Sales Associate Anne Gregoire anne.gregoire@futurenet.com
MANAGEMENT
SVP, MD, B2B
Amanda Darman-Allen
VP, Global Head of Content, B2B Carmel King
VP, Head of US Sales, B2B
Tom Sikes
Managing VP of Sales, B2B Tech
Adam Goldstein
VP, Global Head of Strategy & Ops, B2B Allison Markert
VP, Product & Marketing, B2B
Andrew Buchholz
Head of Production US & UK
Mark Constance
Head of Design, B2B
Nicole Cobban
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MOST INFLUENTIAL EDTECH OF 2025
By Ray Bendici, Christine Weiser, and Erik Ofgang
If we thought the pace of development and implementation of edtech took off at the beginning of the pandemic like a jet (that we were building as it soared), it has paled in comparison to the rollicking rocket ride following the advent of AI two years ago.
As AI continues to ascend, it is also fueling edtech innovation in 2025. In addition to the blitz of new AI-powered tools and platforms in the education space, many of the edtech stalwarts have joined the fray, adding chatbots and more to various aspects of their offerings. AI is changing nearly every facet of education, from administrative tasks and lesson planning to personalized tutoring and assessments.
But as all technology moves forward apace, education itself is being dealt significant setbacks
with the huge, politically-driven changes and uncertainties in regard to the U.S. Education Department. Limiting and shuttering the agency threatens to severely cut funding and services, as well as restrict policy.
In short, trying to determine what’s the most influential edtech in 2025 is a bit like trying to hit a moving target while thundering along the rails of Space Mountain. Here we go!
PRODUCTS AND PLATFORMS TO WATCH
Google As the most-used platform, whatever Google does has an impact, especially in regard to its education tools.
“If Google finds a way to
incorporate AI into its education products in an affordable way for schools, it will have a huge impact since so many schools are entrenched in the Google ecosystem,” says Timothy Jaw, Technology Coordinator at Warren Hills Regional School District and Tech & Learning advisor. “The other companies that are major players in the school AI space have made strides in penetrating the education market–if Google doesn’t take the lead, one of these other ones may.”
Also, keep an eye out for LearnLM, Google’s platform specifically designed for learning that hasn’t gotten the same level of mainstream attention as some other AI tools that were released
or upgraded in 2025. It’s built upon Google’s Gemini 1.5 and trained with learning science’s best practices in mind, making it one of the best AI teaching tools available.
Other AI-infused tools to watch include MagicSchool, SchoolAI, Brisk, Perplexity, and Eduaide. As mentioned previously, established edtech companies such as Canva, Adobe, Nearpod, Curipod, Padlet, and Edthena are also infusing AI into many of their offerings.
OpenAI The company that flipped the education landscape with the introduction of ChatGPT continues to be busy, upgrading GPT-4.5, the large language model that powers it, as well as adding new aspects, such as voice prompting.
One of its new tools, DeepResearch, can search the web and summarize and compile data into a research summary or paper. Some who have used it say it can create research papers as good as a graduate student in certain topics; others insist it’s not quite there yet.
tool is important because it is an open-source reasoning model that is free to use, which is a good fit for most education environments.
Zum While school transportation doesn’t come to mind as cuttingedge technology, this market has been quietly undergoing an innovation revolution.
from a small private organization to one of the leaders in the education space. They are a major supporter of just about every education conference, host three large events each year, and have more integrations than most other players. Public Relations veteran Jacob Hanson notes, “I am excited to see what else they do this year to drive innovation.”
Tech & Learning advisor
DeepSeek DeepSeekR1 was developed in China and launched an innovation revolution. The
OnYourMark This company is working to support the virtual tutoring market beset by setbacks (FEV Tutor and Paper folding). They are a nonprofit and a portfolio organization of Cambiar Group that has seen rapid growth in a market that has been hard hit.
Classlink This legacy company, led by CEO Berj Akian, has grown
Leanna Mullen, Student Data Coordinator at Egg Harbor Township School District, recommends Branching Minds, an MTSS platform that looks at the whole child. Mullen writes, “[Branching Minds] not only serves as a data warehouse, but includes integrated progress monitoring, tier automation, and a new Early Warning System. It helps us identify the students who need support, and helps us provide targeted interventions.” T&L has also gotten a sneak peek at a new AI feature coming in May that promises to make this process even easier.
While Google and the major AI players continue to have a large presence in education, our advisors are surprised there are not more big names making a splash.
“We are almost a quarter of the way into the year, and I’m not hearing or seeing much from the big, big guns yet,” says Tech & Learning advisor, Dan Ryder, education director of the Success and Innovation Center at Mount Blue Campus in Farmington, Maine. “Walking around FETC and SXSW EDU, I kept looking for the company/presence that seems poised to make a big move. With the money question hanging over everyone, I’m inclined to think it’s going to be a smaller player with an established presence that is looking to level up.”
Other companies and products to watch for 2025 from Tech & Learning’s advisors included: School Links, Find Your Grind, CyberNut, Incident IQ, UFLI, Raptor Technologies and CENTEGIX, Zoe Immersive, Cricut, zSpace, Epic Games (Fortnite Creative/Lego Fortnite), Gameplan, Samsung, Best Buy, Costco, Michaels – and even WalMart.
PEOPLE TO WATCH
President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Education
Secretary Linda McMahon As their agenda to eliminate the U.S. Education Department and push education back to the individual
states continues, their influence of national political leadership cannot be understated.
“With the decreased role of the federal Department of Education, it will be up to governors and state education leaders to fill the gaps and provide the supports that the DOE once provided to LEAs,” says Jaw.
“We need some new and visible champions,” adds Dan Ryder “I’m sensing some of the voices that have been present but a little quieter or lower profile finding their way forward -- especially those who are more practical and less philosophical in their approaches.”
Sal Khan Given the expected deep cuts and disruptions to education, the CEO and founder of Khan Academy will have a significant impact by continuing to provide quality education resources at a price that every district can still afford: free! Built with educators in mind, the Khanmigo AI continues to offer a secure tool that can help tutor students and handle administrative tasks for teachers.
EDUCATION ASSOCIATIONS
AFT The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), under the leadership of President Randy Weingarten, has been one of the most vocal opponents of federal funding and staffing cuts, engaging policymakers, creating national calls to action, and highlighting the devastating risks many of these cuts will have on students. They are a powerful voice in the protection of US teachers.
CoSN Under the leadership of CEO Keith Krueger, the Consortium for School Networking is a leader in advocating for policies and funding that support home connectivity and device access. The association provides dozens of resources to its members to help school districts identify where there are gaps, and where to find support.
ISTE/ASCD The largest edtech association in the Unites States
continues to be a valued resource for school districts looking for guidance on supporting student access to technology, primarily through its ISTE Standards for Students. Since the two associations merged in 2023, under the helm of CEO Richard Culatta, they now represent more than 160,000 members. When Tech & Learning interviewed Jennifer Ragan-Fore, ASCD + ISTE Chief Experience Officer, shortly after the merger, she said the decision to combine the entities was “about being able to bring together people across the entire instructional spectrum — leaders all the way down to classroom teachers and coaches.” As federal funding continues to impact education at every level, ISTE/ASCD is in a position to have a big impact on how schools can continue to find new ways to support all students.
SETDA As federal education
funding continues to be slashed, states will likely have a larger role in supporting public education. As the leading association representing schools in states, the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), under the leadership of Executive Director Julia Fallon, is positioned to become a unified voice for the states.
GRASSROOTS LEADERS & RESEARCHERS
Alex Marrero, Superintendent of Denver Public Schools Alex is at the forefront of protecting Latino students by saying that ICE has no place in his buildings and ordering principals to not let them in. He sued the federal government to stop immigration enforcement at schools. This year, he won the AASA & National PTA Excellence in Family Engagement Award, and he has received the Leadership and Excellence in Education Award from the Association of DominicanAmerican Supervisors and Administrators, Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association, K12 Dive Superintendent to Watch, and more. He currently serves as president of ALAS, an association
focusing on the education of Latino students and one that now has to focus on protections for these students and their families.
Dr. Jonah Schenker, Superintendent at Ulster BOCES The district will play host to its third annual, studentled sustainability summit in May, their 2nd annual Deeper learning NY conference, the only DL conference dedicated to Deeper Leading, and is overseeing the opening of their new iPark 87 CTE facility that is bringing together the business community and community college. Moving their CTE program allowed their rapidly expanding special education program to move into the newly vacant space. Public relations veteran Jacob Hanson shares, “He is the epitome of what we need in education leadership right now. Someone that envisions change and then makes it happen. iPark 87 was a dream on the back of a napkin 10 years ago and it will become a reality this September when they welcome students for the first time.”
Crying in My Car podcast host, educator and comedian Devin Siebold Public relations Kati Elliott expert enthuses, “If
you haven’t listened to any of his podcasts you should. Funny, real look at teaching.”
Andrew Maynard A professor at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Maynard is a deep thinker about AI potential in education and society at large. His Future of Being Human newsletter offers fascinating info about new AI for teaching and beyond and a great resource for teachers looking to keep pace with this rapidly evolving technology.
Graham Clay A philosopher and educator, Clay is passionate about helping provide educators with resources and tutorials to help harness the power of various AI tools in the classroom. Paid subscribers to his AutomatED newsletter get in-depth instructions for doing things such as writing a letter of recommendation for a student with the help of AI and creating an effective and helpful chatbot based on your class or course material.
Daniel T. Willingham A psychology professor at the University of Virginia and author, Willingham is known both for his cutting-edge educational research
and ability to explain research in the field in general in a clear and compelling way that classroom educators can understand and benefit from. Clear-eyed, sciencefirst voices are needed more than ever in the age of AI, when there is plenty of hype mixed in with beneficial case uses.
Parents “Parents are becoming more engaged in the quality of
governments direct said funds to the growth of their child.”
Teachers “While I understand the idea behind identifying influential people in our space, I would argue that a teacher has the biggest impact on anything and everything,” says Jim McVety, managing partner of First Step Advisors.
A few other leading educators put forth by Tech & Learning’s advisors: Phil Hintz, Yaritza Villalba, Matthew X. Joseph, Carl Hooker, Adam Phyall, Adam Bellow, Jennifer Womble, Diane Doersch, Sheryl Abshire, Adeel Khan, Alex Marrero, Tony Spence, Alana Winnick, and Devin Siebold.
education their children receive,” says Niquelle Cotton, CEO and Strategy Officer of Q-Factor Consulting. “They are also recognizing the importance of having the 4 Cs (communication, critical thinking, collaboration and creativity), though informally. This comes on the heels of the view of a public deconstruction of the DOE, where I would suspect they will want to see their local
“They are all incredible movers and shakers,” says Phil Hintz, Chief Technology Officer for Niles Township School District 219, just outside of Chicago.
“They all eat, drink, and breathe education and are what will improve education for ALL students.”
This is just a sampling of the influencers who will have an impact during this tumultuous time in education. As industry veteran Chuck Amos writes, “Batten down the hatches. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
By Ray Bendici
In March, nearly 1,000 educators and support personnel flocked to Long Island University’s downtown Brooklyn campus for the NYC Public Schools Assistive Technology Expo 2025. The event focused on helping educators to harness the power of assistive
technology (AT) to enhance learning, communication, and independence for students with disabilities.
Throughout the day, attendees got to hear and learn from education and AT experts, engage in discussions, explore the vendor hall, and connect with peers from across the five boroughs.
EMPOWERING SUCCESSES
Key themes of the day included the importance of communication amongst IEP teams, fostering a school-wide culture of AT adoption, the concept of “microlearning” for AT knowledge dissemination, recognising AT champions
within the school system, and most importantly, showcasing the lived experiences of student and graduate AT users.
The day kicked off with an opening keynote from New York City Public School Chief of Special Education Suzanne Sanchez and Central Assistive Technology Team Director Colleen Warn, focusing on the history of empowering success with assistive technology and effectively setting the stage for a day of learning and collaboration.
The presentation also featured a panel of students and program alumni who shared their successes using assistive technology. Nia, a high school student who transitioned from a flashlight communication system to an eye-gaze device, uses WhatsApp for social communication, and has had a lead role in her school play. “I love how people can see my words on the outside of my device,” she said. “I love to use WhatsApp to talk to my friends and family.”
Elvin, a seventh-grade student who is new to AT, started using an iPad in September and has already experienced significant improvement in spelling and reading. “Ever since I got my iPad, I have been able to do those things,” he said. “I’ve been able to spell, I’ve never been able to spell before, I have been able to read what I’ve never been able to read before.”
AN INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCE
By highlighting the impact of AT and emphasising the importance of a supportive and communicative school environment, and providing practical strategies for AT implementation, the keynote underscored the district’s commitment to empowering students with disabilities and fostering a truly inclusive educational experience.
Following the presentation, attendees participated in a series of workshops and sessions throughout the day. The morning sessions cover topics such as iPad accessibility for visually impaired students,
hearing assistive technology, and dyslexia support, while the afternoon sessions explored using AT to support autistic learners, AI in education, and reimagining special education.
Ultimately, attendees were encouraged to reflect on the learning opportunities throughout the day and consider how they can promote a culture of AT learning in their schools.
The NYC CAT Team
Nearly 1,000 educators and support personnel flocked to Long Island University’s downtown Brooklyn campus for the NYC Public Schools Assistive Technology Expo 2025.
APRIL EDTECH SHOW & TELL
Welcome to the April 2025 Edtech Show & Tell, in which our editors share some of the new edtech products that have caught our attention this month. These are not reviews or endorsements, but a showcase of education-friendly items, platforms, and more that we think might be noteworthy for you.
Asus | ASUS V16 (V3607)
The ASUS V16 (V3607) is an entry-level 16-inch gaming laptop that combines futuristic design with high-performance capabilities and up to 14 hours of battery life. With an Intel Core 7 240H processor and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, it easily handles AAA game titles.
BenQ and MagicSchool
BenQ has partnered with MagicSchool to now make MagicSchool available on BenQ Boards. With
By Diana Restifo & Ray Bendici
MagicSchool available directly on BenQ Boards, teachers can instantly differentiate lessons to meet diverse student needs, create engaging lesson hooks on the fly, and deploy AI tools in real time without leaving the classroom environment.
Cuescript | CSMPPB
Perfect Balance Plate
The Perfect Balance Plate provides a flat, adjustable teleprompter base that adapts to various configurations, including setups like the SONY FR7. Plus, with no need for additional weights, location prompting becomes
physically lighter and easier to manage.
Edlio | Edlio Accessibility
Edlio Accessibility is a new AI-powered accessibility tool designed to help school websites meet ADA compliance by allowing administrators to scan their online content with a single click, identifying and repairing accessibility issues to ensure a more connected school community.
Edthena | Observation
Copilot Observation
Copilot streamlines the process of turning principals’ classroom observation notes into clear, structured feedback for teachers. Developed by Edthena in collaboration with principals, Observation Copilot creates an initial draft of written feedback in just a few seconds.
Extron | NetPA 204 POE
The NetPA 204 POE is a Dante-enabled, PoE-powered, four channel audio power amplifier that delivers up to 20 watts per channel. It is designed to be mounted above ceiling tiles, out of sight and near the speakers.
Jebbee Jebbee is a career and college preparedness social networking platform, now available in the application marketplace. The app is free to download and connects students with universities, professional mentors and
companies, fostering accessibility to college and career pathways.
Kramer | USB 3.2 Gen 2 Cables With the new C-U32/ MFF USB 3.2 Gen 2 SuperSpeed+ passive cables, there’s no more guessing once the original packaging is gone. The cables provide bi-directional plug-andplay connectivity for the delivery of 4K@60 4:4:4 video and fast data transfer between PC,
Magewell | Modator Ultra
Encode SDI Plus Module, USB Capture SDI 4K Pro, Pro Convert IP to USB, and Director One
The Modator Ultra Encode SDI Plus Module features 4Kp30 encoding capabilities that enable simultaneous multi-protocol streaming; the USB Capture SDI 4K Pro is a
solution for applications such as streaming, video conferencing, live production, and immersive presentations; the Pro Convert IP to USB is a plug-and-play device that enables computers to capture an NDI, NDI HX or streaming source through a USB interface; and Director One combines multi-input switching, graphics, streaming, recording, and monitoring.
Toshiba | BX410T Label
Printer Driven by Toshiba’s A-BRID Operating System, the BX410T Label Printer delivers cloud-based intelligence that ensures seamless integration and smooth workflows, while supporting operational efficiency, reduced downtime, and scaling ability.
BRANCHING MINDS’ AI CONNECTS THE DOTS
Edtech innovators are dedicated to finding collaborative, data-informed solutions to real-world problems.
Maya Gat, Co-Founder and CEO of Branching Minds a leading K-12 Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) management platform— chats about new AI components in their dynamic Collaborator Suite, which earned a nod in T&L’s Most Influential Edtech of 2025 issue.
What does T&L’s “Top Innovative Product” nod mean on your journey to develop solutions for complex challenges in education? Being named a “Top Innovative Product” by Tech & Learning is a full-circle moment. It validates a vision that started in the classroom—where I felt the daily frustration of not having the right tools to truly understand and support every student. Teaching is inherently collaborative, yet educators are often siloed, overwhelmed by fragmented data and disconnected systems.
The initial idea for Branching Minds was born out of that pain point. I entered the EdTech Idea Challenge not just with an idea, but with urgency—the urgency of an educator who knew things had to change. Winning that challenge and later receiving a global innova-
tion award before even building the product proved the need was real.
Now, twelve years later, being recognized by Tech & Learning affirms that we’ve stayed true to that original mission: creating tools that simplify complexity, connect educators, and make a meaningful impact on student learning. It’s a sign that we’re not just building products—we’re solving real problems that educators face every day.
Branching Minds has long been a leader in helping districts implement effective MTSS practices. How has the company’s mission evolved?
Branching Minds has always recognized a critical gap between research and practice. It’s like having a cure but not the prescription—so much valuable knowledge exists in academic circles, but if it isn’t accessible or actionable for teachers, it doesn’t help kids.
The company’s mission has evolved from simply bridging that gap to transforming how districts approach MTSS at every level. Branching Minds focuses not just on curating the most effective, evidence-based practices, but on empowering educators with tools that integrate those practices seamlessly into their day-today work. By aligning intervention strategies with realtime data and simplifying decision-making, Branching Minds is helping schools move from theory to impact—ensuring that every student gets the support they need, when they need it.
What inspired Branching Minds’ Collaborator Suite, and what impact is it having on educators?
The inspiration came from a recurring challenge we saw across districts: educators were expected to collaborate around student support, but the systems in
place made that incredibly difficult. Meetings were time-consuming to organize, data was scattered across platforms, and the pressure to make high-stakes decisions often fell on individuals rather than teams. We realized that to truly make MTSS work, we needed to support the people doing the work—by making collaboration easier, faster, and more effective.
The Collaborator Suite was designed to solve this. It brings together smart scheduling, AI-driven data summaries, and best-practice guidance in one place. For example, our Meeting Assistant prepares quick-read reports that pull together academic, behavior, and attendance data—freeing up time for educators to focus on planning interventions rather than digging through spreadsheets.
We also introduced “Ask Dottie,” an AI assistant trained on more than 2,500 evidence-based interventions and decades of best practice research. Dottie helps educators identify the right strategies for specific student needs in real time—like how to support a small group of students with math anxiety, or which phonics activity works best for early learners. We like to think of Dottie as an on-demand learning scientist to help educators connect the dots, who just so happens to be a French bulldog who wears cat-eyed glasses.
solutions
offer student data protection?
Unlike some tools, Branching Minds never uses student data to train AI models. We’re fully FERPA, COPPA, and state-law compliant, and a proud signatory of the Student Privacy Pledge, with SOC 2 Type II certification—the gold standard. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest, hosted securely on AWS, with strict access controls and regular audits.
What
excites you most about the future of MTSS and the role Branching Minds will play?
What excites me most is the sheer potential of MTSS as a powerful engine for aligned, proactive, student-centered decisionmaking. It brings together everything that contributes to a thriving school environment—academic growth, behavioral support, emotional wellness, attendance, and even staff collaboration—into one cohesive, purpose-driven system.
The impact has been powerful. Educators tell us they feel more aligned, more confident, and more equipped to make decisions that truly support student success and give them the time back so that they can focus on what really matters - building relationships with learners.
How does Branching Minds ensure its AI
Branching Minds is uniquely positioned to amplify that potential. We’re not building tools in isolation— we’re building connective technology that empowers educators to work smarter, faster, and more collaboratively. As MTSS continues to expand in reach and depth, our role is to keep innovating in ways that make it easier for school teams to stay aligned, act with clarity, and support every learner with confidence.
The future is one where schools are not just reacting to needs but anticipating them—together. By helping more stakeholders connect more dots, we can ensure that every learner has a chance to find their path to academic and personal success. That’s what drives us every day
IPRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: A SIGNAL THAT GOOD THINGS ARE COMING
Rob Chambers, EVP of Product at Lightspeed Systems, on solving school IT challenges with Lightspeed Insight and Signal
n today’s schools, tech isn’t just supporting education—it is the infrastructure of learning. But aging devices, overburdened IT teams, and growing cybersecurity threats make managing that infrastructure harder than ever.
Rob Chambers, EVP of Product at Lightspeed Systems, shares how the company is tackling these challenges head-on with two innovative tools— Lightspeed Insight and Lightspeed Signal designed to give school districts better visibility, stronger security, and smarter budgeting.
overhead and streamline IT. Consolidating solutions saves money, and bringing more data together in a single pane of glass saves time.
Tools such as Lightspeed Insight can uncover underused licenses, apps no one’s touched in months, and Signal can identify devices collecting dust in storage. That’s real money saved.
What role does proactive monitoring play in protecting district budgets and student time?
Q: Districts are facing serious budget constraints. How can they cut costs without cutting corners on learning or safety?
Rob Chambers: Efficiency is everything right now. With budgets under pressure, districts need tools that consolidate functions, reduce manual work, and extend the life of their existing tech.
At Lightspeed, we offer an integrated platform that includes filtering, classroom tools, safety monitoring, MDM, and analytics—all designed to reduce
Spotting issues before they impact teaching and learning minimizes headaches and time sucks and lets everyone focus on what really matters—teaching and learning.
Lightspeed Insight shows what apps are actually being used, by whom, and how often—so leaders can make data-driven decisions on renewals, training, or eliminating risky, unvetted apps.
Signal, on the other hand, adds a critical layer: it monitors device and app performance in real-time. If
Signs You Need Lightspeed Signal
Your data and management is spread across multiple tools. Lightspeed Signal was built for K-12 IT based on hundreds of interviews with K-12 IT leaders. If you see any of these signs, learn more about Signal today! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
and devices last longer. and you can't report on it.
Students are trying to get around filtering with VPNs or proxies.
When an app goes down, teachers tell you first.
You hear "the internet is slow" but don't know why.
You're trying to address home connectivity.
an LMS is crashing during third period or an update breaks a core tool, Signal alerts you before it impacts instruction.
It even tracks devices to specific users, helping you spot damaged, missing, or shared and swapped assets—a major win for resource management.
What exactly is Lightspeed Signal — and why does it matter?
Signal gives you a real-time pulse on your tech environment—starting from the device level. It uses agents to get deep, device-level visibility into app performance, network behavior, and device health—across any OS (Chrome, Windows, Mac).
You’ll see who’s using a device, when and where, and whether it’s running as it should. You’ll know if VPNs are being installed, if apps are crashing, or if students are struggling to get online at home.
helps us filter contextually, so counselors can focus on real signals, not false alarms.
We’re also adding AI features in the classroom. A recent update to Lightspeed Classroom delivers a daily engagement report to teachers, showing which students were off-task and when—helping them respond in real time to get students re-engaged.
Can you share a real-world example of Signal in action?
One district struggled with wifi drops in a classroom and spent weeks trying to track it down. Signal pinpointed the issue to a single location—turns out, a microwave near the access point was disrupting the connection every time it ran.
It’s not just about troubleshooting. It’s about proactively preventing disruptions and making sure every student has equitable access to learning tools.
How is Lightspeed thinking about AI — especially as it relates to school safety?
We’ve used AI and machine learning in our products for years. But with generative AI advancing rapidly, we’re finding new ways to use it even more meaningfully.
One example: Our safety monitoring tools flag concerning behavior—things such as self-harm indicators—without flooding staff with noise. For instance, every year when students read Romeo and Juliet, we see a spike in suicide-related searches. AI
In another case, Signal helped a district identify off-campus students who didn’t have strong enough internet access to participate in lessons. That allowed them to deploy hotspots where they were really needed.
And districts are also using Signal to track shared devices—seeing not just who a device was assigned to, but who’s actually using it.
All of this comes from listening to our customers. Signal exists because school IT leaders asked for a better way to surface meaningful data and make smarter decisions. That’s our job—to build tools that solve the problems schools are facing right now.
Want to see what’s really going on in your school’s tech environment? Learn more about Lightspeed Signal and Lightspeed Insight
Discover, connect, and lead the future of education at our free Tech & Learning Regional Leadership Summits. These exclusive events offer a unique opportunity to gather in a relaxed, face-to-face setting with fellow education leaders to tackle the big questions:
• How do we best support students and faculty?
• What does a future-focused approach look like for our schools?
Share, listen, and learn about the great work going on in your region!
RANSOMWARE 2.0: RECENT HACKING TRENDS AND HOW TO GUARD AGAINST THEM
By Erik Ofgang
Anew cybersecurity report from Travelers, a cyber insurance company, found that ransomware attacks increased by 32% from Q3 to Q4 last year. Schools saw similar trends, with 82% of K-12 organizations experiencing cyber incidents during the 18-month study period, according to the 2025 State of K-12 Cybersecurity Report from the Center for Internet Security (CIS). Randy Rose, VP of Security Operations & Intelligence at CIS, shares the recent trends in ransomware and cybersecurity.
INCREASE OF “MALVERTISEMENT” ATTACKS
“Malvertisements,” ransomware attacks that gain entry to school networks through malicious code hidden in advertisements, have become more common, serving as the vector for malware 63% of the time. These attacks can utilize watering hole adware attacks, in which malicious code is snuck into the ads of reputable sites that teachers or students might commonly visit from their school devices.
“These advertisers tend to be criminal actors who specialize in early entry, so they gain access to systems,” Rose says. “Typically, what ends up happening is they rent ad space, usually through a third party.”
THE RISE OF RANSOMWARE GROUPS
The Travelers report highlights the emergence of 55 new ransomware groups in 2024. Many of these hacker groups were supported by nation-state resources, while others were more loosely affiliated groups of cyber outlaws with complementary skill sets.
“Ransomware in particular, it’s hard to pin down specifically who’s doing what, because the actors that are associated with one group might not have a particular loyalty to that group, and they might operate under multiple ransomware organizations at a time,” Rose says.
PERSONALIZED RANSOM DEMANDS
When hacking groups obtain sensitive information about students and teachers they don’t always just threaten the school or district.
“We’ve seen with a couple of ransomware groups where they specifically target teachers and students’ parents, and go after them to try to get them to put pressure on the schools to pay,” Rose says. “When they go after the stakeholders, that’s a triple extortion attempt.”
Ultimately, Rose recommends schools follow the CIS Community Defense Model resource. While he knows that funding is tight, basic security measures can go a long way. “If you put just essential security controls in place, you offset your risk by 90%,” he says. “Even as threats are becoming more sophisticated, you’re really setting yourself up for success by focusing on the simple tasks.”
THE ROLE OF SCHOOL LEADERS IN ENSURING
ETHICAL TECHNOLOGY USE AND DATA PRIVACY
By Steve Baule
As technology continues to expand within the education space, the role of school leaders in ensuring ethical technology use and data privacy has never been more critical. By setting clear policies, fostering digital literacy, investing in training, and cultivating a culture of accountability, school leaders can create learning environments that harness the benefits of technology while protecting students and staff from its risks. Ethical leadership in technology is a necessary responsibility for maintaining trust and integrity in education.
UNDERSTANDING ETHICAL TECHNOLOGY
USE & DATA PRIVACY
Ethical technology use in schools encompasses responsible, fair, and transparent practices that prioritize students’ well-being, academic integrity, and digital citizenship. It involves that digital tools enhance learning while safeguarding against potential harm, such as cyberbullying, digital addiction, and misinformation.
A key aspect of ethical technology use is fostering digital literacy among students and educators.
Student data privacy is particularly critical because minors are vulnerable to identity theft, commercial exploitation, and surveillance, but rarely fully understand the implications of such threats. School leaders need to comply with
federal and state regulations, such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
NECESSARY TECHNOLOGY POLICIES
Technology use and data security policies should be transparent, easily accessible, and regularly updated to reflect evolving technological trends and threats.
Key components of effective policies include:
• Acceptable Use Policies (AUPs): Clearly define how students and staff can use school-provided devices, networks, and software.
• Data Security Protocols: Establish guidelines for password protection, multifactor authentication, and incident response plans in case of data breaches.
• Data Collection and Sharing Policies: Ensure that only essential data is collected and that any sharing with third parties complies with legal and ethical standards.
• Parental Consent and Communication: Keep parents informed about how their children’s data is used and obtain consent for data collection when necessary.
HOW TO USE IT TO TEACH STORYTELLING
By Luke Edwards
Story Xperiential is a teaching platform that allows students to learn how to create a story. Specifically, this teaches storytelling by showing the process used at Pixar -- guided along by some of its best animators and creators.
This might start with Pixar, however, it also features animators from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel, Lucasfilm, DreamWorks Animations Studios, and more.
Everything can be accessed easily online so this is something that can be accessed at school and at home using personal devices.
HOW DOES STORY XPERIENTIAL WORK?
Story Xperiential is a self-paced storytelling program. It offers a guiding hand as you progress.
This works by firstly brainstorming, outlining, and storyboarding to develop a storyreel. This is done by uploading in chunks as you progress.
In total this is a roughly 40-hour course that is designed to be carried out over a nine-week grading period. But, as mentioned, it can be done at the student or teacher pace as needed.
WHAT ARE THE BEST STORY XPERIENTIAL FEATURES?
• Story Xperiential is super simple to use and works
on a team-building basis. Since students are required to give feedback, as well as receive it, this allows them to think critically and adapt.
• The regular video guidance sessions, held as livestreams, are a great resource for students to attend and from which to learn. These are presented from professionals who have done the journey students may want to explore.
• Feedback together Practice feedback as a group, learning how to constructively spot and offer opinions that can be helpful.
• Webinar in class Every two weeks are live webinars you can build classes around and have discussions to follow up afterward.
• Use teams Some students will work better in teams with this process so perhaps use groups and a mix for individuals too.
• The ‘What If’ lessons help to spark ideas and can be used in education as jump-off points for more creative exploration.
• For education specifically, there are curriculummapping standards that can help make this a more tailored teaching tool.
CTEACHING WITH THE AI GRADING AND TUTOR TOOL
By Erik Ofgang
lass Companion is an AI-powered tutoring and assessing tool that is designed to assist teachers in providing students with personalized education. I heard about Class Companion from a high school teacher I recently interviewed and have since tested the free version.
Class Companion is designed for K-12 students and I teach college, but from my personal experience, it is an impressive AI tutor and grading assistant.
WHAT IS CLASS COMPANION?
Class Companion uses AI to provide students with personalized feedback in a few key ways. First, it provides personalized assessments of short-answer and essay questions. Second, it has a tutor named Ditto that can help students. Finally, it can also generate rubrics and assessment questions for teachers in addition to other features.
Class Companion utilizes OpenAI’s GPT-4 model to power its answers and tutoring features.
WHAT ARE CLASS COMPANION’S BEST FEATURES?
• Class Companion’s personalized feedback is what really stands out to me. Using AI as an instructor can feel
like venturing into uncharted territory, but Class Companion allows the teacher to put in many guardrails and use the tool as they see fit.
• Beyond this, I love how Class Companion supports mastery education philosophies. By default, the student is given multiple chances to submit an answer and can make changes to improve in real time based on feedback AI provides.
• Setting up my own questions based on texts I loaded into Class Companion was also easy and quicker than I anticipated—though I would want to update the prompts I provided, based on student feedback.
CLASS COMPANION BOTTOM LINE: WOULD I USE IT WITH
STUDENTS?
The short answer is yes, provided it was approved by my institution, I would use Class Companion. It seems to be a helpful AI tool that keeps the focus on the educator and student agency while harnessing AI’s power to provide personalized feedback.
The longer answer is also yes, with the caveat that, as with all AI tools, I’d like to see more randomized control trials in which groups of students take the same class with and without an AI tool such as this.
