NCCE - Northwest Council for Computer Education

10/30/2026

Wallowa Resources: STEM Education in the Great Outdoors

Wallowa Resources’ Origins Wallowa Resources (WR) is a nonprofit organization based in Northeast Oregon, dedicated to empowering rural communities to create strong economies and healthy landscapes through land stewardship, education, and job creation. In 1996, changes in national forest management caused most Wallowa County sawmills to shut down, leaving 20% of our counties' workforce unemployed overnight. Wallowa Resources was founded directly in community response and action to our rapidly changing economy - the question being how do we put people back to work in meaningful ways to sustainably care for our landscapes?...

Wallowa Resources’ Origins Wallowa Resources (WR) is a nonprofit organization based in Northeast Oregon, dedicated to empowering rural communities to create strong economies and healthy landscapes…

10/29/2026

A 10th grade English class put phones in a closet organizer, picked up paper and pencils, and moved to corners of the room to argue whether Chris McCandless was a tragic hero or a reckless fool.

The night before, those same students put the prompt into a chatbot and compared answers. Both lessons were assigned on purpose.

What would that comparison look like in your class?

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/how-northville-mich-schools-balance-ai-with-other-critical-skills

10/29/2026

💡Tech Tip of the Week!

Every AI tool has a different purpose, and knowing which one to use matters. Help your students use these tools responsibly by teaching them their strengths and limitations.

Read more on the blog: https://ncce.org/guiding-students-toward-safe-and-responsible-ai-use/.

Learn more at ncce.org.

10/29/2026

Walk into almost any school and you can see it. The laptops arrived, the platforms got purchased, and the time to learn them well did not always follow.

State leaders say the same. Sixty-two percent now name professional learning a top unmet need, up from 47% last year, the biggest jump in SETDA's new survey.

More states are using Title II-A money for that training than a year ago. The 2026 State EdTech Trends Report is out, with responses from 45 states and one territory. https://www.setda.org/priorities/state-trends/

10/28/2026

Your door locks are on the network. So are the cameras, the bus schedule, and payroll.

The State of K-12 Cybersecurity 2026, out this week, found that half of schools and districts had a cyber incident in the past year. Two-thirds have one or two people responsible for cybersecurity.

If that sounds familiar, the report has recommendations for each role.

https://www.cisecurity.org/insights/white-papers/state-k-12-cybersecurity-report-2026

10/28/2026

The AI disclosure argument has run in schools for two years. Now it is in Idaho's opinion pages, aimed at adults.

Reporters ran detectors on op-eds under elected officials' names. The officials disputed the findings, and some said AI helped them write more clearly.

The score is the least interesting part. The argument we keep having with students is now a public one.

Where would you draw the line?

https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/idaho-politicians-are-using-ai-to-write-for-them/

10/27/2026

A Virginia district ran a full school day with no network. Internet off, phones and email down, classes on. The superintendent said school went on as scheduled, with no threat to students or staff.

That is a plan, not luck. What would your teachers hand students at 8 a.m. if the network were gone?

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/ransomware-attack-forces-richmond-va-schools-offline

10/27/2026

Registration is open for NCCE 27 🎉

Connect with fellow educators, discover new EdTech tips, and bring fresh inspiration back to your classroom. We’ll see you March 3-5, 2027 at the Tacoma Convention Center!

Secure your spot today at the link in our bio.

Learn more at ncce.org.

10/26/2026

Two California families filed suit recently over a breach at ETS, the company that runs their state tests.

A stolen login opened a file transfer site. Student records were copied between May 22 and September 18, and ETS noticed September 25.

Names, birth dates, addresses, and assessment records. Social Security numbers were not involved.

Ask your assessment vendor who holds copies of your data, what controls sit in the contract, and how fast would they call you.

https://www.govtech.com/education/k-12/ets-sued-over-data-breach-affecting-current-former-calif-students

10/25/2026

Cybersecurity Essentials for Educators: Protecting Student Data in School Networks

As K-12 schools rely more heavily on digital tools in every aspect of operations — for instruction, communication, and administration — protecting student data has become a core priority for educators, administrators, and school districts. Cyber incidents targeting education systems continue to occur, underscoring the need for basic cybersecurity awareness at every level of the school community: students, parents, educators, and administrators....

As K-12 schools rely more heavily on digital tools in every aspect of operations — for instruction, communication, and administration — protecting student data has become a core priori…