Giving Compass' Take:

• Some tech innovation tools are not advancing modern education, despite investment from education technology companies.

• The author contends that new inventions are needed to bring about the future of learning. How can donors support these fresh ideas?

• Read about this digital skills education tool made free for teachers. 

Last year, education technology companies raised $1.45 billion in their continued push to help move the nation’s education system into the next age of learning.

Over the past decade, many of these investments have put technology-driven solutions at the center of a response to the education market’s demand to prepare our nation’s young people so they can thrive in an unpredictable future. And, as a result, we have seen a rapidly growing number of technological innovations that include the latest apps, online assessments, whiteboards and “tech tools of the month.”

While these innovations may appear to move us forward, too many actually serve economic and educational goals from a past age. Memorization and regurgitation of facts no longer ensures success, especially when that is defined as young people effectively contributing to their communities and living fulfilling lives. In this new age, students need to develop agency and dynamic skills that include creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. What we ultimately need are new systems and supports, guided by a new vision for education.

Innovations, like online learning platforms that let students navigate classwork at their own pace, are designed to make the current educational system more efficient.

Inventions, by contrast, support an entirely new vision for education, transcending the boundaries of the school day and building. They allow students to learn anywhere and at any time, accessing a new ecosystem of flexible, hands-on and inquiry-based educational opportunities.

One example of this way of thinking is Imblaze, a powerful mobile platform that connects learners who are interested in real-world internships with mentors in their communities. In the process, they establish relevant workforce opportunities that not only benefit the employer but also build students’ social capital and reinforce the professional skill sets our young people are hoping to develop.

Read the full article about education innovation by Kelly Young at The 74.