Digital Teaching and Learning Technology

2025 UEN School Technology Inventory Adds AI Focus

The Utah Education Network (UEN), in partnership with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Connected Nation (CN), has completed the 2025 Utah School Technology Inventory. For the first time, the biennial survey included a dedicated section on artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand how emerging technologies are shaping teaching and learning in classrooms across the state.

“Utah is one of the most connected school systems in terms of tech in the entire country,” said Matthew Winters, Artificial Intelligence Education Specialist at the USBE. “Being able to go out and get ahead of questions like, ‘What do we need? How do we build it?’ and then really listening to our community is very important.”

Connecting Experience with Innovation

Before joining USBE, Winters served as a product manager and statewide trainer for UEN. He now works closely with key stakeholders like the Utah Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy, higher education AI researchers, and local educational leaders statewide.

For the 2025 inventory, UEN and USBE added questions on AI. The new section investigates critical topics:

  • How teachers and students currently use AI tools
  • District AI governance, policy, and responsible-use guidance
  • Professional development needs
  • Accessibility considerations
  • Perceived opportunities and concerns

Utah decision makers can use this data to inform policy development, procurement, AI education, and teacher training across Utah districts.

Winters emphasized that the addition of AI questions is intentional and forward-looking. “To formulate the questions, we asked how we can not only future-proof the survey in terms of AI but also provide a look ahead at what schools should be thinking about over the next few years,” he said.

Cautious Optimism

While optimistic about AI's overall impact, many education leaders are taking a measured, cautious approach. Winters acknowledges their reluctance and says it’s understandable, since many people are just learning to use AI and understand its potential.

“I think we have done a really good job about spreading the word on how this technology can be modified and used by teachers to meet the needs of students across the board,” said Winters. UEN, the University of Utah’s One-U Responsible Artificial Intelligence Initiative (One-U RAI), and other higher ed institutions have all been supportive of Winters’ efforts to expand AI adoption across the state.

Benefits of AI in Schools

Winters encourages educators to become familiar with AI tools through guided experimentation.

“What we need is playtime with teachers,” said Winters. “We need them to get into the technology and sort through it. This is true with a lot of technology, but specifically with AI, because AI is a creative machine. What we've seen is that teachers who take the time to really think through AI and have time to play, their productivity speeds up.”

AI can also significantly improve classroom accessibility. “We had a teacher from central Utah who took two days to train in AI with me to learn how to make things accessible for her students with severe disabilities and some who are nonverbal,” said Winters. “We made a chatbot with AI for each student to match their disability to help them with what they are struggling with. Those students can now use that chatbot and communicate with their teachers for the first time.”

Making AI Affordable and Scalable

In 2024, Utah implemented a statewide consortium purchasing model for AI tools following an RFP process facilitated by UEN. This approach allows schools to access AI platforms at a fraction of the cost they would pay as individual schools.

“That has helped so many schools because it makes the prices much cheaper,” said Winters. “So financially, we’re actually in a better place than most states around this.” UEN has implemented consortium purchasing for SchoolAI, Magic School, and Skill Struck, three of the four AI platforms adopted in Utah schools.

How the Inventory Informs the Future

Because the survey is conducted every two years, it also provides a long-term look at trends, helping leaders understand how Utah classrooms are evolving. The inventory will help state and district leaders with several tasks:

  • Planning professional learning initiatives
  • Guiding responsible-use policy development
  • Identifying gaps in access or usage
  • Tracking emerging trends through 2027 and beyond

The results of the 2025 survey will be released in February 2026, with statewide, district, charter, and school-level data and analyses.

“We start to see the growth data, and districts begin to recognize what they need to consider for policy or governance,” Winters said. “That thinking process is an important part of the survey itself.”

 

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