The future ain’t what it used to be.

And how January has already flown.

Well, I have some great news for you:

I’ve been observing, chatting with, and listening intently to educators.

And those in edtech providing solutions to those educators.

I recently came back from the Future

The Future of Education Technology Conference, to be more precise.

Program Chair Jennifer Womble gave a great speech there, no easy task considering she was the warm-up band for a very big name in education — Sir Ken Robinson.

And with the background buzz of hundreds of exhibitors, Sir Ken, in his elegant relaxing cadence, spoke of a great shift for education.

And if you had supersonic hearing and listened even more intently, you’d hear from every corner of the world the distant drone of a billion students and teachers — and families and leaders — crying out with a hopeful note for something better.

Something more

We’re in the midst of something revolutionary for education.

Yes, technology is opening that door.

But there’s a greater movement at play here.

It’s found in the people behind the technology.

The people leading education forward:

Teachers,
Policymakers,
Students,
Parents,
Administrators,
Technology developers, and
Founders

It’s we, the people making it all happen, who take it the distance.

As long as we remember it is we that lead, then the technologies will follow brilliantly.

A shift with you in the spotlight

This is why starting this year, you will see with EdTech Digest and The EdTech Awards a renewed, and impossible-to-miss, focus.

Inspired by your sheer hard work, EdTech Digest will become even more the place where the dauntless dedication of educators and technologists is recognized, spotlighted, and applauded.

With much respect for all of those involved in lifting others up and pushing things forward.

That is how we’re approaching this coming year and beyond. Well into the 2020s, in fact.

With a fresh new look and feel, lots of help (and perhaps a little too much coffee!), we’ve rededicated ourselves to the innovators, leaders and trendsetters of edtech — people like you — who are shaking things up, making things move, and creating the future of education.

In our 2017-2018 State of EdTech report, you’ll see some glimpses of what’s to come.

As the year unfolds, you’ll see a lot more ways that we’ll be honoring the people of edtech.