Giving Compass' Take:

• Megan Silander writes what to look out for when it comes to the best edtech for students that is backed by research. 

• How can donors support new trends in education tech? What are the benefits of tech innovation in the classroom? 

• Here are edtech trends that colleges should be ready for. 

In almost any school in the country today, you can find an app or program that claims to change education as we know it. Yet schools are littered with products that have not changed anything beyond teachers’ desktop screens.

As researchers focusing on education technology, we see this often: interactive whiteboards covered in posters, desktop computers holding up plants, older devices that do not work with a newer assessment system. The list goes on.

Our work at the nonprofit Education Development Center’s Center for Children and Technology focuses on how education technology can be used to support learning. The truth is edtech products that foster more learning than would happen in analogue settings can be difficult to find. When we get to see effective edtech products in practice, the view is exciting: We see kids engaged, teachers energized about the kinds of thinking their students are generating and strong learning outcomes that result from well-made tools matched to the students and educators using them.

So naturally, one of the big questions we face is, how can we help ensure effective edtech happens more often? The key lies in helping educators to look at the available evidence and make careful decisions. In many cases, that’s easier said than done.

Read the full article about the best edtech by Megan Silander at EdSurge.