STATE of EDTECH Message That Will Manifest Itself in 2017-2018:THE MINDS BEHIND the FUTURE Countless Ways As We Unveil and Share It Well Into the 2020S

EDITOR’S LETTER continue to do. But in our quest to excel, A MESSAGE FROM we got a message from the future. It’s a STATE OF EDTECH message that will manifest itself in 2017-2018:THE MINDS BEHIND THE FUTURE countless ways as we unveil and share it well into the 2020s. With a fresh look, a WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT The future ain’t what it used to be! lot of help, and too much coffee—we’re EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Victor Rivero Goodbye 2017, hello 2018! The learning even more excited than ever to LEAD AUTHOR Mark Gura landscape is shifting. The seismic activity recognize, acknowledge and celebrate isn’t a mystery. There are obvious recent the innovators, leaders and trendsetters forces at work—sure, technology, but who are shaking things up, making things people are making it happen. We’ll share move, and creating a future worth living here some numbers, highlights, and in. To care deeply about others—that LEAD AUTHOR future glimpses. One obvious change is human element to edtech —is just a hint to EdTech Digest. For the past eight Mark Gura of things to come. There’s much more to Mark taught at New York City public schools in East Harlem for years, we’ve brought you cool tools, learn as the year unfolds! —VR two decades. He spent five years as a curriculum developer for interviews and trends, which we’ll 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 49 serving 1.1 million students in America’s largest school system.

DOUG NANCY BEN AYAH MICHAEL JAIME ALVIN SHERYL MIKE KIMBERLY DOHRING KNOWLTON WALLERSTEIN BDEIR MOE CASAP CRAWFORD ABSHIRE SILAGADZE BRYANT

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ASH JAMIE KAREN JIM KAREN PHYLLIS KAREN BILL LEILANI KALUA- PAUL Victor Rivero CANDEE PANETTA SHELTON CATOR LOCKETT BILLINGS GOODWYN CAUTHEN RACHCHI LEBLANC 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 JESSIE School Networking. He oversees The EdTech Awards, the annual CHARLIE TOMMY WOOLEY- CHRIS JENNIFER JI AUDREY ERIC TARA KEITH MILLER CHAN WILSON NESI CAROLAN SHEN WATTERS SHENINGER CHKLOVSKI KRUEGER recognition program featuring edtech’s best and brightest.

BOBBI KEN BRIDGET HAL ERIN JEANNE ANDREW JODI BYJU DAN KURSHAN WALLACE FOSTER FRIEDLANDER OSBORN ALLEN NG MARSHALL RAVEENDRAN ROSENWEIG

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Victor Rivero VESA LEE ANN MICHAEL KARI MARK KATIE SUZANNE KATE FRANK RESHMA CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mark Gura, Judy Faust Hartnett, PERALA LOCKARD HORN STUBBS WESTON SALEN KLEIN VOLZER BONSAL SAUJANI Susan Dias Karnovsky, Mark Weston ADVISORY BOARD Keith Krueger, Mark Weston, Eliot Levinson, Ted Fujimoto, Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach CONTRIBUTORS Mark Gura, Eliot Levinson, Adam Blum, David Siminoff, Gideon DESIREE ELLIOT DIANE MARK CINDY JINAL DEBORAH MITCH MARCUS MATT Stein, John Harrington, Gil Rogers, Andrew Grauer, Matt Harris, Farimah Schuerman, ALEXANDER LEVINE DOERSCH MILLIRON WENJUAN MI JHAVERI QUAZZO WEISBURGH NOEL PITTINSKY Jennifer Corriero, Emily Gover, Becky Splitt, Jessie Woolley Wilson, Jeremy Friedman, Michael Spencer, Emily Gover, Caity Selleck, Christina Yu, Shawn Bay, Sieva Kozinsky, Ariel Diaz, Sean Brown, Joe Mazza, Monica Burns, Angela Maiers, Ferdi Serim, Deb Everhart, Deborah A. Gist, David Saltmarsh, Bruce Tolley, Nigel Nisbet, Jeremy Friedman, Jay King, Scott Kinney, Andrew Cohen, Paul Freedman, Todd Whitlock, Betsy Peters, Farb Nivi, BENJAMIN ANTHONY ALEFIYA JOSE SUSAN DARRYL HUI VEDRENNE- ANDY JENNIFER RICHARD Steven Alter, Richard Lakin, Eric Burns, Diane W. Doersch, Randy Swearer, Sean Graham, KIM BHATIA FERRIERA PATRICK ADAMS ZHI CLOQUET PLEMMONS GROFF CULATTA Michal ‘Borek’ Borkowski, Charles Duarte, Kellie Ady, Erik Harrell, Mary Lirette, Christina Oliver, Elena Cox, Randy Ziegenfuss, Ricky Ye, Dennis Pierce, Todd Richmond, Barbara Freeman, Reginald Berry, Nancy Conrad, Mark Wu, Tracey Roden, Stacey Ryan, Marie Merouze, Jamie Riepe, Stephanie Mathews, Monica Haldiman, Michele Israel, Phil Chatterton, Dominique Baroco, Susan R. Steele, Dylan Rodgers, Joe Parlier, Rachel Tustin, CATHY ELAD CHARLENE CHARLES ROBERT JOHN LIBBY KARL HORACIO ERIC Sheldon Soper, Lisa Litherland, Matt Renwick, Simon Nelson, Emir Plicanic, Cliff King, Hilary CRUZAN SHOUSHAN BLOHM BEST ISKANDER BAKER FISCHER MEHTA OCHOA ALLEN Scharton, Ryan Eash, Christopher Godshall HOW TO REACH US 323-823-4192 TOM SANDRA FERNANDO SOPHIE DOUG TRACY JEREMY JENNIFER ANANT RITA VANDER ARK PAUL VALENZUELA BAILEY LEVIN WEEKS FRIEDMAN CORRIERO AGARWAL FERRANDINO [email protected] Wesley Chapel FL 33544 U.S.A. www.edtechdigest.com @edtechdigest

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2 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT EDITORIAL TEAM TOP 100 INFLUENCERS IN EDTECH | 2017-2018

STATE OF EDTECH 2017-2018:THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT | EDTECH DIGEST www.edtechdigest.com We live in interesting times. Very, very interesting times. Have a look! in this report: INCREDIBLE! After an explosive-growth phase, with edtech we’ve succeeded in opening the door to a much-needed renaissance in education. HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS A BRIEF TOUR OF NUMBERS NOTEWORTHY NEWS, DEALS, TRENDS, AND PEOPLE IN EDITOR’S LETTER EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY TOP 100 INFLUENCERS IN EDTECH EDITORIAL TEAM 19 He’s heading up an investment 02 team eager to support a new wave of innovation across the education spectrum: Tory Patterson, NUMBERS TELLING THE Managing Partner, Owl Ventures // STORY OF 21ST- PAGE 59 CENTURY EDUCATION TRANSFORMATION We’re shining a spotlight on the people behind the tools, schools, leaders, and all 06Former New Jersey school district administrator, tech teacher, spent over things edtech—people who lift others up two decades speaking about BYOD, Web and push education forward. We hope to policies, social media and connected educators: Sandra Paul, Instructional inspire you to keep learning—and leading! Technologist // PAGE 58

EDTECH LEADERS WEIGH IN ON THE There are plenty of numbers in STATE OF EDUCATION, TECH’S ROLE IN IT, edtech, but what do they all add up to? 20 & WHAT’S AHEAD Here are a few dozen that have caught our attention; scan the list to see what SEISMIC ACTIVITY: DEALS, numbers catch yours. ANNOUNCEMENTS, HAPPENINGS, & 32 LANDSCAPE MAKEOVERS STATE OF EDTECH: THE BIG SHIFT CATALYSTS, CHANGE AGENTS & 11 FORCES OF NATURE: IMPACTFUL PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS, & RESOURCES 3 MAJOR EDTECH STATUS MARKERS 35 & THEIR DATA POINTS 14 10 GREAT RESOURCES & THE ORGANIZATIONS BEHIND THEM THE BIG PICTURE: MAPPING THE 39 CURRENT STATE OF THE FIELD 16 8 EDTECH TRENDS YOU NEED 41 TO KNOW ABOUT

4 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT CONTENTS The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Go forward bravely!

NEXT UP? The future of education is yours to create. How will you build it. FUTURE What will you do? FUTURE PROJECTIONS, PREDICTIONS, TRENDS, ANALYSIS MORE HIGHLIGHTS

TOP 100 INFLUENCERS IN EDTECH The minds behind what’s now 60A revered educator, a key player at and what’s next. // PAGE 49 companies, an astute policy leader, and an implementation pioneer overseeing decades of change in education and technology: She’s lit up the Green Bay Area Mark Weston // PAGE 54 School District with a lot of hard work, collaboration, and purposeful leadership: The future is a funny place. It never really Diane Doersch // PAGE 55 arrives, because we’re always right here in the present. But if you lay a careful trail now, and specialize in strategically making “I agree with the movement toward technology, but I moments of magic, we’ll have a better one! do not agree with neglecting to reform education holistically.” — Alex Witkowski // PAGE 21 THE FUTURE: ARE WE ‘GOOD TO GO’?

Ffounded a company nearly FIVE DEVELOPMENTS three decades ago that changed classrooms forever; now she’s 61 working on something new: Nancy Knowlton // PAGE 50 64 THE FUTURE: GOOD NEWS FOR EDUCATION “With technology playing such an important role in the world, we need to teach the students how to + PLUS correctly use it and be productive while using it.” — Angela Pelfrey // PAGE 22 67 EDTECH1000: COMPANIES TRANSFORMING EDUCATION

The former instructional technologist applies her hard- 68 10 COMPANIES TO WATCH - AND WHY won knowledge leading the Center for Digital Education: THE EDTECH AWARDS Kecia Ray // PAGE 59 74 75 SUPPORTING THE REPORT

5 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 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: THE BIG SHIFT

3 MAJOR EDTECH STATUS MARKERS & THEIR DATA POINTS

THE BIG PICTURE: MAPPING THE CURRENT STATE OF THE FIELD

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MILLION STUDENTS STILL lack broadband for digital learning; 9400 schools do not have the bandwidth they need. 6.5 SOURCE: https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/

YEARS COSN (THE Consortium for School Networking, the premier professional association for school system technology leaders) has been providing leaders 25 with the management, community building, and advocacy tools they need to succeed. Represents over 13 million students in school districts nationwide and continues to grow as a powerful and influential voice in K-12 education. SOURCE: http://cosn.org/about-cosn

TRILLION DOLLARS. THE global education market estimated to be nearly $7 trillion and global adoption of edtech is also on the rise. 7 SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics

BILLION DOLLARS. “In 2017, global investments made to learning technology companies reached over 9.52 billion, up a massive 30% from the previous record set in 2016 ($7.33 9.52 billion) and up over $46 from the $6.54 billion (a record at the time) reached in 2015.”

PERCENT. “GLOBALLY, OVER 37.8 billion has been invested in educational technology companies between 1997 and 2017 and a striking 62% of that was invested in just the 62 last three years between 2015 and 2017.” SOURCE FOR THE ABOVE 2: Metaari

MILLION DOLLARS IN EverFi total funding to date from Jeﬀ Bezos and others; a company in the broad online learning category. 251 SOURCE: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/ed-tech-startup-market-map/

MILLION DOLLARS FOR HotChalk from McGraw-Hill Ventures, NBC News; another company in the broad online learning category. 249.15 SOURCE: https://www.cbinsights.com/research/ed-tech-startup-market-map/

BILLION LEARNERS. “THE education market is undergoing a massive digital revolution that is impacting the 1.5 billion learners worldwide.” 1.5 SOURCE: Tom Costin, Partner at Owl Ventures

BILLION DOLLARS ACROSS 126 deals “After a lull in 2016, venture activity for U.S.-based edtech startups in 2017 saw a resurgence of investment capital. 1.2 So far this year, these companies raised over $1.2 billion across 126 deals.” SOURCE: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-12-19-fewer-deals-more-money- u-s-edtech-funding-rebounds-with-1-2-billion-in-2017

BILLION DOLLARS. TEC has reported that school districts could save more than $3 billion if vendors charged customers at consistent, transparent rates. 3 SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/05/26/wheres-my-billion-dollars/

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1 BILLION DOLLARS VALUATION for Udacity, provides online coding courses. BILLION DOLLARS VALUATION for Age of Learning, oﬀers an online 1 education platform for children. MILLION DOLLARS VALUATION for udemy, a provider of online courses 710 taught by expert instructors. MILLION DOLLARS VALUATION forHotChalk, they oﬀer software in 690 connection with online degree programs. MILLION DOLLAR VALUATION for duoLingo, the company provides a 470 language-learning platform. SOURCE FOR ABOVE 5 NUMBERS: https://pitchbook.com/news/articles/a-second- wind-vc-investment-in-edtech-is-rising-again-datagraphic

TEAMS BUILDING THE future of education; estimated $50B+ invested in 15,000+ EdTech teams from 50+ countries around the world. 15,000 SOURCE: Global EdTech Landscape 3.0 https://blog.navitasventures.com/global- edtech-landscape-3-0-15-000-teams-building-the-future-of- education-7cda8633c0ed

MILLION. IN FALL 2017, about 50.7 million students will attend public elementary and secondary schools. Of these, 35.6 million will be in 50.7 prekindergarten through grade 8 and 15.1million will be in grades 9 through 12. An additional 5.2 million students are expected to attend private elementary and secondary schools. SOURCE: https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

MILLION STUDENTS. U.S. College enrollment is falling. For years, America's college campuses swelled with more and more students. But enrollment 21 peaked in 2010 at just over 21 million students. Attendance has dropped every year since. SOURCE: http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/20/news/economy/college-enrollment- down/index.html

PERCENT BROADBAND ADOPTION in schools, 2013. 30

PERCENT BROADBAND ADOPTION in schools, 2017.

94 SOURCE FOR ABOVE 2 NUMBERS: https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/ challenge/

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PERCENT, NEARLY, OF U.S. Schools had purchased connected-devices (laptops, tablets) for student use in 2016. 60 SOURCE: FutureSource Consulting

MILLION DOLLARS. MORE big news for edtech: Owl Ventures has $185 Million in fresh capital for edtech startups, the largest edtech fund to date. 185 SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/10/23/trends-owl-swoops-in-with-185m/

PERCENT OF STUDENTS surveyed found that digital learning tools helped them retain new concepts, and more than half thought it helped them 94 better understand concepts they didn’t know. SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/11/03/trends-2017-digital-study-trends/

PERCENT. ISDI DIGITAL University, an in-person and online graduate school in Silicon Valley offering a Master’s degree in Internet Business, surveyed 56 over 100 companies and found that 56 percent of talent professionals across the United States find it increasingly difficult to find digital talent. SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/06/29/trends-shift-to-a-digital- workforce/

BILLION DOLLARS. THE schools and libraries universal service support program, commonly known as the E-rate program, helps schools and 3.9 libraries to obtain aﬀordable broadband. Discounts for support depend on the level of poverty and whether the school or library is located in an urban or rural area. The discounts range from 20 percent to 90 percent of the costs of eligible services. E-rate program funding is based on demand up to an annual Commission-established cap of $3.9 billion. SOURCE: https://www.fcc.gov/general/e-rate-schools-libraries-usf-program

ATTENDEES FROM AROUND the world with 850 leading education technology companies exhibiting, the BETT show (British Educational Training and 34,700 Technology Show, London) is the world’s largest edtech conference. SOURCE: BETT

YEAR OF THE ﬁrst BETT show, held in London. 1985 SOURCE: Wikipedia YEARS AGO THAT Ken Robinson’s TED Talk, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” appeared on YouTube, since that time garnering more than 49 million views. 12 SOURCE: TED.com

PERCENT OF KIDS aged six to nine own a cell phone and this rises to 84 percent of kids aged 15 to 18. 22 SOURCE: Pew Research

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PERCENT. THE NUMBER of schools with 1:1 student to device ratios rose 10 percent from the previous year to more than 50 percent of schools. At this rate, more than 50 60 percent of schools will have implemented 1:1 technology programs in 2018. SOURCE: 2016 report from Front Row Education

PERCENT DROP. “BETWEEN 2011-2017, the average cost of student devices dropped 55%. Since the start of laptops in classrooms in 1996, device costs have dropped 55 80%. Between 2013–2016, the cost of bandwidth has dropped 70%” (p. 3). SOURCE: Project Red

BILLION DOLLARS. THE market for virtual reality is expected to reach $12.1 billion in 2018. In addition to entertainment, research and engineering, it’s 12.1 making its way into classrooms, too. SOURCE: Statista.

DOLLARS. TOTAL FUNDING to date (1.8 Billion dollars) for Florida-based Magic Leap, 1,887,500,000 a company developing a proprietary wearable technology that enables users to interact with digital devices in a completely visually cinematic way. SOURCE: Crunchbase

BILLION DOLLARS. AMOUNT of venture capital invested in edtech, 2017 3.48 SOURCE: http://funding.hackeducation.com/ MILLION MILLENNIALS. THE largest cohort size in history, and likely the most studied generation to date. A wired, connected world is all that 80+ Millennials have ever known. Born: 1980-1999. Age: 19-38 SOURCE: U.S. Chamber of Commerce

YEARS OLD. THAT’S how old Facebook is. Founded in February 2004 in 14 Cambridge, Mass. YEARS OLD. HOW old Google is. The company that now calls the 13-year old 19 Googleplex home was founded September 14, 1998 in Menlo Park, Calif. YEARS OLD. Apple predates the entire Millennial Generation. The 41 trendsetting company was founded April 1, 1976 in Cupertino, Calif. YEARS OLD. AMERICA’S oldest and first public school was founded in 1635, 383 started in a teacher’s home, and is Boston Latin, part of Boston Public Schools. YEARS OLD. The age of ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablets (cuneus means ‘wedge’, like the shape of the characters on them). They came 5,000 complete with stylus and lasted long enough for us to know about them.

YEARS OLD. APPROXIMATE age, electronic tablet. However, Alan Kay described 25 something like it 50 years ago, demonstrating that the future is invented.

10 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT NUMBERS STATE OF EDTECH THE BIG SHIFT Telling the story of 21st-century education transformation, especially these last few years.

By MARK GURA

“The conversation has shifted from whether technology should be used in learning to how it can improve learning to ensure that all students have access to high-quality educational experiences.”

SOURCE: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update, Office of Education Technology, U.S. Department of Education

The quote above oﬀers a good starting point for serious consideration into the current state of edtech.

Embracing this ‘given’, what follows is our perspective on the shape of the ﬁeld, developments to come, and the trajectory of the path forward.

It’s been a long journey.

At ﬁrst, a few teachers here and there began to experiment with computers in the classroom.

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With the release of the accessible IBM PC (short From July of this past year: for Personal Computer—what a concept!) and 98% of schools had one or the user-friendly Apple IIe, though, classroom technology escaped the ‘weird more computers in the science’ realm of teacher geeks— classroom with and settled comfortably into the nearly 60% hands of more presentable reporting they looking, yet forward-thinking In contrast to the educators who simply wanted to had laptops engage in a bit of intelligent field’s beginnings, available for revolution. schools today students.

Thus, we can date educational “…edtech is now technology, or “edtech”, the increasingly see mainstream. It's broad-based application of the integrated into everything power of computers across the baseline we do and the way young curriculum, to the early 1980s— people interact with their almost four decades ago! technology world. Ask students to copy an assignment from the Importantly, too, a vital market board and they'll take a was established, one driven by implementation as picture and post it into a competition for the hearts and class group chat. Most minds of schools and those having personal, educators are themselves who live and learn and grow lifelong learners and have within them. connected adapted well. Edtech companies still hold an Fast forward to 2018. devices in the outdated stereotype of educators as change Where We Are Today hands of all resistant. This is rubbish; they're just time-pressed. In contrast to the ﬁeld’s 2018 predictions include beginnings, schools today students. adaptive technologies, AI, increasingly see baseline big data, learning technology implementation as analytics, improved having personal, connected infrastructure and greater devices in the hands of all emphasis on STEM.” students. —Natalie Nezhati, EdTech Specialist, London, U.K.

And it’s a universally shared vision that’s rapidly Technology contributes to education in become the common classroom reality, one numerous ways; it: that establishes a powerful starting point from which our students can discover themselves, - Makes teaching and learning more eﬀective their world, and how to prosper in it. - Makes the administrative chores associated with running schools and managing classes

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easier and more efficient challenges of the present and the future in - Offers more (content, opportunities to which they’ll apply their education. connect with peer learners and colleagues, tools and resources and varieties The fleld of education has of activities and experiences) long held understandings of such up-to-the-moment It also: Technology is practices, quested after, - Establishes more relevance for holy-grail methods to foster activities currently, actively the very best in learning. - Offers opportunities for deeper learning as students reflect and making education not Many of these, though, make important connections and while they may have existed communicate what they discover only more successful as vision, have proven to be and learn. elusive in actual at what it’s always implementation. In short, edtech provides a rich body of practices and resources been—but Practices like directed at improving and enhancing the many things that empowering it to -Project Based Learning, comprise education. -Personalized Instruction, become what it’s and But looking beyond this, it always wanted to be. -Authentic Learning becomes clear that the greatest Activities implications of edtech go far We find ourselves at beyond mere improvements and have not been sufficiently enhancements to long established the doorstep of a accessible and practical to ways and means. become part of the powerful instructional program With much in the way of experienced by the majority growing pains behind it, edtech transformation of of students. stands ready to go the rest of the distance of fully the field of Hey, Watch This transforming education. education. Edtech has consistently Next Phase changed that; and now, as approaches like Global The next phase must be to move beyond Student Collaboration and Digital Portfolios are finally making goals from a previous era facilitated by practices like Flipped Instruction work effectively and efficiently; it must and resource types like social networking literally be the re-invention of the supporting Learning Management Systems, educational experience we offer learners— they represent low-hanging fruit waiting to the young in particular, but learners of all ages be taken by educators who are aware of —so that it is fully in sync with the needs and their power and relevance.

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So, Where Are We? 3 MAJOR EDTECH STATUS

The state of edtech? MARKERS & THEIR DATA

Technology (or more accurately, the people POINTS behind the most recent wave of technologies) is currently, actively making education not only Getting a snapshot view of where more successful at what it’s always been—but we’re at, at the moment—is a square-one empowering it to become what it’s always item that’ll benefit from the application of wanted to be. some numbers.

We find ourselves at the doorstep of a Here are a few prominent navigational powerful transformation of the field of markers in plain view—along with some of the education. numbers that define them.

What follows is our (the bright-ish minds behind EdTech Digest) report on how all of this is showing up in our world. And because we know enough to know that st we’re just not enough—we’ve gathered a lot of 1MARKER: A major portion of schools have in other minds and points of view together so as place, currently, significant capacity to deliver to create the maximum ‘glow factor’ possible, technology-supported education and are that we might illuminate, enlighten, and moving toward deepening that commitment possibly shine a way through to see where we and shift toward a digital platform for are—and where we could be headed in the teaching and learning as the dominant one. not-too-distant future. DATA POINTS: Percent of schools that have a wireless network 54.2% Percent of schools that have laptops available 59.7% Percent of schools that have high speed internet 84.3% Percent of schools that have one or more computers in the classroom 98% Percent of teachers that use the internet for instruction 77%

SOURCE: Statistic Brain; research conducted: July 3, 2017

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nd rd 2MARKER: While the threshold for technology 3MARKER: For virtually every function saturation in our nation’s schools is less than performed by schools, there are practical total, major portions are sufficiently technologies available to reestablish its impact equipped so that the field has moved on students and providing them an effective significantly beyond the need to inform and and, now, inspiring learning experience. inspire itself by highlighting ‘pockets of early Educators have developed a culture and body adopters’, a practice that was necessary in of approaches to adopt and adapt cutting-edge earlier phases of the evolution of edtech. technologies for implementation in our schools.

Currently, there are suﬃciently large bodies of classrooms, schools, and districts actively DATA POINT: engaged in technology use—that envisioning Public schools now spend over and preparing for even broader mass adoptions, and resulting instructional programs supported by them, is possible— $3 billion and increasingly easy. per year on digital educational content as of 2017. SOURCE: Education Week DATA POINT:

“Chromebooks make up half of US classroom DATA POINT: devices sold. Every school day Virtual reality & augmented reality are set to make a signiﬁcant impact in higher education in 2017. 30,000 SOURCE: Gartner new Chromebooks are activated in schools.”

SOURCE: https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/03/googles- DATA POINT: chromebooks-make-up-half-of-us-classroom- devices.html 85% of teachers believe virtual reality will have a positive eﬀect on their students. SOURCE: EdTech Magazine

*(Above taken from https://blog.capterra.com/15- important-education-statistics-and-facts-you-should- know/ )

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and our colleague publications reported some THE BIG PICTURE developments of Brobdingnagian proportions – here are a few important examples. “Arriving at one goal is the starting point to another.” Global State of —John Dewey Taking inventory of Digital Learning Please join us as we In an October 16, 2017 post in invest some processing capacity indicators of EdTech Digest titled guest in mapping the current state of columnist Dylan Rodgers, the field. education’s Editor-in-Chief of The Schoology Exchange, reported Let’s take a look at some of the transformation by that with each passing year, major landmarks that have technology is an technology continues to push presented themselves and the boundaries of what’s contributed to determining our ongoing effort for some possible in teaching and path recently. of us, and throughout learning. Seeing the big picture is a crucial So much so, that it’s getting jumping oﬀ point for traveling to the year we and our harder to ﬁnd schools that Education’s Next Phase. haven’t adopted at least some

colleague publications form of digital learning— So, let’s pull off the road for an blended learning, flipped important moment to catch our reported on some learning, personalized breath and admire the view from learning, and/or other a scenic overlook with some developments of strategies that rely on digital prominent features of the tools to enhance the learning landscape spread out before us. Brobdingnagian experience—into their classrooms. It’s a good thing to do before proportions—here putting our review fully into gear; are a few important Schoology had recently it will give us an important conducted the study— The understanding of the terrain and examples. Global State of Digital Learning various routes to our destination, —which encompassed 2,846 the very best education possible. education professionals across 89 countries Importantly, let’s get a view of the road ahead, worldwide. The goal? To shed light on the with an eye on what’s coming up next so that current state of digital learning in K-12 we can prepare for it and perhaps brace education. ourselves. Among the findings: Taking inventory of indicators of education’s transformation by technology is an ongoing LMS and Positive Effects: Of the nearly 3,000 effort for some of us, and throughout the year we education professionals who took the survey, 46%

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said they have an LMS. Of respondents who The report is based on an analysis of 2016 FCC E- noted that students at their institution are “very rate data representing 10,499 school districts, engaged,” 89% said an LMS is in use most days, if 73,000 schools, and more than 38 million not every day, of the week. This may indicate that students. (To access the full State of the States careful and consistent LMS use can lead to the report, visit the SOURCE: http:// highest rates of student engagement. stateofthestates.educationsuperhighway.org/.)

Mobile Device Use is Becoming More Prevalent: This progress means many of America’s Nearly 80% of schools and districts use them at schools are nearing the connectivity levels of least monthly, with nearly 50% reporting using top performing schools across the globe, giving mobile devices daily. our students the tools they need to prepare for and compete for 21st-century jobs. Most Common Instructional Strategies and Practices: Digital learning takes many forms—gamification, In just a few years, the U.S. has taken flipped learning, etc.—but which instructional signiﬁcant steps to decrease its digital learning strategies are practiced most? Differentiated disadvantage and is now implementing learning leads the pack (75%), with blending innovative education technology in more learning (54%) and individualized learning also classrooms than ever before. 42 governors vying for top spots (45%). have committed to upgrading their schools for the 21st century, including seven of the eight And as for which instructional strategy was newly-elected governors. considered the most effective? EdWeek, in its piece, “Young Children's Mobile Respondents answered blended learning, Use Has Tripled Since 2013, Survey Finds” followed by differentiated learning, and then (October 19, 2017), reported that “The vast majority of U.S. families now have a mobile device, like a smartphone or tablet, personalized learning. and young children are spending more time using their devices than ever before… …Of all families surveyed, 98 percent have a mobile device in Earlier this year (January 17, 2017), in the post the home and 95 percent have a smartphone. The amount of time that the children studied spend engaging with screen titled ”Trends | State of the States: Making media on mobile devices has tripled since 2013…” Progress” EdTech Digest reported on the

release by EducationSuperHighway, a leading SOURCE: Above results are from Common Sense Media's third non-profit focused on upgrading internet access nationally representative survey of media use among children ages 8 and younger. in every public school classroom in America, of

their second annual “State of the States” report on the state of broadband connectivity in the nation’s In “Survey: Daily classroom edtech use on K-12 public schools. the rise” eSchool News reported (October 4th,

2017) “Sixty-three percent of K-12 educators use edtech in That report details an additional 10.4 million their classrooms each day–an increase from the 55 percent students having the minimum connectivity they reporting the same in 2016, according to an annual survey need to take advantage of technology in the from the College of Education at the University of Phoenix. Laptops are most commonly used (86 percent), while other classroom and as a result, 88 percent of school technologies include educational apps (58 percent), 3D districts nationally meeting the minimum printers (21 percent), and social media (41 percent, up from 32 connectivity goals. percent in 2016). continued next page >>

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Seventy-one percent of teachers said they allow students to research subjects via the internet; 66 percent use games and simulations to help with learning; 49 percent use web- based tools to help students improve writing and comprehension skills; 37 percent let students use video to produce their own content; and 20 percent use clickers to keep students engaged.Interestingly, 63 percent of the more than 1,000 surveyed teachers also said edtech helps to create a more interactive learning experience, while 25 percent said they still feel intimidated by students’ knowledge and use of technology. SOURCE: https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/04/survey- classroom-edtech-rise/ MARTIN MANCHA

In his address to participants at the 38th In its piece “The Business of Ed-Tech: 2017 annual Future of Education Technology So Far” (July 1, 2017) Hack Education reported Conference held this year in Orlando, best- “…The amount of money invested in education selling author, TED speaker, and education and technology companies is up from this time last year and creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson referenced up from this time in 2015 as well. (And 2015 was a three massive amounts of money: record-setting year for ed-tech investment.)” SOURCE:: http://hackeducation.com/2017/07/01/business-of-ed-tech 9 Billion. Size of the NFL On Jul 24, 2017 EdSurge published “Fueled by Big Rounds, US Edtech Funding Surges to Billion. U.S. domestic cinema $887M in First Half of 2017”, reporting, box oﬃce “…After a dip in dealflow and venture capital to U.S. edtech companies last year, the dollars returned with a 11.1 fury during the first six months of 2017. According to Billion. Education and testing our tally, there were 58 U.S. deals that totalled more support industry in the U.S. than $887 million through June of this year. (2013 numbers) This means that halfway through 2017, the funding for 16 U.S. edtech startups is already at 88 percent of the total His point: we’re not lacking in resources to in 2016 (which was $1 billion). improve education, we’re simply directing our SOURCE: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-07-24-fueled-by-big- eﬀorts toward something that isn’t working. rounds-edtech-funding-surges-to-887m-in-first-half-of-2017

Robinson suggested that a groundswell, from- the-bottom-up shift is poised to put pressure on top-level leadership and pull oﬀ the kind of change that education so desperately needs.

Such a ‘revolution’ might eschew conformity and standarization for a creative, collaborative approach valuing individuals—allowing for customized, personally meaningful education localized to the needs of any one particular community. //

18 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT NUMBERS HIGHLIGHTS EDTECH LEADERS WEIGH IN ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION, TECH’S ROLE & WHAT’S AHEAD

SEISMIC ACTIVITY: DEALS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, HAPPENINGS, & LANDSCAPE MAKEOVERS

CATALYSTS, CHANGE AGENTS & FORCES OF NATURE: IMPACTFUL PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS & RESOURCES

10 GREAT RESOURCES & THE ORGANIZATIONS BEHIND THEM

8 EDTECH TRENDS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

TOP 100 INFLUENCERS IN EDTECH

19 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS STATE OF EDTECH LEADING VOICES Weighing in on the state of education, technology’s role, and what’s ahead.

By VICTOR RIVERO

We asked teachers, Have a look for yourself at the technologists, CEOs, founders, rich variety of viewpoints that investors, students, parents, follow. policymakers, and edtech leaders to register their What can you do to: thoughts on these questions: • stay informed, • participate, and • What is the state of education • take action these days? • What is technology’s role in in creating the future of edtech education? in your sphere of influence? • What’s just ahead? Computer pioneer Alan Kay once The issues and challenges they said, “The best way to predict the face, as well as the insights they future is to invent it.” provide in tackling such points —offer a glimpse into some of Have fun inventing! the realities that make up the current state of edtech.

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“Education is in an rubbish; they're just time-pressed. 2018 examining how students learn in today’s identity crisis. I'm a predictions include adaptive classrooms, hour by hour and week former high school technologies, AI, big data, learning over week. By better understanding the educator turned edtech analytics, improved infrastructure and student experience, districts will have professional, and I left greater emphasis on STEM.” the insights needed to implement digital teaching in large part because schools —Natalie Nezhati // Edtech marketer/ tools that address students’ needs.” pressure teachers to use technology to journalist/qualified educator, Edtech —Christine Zanchi // Director of Student deliver tired pedagogy in a shiny new Content Innovation, Curriculum Associates package. I agree with the movement toward technology, but I do not agree “CIOs are more “Amid the growing with neglecting to reform education challenged than ever to scrutiny about the holistically. Technology needs to change keep up with the amount of time the way students interact with changing needs of students spend taking information. I'm actually okay with education. New assessments, districts educators who choose not to leverage technologies are pushing the envelope will begin to step back and focus on technology, but I'm not okay with on how education is being delivered and rationalizing and streamlining technology simply adding another step taxing not only IT’s capacity but also assessments. This will lead to the to traditional pedagogy. We use existing skillsets. CIOs will look for ways implementation of multi-purpose Chromebooks to administer the same to free resources to focus on pushing assessment tools that provide educators tests we always administered. We collect education forward rather than keeping with the range of critical data they need cell phones as students walk in the the lights on. They’ll do this by focusing to individualize instruction and in turn room. Many educators want technology on the right work not all work, delivering improve student achievement.” to make their lives easier, but fail to see new services more efficiently (via —Katie Nicholson // Senior VP of how they can make students' lives projects), outsourcing security, sharing Digital Product, Curriculum Associates easier, as well.” resources between campuses, —Alex Witkowski // Community automating operational work, improving “We see a lot of Manager, Course Hero self-service and moving infrastructure to positive progress in the the cloud. CIOs will need to spend more usage of technology in “Some institutions lag in the short run to change but then shift education. One area behind but edtech is that increased spending into edtech to that still needs sufficient now mainstream. It's stay on top of the wave.” attention is training students how to use integrated into —Andrew Graf // CPO, TeamDynamix the internet to their advantage in college everything we do and admissions and finding jobs. Training the way young people interact with their “College and career readiness needs students to use the internet for their world. Ask students to copy an attention—and so does teacher PD!” benefit will help prevent undesired assignment from the board and they'll —Srikar Dronam // Hobsons, Inc. online behaviors and will augment equal take a picture and post it into a class opportunities. Technology’s role in life group chat. Most educators are “Districts will increasingly start to and education is growing exponentially. themselves lifelong learners and have look holistically at the student Everyone is Googled, and online adapted well. Edtech companies still experience to better understand recruiting is replacing the role of hold an outdated stereotype of student engagement and its impact on resumes. Admissions officers and educators as change resistant. This is student achievement. This will include employers use the internet to learn

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more about candidates, and students There are many apps and websites “The state of education is changing need to be taught essential 21st century that can be used to benefit everybody daily. Public school systems, private skills of how to present themselves when it comes to education.” schools, charter schools, homeschooling online, create a good digital footprint, —Angela Pelfrey // 5th Grade Science and even virtual learning are taking over and network with influencers to enjoy Teacher, Duval County Public Schools the worlds education systems. Today, better opportunities.” parents and students drive their own —Naomi Ben-Shahar // Creative “It seems like everything is technology education and its tailored to the child Director, Social Assurity based in education or heading that way. and families needs. I think it is good and It does worry me a little. I have kids that a bad thing all at the same time. What “It's exciting! There is are already behind, and yes we are children are learning across all types of so much opportunity to trying to do this to reach them at their education should be the same. How leverage technology in level and excite them with new ideas. they learn can be different. However, the classroom to help But I feel they are losing face time with there needs to be some consistency on students excel and their physical teachers in the room.” what they learn in each grade level learn. I recently attended four edtech —Andrea Barrett // Teacher, ZCMS across educational systems. Technology conferences and am astounded by the plays a huge role in all forms of fun, innovative and interactive programs “In the future, as education. It's used daily for everything that are available as tools to enhance more and more from research, educational learning aids and improve learning. Thinking back to edtech solutions are in the classroom, textbooks and even my days in the school computer lab with developed, the assessments. Without technology the only The Oregon Trail and floppy disks amount of available education system would still be back in and my days teaching with an overhead data will only continue to grow. And yet, the dark ages. I look forward to all the projector, we have come a long way with from classrooms to legislative settings, educational systems coming together to digital learning. The biggest challenge I educators continue to struggle to aid in helping all children become have heard from educators across the effectively analyze data and make successful in all their educational U.S. is how to keep students on-task conclusions to drive data-driven endeavors.” when using technology in the classroom. decisions. Edtech companies need to —a Homeroom Hero participant Classroom management software is key listen to and learn from these pain to keeping students focused and safe by points – on all levels – to make sure we “Flexibility and giving educators the tools to easily are truly serving the communities we personalization monitor and modify behavior.” are creating products for. continue to drive —Angie S. Amburgey // Marketing —Mark MacDonald // CEO, Hero K12 innovation in Manager, Netop Vision educational technology. “Education is difficult due to budget Just-in-time interactions between the “The state of education is in a tough cuts and lack of resources. Technology learner and content, learner and learner, spot right now with the testing has become the forefront, but the lack and learner and instructor (or coach) are mandates. There is not much of rules and structure of how to use it supported by the ubiquity of consistency throughout the country. gets lost. Students are learning the smartphone technology, permitting With technology playing such an technology, but losing the basic learners to manage there own learning important role in the world, we need foundations for reading and writing.” on their own terms from anywhere and to teach the students how to correctly —Nikki Tarver // ED Specialist, BPJH at any time. Mobility, along with use it and be productive while using it. synchronous and asynchronous

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communications tools, will inform adventure. The key is to allow students Digital Content. Curricular needs include emerging highly flexible delivery models the opportunity to try, fail, and try again.” customizable pathways that engage a in the immediate future.” —Greg Baker // District Library Media diverse array of learners. For example, —Bill Knapp // Chief Learning Resources Specialist, Zion Central Middle School educators are using High Quality Digital Officer, Lakeland Community College Content specifically developed for “Public education seems to be at a diverse student audiences to improve “Right now, the state crossroads, or in a crisis, policy wise. educational equity. Taken together, of education is all over Technology is helping grab the attention custom digital content in the hands of the place as we struggle of digitally saturated students who have progressive educators will help us solve to analyze why all of the a hard time paying attention to anything persistent challenges and leads me to reforms imposed upon not on their smart phone screen.” believe the best is yet to come.” us have not and are not working. —James Harris // Teacher, ISHS, SBC —Marty Creel // Chief Academic Teacher leadership, mindfulness, and Unified School District Officer / Vice President, Curriculum & collaboration are now seen as keys to Instruction, Discovery Education turning the educational ship around. The state of education as of now is a Technology's role is varied, but one of complicated one. On one hand, it is “We need help; technology can help to the greatest benefits is that it is bringing amazing that our kids have access and push us forward. Just ahead is a world of educators together from around the can view 1,000 year old ancient Sanskrit diversity—we must be ready for it.” globe. Just ahead, companies like writings, but on the flip side, cannot read —Luquanda Hawkins // Math Teacher, Bloomz, Google, and Khan Academy will or write in cursive. The pendulum of Indian Springs High School, San continue to learn how to harness the education and technology seems to Bernardino Unified School District power of collaboration to customize swing too far to the East and then too far education for individual settings.” to the West. I’m looking forward to “Technology serves to lighten teacher —Ge-Anne Bolhuis // Instructional starting to see a consistency between workloads, expedite information to Technology Specialist, Cartersville H.S. the two begin to form!” students, and allows for differentiation —Chelsea Ramirez // PBIS P.F., ISHS, in curriculum. “Education has become very SBCUSD —Mark Collins // Teacher, Bastrop ISD, quantitative. Too much focus is put on CCMS test scores and student growth statistics. “Edtech is in a state of Education should be more about accelerated innovation. “Technology is crucial in education discovery. Technology is a tool that can This is due, in part, to a today. We must be prepared to teach be used to aide in that discovery. By long overdue blurring technological skills and engage our using technology, students have the of boundaries between students with available technology. I ability to explore the world, learn to technology and curriculum. teach my kindergarteners how to log on write code, create their own unique Improvements in technology now to a variety of programs that are used in content, and maybe even develop the permit instructional designers to my classroom. Throughout their next great innovation. With the strides develop modern, immersive resources elementary schools education they will that have been made in virtual reality, it's tightly aligned with one of all teachers’ be learning how to use a variety of not too long before students will be able highest priorities: teaching the websites for educational purposes. to put on a VR headset and land on curriculum. We call this combination of Technology helps better manage Plymouth Rock, explore the digestive great digital content, customized to centers because students are engaged system, or join Harry Potter on an teacher’s curricular needs, High Quality with read along DVD books that are skill

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level appropriate, on mini individualized student-centered learning models. But virally and make adjustments based DVD players. DVDs are also great for we’re also seeing this outside the upon incoming data. It would flip the indoor recess with the kindergarteners. classroom and around the school. class; they will become experts on the Students are able to work on computers Administration is similarly focused on standards because their work would be with customized assignments on i-ready new and innovative ways to active learning, while also teaching them while I am working with small groups of communicate and collaborate with entrepreneurial skills. I am specifically students. While I do not have a document parents, teachers and the community. looking at those older students who camera or a Promethean board I have Through new websites, mobile apps and struggle with reading. The middle and participated in workshops where I have full service classroom programs. At high schools students that easily slipped seen their benefits. I would love to be able TeacherLists, we’re seeing this quite a bit through the dyslexic gap. If they could to have them in my classroom. I teach also with our schools and through our learn through an Orton-Gillingham Coding Club at my school with 4th and 5th partnerships with companies like method (I could experiment with how graders. I am always talking to them about Blackboard and SchoolInfoApp. Through long it take for older students to master the importance of coding and the future of strategic edtech partnerships schools the phonological concepts) in turn the technology in our society. are getting providers to work in union to students must make learning more —Carol Uriarte // Kindergarten Teacher, develop solutions to school problems. effective for others by brainstorming ways Watkins Elementary, Broward Schools As an example - here at TeacherLists to create better standard based products.” through our partnership with —Darlene Bacon // Teacher, Public School “Edtech is a link between the old and Blackboard schools we are able to make new as we strive to innovate in education. our underlying platform and data “Instructional design is With the rapidly advancing technological available to their schools and parents. one of the most climate and the need for skills that are Parents can visit their school website, complex, dynamic and ever-changing, technology must be a key find what their children need for school underrated activities in lever for student success. and order it in just a few minutes at one the design space, and —Renee DiBiasio // Changing of our retail parents. It seems like a small perhaps the most critically needed Needs, CSA part of what schools do, but it is an technology in education today. After example of how by leveraging leveraging design science and systems “I feel that technology partnerships schools can thinking for 17 years, EduChange technology is make it easier for teachers, parents and believes that Sustainable Open currently used in the community to come together Educational Resources (SOER) will classrooms in such a around student success. greatly improve the quality of digital way that does not —Mary Richman // Program Manager, curricula. Learning-centered, serve a purpose that could not be met TeacherLists comprehensive, coherent instruction will by pencil and paper.” never be accomplished by teacher —Katarina Juarez // Lawndale H.S. “It would be great to see students assembly of disparate digital artifacts, create products. Give students the including lessons. SOER makes “Schools have been and are opportunity to turn state standards into collaborative roles explicit, permits continuing to get creative with products that they would market for ongoing, systematic revision, and communication and collaboration. In their target audience. The product could supports reasonable teacher general this applies to work in the be books, apps, T-shirts, marketable development through incremental classroom: tools and approaches geared board games, test prep material, etc. changes over time. EduChange delivers towards collaborative learning and They would test it out on classmates or a secondary STEM program driven by

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authentic global contexts, ensconced in student experience driven by the unique “K-12 school districts an evolving content ecosystem, and style and qualities of the teacher that are finding it mapped to our current understanding has this technology at their fingertips. As unexpectedly of how people actually learn. We edtech companies improve upon prohibitive to change integrate and track 485+ teaching and immersive and interactive experiences student information learning variables.” for students, the opportunities to find systems (SISes), the databases at the —Catherine Saldutti // President and high-quality lessons and deliver a richer heart of their districts, once they’ve Founder, EduChange, Inc. more fruitful learning experience to invested in one. It’s technically hard to students are countless. Everything from swap SISes, data loss is likely and it can “Education is putting bite-sized supplementary learning be a long, expensive process. In search far more emphasis on materials all the way up to robust of better user experiences, many learning outcomes lessons and interactive assessments are districts are turning to standalone than ever before. The now readily available on one of the learning platforms with modern challenge, as a result, is many teacher resource sites such as interfaces that interface with their SIS. to help students learn, apply and retain Wisewire.com.” These platforms can extend the information in more meaningful ways. —Nanda Krish // CEO, Wisewire investment a district has made in its Thankfully, technology-enabled learning existing SIS, even if it’s an on-premises is connecting students with content on a “Technology has become more system. Students, teachers, parents and deeper level. Such models as relevant in the classroom over the past administration users get modern, competency-based and adaptive decade, and this trend is only going to compelling, feature-rich user experiences learning have increased personalization continue. The next breakthrough of that work great on web browsers and within education, and game-based technology in education will be virtual mobile devices. At the same time, the learning is taking it even a step further. reality, allowing students to experience legacy SIS remains as the district’s system As academic games evolve in things never possible in only a textbook. of record for rostering, classes, sophistication, there is a real opportunity VR allows students who study remotely attendance, grades, discipline data and all to move past the memorization and or abroad to feel as though they aren’t other data currently captured and regurgitation behaviors that have missing out on any experiences, reported against in the SIS.” plagued us for years. Gaming bringing people together from across —Dallas Kachan // VP Marketing, Edsby technologies empower students be the globe (or even across town). Virtual more active and engaged participants in reality is a tool that can take you “Teachers are using tech more. Baby the learning process. Not only do games anywhere, and the potential for what Boomers are retiring in greater numbers make learning more fun, but research this can do in the classroom is now so the younger generation of shows they can produce a measurable extraordinary, allowing students to be teachers is more tech savvy. They have increase in aptitude and performance.” interactive and making learning more an expectation of edtech as central to —André Thomas // CEO, Triseum fun. As VR becomes more popular and their teaching processes but they also more content is available, this will be the understand that technology is always in “Personalized biggest game changer the classroom flux. They are comfortable with that. At learning is one of the has seen in years.” Turnitin, we’re trying to eliminate the hottest trends in —Dave Hodgson // Sales and achievement gap so that all students are edtech today, but true Distribution Director, Zeiss Multimedia successful. Technology makes that personalized learning is possible because it is a 1:many solution more than just technology, it’s the entire yet still able to recognize and support

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individual needs. There is a high volume and resources for instruction can help and educator development to inform of “churn” and experimentation at the address inequalities and enhance future decisions at every level. That data, moment. No one knows what is going to possibilities.” however, is often siloed into disparate end up actually working but the anchor —Tonya Ellis // Instructional systems, which means that educators companies are better able to deal with Technology Coordinator, Jefferson City aren’t getting the whole story about this churn, in part because they have a Public Schools what their data means or what they can deeper understanding of education and do to improve. That’s why, in 2018, a more concrete vision about what “While data systems edtech is about creating connections. drives achievement.” abound in K-12 With integrated, multi-dimensional, —Sean Tupa // Education Program education, a critical connected views of students’ growth Manager, Turnitin area is often missing and educators’ growth, districts can see from the data mix: how each impacts the other. They can “Technology’s role is school climate and culture data. In a gain deeper insights into the relationship to connect people and 2016 research report, “The State of between educator effectiveness and bring down geographic Climate & Culture Initiatives in America’s student learning, and immediately act barriers. We will see Schools,” more than 90 percent of on that data to improve student more edtech that opens educators surveyed believe that performance and build educator up opportunities so that the global addressing students’ behavior is critical capacity.” classroom is, in fact, a global classroom. to increasing outcomes. Yet, few —Jeanette Haren // Chief Product The global classroom of yesterday reported having technology systems in Officer and Co-Founder, Performance meant merely exploring other cultures place to consistently collect and use Matters and/or countries. Today’s global behavior data as evidence to support classroom puts students into DIRECT decisions. In 2017-2018, educational "Increased contact with other locations, people, leaders are recognizing that tracking and competition is forcing businesses, classrooms, and managing climate and culture data is many colleges and environments and these direct now a “must-have” edtech capability. universities to take a interactions are meaningfully tied into With this data, districts and schools can deeper look at how learning outcomes such as career paths improve student learning and they’re attracting students and or applied projects.” achievement, reduce discipline referrals supporting students through to —Sabari Raja // Co-founder & CEO, and suspensions, increase teacher graduation. While institutions are Nepris satisfaction, and positively impact many realizing the value of analytics solutions to other areas as well.” engage and retain students, they still face “The state of —Jennifer Medbery // Founder and significant challenges: integration of education today varies Chief Product Officer, Kickboard various data sources, interpreting the widely throughout the data, and most importantly, defining and country and this is a “A key challenge in implementing strategies to do something concerning fact. The education used to be with those data-driven insights. While opportunities afforded by learning getting real-time data. significant in its own right, data alone isn't should not be dependent on where a Thanks to the the answer; rather the more measurable student attends school. While proliferation of impact surfaces in how data empowers technology use in education will not fix technology, K-12 districts now have an an institution to understand students as these issues, leveraging technology tools abundance of data on student growth individuals. By giving educators the

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opportunity to leverage those insights tools are being developed to help “The state of through a scalable technology solution, schools gather social and emotional education is an they can implement personalized data to better serve students and track opportunity that needs engagement strategies that drive progress of the schools’ SEL programs. to be acted upon. The superior outcomes and student success." The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) science of how students —Matthew Schnittman // President & has also opened the door for the and adults learn is evolving, and we have CEO, Helix Education consideration of non-academic new tools to implement new learning achievement measures in school and in experiences. The world is changing faster “From AirBnB to Uber, state accountability systems. This than we’re changing our schools. We the technologies we love combination of factors will prompt more need to – as educators, as policy makers, have built a sharing schools to adopt social and emotional and as community members – actively economy on a global curriculum and assessments and make try to remove the barriers that historically scale, and broken down SEL a core part of what they teach have stymied the efforts of classroom barriers we never thought possible. students.” teachers to innovate practice and deliver We’re starting to see the culture of —Paul LeBuffe // VP Research & the best learning opportunities to the sharing in edtech as well, powered by Development, Aperture Education students they serve.” open technologies that foster —Adam Geller // Founder & CEO, Edthena collaboration and bring enhanced “Higher education institutions rely learning opportunities. After all, isn’t a on assessment data more today than “So often students large part of learning the acquisition of ever before. It informs everything they attend high school knowledge and skills willingly shared by do – from creating enrollment policies to based on where they others? As technologies become more seeking accreditation. Therefore, they live, not on what they standards-based and play better with must adopt technology that helps them want to study. However, each other, they’ll become easier to use easily acquire, manage, analyze and edtech is helping to change this. Online —a factor heavily favored by educators store that data. Technology is evolving to courses allow students to curate their own —thus increasing learner engagement meet this growing need. Systems being personalized learning paths based on and boosting achievement. That’s the developed allow instructors to create their interests and academic goals. future of edtech: opening the doors to a and administer online assessments as Students can take advanced courses that shared knowledge economy that well as use high-speed scanners if they many traditional schools do not offer due powers life-long learning for all.” are still using paper-based tests. In the to lack of student interest or capacity. Or if —Marc Oswald // Co-Founder & CEO, near future we should expect to see college isn’t an immediate post-graduation Open Assessment Technologies more universities adopt cloud-based goal, students can take online courses to solutions that provide a way to see the explore specific career interests, develop “Historically, K-12 schools have been resulting data immediately, and then necessary foundational skills and, in many judged primarily on academic progress. analyze it so data can be used to inform cases, prepare to take industry-recognized Social and emotional learning (SEL) instruction. These solutions must also professional certifications. With a blended programs, when used at all, were integrate easily with the institution’s approach of online and in-person classes, considered “extras.” But this mindset is other systems and be versatile.” students can take college classes on shifting due to the growing body of —Brian Apperson // Vice President of campus or pursue apprenticeships or research demonstrating that social and Higher Education, Apperson other valuable experience.” emotional competence is critical to —Kim McClelland // Executive Director/ students’ success in school. Technology Principal, New Summit Charter Academy

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monitor and direct students individually pioneering computer adaptive “There is a growing or in groups. We’ll see more of this in assessments, and today we’re studying emphasis on getting learning such as giving students models how the most advanced technologies students ready for to work with that can transfer into an — like augmented reality, college and career and interactive tech activity encouraging conversational computing, the maker making education discussion and application.” bot movement, and AI — can be used meaningful. That means adding —Kim Sadler // National Marketing to make learning more individualized relevance to learning and bringing real- Manager, ORIGO Education and engaging for each student. As a life opportunities to the students such as researcher, I can tell you that the work is internships and service learning where “The rise in 1:1 device policies, BYOD fascinating. Implementing technology that students get out among people and find programs and similar initiatives has led complements and enhances how young ways to place what they are learning into to students having more and more minds develop is incredibly rewarding.” context. At intelliVOL, we also find that access to internet resources. This access —Mike Nesterak // VP, Advanced applications are working together more creates amazing new ways to deliver Research & Development, NWEA and that educators need this interaction content and engage students, but it also to be seamless. Educators will drive the provides challenges to districts that are “Edtech as it relates to assessment is in industry to make more products work mandated to keep students safe. a great period of transformation; we’re together, to have single sign-on and data Students engage in unsafe online activity seeing a growing understanding of how sharing while still maintaining privacy such as sexting, cyberbullying or it can provide educators with tools, data, protocols to protect student data.” researching dangerous content— and information that enables them to —Michele Pitman // Founder & CEO, whether linked to drugs, self-harm, address increasingly diverse individual intelliVOL weapons or something equally student needs. It can enhance their worrying. Schools must identify this ability to make learning relevant and “We see education behavior in order to address these agile through student-centered systems shifting not completely incidents appropriately. Internet and strategies. And it can emphasize not away from technology, monitoring software, which is used to only what to learn, but how to learn, so but more towards track what students do on the school that students own their learning and feel blended and hybrid network, is continuing to get more empowered to create their future. That models including hands-on experiences, sophisticated enabling school staff to said, we must remember that while the use of virtual and physical identify risks early, intervene and technology plays a pivotal role in the manipulatives, and mathematical promote good digital citizenship future of education, it is a means, not an discourse. Our technology, however, has amongst students.” end. We should never confuse the tools evolved that it can marry these —Sam Pemberton // CEO, Impero Software with the destination.” experiences with technology so that the —Jason Mendenhall // Senior VP, teacher can continue to individualize his “One thing is constant about edtech – Strategic Solutions, NWEA or her lessons, facilitate instruction, and it is perpetually on the cusp of use formative assessment in an effective delivering richer experiences for “Schools are gaining momentum in manner. As an example of that, ORIGO children and teachers. I increasingly see adopting cloud-based digital curriculum still employs hands-on learning and a quicker embrace of new technologies products, while pushing print matter promotes the use of strategies for for the benefit of teaching and aside. Improvements in infrastructure students, but we have enabled our learning. And the pace is becoming and product design and delivery are Slatecast features so the teacher can faster. Less than 20 years ago we were finally making it possible to adopt digital

28 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS EDTECH LEADERS WEIGH IN ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION, TECH’S ROLE & WHAT’S AHEAD

solutions at scale. Schools are now also better monitor enrollment trends with other companies, are proving this demanding products that are fully and act on them in a timely manner.” to be false, and I look forward to more digital, instead of choosing print-based —Jinal Jhaveri // Founder & CEO, innovation in the space in coming years - products that simply have some digital SchoolMint there's much work to do!” components. Although many new —Guido Kovalskys // CEO & Co- edtech products are being brought to “My first experience with technology Founder, Nearpod market, many will fail as educators are in the classroom was in 1998 when I had becoming more discriminating in a superintendent approach me at “In 2018, learning evaluating products to ensure that they CompUSA wanting to establish a 1:1 content is easier to closely align to their standards and program for his 6th graders. Fast access than ever. assessments. Technology’s role in forward to today, 1:1 is more common Edtech is helping to education will continue to grow at a fast and we now have an extensive and democratize education pace, but the teacher will still remain at overwhelming selection of tools/ by delivering high quality resources that the center of the learning experience for programs for educators to choose from. can be easily accessed and curated (and some time to come.” Technology is replacing textbooks and is are often available for free). The future —Vernon Johnson, Ed.D. // President & producing a rich interactive learning of edtech will be in finding new ways to CEO, STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning experience. It aids teachers by recognize the knowledge and skills producing data allowing them to teach learners are acquiring in this knowledge “With expanding more effectively which in turn yields economy, to create credentialing school choice options, personalized learning experiences with ecosystems that are open and flexible, districts across the positive learning outcomes for each and portable and personalized, and country are facing every student. I anticipate students recognized globally by education and increased competition falling in love with learning as it will industry sectors alike. This new for student enrollment. Many districts, become more engaging thanks to their recognition of skills--not degrees or seat and even cities, are responding to this teachers using technology as a tool to time--will fundamentally change the way change by offering more school options support their practice.” we deliver education, and will allow the that better cover a broader array of —Paulette Donnellon // Board Member, system to accommodate the massive student needs and interests. These San Diego County Office of Education influx of formal learners, currently expanded options require a new projected to be 1 billion by 2020.” approach to school marketing and to “While progress has —Patrick Brothers // CEO, Navitas managing the enrollment process to been made, the state of Ventures improve the experience for parents and edtech isn’t reflective of staff. An automated enrollment the potential in the “In 2018, edtech leaders are removing experience is helping an increasing space. There are traditional barriers to learning number of districts market their school certainly great companies working to engagement for administrators, options, provide families with easier improve our classrooms and building students, educators, and parents. As access to comparative school strong businesses in the process. Still, I institutions are faced with mounting information, establish a better match believe that the false notion that “edtech pressures to demonstrate increasing with their ideal school choice, and a is a harder space to build a business in levels of accountability to the public and more intuitive way to complete the end- than other sectors” diminishes students, they’re embracing a deeper to-end enrollment process. Staff can entrepreneurial innovation and venture consideration for individual learning capital support. We at Nearpod, along experiences and outcomes when they

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utilize technology to serve their “Huge role.” For many years, education technology stakeholders. Edtech requires a true —Steve Clarence // VP, Swivl companies worked in silos, and we’ve strategy to achieve this at scale – not just noticed that in order to be truly a collection of tools and technology. “I find education slow to adapt successful at helping educators improve We’re seeing an increasing volume of technology. We’re going through a student outcomes, we need to work examples of education ‘transformation’ change in culture.” together to provide open ecosystems fueled by the early successes of —Gordon Jang // Educational that offer a 360-degree view of student innovators and pioneers around Technologist, University of the Fraser Valley performance. These open, flexible analytics, gaming, proficiency-based environments give teachers access to programs, and more. As data flows “Mobile technology is paramount to the key insights they need to provide a more freely between apps, and today’s education scheme. Both personalized learning experience for platforms are easier than ever to use, it teachers and students rely on every student—bringing together has never been a more opportune time technology to complete assignments assessment, instruction and learning to reach every learner.” and stay connected. Chromebooks, analytics to drive student growth. —Ken Chapman // VP Market Research, D2L laptops, tablets and smartphones are Continued collaboration among best-in- now ubiquitous in today’s K-12 class education technology companies “Districts are still classrooms. However, there are still will help empower teachers to truly do struggling with limited funds allotted for tech purchases what they do best—create energizing outmoded technology so teachers often have to be creative learning experiences in the classroom.” that creates drag on and resourceful in how they implement —Sally Searby // Vice President of their productivity and technology in the classroom. Looking Strategic Partnerships, Renaissance prevents them from transitioning to ahead 5-10 years classrooms will be progressive education practices (widely more streamlined, efficient and “Digitalization is recognized as superior ways of teaching productive as technology in the everywhere but we today’s students). As a result, many classroom supports classwork, need to work hard to school and district leaders are exploring collaboration in the classroom and make it happen in changes to their core infrastructure, communication. Administrators will be education widely enough including SIS, LMS and assessment more aware of complete roll out and so that it is of high quality. Different software. Districts are seeking tools that requirements. Looking ahead 10-20 schools and different countries are on a meet the needs of their teachers today years we may start seeing more different level on this. Not only technology while empowering them to incorporate immersive technology such as AR and but also change management is needed.” innovative teaching and learning as they VR tested, vetted and used effectively in —Johanna Kartila-Malmivaara // move forward along a continuum from the classroom.” CEO, Cuppla Technology traditional schooling to mastery-based, —Jon Roepke // Director of Product personalized education. This sea change Management, Belkin “Perhaps the most important has already begun and will continue understanding today, and for future over the next 5-7 years. Alma enables “We’re anticipating prediction, is that edtech is leverage of schools to navigate this transition an increased amount our humans when done right. It can effectively and with minimal pain. of options available for replace function, and so it does replace —Andrew Herman // CEO & Co- educators due to the the traditional teacher pedagogy. This is, Founder, Alma pervasiveness of best- most fundamentally, the transformation in-class partnerships across the industry. of learning. It is changing every level of

30 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS EDTECH LEADERS WEIGH IN ON THE STATE OF EDUCATION, TECH’S ROLE & WHAT’S AHEAD

education from the Feds to school about whether their students have met and measure improvement. The last districts, to IT departments to classroom their learning targets. Verbal questions shift, which is just beginning in 2017, is management. Technology—the devices that require simple student responses the move towards engagement tools that and the software—is replacing functions are easy but may not provide enough will galvanize the students (and teachers!) information, especially when it comes to with an online experience that will keep of teaching, but not the functions that students who may not understand, and them coming back and asking for make people relevant everywhere and thus are reluctant to respond. Because more. The real holy grail for edtech always. In fact, a keener focus on teacher formative assessment directly informs success is to have a wholistic strategy that “ human-ness” is the new trend to watch instruction, it should be incorporated on combines all three shifts. Because if you for in the industry. That is what leaders a regular, if not daily, basis. With a tool like miss anyone of the three, you wont last are going to be looking for and what pivotEd, the quality questions are long in the online world. teachers will be expected to deliver to designed to provide the answers the —Chris Twyman // Founder & CEO, truly support our children as they grow teacher needs, and because they are built Boomwriter Media, Inc. into the leaders of tomorrow. 88% of right into the instruction, they are easy to schools and districts according to our implement. It’s especially helpful to “There will be no provide different ways for students to differentiation 2017 Digital Curriculum Strategy Survey respond, which can help reluctant or between digital will be buying more digital resources in hesitant students come out of their shell. citizenship and 2018, estimated to amount to an uptick Seeing the students’ interaction with the citizenship. We will of $800 million in the K-12 market which material means educators can modify be preparing will total $9.7 billion. Meanwhile, instruction almost immediately as they students to be good citizens in every consumers will be spending over $15 identify what concepts need additional class and every grade offline and billion on direct purchase of digital clarification—and also as students online. A student’s digital brand will learning of all kinds. We are in a critical themselves identify where they may become synonymous with their moment for schools to level up to need additional support. Assessment for offline character.” consumer-grade expectations of user learning can be ongoing and become an —Melissa Davis // Founder & CEO, integrated part of instruction.” GoEnnounce interface and user experience—the good —Dawn Nelson // School Library Media stuff, and not the ol’ talking head video Specialist, Oak View Elementary School, and PDF. Learning Counsel also sees Minnesota digital security is a very important area for schools to grow their maturity based on “The edtech industry data to be released in early 2018.” is going through three —LeiLani Cauthen // CEO & Publisher, shifts. The first, and What are your thoughts on Learning Counsel; Founder of where it started was • the state of education, KnowStory.com focused on efficiency. • technology’s role in it, and Large education • what’s just ahead? publishers made the switch to digital “Formative assessments are a textbooks. This was efficiency for them Write to us: common tool teachers use to check for rather than any substantive benefit for [email protected] understanding of important concepts, the end consumer. Kids could now see and to help the teacher figure out what to the same stuff but on iPads! The second review or teach in a new way to increase shift was to use technology to deliver a student understanding. The most helpful better learning outcome or improve methods of formative assessment are efficacy in the classroom. Many tools have those that are easy to implement but still appeared that help teachers deliver provide the information teachers need curriculum and generate data to support

31 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS SEISMIC ACTIVITY: DEALS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, HAPPENINGS, & LANDSCAPE MAKEOVERS

Policy makers continue to see technology as one SEISMIC ACTIVITY: DEALS, of the prime the sweet spots for today’s students ANNOUNCEMENTS, preparing themselves for successful futures HAPPENINGS, & ➔ Congress launches annual app contest The 2017 Congressional App Challenge kicked off last week and several Minnesota congressional offices are enthusiastically on LANDSCAPE MAKEOVERS board. The app challenge was launched in 2013 as a way to coax more students into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) Edtech: the sweet spot convergence of skills. In 2016, more than 2,150 students from 120 districts education and technology, continues to grow dreamed up 650 original apps during the regional competitions. Winners from each district have their tech on display in the larger, penetrating deeper into the bedrock on Capitol and on the House.gov website for a year, as well as which schools are rooted. getting a share of $50,000 in credits from Amazon Web Services. At the same time, it continues to impact and SOURCE: http://www.startribune.com/congress-launches-annual-app- contest/437402663/ redefine practices and goals for learning, giving them renewed purpose and synching them ever Large infusions of funding for school closer to the forces that shape our world. networks, data-driven solutions, and research and development of scalable models… Here are some notable indicators, evidence of ➔ Foundation pivots from previous priorities powerful forces at work; items that caught the “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a new editors’ attention and merit some focus and investment of $1.7 billion for K-12 education over the next five reflection. —MG years, with the bulk of the funding aimed at existing traditional public schools that show progress in improving educational outcomes, the development of new curricula, charter schools Among other 2017 indicators, this signals focused on students with special needs, and “research and strongly the return of focus on teaching development” for scalable models that could inform best technology as part of reconceiving education practices… in relation to the changing world of work ,,, About 60 percent of the $1.7 billion will go toward the development of new curricula and networks of schools that work together and use data to identify local problems and ➔ Google commits $1 billion in grants to train solutions. About 25 percent will go toward what Gates termed U.S. workers for high-tech jobs “big bets” that could revolutionize education through research “The nature of work is changing on a global level at a rapid and development in the next 10-15 years, citing it as an area pace. Sure, it’s not the first time work has been dramatically severely underfunded compared to other sectors in the U.S. impacted by technology, but the growth of automation, economy. The remaining 15 percent will be for charter schools, robotics, AI and the like have the potential to displace jobs at Gates said.” SOURCE: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/10/19/gates- an unprecedented rate. And Google will almost certainly be foundation-announces-new-17b-for-k-12.html one of the driving forces behind that transformation. The search giant has regularly expressed a desire to help stem some of that negative impact, and now it’s putting its Focus on programs that integrate STEM, money where its mouth is to the tune of $1 billion. CEO Sundar computational thinking and problem solving Pichai announced Grow with Google at an event earlier today in day to day classroom instruction in Pittsburgh, PA. Over the next five years, the initiative will commit $1 billion to nonprofits aimed at training American ➔'Ignite My Future' Aims to Change Learning workers and helping build business.” 'Ignite My Future in Schools' incorporates computational thinking SOURCE: https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/12/google-commits-1-billion-in- and problem-solving, which are used in STEM and other subjects. grants-to-train-u-s-workers-for-high-tech-jobs/ “Using extracurricular activities and after-school programs to pique students' interests in science, technology, engineering and math careers is a common trend. An initiative, "Ignite My Future in Schools," takes a different approach by encouraging

32 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS SEISMIC ACTIVITY: DEALS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, HAPPENINGS, & LANDSCAPE MAKEOVERS

teachers to incorporate STEM activities into their day-to-day Chinese company to provide AI-based, online classroom syllabi and make classes more interactive for adaptive learning resources students. India-based Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Discovery Education recently launched the program, which aims to help ➔ Yixue Education Raises $41 Million: students apply computational thinking and problem-solving in “Shanghai-based K-12 online education company Yixue their work, train teachers and administrators to become well- Education has raised $41 million in an angel round led by SIG versed in a transdisciplinary approach, and embed China with participation from Nokia Growth Partners, New computational thinking into everyday disciplines, according to Oriental Education & Technology and Greenwood Investment, the program's press release. This initiative is geared toward according to China Money Network, which cited local media. middle schools and focuses on improving the teaching The company aims to use artificial intelligence to provide environment in public schools across the United States. Its tailored educational programs for each student, which resources are available online free of charge.” noted that Yixue has worked with SRI Lab at Stanford SOURCE: https://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/ University to study and employ adaptive learning in its 2017-04-11/ignite-my-future-aims-to-change-stem-learning-in-public-schools technology, reports said.” SOURCE: https://marketbrief.edweek.org/marketplace-k-12/k-12- dealmaking-panorama-education-raises-16-million-explorelearning-acquires... Heightened focus in sparking interest in STEM Careers, quality STEM Education for all maker- As districts increase focus on including SEL, they based learning, and more… look for Curriculum, PD, and Assessment Tools

➔ Recaps and Videos From the 2017 U.S. News ➔ K-12 Interest in Social-Emotional Learning STEM Solutions Conference Surges, Creating Opportunities for Companies The brightest minds in business, academia, nonprofit and Districts Are Looking for Curriculum, PD, and Assessment government gathered in San Diego, California, May 24 through Tools That Show Evidence of Success May 26 for the 6th annual U.S. News STEM Solutions National SOURCE: https://marketbrief.edweek.org/market-trends/k-12-interest-in- Leadership Conference. social-emotional-learning-surges-creating-opportunities-for-companies/ SOURCE: https://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2017-05-27/ recaps-and-videos-from-the-2017-us-news-stem-solutions-conference Funding and focus on technology to improve education by providing developing areas Funding and focus on practices and resources access to quality learning materials; training for personalized learning for teachers; and help for students ➔ ➔ Gates, Zuckerberg Philanthropies Team Up Google.org announces $50M for education on Personalized Learning and tech “Google.org today announced a $50 million commitment to “A joint $12 million grant to support personalized learning education nonprofits over the next two years. reflects growing ties between the Bill & Melinda Gates It marks the largest commitment to a single topic area ever Foundation and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Read more. made by the organization — the philanthropic arm of Google (Digital Education) — and reflects its focus on technology as part of the solution The grant marks the first substantive collaboration of the Bill to poverty and inequality. & Melinda Gates Foundation, chaired by Microsoft founder Bill “We’ve seen there’s a role for technology to play in creating a Gates, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic richer learning environment, but only if we can get all teachers and investment arm of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and students really benefiting from it,” said Brigitte Hoyer- and his wife, pediatrician Priscilla Chan. Gosselink, education lead at the “dot org” offices in San Their joint award was given in April to New Profit, a Boston- Francisco.. based "venture philanthropy" organization. New Profit will in The funding will be focused on three areas in which the turn provide $1 million, plus extensive management advising, organization believes technology can improve education in to each of seven other organizations working to promote developing countries: providing access to quality learning personalized learning.” SOURCE: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2017/06/ materials; training and engaging teachers; and helping gates_zuckerberg_philanthropy_personalized_learning.html?cmp=eml- students in crisis and conflict zones.” enl-eu-news2-RM SOURCE: https://www.devex.com/news/google-org-announces-50m- for-education-and-tech-89881

33 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS SEISMIC ACTIVITY: DEALS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, HAPPENINGS, & LANDSCAPE MAKEOVERS

Increased reach of ISTE Standards along with Another important step in the formalization of tools to support the field in making effective technology as a standards-based approach to use of them educational goals, practices, and resources ➔ BrightBytes and ISTE Announce New Tool to Help Schools and Districts Address Digital ➔ ISTE Announces Education Organizations Readiness Earn the Distinguished Seal of Alignment “SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) November 02, 2017 “WASHINGTON, D.C - June 5, 2017 - The International Society The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for Technology in Education (ISTE) today announced that Level and BrightBytes, a leading K-12 learning analytics platform, Up Village and the ICDL Certification Program are the first two today announced a new collaboration aimed at helping school organizations to address all of the elements contained in the and district leaders better understand and monitor progress 2016 ISTE Standards for Students and received the ISTE Seal of around putting the ISTE Standards into practice. Alignment. Designed as a framework for rethinking education and The ISTE Seal of Alignment is considered by the edtech empowering students to be digital learners, development of industry and educators as the gold standard for high-quality the ISTE Standards combined research-based, field-tested products and services aligned to the ISTE Standards. Products concepts, expert input, and feedback from 5,000 educators and resources submitted to the ISTE Seal of Alignment around the world. States, including Connecticut, Wisconsin, program undergo a rigorous review and are evaluated based Vermont, and Michigan, and dozens of districts, are adopting on their pedagogical value.” the standards to guide their digital learning initiatives. SOURCE: https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail? articleid=982&category=Press-Releases&article= Through the collaboration, a new ISTE Standards Lens will be integrated into BrightBytes’ Clarity® analytics platform, allowing schools, districts, and states to view their data Increased scrutiny of educational resources as through the framework set forth in the ISTE Standards. The purchasers and providers refine offerings BrightBytes platform is currently used in 1 in 5 schools nationwide .” ➔ Edtech impact guide is a resource for SOURCE: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/10/ prweb14854730.htm vendors — and school decision-makers, too “Today’s education decision-makers face many challenges when it comes to procurement, not the least of which is determining a product’s effectiveness — that is to say, the Important step in top level acceptance for likelihood that it will positively impact learning for their and formalization of technology across the students. On the other side of the procurement equation, curriculum vendors face challenges around both determining the efficacy ➔ Connecticut Becomes First State to Endorse of their products and engaging in candid conversations with potential clients. ISTE Standards Interactions between purchasers and vendors face perennial “WASHINGTON, D.C.— Oct. 18, 2017 — Today the Connecticut challenges: Leaders may be wary of promises made by Commission for Educational Technology and the International vendors, and vendors may feel like they are limited in their Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) jointly announced opportunities to engage with clients who actually need what that Connecticut is the first state to endorse both the ISTE they are offering. These issues are compounded for both sides Standards for Students and for Educators. by the rapid pace of technological change, which makes it The ISTE Standards are designed to empower student voice difficult to quickly and reliably understand how effectively and ensure that learning is a student-driven process. The edtech products and services function in various real world standards work together to support learning by providing contexts. No wonder procurement is such a puzzle. aspirational and achievable guidelines for the skills and The new Guidelines for Conducting and Reporting EdTech knowledge that students, educators and leaders need. The Impact Research in U.S. K-12 Schools, recently published by standards provide a framework for rethinking education, the Educational Technology Industry Network (ETIN) and adapting to a constantly changing technological landscape and Empirical Education, help bridge this gap.” preparing students to enter an increasingly global economy. SOURCE: https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail? The Nutmeg State’s endorsement of the standards comes as articleid=2096&category=Education-leadership&article= the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology announced a five-year plan that supports the effective use of technology for all learners, teachers and educational organizations in Connecticut.” SOURCE: https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail? articleid=1091&category=Press-Releases&article=

34 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS CATALYSTS, CHANGE AGENTS & FORCES OF NATURE: IMPACTFUL PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS & RESOURCES

School of Modern Learning”, importantly CATALYSTS, CHANGE subtitled “The Urgent Case for Reimagining AGENTS & FORCES OF Today’s Schools” to be found, among other offerings, at the website of their organization, NATURE: IMPACTFUL Modern Learners, “A global, trusted network of over 10,000 education leaders and teaching PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS professionals supporting each other in & RESOURCES fundamentally changing the practice of schools.” ✔ Rallying groups of like-minded, similarly enlightened educators around a set of guiding principles will be an important next step in the evolution of educational goals Who are the advance scouts, the pioneers and practice in age of technology. who’ve identified fertile territory to explore and develop, the drummers who’ve loudly set in Quizlet CEO Matt Glotzbach motion important vibrations, the dancers Interviewed by EdTech Digest who’ve captured our attention and imagination? editor in chief, Victor Rivero, “Practice, Master, Repeat” (posted Monitoring the educational landscape for on October 6, 2017) Quizlet CEO particularly bright signs of life, here are some Matt Glotzbach explained “It’s pretty incredible to see people and developments that have found their how Quizlet has evolved, from a student-created way to the center of EdTech Digest’s radar screen. application for studying French vocabulary to a global learning platform. Today we’re much, much Here are some of the resources and the more than flashcards and rote memorization. Two people and organizations behind them that are initiatives we’ve launched in the past year that I’m vigorously moving our communal signiﬁcance particularly excited about are Learn, which is built meter as they help to shape the still-glowing, on the Quizlet Learning Assistant Platform and new educational paradigm. —MG uses machine learning to power effective student studying; and Diagrams, which allows students to People see what they’re learning in a whole new way. Today, we’re the largest online learning platform Co-founders of The Modern in the U.S., and we help more than 25 million Learner (Network) Will students each month practice and master Richardson and Bruce Dixon whatever they are trying to learn.” Featured in the EdTech Digest post “Trends | The ✔ As we more fully enter Education’s new Modern Learner” Richardson’s phase, that of Student-Directed Learning, and Dixon’s work eﬀectively and tools like Quizlet will continue to resonate elegantly crystallizes the work and contribute the change that’s happening. and thinking of progressive Part of this digital shift involves students educators that has evolved over accessing learning tools for purposes they the past several decades. Their work features identify and to use them where and when the powerful whitepaper “10 Principles for they feel they are advantageous.

35 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS CATALYSTS, CHANGE AGENTS & FORCES OF NATURE: IMPACTFUL PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS & RESOURCES

Newsela Founder and CEO levels. Much of the groundwork for this Matt Gross approach was laid by the late Seymour The in-depth interview with Matt Papert beginning with the development of Gross Good News for Literacy the LOGO programming language back in and Learning was posted on 1967. Mitch Resnick is a former student and June 16, 2017 in EdTech Digest. Newsela longtime collaborator of Papert. One publishes high-interest news and nonfiction outcome of this work is the ever more articles daily at five levels of complexity for popular SCRATCH programming language grades 2-12 using a proprietary, rapid text- which, as of August, 2017 had garnered the leveling process. By combining relevant and attention of more than 20,000,000 users interesting nonfiction content with standards- (see: https://wiki.scratch.mit.edu/wiki/ aligned assessments, their platform gives How_many_people_use_Scratch%3F ) educators a primary solution to dramatically improve students’ literacy skills. Sylvia Martinez ✔ Broadly providing accessible, relevant, Co-author of Invent to Learn engaging content to masses of students is (with Gary Stager), Sylvia one of the most transformational ways to continues her pioneering work impact today’s students. to spread the spirit and word of Maker Learning. (From her website): “ I try not only to capture the excitement, cool tools, and Lifelong Kindergarten: ethos of the Maker Movement, but also the Mitch Resnick opportunities to reinvent education. By Mitch Resnick introduces himself combining the noble history and origins of to the world on his website making in the classroom, with the sharing, (https://web.media.mit.edu/ remix, and invention culture of today, I hope to ~mres/) stating “I'm the LEGO Papert Professor inspire educators about possibilities that exist of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, in every classroom, every grade, and every where I lead the Lifelong Kindergarten subject area. “ research group.My group develops Scratch, the world's leading coding platform for kids. ✔ Maker-based Learning, The Maker Movement, is one of the most encouraging He was first featured in EdTech Digest in the developments in education, organically post “Trends: Lifelong Kindergarten”, back on combining some of the best of 21st Century April 12, 2011. Persistent in his vision and his Skills and technology-supported learning, work, Resnick’s insights have been high profile with approaches and practices to celebrate this year, in numerous published interviews and reaffirm students’ natural need to and his 2017 book titled (what else) Lifelong explore, discover, and invent as part of the Kindergarten –subtitle: “Cultivating Creativity human experience of learning. through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play.”

✔ One of the most important movements within the ﬁeld of edtech currently is teaching and learning coding and programming for students at almost all

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CoFounder of Achieve 3000 phenomenon. The website of Tuniversity Saki Dodelson - EdTech Digest (http://tuniversity.com/#music-education- Awards Program 2017 WINNER reimagined ) proudly presents the motto Music FOUNDER/CEO. Saki continues Education Reimagined alongside the photo portrait her work with Achieve 3000, of Williams under the title text of the book.” whose trend setting resource was one of the first popular applications of technology to the ✔ Arts Education has long been neglected in perennial literacy instruction dilemma of our schools. Music, a rich dimension of the determining and providing the correct level of human experience has long been shown to literacy material to present to young learners. benefit students, including making their Achieve 3000’s website explains that its approach academic learning more effective. Williams’ to online differentiated instruction “…engages all effort with Apple resource-supported learners at their individual reading levels and Tuniversity is a significant effort to re- constantly challenges them to improve their establish the Music as part of the literacy skills.” educational experience of students.

✔ Providing quality ”tailored to student need’ differentiated materials is key to today’s Michal Borkowski EdTech classrooms providing the personalized learning Digest Awards Program 2017 experience that educators have long wanted FINALIST edupreneurs, startups to. Achieve 3000 was one of the pioneers in category. Michael wrote the putting this option within grasp of schools. popular EdTech Digest post For Edtech to Matter, Students Need to Care (October 24, 2016) - How can technological Pharrell Williams (featured in advances play a role in a student’s academic the EdTech Digest post journey? UNPACKING EDTECH https:// From his EdTech Digest guest post: “ Online edtechdigest.wordpress.com/ learning platforms and study tools were 2017/07/11/reflections-on- created to benefit students, not burden them. iste-2017/ ) (From the post) “As everyone on In a society that embraces individuality and the planet knows, Pharrell Williams is the authenticity, edtech tools can only thrive when composer, singer, and music video star of the students feel connected in an authentic and Grammy Award winning song, ”Happy” — organic way. which coincidentally is the basis of Tuniversity’s first book, “Learn Pharrell Williams’ Happy A ✔ Powerful and impressive as they may be, Modern Method for Writing, Recording, and technology tools for learning still must work Producing Music” — an instructional resource within the context of students growing, that uses audio, video, and technology tools developing, and finding their way in a (including Garage Band) to analyze the song complex world. Conceiving how EdTech “Happy” — helping students learn creative skills resources fit within the context of today’s of music making and production. Apple students’ lives and experiences is a highlighted this strongly at the 2017 ISTE dimension of the big picture of its success Conference. This is an effort to re-establish that reflections like Michael’s address for Music (and by extension, Arts) Education as a all those in the field. vibrant, high-engagement, tech-driven

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Idit Harel edupreneurs, approaches and methods to integrate easy startups EdTech Digest Awards to use digital resources to integrate Program 2017 FINALIST technology for the purpose of fostering edupreneurs, startups student creativity within the context of category. Featured in EdTech required, standards-based learning across Digest Editor, Victor Rivero’s interview with her the curriculum. “Idit Harel’s Global Vision for A New Generation”, Harel explained “The goal of Co-Inventor of Makey Makey education should be to provide all students Jay Silver - EdTech Digest with the opportunity to achieve academic Awards Program 2017 fulfillment, joy of learning new knowledge and LEADERSHIP FINALIST. Jay Silver skills, and economic success. In order to do so, made a discovery when he our schools need to prepare them for the new connected smart electronic components to a global economy where computer science and Banana. The rest is history, or at least an utilizing computational tools fluently is the new important and colorful part of the history of literacy.” In 2006, Harel developed Globaloria, the bringing Maker Learning into the an online learning platform oriented to K-12 classroom. (see Jay’s TED Talk ‘Hack a banana, curricula to teach students to design, make a keyboard!’ - 189,124 views on YouTube prototype, and code educational web/mobile as of this writing). Jay, along with co-inventor, games and simulations with industry-standard Eric Rosenbaum, came up with Makey Makey technology as a means of learning content and (https://shop.makeymakey.com/ ), a kit-based creative innovation skills. approach to providing “Invention Literacy” experiences for all. ✔ While many school are just beginning the establishment of Computer Science as the ✔ Maker-based Learning is transforming the basis for areas of serious study within their school experience by re-filling crucial gaps instructional program, Globaloria is left in the instructional program as schools established as an online ‘go to’ source for moved away from commonly providing courses, curriculum, insight, and guidance. Industrial Arts programs in favor of more As an online entity, its reach is potentially focus on core curriculum instruction, but global and unlimited. leaving the students’ needs for hands-on, discovery style development unfilled. Schools increasingly seek to fill this gap and Melinda Kolk / Student can benefit from the availability of Creativity Advocate and ____ materials, like Makey Makey’s, conceived Melinda is the owner of and packaged to support them in this. Tech4Learning, producer and provider of classroom creativity resources, and the Editor-in-Chief of Creative Educator Magazine. She continues to be instrumental in promoting the use of digital learning resources to foster Student Creativity.

✔ Without cost, Creative Educator is available to teachers, informing them of

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is the limit. - Collaborate: Make music with other 10 GREAT RESOURCES & people in real time or share with friends. THE ORGANIZATIONS 4 Newseum ED Winner: The BEHIND THEM EdTech Awards 2017 Content Provider Solution. (from the 1 ClassCraft. Winner: The EdTech Newseum Ed website) “Free Awards 2017 Academic Gaming learning tools on media literacy Solution. and our First Amendment (From the ClassCraft website): freedoms. Why NewseumED - “Gamify Your Classes - Transform We provide free quality online your classroom into an epic resources to cultivate the skills adventure your students play to authenticate, analyze and throughout the year! - Used in evaluate information from a 20,000+ U.S. schools” More than variety of sources and to just a game, ClassCraft utilizes the provide historical context to format of gaming to establish a current events.” fresh, effective context for teaching andl earning. 5 edWeb.net The EdTech Awards 2017 Trendsetter 2 WeVideo Winner: The EdTech Finaiist. (from the edWeb Awards 2017 Collaboration website) “edWeb.net is a Solution. (From the WeVido highly-acclaimed professional website): “WeVideo is the online social and learning network video editor that makes it easy to that has become a vibrant capture, create, view and share online community for your movies at up to 4K exceptional educators, resolution for stunning playback decision-makers, and anywhere. - Video creation for all. inﬂuencers who are on the Advanced video editing features leading edge of innovation in made easy through a simple education. …edWeb is a place interface.” where educators who are looking for ways to improve teaching and learning can 3 Soundtrap Winner: The EdTech gather and share information Awards 2017 Arts, Music, Creativity CREDIT: ClassCraft and ideas with peers and category. thought leaders in the industry. (from the Soundtrap website) “Your very own online music studio where you can record your creations with your device microphone. - Explore 6 Kids Discover Online. The EdTech Awards our extensive collection of beats, loops and 2017 Trendsetter Award Finalist. (from the Kids instruments or connect your own instruments. - Discover Online website) “Access Kids Discover's Multi Device: All your projects are stored online so award-winning library of science and social you can access them wherever you are. The cloud studies material on any device, at any time. >>

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For over 25 years, we've been creating beautifully instruction moves from Teacher-Driven, to crafted nonfiction products for kids. With our Student Centered, to Student-Driven. The team of talented writers, award-winning designers document speaks of “innovations, disruption, and and artists, and subject experts from leading evolution” as ways for Educators to understand institutions, we set out to build our the learning landscape “ most ambitious product to date: Kids Discover Online.” 9 Listenwise. “The Power of Listening – Listening 7 Discovery Education’s Math comprehension advances literacy Techbook and learning for all students.” From the EdTech Digest post cool- (From the Listenwise website): tool-discovery-educations-math- “Listenwise is an award-winning techbook: “This is a listening skills platform. We breakthrough digital textbook that harness the power of listening to engages students with real-world advance literacy and learning in all problems worth solving. Using a students. Our collection of balanced approach to instruction, podcasts and public radio keeps Math Techbook facilitates in-depth teaching connected to the real understanding of all three pillars of world and builds student listening rigor: conceptual understanding, skills at the same time.” procedural skill and fluency, and application. Whether every student 10 FreshGrade. The EdTech has a device, several students share a Awards 2017 Parent/Student device, or the whole class engages Solution. FreshGrade is a digital with an interactive whiteboard or portfolio and grade book resource other display, students can guaranteed to make portfolio/ experience dynamic content, authentic assessment easy. Kids interactives, videos, digital tools, and share their work through a digital game-like activities that increase their portfolio—one more example of motivation to learn math.” how technology, the great enabler, has made a long-held 8 ISTE Standards from the goal of progressive educators, International Society for Technology portfolio assessment, doable and in Education. ISTE released its ISTE within the grasp of the average STANDARDS FOR EDUCATORS in teacher and class. Moving toward CREDIT: FreshGrade 2017. This document (57 pages in its competency based, authentic hard copy form) redefines the learning… tests need to be context of Education, opening with the section contextualized in a function in which they actually “Transforming the Digital Learning Landscape” help learning… blurring the line between and presenting essential shifts in thinking that formative and summative assessment, a healthy, underpin it. Among the big ideas shared Learning growth oriented goal will require looking at Evolution in which focus moves from Tech Skills, portfolios that present real competencies and to Learning with Technology, to Transforming growth as students develop them. Learning with Technology and the context for —MG

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Turning on those virtual ‘light bulbs’ over their 8 EDTECH TRENDS YOU heads reﬂects reconceived and reinvigorated NEED TO KNOW ABOUT professional development, new and exciting tools of the craft, and practices to use them in. noun: trend; 1. a general direction in which Important evidence of this has been showing something is developing or changing. up in the news all year.

Call them trends, perceived directions Here are a few examples of interest. that the ﬁeld is moving in; we use them to evaluate our progress, and make important Teaching Resources. The resources available decisions about steering our course, adjusting for teaching are getting richer, more effective, our trajectory. and greater in variety and quantity due to technology-driven development and distribution. Perhaps ‘navigational markers’ describes them better – or perhaps they’re well marked on- (Education Week - March 28, 2017) ramps to important destinations we’ll be Open Educational Resources Movement arriving at soon. Scales Up “The online movement to share free educational With so much activity going on involving the materials is adding entire curricula to its offerings, rather than just individual lessons and units… use of technology in our schools, it’s good to …a number of organizations and state and local take a few minutes to focus on concentrations education agencies have begun creating openly of similar activity, areas of particular focus and licensed resources that they say will meet schools' expected return on investment as we set the appetites for full platefuls of curriculum, covering entire controls for the next leg of the journey. subjects and grade levels, and not just slivers of them.” The following are areas of intense interest that SOURCE: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/03/29/open- showed up strongly in 2017, with every educational-resources-movement-scales-up-oer.html indication of deﬁning our path through the 2018 landscape of edtech. —MG (Education Week – June 12, 2017) Science Learning No Longer Bound by Limits of School Laboratories TREND 1 “Online simulations and virtual experiments are ➤Re-invigorating Teaching allowing students to re-create lab activities that might be too time-consuming or expensive to do in the Important Truth: Teaching, the most core classroom.In addition, there are hundreds of science business of education, can’t stand still. Those who websites that bring videos, interactive lessons, and data teach and the platform from which they practice into classrooms, everything from NASA's offerings on their art must grow and develop in relation to the weather and the Mars rover, to National Geographic's animal videos.” ever-changing body of needs of their students. SOURCE: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/06/14/science- learning-no-longer-bound-by-limits-of-labs.html The practice of, and platform for teaching, in fact, is expanding—getting deeper and richer Professional Development & Teacher constantly with new and more robust Assessment. As the challenge of being instructional resources and fresh approaches prepared to teach increases, very fortunately, to reaching students. opportunities to make that possible more than keep pace. This is a great time to be grappling

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with a wonderful problem to have: how to move beyond thinking about a new way of storytelling oﬀer our young people the very best to exploring new ways of being.” SOURCE: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-02-07-beyond-the- experiences to learn and grow. hype-5-ways-to-think-about-virtual-and-augmented-reality-in-schools

(EdTech Digest June 23, 2017) How Video-Driven PD Favors Growth over ‘Gotcha!’ (HJnews – April 8, 2017) “Instead of having teachers ‘put on a show’ during Environmental educators share citizen classroom visits, this principal implemented a collaborative science tools at annual conference feedback system that truly improves practice… more than “… environmental educators took to a small park along anything, it removes the “gotcha” piece of evaluation. I the Little Logan River and started collecting data and don’t like that kind of atmosphere. I want to create an observations of their own with the smartphone app atmosphere where teachers want to get better at iNaturalist. teaching, and where I can be there to help them do With iNaturalist, a free app, anyone can take a picture their best. One way I can do that is by creating a of a living thing, enter some basic data, like “Pine Tree” resource library of videos to showcase our teachers or “Beetle” and then someone with knowledge on the who are doing something really creative.” subject can identify the specimen…” SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/06/23/how-video-driven-pd- favors-growth-over-gotcha/ SOURCE: https://news.hjnews.com/allaccess/environmental- educators-share-citizen-science-tools-at-annual-conference/ article_00148546-5e47-5cfd-bd20-c8c068960283.html Fresh Practices. No surprise that our times demand diﬀerent types of activities for TREND 2 learners. Ours is a technology/media shaped world and learning to take one’s place in it ➤A.I. Transforms the Horizon of requires that learning experiences reﬂect that. Educational Possibilities

(pbs - Jun 6, 2017) The progression should have been obvious, as How media literacy can help students should have been its application to education. discern fake news “Recognizing bias in news stories is one form of media First, computers emerged satisfying our literacy. Spotting when the news is totally fabricated is hunger for a way to handle more and more something else entirely. How can teachers help detail-oriented grunt work, and to handle it students tell fact from media fiction? Educators and ever more quickly. media literacy advocates in Washington state are working together with legislators to address the Next, we set before these artiﬁcial brains the problem.” SOURCE: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/media-literacy-can- task of learning. help-students-discern-fake-news Finally, we have them learning how learners (EdSurge - Feb 7, 2017) learn and using that knowledge to teach. Beyond the Hype: 5 Ways to Think About Virtual and Augmented Reality in Schools How this will all shake out remains to be seen. “Virtual and augmented reality are described as the 3rd Will the machines we’ve designed and imbued media wave, following the web browser and the mobile with artiﬁcial intelligence help us teach ourselves? phone. Others are calling it a break from the information age and dive into the experience age. Will they free us up to teach our students the Regardless of how it is defined, it’s an emerging, young things they can’t, transforming teachers into the space… the physical nature of VR allows teachers to expert educators who have the luxury of focusing

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on teaching Higher Order Thinking Skills, self (EdWeek - September 26, 2017) reflection, and the skills of Creativity and How 'Intelligent' Tutors Could Transform Teaching Innovation? “Intelligent-tutoring systems like ALEKS (for Assessment and LEarning in Knowledge Spaces), Cognitive Tutor, Since the field’s very beginning, edtech and a new program in development by IBM's Watson enthusiasts have deflected sci-fi fueled, initiative are starting to expand in K-12 education…” SOURCE: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/09/27/how- Luddite warnings about computers replacing intelligent-tutors-could-transform-teaching.html teachers. (The Next Web – March 13, 2017) We’ve assured ourselves that to the contrary, How Artificial Intelligence enhances education technology will be applied to helping improve “Artificial Intelligence has proven its role as a game the education that schools provide. changing factor in an increasing number of fields, causing transformations unimaginable in the past. It’s This narrative has never been more needed now showing glimmers of how it might forever change and never rung more true. the learning process, one of the oldest skills that mankind has mastered. Indications are that we are at the threshold of a … Machine Learning algorithms, programs that glean far better brand of education now that A.I.- patterns from data and provide insights and informed, Digital Teaching Partners are suggestions, help teachers to find gaps in their beginning to show up where education happens. teachings and point to where students are struggling with subject matter.” SOURCE: https://thenextweb.com/artificial-intelligence/2017/03/13/ Expect great things to come! how-artificial-intelligence-enhances-education/#.tnw_czpDuaBY

TREND 3 ➤ (BBC – December 14, 2016) Student Creativity Could robots be marking your homework? “Artificial intelligence has become an increasingly big Student Creativity represents a major, next- issue for education - not least because many tech step frontier. companies and publishers are circling around the huge commercial opportunities… While much is said about Student Creativity … Georgia Tech, a university in Atlanta in the US, from time to time, the Education Sector has yet deployed a teaching assistant called Jill Watson for one to fully embrace fostering creativity as a of its postgraduate courses… Jill Watson was really a learning goal and to make it a prominent part robot, who helped students and answered their of the instructional program. questions in an online forum, without revealing her cyber-identity. The only thing that students noticed was Recent months have marked a renewed focus that Jill Watson answered questions and provided on this area, one that will prove crucial in the feedback much more quickly than other teaching challenge-ﬁlled future, as today’s students assistants.” SOURCE: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38289079 graduate and tackle problems like saving the environment, inventing one’s own career, global health crises, and complex financial issues.

Traditionally, creativity was the province of the special few.

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Our tech-deﬁned world though, has become TREND 4 one with a need for all people to be familiar ➤Career & Technical Education with the phenomenon of creativity and to be creative in their learning and working, in fact for the 21st Century throughout their lives. Recently, educators have begun to take (THE Journal - 07/16/13) ownership of that huge elephant in the room, Teachers: Technology Encourages Student the rapidly changing nature of work and the Creativity, Makes Teaching Writing Easier need to change the educational experience “A new survey of teachers from the Pew Research given to students to prepare them for it. Center's Internet & American Life Project found that One crucial determinant of success is the skill most teachers involved in the survey consider set that workers show up with. technology beneficial to writing in several ways, including creativity and personal expression (78 This shift has been foreshadowed for years, percent), collaboration (79 percent), and the ability to with some educators taking it to heart. share their work with a wider audience (96 percent).” SOURCE: https://thejournal.com/articles/2013/07/16/teachers-technology- encourages-student-creativity-makes-teaching-writing-easier.asp Now, however, there are suﬃcient breadcrumbs of irrefutable evidence for us to see an institutional change in the making that (eSchool News - October 2nd, 2017) 3 ways to strategically incorporate demand our attention: creativity in schools “How do you weave creativity into the fabric of school 1) technology represents both a cause of the curriculum? School leaders are tasked with this change and the solution to coping with it. expectation in order to prepare our students for the demands of 21st century workforce skills. But how can 2) 21st Century Learning is a body of bulls-eye this be accomplished?.. targets that educators can take aim at as they ..Technology adds to this professional learning method plot new curricula for the evolving world. as webinars and twitter chats are organized around the topic of teaching creativity...” All successful workers in the world that is SOURCE: https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/02/incorporate- coalescing around us will need to be smart creativity-schools/ workers, adept with technology and beneficiaries of an education powered and defined by it. (Ed Week TEACHER – September 20, 2017) Educators Should Steal Google’s Secret (EdTechDigest - June 29, 2017) About Creativity “Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page aren’t shy Trends | Shift to a Digital Workforce about sharing the secret of how they came up with new “ISDI Digital University, an in-person and online products like Gmail and Google News: They allowed the graduate school in Silicon Valley offering a Master’s company’s engineers to be creative. To be exact, they degree in Internet Business, surveyed over 100 allowed their engineers to spend 20 percent of their companies and found that 56 percent of talent work time on their own innovative passion projects… professionals across the United States find it What if our K-12 schools believed in students the same increasingly difficult to find digital talent. As digital way that Google believes ...” transformation continues to rapidly evolve across SOURCE: https://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2017/09/20/ industries, this has created an exponentially increasing educators-should-steal-googles-secret-about-creativity.html digital skills gap...” SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/06/29/trends-shift-to-a-digital-workforce/

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between what’s assigned and what’s passion- (Education Week - October 13, 2017) driven, self-directed inquiry. Google Announces Job-Training Program, Grants Aimed at Future of Work Ideally, the format that instructional content “Google announced yesterday a multi-pronged effort to is provided in, mirrors the format that help students and workers better prepare for a rapidly students consume content in on their own — changing labor market. The online-services giant in the world they live, play, and dream in launched "Grow with Google," which aims to provide beyond school. training and certificates related to a variety of technical and entrepreneurial skills. The company's philanthropic And why shouldn’t school content be that arm, Google.org, will make $1 billion in grants over the which establishes a students’ taste and next five years to nonprofit organizations working in expectations for content, why shouldn’t it be education, job training, and equal opportunity.” SOURCE: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2017/10/google_job- the content that best ﬁres their imaginations training_future_of_work.html?cmp=eml-enl-dd-news2&M=58240740&U=626037 and satisﬁes their needs for inspiration?

(Forbes - Nov 22, 2016) 21st Century Education For A 21st Century Economy (SETDA – June 2017) “Work based skills are changing as more and more jobs Navigating the Digital Shift II: Implementing are displaced by digital technologies. Software, apps Digital Instructional Materials for Learning and online technology such as Uber, Airbnb, Legal “SETDA expands upon the 2015 Navigating the Digital Zoom and TurboTax to name a few has already had an Shift report with a focus on living and learning in the impact on many professions. Online shopping has digital age. In this second publication, stakeholders will eliminated tens of thousands of retail store positions… learn about states’ guidance and policies around the If history is a reliable guide, the technologies that are implementation of digital instructional materials, as well eliminating one set of jobs will create others: jobs that as best practices…” require twenty-first century—mainly digital—skills.” SOURCE: http://www.setda.org/priorities/digital-content/navigating- SOURCE: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholaswyman/2016/11/22/21st- the-digital-shiftii_2017/ century-education-for-a-21st-century-economy/#321168bf6cba (EdTech Digest- February 13, 2017) Cool Tool | Discovery Education’s Science Techbook TREND 5 “The first of Discovery Education’s series of award- winning digital textbooks that are now ➤The New (Digital) Content currently used by more than 3 million students in all 50 U.S. states and several Canadian provinces is their Teachers assign it. Science Techbook™. Originally launched in 2009, the Science Techbook utilizes an inquiry-based format built Students consume it. on the Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate (5E) model. It includes rich, standards-aligned content such as video, audio, text, interactives with hands-on it’s content, instructional material, the stuff activities, and virtual labs that help educators that fuels the day-in and day-out activity differentiate instruction and personalize learning…” of learning. SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/02/13/cool-tool-discovery- educations-science-techbook/ Since the advent of digital content, there’s been a wonderful blurring of the lines of plain old lessons and special projects—between required reading and focused research—

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(EdScoop - Aug 24, 2017) (edutopia - September 14, 2017) SETDA resource helps states grapple with A Classroom Full of Risk Takers adopting digital instructional materials “State teachers of the year explain how they make “As state and school leaders confront the growing students feel safe enough to take risks—and then push influence of technology in education, the need for them to do so… guidance continues to grow on how best to establish …you have to fail in order to grow, and you need to do policies and practices for implementing digital that through difficult situations. How rigorous are my instructional materials. classes? Do I create a safe space for everyone to speak In a webinar Thursday, the State Educational freely? Are my students respectful to one another, and Technology Directors Association (SETDA), along with do they support each other to take risks and fail?” education officials from Louisiana and California, SOURCE: https://www.edutopia.org/article/classroom-full-risk-takers addressed exactly that, building on recommendations from a report issued earlier this summer…” (Education Week - April 12, 2017) SOURCE: http://edscoop.com/setda-resource-helps-states-grapple- Powering Personalized Learning in Chicago with-adopting-digital-instructional-materials “Reimagining learning can happen anywhere -- in an old Navy warehouse, former dental clinic, or an open field. TREND 6 On a recent trip to Chicago, we experienced three schools flourishing in dated buildings and custom ➤ Education Beyond the designed spaces. All three were supported by nonprofit Cognitive Realm: Whole Child innovation catalyst LEAP Innovations.” Social and Emotional Learning, Growth SOURCE: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/on_innovation/2017/04/ powering_personalized_learning_in_chicago.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news3 Mindset, Personalized Learning, and More

Finally, with transformational digital tools (Smart Brief - April 4, 2017 ) and the insights how to use them broadly Boost growth mindset with tech available, education is turning our attention “Growth mindset” is the idea that ... a person’s to the whole student. perceived talents or academic and interpersonal skills are NOT fixed at one level, but can develop, given the Here are some of the important right tools and effort… developments in this area of focus that …Some technology tools can help develop students’ persistently show up where educators focus growth mindset, in subject areas where they commonly their vision and effort into providing the experience difficulty. There are five characteristics of learning experiences that today’s students the growth mindset: Challenges, Obstacles, Effort, Criticism, and Success of Others.” truly need. SOURCE: http://smartbrief.com/original/2017/04/boost-growth-mindset-tech

(EdTech Magazine – September 2017) Educators Use Skype to Foster Empathy Toward Other Cultures TREND 7 “Videoconferencing at the K–12 level truly has the ➤Transformed Student power to knock down classroom walls. From creating opportunities for students to engage with experts as far Experience away as Antarctica to bringing their favorite books to life, teachers have embraced Skype as a tool to broaden What’s been coming ever more sharply into their students’ horizons…” focus during our experience with technology- SOURCE: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2017/09/ supported education (and that period of educators-use-skype-foster-empathy-toward-other-cultures progressive eﬀorts that lead up to it) is that the

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goal of education cannot be the student’s program at school, 56 percent of students say they use internalization of a ﬁxed curriculum. more technology at home than in school. …new research from Project Tomorrow indicates that Rather, it must be the student’s discovery of overall students are quite interested in exploring more himself as a learner, exploration of the self-directed learning at home, eSchool News reports.” SOURCE: https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2017/08/ phenomenon of learning itself, and his students-want-access-more-online-classes-and-mobile-learning evolution as a self-directed, motivated, masterful learner. To that end, much was TREND 8 accomplished this past year. ➤Global Learning Environment Here are a couple of signpost indicators that The traditional classroom, the one so many came into view as we got closer to that goal. hundreds of millions of students spent their youths in, was a very isolated place. (EdTech Digest - October 12, 2017) In Student Hands The universe inside populated by teacher and How technology drives personalized thirty-plus students who so rarely had contact learning. with or access to anyone or anything beyond its “Our students are now avid consumers in the business four walls, the upshot being that opportunities of technology. Our children just don’t play to learn were so limited. Ironic, as education video games alone. Instead, they are often playing amounted to being sequestered from the world online with other children across the country and in order to learn about that world. around the world. Many of the students in our classrooms have smartphones and can access the Talk about a paradigm shift. Internet anytime and anyplace. For the first time, we are teaching children who are technology natives. As a With one—or hopefully a class set of— result, we have to change how we teach in schools.” connected devices, all of that changes. SOURCE: https://edtechdigest.com/2017/10/12/in-student-hands/

(TED YouTube Channel - Sep 7, 2010) Classrooms become not a cloister, but a portal to #TEDEdChat: New experiments in self- a vast universe of what is and what’s possible. teaching | Sugata Mitra “Education scientist Sugata Mitra tackles one of the The classroom becomes not a cocoon, but a greatest problems of education — the best teachers jumping oﬀ place, a staging area for and schools don't exist where they're needed most. In a explorations of a wide and rich world. series of real-life experiments, he gave kids self- supervised access to the web and saw results that could (Orange County Register - April 6, 2017) revolutionize our thinking.” Anaheim kids have live video chat with SOURCE: #TEDEdChat: New Experiments in Self-Teaching | Sugata Mitra astronauts on the International Space Station “ANAHEIM “Betsy Ross, you guys hear us from the (EdTech Magazine – August 2017) space station?” Students Want Access to More Online “Yes!” Classes and Mobile Learning Some 150 students, in the auditorium of Betsy Ross A new study finds that students are using tech for self- Elementary School, had the chance on directed learning outside of school…just over half of K– Monday to chat with astronauts living aboard the 12 students have access to a one-to-one device International Space Station.

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Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough and Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson spent 20 minutes answering questions from students, who have been preparing for months for the “Skype from Space” event by doing space-related research and projects. SOURCE: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/04/03/anaheim-kids-have- live-video-chat-with-astronauts-on-the-international-space-station/

(Campus Technology - 02/13/17) Students Across the Globe Learn About Augmented Reality — From Each Other “One faculty member at Bentley University in Waltham, MA, considered ways that his students might best learn to create and use augmented reality. He designed a bold experiment with a partner school, Politehnica You’re in the spotlight... University of Timisoara, in Romania — the students would create AR artifacts to examine and learn from Over the next few weeks and months, each other. In this learning collaboration, students from watch the transformation of our online presence. these two schools, on separate continents, learn about augmented reality...” SOURCE: https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/02/13/ Visit: www.edtechdigest.com students-across-the-globe-learn-from-each-other-about- augmented-reality.aspx and click SUBSCRIBE to stay in the loop!

“Education is a big, big challenge now. If we do not change the way we teach, [then] 30 years [from now] will be trouble. Because, the way we teach—the things we teach our kids—are the things from the past 200 years; it is knowledge based. And we cannot teach our kids to compete with machines [that are] smarter. We have to teach something unique, [so] that a machine can never catch up with us.” —Jack Ma, Founder, Alibaba, at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 2018. // CREDIT: YOUTUBE (SCREEN GRAB) - WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 24, 2018 - Creative Commons

48 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS STATE OF EDTECH EDTECH’S TOP INFLUENCERS The minds behind what’s now and next.

By VICTOR RIVERO

Their dedication, their Tenacity is another word to drive, their willingness to take describe them. No guts, no glory. responsibility for others—to help those around them (and countless They lead projects, teams, others they’ll never meet), these movements, companies, but are people you want to be around, most of all, they lead people. and feel better after having known and communicated with them. By their example, by their actions, by what they write, Current and former educators, communicate and the products speakers, authors, writers, they create—they are more engineers, technologists, than a social media follower company founders, team players, count, they are interacting with leaders all—they represent a wide those around them, making the swath of who’s who in edtech, as world a better place through well as newer talents who are their work in education shaping the future of edtech. technology, and this year, they are all edtech’s top influencers. They get things done. They are ethical, focused—composed. They Here they are and why. Enjoy! care deeply about the future.

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Doug Dohring Jaime Casap CEO Age of Learning Chief Educaton Evangelist Google Brought together experts in education, Rising from Hell’s Kitchen, NY, creative content, and engineers to Google’s chief education evangelist is launch one of the most comprehensive digital equally proud of being a 10th-grade learning resources for young children, established communications educator at Phoenix Coding access initiatives for community institutions, while Academy; has spread the word on the power and raising $150M to become one of the world’s top potential of technology to promote inquiry-driven edtech companies. project-based learning models.

Nancy Knowlton Alvin Crawford President & CEO Nureva GM Education Public Consulting Group In 1987 founded SMART Technologies Secured partnerships with Chicago, from startup to $800M annual revenue Philadelphia, Atlanta, and DC during then spent the last five years leading a diverse group nearly a decade with SchoolNet; a passionate of people working together toward a common goal reformer, he then led Knowledge Delivery Systems creating even more technology that is simple, before moving on to further address college & career thoughtful and makes collaboration easy. readiness, equity, closing achievement gaps.

Ben Wallerstein Sheryl Abshire CEO & Co-Founder CTO Calcasieu Parish Public Schools Whiteboard Advisors Lively Louisiana leader, longtime (four Idea man; helping education investors, decades!) tech integrator, advocate, companies, and nonprofits on complex policy speaker; constantly seeking and sharing challenges and communications strategy, committed knowledge and resources, has helped schools to equity and access in public education with access millions in technology funding with her invaluable analysis; led his DC-based team in building infectious can-do spirit. an unparalleled, well-connected group. Mike Silagadze Ayah Bdeir Founder & CEO Top Hat Founder & CEO littleBits Grew his student engagement After doing her part to make Beirut a software company more than 617% creative hub, put the power of creating an amazing place filled with smart people electronics in the hands of a new generation of driven by the clear mission to improve education. inventors with her award-winning library of Now, spiffily doing just that for millions of students modules that snap together with magnets; at three-quarters of the top 1,000 U.S. colleges showing how a little work goes a long way, a big- and universities. time maker movement leader. Kimberly Bryant Michael Moe Founder & CEO Black Girls CODE Co-Founder Partner Engineer who decided in 2011 to GSV Asset Management introduce girls from underrepresented We heard him speak nearly 20 years communities to the world of computer science and ago and never forgot his revolutionary talk, the technology; excels in leading a network of people to same has been happening for thousands of build effective relationships empowering them to founders ever since; mustering the world’s most reach their peak performance and drive. influential at the ASU+GSV summit, he himself is one of edtech’s most influential people.

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Jamie Candee Karen Billings CEO Edmentum Principal BillingsConnects Over a decade, worked her way from HR Steady behind-the-scenes force, moved through nearly every department of her on from decade-plus VP and Managing company until 2014, then in 2017 rejoined as CEO; Director role at Software & Information Industry her unstoppable team is now a leading online Association and continues to help guide and connect learning solutions provider supporting educators and countless company leaders to greatness. students in more than 40,000 schools. Bill Goodwyn Karen Panetta President & CEO Dean Graduate Engineering Education Discovery Education Tufts University Most don’t work 3 years—let alone 3 decades Computer engineer, inventor, —at any one company, but this EdTech Leadership Award trailblazer; but truly brilliant in helping more than Winner has been busy: since 1987, oversaw distribution for 85,000 children, parents, and educators with company’s 13 TV channels, grew Discovery Communications’ engineering outreach activities as a real-world U.S. content stream revenues to $1B+ annually, and all practical STEM proponent, and founder of Nerd for a company synonymous with riveting visual content. Girls; also gives a great interview. LeiLani Cauthen Jim Shelton CEO Learning Counsel President, Education On a nonstop tour of more than 50 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative cities meeting and guiding educators Top-level leader with some of the and superintendents through digital transitions, biggest names in education, from NewSchools literally wrote the book on Consumerization of Venture Fund, Gates Foundation, U.S. Department Learning about current state of education of Education, and 2U; it’s no wonder ‘Priscilla and disruption, she’s leading leaders forward into a Mark’ tapped him to head the newest philanthropic technological Age of Experience. behemoth addressing the future of humanity. Ash Kaluachchi Karen Cantor Producer NY EdTech Week CEO Digital Promise Raised in Sri Lanka, advised 1000+ From head of education at Apple to the edtech founders, mentors, and strategic Office of Education Technology at the U.S. partners in the US and Asia; the co-founder of Department of Education, a leading figure in advancing StartEd is an accelerator- and people-builder with a learning and education; oversees an Edtech Pilot dedicated drive toward solving education’s most Framework providing a step-by-step process helping challenging issues. ed leaders and tech developers to success. Paul LeBlanc Phyllis Lockett President CEO Leap Innovations Southern New Hampshire University Raised $70M to open 80 new public Grew SNHU from 2800 to nearly schools in Chicago, now she’s jumping 100,000 as one of largest non-proﬁt providers of into creating an edtech hub for the Windy City, online higher education in the country, ﬁrst to have advancing personalized learning, identifying, a full competency-based degree program; created piloting, researching and expanding innovative initiative to cut degree cost by 40%; leader in the teaching and learning from pre-K to college. vanguard of reshaping higher education.

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Charlie Miller Ji Shen Founder & Chief Design Officer CEO & Founder HoverCam Flipgrid Teenage years in China, now Tearing up Twitter and rocking out at transforming U.S. classrooms, his high- edtech conferences nationwide, this designer-at-heart quality affordable doc cams make it clear to created a simple but brilliant video-based social learning classroom teachers that overhead projectors are a platform that has turned learning upside down for thing of the past. If a picture is worth a thousand millions in the education sector and beyond. words, his impressive devices are endless galleries of student enrichment. Tommy Chang Superintendent Audrey Watters Boston Public Schools Writer/Scholar Hack Education Like a runner in the city’s famous Vital voice in the edtech conversation, marathon, he’s setting a pace with a resilient spirit, widely read and no doubt widely ignored advancing students forward toward a strong finish, (at your peril), edtech’s Cassandra is yours in struggle and using technology to increase student access to and keeping it (sometimes too) real—as she opportunities, empower educators, and open lines magnificently exemplifies an oft-absent yet important of communication. 21st-century trait: independent, critical thinking.

Jessie Woolley-Wilson Eric Sheninger CEO & President DreamBox Learning Senior Fellow Two-time recipient of EdTech Digest’s Int’l Center for Leadership in Education Leadership Award for transformative After 7 years a principal at a New Jersey innovation in education, supports the broader K-12 high school, this EdTech Digest Leadership Award industry and is also waking up 2.2 million K-8 honoree wrote the book on, well, several things: Digital students and 80,000 teachers to a successful reality Leadership, Learning Transformed, Uncommon Learning, every day with over 255 million math lessons. and more. When he speaks, educators listen.

Chris Nesi Tara Chklovski Educator & Digital Content Creator Founder & CEO Iridescent One visit to the House of EdTech, his Ambitious, energetic, focused; devoted to popular podcast discussing how bringing the world’s most cutting edge technology changes teaching and its impact on science, engineering, and tech to the most needy learning, and you’ll feel right at home with a great host groups. “Showing luminous colors that seem to change who infuses passion, innovative ideas, and boundless when seen from different angles” is the meaning of energy into an important conversation. iridescent; in that sense, a true visionary.

Jennifer Carolan Keith Krueger Co-Founder & General Partner CEO Consortium for School Reach Capital Networking Leads a team of former teachers, Since 1995, has led the nonprofit entrepreneurs and product managers; prefers action voice of K-12 technology leaders, especially over 5-year plans. With classroom teacher origins school district CTOs using tech to strategically herself, extended help to more than 50 early-stage improve teaching and learning; his ‘networking’ companies and has made $67M go a long way in isn’t just tech-sense; he’s brought together and creating so many of edtech’s best and brightest. empowered education leaders to form a truly meaningful group.

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Bobbi Kurshan Jeanne Allen Executive Director, Innovation Founder & CEO Penn Graduate School of Education The Center for Education Reform An education entrepreneur and expert The reform pioneer and a managing on how innovation and tech transform teaching partner of StartEd network is a driving force behind and learning, she’s spent 30+ years working in and NYU Steinhardt NY EdTech Week, and a leading researching the education marketplace; her speaker at the Global Education Innovation Festival; always-innovative insights make for enlightening she’s deﬁning some of education’s key issues, and and timely reading. gathering industry luminaries to help.

Ken Wallace Andrew Ng Superintendent Park Ridge, Illinois Co-Founder Coursera 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, a The Stanford adjunct professor former English teacher / wrestling coach originally developed the university’s continues to smack down some of the biggest issues main MOOC, taught an online course oﬀered to in education while maintaining his optimism, his love more than 100,000 students; research on machine for learning, and answering the question, how can we learning and AI, with an emphasis on deep learning; use tech to solve real problems? one of the brightest minds in AI today; there’s undoubtedly more to learn. Bridget Foster SVP & Managing Director Jodi Marshall EdTech Industry Network, SIIA President & CEO FLVS Drives strategic direction, programs From middle school literacy to full-time and initiatives for her education members focused online teacher, IMS Global Learning on providing tech products and services to K-12 Consortium Board of Directors; she’s served in various and postsecondary markets, has done so for over a roles (Senior Director Instruction, VP Instruction, Chief decade; education is a purpose-driven passion and Academic Officer, EVP Business) with the renowned first for many, a business; she helps with both. statewide online school in the U.S.

Hal Friedlander Byju Raveendran CEO Tech. for Education Consortium CEO & Founder BYJU Believes public schools No. 1 problem is India’s largest edtech company’s namesake; buying technology effectively; how much son of teachers from small village in Kerala, should all of this technology really cost, aren’t districts the self-taught student could teach others a thing or two flying blind, where is the transparency in edtech? The about funding, he’s raised more than $200M for $1B answers lie in a collaborative effort, and he’s inviting valuation, poised to help 227M students in India alone you to see through it, and see edtech through. with a range of online classes.

Erin Osborn Dan Rosenweig Co-Founder & COO BetterLesson President & CEO Chegg She’s installed solar powered pumps in Once sold word processors door-to-door, southwest Kenya, taught kindergartners was Yahoo COO then CEO for Guitar in Cambridge, Mass., worked alongside educator/ Hero, now heads up the billion-dollar edtech firm, at activist Jonathan Kozol, and recently closed $10M first focused on textbook rentals, now helping (Owl Ventures) to help scale her virtual coaching students save time, save money, and get smarter in program for K-12 teachers. more ways. Also, Chegg plants trees—more than 6 million to date, making him a natural leader.

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Vesa Perälä Katie Salen Founder CLANED Co-Founder Connected Camps, Finnish entrepreneur disrupting Founding Exec. Dir. Institute of Play education with an AI-driven social RISD grad and professor of game learning platform, in an EdTech Digest interview, design and development, instrumental in bringing says he is looking to seriously shake up education together design, research, and interdisciplinary on a global level; doesn’t desire to retrofit outdated partners to create, study and promote game-based systems, but write a new rulebook instead. materials, strategies and systems as tools for personalized learning. Lee Ann Lockard Executive Director Suzanne Klein Texas Connections Academy Founder & CEO WriteSteps Writing Combination of physical and virtual Elementary teacher, coached teachers school leadership experience, was principal of nationwide, writing instruction expert; Houston-area 33,000-student Spring Branch ISD modeled lessons in over 400 classrooms, presented for nearly 20 years; a stabilizing team builder and districtwide seminars; her passion for helping other EdTech Digest Leadership Award winner. educators grew into an award-winning business now boosting literacy and writing across the U.S.. Michael Horn Co-Founder Christensen Institute, Kate Volzer Chief Strategy Officer Entangled Founder Wisr Ventures First-gen college student who Wrote the book on Disrupting Class; a leading voice continued working for alma mater U on many fronts of school change, advisor at Robin Chicago in admissions office where she read more Hood Learning+Tech Fund, LearnLaunch Institute, than 10,000 application letters—many heart- partner at NextGen Venture Partners; his wrenching; with unique perspective on plight of influence is widely felt across edtech via clearly applicants, started an edtech company radically communicated books, articles, and speeches. improving institutional processes.

Kari Stubbs Frank Bonsal III VP Learning & Innovation - Director, Venture Creation BrainPOP Towson University An elementary school teacher 10+ This edtech investor and teacher-coach years; now powerfully presents internationally on a is best friend to hundreds of entrepreneurs in the wide range of education topics in locales from Abu edtech space. His TU Incubator has supported 80+ Dhabi, Qatar, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Prague, companies, induced 1,000 new jobs, $30M in Shanghai, and Dubai—to Australia, Paris, Beijing outside capital, and created $150M in economic and throughout the U.S. impact as Maryland’s largest edtech hub.

Mark Weston Reshma Suajani Strategist, Author, Researcher, Founder & CEO Girls Who Code Contributing Editor EdTech Digest An attorney and activist, during a Key player at Dell, Apple, Education 2010 run for Congress, saw gender Commission of the States; advises leaders on edtech gap in computing classes leading her to start the and public policy, consulted 13 countries, 42 state nonprofit she now heads, bringing together legislatures, US Congress, dozens of companies, powerful names in business, and introducing hundreds of districts. Pioneered earliest laptop for 40,000 girls to coding through afterschool and every student initiative with Angus King. summer programs.

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Desiree Alexander Jinal Jhaveri Regional Director Associated CEO & Co-Founder SchoolMint Professional Educators of Louisiana Frustrated San Francisco father struggling An award-winning multiple degree- to enroll his own daughter in preschool, holding educator, she empowers other educators created an invaluable cloud-based (vs. paper-based) to discover and amplify their intrinsic desire to student enrollment school choice platform now used become innovators in education, and is creating a by pre-K-12 schools worldwide, helping parents worldwide network of like-minded improvement- toward a smoother, streamlined experience. focused education leaders. Deborah Quazzo Elliot Levine Managing Partner GSV Acceleration Director of Education HP As co-founder of the annual ASU+GSV As his company’s ﬁrst Distinguished Summit, now in its 9th year with over Technologist focused solely on edtech, 4,000 attendees, a key figure in celebrating drives strategy for the $1B blue chip; speaks on future innovations and innovators across the global of education and knows K-12 and higher education, $4.9 trillion education and talent technology as well as startup experienced; a strategist, planner, landscape; one of the most results-oriented and enthusiastic thought leader. leaders in the industry.

Diane Doersch Mitch Weisburgh CTO & CIO Founder Academic Business Advisors Green Bay Area School District Developed systems, content, The former teacher is a 30-year veteran curriculum and courses across K-12, of education, masters in edtech, built a data postsecondary, and corporate training sectors; warehouse, passionate about providing technology helped countless organizations grow; co-authored and opportunities to all students; built a regional SIIA guide to postsecondary market; edtech consortium of schools working to provide real-time speaker; EdTech Awards judge and games-for- data to principals and teachers. learning advocate.

Mark Milliron Marcus Noel Co-Founder & Chief Learning Officer Founder & CEO Heart of Man Civitas Learning ConnectED fellow at U.S. Department of First-gen college student, came from a Education, this STEAM design thinking family of nine; helms one of higher education’s fastest- teacher is now founder of immersive growing companies; believes we’re entering a Golden entrepreneurship program enabling middle and Age of Learning and is making it so in his scalable high school students to identify their core work with radically personalized, powerful tech— motivations, transforming them into game- and actionable data—for all. changing products and businesses.

Cindy Wenjuan Mi Matt Pittinsky Founder & CEO VIPKID CEO Parchment With Jack Ma Foundation, her Famous as a Blackboard co-founder, the company launched an English- ASU assistant research professor is a language education initiative for schools in rural longtime leader in the edtech world, he jumped back China; her edtech company makes students in after a ﬂedgling startup at the ﬁrst ASU+GSV aged 4-12 feel highly valued with help from the Summit caught his eye. He’s also a co-founder of world’s best teachers for real-time online EdTechAZ, helping local (Arizona) startups. English immersion learning.

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Anthony Kim Hui Zhi Co-Founder Education Elements Founder & CEO DadaABC First interviewed by EdTech Digest in Under her leadership, the mainland 2012, began career helping higher ed China-based online one-to-one English with tech projects and data; moved into K-12 shortly platform for potentially 40 million young children is after with online learning emphasis; his work has showing the world what China can bring to resulted in 130% student growth in reading, 122% in edtech, cooperating with international publishers math; working with over 127 districts in 34 states, like Pearson, and she’s just getting started. he’s seen what constitutes success. Ben Vedrenne Alefiya Bhatia Founder EdTechX Europe Co-Founder Crescerance First wrote for EdTech Digest on the In 2011 started creating apps for Digitalization of Education back in 2013; schools to increase community since built Europe’s largest edtech summit, now in its engagement, but a side effect was interest in how 5th year, gathering exec level investors, innovators, and the apps were created, and a Mobile App influencers from European and international education Development (MAD-learn) offshoot was born to companies—recently expanding into Asia as well. teach students to move from being tech consumers to becoming tech creators. Andy Plemmons Library Media Specialist Jose Ferriera Barrow Elementary Co-Founder & CEO Bakpax His students Skype often with authors, After his $157M Knewton (through which guest speakers, and developers of the tools they he nearly coined the term “adaptive use in class; his students-as-creators approach has learning”), the former Kaplan exec is now busy building inspired a global education community; continues a new edtech startup helping to carry the load for a to focus on giving students a voice – using smart group that could really use it: teachers who “are pedagogy and technology to inspire them. overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated.” Jennifer Groff Susan Patrick Co-Founder President & CEO iNACOL Center for Curriculum Redesign One of few in the ‘former Director of the A Ph.D. candidate at MIT Media Lab, Office of Education Technology’ club, wrote educational engineer passionate about redesigning 2005 National Education Technology Plan for Congress; learning environments to put deeper learning for that same year started her role in creating the leading each learner at system center; Executive Producer of voice in online blended competency-based education; Playful Learning, a Learning Games Network project, she’s online learning’s strongest advocate. watch for more from her in the future.

Darryl Adams Richard Culatta Retired Superintendent CEO International Society for Coachella Valley USD Technology in Education (ISTE) Began his career as musician, singer/ Former (and first) Chief Innovation songwriter and music publisher in hometown of Officer in RI, was Senior Advisor to U.S. Memphis, TN; went on to become LAUSD music teacher, Secretary of Education; recently took the helm then principal and superintendent who provided iPads to of the 16,500-member nonprofit org working 20,000 students; the hip-hop ‘edu-tainor’ and speaker with global education community through delivers unique ‘keynote concerts’. advocacy, standards and hosting one of edtech’s largest gatherings.

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Cathy Cruzan John Baker President Funds For Learning Founder & CEO D2L Since 2000, has been an integral part While a 22-year old engineering of the nation’s leading E-rate Funding student, founded the now 750- Compliance Services firm; committed to the long- employee strong company, with nearly $200M in term success of the E-rate program, she’s helped funding, serving both higher education and 700+ clients in all 50 states understand rules and K-12, transforming the way millions of students effectively obtain billions of dollars for their learn with a unique untraditional LMS. school tech. Libby Fischer Elad Shoushan CEO Whetstone Education CEO Ready4 Her New Orleans-based edtech firm A former Israeli national team basketball makes classroom observation easier player and cum laude grad, he’s upped with a platform on which leaders take notes, share his game to create the world’s most advanced feedback, set goals, and analyze progress in one mobile learning platform, having reached over 2 place; she’s worked very hard to make a smoother million learners in 195 countries and 100+ university process for school leaders to pinpoint teacher partners to connect with students worldwide. needs and next steps for growth.

Charlene Blohm Karl Mehta President CB&A Founder & CEO EdCast Education, special needs and workforce With his then 12-year old son, co- development clients are better for her founded PlaySpan (acquired by Visa for help; more than 26 years opening doors and $190M), then in 2013, the EdTech Digest creating connections for others. A multiple EdTech Trendsetter Award winner founded a learning Digest Leadership and Trendsetter Award winner, experience platform serving Fortune 500 she’s a well-known industry go-to person. companies with its ‘knowledge-sharing cloud’.

Charles Best Horacio Ochoa Founder DonorsChoose Head of Marketing Bloomz In 2000, launched nonproﬁt classroom Marketed Zune and Xbox for Microsoft; crowdfunder out of Bronx high school consulted for Starbucks food in retail where he taught history. Addressing educational stores; created a site connecting people who love inequity, his bright idea raised $615M for 1M+ Mexican culture with hard-to-ﬁnd products, and projects helping 25 million students, 76,000 now just surpassed the 1 million mark applying his schools and 395,000 teachers with donations from hard-won marketing genius with a web app nearly 3 million discerning supporters. securely connecting teachers with parents.

Robert Iskander Eric Allen Founder& Chairman VIP Tone Founder Admit.Me In 1992, started Middle East ops for With a ‘focus-on-growth—sleep-optional’ Sun Microsystems; founded the mantra, this Wharton-MBA grad is SchoolTone Alliance in 1999, former EVP and GM of building an admissions community of applicants WestCorp’s SchoolMessenger solutions 2014-17, providing the tools that help students get accepted to this veteran technology leader has served over 100 their dream programs; his platform reduces the 480:1 million end users to get very important people— student-to-guidance counselor ratio to 1:1. parents—communicating about education.

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Tom Vander Ark Tracy Weeks CEO Getting Smart Executive Director State Education The former WA superintendent and Technology Directors Association retail chain exec distributed $3.5 Former Chief Academic and Digital Billion as first Executive Director of Education for Learning Officer for NC department of public the Gates Foundation; a Learn Capital partner, instruction, the self-described data geek is one of prolific writer, speaker, summited 14ers, but his the nation’s most prominent leaders in academics vast learning landscape knowledge makes him an and digital learning, on a mission to provide safe indispensable guide for all things edtech. access and high quality education for children.

Sandra Paul Jeremy Friedman Senior Exec Instructional Tech Founder & CEO Schoology Former New Jersey school district An EdTech Leadership Award honoree, in administrator, tech teacher in the US 2012 he wrote about The Data Dilemma in Virgin Islands; has spent over two decades Education, and has appeared in EdTech Digest in- speaking about BYOD, Web policies, social media, depth interviews about the future of edtech; he’s connected educators, and is an #edtechchat since expanded his LMS from 100,000 to a whopping tweeter and active in CoSN, ISTE, and founding 20 million users—and continues to innovate. member of EdcampNJ. Jennifer Corriero Fernando Valenzuela Executive Director TakingITGlobal EdTech Edupreneur Latin America She’s been designing and delivering 18 years a teacher and a pro soccer youth engagement programs since coach, he’s leveling the playing ﬁeld for 1999 when she founded her global youth education in 25+ countries as one of Latin network (now 500k-members strong). Avid America’s most capable digital transformation supporter of classroom tech, she’s been an catalysts, a charismatic leader shaping the future of EdTech Awards judge, has presented in 30+ education for millions of students. countries and inspired youth worldwide.

Sophie Bailey Anant Agarwal Founder The EdTech Podcast Founder & CEO edX Improving dialogue between ed and MIT professor taught the online learning tech through storytelling, former head destination’s first course on circuits and of content for BETT has her own podcast electronics, drawing 155,000 students from 162 downloaded 1,500+ times a week in 140+ countries. With 90+ partners, edX is the only nonprofit countries; in 2017, hit 100,000 downloads for the open source MOOC provider; he’s co-founder of year; with 100 episodes done, she’s just getting several companies as well, and one of the world’s started. Next: a festival. leading computer science innovators.

Doug Levin Rita Ferrandino President EdTech Strategies Founding Partner Former Executive Director of the State Arc Capital Development Education Technology Directors With three decades worth of success Association, now the head of a heavy-hitting in building companies, her global private consultancy at the intersection of education, public investment and advisory firm operates in the K-20 policy, tech and innovation—his high-profile empirical market and has served 105+ clients. She’s a research, writing, and speaking is enlightening leaders dream-making rainmaker—and for those who’ve on some of edtech’s toughest issues. spent any time around her, fun-maker.

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Vicki Bigham Lev Gonick President CIO Arizona State University Bigham Technology Solutions Educator, technologist and smart city She’s helped publishers, research orgs, advocate, he’s been teaching, working tech companies and national associations respond and living on the ‘net for more than 25 years. to a shifting market; her ever-popular ‘She Snoops Co-founder of DigitalC, the next-gen broadband for Scoops’ column has been a longtime hit with nonproﬁt, he’s been on a mission to make the edtech industry leaders; her big presence in the internet accessible for living and learning, and is in the sector has brought people together. league of extraordinary edtech visionaries.

Tory Patterson Kecia Ray Managing Partner Owl Ventures Executive Director Swooping into edtech with $185M in Center for Digital Education fresh capital specifically for education Led instructional technology programs startups, he’s heading up a team eager to support a for metro Nashville Public Schools, the former ISTE new wave of entrepreneurship and innovation across board of directors now capably and energetically the education spectrum and has partnered with 15+ leads school district officials at the helm of one of companies thus far, and more to come. the nation’s foremost research and advisory institutes for K-12 and higher education. Rose Else-Mitchell Chief Learning Officer John Bailey Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Fellow Chan Zuckerberg Initiative From classroom teacher to television Big thinker, clear communicator, book reviewer, former EVP of K-12 U.S. and Global approachable; a consistent leader in Product Development at Scholastic responsible for edtech over the years, with U.S. Department of READ 180, MATH 180—she’s now heading up HMH Education, Gates foundation, White House Efficacy Research, Learning Science and Data Analytics (’07-’09), Whiteboard Advisors, Digital Learning teams, and teaching / learning platforms. Now!, Foundation for Excellence in Education, and now a Fellow at CZI. Sugata Mitra Professor of Educational Technology Vicki Davis Newcastle University Teacher, IT Director With his Hole in the Wall experiment, Camilla, Georgia and widely viewed TED talk, taught the world The very full-time educator doesn’t stop valuable lessons about what happens when children with her classroom, her lessons are transforming the are let to explore technology on their own terms; way people think about teaching as she shares inadvertently, illuminated the disparity between our BYOD stories on her blog, with 153K followers, advanced technology and levels of humanity. through her 5-day a week “10-minute Teacher Show” podcast, and more than 20 keynote speeches. Mary Skipper Superindent Rob Waldron Somerville Public Schools MA CEO Curriculum Associates TechBoston Academy’s founding Educator-founded firm recently quintupled headmaster, former Boston Public School Network revenues, making it nation’s fastest-growing Superintendent, and former Technology Project K-12 education publisher. His 700+ staff Billerica, MA- Manager within BPS Office of Instructional based top-place-to-work is a $190M blended learning Technology, she’s no stranger to bringing innovation powerhouse, and the EdTech Award honoree is focused and leadership to diverse neighborhoods. on the long term—he’s signed a 20-year contract.

59 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT HIGHLIGHTS FUTURE THE FUTURE: ARE WE ‘GOOD TO GO’? FIVE DEVELOPMENTS

THE FUTURE: GOOD NEWS FOR EDUCATION

EDTECH1000: COMPANIES TRANSFORMING EDUCATION+

10 COMPANIES TO WATCH & WHY

THE EDTECH AWARDS

WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM

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drudge work for both teachers, students, and THE FUTURE supervisors. And freed up, school will be able to focus more on oﬀering the, until now, Technology, ever the elusive Thinking Curriculum enabler, will function as an engine fueled by inspiring, passion- to realize educators’ dreams. based learning experiences. The digital learning School is about to become, Best practices—ways of fostering very cool! learning long held as optimal, but center (soon no longer until now too impractical for mass (Financial Times) How implementation—are increasingly to be known as The robots are teaching becoming ‘good to go.’ Singapore’s kids Classroom) will In Singapore, admired globally for its education system, authorities are More of this sort of trialling the use of robotic aides to transformation beckons from become the norm as teachers in kindergartens. Two distant horizons and those humanoid robots, Pepper and Nao, freshly within grasp. we move closer to assisted teachers in a seven-month trial at two Singapore preschools last true tech ubiquity: year, while technology-enabled toys Where are we heading? such as Kibo were deployed at 160 devices, nurseries, including Sparkletots. Here are some specific developments that schools will infrastructure, (EdTech Digest) Cool Tool | be experiencing. —MG Awe Media With this cool tool, create your own

connectivity, and Mixed Reality experiences with a simple drag and drop interface, with DEVELOPMENT #1 human capacity to no code – using your computer, smartphone or tablet. This company The Learning also helps schools and organizations implement customize complex “awe” apps and Environment and the even roll out branded awe platforms experiences oﬀered in it, technology- for your group. continued evolution. The digital learning center (soon supported student no longer to be known as The DEVELOPMENT #2 Classroom) will become the activities. Deeper, Broader norm as we move closer to true Technology tech ubiquity: devices, infrastructure, connectivity, and Integration through human capacity to implement technology- implementation of a body of practices and supported student activities. the symbiotic development of new varieties In addition to smarter and more sophisticated of resource to support them. We will soon instructional content and tools with which to arrive at a situation in which the existence access and process it - we’ll see: - Robots, both of a tech-based resource that reestablishes humanoid and other – Learning Resources that virtually all teaching and learning functions leverage Artiﬁcial Intelligence (Machine in an improved and enhanced way, that Learning). There will be far less educational teachers who opt for older, hard-copy

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oriented teaching will need to be prepared The New Student: self directed and taking to explain why they made that decision. charge “we want kids to figure things out. We want them to know that figuring it out is an employable skill in the work force.” (Source: (EdTech Digest) Cool Tool Mobile lab encourages students to 'figure | NextLesson things out' Columbus Telegram Jan 7, 2017 This platform offers K-12 teachers over 10,000 resources that engage students in real world problem solving through topics they care about, such as movies, books, (EdTech Digest) Cool Tool | sports and celebrities. Complementing core sofatutor adoptions, NextLesson enables students to Students truly thrive when they’re in develop deep understanding of skills … We want kids to charge of shaping their academic futures and developing their full (EdTech Digest) Cool Tool | potential – or so believe the makers of sofatutor, a platform empowering K-12 Discovery Education Streaming figure things students by providing them with tools Featuring tens of thousands of to take control of their own learning… standards-aligned and searchable videos, images, primary source documents, podcasts, audio books, articles and more, out. We want (New York Times) A New Discovery Education Streaming has long Kind of Classroom: No been a “must have” cross-curricular K-12 Grades, No Failing, No digital content resource for educators them to know Hurry across the country. At M.S. 442, students are encouraged to focus instead on mastering a set of grade- DEVELOPMENT #3 that figuring level skills, like writing a scientific hypothesis or identifying themes in a story, Technology Expanding moving to the next set of skills when they and Enriching the have demonstrated that they are ready. In things out is these schools, there is no such thing as a C Learning Platform or a D for a lazily written term paper. There is no failing. The only goal is to learn the More and more educational material, sooner or later. possibilities will continue to an employable appear. We’ll see the increased popularization of Personalized, skill in the DEVELOPMENT #4 Self Directed, and Competence Teaching, Learning, Based Learning. Not only will education be tailored to the work force. and the School-to- needs of individuals, but to those Work Continuum of population segments and School-based Learning communities, as well. experiences will be integrated more fully with the real (Edutopia) Computational Thinking Across world… er, the world beyond school. In the Curriculum essence, the destination becomes the vehicle As defined by Jeannette Wing, computational thinking is “a way of by which the traveler moves toward it! solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior by drawing on the concepts of computer science.” To Educators and educational policy makers will the students at my school, it’s an approach to tackling challenging be taking a much closer look at which skills will questions and ambiguous puzzles. We explicitly integrate actually be of use and in demand in the computational thinking into all of our classes…” evolving economy as the general population

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continues to experience a disconnect between and products with students taking advantage the relevance of the current curriculum and of the large number of technologies and labor demands of the marketplace. applications designed to support users in this ever more crucial way. (Forbes 2017/07/18) Teaching 21st Century Skills For 21st (EdTech Digest) Cool Tool | Century Success Requires An Classrooms will Book Creator Ecosystem Approach Putting publishing into the hands of “…students’ success in classrooms and in the become publishing students is what this cool tool does. workforce requires that their educational With Book Creator, students aren’t experiences both reflect our current digital doing busywork, they are creating world and equip them to engage with it.” center, galleries and content that they can then publish to an authentic audience. They create a ﬁnished product and are aﬀorded a (Education Week's blogs July theaters, and digital platform for sharing their learning 31, 2017) Skip Coding, Teach with peers and others. This tool has Data Science performance spaces. the potential to engage reluctant writers, and it promotes collaboration “The best way to avoid teaching soon to be obsolete computer languages to waves of In many ways, and understanding in students. young people that may never use them is to lead with problems worth solving and teach students will use (EdTech Digest) Cool Tool | just-in-time (JIT) coding.” And “While there is high demand for coding skills today, AI will Drawp for School increasingly take over routine coding jobs as technology to create Drawp for School is a powerful it grows in sophistication… The longer term content creation and collaboration and larger employment and impact and share as platform for students and teachers. opportunities lie in data science...” Teachers use Drawp as a robust workflow management platform to creativity garners automatically distribute, collect and sort assignments and to track DEVELOPMENT #5 more and more collaboration. Students use its creative design tools to add Increased Focus on drawings, photos, text and voice Student Creativity and attention and recording stickers to any assignment for any subject. Its Preparation for the acknowledgement swipe-to-share feature gives Creativity- and students an easy way to as a process and collaborate with other students. Innovation-Centered Workplace method to learn.

This will become a goal and a feature of the average school’s instructional program. Classrooms will become publishing centers, galleries and theaters, and digital performance spaces. In many ways, students will use technology to create and share as creativity garners more and more attention and acknowledgement as a process and method to learn. Technology, will play a very large role in the creation of performances

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GOOD NEWS! “Sixty-three percent of K-12 educators use edtech in their classrooms each day–an Congratulations to us. increase from the 55 percent reporting the same in 2016, according to an annual survey from the Here’s some very good news for College of Education at the education. Long gone are the University of Phoenix. Read the full article at its source: This small collection of items days of textbooks and https://www.eschoolnews.com/ from our virtual scrapbook of 2017/10/04/survey-classroom- “State of” indicators informs the chalkboards. edtech-rise/2/ minds behind EdTech Digest that deeper, more meaningful Classrooms have “With nearly half a million technology use—that’s directed at computing jobs going unfilled the realization of education’s most evolved, and teachers this year, according to important goals—is on the Code.org, everyone from Google to the White House is horizon. are now turning to eager to emphasize tech training. It's offered in the All of these appeared in 2017. technology to develop name of closing the so-called lesson plans. This “skills gap,” and giving a more diverse set of people, beyond “Long gone are the days of evolution comes as Silicon Valley and New York textbooks and chalkboards. City, a crack at lucrative Classrooms have evolved, and no surprise careers in tech. But teachers are now turning to Hopeworks’ founders and technology to develop lesson considering the staff recognized nearly two plans. This evolution comes as no decades ago that propelling surprise considering the variety variety of options people into the tech of options available to students, workforce from communities parents, and teachers. With available to like Camden, notorious for its computers, laptops, tablets, high rates of poverty and smartphones and more, learning students, parents, crime, requires a lot more no longer requires the standard than just teaching them to tools of the past.” and teachers. code. Read the full article at its source: Read the full article at its source: https://edtechdigest.com/ https://www.wired.com/story/in- 2017/10/18/tools-teachers-love/ camden-bridging-the-skills-gap- means-more-than-tech-training/ “Using the format familiar to anyone who has viewed various TED Talks, students create an “Course choice, also known as course access, impassioned speech that they use to allows for parents and students to select inform―and perhaps more importantly, various pre-approved courses beyond what persuade―their peers about their key their districts normally offer. The courses, environmental issue…” Read the full article at its many of which are taught online, can include source: https://teachthought.com/pedagogy/ everything from university classes and SAT students-create-ted-talks/ preparation to welder training.”

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Read the full article at its source: https:// STEM classes and into lessons on language arts, www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/04/05/course- social studies, and even art and music.” choice-a-different-way-to-expand.html Read the full article at its source: http://blogs.edweek.org/ teachers/teaching_now/2017/10/ “People researching education classroom_robotics_innovation.html? technology and learning science cmp=eml-enl-tu- — cyberlearning — populate the news3&M=58240826&U=626037 landscape. A new report from the The goal of education Center for Innovative Research in “From digital readers Cyberlearning has undertaken cannot be the student’s to online platforms that aim to the ambitious project of sifting teach social-emotional skills, through what those researchers internalization of a schools are increasingly are exploring to uncover the relying on software and major trends and help us fixed curriculum. devices to try to enliven and understand where education — enhance day-to-day lessons. pre-K-12 and post-secondary — Rather, it must be But despite their growing use may be headed over the next in K-12 education, online decade or two.” the student’s curricula, digital tools, and Read the full article at its source: personalized learning https://campustechnology.com/ discovery of himself programs deliver mixed articles/2017/10/23/6-broad-trends- results. emerge-for-future-of-ed-tech.aspx as a learner, Some show evidence of success, like digital math “…Now, new superintendent exploration of the games that raise student one-pagers from CoSN offer a achievement and engage comprehensive set of resources phenomenon of students. But many others still focused on different edtech have significant shortcomings. topics to help guide and learning itself, and Do digital tools simply need empower superintendents as better instructional design for they lead their schools, educators his evolution as a easier implementation, or and students through the digital should educators consider transformation. The one-pagers self-directed, dramatically scaling down also aim to help superintendents their use of tech?” more effectively communicate motivated, masterful Read the full article at its source: with their stakeholders. http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/ Communication and how it leads learner. DigitalEducation/2017/10/can- to stakeholder buy-in is edtech-nurture-hearts- —Mark Gura (State of consistently identified as one of minds.html?cmp=eml-enl-dd- EdTech 2017-2018, p. 47) the most important components news3&M=58240740&U=626037 of any edtech initiative or school plan.” “The aim of School in the Cloud is to spark Read the full article at its source: https:// creativity, curiosity and wonder in students and www.eschoolnews.com/2017/10/23/ inspire them to take control of their own superintendents-empower-leader/ learning. We call spaces that make this happen Self Organized Learning Environments “While some teachers remain wary of bringing (SOLEs). Sugata Mitra has conducted many artificial intelligence and automatons into the experiments since 1999 that have revealed that classroom, others are taking robots beyond groups of students can learn almost anything

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by themselves given internet access and the ability to work as a community. SOLEs can be “Learning in the classroom should be a source created by anyone, anywhere, be it educators, of excitement and curiosity, not a boring and parents or communities. It’s simply somewhere dreaded task focused on the memorization of students are encouraged to work together to facts for standardized tests. Luckily, education answer Big Questions using the Internet. These trends are shifting toward project-based places are fuelled by self-discovery, sharing and learning environments in which real-world spontaneity.” problems are a driving force.” Read the full article at its source: http://school-in- Read the full article at its source: the-cloud.dev.indigo.ws/how-to/intro-to-sole/ https://edtechdigest.com/2017/08/11/the-future-of- stem/ “Students in Nebraska are learning that to "figure things out" can be a valuable work skill, ‘The economy is rapidly feeling the impact of thanks to a new mobile lab that combines advanced technologies such as artificial science, technology, engineering and math with intelligence, which allows computers to make hands-on maker activities. The lab, part of a decisions, recognize speech and perform other work pathways program, includes stations traditionally “human” tasks. Nearly half of all about coding, and engineering and design.” jobs in the U.S. in the next 10 to 20 years will “we want kids to figure things out. We want be related to AI, according to a 2016 Obama them to know that figuring it out is an administration report, “Artificial Intelligence, employable skill in the work force.” Automation, and the Economy." Read the full article at its source: Read the full article at its source: https:// http://columbustelegram.com/news/local/education/ www.districtadministration.com/article/prepping- mobile-lab-encourages-students-to-figure-things- students-future-computer-science-jobs out/article_8c316a12-a8c7-59ff-8888- fb9fcf0c792e.html

“More teachers are taking their lessons online whether it be to YouTube, a blog or Twitter. Some teachers use these sites specifically to provide a place for their own students to find assignments or test prep resources. “ Read the full article at its source: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/ 2017/01/ arkansas_school_administrator_urges_more_teacher s_to_embrace_video%20.html

“…what would it take for leaders to create a culture of innovation, where a group felt supported and empowered to take thoughtful and informed risks in order to innovate in service of their students? While any culture shift takes time, we believe there are three practices that help leaders develop a culture of innovation.” Read the full article at its source: https://www.edutopia.org/article/getting-beyond- teacherpreneur-zachary-herrmann-zora-wolfe

66 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT FUTURE EDTECH1000: COMPANIES TRANSFORMING EDUCATION

Miami-based Nearpod team whoops it up. This dedicated team reaches 1 in 10 classrooms nationwide, more than 5 million students.

STATE OF EDTECH TEAMING UP Purpose-driven individuals grouping together in shoulder-to-shoulder efforts to create the future of learning. By VICTOR RIVERO

Here are some of the most dedicated companies serving the education sector. They are leading 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, said, “Let’s do it!”

TOP TO BOTTOM: Age of Learning, Schoolrunner, Packback team members.

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COMPANIES TO WATCH 1 Magic Leap. This is the year. Founder and CEO Rony Abovitz’s stealth work in 360 Alumni Arma Partners augmented reality and vision becomes 3A EDucation Aruba (HPE) more real as product rollouts soon appear. With $540 million in recent funding 3Doodler ASCD 3M Assembly from Google, Qualcomm, Kleiner Perkins and others, the Florida-based company 500 Startups ASU+GSV has been working hard behind the scenes to bring the world a fascinating new A.D.A.M. Atomic Learning view of reality that is sufficiently advanced to make your eyes do a double take. Aakash Educational Audio Essentials Services Pvt. Ltd. Authentica Solutions ABC-CLIO Autism Expressed ABPathfinder Autodesk

Abl Autodesk Tinkercad 2 Academic Progress Avaya littleBits. Founder and CEO Ayah Bdeir Accelerate Learning Aver USA Accel Partners AWE Learning sees that our kids spend more than 11 Accuplacer awe Media hours with electronic devices every day, so why not help them understand how Achieve3000 AwesomeStories they work or even how to make their own? She’s leading an open source library AchieveTheCore AWS (Amazon) of modular electronic snap-together products, and her goal is to democratize ACT Axonify Activate Instruction BankersLab hardware, to “put the power of electronics in the hands of everyone, to break Adaptemy BCG down complex technologies so that anyone can build, prototype, and invent.” Adaptive Curriculum Because Learning! Ad Hoc Academic Limited Bedrock Learning AdmitSee Belkin Education Adobe Bell Tower Schoolhouse ADTRAN Benetech 3 Advancement Courses Benq Age of Learning. Regularly ranked as AEFOL EXPOELEARNING BenchPrep a leading children’s learning iPad, iPhone, and Android app in the Kids and Aeris Partners BeRobot Aerohive BETT Education categories, the company has worldwide reach with more than 3 Affirm BiblioNasium billion ABCmouse (their flagship product) learning activities completed. Age of Learning Big Word Club They continue to develop other products, are expanding like mad and are AirWatch BigBlueButton Inc. looking toward Asia and other markets beyond the U.S. Albert BirdBrain Technologies AlchemyVR Blackbaud Alcoa Foundation Blackboard Alive Studios BloomBoard Alma Bloomz 4 AltSchool Bloxels EDU Nearpod. A passionate group of Alumnifire BNC Amazon Education BocaVox educators and entrepreneurs, they’re Amplify Book Creator one of the fastest growing private companies in edtech, employ over 40 staff, Andela BookNook have raised tens of millions of dollars, offer 3,500 lessons, have offices in San A Pass Ed. Group Bookopolis App Ed Review BookPagez Francisco and Miami, and are backed by a team of well-connected investors Apperson Inc. BoomWriter with unmatched expertise in supporting growth of K-12 companies. Appleton Boulder Learning Arcademics Boundless (continued) Ardusat Boxlight Mimio Arivanza Brain Hive more next page >>

68 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT EDTECH1000 10 COMPANIES TO WATCH & WHY

COMPANIES TO WATCH (continued) 5 zSpace. This company offers an augmented and virtual reality experience Brainly ClassWallet so interesting and engaging that it doesn’t really matter what subject a BrainRush Classworks student wants to learn about, any subject will be fascinating when Breaking the Barrier Clearpath EPM Brett E Shelton Clever experienced through zSpace. With 3-D glasses and a stylus, students Bridge Int’n’l Academies CoCubes Technologies manipulate and virtually interact with an object, such as a human heart, or Bridge U Code Avengers geographic maps. With obvious 100 percent student engagement, they’re BrightBytes CodeCombat moving into vocational training areas as well. Britannica Digital Learning CodeHS bulb digital portfolios CodeKey Inc. Buncee Codementor Busuu CodeMonkey Byju’s CodeREV 6 C. Blohm & Associates CogBooks Byju’s. India has a lot of people. More Califone Cogent Education Callido Learning Cognero than 1.3 billion. By some counts, 1 out of Cambium Learning Cognii every 6 people in the world are Indian. The online tutoring company, founded Campus Suite Cognotion by Byju Raveendran, is expecting to be profitable in 2018, and looking to Canary Learning Collabco Capstone Digital College Ave expand to the US, South Africa and other markets. In 2017, CZI decided to Capti Voice College Board invest $50 million, their first major investment in an Asian startup. Career Power CollegeVine CareerInSTEM Colvard Learning Carolina Biological Common Caches Carrot Rewards Communications 7 Castle Rock Research Strategy Group Catalyst Compass Learning CLANED. The cloud-based learning Catapult Learning Connected Data platform combining AI, collaborative CatchOn Connections Academy learning and world-class Finnish pedagogy comes from a small country Cengage Connections Education CEV Multimedia Content Technologies, Inc. creating big effects. Founder Vesa Perälä was recently elected Chairman of Chalkable Copia Interactive the Steering Group of Education Finland Program at the Finnish National Chalkup CoSN Agency of Education, where he’ll help promote Finnish education business ChatterHigh Course Base Civitas Learning Course Hero globally, and edtech, of course. Checkmate Foundation Coursera Chegg Inc Creation Crate Chrome Warrior CreatieLIVE Chronus Creya Learning & 8 CIOapplications Research Bakpax. Headed up by Knewton Cirkled In Cricksoft Cisco CSG PR Founder Jose Ferreira, this stealth mode CLANED CSI Literacy company is currently hiring senior developers and teacher authors. “Teachers ClassCraft Cudoo are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. Bakpax is here to help ClassDojo Cuppla Technology Classera Curiosityville carry some of the load.” It appears that much of their bent is helping to support Classkick Curious World more effective (and happier) teachers, though their brand allows for more. ClassLink Curriculet ClassLoom Curriculum Associates Classroom Inc Curriculum Crafter (continued) more >>

69 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT + COMPANIES TO WATCH 10 COMPANIES TO WATCH & WHY

COMPANIES TO WATCH (continued) 9 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The limited liability company founded in December Curriki EdTechX 2015 by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan CyberFlow Analytics Edthena with a purpose of “Advancing human CYPHER LEARNING Education Curb CZI Education Data Solutions potential and promoting equal opportunity” is a new kind of philanthropic D2L Education Elements organization and, with a $45 billion endowment, is deﬁnitely a company to DaDaABC Education Perfect watch. Jim Shelton, former Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Data Resources Inc. Education Technology Education, heads up their education eﬀorts. Dayton Johnson Exec Search Associates Declara Education.com Defined Learning Educational Consulting Defined STEM Services, LLC Degreed EducationSuperHighway Delightex EDUCAUSE Dell EduChange, Inc. DFRobot Educurious 10 DigiExam Edufolios DadaABC. They’ve been around since 2013, Dig-It! Games Edulastic but the one-on-one online tutoring company Digital Theatre Plus EduOne Dinan Capital Advisors EduOnGo just recently raised $100 million in series C Direct Services eduPad funding, and according to their website Disaster Records Eduplanet 21 they’ve secured over 10,000 native English teachers to help students improve Discovery Education Eduporium their daily conversational skills. Among others, McGraw-Hill Education recently Docebo EduSystem DocentEDU EduTechGuys entered into a partnership agreement with the China-based company. // 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 >>

70 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT + COMPANIES TO WATCH EDTECH1000: COMPANIES TRANSFORMING EDUCATION

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 >>

71 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT EDTECH1000 EDTECH1000: COMPANIES TRANSFORMING EDUCATION

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

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72 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT EDTECH1000 EDTECH1000: COMPANIES TRANSFORMING EDUCATION

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: [email protected]

73 EDTECH DIGEST - 2018 STATE OF EDTECH: THE MINDS BEHIND WHAT’S NOW & WHAT’S NEXT EDTECH1000 PAST WINNERS INCLUDE THE BIGGEST NAMES IN EDUCATION & TECHNOLOGY: Recognizing edtech’s best and brightest. 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 8TH ANNUAL ParentLink Vectra Networks Discovery Education The largest and most competitive Harris School Solutions Awards Recognition Program in edtech. Ncomputing ABPathﬁnder Meru Networks CB&A K-12 + Higher Education + Workforce School Improvement Network 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 WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM

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