Sing it with me: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Sure, there are the holidays, of course. But it’s also when Tech&Learning celebrates the best edtech leaders and gear of 2013.
Over the past eight months, our panel of judges put more than one hundred different products through some serious due diligence in order to make it to these pages. Likewise, our Leader of the Year selections were culled from a huge contingent of candidates submitted from across the country. (I’m still reeling from reading all those spreadsheet cells!)
One word that consistently summarizes our winners year after year is “innovation.” These awards are given not on the merits of the technology itself, but what people have been able to do with it. When you read about Jo Welter in Allison Park, PA and Eva Harvell in Pascagoula, MS, notice their emphasis on the students over the tools, the learning rather than tech. The same goes for our judges’ comments in the product categories. Speeds and feeds are certainly important, but what makes this hardware and software extraordinary is how it improves the classroom experience.
I would like to thank all of our judges and staff who made this year’s selection process go so smoothly. Interested in becoming a judge for our 2014 contest? Email aoe@nbmedia for details.
Happy New Year!
— Kevin Hogan
Editorial Director
khogan@nbmedia.com
