Giving Compass' Take:

• Todd Brekhus shares the promises and predictions of education technology in 2019  as well as the disappointments.

•  How has education technology impacted your local school system? Is it worth future investment?

• Learn more about whether or not edtech is boosting student outcomes.

Ten years ago, the iPhone was already out, but the iPad had not been released yet. The Kindle and the Nook had already been around, and this idea of personal devices in schools was in the air. Computers were still housed in labs or on carts, but one-to-one computing and internet accessibility were hot topics.

Clearly, a lot has changed over the last decade. Here’s a look at some of edtech’s notable successes and failures that might shed light on the decade to come.

EdSurge: What technology has actually delivered on its promise?

Todd Brekhus: The tools that have delivered are specific, targeted solutions that are easy to use and provide teachers and students delight. Simple solutions, like Read 180, which helps accelerate learning for struggling students, still deliver 20 years later, now under Houghton Mifflin Harcourt instead of Scholastic. Accelerated Reader, a product that started more than 30 years ago, still motivates kids to read.

What's been most disappointing in edtech?

The largest companies in 2010 were the textbook providers. Many of these companies believed that a combination of assessment, primary instruction, supplemental learning, and everything else an educator might need in one closed environment would prove to be the best education model of the 21st century.

Unfortunately, when you looked under the hood, you saw a much messier situation. Most of these companies tried to re-platform every unique product into one monolithic model, but the promise didn’t pan out—the products proved clunky and hard to use, and customers still demanded each of their point solutions.

Read the full article about the promises and pitfalls of education technology by Todd Brekhus at EdSurge.