Why the surge in EdTech adoption doesn’t signal a lasting revolution for the classroom

In the wake of coronavirus, the team here at Sparx worked tirelessly to create a maths learning solution that would help schools cope with the enormous challenge of remote teaching. In just six weeks, over 500 schools from 75 countries signed up to our Virtual Classroom. It’s just one example of how quickly schools have implemented technologies to support learning at home.  And, importantly, this crisis has proven that it is personal, teacher-led learning that drives student engagement and success.

However, no-one should be surprised that schools have turned to EdTech to support remote learning. Necessity is the mother of invention and schools have installed new technologies at lightning speed in the last month to deal with the crisis. It’s to be expected. 

It’s not gone unnoticed. Everyone from EdTech evangelists to startup trend-spotters and well-known educational experts have spoken of this as a turning point for educational technologies. They suggest coronavirus is set to be the catalyst that will propel EdTech from fringe tool to the foundation of future schooling. This makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. Anyone viewing the current global crisis as a blessing is in the wrong business and extremely cynical.

For the majority of EdTech companies, the priority is to keep teachers teaching and children learning and progressing during this time. Any EdTech worth its salt will know that supporting home learning gives only partial insight into the challenges of ensuring impact in the classroom. Help in a crisis is quite different to saying something has been proven to work as a long-term solution in, or alongside classroom teaching.

The question is whether schools will continue to use the solutions they’ve rushed to implement in lockdown when they return to the classroom? My view is there are three factors.

1. Effective learning in the classroom and at home – Schools are learning a great deal about how to support children to learn at home. When they reopen, it will be EdTech tools and solutions that can support both that will be in demand.

1. Training and support whilst social distancing continues – It seems likely that schools will reopen with some measures for social distancing. These will be hugely challenging for schools. Edtech is well placed to support this where half a class may be at home and the other based in school. We can’t forget that teachers need proper support and training to now make use of technologies in a future where social distancing is likely to be the norm for months to come. In the long term, teachers must also have confidence that EdTech will free them from the burden of admin and paperwork, and certainly not add to their workload.
2. Evidence and impact – This is always essential for EdTech and why I helped to found the EdTech Evidence Group – but it is important to underline when schools will be under considerable pressure. The EdTech success stories will be those that can demonstrate how they have helped learners to carry on learning through lockdown.

I hope the current crisis has given schools more insight into the technologies that have made a difference. They now have first-hand experience of what works and what doesn’t. Lockdown is not enough to prove the worth of EdTech in the long-term but I’m confident schools will understand more about what can make a difference.

For example, prior to this crisis there was much debate, and some fear, over whether technologies such as AI would soon replace teachers. It’s clear that students, teachers and parents are desperate for classrooms to safely reopen. Post-corona, it will be technologies that are built to support teachers that flourish, not those that were designed as a short-term solution to teacher-less, living room learning. Quite simply, good EdTech supports and enables teachers to teach, it doesn’t replace them.

Let’s also not forget the challenge of funding. Government must make sure that any post-corona spend is invested in technologies that are proven to deliver impact. Edtech must prove that it delivers long-term, measurable impact on the progress and motivation of learners.

Technology is really the only way schools can effectively implement home learning during this crisis. The demand for this has certainly been met - there have been vast numbers of companies offering free tools, platforms and apps to support this shift. 

Of course, there will be changes that come from the current corona-driven EdTech surge. For a start, it will give schools the confidence to consider new technologies and know they have the skills and desire to pursue technological innovation. However, lockdown is not enough to prove the worth of EdTech in the long-term. We must focus on the fundamentals of good EdTech – collaboration, evidence and impact – to ensure that the current revolution turns into lasting evolution.