Classroom Technology

The Number of Ed-Tech Tools School Districts Use Has Almost Tripled. That’s a Problem

By Alyson Klein — August 26, 2022 3 min read
Kids Coding In School
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Teachers and students are turning to a staggering array of ed-tech products, even as school districts are trying to protect student data privacy, train teachers to use digital tools effectively, and make the most of dwindling federal resources for education technology.

The average number of tech products school districts access in a given month has almost tripled over the last several years, from 548 during the 2017-18 school year, to 1,417 during the 2021-22 school year, according to a report released this month by LearnPlatform, an education technology company that helps districts measure the use and effectiveness of their digital products.

It’s clear from those numbers that teachers are increasingly willing to experiment with a broad range of digital products to improve instruction. But if every teacher in a school or district has a different favorite product, it can be tough for district and school leaders to offer effective professional development and make sure student data privacy is protected, educators and experts say.

What’s more, this increasing use of more tech tools means students must interact with a range of different digital platforms that often serve the same purpose, like taking formative assessments or online quizzes their teachers have created.

Nearly a quarter of the tools districts and teachers use most often are aimed at raising student engagement, LearnPlatform found. Among the most popular: Kahoot!, Blooket, and Quiziz. Another 10 percent or so are study tools, such as Quizlet, Desmos, and Grammarly.

The data used to calculate both the rankings and usage numbers were collected using LearnPlatform’s Inventory Dashboard between August 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022.

“These numbers should prompt district leaders to ask not just what ed tech is being used in their schools or how often it’s getting used, but also whether it is safe, equitable, and positively impacting learning,” said Karl Rectanus, the CEO and founder of LearnPlatform in a statement. “With tech-enabled learning here to stay, understanding which tools are both effective and safe will not only improve teaching and learning, but help budget decisions as districts face a fiscal cliff” as federal COVID aid funds run out.

One possible reason for the explosion in tech tools: When the pandemic hit, many companies provided their products to teachers for free. And educators—many of whom had little or no training in virtual instruction—took them up on those offers, desperate to find something that would help engage their students.

Culling tech tools isn’t easy work

Since then, districts have been trying to scrutinize the tools their teachers are using, and, if necessary, slim their numbers to just a handful of high-quality ones.

North Carolina’s Union County school district started that work early on in the pandemic. Casey Rimmer, the district’s director of innovation and education technology, directed teachers to avoid the temptation to sign up for one of the freebies, and stick instead to a set of tools that had been carefully vetted and served a wide range of purposes.

“We really kind of buckled down as a district,” Rimmer said in an interview earlier this year. “We knew if we stuck with our core tools, we could support [educators] and sustain professional development on those.”

The school district in Rockford, Ill., revamped its process for choosing digital programs after returning from virtual learning.

Tech leaders told teachers: “‘If you’re going to use a software, it needs to be aligned with curriculum, it needs to be approved and accessible.’ From an IT perspective, we [need] to know where the student data is going,” Jason Barthel, the district’s chief information officer, said in an interview last spring. “We were able to really, really take [out] a lot of these free apps that we didn’t even know were being used.”

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Exploring Staff Shortage Impact on Education
Learn about the impact of staff shortages, changing roles of educators, and how technology supports teachers & students.
Content provided by Promethean
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Improving Outcomes on State Assessments with Data-Driven Strategies
State testing is around the corner! Join us as we discuss how teachers can use formative data to drive improved outcomes on state assessments.
Content provided by Instructure
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Classroom Technology Spotlight Spotlight on Online Learning & Integrity
This Spotlight will help you use tech to enhance student engagement, learn tips for creating assignments that outsmart ChatGPT, and more.

Classroom Technology 'Knowledge Is Meant to Be Shared': The Case for Open Educational Resources
Open Educational Resources can save educators time and allow them to tap into the creativity of colleagues around the country.
3 min read
Adult male teaching a lecture from desktop PC at computer lab.
E+
Classroom Technology The Most Popular Ed-Tech Products Don’t Meet Research Standards
Only 26 percent of the most-used K-12 ed-tech products meet federal requirements, a new report says.
1 min read
Image of school space.
Naulicreative/iStock/Getty
Classroom Technology Opinion Three Steps to Prevent ChatGPT Misuse
First, it is important to understand what the artificial intelligence tool is—and what it is not.
Spencer Burrows
4 min read
Conceptual vector illustration of Women in AI examining a virtual apple.
Wanlee Prachyapanaprai/iStock