The EdTech industry is growing by leaps and bounds. There are several EdTech companies in the market coming up with new EdTech tools for digital teaching and learning. Digital tools in education are transforming the modern classrooms. There are many digital teaching and learning opportunities being created in the education industry. The traditional classrooms are being evolved into an interactive and fun environment with focus on experiential learning rather than rote learning.
With so many EdTech tools in the market, how does a teacher choose the best ones for using them in the classroom? Are all the EdTech tools perfect for classroom use? No, all EdTech tools may not be appropriate for classroom use. Hence, it is important to identify the best digital tools that can be used in digital teaching and learning.
Here are some of the important questions that teachers need to keep in mind while evaluating different EdTech tools.
Does the EdTech tool offer valuable insights on a student’s learning progress?
- Being a teacher, it is crucial to get crystal clear and actionable data on a student’s performance and progress.
- Having data in front helps teachers to make the necessary improvements in teaching.
- At the same time, it is also important that the EdTech tool does not have a dashboard filled with too many complex parameters which will overwhelm the teachers.
Example: LightSail is a literacy tool that measures the reading improvements in students through a data dashboard.
Is the EdTech tool distraction-free?
- In digital teaching and learning, there are a lot of distractions for the learners.
- Advertisement pop-up frequently, information about subscriptions, promotions, and sales videos or images are a big distraction for the learners.
- The EdTech tool selected for the classroom must be distraction-free, so that the students can focus only on the learning.
Example: Zearn is a digital tool that focuses on the requirements of the students’ first, and all information that is relevant to adults is put out of the way when in the classroom.
Does the EdTech tool promote active and experiential learning?
- Experiential learning is an active and engaging learning process where students learn by doing activities themselves and then reflect on their experiences.
- It is crucial for the EdTech tool to create an immersive learning experience.
- The digital tool would be a perfect one if the learners are actively participating in activities rather than being passive learners.
- Students need to connect the concepts they have learned in the classroom with their daily life.
- The EdTech must be one which helps students to learn and explore at the same time.
Example: Minecraft: Education Edition is a game-based digital platform that fosters creativity, collaboration, and a problem-solving approach in an interactive and immersive learning environment.
Does the EdTech tool cover complete learning content?
Be it any class or grade, it is important for the EdTech tool to cover complete learning content without compromising on the depth of the content. Learning bits and pieces about many new things (concepts) won’t help the students. The learning content needs to be in-depth about a particular concept. For example, if the digestion process is being taught, it does not make sense for the EdTech tool to cover only the stomach as an important organ of digestion. The entire process of digestion and the different parts of the digestive system needs to be included as a part of the learning content.
Example: The DragonBox is an educational gaming app that covers a wide range of math topics with in-depth learning content from the basics to advanced levels.
Have the actual needs of teachers’ and students’ been considered?
- Teachers’ must be able to use the EdTech tool in a variety of classroom environments or settings.
- While designing and developing the EdTech tool, various parameters and practical considerations for teachers’ need to be taken into account. Some of these include cost, time, logistics, etc.
Example: PocketLab is a wireless science library that helps teachers design science experiments for the curious learners anytime, anywhere. It is a portable device and a more affordable one compared to traditional equipment.
81 percent of educators in the United States mentioned that their ability to use EdTech improved during the school closures in the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The market size of the global EdTech market was valued at $89.49 billion in 2020. It is expected to witness a CAGR of 19.9% between 2021 and 2029. Considering the fact that the EdTech industry is a rapidly flourishing one, it makes sense for schools, learners, and educators to adopt digital tools in education.