How to choose the perfect edtech
Does one size fit all?
In times of inconvenience such as the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, as educators, you should be properly prepared. Many educators have already accepted the advantages that come with new technology, while others have yet to discover the wide array of benefits that edtech brings.
When you’re choosing the right learning method for your students, you should bear in mind that everyone has different needs and capacities.
Those who still support traditional education are still rooting for the basic classroom lectures. But sometimes, they are simply not possible.
It is either due to external factors or simple inaccessibility.
And that is why many educators have decided to introduce edtech into their classrooms. Not only has that helped create a much more accessible space for learning, but it has also improved the whole learning experience.
One thing that you must note though is that the use of technology is not the final destination ofin the process of creating a school of the future. It’s just a means to an end.
In order for your students to get the most out of the learning experience, you need to be conversant with blended learning.
It is the most effective way to teach, and choosing the right technology for your educational needs is a process that requires careful planning and examination. You should take into account your teaching objectives and students’ capabilities.
Step one: Is the edtech cost-efficient?
Affordability is what makes an edtech platform desirable, among other benefits. In these times, when e-learning has become a necessity in order to maintain a certain level of quality in education, there is competition between edtech companies. They are competing to accomplish the ultimate goal of creating a distance-learning platform that provides quality learning content while being worthwhile and inexpensive.
A good platform is created for teachers and students at the same time. It should provide space for teachers to connect with a maximum number of students at a minimum cost, by exploiting the digital features of the platform.
Furthermore, if you incorporate a platform for school management into your system, it will save you quite a lot of paperwork and time.
Edtech solutions cut the cost of the human workforce by automating certain processes.
Step two: Does it elevate the students' experience?
Immersive learning has proved to be the best way to learn nowadays.
Digital platforms have brought about important changes. They have transformed the way we deliver learning content and the way we value being present in class.
Engagement with the learning process is fundamental to effective learning. Only a platform that provides features that allow active participation in lectures is a good one.
Students and educators agree that if a platform is thought to be “effective”, it means that it is reliable, provides interesting and attention-grabbing content, allows flexible time management, and creates a realistic feeling of being present in the classroom (be it a live stream or a textual lecture).
You should carefully take into account the function of every feature of the edtech platform. The features ought to be ordered in such a way that you can easily navigate through the content.
The features that are characteristic of edtech platforms are sometimes even more effective for students because they allow equal engagement for people with different learning styles, which in turn provides a high level of individualized learning.
Step three: Does the edtech provide interactive learning content?
If you create a wide range of learning content, you are on a clear path to the most future-oriented educational goal – personalized learning.
Experts confirm that if you utilize immersive learning content in various forms of media, games, and presentations, you can drastically improve the efficiency of online education.
If you choose a quality educational platform, you will ensure that you have the option to easily host, access, and interact with multimedia content and that students can upload their own content for assignments, tests, etc.
Step four: How much space for co-engagement there is?
Learning is primarily a social activity, even when it’s supposedly individual and personalized.
It is proven that you learn way more efficiently in a social setting. When learners are able to exchange information and learning materials and interact with each other, they improve the learning process by debating different perspectives.
Distance learning relies heavily on individual learning. Learners are bound to their devices in a solitary environment in most cases, but that does not have to be a shortcoming.
When choosing the right edtech solution for your teaching practices, you ought to opt for the ones that have a social platform integrated. They should allow students to mutually engage with peers and teachers through the platform.
That way, the feedback students receive from each other and their superiors come faster and the learning process is much more efficient and time-saving.
Step five: Can you use the platform easily?
A great interface design of the platform equals clear guidance in the classroom and vice versa.
If the platform is plain and clear, that will lead to better engagement with the content and better effectiveness of the learning process overall.
A good edtech platform must provide smooth access to its users. It is best if you can access it via a link, which you should be able to open on multiple devices. You would be advised to opt for a platform whose login procedure is quick and simple so that it causes minimal interference with the user’s experience.
The simpler the interaction with the platform is, the more time and focus you and the learners will have to interact with the actual learning content.
That is exactly why the platform exists in the first place.
Step six: Can you customize it?
Great edtech solutions always have the option to be personalized.
You should choose a platform that suits the students’ individual needs and which meets any other specific demands that may arise from the learning methods they use.
The key is to identify the students’ specific needs and your educational goal. Explore the questions they ask and find out which specific areas of the learning process are in need of improvement.
That way, if you choose a fitting edtech solution that you can adapt to your situation, you will fill the gaps and see the effectiveness of the tool.
When choosing the right edtech solution, you must also pay attention to the features of the platform and make sure that they are a good fit for the learning content.
For example, if the specific subject matter requires visual examples, some students will benefit from video lessons. In that case, you should opt for a solution that supports multimedia learning content.
Your choice of a learning platform has a high impact on the learning outcomes
When you’re making the final decision about the edtech you want to add to your educational practices, you should carefully consider all the aspects in which it improves or downgrades the learning experience.
On the one hand, some new-generation learning platforms offer a high-quality experience and effective management of the learning process. On the other hand, they may have downsides such as slow loading of the content, bugs, an unsatisfactory social platform experience, etc.
The key to choosing the best platform is to know exactly what you want to put emphasis on when teaching.
If you make a good assessment of the pros and cons of an edtech platform, it will influence educational outcomes and drastically improve students’ engagement with the learning process, but only if it’s a good fit.