Edtech users seem to have a love-hate relationship with the edtech industry. They love what edtech can do but hate that the industry has not lived up to expectations as quickly as had been hoped.
There are many reasons for this.
The possibility of viral edtech success may lure potential developers into a field for which they have little interest and less passion. Creating edtech isn’t the same thing as creating partnerships. In all fairness, edtech users haven’t provided the edtech industry with long-range objectives, either.
Here are eight ways to improve the edtech industry.
- Support users in the field. Teachers and professors, especially those newest to education, need the greatest amount of professional development to ramp up to the skill level of their colleagues. By acting as an ally, edtech providers can build trust and form lasting partnerships with educators.
- Listen to experienced educators. By doing so, edtech providers will get a pulse on what works and what’s still needed because the experts have likely already been doing much of the research about learning. Then keep the dialogue going.
- Find a unique niche. Teachers must routinely deal with students who learn differently. Students identified as ESL, gifted and talented, or autistic have wildly divers learning needs. The edtech industry should approach each niche with a laser-like focus.
- Focus on how your product will be implemented. Real efficacy comes from consistent implementation, and the time spent in making sure that the edtech service or product is used correctly is invaluable.
- Gather and share your research. Learning data is directional. It tells educators what’s working and what’s not. Even negative data can be enlightening. Be willing to let others look at what your research says.
- Encourage administrative efficiency in research. University research is costly and slow because of what the University of California Los Angeles calls a reluctance to develop a ““formal, guiding technology strategy for research administration.” Research innovation can save time and hasten scientific progress.
- Make it possible for classroom teachers to enter the edtech industry more easily. These are the drivers who understand curriculum alignment and know what works for a variety of learners. Show them the path. Include them on advisory boards and Beta testing.
- Seek transformation rather than trends. Trends come and go, but the real value lies in transforming how students learn, not what they learn.
Improvement in the edtech industry will come about when educators and innovators collaborate in developing ways to improve and transform learning experiences.
