For the fifth year, Tech & Learning presents its awards program that honors great products at ISTE 2018. For the fifth year, Tech & Learning presents its awards program that honors great products at ISTE 2018. They then met in person to decide which technologies will have the most impact in the classroom and deserved to be named Best of Show. Students rebel by learning the powerful ways authors convey meaning and affect their audience. MORE

Do you know that feeling when you are told your questions about student privacy are unfounded by a representative of a company that earns 86% of its total revenue from advertising? “I’m slightly wary of building a Google data profile of a young child,” says @ashleyrcarman @verge [link]. A Thinking Person’s Guide to EdTech News (2017 Week 11 Edition). Census data, and the divide among states in internet accessibility is apparent. MORE

In another first, the Board has decided to act, in part, based on the words of a single person: Donald Trump , the new President of the United States. Via New America : “Why Does Betsy DeVos think Federal Student Loan Debt has Grown by 1,000 percent?” was named in an investigation by The Associated Press last year for sharing racially charged content on social media.” ” “Policy-based Privacy is Over,” says Eric Hellman. MORE

In 2017, just a week before Christmas, the New Media Consortium abruptly announced its immediate closure “because of apparent errors and omissions by its former Controller and Chief Financial Officer.” It works well, that is, if you disregard student data privacy and security. MORE

Via Chalkbeat : “Robotics is bringing Betsy DeVos to Detroit for the first time as education secretary.” ” (“…She’s unlikely to encounter local students when she’s there.”). Via NPR : “19 Years After Columbine , Students Walk Out To Stop Gun Violence.” More on NYC , from NY1 : “Student diversity push upsets some parents at UWS school.” million for its personalized children’s clothing box.” MORE

This is no small feat, considering that she and now-NJ Commissioner of Education Lamont Repollet stepped into a struggling district with 75% of students reading below grade level (half of those being three-to-six grades below). and students are thriving under innovative initiatives that include blended learning, tech-rich classrooms, and exposure to hope and opportunities for lifelong success. Considering the student as a whole, she says, is key. MORE

There’s more Department of Education news – relating to student loans in particular – in “the business of financial aid” section below. Perhaps we can learn a little about the folks who still do. Letting the police decide what students should and should not read – totally a sign of a healthy democracy. Via The Hechinger Report : “In 6 states, school districts with the neediest students get less money than the wealthiest.” MORE