Together,” addressing how educational technology leaders can collaborate on the future of teaching and learning to build innovative and safe learning environments to enhance student success. The opening keynote, titled “Tomorrow Starts Here,” will feature David Schuler, executive…
Rising college costs and projected skills shortages in occupations that don’t require a bachelor’s degree are helping to drive enrollment in K–12 career and technical education programs — which increased 10% between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, according to U.S. Department of Education data. Some districts have added CTE-dedicated facilities that provide a multitude of tech-centric educational amenities, ranging from flight simulators to robotic arms. In Alabama — where the Association for Career and Technical Education anticipates 34% of jobs will require an education beyond high…
As K–12 districts navigate a growing ecosystem of artificial intelligence tools and solutions, research suggests that the parent perspective can’t be overlooked — especially when it comes to building understanding and trust around how AI is used. A statewide poll of more than 1,300 Massachusetts parents released in January 2026 by EdTrust revealed that parents are divided over AI’s role in the classroom. “Only a third feel positively, a third feel negatively and another third are unsure,” says Jennie Williamson, state director for EdTrust in Massachusetts. There were similar mixed…
When parents call Clovis Unified School District’s transportation department with questions about a school bus issue or incident, they expect answers. But under the California district’s old camera system, getting those answers could take hours. Staff had to wait for buses to return to the yard to retrieve the drive from an onboard digital video recorder and transfer the video to an office computer. If a bus was out all day and then transported students for after-school sports, it might not return until late at night. “They’d wait for the bus to come back, and we were wasting a lot of staff…
Summer break is a busy time of year for K–12 school IT departments. It’s typically when districts replace aging hardware, roll out new cybersecurity tools and tackle major upgrades while students and the majority of teaching staff are out of the building. But those high‑stakes summer technology projects can’t happen unless the planning starts months earlier. Before purchase orders can be issued, IT leaders have a lot of decisions to make. This includes figuring out what to retire now versus what to patch for another year, how to consolidate overlapping tools without increasing security risk…
Throw out any ideas that school security rests solely on the back of one department. Keeping students, staff and visitors safe is a collaborative effort, and developing a comprehensive emergency preparedness plan requires planning, consistency and technology. Michele Gay, executive director of Safe and Sound Schools, a nonprofit organization, encourages schools to find ways to practice and discuss emergency preparedness in trauma-informed, low-stakes environments. “There are plenty of examples of procedures and protocols at work every day to support safety,” says Gay. “We advocate…
Esports is no longer a fringe activity in K–12; it’s one of the fastest-growing school programs in the country, with some 55% of school district leaders prioritizing a gaming initiative in the past two years. It’s no wonder that TCEA 2026’s esports sessions were packed with attendees curious about how to get started. Educators aren’t just asking if esports belongs in schools; they’re ready to build those programs right now. The sticking point? Equipment. Understanding what schools need — and how much it will cost — is a hurdle for even the most motivated and tech-savvy educators. Acer offers…
As augmented reality, virtual reality and other extended reality technologies become more widely adopted in K–12 classrooms, districts are exploring their potential to increase engagement and support experiential learning in a variety of subject areas, including social studies, science, and career and technical education. How can schools that are looking to get started with AR and VR ensure that the technology has the best chance of being adopted as a meaningful instructional tool? EdTech talked to a leader in educational AR/VR technology as well as educators in K–12 for advice on what…
Artificial intelligence in a K–12 setting? At the Jewish Leadership Academy in Florida, they’ve never known it any other way. Built from the ground up and opened in 2023, JLA classrooms were purposefully designed to support hybrid learning, with Zoom Rooms equipped with interactive flat panels, ceiling-mounted microphones and auto-tracking cameras. With a press of a button, teachers start their classes and class recordings. Then, a tool called Panopto — a video-hosting platform integrated with Zoom — automatically imports the recordings directly into the school’s learning management…
At Epic Charter Schools, Oklahoma’s largest public virtual charter school, esports is, well, epic. With about 30,000 students in Pre-K–12, the school boasts between 300 and 500 active participants in its video gaming program. “We have students who want to compete at a high level and those who aren’t competitive at it, who just want to play the game for fun,” says esports coach Steve Briggs. “We want to get as many students involved as we can.” Epic’s ability to make that happen is quite an accomplishment, considering all of the challenges faced by small, rural and charter schools. With…
In the classroom and in district offices, K–12 schools are increasingly implementing artificial intelligence. According to a report from Cambium Learning Group, 61% of administrators are using AI to interpret or analyze student data, and 56% are using it to manage student records. In order for districts to use AI to its highest potential, a cohesive data strategy must be in place. Rex Washburn, chief architect and head of engineering for data at CDW, outlines six data trends that are shaping the future of AI. SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to get the latest EdTech content delivered to your inbox weekly.
In one-to-one K–12 districts, device management can be a major challenge. Just think of all of those verbs: IT teams need to configure, deploy, connect, secure, track, decommission and repeat for potentially thousands or tens of thousands of devices. To stay ahead without draining their limited resources, they need scalable, automation-friendly approaches that allow them to provision, refresh, wipe, redistribute and troubleshoot without hiring additional staff. Click the banner below to discover how CDW can help manage your district’s device lifecycles.
When Ergotron introduced its new pre-wired charging cart at ISTELive in June 2025, the company emphasized efficiency, flexibility and speed in a compact design. The YES Adjusta cart, available in 24- and 36-device models, delivers on those promises. I tested the larger YES36 model to see how it performed in a busy middle school classroom. As a middle school technology electives teacher, I’ve used many charging carts over the years. They are essential for device storage and charging, but most are bulky and take up too much space. The YES Adjusta immediately stood out because of its smaller…