Digital divide narrows; TikTok teachers tell all

Plus: Why PreK educators are angry over the vaccine

No. 468 | 1/28/21 | Subscribe to this newsletter This issue is sponsored by When the pandemic first closed schools last March, 16 million students did not have reliable internet connection at home. Known as the digital divide, that gap has closed somewhat, to 12 million. But many of the solutions used to connect students are temporary, according to a new report from Common Sense and other organizations.    What will it take to bridge the divide for good? More funding for one. The report estimates it could cost upward of $11 billion for the first year, and billions more each year after that for devices, infrastructure upgrades and Wi-Fi connections.    A deep dive into the report reveals the significant progress already made and the policy shifts necessary to finish the job. 🤔 REMOTE POSSIBILITIES   'A HUGE SLAP IN THE FACE': That's what one early childhood educator said it felt like when she learned her place in line for the COVID-19 vaccine. Despite the CDC's recommendation that all educators, including those in early childhood, get vaccinated in the same group, some states have released plans that put child care workers in a lower priority group than their K-12 colleagues.    SECOND SCREEN: Keeping dozens of students engaged in an online class is challenging. One simple solution? Two screens. One nonprofit is raising funds to buy and send monitors to teachers to help them maintain social interactions while staying on top of everything else. Almost 22,000 monitors have been shipped; another 180,000 are on a waitlist.   NEW TOYS, SAME GAME: No surprise: Zoom took the top spot as the most frequently mentioned tool by teachers, according to a recent MDR report on edtech usage. Another analysis on K-12 app usage found "a striking pattern: many teachers are attempting to replicate their traditional classroom-based instruction over video calls." The tools may be different—but how they're used mostly mirrors existing practices.   Sponsored by FIRST CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: "Be curious instead of pressured when faced with something you don't know," suggests Faith Bongiorno, education implementation specialist for FIRST. She explains how employing a child's perspective helps both parents and teachers keep students engaged during exceptionally challenging times. 🎤 IN-SCHOOL DEBATES   THE LONG GAME: Amazon's efforts to expand its footprint in K-12 education through digital tools have largely fizzled. But Jeff Bezos is known for playing the long game, and public education is very much part of it, opines Dominik Dresel, a school administrator and edtech entrepreneur. "I do not think public education leaders will have much of a choice in whether or not to answer when Amazon comes to knock and deliver," he writes. 📆 GOINGS ON   EDUCATING EDTECH: How are the edtech tools that educators use every day developed? How are educators involved in edtech development? In this webinar, join a panel of teachers, technologists and educators-turned-edtech founders to learn how tech tools are brought to market. Sign up today.   IMMERSIVE INSTRUCTION: Interactive 3D experiences are becoming more common, but how can this technology be used to teach core subjects and prepare students for a changing job market? Panelists will answer those questions and more in this panel discussion on real-time technology and interactive 3D in the classroom. Register now.   The following is a message from our sponsor The Education Essentials Company™ Cambium Learning® Group is an intentionally curated family of companies providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 markets. We focus on the elements that are essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a difference right now. 🎧 ON THE PODCAST   TIKTOK TEACHERS TELL ALL: Teachers are becoming stars these days on TikTok, that social media platform for sharing short videos. Some of them say the platform serves as a kind of virtual teaching lounge during COVID. But is it a good thing for the teaching profession that classroom instructors are part of a site known for dance crazes, jokes and other irreverent content? Two viral stars weigh in. 🏫 ALL SCHOOL    RE-CODING BIAS: 2020 shed more visibility on how racism, sexism and other -isms permeate technology. At the root of these problems is human bias, argue Ariam Mogos and Laura McBain of the Stanford d.school. One solution is to beef up computer science education and put more focus on combating implicit bias. Equitable tech is possible, but it may require a rethink of how we teach tech.    Sponsored by ISTE & D2L THE FUTURE OF LEARNING: "As 2021 kicks off and we set our resolutions for the new year," Richard Culatta of ISTE and John Baker of D2L, pledge "continued efforts to respond to educators' professional learning needs." And they've issued an urgent plea for "state education leaders to also commit to the goal of addressing this critical aspect of digital equity." 📚 FROM THE ARCHIVES   (L)EARNING BANK: GameStop and AMC stock shenanigans may be the craze du jour but it wasn't long ago that another finance trend—cryptocurrency—was on everybody's lips. Two startups soon stepped in to teach kids how to spend and save in a digital world. From earning digital currency to lessons on blockchain and stashing coins in real 529 plans, these are no ordinary personal finance courses. 🐝 BUZZ ABOUT TOWN   Students recently gathered for a Zoom webinar to discuss their feelings about politics in the weeks since the Capitol attack. (Chalkbeat)  How seven districts across the country have dealt with school reopenings and remote learning. (New York Times) Sponsored by Virtually Manage your entire program from a single platform Virtually helps you build and scale your live online learning program. Run classes on Zoom with built-in support for Stripe payments and student management. Ideal for bootcamps, accelerators, and any other group-based, live online learning programs. Try Virtually today!  Looking for a job in edtech? You've come to the right place. EdSurge has the leading edtech jobs board in the industry with openings from schools, nonprofits and companies. Post a job | See all jobs Teacher | Alliance College-Ready Public Schools | Multiple Teaching at an Alliance school is an opportunity to inspire transformational change for scholars and their communities while building lifelong, meaningful relationships. We aspire to have 75% or more of our scholars complete a four-year college degree   Director of Instructional Technology and Information Systems | Francis Parker School | San Diego, CA Francis Parker School is hiring for a director of instructional technology and information systems, to start July 1. Parker seeks a visionary leader to run a department that supports faculty integration of technology and enterprise data services.   Professional Development Specialist | Curriculum Associates | Multiple Curriculum Associates seeks a Professional Development Specialist to join our team. The ideal candidate will need a background in teaching/coaching Math, as well as experience leading professional development to school and district leaders.   Online Coding and Computer Science Instructor | Create & Learn | Remote We are looking for passionate, enthusiastic teachers who want to share their love of computer science with students in grades k through 9. Our cutting-edge curriculum is ready to use–no need to design, test, and iterate on your own curriculum.   Facilitator | Synthesis School | Remote We're looking for exceptional facilitators to join our team. Classroom experience is great, but not required. We are looking for smart, adaptive generalists who are passionate about what we're doing. We're hiring for part-time at $100/hour.   Design Track Advisor | Sora Schools | Remote Sora Tracks are led by industry advisors. In Tracks, students work on guided industry-focused projects, receive career mentorship, & explore fields of interest.   Events Post an event • See all events and meetups   Teaching Purposeful Minds Apr 17-18 | Online | More than $250  This virtual conference will explore the importance of purpose, connections (including love and belonging), and curiosity and exploration, and how they can help support learning, coping, and personal growth. THANKS FOR READING   ➔ Got any feedback? We love hearing from readers. Shoot us a note, critiques, a joke—whatever you've got! ➔ Interested in reaching our readers? Sponsor this newsletter. ➔ Event planners: Feature your in-person or virtual event on our calendar & newsletters. EdSurge covers and connects the people, ideas and technologies that shape the future of learning. We are an independent news and research initiative of the International Society for Technology in Education. 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