With artificial intelligence as a growing force in education, there is debate over whether existing ed tech solutions will be able to incorporate the new developments or if more costly ones are necessary.
With artificial intelligence as a growing force in education, there is debate over whether existing ed tech solutions will be able to incorporate the new developments or if more costly ones are necessary.
Last year, as K–12 teachers and students saw fewer edtech products being used for learning, school IT departments struggled to manage a diverse array of new digital tools while meeting both education requirements and cybersecurity standards.
A report released by LearnPlatform, a division of Instructure, found that U.S. K–12 districts used an average of 2,591 edtech tools during the 2022–23 school year. Of those tools, 1.7 percent were unique new ones compared to previous years. This marked the sixth consecutive year that the EdTech Top 40 survey was conducted.
K-12 institutions are increasingly accessing digital tools, according to the new report: 1.7 percent more annually than in the prior academic year. Teacher and student interactions with edtech have decreased since the start of this school year, by nearly 20 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
LearnPlatform data, covering 58 billion interactions, three million students, 9,000 ed tech products, and 465,000 educators, shows that fewer tools were accessed in the 2023 school year than in 2022: 42 for students and 42 for educators, versus 52 and 49 respectively.
Edtech usage is decreasing, yet organizations face a growing number of digital tools to choose from, according to Karl Rectanus, senior vice president of K–12 Strategy at Instructure. Organizations must prioritize interoperability, safety, and equity for students and teachers to personalize learning. Evidence-based edtech and platforms are likely to form the basis of purchasing decisions and effective teaching methods, he added.
Ed tech companies are questioning how institutions can best manage the diversity of tools that learners are choosing, whether learning remains largely centered on humans with technology playing an increasing role, and what effects new evidence requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act will have on purchasing and product development. With artificial intelligence as a growing force in education, there is debate over whether existing ed tech solutions will be able to incorporate the new developments or if more costly ones are necessary.
Three key takeaways from the report data are clear: good decisions need reliable data, such as that provided by the ESSA framework; data privacy and cybersecurity, particularly those outlined in FERPA and COPPA regulations, require prioritization; and vetting tech should involve stakeholders to ensure “aligning learning solutions.”
