Danisa Abiel is well known for her practical solutions to teaching and learning in the advancing fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). She is the founder of International Teaching Learning Assessment Consultants and Online Schools (ITLACO). She has authored 20 editions of her newsletter, "The Educator's Diaries," on LinkedIn.
Talking about Covid and post-Covid seems like a long time ago, and its relevance is a faint memory. However, technology has been at the center of most industries as a way forward in the face of uncertainty. The education sector, which previously used technology as an additional tool to aid teaching and learning, found itself having to rely on it as the primary mode of instruction, learning, and assessment. Suddenly, there was an urgent need to develop systems that functioned as schools and higher educational institutions. Edtech companies had to rapidly enhance their innovations and adapt to global needs. Now, five years later, educators are incorporating additional aspects of education into Edtech to further digitalise learning. What, then, is being integrated into Edtech? The concept of the Pedtech ring needs an introduction.
Definition of Edtech
Edtech is simply the abbreviation for education technology. It refers to the practice of integrating information and communication technology (ICT) tools into the classroom to create more engaging, inclusive, and individualised learning experiences. Examples include:
Google classroom
Used by teachers to set assignments, provide resources for their classes, and communicate through announcements.
Turnitin
Teachers can often detect plagiarism, but Turnitin confirms their suspicions with complex data. This digital plagiarism checker allows teachers to compare students’ work against a vast multilingual database of student papers, published academic work, and years' worth of web content.
Edmodo
A versatile digital portal through which teachers can manage various aspects of their job, including taking attendance, reviewing written assignments, and auto-grading quizzes. In education industry terms, Edmodo’s platform is known as a "learning management system," designed to replace physical file cabinets filled with classroom paperwork. Additionally, its customisable and teacher-developed interface includes a networking component that enables students, parents, and school employees to connect and communicate securely.
Labster
Makes the lab experience accessible to more STEM students through interactive lab simulations, where equipment costs are no longer a barrier. Students can experiment with microscopes, pH meters, and titration equipment freely. Labster's library contains nearly 100 lab simulations covering scientific subjects such as chemistry, physics, and biology. In partnership with Google, Labster also offers a selection of immersive virtual reality biology lab simulations.
Remind
Addresses a longstanding challenge in education: parent-teacher communication. Important documents, such as permission slips, often get lost in students’ backpacks, but Remind transitions key paperwork and deadlines into the digital realm, making them harder to misplace or overlook. The app allows teachers and school administrators to contact parents and students via phone using text-message-like communication. It functions on all phones, not just smartphones. Unlike traditional texting, however, it masks personal phone numbers and includes built-in translation tools.
Edtech continues to evolve, integrating more tools and innovations to enhance the educational experience for both teachers and students.
Since COVID-19, Edtech has facilitated teaching, learning, and assessment in online classes and settings through lectures and webinars, curriculum planning meetings, educational seminars, and summits. Artificial intelligence has also enhanced Edtech, as it can monitor the efficiency of Edtech tools by analysing their outcomes in moments—where it would otherwise take days, weeks, or months for data to be collected. As we can see, Edtech focuses on the "how" (focus on systems and processes) of providing education or schooling.
Definition of digital technology
Digital technology refers to tools, systems, and devices that generate, create, store, or process data. Its data processing and logic capabilities are enabled through microprocessors programmed to perform various functions (Wyeth, 2024).
Digital technologies include devices such as personal computers and tablets; tools such as cameras, calculators, and digital toys; systems such as software and apps; augmented and virtual reality; and less tangible forms of technology such as the Internet (Wyeth, 2024).
Edtech is the process of integrating digital technologies and practices to enhance teaching and learning, widen access to educational resources, and promote digital literacy. It ultimately improves educational outcomes and prepares learners for the digital age. Therefore, Edtech is part of digitalisation.
Pedtech and digital technology
Every decision made by an educator in a classroom, school, or educational organisation is ultimately a pedagogical decision. Why? Because it creates or removes choices that learners and teachers can make as part of the learning process (bearing in mind that teachers are also learning in the teaching process).
Pedagogy involves many aspects of teaching at different levels, and there have been many scholarly articles that offer various definitions. However, to sum it up, pedagogy is the art and science of teaching, or rather, the study of teaching methods that effectively lead to learning. Every teacher has their own pedagogical approach to teaching and learning in the classroom, influenced by their training, environment, and experiences. They also focus on the individual learning needs of their students.
Pedtech, therefore, focuses on the relationships and behaviors of the people using technology. In education, this involves teachers and school leaders being encouraged to focus on why they use particular approaches to teaching and learning, as well as the long-term impact they expect those approaches to have on learners while using technology. This approach can also inform how technology can be improved to further enhance learning outcomes—an advantage worth noting in Edtech. Pedtech, therefore, utilises digital technology and Edtech to enhance teaching methods, creating a better learning experience for students.
Pedtech has become imperative in digital schools (online schools), as they cannot operate without implementing pedagogy, digital technology, and Edtech. A few examples of online educational institutions that employ Pedtech are:
Advantages of Edtech in the use of Pedtech
Increased and efficient collaboration. Teachers can store resources in the cloud and easily share and access them internationally.
Learners always have access to materials. Because resources and learning materials are available on the portals of educational institutions, learners can access them anytime, anywhere.
Attention-grabbing lessons/sessions. Teenagers and young children are now very tech-savvy. They understand how computers work, and many enjoy spending time on them. This means that by using computers in the classroom, educators can adapt to learners' interests. Apps, digital games, videos, and PowerPoint presentations are excellent tools for teaching. When used in the correct context, they often clarify concepts better than words alone. For this reason, many learners prefer technology-assisted learning. Thus, educational institutions should consider investing in tablets.
Environmentally friendly. There is less need for paper, pencils, erasers, rulers, and other materials made from natural resources like trees. Therefore, the number of trees that need to be cut down to supply educational institutions is greatly reduced.
More investment opportunities and profits for technology companies internationally.
Conclusion
Edtech has often been seen merely as a tool that enhances learning. However, it is also safe to say that pedagogy influences Edtech, and it must be the driving factor behind the "what" and "how" aspects of Edtech in teaching, learning, and education. Could one say the two are perhaps inseparable?
Read more from Danisa Abiel
Danisa Abiel, Teaching and Learning Consultant and Founder
Danisa Abiel is a passionate leader and educator in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry, with over thirty years of experience. Witnessing firsthand how students find science subjects challenging, she founded an online school to support students in various situations to improve and excel in science. Her greatest aspiration is to ensure all children receive the best science education, regardless of where they are in the world.
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