Dive Brief:

• While Pew Research Center data shows 80% of K-12 schools do not have good enough internet to meet their needs, there are significant ways integrated technology in the classroom can help students.
• An infographic from touch screen software maker NUITEQ cites research that found 95% of students who have access to the internet use it for research and about 40% use it to participate in online discussions and otherwise share their work — and students are also increasingly choosing distance education for college courses.
• Classroom technology allows for self-paced instruction, as well as flexible and cheaper learning opportunities, and one experiment found second-graders who incorporated PowerPoint in a project about an animal were more likely to remember more about the topic later.

Dive Insight:

The federal government has made a massive push to ensure every school district in the country has access to broadband internet service. It greatly expanded the FCC's E-Rate program, which is funded by phone users across the country as an extra fee on their monthly bills. In addition to basic internet connections, more schools have received funding to expand their wireless access points.

But the Pew Research Center data is striking. Districts should be sure to take advantage of E-Rate to improve their networks. In 2014, $245 million went unclaimed nationwide so there is more money for projects. Districts have also grown their capacity with educational technology by partnering with local businesses. Key, though, in all tech initiatives is proper preparation of teachers and network infrastructure to handle the new devices.