2019 2020 SOE EdTech Digest

EDITOR’S LETTER rational thought and human
ON THE CUSP OF A improvement reigned. Today’s schools STATE OF EDTECH

of thought and practice—have an
NEW AGE IN LEARNING opportunity to draw deeply from such 2019-2020:THE MINDS BEHIND
Something magical is afoot in the
an age of reason, and even more WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT
deeply from the sort of science seen ‘a
realm of learning and education. It EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Victor Rivero
long time ago in a galaxy far, far away’
relates to the idea, famously posed by Mark Gura
and increasingly appearing in our LEAD AUTHOR
Arthur C. Clarke, “Any sufficiently
midst. But with one exception: now,
advanced technology is indistinguishable
we have an opportunity to do it better
from magic.” It coincides with a greater
than before. On the cusp of a new
awareness of what it means to be
age, let’s make our learning come
human in a machine age. And it has
alive to serve us all better, and in so
everything to do with the realization of
doing, may we draw most deeply not LEAD AUTHOR
our own humanity in the face of forces
from our devices, apps, and Mark Gura
that might attempt to subvert that Mark taught at New York City public schools in East Harlem for
platforms, but from the inexorable
through nefarious means. There was two decades. He spent five years as a curriculum developer for
power of each other. —VR
once a great enlightenment where the central office and was eventually tapped to be the
New York City Department of Education’s director of the
Office of Instructional Technology, assisting over 1,700 schools
+ TOP 100 INFLUENCERS in edtech FIND OUT WHY page 39 serving 1.1 million students in America’s largest school system.
SARAH
OSSA STAN O’ROURKE SAL STACEY PER ANJLI PAUL SAKI PATRICK
FISHER BUCHESKY KING KHAN CHILDRESS EMANUELSSON JAIN TURNBULL DODELSON BROTHERS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ROBERT REBECCA MATT JENNIFER SIEVA AMY MICAH NEERU ANDERSON NICOLE Victor Rivero
MARTELLACCI KANTAR RENWICK FRITSCHI KOSINSKY DELCORVO SHIPPEE KHOSLA MORAIS TUCKER-SMITH Victor tells the story of 21st-century education transformation.
He has toured the country with the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation; contributed to various education and technology
pubs, and provided editorial support to the Consortium for
JOHANNA
SUSAN AMIT KARTILA- BURCK VIVI LANE KATY ROBERT JULIE MAX School Networking. He oversees The EdTech Awards, the annual
BEARDEN PATEL MALMIVAARA SMITH FRIEDGUT MERRIEFIELD FRYATT AVOSSA EVANS VENTILLA recognition program featuring edtech’s best and brightest.
DANIEL JENNIFER CHARLES MARIA VIKAS SARAH MATT JESS ALBERTO CHERYL
SMITH WOMBLE BEST SPIES POTA SCHAPIRO HARRIS GARTNER CARVALHO LEMKE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Victor Rivero

SUNNY
MILA CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mark Gura, Judy Faust Hartnett,
MIRIAM JON JONATHAN JESSICA DAVID IDIT ESTEBAN THOMAS MICHAEL
WASHINGTON HARBER Susan Dias Karnovsky, Mark Weston
ALTMAN CORIPPO LINDL BLAKE HAREL SOSNIK FULLER CROW
ADVISORY BOARD Keith Krueger, Mark Weston, Eliot
Levinson, Ted Fujimoto, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
CONTRIBUTORS MarkGura,EliotLevinson,AdamBlum,DavidSiminoff,Gideon
Stein,JohnHarrington,GilRogers,AndrewGrauer,MattHarris,FarimahSchuerman,
KARTHIK JENNIFER EMILIE ANKUR JOE LESLIE HARDEEP MAIA GUIDO SVENIA JenniferCorriero,EmilyGover,BeckySplitt,JessieWoolleyWilson,JeremyFriedman,
KRISHAN GU CUSHMAN NAGPAL MAZZA WILSON GULATI SHIPLEY KOVALSKYS BUSSON MichaelSpencer,EmilyGover,CaitySelleck,ChristinaYu,ShawnBay,SievaKozinsky,Ariel
Diaz,SeanBrown,JoeMazza,MonicaBurns,AngelaMaiers,FerdiSerim,DebEverhart,
DeborahA.Gist,DavidSaltmarsh,BruceTolley,NigelNisbet,JeremyFriedman,JayKing,
ScottKinney,AndrewCohen,PaulFreedman,ToddWhitlock,BetsyPeters,FarbNivi,
StevenAlter,RichardLakin,EricBurns,DianeW.Doersch,RandySwearer,SeanGraham,
MITCH GARY SUZANNE CASEY JULIA RANDY ASHLEY JASON EILEEN STEVEN W.
RESNICK STAGER XIE GREEN FISHER ZEIGENFUSS BECKNER COLEMAN RUDDEN ANDERSON
Michal‘Borek’Borkowski,CharlesDuarte,KellieAdy,ErikHarrell,MaryLirette,Christina
Oliver,ElenaCox,RandyZiegenfuss,RickyYe,DennisPierce,ToddRichmond,Barbara
Freeman,ReginaldBerry,NancyConrad,MarkWu,TraceyRoden,StaceyRyan,Marie
Merouze,JamieRiepe,StephanieMathews,MonicaHaldiman,MicheleIsrael,Phil
Chatterton,DominiqueBaroco,SusanR.Steele,DylanRodgers,JoeParlier,RachelTustin,
SANDRA LIU JACOB CHRIS BECKY AHMED EL- JILL PATRICK RON VIKAS TODD SheldonSoper,LisaLitherland,MattRenwick,SimonNelson,EmirPlicanic,CliffKing,Hilary
HUANG HANSON JAGERS NAVARRE SHARKASY BUBAN AWUAH, JR. REED GUPTA BREKHUS Scharton,RyanEash,ChristopherGodshall
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2 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT EDITORIAL TEAM
TOP 100 INFLUENCERS IN EDTECH | 2019-2020
STATE OF EDTECH 2019-2020:THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT | EDTECH DIGEST www.edtechdigest.com
“Knowledge is the eye of desire and can
become the pilot of the soul.”
IN THIS REPORT: —Will Durant
an important
You are part of a digital shift in learning
>
The numbers and the highlights are all looking very bright for the field of edtech, a
nascent sector with a long and lively future ahead, with all indicators pointing to steady
growth and continued expansion. And not to mention increasingly great people.
NUMBERS HIGHLIGHTS
2 20
BREAD CRUMBS, CONNECTED DOTS,
EDITOR’S LETTER
AND ‘AH-HA’ MOMENTS
TOP 100 INFLUENCERS IN EDTECH
29
EDITORIAL TEAM
CONTEXT CLUES TECHNOLOGY’S
5
NUMBERS TELLING THE STORY RETURN TO FAVOR
OF WHAT’S NOW AND WHATS
34
NEXT IN EDTECH PERSPECTIVE A TALE OF TWO
SCHOOL REALITIES
Weighing in with his thoughts on the
current state of education, technology’s
role in improving it, and what’s ahead.
Sunil Singh, Mathematics Specialist // Her professional learning network
PAGE 15 includes educators from around the
world. “These connections encourage
me to grow, ultimately impacting the
learning of students” she says:
There are plenty of numbers in Nikole Blanchard, Member of the
Board of Directors, ISTE // PAGE 38
edtech, but what do they all add up to?
Here are a few that help tell the story.
Which numbers get your attention? We’re shining a spotlight on the people behind the
7
tools, schools, leaders, and all things edtech—people
STATE OF EDTECH: FROM NICHE TO
who lift others up and push education forward.
MAINSTREAM
Spend some time with these innovative leaders:
9
11 IMPORTANT TRENDS IN EDTECH IN CLOSE WITH | Don Wettrick (10), Rose Reissman
(28), Gary Israel (32), Jon Drescher (33), Robert Avossa
(37), and Nikole Blanchard (38), Mitch Weisburgh (55).
page 39
THE MINDS BEHIND what’s now and what’s next are
all around us, and this year we highlight 100 more FUTURE
51
innovative leaders shaping the future of learning. FUTURE FUN BRINGING THE BLURRY,
PROBING EDGE OF EDTECH INTO FOCUS
56
EDTECH1000
10 COMPANIES TO WATCH
THE EDTECH AWARDS
4 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT CONTENTS
NUMBERS
NUMBERS TELLING THE STORY OF 21ST-CENTURY EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION
STATE OF EDTECH: FROM NICHE TO MAINSTREAM
11 IMPORTANT TRENDS
5 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT NUMBERS
NUMBERS TELLING THE STORY OF WHAT’S NOW AND WHAT’S NEXT IN EDTECH
6
TRILLION. Education is a $6T industry growing to $8T by 2025 globally.
Expenditure on education and training from governments, parents,
individuals and corporates (worldwide) continues to grow to historic levels
and is expected to reach USD$10T by 2030.
3 PERCENT. Education is grossly under digitized, with less than 3% of global

education expenditure on technology. As a sector, education is a digital laggard
with less than 3% of overall expenditure allocated to digital, presenting a serious
challenge given the scale of what’s to come.
342 BILLION. Digital spending is changing fast, though—forecast to grow to $342b

by 2025. In 2018, education spent $142b on digital. While this is forecast to
grow to $342b by 2025, it is still less than 5% of overall expenditure.
For above numbers 6, 3, 342, SOURCE:www.holoniq.com
40.7 MILLION. According to the 2018 State of the States report from
EducationSuperhighway, 40.7 million more students have high-speed
internet access than did in 2013. This means that 98 percent of U.S. school
districts can now take advantage of digital learning: 2.3 million students to go.
SOURCE: www.educationsuperhighway.org
37.8
BILLION. That’s how many U.S. dollars were invested in educational
technology companies between 1997 and 2017—a full 62% of that funding
was in just the last three years between 2015 and 2017. For two decades the
edtech sector moved along like so, and then, boom!—a whole new phase.
SOURCE: www.metaari.com
2.1 MILLION. The number of educational apps has swollen to 2.1 million available
for download in leading app stores as of 2018. This is just a rough estimate,
but the idea is that keeping track of the app explosion is now nearly
incalculable. SOURCE: www.statista.com
540 MILLION. Among the very biggest edtech investments of 2018, the company
that raised the most money was BYJU’s (tutoring), weighing in at a whopping
$540 million. DreamBox Learning (adaptive learning) comes in at number 7,
having raised a cool $130 million. SOURCE: www.hackeducation.com
5.5 MILLION. Number of K-12 stakeholders that have shared their ideas with
Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up survey over the past 15 years. Speak Up has
collected and reported on the authentic views of more than 5.5 million K-12
students, their parents, teachers, librarians, media specialists, technology
coordinators, technology administrators, principals, district administrators,
and community members. The largest survey of its kind in the U.S. asks and
shares your views and what you value about digital learning.
SOURCE: www.tomorrow.org
STATE OF EDTECH
From niche to
MAINSTREAM
Guiding education further along in
its journey, edtech has morphed
from special niche to simply,
mainstream education—fully
realizing its potential through the
application of technology.
By MARK GURA
Moving into 2019, the symbiotic

relationship between education and
technology continues to deepen and
reveal its richness in inspiring ways. The
field has fully reached that point in which
Best Practices across the curriculum
involve technology.
In other words, edtech is education, the

lines between the two continue to blur and
become faint memories of the way people
used to teach and learn.
And while it’s easy to see all the winning

associated with this veritable force of FUTURE FORWARD. Nearly 10,000 attendees stream into
nature, it’s difficult to see much lost that the Future of Education Technology Conference at the
will be missed. Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. Just ahead,
the nation’s largest independent edtech event focused
Thinking deeply about all of this at the
on leveraging technology to drive preK-12 student
start of 2019, EdTech Digest offers this
success heats things up with a move to the Miami Beach
report to share reflections and ‘ah-ha’s
Convention Center for a January 14-17, 2020 show.
that it feels need to be posted.
What’s happening in education now is the in touch with our city's daily newspaper to
realization of long-term goals as well as share what we wrote. Editors were
the emergence of new, more relevant, and impressed…” There’s so much best
important ones; both coming practice in that single
about through the application short statement:
of digital resources that are Traditional Student
increasingly varied, powerful,
and effective. It follows that:
Technology Writing Skills elevated to
21st Century Learning,
Technology is now doubly

continues to Student Collaboration
and Peer to Peer
mission critical for education. make new and Learning, Authentic
Current education, when best practices in Activities, Real World

Learning, Applied
implemented in ways that
informed educators core curriculum Technology Skills, and
more, all of it guided
understand to be best, is
technology supported, even
instruction and contextualized by
digital technology that
technology defined. possible and now defines the world
This is a development that’s
been long in maturing.
practical; the field these young people live
and learn in and are
In fact, EdTech Digest has been

is revisiting and preparing to enter at
graduation.
describing this in articles like reinvesting And, at the same time
the 2017 ISTE Conference
follow-up piece “Unpacking emphasis in that technology
continues to make new
EdTech … All grown up, edtech
is ready to show ‘vanilla ed’ how teaching best practices in core
curriculum instruction
to get the job done!”
technology itself as possible and practical;
How is this so? an important body the field is revisiting and
reinvesting emphasis in
In one very easy-to-see way
across the curriculum, best
of curriculum. teaching technology
itself as an important
practices involve technology. body of curriculum.
Quick example: ASCD’s
(Association of Supervisors Classes in Computer
and Curriculum Developers) recent Science, Computational Thinking, and
newsletter “Our 10 Best Articles of 2018” Coding have become standards based,
features Engaging Student Journalists to commonly offered, and even required in
Tell Their Own Stories which states “…First, our schools. (See page 29 of this report for
we published our stories on a website that an article about the return of technology
we created for teens by teens. We even (itself) to favor in the curriculum and the rise
enlisted peers at other high schools in our of coding and Computer Science in the
city to write for our website. Then, we got overall course of study.)
How will these two, long divorced focus These tools have not only brought the
areas: technology to drive improved subject classroom into the modern age, but they
area instruction and technology as a focus, in have also enhanced learning and teaching,
and of itself, cross and blend to according to 82% of the
produce something still more teachers surveyed.”
potent and fresh in 2019 and We expect to see
beyond? We’ll be observing,
reflecting, and reporting.
73% of teachers continued development
agreed that and evolution of

important trends,
2019 will see “education” (the
field, the institution, the technology had among them:
organizations through which it
shows up in the world) moving dramatically 1. Teaching Technology -
in giant steps toward realization
of important shifts.
changed the Deepening the curricular
focus and fit of Technology,
Yes, The Digital Shift, the classroom in the Itself
inevitable drift toward across-
the-board digital solutions to last five years ... 2. Student Robotics (and
related Hands-on Applied
handle the vast majority of its
needs; but also smaller,
These tools have STEM Activities) are more
constituent changes that will not only brought often finding their way
contribute to the full further into the regular
transformation—the increasing the classroom daytime instructional
availability of affordable devices
and services will contribute, but into the modern program of school
also greater acceptance of the

inevitable establishment of a
age, but they 3. Addressing the Need to
Nourish Student Creativity
fully digital platform as have also
evidenced by surveys 4. Technology as Catalyst for
conducted throughout 2018. enhanced the Evolving Nature of
For instance, a broad-based learning and Literacy and Continued

Establishment of a Set of a
survey (School of Professional &
Graduate Studies/Mid America teaching... Reinvigorated Power Tools
Nazarene University) of for Literacy Instruction
experienced teachers showed
5. The New Student (well, a new understanding
that “73% of teachers agreed that technology
had dramatically changed the classroom in of the student and how to best serve learners).
the last five years…56% of their tools have
6. The New Professional Learning, online
become tech based—such as smart boards,
student portals, laptops, tablets, learning connections and communities and a broader
software, and learning apps (a far cry from range of learning opportunities for educators to
the worksheets and pencils of yesteryear). grow and improve their practice
7. Preparing Students for Careers and Learning

Beyond School
8. Renewed View of EdTech Leadership
9. New Resources and Practices for Next Level

Teaching and Learning
10. Technology Armed and Freshly Empowered

Teachers
11. Trends to Watch for 2019 and

BEYOND… Blockchain in Education, Data
Visualization, etc.
Continue to the HIGHLIGHTS section of this

report for more in-depth discussion of the above.
“While I think that many educational thought leaders are important, I wanted
FYI: EdTech Digest intends to offer SPECIAL REPORTS to feature people that were passionate/ opinionated about education, but on
on many of these themes throughout 2019! the other side.” —Don Wettrick, Founder, StartEdUp Foundation
One particularly exciting report: “The State of

Student Robotics: An Educator’s Guide.”
IN CLOSE WITH | Don Wettrick
Contact our editors for details.
THE VOICE AND mind behind the increasingly successful StartEdUp
podast, Don Wettrick created the podcast to introduce educators to
entrepreneurs, authors, and thought leaders who are not in
education. Entrepreneurs are the embodiment of "life long learners,"
and they learn by doing; they embrace failure. They also fail early and
often, collaborate, communicate, and "have grit. You know—all the
buzzwords/concepts we celebrate in education.” By having these
conversations with these leaders, STARTedUP is driving a
conversation about what it means to be successful- beyond the
school walls. Guests have included entrepreneurs and authors such
as Gary Vaynerchuk, Seth Godin, Amy Wilkinson, and Daniel
Pink. Don is the Innovation Coordinator at Noblesville (IN) High
School, and author of "Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation."
He has worked as a middle and high school teacher; educational and
innovation consultant; CEO, and host of the StartEdUp podcast. He is
also the President of the StartEdUp Foundation, an organization
that empowers student entrepreneurs and innovators with
collaborative immersive experiences, accelerator programs and is the
first seed fund for students under 20. //
HOT LINKS ■(YouTube video) Innovation Specialist on Unlearning - Don Wettrick |

Inside Quest #35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRoGNqKGnUw ■ FORBES Articles
“Endorsed By Entrepreneurs: How This High School Teacher Is Making The Classroom A
Safe Place To Fail” and ■ “Teacher And Students Visit New York To Pitch And Learn From
Leading Entrepreneurs”
HIGHLIGHTS EDTECH LEADERS WEIGH IN ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION, TECH’S ROLE & WHAT’S AHEAD
BREAD CRUMBS, CONNECTED DOTS, AND ‘AH-HA’ MOMENTS
TECHNOLOGY’S RETURN TO FAVOR
A TALE OF TWO SCHOOL REALITIES: HOW FAR ALONG ARE OUR SCHOOLS IN FULLY SHIFTING TO DIGITAL?
EDUCATOR’S DOING GREAT STUFF W/ TECH
11 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS
STATE OF EDTECH
LEADING VOICES
What is the state of education and
technology’s role—and what’s ahead?
By VICTOR RIVERO
Again this year, we asked technologists, For better or for worse, we are advancing into
CEOs, founders, investors, students, parents, an age of an ever-increasing prevalence of
policy makers, and edtech leaders to chime technology, and rapid acceleration of new and
in with their thoughts on these questions: emerging technologies impacting learning.
• What is the state of education these days? The people behind the technology will
• What is technology’s role in education? decide which it will be—better, or worse—
• What’s just ahead? and if you are reading this, you are those
people. We are those people.
Their insights in response to these questions
provide a good look into the realities we are May this sampling of what’s on the mind of
facing and the current state of edtech. some of your colleagues inspire you to have
a look at your own thoughts about these
Those realities extend through the full questions, and to continue your work in this
spectrum of education: from pre-K most important area.
through 12th grade, vocational and
technical education, community college, Your work in education technology lays down
traditional 4-year colleges and universities, the foundation for generations to come. It is
to corporate learning, workforce training, challenging work, it is sometimes daunting
bootcamps, and lifelong learning. work. But in the end, the work is worthwhile.
Common Themes As you peruse these viewpoints, consider

your own purposes and mission in
Themes include the continuing expansion of education and technology and how these
AR/VR, STEM, and coding, to the role ideas might inform, enhance, or improve
technology plays in assisting students and your own “leading voice.”
teachers through personalization of their
learning pathways. Happy reading!
EDTECH LEADERS WEIGH IN ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION, TECH’S ROLE & WHAT’S AHEAD
“What is the large amounts of connected and mitigate the growing gap between the
state of education, integrated data that is easily accessible ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.”
of technology in to campus leaders. It will provide a more —Susan McLester // President,
education, and comprehensive view and empower McLester PR, Content and
what’s ahead? institutions with the ability to extend the Communications
“Expansive, life cycles of their data so they can focus
transformative— efforts on how to improve both student “I feel the main
and amazing possibilities!” learning and institutional outcomes.” challenge is still
—Darryl Loy // Director of Technology, —Kevin Michielsen // Chief Executive not different; that
Good Shepherd Episcopal School Officer, Watermark is, how to get
maximum kids
“Technology is “Technology is a engage in the
playing a larger role great tool in the platform. This is in
than ever in education. hands of an reference to school children. Technology
Education institutions innovative has to play the role of a friend-
are playing catch-up in entrepreneur.” philosopher guide to the children. Here
terms of utilizing technology in the most —Kyra Pahlen // we are talking about the UX of the
efficient way in order to adapt to the CEO, LingoZING! platform that should be interactive,
current climate.” engaging, and entertaining—along with
—Juan Yanez // Regional Marketing “Education is moving providing the right guidance to students
Manager, Squiz inexorably toward on how they can get the most out of it in
personalization/ the easiest way to get ahead. Keeping
“We individualization. Gone this in view, I feel the UX design, product
know are the days of the ‘one mix, as well as Artificial Intelligence
that size fits all’ and bell curve approaches to enabling adaptive learning to a newer
teaching instruction where it was just expected level where machine engagement /
and and accepted that a percentage of learning is at its best—is the future.”
learning learners would fail. Today's technology is —Manish Wahie // Co-Founder & CEO,
take what makes such personalization Budbeed Learning LLC
place possible. Diagnostic screening and
and are individual learning pathway prescription “Education is not just
measured in many different ways, areas, used to be solely the province of Special about pushing out
and systems across campuses. Education. Now, it should apply to every content, but to help
Measuring only distinct pieces of that student. Of course teachers do not have learners think creatively,
picture is insufficient. Key to improving the bandwidth to do this manually for collaboratively and
education is embracing the concept of every student, and schools continue to critically. Technology should support
educational intelligence. This means face budget restrictions—so thinking, not just rote learning, and
being able to leverage data at multiple personalization/individualization will provide ways for teams of students to
points across the student lifecycle to continue to remain an uneven element work together, whilst still being able to
make intelligent decisions to positively from district to district. Applying for see how individuals contributed.
impact student outcomes. It’s a holistic grants and forming inter-district Teachers are starting to become more
approach to data that is informed by consortiums are ways districts can facilitators of learning rather than sage-
on-the-stage, and so, edtech tools need location, broadening the classroom ”I’m not sure. It
to move to ways that allow them to experience and further developing our seems like technology
better do so without adding on empathy. Although mostly positive, it is helping improve
additional workload. We’re also seeing has also shortened our attention spans content in the
greater privacy controls as well as and become a replacement for real classroom, but I am
integration of applications into human interaction—and allowed people concerned that it is taking a toll on some
platforms.” to become increasingly more politically, of the critical-thinking skills that
—Jeremy Lu // CEO, GroupMap demographically and ideologically traditional education methods promote.
divided. We need ensure our students What's ahead? More technology;
”Today’s classrooms learn how to use technology ethically hopefully more tactile technology
are in a major state of and effectively. Tools like Artificial inventions—with real-world
flux. There are so many Intelligence (AI) will change how we applications.”
new ideas and gadgets teach, learn and interact with each —Angela Ortquist // PM, Tech
being offered that it is other. AI and robotics are the future of Defenders
extremely difficult to know what to use education and will lead how we engage
and when to use it. If we look at students with hands-on exposure to ”The power shift is underway!
technology having a role in education, I real-world experiences and application Students are taking back control of their
think we are very nearsighted to the real to real-life situations.” learning. The sage-on-the-stage is a
focus of what should be happening in —Jeffrey Piontek // Head of Education, dying breed. 1-to-1 devices, equitable
the classrooms. Instead, we should be UBTECH Robotics internet access, and the emerging suite
looking at the role of technology in of free learning applications is allowing
pedagogy to find the real answer to ”The state of students to further their ownership in
solving some of the issues facing today’s edtech in their education space.”
teachers.” 2018-19? —CEO, QwertyTown
—Jeff Bradbury // Tech Coach, Ephemeral
TeacherCast Educational Network enigma. Current “There is a shift
technology can in education
simultaneously today toward
obscure and reveal human connection. increased
It both magnifies and dampens collaboration
messages about who we are, what we and heightened
need, and how we know. As the interactivity.
technology continually changes, the only Technology can change the way we
constant in dealing with technology is assess student performance and
the self. Educators must be prepared to productivity in the classroom by
help students maintain authentic selves pinpointing how and when learning
”Edtech’s role is to assist in changing by carefully navigating through the happens, and maximizing physical
outcomes for students using technology continual stream of content.” classroom flow. New education tools
as a tool. It has become an incredible —Rebekah S. Davis // Digital Learning and testing platforms based on AI and
resource for educators globally and has Graduate Assistant/PhD student, NC machine learning are allowing educators
increased our ability to connect with State University to adjust learning based on individual
people from any background, area or student needs. By creating a more
expansive picture of how students learn, “As we enter 2019, proactively

we can also change how we measure the world's wealthiest manage
how to best serve their learning needs. countries now have the needs
In the coming years, we’ll see how incomes 100 times of students
technology will allow educators to better higher than the poorest at risk of
assess students’ knowledge, and further countries. Globalization is making it dropping
evolve a more effective and efficient untenable for such dramatic inequalities out or
curriculum.” between high and low living standards failing. And
—Jon Roepke // Director of Product to continue. Education is the disruptor to their full feedback loops and data
Management, Belkin International poverty. We now have the compelling insights will elevate the entire
opportunity and ability through new educational community—from students
educational technologies to effectively and educators, to administrators—by
build bridges of literacy, empathy, delivering learning that gets smarter and
opportunity and support throughout the more effective with each student
most under-resourced areas of the interaction.”
world to achieve transformative, self- —Patrick Weir // CEO, Fulcrum Labs
sustaining development. We have the
edtech tools to find creative solutions to “As districts
society's greatest challenges. There are nationwide continue
many opportunities to make a to struggle with teacher
difference. It's time for commitment and shortages, it’s more
“Education is going through some engagement to achieve edtech’s important than ever
much needed turbulence in this age of greatest potential.” that they support and ultimately retain
disruption. Ideas of content, —Dayton Johnson // President & educators. Providing more personalized,
assessment, and general purpose for Managing Partner, Dayton Johnson job-embedded professional learning will
education—are all being filtered through Executive Search and Consultancy help. Using technology like video
more horizontal and democratized reflection eliminates the need for
ideas of learning in the 21st century. “AI is poised to dramatically disrupt teachers to leave the classroom for
What is consistently coming out is that education in 2019. I’m not talking about professional development, which can be
education needs to be re-imagined and replacing teachers with robots, but costly for students. Sharing video of their
re-engineered to be more equitable, rather empowering educators and instruction with coaches and colleagues
relevant, and human for the future. institutions with the same automation, allows teachers to collaborate and
Technology must greatly assist in this prediction, and data-science capabilities receive direct feedback based on their
endeavor, and not contribute to any that AI has brought to almost every actual teaching practices. This approach
chasms of opportunity and success. But, other industry—from retail and to PD offers an individualized learning
beyond that, as our world gets more manufacturing, to IoT. In 2019, we experience for educators, much in the
digitized and entrenched in the cult of expect AI will become more mainstream same way we expect today’s classroom
speed and efficiency, edtech has to in education. AI-enabled learning tools to be for students.”
create resources and platforms that and technologies will help educators —Adam Geller // Founder & CEO, Edthena
support the humanized goals of deliver on the promise of one-on-one
education.” instruction at scale. Their predictive
—Sunil Singh // Mathematics Learning capabilities will help institutions
Specialist, Scolab
“Education is “In 2019, AR/VR will

going through a continue to be
reformation and explored in the K-12
lots of things classroom and as
need to change. such, there will be a
Technology is demand for content
just an enabler to create genuine learning experiences.
and we must be careful to put the Although the potential to create a deep,
student at the center of our immersive, collaborative environment
interventions, not the technology. In a exists today, the structures and delivery
time of robotics and AI, we need more mechanisms that come with packaged
human-to-human connection (and content have yet to develop into a
social learning), or what I like to call powerful enough technology for
‘human sense’.” widespread adoption. As early adopters
“The state of edtech in 2018-19 is still —Ameet Mehta // CEO, Inspiral continue to explore AR/VR technology, we
transforming and emerging despite an Education will see a viable market emerge to attract
absence of leadership from Washington, more content developers. Meanwhile,
D.C. It appears that the desire to “Coding is a we’re likely to see more students dip their
educate all and eliminate the digital and valuable 21st- toe into what could become a more
technological divide is being ignored by century skill that integral part of the learning experience
some in D.C., and in most states, the is heavily used through singular instances of exploration.”
situation is not much better! With and sought after —Matt Dascoli // Education Strategist,
technology's role in our world in today’s Dell EMC
increasing, it is imperative that we workforce. As
educate students for the changing world such, coding and STEM education in “Universities nationwhide are facing
of work. Our work environments will general continues to receive significant the same challenge: how to make
increasingly continue to rely heavily on policy and funding support at the federal textbooks more relevant, meaningful,
automation, robotics, and artificial level. Schools and districts will and engaging for students. This problem
intelligence. Despite these changes, increasingly incorporate coding into has grown as the lack of student
there’s a lack of graduates in the their science curricula to help students, engagement—especially among general
computer sciences because STEM/ even those in early grades, develop this education classes—continues to be a
STEAM programs aren’t readily available skill and engage in practical applications contributing factor to today’s rapidly
to all. With new leadership and a new that build math and science skills. Real- declining RPG (retention, progression,
resolve at the federal, state and local world problem solving activities—ones and graduation) rates. To ignite change
level, we can level the playing field for all in which students use hands-on among college classrooms, educators
and provide a holistic and vibrant technology to build, test, and refine a need to move away from old-fashioned
education that truly prepares students program—will further inspire students teaching models and focus on interactive,
for college, career and citizenship.” to follow studies and career paths in this self-guided approaches that equip
—Dr. Darryl Adams // former growing industry.” students with emerging technologies.”
Superintendent; Founder & CEO, The —John Wheeler // CEO, Vernier —Brian Rowe // CEO & Founder,
Center for Democracy and Education Software & Technology Perceivant
(www.vernier.com)
access to information, and give

secondary students a taste of college
and a future career. For elementary
school students, hands-on interactivity
will continue to be a priority.”
—Jason Meyer // Group Product
Manager - Projectors, Epson America, Inc.
“Students will
become more
“Sustainability is about creating emphasis on ‘classic’ hands-on vocal about how
systems that work now and in the engineering activities. These lessons— they want to
future. While we often think about it in such as building a bridge or folding a learn. They’ve
terms of agriculture or energy or cities, paper airplane—require students to been creating,
we should also think about sustainability learn a concept, design and build a publishing and
in education—for learners and teachers. prototype, and test its effectiveness. learning using social and digital tools for
To be sustainable is to be economically Then, using what they know about the years, and will simply expect education
viable, environmentally sound, and scientific concept they learned and the to change to meet their needs.
socially just. Technology can make scientific method, they improve their Educators have an opportunity to use
education more economically viable as it designs for the best results. To help this momentum to embrace change and
makes new ways of education possible. facilitate this shift, I also see educators reimagine how we’re preparing
Economic viability is whether we can more frequently using STEM toys as tomorrow's leaders. Technology is one
afford to do something now. tools for introducing science concepts.” tool of many—combined with passion,
Environmental soundness is whether —Shai Goitein // CEO, POWERUP Toys focus and commitment by humans—
we can keep doing something in the how we learn will become more geared
future. Is education making good use of “Technology in for our digital age.”
resources, natural resources, and the classroom is —Jodie Buenning // VP, Marketing &
human resources? ‘Socially just’ means no longer about Communications, bulb Digital Portfolios
bringing into the educational ecosystem any particular
those who have been left out. piece of
Technology can help reach the equipment;
disenfranchised, but is it?” instead, it has
—Julie Willcott // Adjunct Faculty (and become more like an ecosystem. It’s
consultant to private companies), about finding solutions—such as
Kennebec Valley Community College student devices, large-format projection,
interactive software, and wireless
“In recent years, coding became the networks—working seamlessly to create
skill everyone wanted children to learn. an immersive, engaging learning
With many free online resources “Project-based Learning is gaining
environment for students and teachers.
available for coding, it enjoyed heavy momentum as a way to engage
This tech-rich environment with wireless
focus in the classroom and at home. students more deeply in content and
collaboration capability has the ability to
2019, however, will bring a greater build 21st-century skills. High-quality PBL
improve students’ productivity and
has students working individually and in
teams to research and find solutions to adopt policies, edtech companies, have a major role to
real-world, complex problems and programs, and play in supporting districts with not only
creating products or presentations to curriculum that will accessing, but utilizing all of the data that
share with an audience. Today’s support these goals. we have available.”
movement toward tech integration, Technology plays an —Stuart Udell // CEO, Achieve3000
such as 1-to-1, provides the opportunity important role in this shift. Schools are
for schools to seek out tech tools to increasingly adding technology for “Three words that
manage and facilitate PBL projects and students to use in the classroom describe the state of
their culminating products. In 2019, including adopting 1-to-1 programs, so education today are:
companies will develop new systems to they must be provided tools for challenged,
meet this growing need.” analyzing technology’s use with groundbreaking, and
—Bob Lenz // Executive Director, Buck students; tools that look at productivity exciting. Education is challenged to
Institute for Education and safety will be in high demand.” prepare students for jobs that don’t exist
—Richard Fuller // CEO, Impero Software today. It is groundbreaking because
“A new age of we’re introducing technology and
edtech tools are teaching methodologies that are
emerging— changing the way we engage students.
amazing niche- It’s exciting because we have an
focused, light, incredible opportunity to transform
and purposeful education and improve learning
applications outcomes.
incredible at meeting the unique needs Students learn by doing, researching,
of students and adults. They set up and receiving feedback. The interactivity
learning to be personalized and put the of technology supports this, while
learner in the driver’s seat. The days of allowing students to learn anywhere,
large-scale administrative solutions “Fifteen years ago, ‘21st-century anytime. It also enhances teaching
mostly irrelevant to students, teachers, learning’ was an emerging concept in methodologies such as blended
and parents are numbered. Students the education system—today, it’s reality. learning, flipped classrooms and
and educators want and need The push for schools to leverage collaborative learning. The explosion of
comprehensive edtech applications technology to serve more students with products utilizing VR/AR, robotics,
focused on teaching and learning—apps an equitable and effective education has gaming, and voice recognition is having
providing clarity, that ease the only been gaining momentum as costs an immediate, positive impact on
information/application overload, and go down, methodologies improve, and engagement and how students learn.
serve the teacher and learner over a support for school systems and teachers We expect this trend to continue.”
lifetime.” grows at the federal and state levels. —Erez Pikar // CEO, CDI Technologies
—Erik Petrik // Co-Founder & Chief With states’ ESSA plans coming into
Creative Officer, bulb Digital Portfolio effect, and accountability systems “Districts are focusing on areas for
seeking to measure school and student continued improvement with support
“Schools’ responsibilities have performance beyond test scores, there from new technology, including
expanded to include student safety and is also an increased demand for streamlining testing and addressing the
wellness as core areas of focus along educators at all levels to use data to equity gap. In an effort to test smarter,
with academics. Schools must therefore inform their instruction and assess their schools are looking to tech-enabled
results. This is where technology, and
formative assessments With data-driven decision-making “Adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud

to provide robust data affecting how schools and districts are environments is quickly growing within
on students’ strengths managed, A.I. will become more the education industry. Use of various
and challenges. These prevalent in these practices and have devices in the classroom is up amongst
tools make data an an increasingly disruptive effect on how both students and teachers, from
accessible, integral part of the we teach our students. It should be an computing devices to AR/VR, and IoT
classroom’s DNA, informing instruction exciting year!” devices and beyond. K-12 and higher ed
and supporting growth. As these robust —Devin Young // President, Classcraft institutions are faced with significantly
offerings often do the job of multiple more data; as a result there’s a need for
existing assessments, implementing a flexible and budget-friendly method to
them reduces testing volume and gives securely store and access it. Education
back precious instructional time. institutions will double multi-cloud
Technology-driven instructional datacenter usage by 2025 as it becomes
materials will focus on providing the new norm.”
equitable support to all students, —Breck DeWitt // Education Strategist,
including those living in poverty and Dell EMC
learning English. English learners will
benefit from culturally-responsive
What are your thoughts on
lessons and those providing strategic “Education is a must, lifelong learning • the state of education,
scaffolds that make on-grade level is nowadays a reality—but immediacy • technology’s role in it, and
content accessible by integrating has permeated education with a • what’s just ahead?
language-based activities.” preference for short courses, with a
Write to us:
—Rob Waldron // CEO, Curriculum ‘prize’ at the end—like a degree or a
edtechdigest@gmail.com
Associates diploma—that makes you enter directly
into a sector, a job, or a bidding.
“Technology Technology is still seen with caution by
“
has those who’ve tried tech-based courses The goal of education
tremendous with the expectation of simply having cannot be the student’s
power if used in fun or being surprised. The ‘wow’ effect
internalization of a fixed
a thoughtful, is not what matters, what you learn is
innovative the important fact. Tech is one of the curriculum. Rather, it must be
manner to biggest facilitators of a learning future the student’s discovery of
empower students and teachers. In that I can hardly imagine—but one in
himself as a learner,
2019, it’s essential that edtech move which methodology, good content,
beyond novelty and marry itself to superb specialists, and people—will be
exploration of the
sound pedagogical practice in order to the differential factor.” phenomenon of learning
have meaningful, positive impact in the —Claudia Alcelay // CEO (I+D), itself, and his evolution as a
classroom. Fostering soft skills and certificacionpm®
self-directed, motivated,
collaboration will continue to be an
important trend as we look beyond masterful learner.”
grades and develop more sophisticated
—Mark Gura (from State
ways of teaching to the whole child.
of EdTech 2017-2018)
Bread
Crumbs,
Connected
Dots, and
‘Ah-Ha’
Moments
Observing events, noting
developments, reflecting on
signals that emerge from the
hum; hard work, but someone’s
got to do it and well, it’s what we
do. We kinda love it.
HIGHLIGHTS | by Mark Gura
Taking the measure of something, the state

of education, for instance, involves drawing on
a range of sources, especially if what one’s
after is an authentic take on it all, the big
picture in 4D: where we’re coming from, are
right now, going to, and what it all means.
IMAGE CREDIT: EIDY BAMBANG SUNARYO
There are patterns one sees and trends one

The ABC’s of this article: identifies after reflecting on them.
The Shape of Things: Reading the Tea
A Leaves of Education News Sometimes these confirm conclusions that
have been long in solidifying and sometimes
Not the Teaching and Learning We
one is gifted with fresh insight through the
B Remember! The Tools and Resources
Behind the Change serendipity of what shows up in the old In Box.
21st Century Learning Going on Right
C Now, in Schools Nearby! And then there are moments, thankfully, when
one simply has to stop to regain one’s
equilibrium, having just stumbled over If so, we need to walk this next step wisely,
something full of information and significance. as pointed out in this infographic
published by Education Week.
There are instances in which the weight of
something that one finds provides the ■ “The data shows that STEM fields are in
final bit of pressure needed to produce a demand—but, depending on the job, pay and
gem of understanding from under a educational requirements vary.”
mountain of data.
Invest our future in STEM by preparing
Tracking the progress and current state of students to master STEM concepts and
edtech involves the picking up important skills? Sure, but as always, the devil’s in
breadcrumbs and the focused connecting the as-yet-to-be-envisioned-and-planned-
of dots. But one is rewarded with ‘ah-ha’ for details!
moments; here are some from 2018’s journey.
■ “Most teachers say tech tools improve
teaching and learning—tech tools can
A increase student engagement and intellectual
stimulation,” teachers say… Eighty-two percent of
teachers in a recent survey say they believe tech
The Shape of Things: tools have enhanced teaching and learning, and
most say they have access to the tools they
Reading the Tea Leaves want… On average, teachers say 56 percent of
their tools have become tech based, and 80
of Education News percent of teachers say they have access to most
of the tech tools they want in their classrooms.
Those tech tools include interactive whiteboards,
1. The Fortunes & Future of STEM student portals, laptops, tablets, learning
Are we at that moment where what we’ve software, and learning apps…” SOURCE: eSchool
been pushing for has been heard and News
embraced?
■ “The Changing Face of STEM Why are we
■ “White House Outlines Five-Year STEM losing so many young women from the STEM
pipeline when they clearly have the aptitude to
Push - The administration is issuing what it learn math and science (and compete with
describes as an 'urgent call to action' to bolster skills
aplomb) in the early teen years?.. In the United
that will be necessary in the years ahead… a "North States, we have been unable thus far to plug the
Star" that "charts a course for the Nation's success… hole in the pipeline that leaks out some of our
an urgent call to action for a nationwide
most talented and gifted young scientists before
collaboration with learners, families, educators, they can make their own contributions in the
communities, and employers... The administration's workforce…Let’s plug the hole in the STEM
goal is threefold: for every American to master basic
pipeline, if need be, one woman at a time.”
STEM concepts, like computational thinking, in order
SOURCE: National Board for Professional Teaching
to respond to technological change; to increase
Standards
access to STEM among historically underserved
students; and to encourage students to pursue
STEM careers. SOURCE: U.S. News
Works,® where they learned about five advanced

2. Big Players Offer Up Some technology developments being pioneered by
Real Value-Add Learning Lockheed Martin engineers and scientists, or
“skunks,” who work there. The immersive
Experiences experience was designed to introduce students
Large providers of devices, resources, and to the exciting work a career in science,
technology, engineering and math (STEM) can
support services continue to offer up
offer. SOURCE: Discovery Education
broad scale, high quality learning activities
that far outstrip those local districts might
be able to create on their own. 3. Computer Science Has Arrived!
Computer Science has emerged from an
■ “Solve for Tomorrow - Designed to boost
‘interest area’ subject to being a contender
interest and proficiency in Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), as required, basic body of knowledge for
this nationwide contest challenges public all to demonstrate some mastery in by
school teachers and students in grades 6-12 to graduation. Two announcements in 2018
show how STEM can be applied to help illustrate the momentum behind this:
improve their local community. The contest
challenges students in grades 6-12 to show how
STEM can be applied to help improve their local ■ ISTE Releases Draft Computer Science
communities. 250 state finalists will be selected Standards For Educators “The new ISTE
to submit an activity plan…” SOURCE: SAMSUNG Standards for Computer Science Educators,
exclusively sponsored by LEGO Education, will
establish a vision for the knowledge and skills
Another such impactful challenge-based educators need to effectively teach CS to all
program is Microsoft’s Imagine Cup. students across curriculum and will guide
professional learning for all educators. Updating
■ “Amazon’s new goal: Teach 10 million the ISTE Standards for Computer Science
kids a year to code - Amazon wants to get Educators is a critical step to reaching the goal of
more kids thinking about becoming computer providing computer science opportunities to all
engineers. The company launched a program students,” said ISTE CEO Richard Culatta.“
Thursday that aims to teach more than 10 million SOURCE: ISTE.org
students a year how to code. Amazon said it will
■ ISTE Announces New Computational
pay for summer camps, teacher training and
other initiatives to benefit kids and young adults Thinking Standards for All Educators
from low-income families who might not have “The ISTE Computational Thinking Competencies are
learned to code otherwise. It hopes the programs designed to prepare students with the skills needed
spur more black, Hispanic and female students to to solve problems of the future … The CT
study computer science…” SOURCE: AP News Competencies provide a framework to help teachers
leverage computational thinking across all areas of
the curriculum, not just in CS classes.” Source:
■ “High-School Students around the U.S. ISTE.org
Take Virtual STEM Field Trip to
Lockheed Martin’s Famous Skunk
Traction for Computer Science in the real
Works®… Lockheed Martin and Discovery
Education, the leading provider of digital content world of real schools? One example:
and professional development for K-12 ■ “Middle School Rolls Out New
classrooms, today took high school students on a Computer Science Course…The school’s
virtual field trip to Lockheed Martin Skunk new computer science class is required for all
students in fifth and eighth grade and is being

offered as an elective for students in sixth and
5. The Coding Rules!
seventh grade. In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan Making Coding part of the instructional
has made computer science a priority for program enables schools to offer a
schools.” SOURCE: The Dispatch highly visible and practical variety of
technology integration, often without
4. Virtual Schooling Helps
great additional expense beyond
Make it Work providing basics. Highly engaging and
Virtual Schooling continues to find its fit easy to see results from, and with
as it solves difficult organizational and plentiful resources and curriculum
budgetary problems for schools and available. Coding has become a veritable
districts. This phenomenon showed up in snowball rolling downhill, picking up
2018 in a variety of ways: mass and momentum.
■ “High school teacher shortage forcing ■ “Kindergarten coders: When is too early
schools to go digital… Teacher shortages to put kids in front of screens?
across the country are getting so dire that they’re ... Twenty-five percent of all U.S. students now
forcing some school districts to live stream have Code.org accounts and 800,000 teachers
lessons, replacing educators in many
use the site for class lessons… two-thirds of all
classrooms… tens of thousands of high school
students nationwide are now getting lessons fifth graders in the country have an account.”
SOURCE: The Inquirer Daily News/phily.com
taught by a remote teacher…) SOURCE: YAHOO!
FINANCE
■ “Press Start: BISD brings coding to all
■ “Nashua floats idea of eliminating middle schools… The Brownsville
high school substitute teachers… Independent School District… BISD’s
Struggling to find enough substitute teachers, Career and Technical Education
school officials are exploring a concept that department is making the GameSalad
would eliminate the need… The Board of software available to all middle school
Education is studying the benefits and drawbacks students this year as part of an effort to
of creating an independent digital learning center make coding part of the curriculum from
at each school where students could go when
elementary school to high school.” SOURCE:
their usual teacher is unavailable…).” SOURCE:
New Hampshire Union Leader The Brownsville Herald
■ “The Beginning of the End of Snow ■ “K12 students code beyond computers
Days… Districts around the U.S. are working out
- Computational thinking gives students
policies and procedures for having kids work at
home when inclement weather closes schools… a learning edge in all subjects… As
In districts across the country, snow days…for coding becomes ubiquitous for students of
example, the schools around Camden, Maine, will all ages, educators are looking for ways to
replace two snow days per year with so-called use computational thinking in other
Remote School Days, when students will content areas. Advocates say this
complete coursework at home using internet- integration should start in elementary
connected devices.” SOURCE: edutopia schools….” SOURCE: District Administration
6. Leadership 8. Turning Tide –

■ “Using teacher-leaders to improve Celebrating Teachers
schools…’Opening the door for
innovation’ by extending the impact of
(Finally)
the best teachers to more students…
■ “Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul
Each school that embarks on creating an
have announced a headline tour that
Opportunity Culture does so in a unique
will introduce TeachRock, a free, multi-
way, based on its needs. One of
media, K-12 interdisciplinary
Edgecombe’s elementary schools created
curriculum from Steven Van Zandt’s Rock
three teacher-leader positions to focus on
and Roll Forever Foundation. The Soulfire
improving literacy among students in third
Teacher Solidarity Tour 2018 concerts are
grade and younger. A middle school
free for all types of educators… The
recognized its area of need was in high-
initiative is in recognition of the work that
quality math instruction, so it hired a
educators do across North America, and
teacher-leader to work in that subject.
will highlight the TeachRock curriculum,
Another elementary school has a teacher-
which meets prevailing standards in
leader supporting English language arts
English Language Arts, Social Studies/
teachers.” SOURCE: The Hechinger Report
History, the Fine and Performing Arts and
includes STEAM and advisory material…”
7. Career Preparedness –
Getting Kids Ready to 9. Let’s Get Ready to…
Boldly Go… Compete Digitally!
How young is too young to start ■ “Gamers Are the New High School
introducing students to future careers? Athletes: Rise of Esports… Trend gains
traction in K-12 and college… Esports, a
movement that features competitive video game
■ One California district’s “World of play that grew out of the commercial gaming
Work” program starts in kindergarten In industry, is popular at the college and
Southern California’s Cajon Valley Union School professional levels. Now, it is gaining a greater
District, career exploration starts in kindergarten. foothold in K-12… Some teachers and
Five-year-olds learn about police officers, doctors, administrators have found that esports engages
artists, teachers, bakers and farmers. Over the students who might not otherwise participate in
next eight years, until they leave the district for school activities, teaching teamwork and
high school, they will cycle through learning about potentially opening new college and career
54 different careers, including real estate agent, opportunities…” SOURCE: Education Week
paralegal, dietitian, reporter, graphic designer,
sociologist, urban and regional planner and
financial analyst…” SOURCE: The Hechinger Report ■ New York Institute of Technology
“NYIT Launches eSports Facility… Just two
days after the CyBears dominated Molloy College
to win the East Coast Conference (ECC) Overwatch
eSports Invitational at Nassau Coliseum, NYIT
unveiled its eSports arena at a ribbon-cutting
ceremony on December 4 at NYIT-Long Island (Old

Westbury, N.Y.). The event, held in Wisser Library, B
welcomed students, faculty, staff, and eSports
partners and included opening remarks by
community members who exemplified NYIT’s
Not the Teaching and
multi-dimensional commitment to the rapidly
growing field of eSports…” SOURCE: NYIT BOX
Learning We Remember!
The Tools and Resources
■ “K-12 educational escape rooms on
the rise… Students take clues back to a laptop Behind the Change
computer where they must read and answer
questions. Correct answers lead them to a 11. Tools and Resources
"golden ticket" and eventually a way to escape…
the escape room creates unique learning
“How Using Slack Can Improve Socratic
experiences for students and allows them to find
a deeper connection to the underlying subject at Seminars… In our search for an appropriate
hand, which is part of a larger lesson aligned to space where we could promote and monitor our
the state's English language arts standards. ‘We student’s digital discourse, we landed on Slack, an
have to make learning high-end and tap into their online messaging app used primarily in
interest, learn to tie it to those things we are businesses. While not explicitly designed for the
trying to teach. This is invigorating for teachers classroom, we have found Slack to be a powerful
and offers a 21st-century approach to learning platform for stimulating high-level online
discourse centered around key concepts and
for students.." SOURCE The Detroit News
core habits of discussion…” SOURCE: EdSurge
10. Tech Redefines Literacy “Has video killed the red grading pen?
The act of communication, the very core Teachers are experimenting with video feedback as
of Literacy, is being transformed through a replacement for traditional written mark-ups… In
the application of technologies that the past few years, a handful of educators, working
in different disciplines and various education
support those whose communication
levels.. have been experimenting with video
needs and preferences lie beyond feedback... They’ve created a website with
traditional text alone… recommendations for teachers who want to try it
out themselves. To date, Phillips and Henderson
have helped instructors use video feedback for
■ “Facebook’s VideoStory dataset trains
classes from 20 to 700 students, across high
AI to ‘automatically tell stories. Video schools and universities, in subjects as far ranging
content on social media platforms constitutes
as philosophy and engineering…”
a major part of the communication between
SOURCE: Hechinger Report
people, as it allows everyone to share their
stories,” the researchers wrote. “…if someone
is unable to consume video … this severely
limits their communication. Automatically 12. New Tech for the
telling the stories using multi-sentence
descriptions of videos would allow bridging Classroom
this gap.” SOURCE: Venture Beat
■ “Why our district is investing in AI, AR,
VR, and MR… the world today is changing at a
faster and more immediate pace than at any time
in our history… New technologies like Amazon’s
C
Alexa and Google’s Expeditions and Pioneer
programs will be the next generation’s Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram. Voice technology allows
for screen-free interactions and gives students 21st Century Learning
much-needed life-skills practice in the areas of
forming questions and focused listening. Going on Right Now, in
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)
enables students to learn by doing, which Schools Nearby
increases student engagement, helps with
retention, and enhances learning outcomes…”
SOURCE: eSchool News 14. The Upside of Social
Media for Students
13. Digital Tutors and
Assistants (“Alexa, how do I ■ Study of Teen Facebook Use Provides
Insights “We asked teens to give us access to
do square roots?”) their list of Facebook friends. This allowed us to
see whether teens who are information brokers
■ “Alexa Hits the Classroom… For better or use their social brain networks differently than
worse, a new technology is making its way from teens whose friends all know one another. … We
consumers' homes into America's classrooms: voice- found that information brokers use their social
controlled "smart speaker" systems from companies brain networks more when making choices about
such as Amazon and Google. The internet-enabled what to recommend to others than people whose
devices listen to what users say, send audio friends all know one another…information brokers
recordings to the cloud, translate that information have more opportunities to practice using their
into commands, and respond accordingly— social brain when translating ideas between
providing users with a personal digital voice assistant different groups of people. More broadly, people
such as Amazon's Alexa, which teachers are now who are better at selling their ideas, literally and
using to help with everything from setting a figuratively, also tend to engage ... more than
classroom timer to leading a group of 3rd graders people who are less successful… (e.g., what will the
through a spelling test…” SOURCE: Education Week person I’m going to share with think about this idea?)
helps the sharer tune her message to resonate
■ Amazon Echo Dot vs. Echo Dot Kids more clearly with the mental state of the
Edition “The Echo Dot Kids Edition, which listener…” SOURCE: Scientific American
comes in red, blue, and green, looks almost
identical to the regular…The device is really just a ■ “A Look At Social Media Finds Some
kid-friendlier version of the Echo Dot, with many Possible Benefits For Kids… 9 and 10 year-
of the same features, but toned down for old children taking part in a study... greater
younger audiences. Right out of the box, you can social media use, such as scrolling through
tell the device is for a child because of the bright Instagram and texting, was associated with
colors and comic book-style user guide that some positive effects, including increased
comes with it. ..” SOURCE: Digital Trends physical activity, less family conflict and fewer
sleep problems…” "There's a lot of pre-existing
biases that if we expose kids to media,
something terrible is going to happen. What we
show is that's not the case," said the study’s
director. SOURCE: National Public Radio
15. MAKING Learning 17. Applied Learning

With digital tools and information,
Engaging and Rich
students can to apply their learned skills
to needs and problems that interest and
■ “…New research shows that makerspaces
move them. Young learners, at long last
can be highly effective at helping
can participate in and impact their world
elementary students develop skills such as critical
positivity. Project Based Learning aligns
thinking, design thinking, and problem solving…Using
the makerspaces led to higher student engagement, with Social Activism in inspiring ways with
confidence, and determination to try new approaches remarkable results. Some noteworthy
to tough challenges, according to the report. Struggling examples from this past year:
students in particular seemed to to benefit from maker
activities…” SOURCE: eSchool News
■ “Cupertino High student’s app helps
visually impaired ‘read’… senior Sanket Dange is
16. Authentic Participation developing an app to help the visually impaired
recognize objects and read text. When you point a
(Learning Through Student smartphone or tablet camera at an object, the Pigen
app can speak the object’s name or read aloud the
Real World Action) text in a sign…” SOURCE: The Mercury News
From the “Be Careful What You Teach Them!”
Category… ■ “Changemaker: Enumclaw teacher
motivates students to help solve
■ “After two fifth-graders started a petition homeless crisis –‘Really, we’re going to build a
to ban homework, the district is considering house? No, we’re going to design a house first.
options to lighten their load. At the behest of two Then we’re going to build it…Adults sometimes
fifth-grade students, a New York school district is underestimate the power of teenagers, Interlake
considering doing away with homework High student Youri Babakoff said. And it’s nice to
assignments…The petition gained traction in their show, when we come together we can make a
district…In arguing their case to officials with the difference in the world.” SOURCE: Q13FOX
school district, DeLeon and Keelie said many of their
classmates agreed with the proposed homework ban ■ “Passion Projects and Community
– and the school district did as well...” SOURCE: U.S. Partners Create Relevant Learning for
News & World Report Teens in School… BIG classes are focused around
big projects that students care about…As students
work on their projects they get support from teachers,
■ “Scaffolding Social Action for Your who also ensure that students are meeting the state
Students - A framework for guiding middle standards required for the course. Teachers meet in a
daily “scrum” where they talk about projects, individual
schoolers to plan and engage in social action that’s
relevant in their coursework and their lives. Students students, who needs more support…” SOURCE: KQED
Taking Action Together is currently in place in seven
urban middle schools in New Jersey, and it is making a ■ “Robot a high-tech way to serve biscuits
difference. Social action can be encouraged with
regard to current events such as gun violence in and gravy - Standing in Southmont High School’s
automation lab, senior Ross Lippencott fired up a
schools…” SOURCE: Edutopia online
robotic arm, using a controller to guide a ladle into an
empty bucket. As the utensil reached the bottom, it
began spinning like the beaters of a kitchen mixer.
The process was one of the new tricks for the school’s
Fanuc training robot, which gives hands-on lessons to

up-and-coming engineers…” SOURCE: Journal Review
■ “Oak Park teen saving local law

enforcement hundreds of dollars with
robotics projectThe self proclaimed "Tom Boy"
has a passion for sports and robotics. In fact, her
efforts on a project will save her local law
enforcement office hundreds of thousands of
dollars…Jaeza and her Oak Park High School's
robotics team are building a robot that will be a part
of the department's crisis negotiations team… it will
be used in hostage situations to get necessary items
to those requesting them...” SOURCE: fox4kc.com
"Technology exponentially deepens student engagement. For learners

who are not engaged well by print-alone content, it transforms that
content in ways that make a great difference to visual, multilingual,
auditory, kinesthetic, and musical learners." —Rose Reissman, Ed.D.,
Literacy and Technology Education Writer
IN CLOSE WITH | Rose Reissman

A GOOD PART of Rose’s work involves addressing the great
untapped potential represented by classroom teachers who still
haven’t crossed the great divide, joining colleagues in using
technology to align their practice with 21st Century Learning. She
is a prolific writer of articles that explain how the use of
technology will take classic Literacy Instruction to the next level,
adding the richness, meaning, and relevance for today’s students.
Many of her articles can be found at the Literacy Special Interest
Blog of the ISTE Literacy Professional Learning Network. Her
article there, Tapping Multi-platform Reading for Social Justice - A
Review of Khaled Hosseni‘s latest work, Sea Prayer (scroll down
for links to many others). Dr. Reissman is the founder of the
The largest and most competitive Writing Institute, now replicated in 200 schools including PS 205 in
Awards Recognition Program in edtech. The Bronx, New York City. She is a featured author in New York
State Union Teachers Educators Voice 2016 and was filmed
K-12 + Higher Education + Workforce discussing ESL student leadership literary strategies developed at
Ditmas IS 62, a Brooklyn public intermediate school. Contact Rose
LEARN MORE AT www.EdTechDigest.com through her email: roshchaya@gmail.com //
Technology’s
Return to
Favor
The return of tech to favor in the
curriculum—and rise of coding
and computer science overall.
OR
From learning about technology
to learning with technology; now,
and back again.
They made a big splash. Personal computers
(PCs) were a major novelty back in the early
CONTEXT CLUES | by Mark Gura 1980s and anyone involved with them was
sort of instantly considered something of an
innovator celebrity—this was certainly true of
Over the past few years the role of teachers.
technology in the curriculum has taken a
significant change in direction. A reversal in Close on the heels of bringing a few personal
fact, has happened. I’m speaking about the computers into the classroom, teachers
trend to make learning about technology an began to wrestle with the “what can I do with
important part of the curriculum. them?” issue, which was thoroughly related to
the “how do I justify using a computer in my
To fully understand this development, a bit of
teaching?” issue. After all, this was cutting
edtech history is needed.
edge new and not all administrators, parents,
and colleagues were so impressed with the
Back It Up
‘Wow! What’s that in the corner?” factor that
a plausible justification wasn’t ever called
In its very first phase, edtech was established
for.
by a very small group of restless innovators;
teachers who became aware of the emergence Bear in mind there was no software that was
of personal computers, their availability to the specifically intended for use in teaching and
general public and to schools, and who learning in the very beginning; that would
decided to experiment with using them in the take a few years to emerge.
context of their classroom teaching.
But clearly, there were instructional I remember how once, on a learning junket to
applications for computers. San Diego, as the head of Instructional
Technology for the NYC schools, I was taken
For instance, students could transcribe their to see an exceptional
handwritten work to a word Computer Class at one of the
processed document, making it very best schools in that city.
infinitely clearer, astoundingly
easier to edit and revise than I was shocked I was shocked when the
the handwritten version, and teacher handed me a copy of
they could print out as many when the teacher the syllabus that was posted
copies as they wanted of on the wall and taped to the
something that looked vaguely handed me a copy desktop next to every
professional—eureka! Student computer in his lab. It was a
publishing! of the syllabus sequence of lessons on such
topics as:
In math, too, common business
applications like the
that was posted - How computers work /
what are the parts of a
spreadsheet had immediate
application to traditional on the wall and computer?
classwork. - Basic file management,

taped to the - Keyboarding,
After a short while, computer- - Word Processing,
using teachers had identified
and shared among themselves
desktop next to - Spread Sheets,
- eMail,
a body of such solid
applications and what
every computer in - PowerPoint,
and on and on.
resulted was an
understanding among those his lab. It was a There was no attempt,
who cared about it, that
students could learn with sequence of whatsoever, to integrate
those skills into the
technology. curriculum that the rest of
However, there was also a

lessons on such the school was teaching and
learning, though!
competing strand of thought
during this period: that students
topics as... Split in Orientation
should learn about the
technology itself. For a good, while this split
in orientation of what to do with school
“Hey, computers are important in the world computers and what would be
right? So we should be teaching kids about worthwhile to have students learn and do
computers: how they work, how to program with them continued.
them, how people use them in the real
world, etc!” Eventually, the field agreed that the
overarching true value of technology in our
This went on for a good while. schools was technology’s power to support
WOMEN IN STEAM.
Author Jacie Maslyk and
friends in Orlando at the
Future of Education
Technology Conference.
Her book: STEAM Makers:
Fostering Creativity and
Innovation in the Elementary
Classroom (Corwin). From
left to right: Johanna
Mukai, 1st-grade teacher;
Marlene Motsch, pre-K
teacher; the author; Katy
McGillan, middle school
teacher social studies and
CREDIT: Victor Rivero
math teacher; Katya

Echenique, Media
Specialist. All of these
educators teach at St.
Joseph Catholic School in
Winter Haven, FL.
students in learning across the traditional

curriculum (Language Arts, Math, Science, Among these are:
Social Studies, etc.). - Coding
- Computer Science
In other words, Learning with Technology, not - Student Robotics
Learning about Technology. - Maker-based Learning
And, of course, classes and programs to learn
about the technology itself did persist (in “CODING for ALL” (Harvard Magazine) A
worthwhile overview article on the
small measure), although they were
movement that bears that name shares “…as
conceived to be part of Career and Technical
technological innovations drive virtually every
Education or as an enriching, broadening
‘minor’ or ‘interest’ subject, like Art and Music. industry and shape social spaces online,
advocates like Margolis (Jane Margolis, Ed.D.
By consensus, it was conceded that ’90, senior researcher at UCLA’s Graduate
Technology Across the Curriculum would be School of Education and Information Studies)
the field’s principal thrust. view computational participation as central to
the health of democracy. “Computer science
Fast Forward can help interrupt the cycle of inequality that
has determined who has access to this type
Fast forward three decades and onward: the
of high-status knowledge in our schools…
trend described above has begun to reverse
(and with co-author Yasmin Kafai, Ed.D.)
somewhat with the emergence of several
Students who have this knowledge have a
strands of instructional thrust in which
jump-start in access to these careers, and
learning about technology is the focus.
they have insight into the nature of
innovation that is changing how we

communicate, learn, recreate, and conduct
democracy.”
Computer Science. Many now consider

Computer Science a must learn element to
be added to the curriculum for all. The recent
report “Pre-College Computer Science
Education: A Survey of the Field
2018” (commissioned by Google). The
Connected Learning Alliance’s description of
the states “Computer science is important for
a few reasons. First, almost all professions
need some sort of CS knowledge in one way
or another: artists, scientists, journalists…”
"Over the 20 years I’ve been involved in robotics I’ve seen students
A Gallup report on the state of Computer
who have had no background in science use robotics as a vehicle to
Science in our schools Trends in the State of
gain an appreciation of science and technology. Whether or not they
Computer Science in U.S. K-12 Schools states,
became scientists or engineers, they learned how to work with others,
“Although crucial to U.S. students' future how to set goals and achieve them." —Gary Israel, Student
success, access to a computer science (CS) Robotics Advocate and Team Coordinator (pictured above, far left)
education is still not universal. Education
leaders must better understand the
IN CLOSE WITH | Gary Israel
perceptions of CS and access to CS learning
opportunities to maximize students' potential
TWENTY YEARS AGO, Gary Israel, a teacher at Morris High School
for growth in an ever-changing technological in the Bronx (New York City) was asked to start a student robotics
world. The findings in this report present team for the school. Morris, a failing high school in a run down,
positive growth in the area of CS… inner city area was an unlikely place to establish a robotics team;
at that time a gutsy, visionary, out-of-the box thing to do. Since
“More than 90% of parents feel that then, the team, 2TrainRobotics, has become one of the most
opportunities to learn CS are a good use of successful and celebrated teams anywhere. The team has
school resources.-40% of K-12 principals say consistently traveled the country, winning important FIRST
their school offers at least one CS course competitions and over the years the team has had many
including coding or programming.-84% of landmark highlights. It has been sponsored by the New York
parents, 71% of teachers, 66% of principals Yankees who invite the team out on the field before games begin
and is supported by Columbia University, which has made its
65% of superintendents say that offering CS
engineering lab available to the team. Many student members of
is more important than or just as important the team have gone on to higher education and successful
as required courses like math, science, careers. Importantly, the team has been sharing its unflagging
history and English.” spirit to succeed through STEM Education with schools around
the NYC area. The story Morris HS’s 2TrainRobotics celebrates
Student Robotics. Student Robotics has
20th anniversary recently appeared in the Bronx Times. More
been around for decades. However, it has, in information about the team is available on the CLASSROOM
recent years, made its way into the general, ROBOTICS blog. Their team site is 2train395.com and Gary’s
daytime instructional program in subject email, he’d love your feedback, is: Gary.G.Israel@gmail.com //
classes. I reported on a number of good
examples of this half a dozen years back in

the book Getting Started with LEGO Robotics
and recently in a post on my Classroom
Robotics blog http://classroomrobotics.blogspot.com/
2018/09/great-advice-from-lego-education-master.html
By the way, Robotics, as a subject is a broad

based STEM theme that includes the mechanical
and electronic dimensions of machines along
with digital technology, which is involved in
programming (coding or its alternative, object
(icon) based programming) computers to direct ”The primary purpose of U*PAL is to develop
robots in their behaviors. a practical and creative leadership state of
Maker-Based Learning. Not strictly speaking an mind that involves: Trust, Collaboration,
area of technology education, Making address Sharing of Perspectives, Coherence,
students’ needs to explore, create, build, etc. and Community and Balance.”
the cognitive impact of these as well as their
connections to the standard curriculum. —Jon Drescher, Director of U*PAL (Urban
Nevertheless, some of the very most popular Principals Academy at Lehigh University)
resources and materials employed in this area
are technology items, including:
- 3D Printers (and other computerized fabricator

devices) (e.g. https://www.makerbot.com/ ) IN CLOSE WITH | Jon Drescher
- Student Robotics, like LEGO Robotics (e.g.
Mindstorms, EV3, etc. https:// AS THE FOUNDING director of U*PAL, Jon Drescher leads a truly out of
education.lego.com/en-us/shop/mindstorms the box educational leadership program that places a special emphasis
%20ev3 ) on developing visionary, creative, urban school leaders. They do this
- Little Bits and similar electronic device through team projects, special seminars at Jazz @ Lincoln Center, The
components kits (electronics, circuitry, etc.)* Metropolitan Museum of Art and through workshops in Improvisational
Theater Techniques which align with research regarding what successful
The level of interest in the above varieties of schools look like. Running throughout the U*PAL experience is the belief
technology as curricular focus and resultant that traditional schooling needs to be replaced with something different,
actual efforts to bring them into school something more appropriate and relevant to the population receiving it.
instructional programs was very significant in Through a series of improvisation workshops U*PAL participants are
2018 and promises to continue to increase. “opened up” to see their own creative potential. Students tackle problem
solving through collaboration and design processes applied to formal
—
challenges that require working within set parameters. Importantly, all of
*(suggested supplemental article)
Resources for Maker Education this involves reflective exercises, too, in which students relate the
An excellent, very comprehensive article on Maker creativity awareness and skills they acquire to the types of problems and
Education for Edutopia https://www.edutopia.org/article/ situations they will face as school leaders, including a focus on issues of
maker-education-resources inequity in education https://ed.lehigh.edu/cduel/upal //
A Tale of A Significant Degree of Edtech Leadership
Two School I understand and agree that in these times of

uncertainty about careers; by choosing edtech
Realities
they have selected an area of apparent,
continued growth and importance.
However, based on long term observation of

How far along are our schools
the ways schools are evolving, it’s clear to me
in fully shifting to digital? that to hold a School Technologist certificate
and position at this period of time, and over
PERSPECTIVE | by Mark Gura the next number of years in which the Digital
Shift plays itself out in our schools, is to
Teaching edtech leadership courses for assume a role that very likely will include a
significant degree of edtech leadership.
two universities, I receive, through
interactions with my students, a stream of The Digital Shift, by the way, is the
insights into the state of education and the predicted change in schools away from
progress of the great movement to apply traditional, hard copy based practices to a
technology to impact it positively. situation in which the vast majority of tasks
and chores, both instructional and support
My students tend to be early or mid-career, oriented, will be done digitally.
practicing teachers.
Importantly, my students, a group who
And while their goal in studying with me is overwhelmingly teach in inner city areas,
often to qualify themselves for state most often in New York City, seem to hold
certification as School Technologists, I find to the view that the Digital Shift exists, still
that their comprehension of the depth, as an idea only and that at best, there are
breadth, and variety within the field of rare schools ‘out there, somewhere’ which
edtech is far from complete. This partial have made important progress toward
apprehension of the dimensions of edtech achieving that state.
is something I attempt to address strongly
in the courses I teach. Conversely, when I go to the annual ISTE
conference, and to other gatherings like it
Explaining their goals to me, many students that address edtech, I often find myself in
verbalize a desire to simply know conversations with school-based individuals
technology better so that they can apply it (teachers, coaches, curriculum specialists,
in their own teaching. etc.) who share with me that their day-to-day
work reality is quite the opposite.
These folks are invariably core subject
teachers in math, science or other areas; and There are, in fact, a great number of schools in
their goal often is to move from such a the U.S. who do a very significant amount of
teaching position to become a school’s their daily business on a platform that involves
Computer or Technology Class teacher. small connected devices that access content,
materials, and tools from a broad range of penetration and impact on our schools: 1)
sources on the web. The level of technology available for use in
the schools, and 2) The level of technology
And when the conversation at these use in the schools – for
gatherings turns to the current their core business,
state of edtech in many of our Teaching and Learning, and
I was shocked
urban schools, they accept my for the other things that
descriptions, but don’t quite schools do that can be seen
comprehend how it could still as supporting Instruction.
be possible that other schools
could so far behind in the
when the Considering available
teacher handed
adoption and implementation resources, I have included a
of technology. section below that supports
this personal conclusion; if
The Greater Truth
me a copy of the not beyond a doubt, then at
least to the level sufficient to
So what’s the greater truth
here? Is edtech still a novelty, an
extra, special add-on in our
syllabus that illustrate its soundness.
However, I want to point out

schools? Or is it already, in a
very significant number of was posted on that the presence of
technology itself is not
schools across the country, the indicative of a full and
primary platform on which the
school’s business (especially,
the wall and successful Digital Shift.
Instruction) is carried out?

taped to the For a Full and Successful
Digital Shift
My personal conclusion is that
there is a very significant sub-
set of American schools in
desktop next to For that to happen, the
technology would have to
which the level of technology
saturation (technology available every computer be actively used as the
prime (or one of the prime)
for use in teaching and
in his lab. ...
resource types for teaching
learning), actual technology use,
and learning.
and acculturated body of
practice that is based on the
Further, the school would
frequent and favored use of
have integrated technology
technology, is high enough to
not only into its current
consider that the school has either already
body of practice, but also into its culture of
achieved or is close to achieving what could
teaching and learning.
best be described as a transformation from
the traditional classroom to the 21st Century
As a way to visualize how technology can
Digital Learning Environment.
transform schools from traditional to 21st
Century Digital Learning Environments, the
In understanding all of this we should focus
table below lists defining indicators.
on two dimensions of technology’s
TABLE 1 Approaches to Instruction / Instructional Practices Indicative of 21st-Century Digital Learning Environments.
The table above offers some common transformational practices indicative of the Digital Shift. This
table might be used as something of a check list, too, to determine how far along the process of shifting to the
new paradigm a school has moved.
That's 21,600 schools. Two-thirds of districts that

Many of these approaches either can only hit the 100 kbps/student goal have continued
practically be implemented or are to boost their bandwidth.
overwhelmingly best implemented through
the application of technology. The BlueRange report titled “The Prevalence of
1:1 Computing in 2017 and Beyond”
Thus engagement in these may be used as a
measure of the penetration of technology into • 3 out of 5 teachers and administrators said
the professional culture of a school or district. their use of technology will increase in the
2016-2017 school year.
The following are some recent ‘bread crumb • 80 percent of educators said their students’
data points’ which may be cobbled together to individual access to technology is either “good”
give an idea of the digital state of things in our or “great.”
schools’
• 75 percent of teachers and administrators
The nonprofit, Education Super Highway, in its said they implement technology into their
“State of the States 2018” report stated “40.7 daily schedule with their students.
million more students have high-speed
Internet access than did in 2013 - 98% of • Over 50 percent of educators said they
school districts can now take advantage of have implemented 1:1 computing, a 10
digital learning. percent increase over last year.
Since 2013, 94% of schools without scalable Freckle Education’s survey “2017 Technology
infrastructure have upgraded to fiber-optic in the Classroom Survey Results” reported
connections. the following:
• 80 percent of teachers believe access to

technology in their schools is already either
good or great.
• 75 percent of teachers use technology daily

with their students.
The largest driver of the rise in technology use
is the increased access to devices. Over 50
percent of teachers say they now have a 1:1
student-to-device ratio.
Far From Complete

“As the world around us continues to become personalized or
While far from complete, the perceived customizable educators must rapidly change the way they
destination of the character of schools as approach their work. Parents and students want choice –
moving from a traditional hard copy programs that specialize in unique areas of interest - when,
environment to a digital one is well borne out where and how they learn, and connect learning to real world
by the data shared above. The pace of problem solving.” —Robert M. Avossa, Ed.D, Senior VP at
movement toward that destination has LRP Media Group
increased, as well.
Those who set policy for schools and those
IN CLOSE WITH | Robert Avossa
who administer their development would
RECENTLY RETIRED FROM his position as superintendent
serve their constituents well by embracing this
of Palm Beach County Schools (11th largest district in the
change and facilitating its progress. country with a student enrollment of more than 193,000
— students) has turned his attention to a wide variety of LRP
Media’s efforts, including the shape and future of FETC
Mark Gura is a Contributing Editor to EdTech (Future of Educational Technology Conference), an
Digest. He is former director of the Office of important annual event. He intends to see FETC expand
and become richer in content, increasing its value to the
Instructional Technology for New York City
field. Among other things, e sees important potential in
department of education. Write to:
including a deeper and more well defined body of offerings
markgura@verizon.net at the conference for administrators and leaders;
something that EdTech Digest agrees may resonate deeply
for the field. Follow him on Twitter: @Robert_Avossa
The field of edtech has its issues and challenges.

In 2019, here are its issues:
IN CLOSE WITH
NORMAN JUNG
YOU ARE DOING “Let’s involve students in the learning process by encouraging them to create
AMAZING THINGS! and build. I will continue to develop curriculum that meets objectives, but in a
hands-on, relevant way that fosters creativity.” —Nikole Blanchard is a new,
But who knows? recently elected, Member-at-Large of the Board of Directors of ISTE
(International Society for Technology in Education).
Reach your audience through our IN CLOSE WITH | Nikole Blanchard

SPECIAL REPORTS
Ask us about our SHE ENTHUSIASTICALLY SHARES her passion for connecting educators,
ADVERTISING PACKAGES pointing out that “together we are better” and maintaining a professional
learning network that consist of educators from around the world. “These
connections encourage me to grow, ultimately impacting the learning of
GET MORE INFO—CLICK HERE: students,” says Nikole Blanchard, an ISTE Board Member. She’s keen on
encouraging teachers “to step outside their comfort zone and use Social
https://edtechdigest.com/more/advertising/ Media for professional learning. It gives you ultimate control of your
professional learning from the comfort of your sofa!” Nikole travels the
Get the word out. world training teachers on technology and working with educators on
one-to-one best practices. EdTech Digest looks forward to her positive
input into ISTE’s development over the next few years. Nikole is the
Director of Innovation and Technology at The Dunham School in Baton
Rouge, La. Before her current position, Nikole taught grades 2-5 in public
schools. She is a National Board Certified Teacher, Apple Distinguished
Educator, Google Certified Trainer, and Google Innovator. One of Nikole’s
greatest honors was speaking on the stage alongside Tim Cook at an
Apple Education Keynote. Nikole is honored to represent educators
around the world as a newly elected ISTE Board member. //
STATE OF EDTECH
EDTECH’S TOP INFLUENCERS
The minds behind what’s now and next.
By VICTOR RIVERO
There’s a lot of energy in the field of edtech.

Whenever I meet someone new to the sector, With millions of educators worldwide now
and there are plenty of these people, the using technology, more than 15,000
common idea they enthusiastically express is: companies in edtech, and tens of thousands
of edtech-passionate people descending on
“I love the people working in edtech, and I really various conferences nationwide and
get the feeling that I’m part of a larger mission.” beyond, these are people working in one of
the most important fields of human
So true. endeavor, and leading others forward.
There are other worthwhile fields—finance, By their example and their reach, they are
healthcare, manufacturing, etc.—but there’s influencing others in a big way, and are
something about edtech. dedicatedly part of a larger mission to help
future generations thrive.
Education reaches all those fields and more.
Technology runs along underneath education By their actions, by what they write,
and learning as a tool, platform, and support communicate and the products they create,
mechanism to enhance and improve it. they are interacting with those around
them, making the world a better place
Together, education and technology are a great through their work in education
fit and a tremendous alloy when directed by technology, and this year, they join a
people with the innovative leadership it takes to growing list of our field’s top influencers.
pull off the big wins available by leveraging their
combined strength. Here they are—and why.
A sampling of those people can be found right Enjoy!

here in our second, and now annual, class of
the Top 100 Influencers in Edtech.
Ossa Fisher Per Emanuelsson

President & COO IStation Managing Director Soundtrap at
Her company serves 4 million+ Spotify
students, she was Tinder and The original CEO and co-founder and
match.com SVP Strategy & Analytics; on Board of now managing director of a company helping
Directors for Uplift Education, one of the largest students to learn by doing, in this case, doing
not-for-profit charter school networks in Texas, the music, is rocking out with Soundtrap for education
Yale grad is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Sweden. and opening up music education through a
platform enabling collaboration for 10k+ teachers.
Stanley Buchesky
Managing Partner EdTech Fund, Anjli Jain
Interim CFO US Dept of Ed Managing Partner EVC Ventures
Led M&As for McGraw-Hill, founding The communicative VC is also founder
trustee of Equality Charter School ranked and chair of Campus Consortium, a
in top 3% NYC middle school math, at EdTech Fund consortium of 2k+ colleges and universities; with
the former Airborne Ranger and West Point grad with the Chicago-based $50M fund she’s committed to
a BS in computer science invests in, advises seed converting ideas into compelling fundable
stage companies in both K-12 and higher ed. propositions and viable businesses very quickly.
Sarah O’Rourke King Paul Turnbull

Senior Manager, Brand Strategy President Mid-Pacific Institute
Autodesk This inspiring innovator leads a pre-K-12
Leads marketing efforts for Tinkercad— college prep school in Honolulu, helping
growing from 100K to 10M community students become innovators, artists, and individuals
users, the contagiously energetic Bay Area writer through a model tech integration program asking,
and communicator is into personal design, 3D ‘How can technology amplify the human experience
printing, and maker education—and expert at rather than drive it?’ to amazing results.
generating enthusiasm in youth.
Saki Dodelson
Sal Khan CEO Invest in Literacy
Founder Khan Academy Well known for her tenure as founder
Proving a free world-class education for and CEO of Achieve 3000, a leader in
anyone, anywhere, the online teacher differentiated instruction, she now
synonymous with the learning model that caught focuses her efforts on equity for all children using
Bill Gates’ eye and Harvard Business School and the best content and technology to create the very
MIT grad continues to deliver keynotes, and results: best platform—garnering commitment from
his non-profit now employs over 150. industry leaders.
Stacey Childress Patrick Brothers

CEO NewSchools Venture Fund Co-Founder & Managing Director
The former Bill and Melinda Gates HolonIQ
Foundation Deputy Director and HBS His Royal Military College (Australia)
lecturer now leads the national nonprofit venture experience in strategy, leadership, management,
philanthropy working to reimagine public education, warfare, and tactical operations has translated well
investing nearly $200M in 200 education ventures, into education, where he’s lucidly aggregated,
creating edtech products serving 60M+ students. organized, and classified the entire industry for a
new age of cradle-to-gray learning and work.
Robert Martellacci Amy DelCorvo

Founder & CEO MindShare Learning CEO & Executive Director NYSCATE
Technology & Workspace 20+ years dedicated edtech leader on
Canada’s foremost edtech thought- local, statewide and national level; past
leader, the affable host, curator, and connector ISTE, CoSN board member; superintendent for tech,
works tirelessly in uniting industry and education, director of instruction, and for the last decade
and serves as a champion for igniting student managing 250 employees, multi-million dollar budgets
success through innovative solutions and with a keen eye for workable, effective solutions.
partnerships in Canadian schools—and beyond.
Micah Shippee
Rebecca Kantar Social Studies Teacher Liverpool
Founder Imbellus Central Schools
Her venture-backed tech co reinvents The innovative ideas man, outside-the-
how we measure human potential. She box thinker and speaker is just the sort of social
attended Harvard—proposed a special studies teacher any student would be lucky to have;
concentration in leadership and organization; it was not to worry, he’s sharing himself with educators as
never approved—dropped out, didn’t look back, a consultant and speaker on adoption of emerging
but looks forward to changing the face of learning. tech in innovative school cultures.
Matt Renwick Neeru Khosla

Principal Mineral Point Elementary Co-Founder & Exec Director CK12
18 years and counting as a public Her nonprofit organization provides
educator, this Wisconsin principal K-12 learning materials that are
tackles technology integration head on, and sets a customizable, aligned to requirements, and free for
good example for other school leaders through his all; she’s also busy serving on boards of The Nueva
inspiring perspective in articles and tweets about School, High Tech High School Graduate School of
learning, leading, literacy, technology and teachers. Education, Stanford U’s School of Ed, and more.
Jennifer Fritschi Anderson Morais

Independent Contractor EdTech CEO & Co-Founder Agenda Edu
Strategies The business law grad (focus: startups) is
She’s coordinated the refresh process an enthusiastic education entrepreneur,
of ISTE Standards for Administrators, a resource initially encouraged through an entrepreneur
used worldwide to support digital age learning; competition win over 25k other registrants. His
she’s done work for SETDA, Digital Promise, and platform assists more than 1k Brazilian schools with
Smithsonian; the D.C.-based former teacher is a communication and management.
behind-the-scenes mover and doer.
Nicole Tucker-Smith
Sieva Kozinsky Founder & CEO Lessoncast Learning
CEO StudySoup The former teacher and professional
A Forbes 30 Under 30, he’s also an learning leader for Baltimore County
edtech star with a social learning Public Schools, she’s worked in turnaround
platform that helps more than 1M students get good environments and knows what it takes to improve
grades every month; he’s raised millions of dollars student outcomes; she developed a process which
and is an active tech investor, writer, and advocate of evolved into a software to replicate teacher success.
entrepreneurship amongst college students.
Susan Bearden Lane Merrifield

Chief Innovation Officer CoSN Co-Founder FreshGrade
The musician, Director of IT, and Senior A brilliant entrepreneur with a passion for
Education Pioneers Fellow at the U.S. the convergence of creativity and
Department of Ed is now lending her expertise to technology, he co-founded learning portfolio platform
the Consortium for School Networking, assisting FreshGrade back in 2012, now in use around the world
other leaders in strategic, growth-oriented in more than 70 countries; he’s also an investor-dragon
approaches to innovative teaching and learning. on Dragon’s Den (Canada’s Shark Tank).
Amit Patel Katy Fryatt

Managing Director Owl Ventures Founder & CEO Learnit
The consummate listener is taking close After taking Bett, the world’s largest
notes; he’s on a team backing some of edtech exhibition, from the UK into
the world’s leading edtech companies with one of international markets (Latin America, Asia), now the
the largest capital funds for education. Find him at 30-something is uniting education’s global community
LearnLaunch, GESF, ASU GSV and other conferences with Learnit, “an intellectually honest conversation
around the country and across the planet. about the current state and future of education.”
Johanna Kartila-Malmivaara Robert Avossa

CEO & Co-Founder Cuppla Technology Senior VP LRP Publications
The Finnish business leader formerly After 25 years in public education, the
with Nokia and Microsoft is now former Superintendent of Schools for
confronting the digitalization of schools; her startup Palm Beach County, Fulton County Schools, and
is expert in mobile technologies including mobile Charlotte-Mecklenburg, heads up the organization
device management and content sharing, two key behind the Future of Education Technology
elements in creating tools for teaching and learning. Conference, leading other leaders forward.
Burck Smith Julie Evans

CEO Straigherline CEO Project Tomorrow
His successful Baltimore-based firm This accomplished strategist,
helping colleges offer innovative pathway entrepreneur, and leader is a nationally
programs to improve enrollment and retention by recognized speaker, writer and researcher – and
helping prospects and students reduce the price and gets her information from the largest survey on
risk of pursuing a degree is an outgrowth of his digital learning, with more than 5 million
pioneering thought leadership in education. participants, 35,000 schools, and all 50 states
chiming in on the future.
Vivi Friedgut
CEO & Founder Blackbullion Max Ventilla
The London-based Aussie is changing Founder & CEO AltSchool
the world by ensuring people have In a class of his own, though
access to the right learning to develop the right nonetheless creating classes for
skills at the right time; with Blackbullion, that means everyone through a new model of how to open and
financial education, a perfect base. operate 21st-century schools delivering highly
personalized education without resorting to on
screen learning, having secured $200M to do it—
from some very big names.
Daniel L. Smith Sarah Schapiro

GM Education Amazon VP Education PBS
He likes to build businesses from no Dedicatedly involved in education as an
team and $0 to hundreds of millions in Education Pioneers Fellow, a program
revenue and global business units—and works at analyst for Chicago Public Schools, a Pearson
the perfect company to do so, with SaaS, consultant, the Founding Director of the Digital
ecommerce, and cloud infrastructure to back any Promise League of Innovative Schools, and now at
ideas that prove robust enough. the nonprofit edu programming giant, she’s on a roll.
Jennifer Womble Matt Harris

Program Chair FETC Consultant International EdTech
The future is bright with this much-loved He’s been chair of the board of directors
leader of edtech responsible for all of that for ISTE, Director of Technology and
great content, keynotes, panels, and presentations at Operations at an independent school, worked for
the largest independent edtech conference in North The International Baccalaureate, Head of Learning
America; she’s nearly a decade into it and going Resources at the German European School
stronger than ever, enjoying the show. Singapore—be sure to read his blueprint.
Charles Best Jess Gartner

Founder DonorsChoose.org CEO & Founder Allovue
The former Bronx public high school She’s been a social studies teacher,
classroom history teacher was one of marketer, and now works with school
Oprah’s ultimate favorite things; his company was districts across the country to budget and manage
named by Fast Company one of “50 Most Innovative $25B+ in education spending through her software
Companies in the World,” the first time a charity has platforms, seamlessly integrating into existing
received this recognition—and deservedly so. accounting systems—a very smart move.
Maria Spies Alberto Carvalho

Co-Founder & Managing Director Superintendent Miami-Dade County
HolonIQ Public Schools
The global intelligence platform, like Approaching technology as an
most machines, needs a human mind to give it environment that can be leveraged for the benefit
that spark of life—that would be Maria; her of public education, the longtime superintendent
mission is to connect the world with the (appointed 2008) of 4th-largest U.S. district
technology, skills, and capital to transform oversees 345k students, 40k employees across 392
education—and she’s well on her way. digitally transforming fully 1-to-1 laptop schools.
Vikas Pota Cheryl Lemke

Group Chief Executive Tmrw Digital CEO & President Metiri Group
Founding chair and Chief Executive at Served as state Dir for edtech in an era
the Varkey Foundation for 8 years, host preceeding widespread tech use in
of the Global Education & Skills Forum; now boldly schools (1985-1995); she’s been an associate
leading Tmrw Digital, the holding company for superintendent for Illinois State Board of Education,
education entrepreneur Sunny Varkey’s edtech VP of Milken Family Foundation, and for the last 20
investments and associated companies. years, heads up the widely-sought ed research firm.
Miriam Altman David Blake

Co-Founder & CEO Kinvolved Executive Chairman Degreed
This former NYC Department of Ed high He’s on a mission to help create an
school history teacher now leads a social educational system that will drive the
enterprise catalyzing communities to elevate student cost of learning to zero, promote universal access to
attendance. The award-winning entrepreneur is a education, create meaningful indicators of personal
Social Innovation mentor, Women’s Launch Pad at educational outcomes and success, to restructure
her alma mater, Brown University. the physical learning environment, and more.
Jon Corippo Idit Harel

Executive Director Computer Using Founder Gazelle Learning
Educations An accomplished serial entrepreneur,
A natural when it comes to putting on tech innovator and futurist of global
an edtech training event, he’s developed learning learning systems, she’s passionately committed to
for nearly 50k educators, he’s the co-author of The educating and empowering entrepreneurs globally.
Eduprotocol Field Guide, and doubled CUE The former competitive gymnast mother of 3
membership under his leadership; he’s worked for served in the Israeli army and holds 4 degrees.
several different California school districts.
Esteban Sosnik
Sunny Washington General Partner Reach Capital
CEO Because Learning Previously executive director of the
Like her name says, an inspiring and co.lab, an edtech accelerator leveraging
upbeat leader with experience building the power of games to improve educational
new programs, particularly those bringing hands- outcomes; former co-founder Atakama Labs;
on science, tech, engineering and math lessons to pioneer in leveraging Latin American talent for
classrooms and homes through her Salt Lake City- design and production.
based company now in more than 400 schools.
Mila Thomas Fuller
Jonathan Harber Assistant Director U Illinois Urbana-
Adjunct Professor NYU Steinhardt Champaign
In the school of Culture, Education, and As the President of the ISTE Board of
Human Development, he serves as prof Directors, she earned her doctorate of Education,
of Edtech Entrepreneurship; he’s chair of StartEd, Instructional Technology from Towson University,
which aims to accelerate edtech entrepreneurs to she’s also an EdNET advisory board member, and
tackle the world’s greatest education problems, and member of the board of directors for Champaign
he runs 3-month bootcamps to make it so. Urbana Schools Foundation.
Jessica Lindl Michael Crow

Global Head of Education Unity President Arizona State University
Technologies Academic leader, educator, designer of
She works for one of the world’s most knowledge enterprises, science and
widely used realtime 3D platforms, is an advisory tech scholar, ASU’s 16th president; guided its
board member for GSV AcceleraTE and California transformation into one of the nation’s leading
State University Entertainment Alliance Advisory universities, served since 2002 and, this past
Council; she’s also served as COO at LRNG, and GM decade, collaborated with GSV for an edtech
at Common Sense Media. summit like no other.
Karthik Krishan Leslie Wilson

Global CEO Britannica Group CEO One-to-One Institute
“I love transforming cultural and business Laptop school pioneer Mark E. Weston
organization and unlocking their true says, “Leslie is the world’s leading
potential,” says Karthik. The group: 1768-founded authority on one-to-one computing in primary and
Britannica, Merriam Webster, Britannica Knowledge secondary schools.” For 12+ years, she has tirelessly
System, and Melingo. He also serves as Urban helped countries, states, and school districts
Upbound board member, and NYU Stern adjunct prof. improve student achievement and engagement.
Jennifer Gu Hardeep Gulati

COO IXL Learning CEO PowerSchool
Formerly sr. dev. manager for Oracle, A veteran of the software industry with
she earned her MBAs from the Haas time spent at SumTotal Systems,
School of Business and Columbia Business School; Oracle, and SpinCircuit, the EdTech Awards 2018
now COO for an edtech company asking over 25 Leadership Award winner brings his passion for
billion questions and answers—helping schools use education and strategic mindset to one of the
tech to improve teaching and learning. largest K-12 edtech companies in the world.
Ankur Nagpal Maia Sharpley

Founder & CEO Teachable Partner Learn Capital
For the past five years, he’s led his An education scaler active in the edtech
NYC-based company to success startup arena, she’s also been VP of
offering a platform for creating and selling beautiful innovation and strategic initiatives for Charter Schools
online courses. From creators, YouTubers, niche USA, VP for strategy and innovation at Kaplan, worked
experts, authors, businesses and others, MOOC or at NYC Department of Ed directly with the chancellor,
not, online education is alive and well. and is fluent in several languages.
Emilie Cushman Guido Kovalskys

CEO & Co-Founder Kira Talent Co-Founder & CEO Nearpod
Colleges and universities can access He’s founded and run companies in the
prospective students through her U.S., Latin America, and Europe; the
unique holistic admissions platform, combining the former fellow and lecturer at Hasso Plattner
old way—grades and test scores—with new: Institute of Design at Stanford U (the “d.school”), is
competency-based assessments through text and a big fan of design thinking and human centered
video, to get a full picture of every applicant. design, a key element to his current success.
Joe Mazza Svenia Busson

Principal Seven Bridges Middle Founder LearnSpace, Edtech Tours
School Rubbing elbows with industry leaders,
His dissertation was on school startups, policy makers, educators, and
principals’ use of social media to communication students to examine the scalability and efficacy of
between home and school; he’s been a 3rd-grade learning technologies and edtech adoption
teacher, bilingual assistant principal, middle school worldwide, her Paris-based LearnSpace accelerates
vice principal, elementary principal, and all the efforts of European edtech startup founders.
while written and shared about it.
Mitch Resnick Randy Ziegenfuss

Professor MIT Media Lab Superintendent Salisbury Township
For 27 years, his research group has School District
developed technologies and activities The lifelong educator with 3 decades of
that engage people, particularly children, in creative teaching, learning, and leadership also has a
learning experiences. Scratch programming is the background in instructional technology, and
world’s leading coding platform for kids; Mitch is a education technology leadership; makes himself
computing world pioneer and legend. available for others to help whenever he can through
http://shiftyourparadigm.org/ and other channels.
Gary Stager
Founder Constructing Modern Ashley Beckner
Knowledge Venture Partner, Education
A brilliant mind and pioneer in Omidyar Network
creativity, collaborative learning and computing, She built and ran organizational
this constructivist advocate worked in edtech well functions for Bricolage Academy, was co-president
before “edtech” was even a thing with Seymour of the Wharton Social Venture Fund, and was an
Papert and others; provocative approach driven by Education Pioneers fellow with Silicon Schools
a deep belief in learner-centric success. Fund; she currently focuses on U.S. education
strategy and investments for the firm.
Suzanne Xie
Founder & CEO Lightwell Jason Coleman
Her vision for modernizing children’s Co-Founder & Executive Director
storytelling for the digital age through Project SYNCERE
creator software is something only she could pull His nonprofit is on a mission to prepare
off; energetic, relentless, and a bright light shining minds and create pathways for underrepresented
for others, she’s challenging students to use tech to students to pursue STEM careers; the Eisenhower
be creators of their own story. Fellow was a Senior Mechanical Engineer at
Motorola and also worked on the re-design of Black
Casey Green Hawk Naval helicopters.
Founding Director The Campus
Computing Project Eileen Rudden
The largest continuing study of e- Co-Founder LearnLaunch
learning and information technology in American The social entrepreneur is a seasoned
higher education was launched way back in 1990 general manager and board member in
by Casey; he’s a sought-after consultant, speaker, the tech and education sectors; she’s dedicated to
moderator, panelist, and definitive source for the connecting, educating, and growing New England’s
higher education transformation conversation. entrepreneurial ecosystem and edtech startups
through the world-class accelerator.
Julia Freeland
Director of Education Christensen Steven W. Anderson
Institute Co-Founder Web20Classroom
She leads a team researching effects of The former science teacher and
disruptive innovation on the public and private instructional technologist worked for
education landscape; published and spoken Promethean, ASCD, currently assists West Corporation
extensively on edtech, new school models, as their National Director of Solutions Engineering,
competency-based education, and emerging tools Education Division; he’s a seasoned presenter, social
and practices to expand social capital. media sharer, and overall digital evangelist.
Sandra Liu Huang Jill Buban

Head of Education Chan Zuckerberg Chief Academic Officer Unizin
Initiative Due to rapid higher ed tech growth, 25
The Stanford grad served as a bridge research institutions and 900k learners
between cultures for her immigrant parents formed one of the largest educational
(Taiwan) who depended on her English skills; organizations in the country; the Austin-based
applies this ‘agency’ in creating tech products for nonprofit consortium’s mission is to improve
schools and leading a multidisciplinary 100- learner experiences with digital teaching and
member team mapping the future of learning. learning resources.
Jacob Hanson Patrick Awuah Jr

Managing Partner Storyteller PR Founder & President Ashesi
with Panache! University
Jacob’s firm earned The EdTech Awards Ghanaian engineer, educator, and
2018 Leadership Award Winner status from EdTech entrepreneur, former Microsoft program manager
Digest; he’s consistently provided effective PR who lived 15 years in the U.S. then returned to his
behind the scenes for scores of edtech startups as homeland to establish Ashesi (“beginning”)
well as established companies serving the market— University with a mission to educate the next
and is a true pleasure to work with. generation of African leaders.
Chris Jagers Coni Rechner

CEO Learning Machine Senior VP Partnerships Discovery
He’s setting the global standard for Education
blockchain-secured digital credentials For more than a quarter-century, she’s
(independently verifiable, tamper evident, and worked with her company, and now oversees their
owned by issuers and recipients, issuable at scale). K-12 partnerships and innovative collaborations
That’s huge for educational institutions; the next with school-based partners, ensuring teachers and
few years will be educating leaders why that is. admins have access to best-in-class digital content
and professional development solutions.
Becky Navarre
Ass’t Superintendent of Technology Vikas Gupta
Fort Worth ISD Co-Founder & CEO Wonder
This teacher from Beaumont decided Workshop
to further extend her reach, studied Policy At 14 years old learned BASIC; first
Leadership, became a director of edtech, moved up company acquired by Google; the father of two was
to an assistant superintendent, and draws inspired by time spent with his daughter, his first
inspiration from other likeminded leaders at ISTE child, to start this consumer electronics company
Digital Leadership Summits. used in 20k+ schools and leading a student
robotics phenomenon
Ahmed El-Sharkasy
CEO & Co-Founder Knowledge Officer Todd Brekhus
The head of this London-based startup Chief Product Officer Renaissance
is on a mission to organize the world’s Learning
knowledge and build personalized learning paths to Champion of literacy and its convergence
help people reach career goals; every Sunday night, with tech, led creation of myON student-centered
just to pay it forward, he dedicates 2 hours to personalized literacy program with 6k age-appropriate
helping anyone anywhere in the world for free. enhanced digital books; taking it all up a notch in his
leadership role at the learning analytics organization.
Tracye Stormer Michael Staton

Director of Technology Jasper Partner Learn Capital
County School District SC Led investments into Coursera,
Her tightly-run 5-person technology Minerva, Brilliant, VIPKid, and Minerva;
team serves over 3,000 users using over 3,000 co-founded Uversity, pioneer in social enrollment
devices; she’s overseen the strengthening of management tech; the former teacher also secured
servers, infrastructure, and switches to complete the first venture investment from the Bill & Melinda
wireless installation in all buildings; they’ve also Gates Foundation for a private company.
equipped all teachers with mobile devices.
Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger
Charles McIntyre President & CEO Data Quality
Chairman & CEO IBIS Capital Campaign
In 2013, the investment banker founded The lifelong educator guides educators,
EdTechX, a series of global conferences families, and policymakers with quality information
convening edtech influencers in Europe, to ensure students excel. From the classroom to
Asia, and coming soon to Africa; his passion shines the U.S. Department of Ed, she also put time in at
through with EdtechX Holdings, the world’s first the central office of the NYC Department of
edtech special purpose acquisition company. Education as a senior advisor.
Karla Burkholder Don Wettrick

Director of Technology SCUC ISD Founder StartEdUp Foundation
The Texas educator, an instructional The Innovation Coordinator at Noblesville
leader and veteran of edtech planning, Schools (Indiana) wants to move students
purchasing, and implementation in large and small from passive consumers to creating
school districts is also an adjunct professor at Baylor producers; exuding entrepreneurial can-do approach,
University and is a past president of Texas Computer connecting students to big names, big ideas, and better
Education Association (TCEA). learning through his podcasts, books, and videos.
Todd Thibodeaux Sylvia Libow Martinez

President & CEO CompTIA Co-Founder CMK Futures
Heading up the trade association for the Wrote the bible of the classroom maker
global tech industry, the technophile movement (Invent To Learn: Making,
reps more than 2k member companies, and 3k Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom); this
business partners worldwide. He’s expanded the speaker, consultant, and PD expert was an aerospace
association through education and training programs, engineer before becoming an educational software
market intelligence, pro certs, and advocacy. producer and VP of a video game company.
Abby Sterensis Kevin Custer

Founder & CEO observe4success Founding Principal Arc Capital
Opens communication lines with tools Development
for creating a common language to Driven, cut-to-the-chase leader of early-
discuss teaching strengths and improvable areas; stage advising and investing firm for the education
formerly Director Community Outreach for market; has advised nearly 100 companies,
Advanced Learning Centers, owned and operated by achieved 50% U.S. K-12 market penetration,
2 gens of the Sterensis family; believes in giving back. generated over half a billion dollars in revenue, and
maintains 20+ active investments.
Michał Borkowski Natalie Nezhati

CEO Brainly.com Director Edtech Mark
One of the world’s largest social learning A behind-the-scenes edtech connector
communities, his company convenes and communicator in London and
middle and high school students to strengthen skills beyond, for the past 5 years she’s designed and
from math, science, history and beyond. The Warsaw executed webinars, marketing programs, and strategic
School of Economics grad’s NYC- and Cracow-based relationships for a number of edtech startups.
edtech co helps 100M+ monthly users.
Brian Rowe
Kimberly A. Rice CEO Perceivant
Secretariat CIO Executive Office of Indianapolis-based edtech entrepreneur
Education MA helping people live better lives with
FableVision founder Peter Reynolds innovative higher ed courseware linked to powerful
says of her, “Boston is a lucky city. It has Kimberly analytics and real-time data to provide students with
Rice as its CIO for Boston Public Schools.” Indeed, active learning experiences and easy-to-use analytics
the former 4th-grade teacher has been on a mission for educators to see their actual efficacy.
for students that has seen her rise through the
ranks with a boost from the right technology. Ron Reed
Founder & Executive Producer
John Harrington SXSW EDU
CEO Funds For Learning Involved in educational publishing and
For two decades he’s been committed to technology since his University of Texas days;
helping students receive the best possible helped launch Optical Data Corp in mid 1980s,
education, passionate about the significant role pioneered first state-adopted tech program to
internet access can play in equipping students and access traditional textbook funding; expert in
teachers for success; he’s led the firm that helps producing perpetual sources of edu energy.
schools and libraries get their e-rate money.
Jack Lynch
Suzanne Munroe CEO Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Teacher, Founder TinkerEd Understands value in teacher-student
Elementary school teacher and edtech relationships; inspiring team-oriented
entrepreneur; founded TinkerEd, won leader deeply interested in what’s right with
Startup Weekend Edu in San Francisco. Seeing students, focusing on their abilities, and nurturing
firsthand the disconnect between edtech founders that—great approach for BU-grad exec of $1.4 B/yr
and classroom teachers, her platform matches publishing giant in midst of a shift toward digital.
teachers to test, advise, and shape edtech offerings.
Nadayar Enegesi
Michael Spencer Co-Founder & Director Andela
Co-Founder & CEO ASSIST Education Heads up the company’s internal
The former director of international incubator, aptly named Launchpad,
business for K12 also served as senior VP with his technical and entrepreneurial background;
at The American Education Corporation. Fluent in also built the company’s learning infrastructure and
Spanish, the world traveler is an edtech specialist in curricula teams. The Nigeria-based computer
strategic business planning, raising capital, science engineer is a University of Waterloo grad.
international sales development and online learning.
FUTURE
BRINGING THE BLURRY, PROBING EDGE OF EDTECH INTO FOCUS
EDTECH1000: COMPANIES TRANSFORMING EDUCATION
+
10 COMPANIES TO WATCH & WHY
THE EDTECH AWARDS
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
50 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT FUTURE
Bringing
the Blurry,
Probing
Edge of
Edtech into
Focus
It’s hard for anyone in edtech
https://youtu.be/FyinD6ZDqeg
https://youtu.be/FyinD6ZDqeg
to avoid being a futurist.

old “Computers will/will not, replace
FUTURE FUN | by Mark Gura teachers!” ditty.
▶ Our recent history is full of examples of And for the longest time, those of us who
unrealistic predictions of futures that didn’t have had even the thinnest layer of
materialize. This clip, the intro for the network experience with computers in the
broadcast show The Jetsons (1962), is an classroom, who dispassionately have
instructive and fun example of how observed and reflected, have understood
speculating about the future can be difficult, that as crises go, this one is a total “nothing
sometimes bordering on silly. burger”, a non-issue conjured up out of the
uncomprehending fears of folks reflexively
We educational technologists cannot suspicious of change.
avoid being, at least in part, futurists.
To the contrary, our understanding quickly
It’s also true that we must reflect well to came to be that computers are tools for
avoid becoming advocates and creators of teachers to use with their students; tools
today’s equivalent of a Jetsons vision of that increase their reach and efficacy.
education, getting it wrong and
consequently misguiding our colleagues. Remapping the Edtech Landscape
One of the oldest areas of concern, But the landscape of education changes,
argument, and confusion related to the use and its geologic features, even those long
of technology in the classroom has been the thought to be solid bedrock, do move over
time. A number of impactful things have
appeared in recent years that require us to As impressive as the above examples have
re-map a bit with the end in mind of not only been, they all largely make their
understanding the nature of where we are, contributions in a liner fashion by offering
but where we will arrive at in the possibility of more of
the not so far off future. what was done traditionally
–or of supporting students
There are many examples of This approach deepens and teachings in doing it
technology “improving” better. We are now
the potential value of beginning to experience
teaching in the sense of
making classrooms more teachers. In a sense, applications of technology
efficient by helping to make to the work of teaching and
many emerging digital
processes and chores easier learning that truly are
and more effective. items are oriented different.
similarly, intended to
For instance, digital grades A Sampling of
books make the recording of relieve teachers and Instructional Items
student performance data students of the need to
more reliable and easier to Here’s a sampling of some
store, retrieve, and share interface directly for prominent instructional
those records. An LMS basic functions that items to include in our
(Learning Management reflections on “Instructional
System) can similarly improve now can be handled by Continental Drift” (Sorry,
the distribution of instructional machines, so that couldn’t resist the
content and the collection of temptation to follow
student responses to it.
human bandwidth is through on the topography
freed and expanded, metaphor):
There are examples, as well, of
technology improving the
allowing for deeper, In the Flipped Classroom
quality of the learning more relevant and students access and
experience through familiarize themselves with
applications to instructional
more meaningful content on their own
activities of things like learning to be through means driven by
interactive, media-rich content. digital communications
accomplished. technologies (e.g. video,
There are technology audio, animations, game
applications, as well, that have oriented, etc.) so that their
somewhat transformed the face-to-face class time with
very format of school by expanding its their teachers can be maximized for higher
reach to deliver, and for students to access, order thinking goals: reflections, analysis,
instruction. Virtual field trips, after school meaning making, and application of facts
availability of content and paths to peers, and skills in important, often real-world
and student access to experts in the field contexts. Thus, this approach deepens the
are a few. potential value of teachers. In a sense, many
emerging digital items are oriented similarly,
intended to relieve teachers and students of development in what classrooms look and
the need to interface directly for basic sound like, as well as how they function. But
functions that now can be handled by much more is finding its way into the
machines, so that human classroom…
bandwidth is freed and
expanded, allowing for deeper, A. I. (Artificial
more relevant and more Students access and Intelligence). When the
meaningful learning to be Google search engine
accomplished.
familiarize themselves improved its interface
with content on their own algorithm a number of years
Personal Digital Tutors. It’s back, many of us had an
already common for students
through means driven by unsettling, almost spooky
to have their own personal digital communications “ah ha” moment with it as
digital devices that offer we suddenly came to
calendars, calculators, search technologies (e.g. video, understand the reality of
engines, and more. Students audio, animations, game working with a technology
interface with these generally that tracked our preferences
through keyboarding. AND now oriented, etc.) so that and interests and predicted
the relevance of items to
verbally, with digital entities like their face-to-face class
Siri, that the ever so polite and present us with. I
perky little digital assistant who time with their remember my own
will guide your iOS device by experience when one day I
teachers can be was totally astounded by
engaging in a conversation with
you. Many now have (the maximized for higher what at first appeared to be
Google Dot) Alexa at home (I magical synchronicity. Out
do), she’s that little digital
order thinking goals: of the tens of thousands of
assistant who will ask you what reflections, analysis, advertisers Google must
you want to hear and then have had, vendors who in
retrieve Led Zeppelin’s Stairway
meaning making, and the aggregate were offering
to Heaven from a music application of facts and a very, very broad range of
streaming service if you direct goods and services… how
her to. These digital assistants skills in important, often did Google manage to feed
are cropping up in many real-world contexts. me ads for things that
places, my online bank offers actually caught my
one, the downloadable GPS attention? How, I wondered,
App, Waze, for instance, will could it be that the ads that
take requests for driving directions verbally showed up on my screen as I was working
and advise you when to turn left verbally, as were for particular brands of kayaks and
well. So what happens when these electric guitars and tours of Thailand, etc.—
technologies are reconceived for the the very things that I was most interested in
learning of young people? Alexa and her at the time? And then, it hit me like a ton of
peers put out by other providers have bricks (remember, this was cutting edge new
already established a presence in back then and it was not explained to the
classrooms. Stay tuned for a serious public at first)—that while I was learning with
Google… IT was learning about me! Those Data Analytics and Visualization. Schools
ads were for things I had been searching for have embraced the collection of data and its
information about… were the same things application into their cultural repertoire over
for which I had recently been clicking links the past couple of decades, an important
for. Son of a gun! Google was figuring out change. But is that body of practice fully
what I was interested in, what I liked, what I defined? Are they maximizing the impact
wanted to see more of… and it was doing it this new focus offers? In “A Discussion on
in a spiral of specificity and relevance and Data Visualization in 21st Century
accuracy that was uncanny. My computer Education,” (from University of Michigan/
was working with me and it was working Academic Innovation) some next-level
with other individuals behind it who wanted questioning is shared “As data collection has
to increase their chances of presenting me proliferated within the classroom and across
with things that resonated. Duh! Welcome to industry, those responsible for discerning
the age of machines that learn and that act meaning from data are faced with a
on what they learn. challenging task – cutting through the noise.
Data visualization tools allow these
From Amazon’s online store to individuals to synthesize and interpret
Instructional Software - Adaptive Digital complex data in new and innovative ways,
Instructional Resources. This same general analyzing key data trends to gain a deeper
principle used by Google to find out about understanding of the statistical insights the
its users has more recently been applied to data provide…. it’s beyond human ability to
teaching and learning; the idea being that by grasp the useful information hidden in the
identifying a student’s interests and mass of data points. Visualization serves as a
preferences, his strengths and weaknesses, summarization, guidance, metaphor and
his ways to approach learning, and on and eventually a gateway to understanding the
on, highly personalized learning experiences data. Like the old proverb says, “sometimes a
could be provided to him. Each student no picture is worth a thousand words.”
longer has to access the same content as his
classmates; nor does his content have to Blockchain. Blockchain has found a place
have the same form, look, and feel as that on the exploratory edge of Education.
offered to others; nor does the path Forbes recently ran the article “20 Ways
established for him to react and respond to Blockchain Will Transform (Okay, May
the content have to be the same, either. Improve) Education.” Most of the
Enter to the world of Adaptive Digital applications for Blockchain listed relate to
Instructional Resources. Of course, this is a Education in ways that are other than
new development and some attempts at instruction, but there are several that do.
bringing the ideas above to life for actual While number 3, “Student records”, seems to
student use are better than others. There be yet another approach to more efficient
are varieties and grades of A.I. available to management of what for schools is an
resource designers and there are designs essential chore, number 11, “Learning
that are better than others as well. This is an marketplace”, has a great deal of potential to
area that we will be seeing a great deal more impact student choice, motivation, and
of in the immediate future. satisfaction with the learning experience… “
TeachMePlease is a Russian pilot on the “The number one hurdle facing

Disciplina platform where teachers and innovative education solutions is
students come together. It helps students getting information into the hands of
enough teachers and students to
find and pay for courses, registered by
make a difference. Too much noise
educational organizations or teachers.” makes it incredibly difficult to get the
attention of educators and
A Final Point administrators. That’s my expertise;
we help innovative solutions connect
It seems that whenever a new technology to schools and teachers, and we help teachers and schools find
emerges there are some folks who quickly solutions that can help them make a difference in the lives of kids.”
—Mitch Weisburgh, COO, EdChat Interactive, an
wrap their brains around how it may be
alternative approach to online professional development
applied to Education. and focused information sharing for educators.
Granted, some of these folks are simply tech

IN CLOSE WITH | Mitch Weisburgh
enthusiasts, but other truly understand that
these new technologies (especially after IN THE ONGOING series of Edchat Interactive events,
areas of work other than Education have instead of a long presentation, the event is a live video
adopted and gotten significant value from discussion. The leader present a basic concept in the first
them) represent potential for Education, 5-10 minutes of the event, then participants break into
deep potential. small video chat groups to discuss the practicalities of the
concept. Finally, representatives of the various groups
discuss their findings with the event leader while the entire
The stream of emerging technologies seems
group watches and listens.This, more interactive format
to be a constant; it would be wise for incorporates social learning and reflection into the
educators to keep yet another eye peeled learning process, which facilitates deep learning, and
for important technology innovations with greater engagement. EdChat Interactive offers a broad
potential impact for their work. range of Instruction oriented themes. A few of its past
installments have been: Giving Voice to All Students,
Discussing the Shift from Consumption to Creation, Five
And, hey, isn’t that one of the more
Ways Video Can Transform Your Classroom, and Data is
interesting things the field has to offer? not a Four Letter Word. These events are free to all and
easy to access at Edchat Interactive:https://sites.google.com/site/
— edchatinteractive/upcoming-seminars Mitch cofounded Academic
Mark Gura is a Contributing Editor to EdTech Business Advisors in 2005 which helps organizations
Digest. He is former director of the Office of develop business strategies to align their products and
Instructional Technology for New York City services with the ways purchasing decisions are made and
technology is used in schools and districts so that they can
department of education. Write to:
scale and make a difference to kids and educators. He is
markgura@verizon.net currently on the Board and Executive Committee, having
just finished a term as president, of the Ed-Tech Industry
Network (ETIN) of the SIIA. //
HOT LINKS
Blog: https://blog.academicbiz.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mweisburgh/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/weisburghm
Contact: mitch.weisburgh@academicbiz.com or weisburghm on Twitter
In the fall of 2019, we

will highlight a handful
of companies from The
EDTECH1000 List.
Watch for them on
www.edtechdigest.com
STATE OF EDTECH
LET’S DO IT!
Purpose-driven individuals
teaming up together in
shoulder-to-shoulder efforts to
create the future of learning.
By VICTOR RIVERO
Among the most dedicated

companies serving the education
sector are those seen here among The
EDTECH1000 List. They are leading-
edge, innovative technology solution
providers intent on transforming
education. From small startups
to larger, established firms in K-12,
higher education, and workforce
learning—the companies highlighted
here represent committed individuals
who teamed up, scaled up, and looked
up toward the mountain of help they
could provide others, and despite the
odds, shrugged and said, “Let’s do it!”
HAPPY TO PARTNER: Rajeev Arora, CMO of Nearpod, at FETC 2019 alongside 50+ partners.
COMPANIES TO WATCH
1
Britannica Group. Encyclopaedia Britannica,
Britannica Digital Learning, Britannica
360 Alumni Arma Partners Knowledge Systems, Merriam-Webster, and Melingo comprise the group;
3A EDucation Aruba (HPE)
Britannica celebrated its 250th anniversary year, Merriam-Webster its 180th, in
3Doodler ASCD
3M Assembly 2018. Watching them will be a great indicator of how old meets new.
500 Startups ASU+GSV
A.D.A.M. Atomic Learning
Aakash Educational
Services Pvt. Ltd.
ABC-CLIO
Audio Essentials
Authentica Solutions
Autism Expressed
2
ABPathfinder Autodesk Capsim. Offering experiential learning
Abl Autodesk Tinkercad solutions to develop the skills most critical
Academic Progress Avaya to career success in today’s business landscape, here’s a company with
Accelerate Learning Aver USA
Accel Partners AWE Learning simulations, assessments, and corporate training for students, instructors,
Accuplacer awe Media academic administrators, and corporate trainers that is up on the times.
Achieve3000 AwesomeStories
AchieveTheCore AWS (Amazon)
ACT
Activate Instruction
Adaptemy
Axonify
BankersLab
BCG
3
Adaptive Curriculum Because Learning! DreamBox Learning. With a recent
Ad Hoc Academic Limited Bedrock Learning investment from The Rise Fund of $130
AdmitSee Belkin Education million to support their mission to be a
Adobe Bell Tower Schoolhouse
ADTRAN Benetech powerful learning partner in every classroom, school, and district,
Advancement Courses Benq DreamBox Learning is one of the highest-funded edtech companies in the
AEFOL EXPOELEARNING BenchPrep world. The Rise Fund is the world’s largest social impact investment fund.
Aeris Partners BeRobot
Aerohive BETT
4
Affirm BiblioNasium
Age of Learning Big Word Club
AirWatch BigBlueButton Inc.
Albert BirdBrain Technologies Gale. Connecting libraries to learning and
AlchemyVR Blackbaud
learners to libraries for more than 60
Alcoa Foundation Blackboard
Alive Studios BloomBoard years by partnering with libraries around
Alma Bloomz the world, empowering the discovery of
AltSchool Bloxels EDU knowledge and insights for all people, for all purposes. They serve academic
Alumnifire BNC
Amazon Education BocaVox institutions, school educators, public libraries, and special libraries with their
Amplify Book Creator databases, primary sources, eBooks, eLearning, and more..
Andela BookNook
A Pass Ed. Group Bookopolis
App Ed Review BookPagez
Apperson Inc. BoomWriter
Appleton Boulder Learning (continued)
Arcademics Boundless
Ardusat Boxlight Mimio
Arivanza Brain Hive
more next page >>
57 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT EDTECH1000
COMPANIES TO WATCH (continued)
5
MASTERCLASS. They’ve been generating
a lot of headlines, from the The New York
Brainly ClassWallet Times to Vanity Fair and the TODAY
BrainRush Classworks Show, the world’s top actors, authors,
Breaking the Barrier Clearpath EPM
Brett E Shelton Clever musicians, business leaders and other notables are spilling their secrets to
Bridge Int’n’l Academies CoCubes Technologies success in an easy to relate to online video format for $180 / year. “Online
Bridge U Code Avengers classes taught by the world’s greatest minds” — pretty much takes the cake.
BrightBytes CodeCombat
Britannica Digital Learning CodeHS
6
bulb digital portfolios CodeKey Inc.
Buncee Codementor
Busuu CodeMonkey
Byju’s CodeREV MobyMax. Founded in 2010, today they are
C. Blohm & Associates CogBooks in over 83% of K-8 public schools and
Califone Cogent Education
Callido Learning Cognero growing with their 27 complete subjects
Cambium Learning Cognii covering all grades, is a winner of The EdTech
Campus Suite Cognotion Awards 2018 Best E-Learning and Blended Learning Solution, and is extremely well
Canary Learning Collabco
Capstone Digital College Ave designed, thorough, attractive, workable, and aligned to standards.
Capti Voice College Board
Career Power CollegeVine
CareerInSTEM
Carolina Biological
Colvard Learning
Common Caches 7
Carrot Rewards Communications
onQ. Unleashing engagement is how
Castle Rock Research Strategy Group
Catalyst Compass Learning they bill themseves, which is quite
Catapult Learning Connected Data accurate considering the video
CatchOn Connections Academy experience they’ve created to track reactions, conversations, and
Cengage Connections Education
CEV Multimedia Content Technologies, Inc. engagement; they do so moment-to-moment for the benefit of
Chalkable Copia Interactive organizations looking to transform static video and other presentation
Chalkup CoSN media into immersive, interactive group experiences and engaged
ChatterHigh Course Base
Civitas Learning Course Hero conversations around content that matters.
Checkmate Foundation Coursera
Chegg Inc Creation Crate
Chrome Warrior
Chronus
CreatieLIVE
Creya Learning & 8
CIOapplications Research
Renaissance. Creating assessment and
Cirkled In Cricksoft
Cisco CSG PR practice solutions that put learning
CLANED CSI Literacy analytics to work for educators, their
ClassCraft Cudoo products are in use in more than one-third of U.S. schools saving hours of
ClassDojo Cuppla Technology
Classera Curiosityville prep time while making truly personalized learning possible.
Classkick Curious World
ClassLink Curriculet (continued)
ClassLoom Curriculum Associates
Classroom Inc Curriculum Crafter
more >>
58 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT +COMPANIESTOWATCH
COMPANIES TO WATCH (continued)
9
ROBOKIND. A different kind of learning
company, their mission is to create cost-
Curriki EdTechX effective and inclusive education for all; they especially help the autism
CyberFlow Analytics Edthena community, but also school systems around the world. For now, they offer two
CYPHER LEARNING Education Curb
CZI Education Data Solutions products: Robots4Autism, and Robots4STEM. For students with the Autism
D2L Education Elements Spectrum Disorder, they offer Milo, “a socially advanced robot” that is 80%
DaDaABC Education Perfect effective versus a mere 3% in traditional therapy.
Data Resources Inc. Education Technology
Dayton Johnson Exec Search
Declara
Defined Learning
Associates
Education.com
Educational Consulting
10
Defined STEM Services, LLC StrongMind. Their mission is to create the
Degreed EducationSuperHighway most engaging and extraordinary 6-12th grade digital curriculum; they are
Delightex EDUCAUSE doing just that with their next-gen courseware, leading edge assessments,
Dell EduChange, Inc.
DFRobot Educurious advanced reporting and analytics, and their “loudmouth” communications
DigiExam Edufolios portal, showcasing superior content, excellent design, and workable analytics.
+
Dig-It! Games Edulastic
Digital Theatre Plus EduOne
Dinan Capital Advisors EduOnGo
Direct Services eduPad VIP KID. A bonus: VIP KID is definitely a
Disaster Records Eduplanet 21 company to watch. China, as one might
Discovery Education Eduporium
Docebo EduSystem expect, has huge numbers. This edtech
DocentEDU EduTechGuys company is one of the largest in the world.
DoctoralNet edWeb
DonorsChoose eDynamic Learning
DOT digital group Elesapiens Essential Spanish Vocabulary Firecracker
DreamBox Learning Ellevation Education Flashcards First Round
Dremel ELMO USA European Leadership University Fishtree
DubLabs Embibe Event Leadership Institute Flipgrid
DuoLingo Empow Studios Eventbrite FlipIt
EasyUni.com Energized Minds EventTracker Flocabulary
eBackpack EnGenius Technologies EverFi FLVS
Edbacker English Central EVO 40 Cart from LockNCharge Follett
EdCast Engrade EvoText, Inc. ForClass
Edco Enhance Knowledge Examity Forward Thinking EDU
EdFutures Services Pvt Ltd Excent FourierEDU
Edgenuity Enrollment Rx ExecOnline FreshBiz Game
EdioLabs EON Reality Explain Everything FreshGrade
Edmentum Epic! ExploreLearning Frontline Education
Edmodo Epiphany Learning Extension Engine FrontRow
EdNET Epraise Limited EZ Vidya Private Limited FSR
Edovo (Jail Education Epson FableVision Fuel Education
Solutions, d/b/a Edovo) ERPScan Faria Education Group Fulcrum Labs
EDpuzzle eSchoolView Fast ForWord Full Measure Education
Edsby eSpark FastBridge Learning FundersClub
EdTechAfterDark eSplice FETC Funds For Learning
EdTechLens EssayTagger Fidelis Education FutureLearn
EdTechTeam Essence Associates, LLC FieldTripZoom, LLC Gadget Software
Filament Games Galvanize Labs
more >>
59 EDTECH DIGEST - 2019 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT +COMPANIESTOWATCH
Gather Education iKeepSafe Knowledge Notebook, Inc. Lightspeed Technologies

GCI Education IKIDSFUTURE KnowStory Lingo Live
General Assembly Illumeo, Inc Kokoa Standard Lion's Heart
Generation YES Illuminate Ed Kramer Listen Current
GetSmarter Impero Software Kuder LiteracyTA
Getting Smart Infinite Campus Kurzweil Literatu
Globaloria ingram L Wolfe Communications Literatu Pty Limited
GoConqr Insight Education Group Lab4u LiveBinders
GoEnnounce InstaEDU Labster LivingTree
GoGuardian Instructure Lambda Solutions LockNCharge
Gojimo Intellatek Language Cloud LongLeaf Solutions
GoNoodle intelliVOL Languagenut Lore
Google for Education Interfolio LapCabby LTG Exam
GoReact IO Education LaptopsAnytime Lumerit Education
GPA Learn iontuition Laureate Education Lumos Learning
Gradeable iPracticeMath Lea(R)n L Wolfe Communications
GradeHub IStation LeadID Mac to School
Grammarly ISTE Learn2Earn Magic Leap
GrandKeyEd Itslearning Learn Capital MajorClarity
Gridstore iTutorGroup Learning Ally MakeBlock
Griffin Technology ITWORX Education Learning A-Z Makers Academy
Groupwerk, Inc. IXL Learning Learning Bird Makey Makey
Grovo J Harrison PR Group Learning Coach Central MangaHigh
GSV Capital JAMF Software Learning Curve Mansfield Sales Partners LLC
Guidebook Joomla LMS Learning Evolution Marbotic
GuideK12 JoyTunes Learning Games Studios, Inc. MaRS Discovery District
Hanover Research Junction Education Learning Upgrade LLC MasterClass
Hapara Junyo Learning.com Masters and DoctoralNet
Harbinger Knowledge Products Jupiter Ed Learning Counsel MasteryConnect
Harris School Solutions K12 LearningBird Mathletics
Hatch Early Learning K12 Insight Learnist MathWorks
Helix Education Kaltura LearnLaunch Matific
Her Interactive Kaizen PE Learnosity Mawi Learning
Hero K12 Kaplan LearnPlatform McGraw-Hill Education
Higher Learning Technologies Kapor Capital Learnsprout MCH Strategic Data
HireEducation Kaseya LEARNstyle Ltd MDR Education
HMH Marketplace KDSI LearnUpon ME Education
Hobsons KEH Communications LearnWithHomer ME Group of Companies
Holberton School Kickboard LearnZillion Measured Progress
Hootsuite Kidaptive LEGO Education MediaCore
Horizon DataSys KidPass Lerner Publishing Group MEL Science
HotChalk Kids Discover Online Lesson Planet Meru Networks
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Kishmorr Productions Lenovo Metiri Group
House of EdTech Kiwa Digital Ltd Lexia Learning Metria Learning
HoverCam Knewton Library For All MIDAS Education
HUE Knomadix Corporation Lifeliqe Middlebury Interactive
i-Clicker KnoteSter LightSail Milestone Documents
IBM Knovation Lightower Mimio
Identity Automation Knowledgemotion Lightspeed Systems Mind Research
more >>
MIT Education OOHLALA Mobile PR with Panache Ruckus

Mobile Beacon Open Assessment PrepMagic RUSHWORKS
MobyMax Technologies PREPMYFUTURE Said Business School
Modern Teacher Open English PresenceLearning Salesforce Trailhead
Modest Tree Media OpenED Primo Toys Samsung School
Modo Labs OpenStax ProctorU Sapling Learning
Mojo Enforce Optolexia Prodigy Scenario Learning
MooreCo ORIGO Education Prodigy Game Schell Games
Mosaic451 Osmo Promethean Scholastic
Motivating Systems, LLC Otus proprep Scholastic Library
Motivis Learning Outcert Proversity Scholastico
Movenote Outschool PR with Panache School Improvement Network
Mozaik Education Owl Ventures PublicSchoolWORKS School Specialty
Mrs. Wordsmith Packback Qualtrics Schoold
Muzzy Lane Software Padcaster Qubed SchoolMessenger
Mwabu (aka iSchool) Pagamo Quill.org SchoolMint
myly Panasonic Quizlet Schoology
Mystery Science panOpen QwertyTown Schoolrunner
n2y Panorama Education Qwickly, Inc. Schoolzilla
Naiku PAPERbasket RaaWee K12 Solutions Science Bits
Navigation North Paragon One Radix Science4Us
Navitas Ventures Parchment Raise.me Scientific Learning
Ncomputing ParentLink Raptor Technologies Seas Education
Nearpod ParentSquare ReaderBee SecondSite
Nepris PASCO Reading A-Z SharpSchool
Netmedia Pathbrite Reading Horizons Shenzhen Cloudpoint
NETMINO PBS Learning Media Readorium Technology Co., Ltd
Netop PBS Teacherline ReadSpeaker Shmoop
New Enterprise Associates PD Learning Network ReadWorks Showbie
New Intelligence Inc. Pearson Ready4 Shutterfly
New Schools Venture Fund Peekapak Realityworks Signal Vine, LLC
Newsela Penda Learning Redbird Learning Silicon Mechanics
Newseum ED Penguin RedShelf, Inc Silverback Learning Solutions
Next Tier Education, Inc. Penveu Reed SimpleK12
NextLesson PeopleAdmin RefME SKILLS Global
Noodle Performance Matters Remark Test Grading Skookii
NoRedInk Performensation Remind SkySync
NovoEd pivotEd Renaissance Skyward
NS BASIC PlayMada Renaissance 2.0 Media, Inc. Skyward, Inc.
NUITEQ PledgeCents Renaissance Learning Slate Science
Nureva Plotagon Rethink Education SlideRoom
NutKase PLS 3rd Learning Rethink First Smart Ants
NWEA Pluralsight ReUp Education Smart Horizons
Odysseyware Pocket Prep RICOH Smart Science Education Inc.
OER Commons PocketTutor Rikt AS SMART Technologies
Ogment Portfolium RoboKind SmartBrief
OnCourse Systems for Education Portfolium, Inc. RobotsLAB Smarterer
OnPoint Innovative Learning Powerful Learning Practice ROI Print Manager Smartly
Environments PowerSchool Rosetta Stone SmartTerm
more >>
Smithsonian Synclovis Systems Pvt Ltd Through My Window Versifit Technologies

Smrt English Ltd Synergis Education Tigtag Science ViewSonic
SnapComms T4edu Tinkercad VIPKID
Snaptech Digital Solutions Tabtor Tinybop Virtual Schools of Excellence
Snowflake MultiTeach TAG Assessment Titan K12 VirtualSpeech
Social Assurity TakeLessons Tobii Dynavox Virtual Speech Center
Social Capital TAL Education Group Tolerance.org Virtway
Socratic TALENT Mentoring LLP Tools4ever VitalSource Technologies Inc.
Socrative Tales2go Toolwire Vocabulary SpellingCity
Sofatutor Tangible Play Top Hat Voxy
SoFi TCEA Trading Technologies Voyager Sopris Learning
SoftChalk TCS iON (Tata Consultancy) Travels with Music Vretta
Software2 TE21 Triad Interactive Waggle
Sokikom Teach TCI Trilogy Education Waterford Institute
SolarWinds Teacher Gaming Network Tripp Lite WebAssign
SolidProfessor TeacherCast Educational Triseum WeVideo
Solution Tree Broadcasting Network Triumph Learning WeWantToKnow
Soluzione IT Services TeacherLists TrueAbility, Inc. Whetstone Education
Sonic Foundry TeacherMatch Truenorthlogic WinjiGo
Soomo Learning Teachers Pay Teachers TrueShelf Winter Group
Soundtrap Teachers With Apps Turnitin Wisetail
Speakaboos Teaching Channel Tuteria Wisewire
Sphero Teachscape Tuva Labs Woot Math
Splash Math Teachur Twig Workbench
SpringBoard Teachwise Tynker Working Voices Ltd
Square Panda Tech4Learning Typing Agent World Education LLC
Squirrels LLC TechChange Udacity Wowza
SRG Tech TechSmith Udemy WriteLab
ST Math Teenlife UnboundEd WriterKEY
Standard for Success TEKMAN BOOKS Unigo Group WriteSteps Writing
Staymobile TenMarks Unimersiv Y Combinator
Steelcase Tenpoint Academy University Beyond Youth Digital
STEM Revolution Teq UniversityNow Y Soft Corporation
Story2 Terrapin University Ventures Yuanfudao
StraighterLine The BLE Group Upskill Zaniac
Strategy Institute The Bradfield Company Usablenet Zaption
StrongMind The Campus Computing Project USATestprep, Inc Zinc Learning Labs
Study Hall The Clayton Christensen Institute Utelogy Zoom
Study.com The College Board Vantage Learning Zoozil Media, Inc.
StudyBlue The Douglas Stewart Company Varsity Learning Tools zSpace
Studypool The Edtech Podcast vCloudPoint zero client
StudySync/BookheadEd The Game Audio Insitute Vectra Networks
Learning, LLC The Renaissance Network Velocify
Sungard K-12 The Social Sentinel Verbling
SuperMemo World The Virtual High School Verificient Technologies To be part of the
Superplus ThingLink Vernier Software & Technology
EDTECH1000: Companies
Swivl Think Through Math Vernier’s Graphical Analysis for
SXSWedu Thought Cycle Chrome Transforming Education
Sycamore Education Thread Versal write to:
edtechdigest@gmail.com
PAST WINNERS INCLUDE
THE BIGGEST NAMES IN
EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY: Get the recognition you deserve.
StrongMind Flipgrid ClassCraft
FastBridge Learning zSpace
WeVideo 360 Alumni Cognero
Soundtrap Authentica Solutions
Labster Mimio Top Hat Nepris
Aruba Networks Instructure
Padcaster WeWantToKnow
Tinkercad Coursera Voxy
SchoolMint FrontRow
Whetstone Education WebAssign
BrightBytes ABC-CLIO Ardusat
Silverback Learning Solutions
Capti Voice Square Panda
SlideRoom FreshGrade Zaniac
Holberton School DreamBox
Learning iTutorGroup
GCI Education JHarrison
Helix Education Triseum
OER Commons Mountain Brook
Schools Schoolrunner
edWeb Bloomz TeacherLists
ST Math Cogent Education
HoverCam Cengage IXL Lea(R)n
MobyMax Nearpod IStation
Pocket Prep LTG Exam
Languagenut Mozaik Education
Edthena Kickboard for Teachers
Teq Scholastic Library
Carolina Biological
Education Elements Superplus
Buncee Gradeable
Curriculum Associates
House of EdTech MIT Education
MediaCore Edmodo Epson
SchoolMessenger Knovation
Edsby Lightspeed Systems
LearnWithHomer Learning.com
Copia Interactive Skyward
Sonic Foundry Teachscape 9TH ANNUAL
ParentLink Vectra Networks
Discovery Education
The largest and most competitive
Harris School Solutions
Ncomputing ABPathfinder
Awards Recognition Program in edtech.
Meru Networks CB&A
School Improvement Network
K-12 + Higher Education + Workforce
Teacher Gaming Network TE21 www.EdTechDigest.com
FourierEDU eBackpack
Science Bits Boundless
Learnsprout PBS Learning
Media Mathletics Versal
SolarWinds AirWatch eduPad
Promethean Insight Education
Group Literatu Dell who’s who and what’s next
RobotsLAB BiblioNasium
LiteracyTA D2L Connections
Academy OpenED Shmoop
THIS REPORT WAS MADE POSSIBLE WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM
We ignite student curiosity and inspire educators

to reimagine learning with award-winning digital content
and powerful professional development.
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© COPYRIGHT 2019 EDTECH DIGEST, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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2019 2020 SOE EdTech Digest

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2019 2020 SOE EdTech Digest

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EDITOR’S LETTER rational thought and human

ON THE CUSP OF A improvement reigned. Today’s schools STATE OF EDTECH

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Victor Rivero

STATE OF EDTECH: FROM NICHE TO MAINSTREAM

3 PERCENT. Education is grossly under digitized, with less than 3% of global

342 BILLION. Digital spending is changing fast, though—forecast to grow to $342b

Moving into 2019, the symbiotic

In other words, edtech is education, the

And while it’s easy to see all the winning

Technology is now doubly

Current education, when best practices in Activities, Real World

In fact, EdTech Digest has been

agreed that and evolution of

also greater acceptance of the

For instance, a broad-based learning and Literacy and Continued

7. Preparing Students for Careers and Learning

8. Renewed View of EdTech Leadership

9. New Resources and Practices for Next Level

10. Technology Armed and Freshly Empowered

11. Trends to Watch for 2019 and

Continue to the HIGHLIGHTS section of this

One particularly exciting report: “The State of

HOT LINKS ■(YouTube video) Innovation Specialist on Unlearning - Don Wettrick |

BREAD CRUMBS, CONNECTED DOTS, AND ‘AH-HA’ MOMENTS

TECHNOLOGY’S RETURN TO FAVOR

EDUCATOR’S DOING GREAT STUFF W/ TECH

TOP 100 INFLUENCERS IN EDTECH

Common Themes As you peruse these viewpoints, consider

expansive picture of how students learn, “As we enter 2019, proactively

“Education is “In 2019, AR/VR will

access to information, and give

formative assessments With data-driven decision-making “Adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud

Taking the measure of something, the state

There are patterns one sees and trends one

Works,® where they learned about ﬁve advanced

students in ﬁfth and eighth grade and is being

6. Leadership 8. Turning Tide –

ceremony on December 4 at NYIT-Long Island (Old

15. MAKING Learning 17. Applied Learning

Fanuc training robot, which gives hands-on lessons to

■ “Oak Park teen saving local law

"Technology exponentially deepens student engagement. For learners

IN CLOSE WITH | Rose Reissman

classwork. - Basic file management,

However, there was also a

math teacher; Katya

students in learning across the traditional

innovation that is changing how we

Computer Science. Many now consider

examples of this half a dozen years back in

By the way, Robotics, as a subject is a broad

- 3D Printers (and other computerized fabricator

A Tale of A Significant Degree of Edtech Leadership

Two School I understand and agree that in these times of

However, based on long term observation of

However, I want to point out

Instruction) is carried out?

That's 21,600 schools. Two-thirds of districts that

• 80 percent of teachers believe access to

• 75 percent of teachers use technology daily

Far From Complete

The field of edtech has its issues and challenges.

Reach your audience through our IN CLOSE WITH | Nikole Blanchard

There’s a lot of energy in the field of edtech.