You’ve been to the meeting, the conference, the keynote speaker and you’ve held what you were told was the future in your hands. Trust the experts, this was the device that was going to change the face of education forever.
Only it didn’t.
Students still sit in rows, you’re still stuck with lectures and textbooks, and the way we teach looks nearly identical to what we were doing 150 years ago.
Do we have more technology in the classroom? Certainly. But the impact it is having on learning is questionable. Despite access to desktops, laptops, tablets, interactive whiteboards, and/or smartphones, the classroom focus remains on “pen and paper (90 percent) and whiteboards (73 percent).” (Bernstein)
The result in practical terms is chaos; conflicting models of BYOD, 1-to-1, and specialized programming, sometimes in the same school. It is a labyrinth that teachers and students are navigating every day to varying degrees of success. What we need are the tools to transform the maze into straight lines to give education a direct path to better learning.
This also represents a significant market as in 2018 “American edtech companies raised $1.45 billion” (Rice), demonstrating that there is significant hunger for digital services in education. But again we are left with the stark reality that teachers and students alike are pushed to pen and paper.
The inevitable conclusion is that no one technology, no one device, is going to solve all these complex issues. There is no magic bullet that hits every target. There is no brand, no operating system, no software that holds sway over all others. As a system, you need to consider what you will be using as part of a complex, ever-evolving ecosystem, including your:
Continuing Consultation Services would be a vital part of your educational technology framework. This service works with your school board specifically to identify areas of need, areas of growth, and future technologies worth your investment.
Since we work with many school boards of varying sizes, we have unique experience on practical solutions, innovations, and programming that will give you an advantage. We take the guesswork out of technology development and work with you to generate a simple map to help your teachers and students through the chaos.