FEATURE | ed tech trends Bill Ledger JANUARY BRINGS many opportunities for change. Politically, we get a fresh start, with a new Congress, a new term for the presidential administration, and new leaders on the local level. Another school semester begins. A new wall calendar goes up, featuring pictures of kittens or rustic New England scenes. The new year also allows district technology leaders and innovators to reflect on how the rapid pace of technological change is impacting what happens in their classrooms. Instructional technologies that were all the rage a year ago ( netbooks) can be swept aside by this year’s favorite ( iPads). Discerning which new developments are truly effective and which are just fads is the toughest challenge. T. H. E. Journal recently convened five experts who spend their days in the trenches helping school districts understand the impact of technology on teaching and learning. We asked them to consider 10 topics related to instructional technology and give us Our panel of experts determines which ed tech devices and practices are heating up, and which are losing steam. BY DAVID RATHS | DECEMBER 2012 8