Offering an affordable, instant-on solution with long battery life and easy management tools, Chromebooks are rapidly gaining popularity in today's schools. Read how -- and why -- five districts have tapped into the power of these cloud-based devices as teaching tools.

1:1 and BYOD are making a difference for student learning and assessment. Making sure that each student has a device is a powerful solution to promote student engagement and increased achievement. Yet providing all those devices is an awesome prospect. When schools can't afford all the equipment that entails, BYOD is a great solution. Student devices range from smartphones to tablets to laptops. Add school-owned notebooks and legacy computers into the mix and you can cover all the bases. With so many different devices in K-12 classrooms, how can schools manage them all, especially when they mix school-based equipment and student-owned devices? Districts need a mobile device management solution. Whether you're just starting to plan your device and management options or are trying to get a handle on the equipment already in place, this Quick Guide to mobility management will help you get it together.

An easy-to-manage alternative to traditional PC s, Chromebooks offer the functionality of a notebook computer with the convenience of a cloud-based thin client. Chromebooks are cost-effective, dependable, and have virtually no down time. For Common Core states that will require online, secure testing beginning next school year, Chromebooks are affordable testing devices. Hear from schools and districts directly about their successful Chromebook initiatives and their recommendations for other districts thinking about making this same choice.

Technology is a key component in making the standards work. There are several critical areas in which technology plays a key role in the success of the standards, notably in the new methods and assessments needed to support them. This eBook examines the Common Core Standards and how collaboration technologies that are available today are key to making the system work. It also provides a look at the infrastructure needs that result.

One of the major challenges for school networks is managing the increasing number of mobile devices whether they are provided by the school or brought from home. Schools are scaling their infrastructure to provide the increased bandwidth that these devices require. At the same time, they are looking for mobile device management software to help them manage many different types of devices efficiently while protecting student privacy.

To provide students with the digital resources they need, districts are embracing 1:1 initiatives, BYOD, and combinations of the two. This eBook talks about the need for a new network architecture and how to create an infrastructure that's scalable, affordable, and secure.

Early adopters of Apple TV in the classroom believe that it is a cost-effective alternative to the interactive whiteboard; offering benefits that the whiteboard does not. Using Apple TV with any Apple device allows teachers the greatest flexibility with their instruction and management of the class. Teachers can move around the room working with individual students or small groups while keeping the entire class focused on the lesson.

What makes the difference between a success story and a technology program that is abandoned due to lack of progress? Based on recent research and interviews with exemplary one-to-one districts, this eBook showcases five essential factors for a successful Implementation.

Districts must begin to prepare for the new Common Core State Standards and methods of assessing them. In this ebook you'll learn about the transition toward common curriculum, the new forms of assessments, and some of the best practices for measuring student achievement and evaluating teacher effectiveness in this new era.

Making the most of today's technology to create collaborative learning environments that benefit students, teachers, and schools

In today's 1:1 laptop and BYOD classrooms it may seem ultra-challenging for teachers to maintain control, but thanks to Aerohive Networks, classrooms can remain productive.

IT departments must deal with threats from every direction. Spyware, viruses, trojan horses-even students and teachers can inadvertently click on the wrong website and bring a network down. All of these issues waste IT time and dollars, and stop the tech team from making networking improvements. Once, all you needed was anti-virus protection; today, that's not enough. To truly protect a computer network, you need several layers of protection.

Cloud computing can provide new levels of collaboration, agility, speed, and cost savings for schools or districts of any size and type. But getting the most out of the cloud means understanding the differences in terms of performance, security, control, and availability. This guidebook provides information to help you understand cloud computing – what it is, how it works, and what it can do for your district. There are tips and checklists and additional resources so that you can select the system that will provide the best, most efficient and cost-effective services possible.

Schools need wireless networks to make the most of today's learning opportunities. This eBook provides insight on how to choose and use technology to create a better learning experience.

Since 2004, Intel has been honoring exemplary math and science programs through its annual Schools of Distinction award — and selecting one outstanding school each year to receive top recognition as a Star Innovator. What can we learn from these award-winning programs about successful STEM implementations? How do their approaches mirror those identified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as characteristic of the highest performing education systems in the world?

Student response systems help teachers turn classrooms into places where students are engaged, fulfilled, and in control of their learning.

Today's students are online and using Web 2.0 tools, and schools are beginning to capitalize on this phenomenon by integrating web-based tools in the classroom. Many believe that using technology is key to transforming schools into efficient and effective learning communities. This eBook will help you understand how valuable Web 2.0 technologies are and how we can help educators to use these tools to meet the challenges ahead.

This eBook is a guide to understanding student engagement, strategies that work, and how to use and integrate a particularly effective tool in this digital age: video in the classroom. Video is shaping the world around us. Students watch videos and should understand what they see and learn how to create effective videos. Addressing student engagement means turning tools for personal enjoyment into tools for engaged learning.

Educators today have to be concerned about students' online safety, as much as traditional curricular subjects. Recent research has shown that using fear-based instruction does not keep kids safe, or stop behaviors that put them at risk. So what does work? This guide is designed to help you navigate the issues, understand the risks, and learn the research behind how best to address the concerns about online activities for students.

School districts have gone online to improve student learning, professional development, data management, safety, and district-wide communications. To achieve all this, they must connect users' computers to a network – preferably, one that doesn't break the budget and is straightforward to maintain and grow. These networks require some smarts and enhanced features so they can be quickly provisioned and managed. They also need the performance to support the latest instructional multimedia applications. And, as their role becomes central to daily instruction and administration, they need rock-solid reliability. In short, districts require "business-grade" wireless networks. What does that mean? This eBook answers that question. It introduces you to a new generation of intelligent wireless networking that delivers the robustness of a business-grade network while remaining cost effective for cash-conservative K-12 installations.

Providing teachers with the means to affect and increase individual student achievement is a win-win for everyone, and technology makes a big difference. It begins with online, on-demand professional development and participation in a professional learning community. Teachers learn about making data meaningful and using specific ideas for timely intervention with their students. And it ends with teachers using more effective methods to improve student learning and achievement.

Today's teachers have more of a challenge than ever to manage their technology-filled classrooms and make sure each student reaches his or her potential. Luckily for them, the latest classroom-management software includes applications that help with lesson planning and student assessment. See how this type of technology can help you turn your class into an efficient room filled with 21st-century learners.

Educators face many daunting challenges improving learning outcomes and achieving student improvement in their districts and communities. Schools and school districts are asked—and are trying — to do more with less. In this report, you'll find information and tools to plan your approach to envisioning and implementing strategic change for your institution.

A solid early-childhood education will help students develop the academic and social skills they need to become strong learners. Using technology to help children develop cognitive, social, and motor skills can help them in upper grades and beyond. This eBook provides information on an exciting new technology that allows teachers to reach different types of learners and promote the necessary skills each child needs to be successful.

The world has seen significant change in the last few decades, and students will require new skills. 21st century learning and the tools that make it possible allow students to get the most out of their time in school and help students get prepared for the world they'll encounter once they leave school. What this means is that schools must provide the knowledge, skills and expertise students need to succeed in work and life in the 21st century – and the tools to build those competencies. This eBook will explore why 21st century learning matters and which technologies are best suited to move students and schools into the 21st century.

School districts are leveraging the power of the Web to make a difference in student learning, teacher professional development, administrator data management, parental information, and district security. The use of broadband technology and wireless communications are key factors in delivering these opportunities. This ebook provides information on effective and cost effective solutions to providing the high-speed wireless access and applications required to enable anywhere, anytime access to the latest tools to improve student learning, provide access to data, and ensure safety and security - today and well into the 21st century.

In these uncertain economic times, K-12 school districts and universities are looking to control costs wherever possible. IT automation — where software helps to manage the routine, day-to-day tasks of IT maintenance — can make the difference. This ebook will guide you in the process of understanding IT automation and determining what the right solution for your district should include.

In this eBook, Project RED — a national research and advocacy effort — shares preliminary results from a survey of technology-rich schools and takes a look at what past research and current observation tells us about the keys to successful technology implementation. What do we know about curriculum reform or the leadership, funding and legislation changes that will allow technology to transform learning and schools, just as it has transformed homes and offices in almost every other segment of our society? 

The Web offers valuable resources and advantages to students, teachers, and administrators—but it also has the potential to present dangers. The critical issue is how to balance the benefits of the Web with the legal and ethical challenges it presents. This eBook will guide districts as they create solutions for protecting students and data.

Over the years, the question of how many computers per student or per classroom has emerged as a pivotal issue. Advocates for different perspectives agree that technology-enabled learning is important and the ideal is one-to-one computing and anytime, anywhere learning. In today's economic environment, school districts must budget wisely and get the most out of each dollar invested. One way to address student computing and anywhere anytime access is with netbook PCs. This eBook will explore the issues and showcase districts that have implemented successful and cost-effective programs.

School districts are experiencing increased demands on their networks, infrastructure, and personnel at a time of budget constraints. IT directors must manage this growing phenomenon of too much IT stuff without enough staff. New technologies promise transformation of operational systems and educational processes, and many districts have discovered that software as a service (SaaS) – also known as applications that are "in the cloud", web-based, online, or on-demand-is a way to save time and money and improve services. This eBook will detail the benefits of SaaS and explain the details of why schools should consider SaaS to increase their technology return on investment, decrease the total cost of technology ownership, and improve operational efficiency.

21st Century learning encompasses the idea that assessment is integral to teaching and learning as educators mine data for key information about individual student learning and use it to target instruction. InFormative Assessment solutions are assessments for learning that help classroom teachers as well as school and district administrators by providing educators with actionable information they can use to guide student learning. This ebook will present information for new and rapidly changing education environment, including details about innovative InFormative Assessment solutions. 

Technology is an enabler of learning and funding for it is available for such things as professional development, online curriculum, and strategies that work. This Quick Start Guide will focus on new federal stimulus funds and other sometimes overlooked funding sources to help you find those dollars, get them, and put them to work in your district.

In an increasingly and globally competitive world, education is the key to advancement and people without high school diplomas are not likely to do well. This eBook provides insights and solutions for increasing high school completion and solving the urban dropout crisis in effective and cost-effective ways.

This eBook explores what we are learning from local, state-level and national research into the impact of one-to-one computing on students, teachers and schools. To what degree are these ambitious programs living up to their promise? How can they be improved? And how do we build evaluation into all our endeavors going forward so that we maximize results and improve understanding about what works and what doesn't when it comes to education and technology?

Students today are interactive learners; they spend much of their time at home engaging with information and other people online, creating content, learning, and sharing ideas. in classrooms that value such student creativity, students are encouraged to create original content and share the results using a variety of technology tools. Classrooms that offer the opportunities that engage students in interactive learning realize better results. This eBook provides guidance on planning for technology use, addressing the needs of the district's stakeholders, and describing the technologies that work and the support that makes them effective and cost-effective solutions.

A Tablet PC is a unique type of computer that allows the user to "ink" his or her input – words, sketches, diagrams and even math and science notations - and have them saved digitally. It can offer teachers new solutions for teaching and engage students so they are excited about coming to class – or doing fieldwork – and learning. The key to innovation is in their flexibility and mobility. This eBook provides information about them and classroom examples that show how they are taking educational computing far beyond the capabilities of the conventional notebook and where they are making a difference in teaching and learning. We hope you will enjoy reading about this exciting new technology.

Almost ten years into the 21st century, schools try to promote new ways of teaching and learning and then evaluate how well their efforts have led to results. New insights emerge from research and observation all the time. This eBook is designed to detail some of the aspects needed for students to learn new things in new ways so they can live and work in a changing world. We hope you will find it valuable as you work towards improving education in the 21st century. 

Computers in schools have the power to enhance the classroom experience for both students and teachers. But the benefits can easily be lost to distractive elements such as games, instant messaging, and web surfing. Read this eBook for strategies on how to minimize distractions and maximize the educational potential of your digital classroom.

Web 2.0 tools play an increasingly important role in everyday life. Not only are people more connected, but they have more opportunities to find information, share ideas and be creative than ever before. Most educators who use some of the new, free, online tools to accomplish tasks find rich rewards. Yet many others are curious about how the tools work, and even more, what exactly they can do with them in the classroom to help their students learn. This eBook is designed to explore the reasons for using the most popular Web 2.0 tools and guide you as you explore the read/write Web on your own.

As the schools profiled in this eBook will attest, placing a rugged and kid-friendly computing device in the hands of every child for 24/7 use can have a transformative effect. Join us on a visit to eight classrooms where new, Intel-powered classmate PCs are part of a complete software and hardware solution that supports student-centered learning and opens up new worlds of possibility.

Are you overwhelmed by the time, energy, and money it takes to stay on top of monitoring your network traffic? Frustrated by the seemingly endless proliferation of Internet security threats? Read this eBook for advice and solutions on how to handle problems you face every day, from enforcing your AUP and archiving your email to countering spam, viruses and proxies.

It's a wireless world. Schools are increasingly discovering the benefits of wireless mobile computing: the power to add new devices to existing networks without costly hard-wire drops, the freedom to create flexible learning environments, and the promise of narrowing the digital divide. From how to use innovative tools like next-generation tablet PCs and projectors to how to evaluate wireless systems, this eBook will guide you.

Are you wondering if you can afford a one-to-one initiative, with budgets as tight as they are? Do you worry that you won't be able to sustain an existing program once your initial source of support runs out? This eBook explores some possible solutions to the funding challenge. Because when there's a vision, there's a way.

Are our students as tech savvy as we think they are? Sure, they can multi-task with iPod, cell phone, YouTube and MySpace, but can they design an effective presentation or create a graph in a spreadsheet? In order for schools to turn out graduates who are proficient in technology, institutions must first have an accurate means of measuring students' technology literacy. Read this eBook to understand how to accurately define and measure technology proficiency to guide your assessment efforts. Discover how districts are using Web-delivered authentic assessment tools to gauge student technology literacy, and how they are using the important data they gain to inform instruction and meet accountability requirements.

One-to-one computing holds out the exciting promise of engaging students and empowering educators. Convertible notebook PCs, in particular, can be powerful tools to stimulate inspiration and interaction. This eBook contains suggestions on incorporating some of these new technologies into a 1:1 learning program. A true 1:1 computing solution is more than the computer, however; read this eBook for ideas on bolstering your program with industry expertise, effective software and responsive support.

Just-in-time learning provides a cost-effective, time-saving resource to address technology training and support. When learners can get the instruction they need when they need it and can repeat it as often as they want, they learn—and remember. In this eBook you will find tips on incorporating web-based software training and support into successful just-in-time learning programs to enhance professional development.

Today's digital generation has access to music, video, images, information, and other people on demand. They create MySpace personas, YouTube videoclips, personal blogs, and podcasts. They communicate with cell phones and instant messaging. They hang out online — often on social networking Websites. It is no wonder that this generation expects personalization from education too. Download this new guide to Creating Digital Learning Environments that will help people in your district as they think through what teaching and learning should look like in the future and show them how to begin today to create the environment — with personalized learning — that students need.

Imagine a classroom where teachers and students interact freely and easily, expressing thoughts and explaining ideas. That's the kind of shared learning environment InFocus projectors can help you build. With big, bold images and bright rich colors, InFocus Learn Big projectors create excitement around a single focal point enabling you to command students' attention like never before. If you want to inspire, excite, entertain and (oh yeah) educate along the way, InFocus gives you the power to think BIG. Find out more about how InFocus projectors are inspiring a whole new generation of teachers and students at www.infocus.com/learnbig.

Interactive whiteboards have become popular in many classrooms, and the research shows there is positive impact on students with their use. This eBook is designed to help you decide what to do and how to do it. From how to use an interactive whiteboard to how to teach with one and even how to decide what you need and how to choose, this ebook will guide you. There is even research to help you learn what works in other places.

So many of the great new ideas that come along seem to mean an increase in spending. So it is great when a new technology actually results in savings as well as efficiency. This eBook provides information on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a technology that provides a real cost benefit to school districts. Read this eBook to find out everything you will need to know about Internet telephony.

It's all out there — the good, the bad, and the ugly — at the click of a mouse or press of a key on a computer, they can find it all on the Internet. The Web has revolutionized how we work and learn, but it has also created new challenges for school districts — in terms of student security and safety online.

What were the highlights from the biggest US ed tech trade show this year? We have you covered: ISTE impressions from the experts like David Warlick, Carl Hooker and Jon Castelhano; and over 12 pages of new software and online products, hardware and apps.

This valuable resource provides districts with tips and best practices for increasing and sustaining funds to get your tech initiatives off the ground and sustain them for years to come. 

This supplement covers a host of best practice examples on how to integrate AV into high-tech classrooms, as well as a helpful checklist on what to look for in the ideal management solution. 

For most T&L stories, we turn to our readers for advice and insight about stronger and smarter tech integration. For BYOD (bring your own device) we’ve already done that more than a few times. That’s why we thought it would be interesting to spread our wings and seek advice from a different group: the business community. Like K-12 schools, business are trying to find ways to accomplish tasks on a shoestring and do more with fewer employees. As a result, many companies have embraced BYOD. We’ve asked a few to share their stories. 

These days you’d be hard pressed to find a district that hasn’t installed or upgraded a wireless network. With 1:1 and BYOD becoming more prevalent, wireless networks are pretty much a given. Here, three districts share their rationale for going unplugged. 

The Common Core standards have been adopted by 45 states, opening the door for far more questions than answers. This special supplement includes expert opinions and a guide to the latest tools and apps available to help educators navigate the murky road to adopting this new teaching and learning initiative.

Why should students have all the fun when it comes to learning? When you come up with creative ways to teach staff, they not only learn more -- they enjoy it. The five districts profiled in this special supplement have come up with innovative ways to deliver professional development opportunities to their teachers.

What impact are virtual and blended solutions having on the way students learn and teachers grow professionally? How have K-12 learning environments changed as a result of cloud computing and ubiquitous mobile technologies? Which emerging technologies, now on R&D labs, will have a dramatic impact on our nations classrooms in the next several years? These are the sorts of questions we addressed at the SchoolCIO Technology Summit in June in San Diego. This supplement has the answers.

What were the hottest new products at ISTE 2012? What topics were on everyone's lips? We've got it all here for you in our annual ISTE round-up. Check out the best quotes, links to the video gallery, essential gear for the traveling edugeek, plus all the best new hardware, software and online tools.

This special money supplement highlights ways your schools can get it, save it and spend it. Also included in the supplement is “The Trouble with E-Rate,” cost-saving case studies, and SchoolCIO: How to justify tech expenses.

Finding a way to assess the 21st-Century student is not a question of "if" but "how." Tech & Learning editors spoke with industry experts to get insight about how technology will be used to both leverage and manage the delivery of curriculum that meets Common Core Standards. This supplement should get you thinking about new ideas, strategies, and tools to help your schools make the grade.

Audio-visual technology has come a long way in a short time. We've gone from overhead projectors and impossible-to-program VCRs to flat-screen displays and affordable digital videocameras. As you'll see from the schools in the following stories, student creativity is at an all-time high. Students are producing news programs and podcasts, filming in-class trials, and even staying after school voluntarily to do these projects.

BYOD and 1:1 programs are getting a lot of buzz, but the logistics of these initiatives can be sticky. Here are eight common challenges when setting up a BYOD and 1:1 network and their solutions.

The U.S. is still falling behind in STEM fields compared to other developing countries. It ranks 27 out of 29 for the rate of STEM bachelor’s degrees awarded in developed countries. Meet some districts that are launching concentrated STEM efforts to reverse this trend and find out what they’re doing – such as training ore teachers in how to teach these classes and trying to get more kids interested in these fields.