It doesn’t surprise me that after phone bans didn’t magically fix public education, the tide is now turning toward EdTech.
I’m no defender of EdTech, since many EdTech tools seem like attempts for private companies to monetize on public ed and attempt to replace teachers, largely with AI driven tools.
But, like any tool, EdTech is a tool. And attempting to categorize it as one “thing” is about as useful as categorizing all teachers, all students, or all textbooks as single entities.
Most tools come down to how you use them; when EdTech is used as a replacement or substitute for things that didn’t really need replacing, such as replacing handwritten notes with typing in a Google Doc, then that probably isn’t going to make kids more engaged or result in better test scores. And when EdTech is essentially replacing differentiated instruction- when a teacher provides individualized teaching or reteaching based on their expertise and student needs- with algorithmically driven questions, that’s probably not going to help either.
But there are EdTech tools that can be used in thoughtful and meaningful ways, and that mostly comes down to the teacher, the students, and the overall environment. So if your child is using EdTech, talk to them about it! Do they like it? Why? How is it different or similar to getting a lesson from their teacher?
And of course, talk to teachers as well, not to poke holes in their argument but to understand. Some teachers get no training in these tools, others may get comprehensive training. Some may find the data helpful, some may not. When we better understand a tool and its uses, we’re more likely to support teachers and students and what they may need, whether it’s EdTech or analog.
