Among the many old man cliches I like to drop on my children includes the classic, “I have socks older than you!” In many ways, that’s how I feel about our Awards of Excellence (AOE) contest. Since 1982, Tech and Learning has sought out and celebrated the best products in education technology through our AOE awards program, which invites edtech companies to put their wares to the test through evaluation by actual educators.
In the past, this meant simply gauging speeds and feeds of products and services—does it work or not? It’s not so simple anymore. While a projector’s lumens or a laptop’s capacity is certainly something to consider, what’s more important is the application of edtech—how it improves the way educators work and students learn.
To that end, this year’s participating edtech companies will nominate products through the endorsement of their customers: What piece of hardware has changed the way a teacher does her job? What piece of software has improved a school’s literacy; what platform has reinvented the way a district manages students? These submissions will be reviewed by a panel of Tech & Learning advisors, who will select 10 finalists in the following three categories: Best use of a product in a classroom; Best use of a product in a school; and Best use of a product in a district.
All 30 finalists will be recognized in the January 2019 issue of Tech & Learning and invited to a special reception at TCEA where the grand prize winners in each category will be announced. These winners will be recognized in the April 2019 issue of Tech and Learning.
Have a favorite piece of edtech gear? Encourage them to apply here: https://www.techlearningawardsofexcellence.com/
Good luck to all!
