From 2010 to 2020, EdTech exploited two key educational myths to perfection. First, advocates for one-to-one initiatives confused learning engagement with learning gains. Sponsors of whole-school deployments of iPads or Chromebooks have somewhat smugly held up examples of children’s use enjoyment as examples of learning. The promise of data-informed individualised learning devolved into data-driven individualistic learning. As any teacher knows, genuine learning is collaborative and challenging. Furthermore, motivation precedes learning, but it does not make the learning stick.

Second, the portrayal of EdTech as a solution to inequitable education has confused learning access with learning achievement. The rationale driving the global EdTech market is the democratic idea that everyone should have access to education. The problem is that not all EdTech platforms are truly educational — in fact, very few actually are.

Natalia Kucikorva

Kucikorva, N. (2022). EdTech has not lived up to its promises — here’s how to turn that around. Weforum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/edtech-has-not-lived-up-to-its-promises-heres-how-to-turn-that-around/