Students at Highland Academy Charter School held student-led conferences where they presented electronic portfolios of all their exemplary classwork, goals, and reflections. This is a great way of using immersive simulations while increasing student confidence as they use technology to showcase their successes. Using electronic portfolios is great preparation for students' futures, and allows them to use creativity and design.

Another example is when visually impaired and blind students at Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary learned to code, with Code Jumper. This coding language was developed by Microsoft in collaboration with American Printing House for the Blind. This is an active use of technology because coding requires critical thinking. This also can foster collaboration, as students are working together to design codes and produce individual programming. The collaboration of Microsoft and American Printing House for Blind is a great way for students to interact with experts and make global connections.

At Verona Area School District, they used Virtual Field Trips for the cross-curricular, cross-grade level experience. This showcases the active use of technology because it fosters peer collaboration and a unique technology experience. When the activity ended, students created animations in other lessons and animated stories they read in a separate lesson. Using this technology for different assignments allows students to think critically about using the site in different ways. This active use is not only fun, but allows for students to expand on their knowledge and other lessons in different ways.

Second graders at Central Dauphin School District used Minecraft to animate their water cycles into cartoons. After the lesson, students created animations for other lessons. This is active use because it uses immersive simulations to help students create and understand the water cycle. This is a creative way to help motivate students to learn and keep them engaged. It uses design and critical thinking, as students can creatively and uniquely create ways to showcase the cycle.

Students at Harrison Middle School actively used technology and created a video about Granny Henderson as a way to learn about one of the last residents of the Buffalo National River Area. This activity encouraged students to make global connections by learning the history of the region.

Students at Highland Academy Charter School actively used technology as a tool for peer collaboration by creating digitial portfolios and conducting student-led conferences to share their progress. This actively encouraged students to learn about each other's exemplary classwork, goals, and relfections.

Teachers at Del Lago Academy created a digital badging system for their students, allowing them to critically think about what they are learning. Furthermore, this badging system was used on an administrative level as a data collection tool to evaluate the use of the school's website.

Students in Central Dauphin School District utilized Minecraft as a media production tool to express their understanding of the water cycle in a creative way. This allowed second-grade students to be active participants in their learning, and allowed them to learn the new skill of Minecraft animation.

Pascagoula High School in Mississippi launched a student led newscast, using a tablet, graphic design software, and a streaming platform. This is an example of peer collaboration as students collaborated to develop news content, write scripts, record and edit their segments. This is active use, because they used tech to engage in hands-on media production. 

In Atlanta at M.A. Jones Elementary School students use problem based learning to address real world challenges. Like when 5th grade students found insects damaging a community garden. They researched and designed bat houses using 3D modeling software. This actively engages students in problem solving and critical thinking because students applied their knowledge and used tech to find a solution. 

Logan County schools in Kentucky introduced a digital transformation initiative that connected students with industry and community leaders. This program immerses students in global conversations and allows them to make connections. 

Early County School District partnered with Kapor Center to establish a 6th to 12th grade computer science pathway for students, specifically targeting underrepresented groups in STEM. The program includes coding, digital storytelling and culturally responsive computing. This initiative actively involves students in computational thinking. Rather than learning about tech, students engage in hands-on projects and prepare for tech driven careers.  

At Harrison Middle School in Arkansas, students created a video about a local resident to learn about the history of their area and make cultural connections. This is a great example of active technology use because students aren't just learning facts—they’re engaging with the content creatively by making a video. It helps them understand and express their learning in real-world context.

In William C. Overfelt High School in California, chemistry students used a visible light spectrophotometer to investigate how different factors, like light exposure, affect yeast growth. This is active use because students are hands-on with technology, collecting data, analyzing it, and experimenting. It encourages them to think critically and make connections between technology and science. The technology is integrated into the learning process in a way that makes students interact with the material, reflect on their learning, and apply their knowledge in meaningful ways

At Del Lago Academy in Escondido, California, teachers introduced a digital badging system that lets students showcase their learning progress on the school’s website. This is an active use of technology because it gives students ownership over their learning and lets them reflect on their growth. They get to display their achievements in a way that feels meaningful and can reflect back on it.

Fifth-grade students at Escondido Union School District used video conferencing to communicate with park rangers in four different California State Parks to learn how to advocate for Marine Protected Areas. This is an example of active technology use because it gives students the chance to have real-time, interactive learning with experts. It promotes collaboration, critical thinking, problem-solving, and the chance to apply their learning to real-world issues.

Students from different high schools created learning activities for younger students using the NFL Play 60 virtual field trips. This is an example of media production since they used technology to create something.

Students at Highland Academy Charter created electronic portfolios to present at their student-led conferences. This allowed them to display their work digitally. This allowed them to collaborate with peers and

Second Graders used Minecraft to animate a water cycle. Later, they created an animated story. These students used their critical thinking skills by applying something they had already learned and using it to create something new.

Harrison Middle School students made a video about the Buffalo National River area. This correlates to global connections since the students learned about the culture and region.

At Gorham Middle School, students in the music class learned about form and genre through creating podcasts and songs on Soundtrap. They integrated peer collaboration and media production through using a website to explore, compose music, and communicate to share and retain feedback. 

Fifth-grade students from the Escondido Union School District participated in a videoconference with rangers from four coastal parks across the state to learn how to advocate for Marine Protected Areas. Afterward, students created public service announcements to promote protecting these areas. Students engaged in making global connections through digital communication and media production by creating public service announcements, likely utilizing technology to design it. 

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf Regional Stem Center (NRSC), VEX Robotics, and the REC Foundation allied to provide training and resources to schools in order to include deaf students in STEM concepts such as robotics. Their collaboration employed critical thinking and peer collaboration through accessible learning tools and inclusive STEM opportunities in robotics and competitions for deaf students. 

Students in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD model active use of technology through combatting understaffing in schools by programming robots to handle tasks like cutting the grass and cleaning the floors. Students in the robotics program learn valuable skills in STEM, peer collaboration, and critical thinking to benefit the school.

Pascagoula High School students were responsible for developing content outline, writing scripts, recording, and editing the segments. With only a tablet computer, a free graphic design platform, and a streaming platform, the students effectively created and broadcasted the news. This demonstrates that active technology use doesn't require high-end equipment but rather innovative and purposeful application of available resources.

The Early Country School Districts implementation of a computer science program is a strong example of active technology use. The program enables students to actively engage in coding and other computer science activites, helping them develop skills. This hands-on approach allows students to create , experiment, and problem-solve, which are some key components of active learning.

The Montana Digital Academy had immersive learning experiences that foster critical thinking and practical application. By the students participating in practical AI-focused activities, students actively engage with the technology rather than passively consuming information. This allows them to experiment with AI tools and understand how they work. This encourages students to critically analyze the societal implications of AI and develop responsible strategies for its use.

The Mendon-Upton Regional School District appointed a student to the technology committee, where they actively engages students in the evaluation process. That allowed students to contribute their perspectives and needs, ensuring that the told selected are relevant and effective for learning. The Digital Tool EValuation process allowed both educators and students to self-report their experiences with the tools. This feedback loop ensures that technology use is dynamic and responsive to the user needs, leading to improvements and potential scaling of effective tools. This iterative process is an example of active technology use because it involves reflection and adaptation.

In Louisville, Kentucky visually impaired and blind students at Breckinridge-Franklin Elementary are learning to code using codejumper which is a coding language developed by Microsoft in collaboration with American printing house for the blind. This is an amazing hope for technology, using it to incorporate all students even if they all need different learning patterns.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania second graders at Central Dauphin School District used Minecraft to animate their water cycles into cartoons. Their teacher said that after the activity ended, the students continued to create animations in other lessons and ended up animating a story that they read in a separate lesson. I think this is a fun way for students to learn especially since it is a game most little kids like to play it can make it more memorable.

Music students at Gorham Middle School in Maine use Soundtrap to create podcasts and songs. They create compositions in music class to learn about form and genre, and use

the program’s text chat so their teacher can see their planning process. This use of technology is a fun way for students to collaborate with each other and create.

In Anchorage, Alaska, students at Highland Academy Charter School conducted student-led conferences in the fall and spring at which they present and shared electronic portfolios of all their exemplary classwork, goals and reflections. I love this idea! I feel like it gives the students a good chance at putting their critical thinking to the test and speak in front of faculty in a professional way.

In Van Meter, Iowa, teachers are incorporating technology in their classrooms through videos and communication with parents. They are teaching their students digital literacy so they can use their knowledge for life.

In a South Dakota school district, teachers and students take coding courses called Code to the Future.

In South Carolina, the South Carolina Department of Education created a Learning Object Repository as a major digital resource for teachers and administrators to use and help locate materials.

Arkansas provides professional development courses online to their state educators.

Harrison Middle School students create a video about one of the eldest residents of the town to share and honor his story while learning the history of the land. This method uses making global connections to help students become more familiar with town citizens and history.

Highland Academy Charter School students conducted student-conference meetings with electronic portfolios. This uses media production as well as design to keep students organized and get helpful feedback on their work.

Verona Area School District in Wisconsin uses virtual field trips, which uses coding to enable students wider, more active experiences.

Gohram Middle School music students use a music coding app to learn about form and genres, as well as share planning strategies.

Central Dauphin School District uses animated coding which allows students to create unique things as well as use imagination.

Peer Collaboration- Highland Academy Charter School

At Highland Academy students don't just submit their work and continue on with their day, instead they lead discussions and show off electronics portfolios of their classwork, goals and reflections. Instead of just turning in assignments and receiving a grade, students control show off their work by organizing it digitally and using technology to track themselves, and it also improves their public speaking skills.

Critical Thinking- Harrison Middle School

Instead of just learning about history, students at Harrison Middle School brought history to life by creating a video project about Granny Henderson. This project combines history research with story telling and media production to make history more engaging.

Making Global Connections- Verona Area School District

Students in this district are teaching younger students through virtual field trips. This is a great example of how technology can connect different age groups and make learning interactive and fun for everyone involved.

Media Production- M.A Jones Elementary School

5th graders at M.A Jones Elementary noticed that insects were destroying their garden so they decided to research natural solutions. They found that attracting bats to east the insects would fix this issue so they used AR/VR tools and TinkerCAD to design and build bat houses in their class.

M. Agnes Jones Elementary School incorporates engineering design into most classes and uses technology to flourish. This school puts content into practice because when a 5th-grade class realized that bugs were eating plants in the garden, they used the design process to tackle the issue. Through research, they learned bats eat thousands of flying insects every hour. The students used AR/VR technology and TinkerCAD in the Innovation Creation Lab to design and build bat houses to bring more bats to the area.

Before 2021, the Early County School District in Georgia had no Computer Science program for its students.

The district’s high school will have four students complete its new computer science pathway three years later. Through a partnership with the Kapor Center, 52 percent of the Black school district has established a 6th through 12th-grade computer science pathway for students in Early County. This allows access to technology and allows students to pursue computer science education, tech careers, and STEM-related fields. The spread of technology can help cultivate equity in the classroom.

The Montana Digital Academy is an online school that began offering a class called "Artificial Intelligence in the World," which gave students a look into AI, a way to utilize it, and outlooks that showed it can ethically improve life. Getting students this time with AI will help them when they join the workforce since more things are incorporating AI into their way of running things.

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD students in Texas program robots to automate tasks, such as cutting the

grass and cleaning the school floors. This is such a cool task for students to do. It gives them a real experience with robots, and they can see their accomplishments in action.

An example of media production would be the students in Van Meter, Iowa, who have incorporated storytelling and graphic novel writing into their 5th-grade curriculum. By using technology to create storyboards based on civil rights figures, the students do not consume but produce content and become active players in their education.

In 2017, Sioux Falls School District began to implement technology in their schools in a new way. They worked with Code to the Future to create new coding programs for students. This gives students a new sense of freedom to create, as they can now bring their ideas to life with maker spaces that encourage critical thinking and problem-solving.

Pendergast Elementary School District in Glendale, Arizona, has begun to use technology to teach "essential 21st-century skills in FUSE" such as 3D printing, digital animation, and robotics, while promoting collaboration and problem-solving.

Northern Bass School District 97, in Fargo North Dakota, utilizes a program that is a perfect example of technology stimulating critical thinking. They use a self-guided, flexible program for students to learn at their own pace and are required to provide evidence of comprehension. Collecting this evidence gives students the reigns in a way and allows them to build their own schema at their own pace.