Dive Brief:

• District Administration recently published predictions for what's to come in 2017 and beyond, foreseeing a proliferation of super-thin screens for tablets and notebooks next year, along with Bluetooth connectivity in the classroom and Chromebooks that work with Android tablet software.
• Farther down the line, District Administration expects a computer-controlled, Internet of Things-driven vision for the classroom could take hold, where devices send and receive data over existing Wi-Fi rather than being powered by a wireless transmitter, and artificial intelligence could take a greater role in teaching, grading and personalized instruction.
• In a District Administration survey of K-12 administrators, 43% of respondents said they would invest in surveillance security and 35% said they would prepare for active-shooter scenarios, while tech purchasing is expected to dip and digital citizenship efforts will get a boost.

Dive Insight:

Districts that are the farthest along in integrating technology into their classrooms have been making progress under goals set by strategic plans. These plans help guide long-term efforts and serve as a foundation for conversations about educational technology in the classroom. The plans can be revised frequently as new information and data becomes available, but they exist as a sort of anchor for wide-ranging efforts.

As classrooms continue to be changed by technology, however, it is important to keep teaching at the center. Technology has a tendency to make things more efficient — including ineffective practices. Districts should avoid facilitating the proliferation of tools that reinforce bad pedagogy.