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The educational technology industry (EdTech) has grown exponentially in recent years, generating new tools to facilitate learning. The value of the global EdTech market in 2021 corresponded to $106.46 billion, and it is expected to increase by at least 16.5% annually to 2030, which means that in 2025 its approximate value will be $404 billion.
Although this implies that technology will continue to be critical in the education sector, it is also necessary to establish its viability and purpose inside the classroom. There is an oversaturation of technological resources that meet the same needs, so teachers may feel overwhelmed when selecting which tools or applications to use. Therefore, rethinking which educational technology the institution or the specific course requires is essential in this sea of options.
Adapting EdTech to the context
Educational technology improves student engagement by creating a more appealing learning environment that promotes collaboration. It also helps processes such as converting math problems into interactive challenges, going from solving with pencil and paper to immersive learning that motivates students to find the solutions.
The launch of a new application does not mean it should necessarily be used or that it is the ideal way to learn. It all depends on the context. The tools that will guide the learning should be chosen depending on the educational institution and its pedagogy or course objective.
The Vice President of Course Hero, Sean Michael Morris, mentions the discourse about how educational technology provides solutions in the classroom to problems such as plagiarism, communication between teachers and students, and monitoring students’ progress. However, in most cases, the industry presumes to understand teaching better than the teachers themselves, leaving aside the opinions of educators and relying on their experience of how learning occurs.
Morris also suggests that efficiency is not always directly linked to student success, as it should not be measured only by grades. The student’s success lies in satisfying their needs, developing their creativity, and improving their lives. Currently, there is a paradigm shift: students who were previously “non-traditional” because they had other obligations apart from their education have become the “new traditional.” Teachers must adapt to new models beyond measuring learning based on correct answers, which educational technology should also adopt.
Under these new scenarios, an essential component in the work of EdTech requires listening to teachers who live different experiences daily and forge relationships with their students. When educators’ input is considered, the EdTech industry can generate products that meet real teaching needs.
Technology can help strengthen the bond between teachers and students. Morris says teachers want pedagogical technologies that complement their role in the classroom. He argues, “educational technology has the power to make education a more humanizing experience, but only if its creators listen.”
An example of a program designed by listening to teachers is the Educative Project of Durango (Mexico). More than 10,000 teacher surveys and the application of other instruments to principals, academy coordinators, heads of education, school supervisors, sector heads, and department heads led to a projection of educational improvement. The aim was to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education to boost lifelong learning opportunities. This analysis allowed actions to be taken to position Durango as one of the five states in Mexico with the best academic achievement and the best in meeting the educational needs requested by citizens.
The role of teachers prevails
Although newer generations have less difficulty adapting to digital learning, they require guidance from their teachers to develop an understanding of the advantages and threats of the internet. Digital literacy from the classroom prepares future citizens who perceive global problems and know how to face them.
Simon Carter, Director of RM Education, advises that the use of technology in education (considering the implementation of the electronic whiteboard or projector, for example) is not new. He points out that what is innovative is integrating technology into educational institutions to improve student learning outcomes, not just automating existing processes. By making a lesson more eye-catching through creating a hybrid environment or managing teamwork in the cloud, the student is given a more varied curriculum that keeps them engaged and interested.
What can be done?
Some recommendations by Natalia Kucirkova, a professor at the University of Stavanger in Norway, to evaluate or rethink how to apply educational technology within the classroom have to do directly with lessons from the pandemic:
- Consider the varied (non-uniform) contexts in which people learn and how they do it.
- Focus on what habits and traditions are ingrained in different environments.
- Ensure that the responsibility does not fall only on parents, guardians, or individual schools.
Kucirkova says that a critical step is to rethink the regulations and business models surrounding educational technology. Investors should demand proof of the impact of a particular tool before betting on it, knowing its immediate effects and long-term impact on the community. Researchers can support schools and families in determining which solution to use and how. For their part, educational institutions must train their staff to adopt new resources and demand evidence of the learning effects and protections of users’ rights before adding a new platform to the curriculum.
Kucirkova argues that by 2030, EdTech should be understood as an ecosystem where all actors are mutually dependent and responsible for education. So, assessing the current use of technology and considering different factors before incorporating it into the classroom is necessary for its ideal use. What tools would you incorporate into your courses? Do you consider that they make learning more inclusive and transcendent?
Translation by Daniel Wetta
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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
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