Austin Peay State University  in Tennessee has opened the Furniture Connection EdTech Studio, a comprehensive learning hub that allows pre-service teachers to gain hands-on experience using virtual reality (VR) headsets, 3D printers, LEGO Education sets, robotics, coding devices, and other cutting-edge tools.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee recently signed the Tennessee Information Protection Act (TIPA), making it the eighth state in the nation to enact a comprehensive data privacy law.

The nonprofit Results for America has recognized eight states – Colorado, Minnesota, Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington, Utah, and Connecticut – for their achievements in using data-driven and evidence-based policymaking to “accelerate economic mobility, advance equity, and deliver better results for their residents.”

The Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) is redefining customer service at the state level, following a state-wide process improvement and modernization initiative. 

The State of Tennessee cut IT procurement processing time down by 92 percent with an asset management overhaul and a new digital procurement process. Andy Kidd, Tennessee’s director of business operations, shared lessons learned at ServiceNow’s Knowledge 2019 conference in May.

The NASCIO 2017 Annual Conference is sharing best practices, key lessons, and useful strategies for state and local government technology leaders. For those unable to attend the conference, MeriTalk State & Local is sharing key lessons, in a bite-size format, from the conference. First up: How to tackle IT consolidation.

Chicago legislators urged the Chicago Police Department last week to consider using a device capable of detecting if motorists have been texting in cases that involve injury-related traffic accidents. Law enforcement officials would use the “Textalyzer” to scan a driver’s cellphone to determine if it was used to receive or send text messages during or just prior to a collision.

The states of Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Maryland have all discussed bills that restrict automated vehicle testing to motor vehicle manufacturers, which puts technology companies like Uber and Waymo at a disadvantage.

A New Hampshire man is trying to end the scourge of dog owners leaving behind their dog’s waste–and he thinks technology is the answer. Jon Kelly, a high school English teacher, is proposing that cities use DNA testing to fine and discourage negligent dog owners.