Raising Expectations And Addressing Inequities In Edtech

Edtech is becoming increasingly popular in all modern-day schools and for various reasons. In fact, many educators rely solely on these tools for teaching purposes.
With that being said, there are a few issues when it comes to this advancement in technology. In this article, we will be discussing and addressing the inequities that have developed because of edtech and its role in the educational environment.
Raising Expectations
As we have already mentioned, edtech is becoming an increasingly popular tool in the educational world. This is because there is plenty of evidence that suggests that edtech is successful when used in the classroom.
Many teachers have reported an increase in their students’ results due to the incorporation of educational technology. This may be because edtech offers students more diverse lessons. Instead of simply listening to the teacher talk for an hour or so, they can learn via video, illustrations, online games, etc.
More so, parents and teachers often believe that students enjoy using technology in the classroom because they are so tech-savvy. Most teenagers own their own smartphone or technological device, meaning that they are likely to pick up on how the edtech tools work very easily.
There are so many innovative tools and apps that teachers can use to make lessons even more engaging, such as Pedagogue. With this social learning management system, teachers can offer a central location for accessing material online and developing content. If you wish to find out more about this tool, visit the Pedagogue website.
Many teachers out there incorporate edtech into their lessons with high expectations. However, there are a few issues that students (or educators) could face when adapting to technology in the classroom.
Inequities In Edtech
Even though edtech is a fantastic tool and advancement, it brings a few issues with it when being incorporated into lessons:
- The digital divide refers to the gap in knowledge between people who have access to technology and people who do not have access to technology. This is a significant issue in many schools, as not all students will understand how to use or operate the edtech tools. With that being said, there are a few ways in which teachers can get around this problem. For instance, they could offer additional lessons in which students will learn how to operate the educational technology.
- Students will need WiFi at home in order to get the most out of certain edtech tools. Various schools and teachers make use of edtech so that students have access to the cloud and other online resources. However, this becomes an issue when students do not have internet access in their homes. In order to combat this problem, teachers can suggest that these students visit public spaces that have an internet connection, such as the public library.
Concluding Thoughts
Many parents and teachers have high expectations when it comes to using edtech in the classroom. This is because there is plenty of evidence that suggests that technology can be effective when used correctly for educational purposes.
Even though edtech is so popular, there are a few issues and inequities that are related to it. For example, the digital divide means that certain students will not understand how the technology works. More so, specific edtech tools require all students to have internet access at home.