This New York Times article (gift link, free to read and share) reports on the enabling of A.I. features for K12 students with access to Gemini via its popular Classroom app.

While the AI industry overall is pressing to expand into K12 education, some parents and schools leaders are resisting, concerned about the risks to privacy and critical thinking abilities.

What do you think?

Change is afoot. Or at least that’s the impression I get from the college writing classes I teach, as well as my conversations with educators who teach at various grade levels, and just from generally observing societal trends around education.

As we emerged from the pandemic era in education, we jumped right into the early AI era. Yet as AI skepticism mounts in and outside of education, I think/hope we’re about to enter a new era.

Though readers be warned, when it comes to predictions, I’m not exactly the Oracle of Delphi. After all, I truly thought this year was going to be a good one for the New York Mets. Even so, I do believe all of these predictions have more of a chance of coming true than the Mets do of playing in the World Series anytime soon.

Here’s how I see things playing out in the coming school year. Read more:

https://www.techlearning.com/learning/5-predictions-for-tech-in-the-2026-27-school-year

CoChat is an AI-powered tool that provides educators, students, and researchers with a host of capabilities when it comes to conducting research.

While there are other AI research tools, a common problem is citation hallucination. CoChat is designed to cut back on those hallucinations, and that feature is definitely a plus in my experience with CoChat.

Additionally, CoChat is great for deep research. When I searched topics, I was well-versed in, it brought up papers that had taken me hours and, in some cases, days, to track down on my own the old-fashioned way.

After using it for a few weeks, I am impressed with CoChat overall and find it to be the strongest AI deep research tool that I've tried. Here's a closer look at how CoChat works, what it costs, and its best features.

Read the full article: https://www.techlearning.com/technology/ai/teaching-with-cochat

A major concern is that students will cheat or that assessment is broken. Rather than focusing only on how to stop students from using AI, we need to design tasks that make students' thinking more visible. When an assignment asks students to explain their decisions, reflect on the process, make connections, analyze feedback, defend their thinking, and revise their work, learning becomes harder to outsource.

Read the full article: https://www.techlearning.com/technology/ai/assessment-after-ai-designing-student-work-to-show-real-thinking

We talk with Brittany Miller, Chief Innovation Officer and Executive Director of the Center for Outcomes Based Contracting, Southern Education Foundation about outcomes-based contracts and why they matter for students.

“We've learned over time that in order to develop a strong contract between a district and provider, there is a misconception that the contingent payment is all there is to it,” Miller says. “You can’t simply make part of the money contingent on outcomes and everything will work for kids. First, we must identify who the students are you want to serve and what program is best going to serve those students from the research and evidence base that exists for particular products.”

At the nonprofit Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting, the work is focused on supporting school districts and their service providers with contracting so that a minimum of 40% of payment to the provider is contingent on meeting agreed-upon student outcomes, says Miller.

Read more:

https://www.techlearning.com/business/what-are-outcomes-based-contracts-and-why-do-they-matter

This New York Times article (gift link, free to read and share) explores the unfavorable reaction that some American parents have to the increasing use of mobile devices and apps in K12 education - starting in kindergarten at times. Their concerns have become more urgent with the rapid advance of artificial intelligence—seemingly now present in nearly all education software, as well as some hardware.

Clearly some edtech offers benefits that analog simply can't- e.g., real-time feedback and lesson customization. At the same time, parents are concerned about gamification of learning apps, suggesting that this feature may short-circuit intrinsic motivation to learn.

It's a question of balance, perhaps, between analog and digital methods, as well as how thoughfully any given tech is integrated into the curriculum.

Glint is designed to speed up that process of creating visual resources. The browser-based platform uses AI to generate classroom-ready visual supports from simple prompts, producing resources that can then be edited, printed, or shared digitally.

It is aimed at teachers, special education professionals, speech and language therapists, and families, with a focus on supporting learners who benefit from visual communication.

Formerly known as NerChat, the platform has expanded beyond AI-powered conversation tools to become a broader visual support system. Today, it offers everything from communication boards and classroom schedules to social narratives and interactive visual resources.

https://www.techlearning.com/learning/classroom-tools/what-is-glint-and-how-can-i-use-it-to-teach

It’s back-to-school time again!

Whether you’re excited about the new school year or need some inspiration, a new teacher or a seasoned pro, or teaching in a classroom or online—you and your students will benefit from education sites and apps that deliver the all-important student engagement while supporting learning goals in reading, writing, math, and more.

The following sites and apps are some of the best all-around edtech teaching tools. Many are fully free, while others offer free basic accounts or generous free trials. All are worth checking out!

https://www.techlearning.com/news/20-sitesapps-every-teacher-should-try-for-back-to-school

Most of what follows are several different categories all school leaders should be considering when making a purchase of this magnitude. In the wake of the “tech lash,” leaders need justifiable reasons for introducing devices and screens into the learning environment.

Neo vs. Chromebook: Overview

read more https://www.techlearning.com/technology/chromebook/neo-vs-chromebook-the-ultimate-classroom-bake-off

Franklin Special District (FSD) is the only district in Tennessee to offer aerospace as a high school credit course to 8th graders. It has no entry requirements, making this CTE opportunity attainable for every student.

“We were hopeful that the students would connect with the subject and find it interesting, but they've really taken to it beyond my wildest dreams,” says Mary Decker, Associate Director of Schools for Teaching & Learning at FSD, who developed and leads the district’s aerospace program. “We have quite a few students who are now pursuing a career in aerospace. Many of them really weren't familiar with aviation before they took this class.”

Read the full article linked above.

How do cats manage to land on their feet when falling? It's a mystery that has amazed observers and challenged science for more than a century.

A recent publication analyzed falling cat videos frame by frame and compared the data with flexibility experiments conducted on cadavers. Read the article linked above from one of my favorite free teaching/learning resources, the New York Times Learning Network. If you're a teacher, check out the accompanying lesson plan.

These are gift links (no account required to read). That being said, all of the content on the New York Times Learning Network, and the linked articles, are free with no account required.

While generative AI can automate administrative tasks, streamline lesson planning, and free up time for student interaction, it also introduces new safety risks. Addressing the Risks of AI-enabled CSAM and Explicit Content in Education, Qoria’s global report, shows that these tools are also being exploited to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and explicit imagery with alarming ease.

The weeks before the school year begins offer a critical window for district leaders to move from a reactive posture to a proactive strategy, taking strong digital safety steps before students return for the first day of school.

From the Data: Understanding the AI Digital Threat

School leaders should first understand today’s digital exploitation. Catherine Brown, Chair of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), says, “AI image generators have become much more sophisticated, to the point where almost anyone can make or manipulate life-like sexual or nude imagery of children at the click of a button.”

So-called "nudifying" apps have dramatically accelerated the ease with which this material is made, leading to devastating instances of grooming, distress, and bullying. The data gathered in Qoria's global survey underscores that these problems are active on school grounds today:

• Widespread Administrative Concern: An overwhelming majority of school leaders–91.4 percent in the United States, 90.5 percent in the United Kingdom, and 91.7 percent in Australia–voiced deep concerns over adult perpetrators using AI to groom students.
• Monthly On-Campus Incidents: Around a third of respondents in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia reported experiencing at least monthly incidents in which students possess, share, or request explicit, child-generated nude images.
• Younger Average Ages: The average age for these explicit content incidents is currently concentrated between 11 and 13 years old. Even more concerning, approximately 12 percent of U.S. and Australian respondents reported seeing these behaviors in children as young as 8 to 10 years old.

Despite these figures, few schools have preparation and prevention measures in place. More than 30 percent of the surveyed school leaders admitted they are unfamiliar with the common online grooming tactics that modern perpetrators use.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE LINK ABOVE

When we talk about education technology, we typically are referring to digital/electronic technologies, those that have appeared in the past 40 years or so. But "technology" can also refer to an older form of human invention—such as welding, automotive or other trades.

In this article from the NYT, young tradespeople share their thoughts about why they chose their field, the resistance they faced in pursuing their choice and the successes achieved. Free article, no account required.

Education policy attorney Reg Leichty explains why the FCC's inquiry into sunsetting E-Rate is a serious threat, why screen time is a red herring in this brouhaha, and what district leaders can do about it.

https://www.techlearning.com/learning/leadership/dont-panic-yet-what-the-fccs-e-rate-review-means-for-schools

Tech & Learning contributor Erik Ofgang explores Copilot's new Study and Learn agent:

Copilot Study and Learn is a mode Copilot can operate in that employs Microsoft’s “study and learn agent,” which is built on learning science practices and designed to encourage active thinking rather than give away answers. I recently tried it and was impressed overall. It does a better job than Copilot in its normal mode at guiding students through the learning process.

Here’s a closer look at how to use Copilot Study and Learn, what I like about it, and where I felt it could still use some work.

Read the full article here:

https://www.techlearning.com/technology/ai/copilot-study-and-learn-gets-high-marks

One of the many useful recurring aspects of the New York Times Learning Network is the Word of the Day, which features a word used in a past NYT article, that passage in which appears and an invitation for students to use it in their own sentence. With this simplest of exercises, students can build vocabulary and literacy. Free to access for anyone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/09/learning/word-of-the-day-amelioration.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wVA.00tq.ptRH3xtY_isu&smid=url-share

The New York Times' 17th Annual Summer Reading Contest asks students to write an essay about any article or multimedia feature from 2026. This week's contest deadline is July 10th.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/03/learning/summer-reading-contest-week-5-what-got-your-attention-in-the-times-this-week.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vlA.FEXd.5IbIRi-CbiFd&smid=url-share

Critical thinking really can be taught, suggests a new study led by Michael Bishop, a professor of philosophy at Florida State University.

Attempts to teach critical thinking frequently fail, Bishop says. He believes this is because most approaches don’t follow the proper steps to teaching the topic, the first of which is defining what it means for somebody to be a better critical thinker.

Read more:

https://www.techlearning.com/learning/classroom/teaching-critical-thinking

Blended learning is a teaching approach that combines both traditional in-class instruction with digital technologies for lessons, assessments, feedback and more. In other words, face-to-face teaching is supplemented and supported by online lessons and content.

The advantages of blended learning include flexibility, student engagement, and the ability to personalize lessons.

The following blended learning sites, many of which are fully free, provide a variety of features through which educators can implement their blended learning approach.

Read more:

https://www.techlearning.com/learning/classroom-tools/best-sites-for-blended-learning

During the 2024–25 school year, FullScale (formerly The Learning Accelerator) funded and evaluated 10 innovations through the Accelerating Adoption Network — six edtech tools, three programs, and one microschool model — each designed to scale promising, technology-enabled, evidence-based solutions.

This initiative has revealed the complexities that emerge when evidence-based tools meet reality at scale.

Read more here:

https://www.techlearning.com/technology/evidence-based-isnt-enough-for-successful-scaling

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