What Is Edtech and How Will It Affect My Child's Education?

The strong push for education reform started back in the 1950s. Educators quickly adopted audiovisual communications (remember filmstrips?), starting the movement to get technology into schools to help teachers teach. Now, as in other areas of modern life, the pace of innovation in education technology, or edtech, continues to accelerate. Below are some of the beneficial ways that your child might use edtech in their education, and some things to watch out for.

A Whole Wide World of Content

We’ve come a long way since a class consisted of plodding through a single textbook, listening to lectures, completing end-of-chapter questions, and taking tests. Students frequently use technology to collaborate amongst themselves and their teacher. For example, students may plan an essay, receive feedback from the teacher, complete the final version, turn in the assignment and receive a grade all in Google docs. Because the assignment is online, the student can communicate through the language of the 21st century – images, links or even videos – in addition to words. The teacher then gives written or verbal (recorded) comments and corrections, which are more personal and meaningful than a red pen.

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Personalizing Teaching Based on Data

Some edtech tools allow teachers to continually monitor how well students understand the concepts taught in class. Rather than waiting every 4-6 weeks for a test that takes the whole class period (and more hours for the teacher to grade), teachers and students can check for understanding in real time and adjust accordingly. Students can see where they need additional work and teachers can focus on those needs.