The world of ed tech offers countless opportunities for schools and homeschooling parents. Here’s a quick look at how you and your students/children can benefit, along with expert tips to help you overcome potential challenges.
There’s no denying that technology has revolutionized the way education operates. Class work is more interactive, data can be reported in real-time and so tech has become such an integral part of learning that it’s hard to imagine functioning without it!
Australia’s ed-tech sector is thriving. According to industry group EduGrowth, it now comprises 700 companies and is valued at $3.6 billion.
This article examines the challenges that ed-tech can address, along with the potential concerns to evaluate before implementing new technology in your school, classroom or as a learning tool at home.
Defining Ed-tech
EduGrowth Managing Director David Link supports the development of products and services and says ed-tech “either improves efficiency within an organisation or it improves learning outcomes for students.”
What is an LMS (Learning Management System) & why is it important?
According to Mr Linke, an LMS is central to a modern school and the benefits can be seen across all areas of learning.
“They streamline delivery of learning content, they track student achievement, they align assessment back to the standards and facilitate that communication across the ecosystem,” he said.
Both Literacy for Boys and Literacy for Kids have joined some of the big names in the industry. Founder Tanya Grambower was frustrated at finding resources that engaged her learners in the classroom. So she made her own! Within weeks, her students were improving their reading, comprehension and spelling results. She decided to take her formula for literacy success online, via an LMS platform..
“Teaching is very different now to before Covid-19. Today, schools want programs that offer real-time reporting that not only encourages students to monitor their learning, but offers insights for parents too. Students respond to technology and it forms a core part of their learning landscape,” says Ms Grambower.
“My goal is to save teachers’ time in finding engaging literacy tasks that cater to the whole class. I also want kids to get excited about literacy and reading – they will read if the content is appealing and of a high-quality, yet delivers the core skills that they need to learn from the curriculum.“
Managing the right amount of screen time
Screen-based tech does need to be relevant to the learning task – otherwise learners can become distracted. The key is to ensure it’s integrated thoughtfully and intentionally as part of a well-structured lesson.
“Teachers love using our programs as a springboard for group and individual writing tasks. This is a great blend of using tech as a stimulus, then progressing to pen and paper for the writing task,” says Ms Grambower.
Supporting Teacher Well-being and Parent Educators
Technology can also help support teacher mental health by reducing workloads, allowing them to focus on the aspects of teaching they truly enjoy.
“My highlight in visiting classrooms is to see engaged learners interacting with our programs and teachers who tell us that their teacher-student interactions are more positive when their students want to share their learning and are excited about their literacy progress. Literacy overarches every subject,” says Ms Grambower.
With the rapid rise in homeschooling, parents can feel a little overwhelmed about teaching content. What is an adverbial phrase? How do I ‘teach’ literacy? Where can I find Australian-aligned resources? How much time do I need to plan lessons? Ed-tech can be a valuable resource for parents who are on the homeschooling journey.
“Our team has a wonderful relationship with our parent educators. Often parents will contact us with concerns about their child’s literacy. We offer with assessments to ensure that their child is placed correctly in a literacy level. We have parents who have been using our Literacy for Boys program for 4 consecutive years!”
Data security and student privacy
“This is a high priority for our company, which is why we do not store entire student names, email addresses or personal details. Student progress data is stored on a data base in Melbourne – not offshore like other online companies. Our data security is very strict in order to abide by government and private school sector regulations,” stresses Ms Grambower.
Leading the Way in Learning
With persistent teacher shortages, an increasing number of educators are teaching outside their areas of expertise.
Ed-Tech can help address this challenge by providing teachers with access to abundant resources and high-quality instructional materials, enabling them to teach more effectively.
Differentiation is a juggle everyday for teachers – how do they ensure that every learner is supported? How do you cater for students in a Year 7 class whose reading abilities may range from 8 years right up to 15 years?
“This has been a definite upside of creating a learning platform that caters for literacy levels from Yr 3 (reading ability of 7 years) through to Year 9 (reading ability of 16 years),” says Ms Grambower. “This is why the growth in our secondary school market has been incredible over the last 3 years. Teachers are able to meet these varying abilities and also use our content to explicity teach core literacy skills.”
What’s next for Ed-Tech?
The emphasis must remain on the learner. Effective Ed-Tech programs can provide schools and parents with a comprehensive snapshot of student ability and lead to more informed, data-driven decision making.
