The State of EdTech in 2023

Hello LinkedIn Friends!

The new year has certainly kicked into gear in this ever-changing world of EdTech. If EdTech had its big moment in 2021, it lost its 15 minutes of fame in 2022 and we seem to be picking up the pieces in 2023. U.S. EdTech VC funding in 2022 was down 37% year-over-year. We also may be experiencing a lack of funds available to public schools due to a?steep decline in enrollment?(1 million students!). On top of this all, a recession is looming, and layoffs and tightening of budgets are becoming more and more common. Despite these challenges, EdTech growth goals either seem to remain the same or in many cases become even more aggressive.

So with less funding, capacity, and buying power of schools, what do you do? What do you prioritize to achieve your goals? And by prioritizing certain things over others, do you unintentionally sacrifice long-term growth for the sake of short-term growth?

In rock climbing, there’s something called ‘climbing on site,’ which is basically climbing a mountain without studying the terrain or coming up with a specific plan (and the most daring do this solo, AKA without ropes). This type of climbing is revered as the gold standard. The only way to survive is to be comfortable with the unknown and completely tune into your instincts and your environment.

Although we’re all not in life or death situations like this, there is something to be said about just going for something by deeply listening to your gut and what the industry is signaling. And if you don’t fully achieve what you set out to – that’s ok. What’s more important in the long-run is reflecting and learning from your actions, so you can course-correct next time. Famous solo climber Marc-André Leclerc reflected on his many accomplishments and he actually ended up preferring the journey to the end goal: “Achievement doesn’t change your life like you think it might but what you’re left with is the journey that got you to that point, and if you have this big journey where you had to figure a lot of stuff out, you’re left with so much more of a story. And that’s what I find is the most important.”

What’s most important to you? And how can you look back at this time and ensure that you don’t let limitations get in the way of what you may already know you need to do?

[Free] 2023 EdTech Marketer’s Planner

Download?this planner?to create timely and valuable campaign plans and content for educators, parents, and education administrators in this new year.

1. Embracing Creativity to Make Work That Matters: A Conversation With Sam Seidel?[podcast]
2. Professional Learning and Teacher Agency: A Conversation With Lisa Schmucki?[podcast]
3. Q1 2023 Winter Events, Conferences, and Birthdays in Education?[blog post]
4. [Popular]?The Four Stages of the Community Life Cycle?[blog post]

Marketing & Community

1. Social media benchmarks by industry in 2023?- Sprout Social
2. 2023 Instagram Stories Benchmark Report?- Rival IQ
3. The 11 Most Important Social Media Trends for 2023?- Hootsuite
4. How to Understand Twitter's New Checkmarks and Labels?- Gizmodo
5. LinkedIn Shares New Data on Engagement and Ad Performance [Infographic]?- Social Media Today

Education

1. Confessions of a Mid-Career Teacher?- Much Ado About Teaching
2. Delivering on the Promise of Digital Equity?- Digital Promise
3. 6 Ed Tech Tools to Try in 2023?- Cult of Pedagogy
4. A Research-Backed Toolkit of What Works—and Doesn’t Work—in Education?- Edutopia
5. 5 Stats Shaping My Investment Theses in 2023?- Reach Capital

We love listening to educators on social media. Listen and engage with them. ????

• January is a hard month for educators… anyone else beyond exhausted?!?(Tweet from @ShayAndersonMrs)
• Students that have only been in school during the pandemic are built different?(TikTok from @maren.theteacher)
• What is something you would actually like some training on when it comes to teaching/your students/education??(Twitter ??from @EDUwithEmily)
• Pro-tip: teachers don’t want ideas on how to cope with their workload.?(Twitter ?? from @robfmac)
• Being a teacher in your 20s?(TikTok from @ms.winders)
• Different types of teachers at lunch.?(TikTok from @sassyschoolteacher)

New job openings from LCG, our clients, and friends.

• Social Media Marketing Contractor?(LCG)
• Educator in Residence?(LCG)
• Director, K-12 Education & Data Literacy?(Valhalla Foundation)
• Online Math & ELA Tutors?(Remind)
• Senior Account Executive?/?Account Executive?(CB&A)

[BONUS]

ChatGPT is a huge topic of conversation. We're soaking up as much as we can about it and its role in education. This is the best perspective we've heard lately from?John Spencer.