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Listen to the essay, as read by Antero Garcia, associate professor in the Graduate School of Education.

As a professor of education and a former public school teacher, I’ve seen digital tools change lives in schools.

I’ve documented the ways mobile technology like phones can transform student engagement in my own classroom.

I’ve explored how digital tools might network powerful civic learning and dialogue for classrooms across the country – elements of education that are crucial for sustaining our democracy today.

And, like everyone, I’ve witnessed digital technologies make schooling safer in the midst of a global pandemic. Zoom and Google Classroom, for instance, allowed many students to attend classrooms virtually during a period when it was not feasible to meet in person.

So I want to tell you that I think technologies are changing education for the better and that we need to invest more in them – but I just can’t.

Given the substantial amount of scholarly time I’ve invested in documenting the life-changing possibilities of digital technologies, it gives me no pleasure to suggest that these tools might be slowly poisoning us. Despite their purported and transformational value, I’ve been wondering if our investment in educational technology might in fact be making our schools worse.

Let me explain.

When I was a classroom teacher, I loved relying on the latest tools to create impressive and immersive experiences for my students. We would utilize technology to create class films, produce social media profiles for the Janie Crawfords, the Holden Caulfields, and other literary characters we studied, and find playful ways to digitally share our understanding of the ideas we studied in our classrooms.

As a teacher, technology was a way to build on students’ interests in pop culture and the world around them. This was exciting to me.

But I’ve continued to understand that the aspects of technology I loved weren’t actually about technology at all – they were about creating authentic learning experiences with young people. At the heart of these digital explorations were my relationships with students and the trust we built together.

“Part of why I’ve grown so skeptical about this current digital revolution is because of how these tools reshape students’ bodies and their relation to the world around them.”

I do see promise in the suite of digital tools that are available in classrooms today. But my research focus on platforms – digital spaces like Amazon, Netflix, and Google that reshape how users interact in online environments – suggests that when we focus on the trees of individual tools, we ignore the larger forest of social and cognitive challenges.

Most people encounter platforms every day in their online social lives. From the few online retail stores where we buy groceries to the small handful of sites that stream our favorite shows and media content, platforms have narrowed how we use the internet today to a small collection of Silicon Valley behemoths. Our social media activities, too, are limited to one or two sites where we check on the updates, photos, and looped videos of friends and loved ones.

These platforms restrict our online and offline lives to a relatively small number of companies and spaces – we communicate with a finite set of tools and consume a set of media that is often algorithmically suggested. This centralization of internet – a trend decades in the making – makes me very uneasy.

From willfully hiding the negative effects of social media use for vulnerable populations to creating tools that reinforce racial bias, today’s platforms are causing harm and sowing disinformation for young people and adults alike. The deluge of difficult ethical and pedagogical questions around these tools are not being broached in any meaningful way in schools – even adults aren’t sure how to manage their online lives.

You might ask, “What does this have to do with education?” Platforms are also a large part of how modern schools operate. From classroom management software to attendance tracking to the online tools that allowed students to meet safely during the pandemic, platforms guide nearly every student interaction in schools today. But districts are utilizing these tools without considering the wider spectrum of changes that they have incurred alongside them.

Antero Garcia, associate professor of education (Image credit: Courtesy Antero Garcia)

For example, it might seem helpful for a school to use a management tool like Classroom Dojo (a digital platform that can offer parents ways to interact with and receive updates from their family’s teacher) or software that tracks student reading and development like Accelerated Reader for day-to-day needs. However, these tools limit what assessment looks like and penalize students based on flawed interpretations of learning.

Another problem with platforms is that they, by necessity, amass large swaths of data. Myriad forms of educational technology exist – from virtual reality headsets to e-readers to the small sensors on student ID cards that can track when students enter schools. And all of this student data is being funneled out of schools and into the virtual black boxes of company databases.

Part of why I’ve grown so skeptical about this current digital revolution is because of how these tools reshape students’ bodies and their relation to the world around them. Young people are not viewed as complete human beings but as boxes checked for attendance, for meeting academic progress metrics, or for confirming their location within a school building. Nearly every action that students perform in schools – whether it’s logging onto devices, accessing buildings, or sharing content through their private online lives – is noticed and recorded. Children in schools have become disembodied from their minds and their hearts. Thus, one of the greatest and implicit lessons that kids learn in schools today is that they must sacrifice their privacy in order to participate in conventional, civic society.

The pandemic has only made the situation worse. At its beginnings, some schools relied on software to track students’ eye movements, ostensibly ensuring that kids were paying attention to the tasks at hand. Similarly, many schools required students to keep their cameras on during class time for similar purposes. These might be seen as in the best interests of students and their academic growth, but such practices are part of a larger (and usually more invisible) process of normalizing surveillance in the lives of youth today.

I am not suggesting that we completely reject all of the tools at our disposal – but I am urging for more caution. Even the seemingly benign resources we might use in our classrooms today come with tradeoffs. Every Wi-Fi-connected, “smart” device utilized in schools is an investment in time, money, and expertise in technology over teachers and the teaching profession.

Our focus on fixing or saving schools via digital tools assumes that the benefits and convenience that these invisible platforms offer are worth it.

But my ongoing exploration of how platforms reduce students to quantifiable data suggests that we are removing the innovation and imagination of students and teachers in the process.

Antero Garcia is associate professor of education in the Graduate School of Education .

In Their Own Words is a collaboration between the Stanford Public Humanities Initiative  and Stanford University Communications.

If you’re a Stanford faculty member (in any discipline or school) who is interested in writing an essay for this series, please reach out to Natalie Jabbar at [email protected] .

Articles on Technology in Education

Displaying 1 - 20 of 21 articles.

Do smartphones belong in classrooms? Four scholars weigh in

Louis-Philippe Beland , Carleton University ; Arnold Lewis Glass , Rutgers University ; Daniel G. Krutka , University of North Texas , and Sarah Rose , Staffordshire University

ChatGPT is the push higher education needs to rethink assessment

Sioux McKenna , Rhodes University ; Dan Dixon , University of Sydney ; Daniel Oppenheimer , Carnegie Mellon University ; Margaret Blackie , Rhodes University , and Sam Illingworth , Edinburgh Napier University

5 challenges of doing college in the metaverse

Nir Kshetri , University of North Carolina – Greensboro

Six benefits that the metaverse offers to colleges and universities

School tech: teachers explain what they need to make it work better

Craig Blewett , University of KwaZulu-Natal

Marrying technology and home language boosts maths and science learning

Mmaki Jantjies , University of the Western Cape

Why putting the words ‘learning’ and ‘Facebook’ together isn’t an oxymoron

Technology can help kids learn, but only if parents and teachers are involved

Yashwant Ramma , Mauritius Institute of Education

To stay in the game universities need to work with tech companies

Martin Hall , University of Cape Town

It’s true, internet surfing during class is not so good for grades

Susan Ravizza , Michigan State University

Why schools shouldn’t approach technology like businesses once did

Schools must get the basics right before splashing out on technology

Technology is no longer a luxury for universities – it’s a necessity

Michael Rowe , University of the Western Cape

Which digital books work best in the classroom?

Natalia Kucirkova , The Open University

Why replacing teachers with automated education lacks imagination

George Veletsianos , Royal Roads University

Unlocking the habits of Britain’s smartphone generation

Leslie Haddon , London School of Economics and Political Science

The value of MOOCs lies with employers

Dan Jerker B. Svantesson , Bond University

How to choose the best educational app for your child

Videogames should be a teacher’s best friend

Michael Kasumovic , UNSW Sydney

As laptop scheme ends, what next for families and learning?

Jason M Lodge , The University of Melbourne

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Access to technology is changing the U.S. education system for good

Prior to COVID-19, the Pleasanton Calif. Unified School District (PUSD) was already issuing a digital device to every middle and high school student. During the pandemic, the district expanded its 1-to-1 policy to all elementary-level students, as well.

“Anybody who needed a device got a device,” says Patrick Gannon, the district’s communications and community engagement coordinator. Thanks to that rapid deployment, “We were able to pivot 14,500 students from in-person to remote instruction in the course of a week.”

PUSD isn’t alone: Around the nation, virtual learning needs spurred rapid adoption of 1-to-1 policies across K-12 education. While the final numbers on device adoption aren’t in yet, “There’s clearly been a huge effort to secure more devices,” says Keith Krueger, CEO of the nonprofit Consortium for School Networking .

Going forward, educators say, this broad availability of computers will change the way teachers interact with students, and it will change how kids learn.

The need for deeper school learning resources

In schools with 1-to-1 device programs, students have access to a wider and deeper range of learning resources. “It allows the student to pull in information that they might not have been able to access before,” Gannon says. “In the past, you’d go to the library, and depending on whether you were first or last in line, you would get stuck with whatever book was left over. Now, students have the entire internet available to them.”

This base of knowledge could have a profound impact, says Steve Langford, chief information officer for Oregon’s Beaverton School District. “They’re not constrained to just looking something up in a textbook,” he says. “They can go get real-time information with all of the resources on the internet to help them answer questions or think of new questions to ask.”

At North Canton City Schools in Ohio , Director of Technology Kim Nidy says the tools available on a laptop or tablet expand the learning experience. In the past, a student might have been constrained to present a written report. “Now they can write it up as a Google document or they can create a slideshow. They can create a PowerPoint or record themselves,” she says. “It allows for a lot more creativity.” 

How classrooms can harness the power of technology

A 1-to-1 device deployment introduces a learning management system (LMS) as a new means for teachers to interact with students and guide the educational experience. 

These management systems are software tools for the administration and delivery of educational courses and development programs. 

LMS applications such as Canvas, Schoology and Google Classroom give teachers the power to monitor what students are doing on their devices and to interact with learners outside the classroom.

“Now teachers can engage with students to answer a quick question in the evening,” Langford says. “It’s a way to move the classroom outside of their physical space and time.”

Teachers can use a LMS to post learning materials such as  online links and videos. They can also track each individual student’s efforts. “Maybe the student has veered off. Now the teachers can go in and add a comment in real time,” Nidy says.

A LMS also can be a collaborative space where students share comments and work on projects together. 

“Those side conversations in the past have been considered cheating,” Gannon says. “When you bring that into the LMS, then those discussions become evidence of collaboration, which is one of the key skills we want to prioritize among the students. In that way, 1-to-1 gives school systems a way to begin to change that mindset.”

A move toward ‘differentiation’

Educators say the 1-to-1 device policies also support educators’ efforts to teach each child at his or her own pace, a practice known as “differentiation.”

Supported by 1-to-1 computing, “Teachers are able to see where students are at and address them where they are, versus teaching to just one proficiency level,” Langford says. “For students who need extra support, teachers now can access that digital content and provide interventions for them, while for students who maybe have already mastered the content, the teacher has new tools to keep their interest.”

“With a 1-to-1 environment, you can allow for different pacing,” Nidy says. “Instead of saying, ‘everybody has to do this worksheet,’ or ‘everybody has to do this poster,’ the teacher can offer kids a creative outlet to take what they’re learning and show that learning in the way that is most meaningful to them.”

What schools need and the path forward

As 1-to-1 becomes more common, school systems will have to address some potential hurdles in order to make the most effective use of their technology investments. Personal computers aren’t a one-time expense. Langford, for instance, cycles out his district’s devices every four years, and he suggests school districts will have to budget for repairs and replacements as they look to go long term with 1-to-1 computing.

School districts also will need to ensure that students have some guidance around the appropriate use of school-issued devices. As many parents know, digital access can be a Pandora’s box of distraction.

“Schools and families need to be aware of the impact of this technology,” Langford says. “Parents need to be able to see the signs of technology addiction — when a student is in hour six of YouTube videos that aren’t connected to their learning. They may need help from the schools in addressing that.” 

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What 126 studies say about education technology

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In recent years, there has been widespread excitement around the transformative potential of technology in education. In the United States alone, spending on education technology has now exceeded $13 billion . Programs and policies to promote the use of education technology may expand access to quality education, support students’ learning in innovative ways, and help families navigate complex school systems.

However, the rapid development of education technology in the United States is occurring in a context of deep and persistent inequality . Depending on how programs are designed, how they are used, and who can access them, education technologies could alleviate or aggravate existing disparities. To harness education technology’s full potential, education decision-makers, product developers, and funders need to understand the ways in which technology can help — or in some cases hurt — student learning.

To address this need, J-PAL North America recently released a new publication summarizing 126 rigorous evaluations of different uses of education technology. Drawing primarily from research in developed countries, the publication looks at randomized evaluations and regression discontinuity designs across four broad categories: (1) access to technology, (2) computer-assisted learning or educational software, (3) technology-enabled nudges in education, and (4) online learning.

This growing body of evidence suggests some areas of promise and points to four key lessons on education technology.

First, supplying computers and internet alone generally do not improve students’ academic outcomes from kindergarten to 12th grade, but do increase computer usage and improve computer proficiency. Disparities in access to information and communication technologies can exacerbate existing educational inequalities. Students without access at school or at home may struggle to complete web-based assignments and may have a hard time developing digital literacy skills.

Broadly, programs to expand access to technology have been effective at increasing use of computers and improving computer skills. However, computer distribution and internet subsidy programs generally did not improve grades and test scores and in some cases led to adverse impacts on academic achievement. The limited rigorous evidence suggests that distributing computers may have a more direct impact on learning outcomes at the postsecondary level.

Second, educational software (often called “computer-assisted learning”) programs designed to help students develop particular skills have shown enormous promise in improving learning outcomes, particularly in math. Targeting instruction to meet students’ learning levels has been found to be effective in improving student learning, but large class sizes with a wide range of learning levels can make it hard for teachers to personalize instruction. Software has the potential to overcome traditional classroom constraints by customizing activities for each student. Educational software programs range from light-touch homework support tools to more intensive interventions that re-orient the classroom around the use of software.

Most educational software that have been rigorously evaluated help students practice particular skills through personalized tutoring approaches. Computer-assisted learning programs have shown enormous promise in improving academic achievement, especially in math. Of all 30 studies of computer-assisted learning programs, 20 reported statistically significant positive effects, 15 of which were focused on improving math outcomes.

Third, technology-based nudges — such as text message reminders — can have meaningful, if modest, impacts on a variety of education-related outcomes, often at extremely low costs. Low-cost interventions like text message reminders can successfully support students and families at each stage of schooling. Text messages with reminders, tips, goal-setting tools, and encouragement can increase parental engagement in learning activities, such as reading with their elementary-aged children.

Middle and high schools, meanwhile, can help parents support their children by providing families with information about how well their children are doing in school. Colleges can increase application and enrollment rates by leveraging technology to suggest specific action items, streamline financial aid procedures, and/or provide personalized support to high school students.

Online courses are developing a growing presence in education, but the limited experimental evidence suggests that online-only courses lower student academic achievement compared to in-person courses. In four of six studies that directly compared the impact of taking a course online versus in-person only, student performance was lower in the online courses. However, students performed similarly in courses with both in-person and online components compared to traditional face-to-face classes.

The new publication is meant to be a resource for decision-makers interested in learning which uses of education technology go beyond the hype to truly help students learn. At the same time, the publication outlines key open questions about the impacts of education technology, including questions relating to the long-term impacts of education technology and the impacts of education technology on different types of learners.

To help answer these questions, J-PAL North America’s Education, Technology, and Opportunity Initiative is working to build the evidence base on promising uses of education technology by partnering directly with education leaders.

Education leaders are invited to submit letters of interest to partner with J-PAL North America through its  Innovation Competition . Anyone interested in learning more about how to apply is encouraged to contact initiative manager Vincent Quan .

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UNESCO education report advises appropriate use of technology in schools

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A new UN report raised concerns on Wednesday about the excessive use of smartphones in schools worldwide. According to the UN's education, science and culture agency UNESCO, the over-use of mobile phones impacts learning.

UNESCO ’s report on technology in education urges countries to carefully consider how technology is used in schools.

It emphasises the need for a "human-centered vision” where digital technology serves as a tool rather than taking precedence. 

Speaking to UN News, UNESCO’s Manos Antoninis also warned of the danger of data leaks in educational tech, as only 16 per cent of countries guarantee data privacy in the classroom, by law. 

Abuse of data  

“We know that vast amounts of data are being used without the appropriate regulation, so this data ends up being used for other non-educational purposes, commercial purposes and that’s of course a violation of rights that needs to be regulated." 

The UNESCO report also highlights the disparities created by digital learning. During the COVID-19 pandemic, half a billion students worldwide were left out due to the shift to online-only tuition. 

Geographically, the report noted a significant imbalance in online resources favouring Europe and North America. 

UNESCO is urging countries to set their own standards for the way technology is designed and used in education such that it never replaces in-person, teacher-led instruction and supports the shared objective of quality education for all. 

Huge potential

“The digital revolution holds immeasurable potential but, just as warnings have been voiced for how it should be regulated in society, similar attention must be paid to the way it is used in education,” warned UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.  

“Its use must be for enhanced learning experiences and for the well-being of students and teachers, not to their detriment.” 

The report, Technology in education: A tool on whose terms? was launched at an event in Montevideo, Uruguay hosted by UNESCO and the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay, with additional support from the Ceibal Foundation and 18 ministers of education from around the world. It proposes four questions that policymakers and educators should reflect upon as educational technology becomes increasingly accessible and utilized around the globe. 

Appropriate use

The first question focuses on the appropriate use of technology in class. Disabled children who may struggle in a traditional, in-person setting may also benefit from the option of technological assistance.  

“The opportunities it has opened up are incredible, and we are always amazed by the new windows this opens for learners,” said Manos Antoninis, the Director responsible for producing the report.  

“We need to learn about our past mistakes when using technology in education so that we do not repeat them in the future,” said Mr. Antoninis.  

“We need to teach children to live both with and without technology; to take what they need from the abundance of information, but to ignore what is not necessary; to let technology support, but never supplant human interactions in teaching and learning,” he added.

Equal opportunitie

The rapid shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic left out an estimated 500 million students worldwide, mostly affecting those in marginalized, rural communities. 

The report underlines that the right to education is increasingly synonymous with the right to meaningful connectivity, yet one in four primary schools do not have electricity. It calls for all countries to set benchmarks for connecting schools to the Internet between now and 2030, and for the primary focus to remain on these marginalized communities. 

Is it scalable?   

There’s a lack of impartial evidence concerning the added value of tech. Most evidence comes from the United States, where the What Works Clearinghouse pointed out that less than two per cent of education interventions assessed had “strong or moderate evidence of effectiveness.” 

The evolution of technology is putting strain on education systems to adapt, UNESCO argues. Digital literacy and critical thinking are increasingly important, particularly with the growth of generative AI.  

Additional data in the report shows that this adaptation movement has begun: 54 per cent of countries surveyed have outlined skills they want to develop for the future, but only 11 out of 51 governments surveyed have curricula for AI.  

“Let's not forget that to be able to navigate the digital world, we don't necessarily need very sophisticated skills. Those who have the best reading skills are those least likely to be duped by a phishing email, for instance,” said Mr. Antoninis.  

Moreover, teachers also need appropriate training yet only half of countries currently have standards for developing educators’ information and communication technology skills. Even fewer have teacher training programmes covering cybersecurity, despite five per cent of ransomware attacks targeting education. 

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How technology is reinventing education.

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of  Stanford Graduate School of Education  (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the  Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately  worried  that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or  coach  students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the  AI + Education initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of  CRAFT  (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the  Digital Learning initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of  virtual field trips  to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

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Technology in the Classroom & The Benefits for K-12 Schools

Rebecca Torchia is a web editor for  EdTech: Focus on K–12 . Previously, she has produced podcasts and written for several publications in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and her hometown of Pittsburgh.

Technology integration is no longer about whether tech belongs in classrooms. In today’s education landscape, it pertains to how technology is chosen and used for learning.

Schools have received waves of government funding for educational technology. Administrators and IT leadership still have  until September 2022 and September 2023  to obligate ESSER I and ESSER II funds, respectively. To get the best return on investment with this funding, districts must ensure technology integration is done effectively.

Students benefit from technology integration when it is done well. It can lead to a more equitable educational experience and give students the tools to be successful in life.

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What Does Technology in The Classroom Look Like Today?

Technology integration is the use of technology in teaching and learning to achieve academic goals.

“I don’t use tech unless it solves a problem I have in the classroom,” says Lisa Highfill, a technology integration specialist at  Pleasanton Virtual Academy  in California.

For example, Highfill says, she’ll use a  Jamboard  where students can post their responses instead of calling on them one at a time. “Then, when they’re all quiet, what are they doing? They’re reading each other’s comments.”

Meaningful tech integration should be done thoughtfully to enhance a learning experience. “You don’t want to use technology just for technology’s sake,” says Melissa Lim, a technology integration specialist at Oregon’s  Portland Public Schools . “We recommend using the Triple E Framework as a simple tool to help determine if it’s worth using technology or if you’re just using it as a substitute.”

The Triple E Framework  was developed by Liz Kolb, a clinical associate professor of education and learning technologies at the University of Michigan. When K–12 IT leaders evaluate new tech based on this framework, they can determine “how well technology tools integrated into lessons are helping students engage in, enhance and extend learning goals,” according to Kolb’s website for the framework.

“It’s all about the learning first,” Lim says.

Why Is Integrating Technology Important in Education?

Technology integration in Education is important for multiple reasons. It makes learning more equitable for K–12 students, and — when used in lower grades — it sets them up for success in school and, moving forward, in their careers.

“If you’re a teacher who doesn’t use a lot of technology, your students aren’t getting equitable access to learning experiences that another teacher who uses technology is giving to their students,” Lim says.

Melissa Lim Technology Integration Specialist, Portland Public Schools

Now that many students have devices and access to technology, educators and school leaders must work to  narrow the digital divide  through equity of use. If students aren’t exposed to technology and taught how to use it, they will fall behind their peers.

“Educators should make sure logging in is a really easy, smooth process,” Highfill says. “Once I get everyone logged in, the No. 1 thing I have to get students to learn how to do is share their screen.”

This not only helps her work through problems with students, she says, but also helps students take  a more active role in their learning . Students will find new ways to achieve a goal or manipulate a technology and can show the class — and the teacher — how they’ve accomplished it by sharing their screen. “You empower them and put them in the teaching role,” Highfill adds.

What Are the Benefits of Technology for Students?

Through technology, schools can support all students. There are roughly 60 grade school students and nearly 250 high school students enrolled at Pleasanton Virtual Academy. “I’m so excited our district put in that investment,” Highfill says. “We’re a public school virtual academy. They invested in a quality virtual academy to meet the needs of all students.”

Even students who are learning in an in-person environment are  using technology in their daily lives . Integrating it into the classroom gives them an opportunity to learn to use tech in a meaningful way.

READ MORE:   Build the themes of digital citizenship into instruction and business planning.

“If you have the skills and know how to research and find information and discern whether that information is true or not, that’s going to help you not only in school with your schoolwork, but also with life in general,” Lim says.

“I watch the kids, and they’re very addicted to their devices,” says Highfill. “So, it’s my new teaching point: How can you take a digital diet, and how can you identify when tech is not doing good things for you?”

Highfill says that anytime there’s a fear about introducing technology to the classroom, educators should use that. “We have to teach students how to take care of themselves if they’re going to use technology,” she says.

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Technology-driven education: a new era of learning.

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Denys Vorobyov, CEO at EltexSoft : Tailoring boutique software solutions for nimble business growth.

Education is undergoing a revolutionary transformation in an era marked by rapid technological advancements. The technology of education, once a mere facilitator, now shapes how we learn, teach and interact in schools. It's redefining traditional learning methods and making new paths for educational inclusivity and future readiness.

Our journey through this transformation explores the immense potential and multifaceted challenges technology brings to education, setting the stage for an endless expansion of learning boundaries. With the world swiftly moving toward all things digital, let's dive into the dynamic and transformative role of edtech in revolutionizing education.

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Today, where digital literacy is as critical as traditional literacy, preparing students for a digital future is a fundamental goal of education. Technology in education goes beyond teaching the standard curriculum; it involves equipping students with the necessary skills to navigate and succeed in a digitally driven world. This preparation encompasses technical skills as well as critical thinking, problem-solving and adaptability—skills essential for success in the 21st century.

While there are numerous benefits to integrating digital tools in education, there are also challenges. Here are some obstacles and the collaborative efforts needed to overcome them.

Integrating Technology In The Modern Classroom

Integrating technology in education requires a multifaceted approach to overcome significant challenges. Various stakeholder groups can take the following steps to improve collaboration:

• Educational institutions and governments should partner to provide technology access by initiating programs for affordable devices and reliable internet connectivity in underserved areas. This could involve school subsidies or grants for technology acquisition and infrastructure development. Policies and funding to ensure equitable access to digital tools are also crucial.

• Collaborating on cybersecurity is vital. Tech companies can offer educational institutions tailored cybersecurity solutions and conduct workshops for educators and administrators. Regular training sessions on data privacy and security protocols for educators and students can create a safer digital learning environment.

• Institutions should establish continuous training programs for educators, developed in partnership with tech companies. These programs should focus on the latest educational technologies and teaching methodologies. Offering certification and incentives can encourage educators to participate actively.

• Tech companies can work with educators to develop curricula that meaningfully integrate technology. This collaboration ensures that the tools provided are technologically advanced, pedagogically sound and relevant to current educational needs.

• Governments can play a critical role by creating policies that support technology integration and providing necessary funding. This could include tax incentives for tech companies in educational technology, grants for schools to purchase and maintain digital tools, and funding for research in edtech solutions.

These steps can allow stakeholders to work together more effectively and overcome the challenges of integrating technology into education, leading to a more inclusive and advanced learning environment. Effective collaboration stands as a key solution to these challenges.

Collaboration: The Key To Success

One example of an effective collaboration strategy is our work with HeyTutor, an online platform that connects students with tutors and makes personalized education more accessible. The platform employs sophisticated algorithms and user-friendly interfaces to ensure efficient tutor-student matchmaking and a seamless learning experience.

We combined our technical acumen with HeyTutor's understanding of educational needs, and the result was a platform that not only simplifies the process of finding tutors but also enhances the quality of tutoring provided. This highlights how technology companies and educational platforms can work together to produce effective educational solutions and shape a bright future for learners globally.

A Future Shaped By Technology

In the rapidly evolving world of education, technology has become a key driver of change—redefining how knowledge is shared and consumed. This shift toward digital learning isn't just about adopting new tools but fundamentally transforming the educational landscape. Technology is broadening access, engaging learners in new ways and enhancing the overall effectiveness of education.

As we move forward, the prospects for education are boundless, with technology opening up new possibilities for learning, teaching and growing. The future of education, infused with technological innovations, promises a more inclusive, interactive and imaginative learning experience for all.

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Launch of the 2024 Youth Report on technology in education

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The 2024 Youth Report is the result of an extensive consultation process in partnership with Restless Development involving +1500 youth and students across 8 regions. The consultations invited participants to reflect on the key challenges and opportunities for the use of technology in education in their regions through the lenses of two out of the four recommendations of the global Global Education Monitoring Report on technology in education: Technology on our terms. The discussions centred on the need for the use of technology in education to be appropriate for national and local contexts and to be equitable and leave no one behind.   

The report calls for decisions about technology in education to prioritize learner needs after an assessment of whether its application would be appropriate, equitable, evidence-based, and sustainable and provides a compass to use for youth and students from around the world when using technology in education.   

The 2024 Youth Report will be launched on 5 September 2024 during Digital Learning Week at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris during an event bringing together young from different regions to discuss how to leverage technology from learning.

Agenda and registration details will be shared soon.   

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Classes across the country help seniors interact with a world altered by AI

Classes across the country are working to teach seniors about AI’s ability to transform how they interact with the world – and the threat the technology poses. (AP video: Teresa Crawford, Sharon Johnson, Nathan Ellgren)

Barbara Winston uses a computer at her home in Northbrook, Ill., on Sunday, June 30, 2024, several days after taking an introduction to artificial intelligence class at a local senior center. “I saw ice boxes turn into refrigerators, that is how long I have been around, ... And I think [AI] is probably the greatest technical revolution that I will see in my lifetime,” she says. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

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People listen to an artificial intelligence seminar at the Forsyth County Senior Center, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Cumming, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Seema Nagrani, left, and Caroline Key, listen to a seminar about artificial intelligence at the Forsyth County Senior Center, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Cumming, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A woman listens to an artificial intelligence seminar at the Forsyth County Senior Center, Tuesday, June 25, 2024, in Cumming, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Barbara Winston uses a computer at her home in Northbrook, Ill., on Sunday, June 30, 2024, several days after taking an introduction to artificial intelligence class at a local senior center. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Barbara Winston, 89, sits for a portrait at her home in Northbrook, Ill., on Sunday, June 30, 2024. When she got home from an artificial intelligence class, the retired professor downloaded books on the technology, researched the platforms she wanted to use from her kitchen table and eventually queried ChatGPT about how to treat a personal medical ailment. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

Barbara Winston uses a computer and a smartphone at her home in Northbrook, Ill., on Sunday, June 30, 2024, several days after taking an introduction to artificial intelligence class at a local senior center. (AP Photo/Teresa Crawford)

NORTHFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The students — most with gray hair, some with canes, all at least in their 60s — couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

“Oh, my God,” whispered a retired college professor.

“Does it come with viruses?” wondered a bewildered woman scribbling notes in the second row.

A 79-year-old in a black-and-white floral shirt then asked the question on many minds: “How do you know if it is fake or not?”

This is how older adults — many of whom lived through the advent of refrigeration, the transition from radio to television and the invention of the internet — are grappling with artificial intelligence: taking a class. Sitting in a classroom in an airy senior center in a Chicago suburb, the dozen students were learning about the latest — and possibly greatest — technological leap in their lives.

And they are not alone. Across the country, scores of such classes have sprung up to teach seniors about AI’s ability to transform their lives and the threats the technology poses.

“I saw ice boxes turn into refrigerators, that is how long I have been around,” said Barbara Winston, 89, who paid to attend the class put on at the North Shore Senior Center in Northfield. “And I think this is probably the greatest technical revolution that I will see in my lifetime.”

Older adults find themselves in a unique moment with technology. Artificial intelligence offers significant benefits for seniors, from the ability to curb loneliness to making it easier for them to get to medical appointments .

But it also has drawbacks that are uniquely threatening to this older group of Americans: A series of studies have found that senior citizens are more susceptible to both scams perpetrated using artificial intelligence and believing the types of misinformation that are being supercharged by the technology. Experts are particularly concerned about the role deepfakes and other AI-produced misinformation could play in politics.

Winston left the class to start her own AI journey, even if others remained skeptical. When she got home, the retired professor downloaded books on the technology, researched the platforms she wanted to use from her kitchen table and eventually queried ChatGPT about how to treat a personal medical ailment.

“This is the beginning of my education,” she said, her floral cup of coffee nearby. “I’m not worried about protecting myself. I’m too old to worry about that.”

Classes like these aim to familiarize aging early adopters with the myriad ways the technology could better their lives but also encourage skepticism about how artificial intelligence can distort the truth.

Balanced skepticism, say experts on the technology, is critical for seniors who plan to interact with AI.

“It’s tricky,” said Michael Gershbein, the instructor of the class in Northfield. “Overall, the suspicion that is there on the part of seniors is good but I don’t want them to become paralyzed from their fears and not be willing to do anything online.”

The questions in his class outside Chicago ranged from the absurd to the practical to the academic. Why are so many new shoes no longer including shoelaces? Can AI create a multiday itinerary for a visit to Charleston, South Carolina? What are the geopolitical implications of artificial intelligence?

Gershbein, who teaches classes on a range of technological topics, said interest in AI has ballooned in the last nine months. The 52-year-old teaches an AI course once or twice a week, he said, and aims to create a “safe space where (seniors) can come in and we can discuss all the issues they may be hearing bits and pieces of but we can put it all together and they can ask questions.”

During a 90-minute-long session on a June Thursday, Gershbein discussed deepfakes — videos that use generative AI to make it appear someone said something they did not. When he played a few deepfakes, the seniors sat agog. They could not believe how real the fakes seemed. There are widespread concerns that such videos could be used to trick voters, especially seniors .

The threats to seniors go beyond politics, however, and range from basic misinformation on social media sites to scams that use voice-cloning technology to trick them. An AARP report published last year said that Americans over 60 lose $28.3 billion annually to financial extortion schemes, some assisted by AI.

Experts from the National Council on Aging, an organization established in 1950 to advocate for seniors, said classes on AI at senior centers have increased in recent years and are at the forefront of digital literacy efforts.

“There’s a myth out there that older adults don’t use technology. We know that that’s not true,” said Dianne Stone, associate director at the National Council on Aging who ran a senior center in Connecticut for over two decades. Such courses, she said, are meant to foster a “healthy skepticism” in what the technology can do, arming older Americans with the knowledge “that not everything you hear is true, it’s good to get the information, but you have to kind of sort it out for yourself.”

Striking that balance, said Siwei Lyu, a University at Buffalo professor, can be difficult, and classes tend to either promote AI’s benefits or focus on its dangers.

“We need this kind of education for seniors, but the approach we take has to be very balanced and well-designed,” said Lyu, who has lectured to seniors and other groups.

Seniors who have taken such AI classes said they came away with a clear understanding of AI’s benefits and pitfalls.

“It’s only as good as the people who program it, and the users need to understand that. You really have to question it,” said Linda Chipko, a 70-year-old who attended an AI class in June in suburban Atlanta.

Chipko said she took the class because she wanted to “understand” AI, but on her way out said, “It’s not for me.”

Others have even embraced it. Ruth Schneiderman, 77, used AI to help illustrate a children’s book she was writing, and that experience sparked her interest in taking the Northfield class to learn more about the technology.

“My mother lived until she was 90,” Schneiderman said, “and I learned from her if you want to survive in this world, you have to adjust to the change. Otherwise you are left behind.”

The Associated Press receives financial assistance from the Omidyar Network to support coverage of artificial intelligence and its impact on society. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org

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How China Built Tech Prowess: Chemistry Classes and Research Labs

Stressing science education, China is outpacing other countries in research fields like battery chemistry, crucial to its lead in electric vehicles.

By Keith Bradsher

Reporting from Changsha, Beijing and Fuzhou, China

China’s domination of electric cars, which is threatening to start a trade war, was born decades ago in university laboratories in Texas, when researchers discovered how to make batteries with minerals that were abundant and cheap.

Companies from China have recently built on those early discoveries, figuring out how to make the batteries hold a powerful charge and endure more than a decade of daily recharges. They are inexpensively and reliably manufacturing vast numbers of these batteries, producing most of the world’s electric cars and many other clean energy systems.

Batteries are just one example of how China is catching up with — or passing — advanced industrial democracies in its technological and manufacturing sophistication. It is achieving many breakthroughs in a long list of sectors, from pharmaceuticals to drones to high-efficiency solar panels.

Beijing’s challenge to the technological leadership that the United States has held since World War II is evidenced in China’s classrooms and corporate budgets, as well as in directives from the highest levels of the Communist Party.

A considerably larger share of Chinese students major in science, math and engineering than students in other big countries do. That share is rising further, even as overall higher education enrollment has increased more than tenfold since 2000.

Spending on research and development has surged, tripling in the past decade and moving China into second place after the United States. Researchers in China lead the world in publishing widely cited papers in 52 of 64 critical technologies, recent calculations by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute reveal.

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