| |
| January 6, 2026 |
| CONNECT WITH ISTE |
| CONNECT WITH ISTE |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| |
| Edtech news for those building the future of Edtech
| SIGN UP ⋅ SHARE |
|
|
 |
| (Nora Carol Photography/Getty Images) |
These are just a few of their hopes and expectations for how edtech will be used in 2026:
- Focusing on the humane integration of artificial intelligence.
- Supporting educators in overlooked areas.
- Improving and increasing personalized learning and AI-powered tutoring.
- Helping to close academic gaps faster.
- Assisting English language learners and students with disabilities so they learn more easily and feel a stronger connection to the school community.
- Becoming a vital part of family communication.
- Making bigger strides in real-life access and learning for career and technical education.
- Increasing virtual and hybrid schooling.
- Improving cybersecurity, as well as students' online and on-site safety.
|
|
|
SmartTake: 2025 seemed like the year we'd see an AI-focused education reinvention, but as 2026 arrives, educators have more experience with and a greater understanding of the new technology. They now realize that edtech developers and schools need to use AI and other tech-forward improvements to enhance what education was always meant to be instead of upending what already works. This year, educators are less interested in diving in first and more keen on getting it right. They are recognizing the pre-purchase importance of trialing, teacher input and evidence, and they are embracing the power of professional development for achieving success.
|
|
|
|
K-12 administrators say early discussions on spending priorities are crucial for making strategic, long-term budget decisions, according to a survey by the EdWeek Research Center. Forty-six percent of respondents said early departmental discussions are the top approach, while 45% said starting budget talks sooner overall is important.
|
|
|
Providing more support and responsibility to education's middle tier -- those with deep local knowledge, such as pedagogical specialists and district officials -- can help scale edtech more effectively by bridging central policy and in-school needs, according to Brookings Institution research. Researchers say that using these mid-tier people to contextualize, pilot and aid in edtech implementation can lead to stronger adaptation and ownership of ed tech at the ground level.
|
|
|
|
While 29% of preschool teachers are using generative AI, they use it less than other K-12 teachers and generally dive in with little guidance, according to a Rand survey of about 2,000 public school pre-K teachers. Online video and audio, interactive whiteboards and technology for family communication are most commonly used by pre-K educators, while digital education programs are helping the instructors work more effectively with English language learners and students with disabilities, the survey shows.
|
|
|
Edtech use in schools can push parents farther away from their children's education, as they now have to learn to use the edtech to help with homework -- unlike the focus on subject matter when students are using pencil and paper, Mary Beth Roche and Karl Johnson assert in this opinion piece. Roche, the founder of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Parents for Intentional Tech, and Johnson, an assistant public health professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a technology consultant for Granville County Public Schools, urge educators to consider the "entire ecosystem" of edtech effects and whether each tool "strengthens or undermines the parent-child relationship."
|
|
|
|
Inclusive classrooms are becoming standard, prompting administrators to maximize the impact of special education teams. Stephanie Gross, an education administrator and adjunct professor, highlights the importance of Universal Design for Learning in creating inclusive instruction. Gross recommends embedding assistive technology into daily learning, utilizing data-informed planning, enhancing co-teaching and collaboration, and redefining related service providers as instructional partners.
|
|
| |
 |
| (Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images) |
US high-school students spend an average of 1.16 hours per day on smartphones during school hours, with social media apps including Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat being the most used, according to a study by the University of Washington School of Medicine. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, highlights concerns about the addictive nature of these apps, with Dr. Dimitri Christakis from the University of Washington saying that more needs to be done to enforce phone restrictions in schools.
|
|
|
|
Third-graders in Texas' Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District are learning typing skills through TypingClub as part of a digital literacy initiative. Integrated into a reading and writing block, the program aims to improve accuracy and help students build essential keyboarding abilities for online testing and future academic tasks.
|
|
|
Governments worldwide are rolling out generative AI tools in schools through partnerships with companies such as Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and xAI, pitching chatbots as supports for teaching and learning. Skeptics cite risks including reduced critical thinking, misinformation and student overreliance, while some countries are piloting training and guardrails to emphasize AI literacy and limits.
|
|
|
|
Top stories from last week's newsletter
|
|
| Did you know ISTE has job listings? |
|
|
|
| |
 |
| (ISTE) |
|
|
|
| About ISTE Solutions Network |
|
| The Solutions Network a member-based community that aims to 1) connect innovative solution providers to one another to learn, explore, and share best practices, 2) engage with the ISTE/ASCD member community to gather feedback and increase the impact of high-quality learning solutions, 3) engage in thought leadership conversations and 4) provide benefits for the annual ASCD + ISTE conference, where approximately 16,000 educators, decision-makers, and vendors convene. This community is made up of edtech companies of various sizes that are interested in engaging with each other and with ISTE to discuss Edtech’s role in teaching and learning, industry trends, and solve common challenges. Members of this network can benefit from connecting with industry experts and thought leaders, as well as from gaining key buyer information and insights.
|
|
|
|
| Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual ASCD + ISTE endorsements. The news reported in SmartBrief does not necessarily reflect the official position of ASCD + ISTE.
|
|
|
|
|
| Got this from a friend? Subscribe now and stay in the loop! |
|
 |
|
| |
| Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones that I did not. |
Donna Tartt,
writer, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction |
|
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Copyright © 2026 SmartBrief. All Rights Reserved. A division of Future US LLC. |
| Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036. |
|
|
|
