As the new school year begins in earnest, educators are in a predicament. You want to bring innovative ed-tech tools into your classroom, but you don’t always have the time to research and evaluate solutions before procuring and deploying them in your classroom.
Embrace a selection of online marketplace concepts that can be a game-changer in the edtech world. These platforms aim to streamline the discovery and evaluation process and provide educators with easy and efficient search capabilities.
To explore this further, EdSurge spoke with: Shani YoSenior Manager, EdTech Partnerships, Global Public Sector; Amazon Web Services (AWS). After leading a system integrator’s business strategy transformation efforts, Yeoh joined AWS two years ago and now manages the edtech partner’s go-to-market strategy, helping drive both growth and revenue. Yeoh is excited about giving educators easy access to the tools they need to simplify their daily work while creating inspiring learning environments.
EdSurge: What challenges do you think educators face in researching, evaluating, and procuring appropriate educational technology tools?
Yo: Finding the right edtech tools is never easy, especially in the current environment. a Recent research from LearnPlatform by Instructor According to research, school districts access an average of 2,739 different technology tools per year. In addition to that, MDR Research also shows that teachers spend an average of seven hours a week just searching for instructional resources to use in the classroom.
There are three main challenges we hear from educators today. One is Rapid pace of innovation In this space. Security and privacy concerns Tools must also protect student data and comply with relevant regulations, which is another major hurdle. Then, clearly, budget is always the biggest concern. Finding high-quality, cost-effective solutions that show clear evidence of impact is also critical.
How are online marketplaces changing the way educators find and access education technology resources?
In the past, educators often had to rely on word of mouth, conferences, and extensive independent research to learn about new educational technology tools. It was a very disjointed and piecemeal process. But now, with a centralized online marketplace, educators can actually browse and explore a vast catalog of vetted and curated resources in one place.
In addition to that, being able to read reviews and compare different options side by side is invaluable for educators. This allows you to make more informed decisions about what works best for your students. Many of these platforms are AWS Marketplacewe also handle procurement and deployment, making the whole process very easy.
What resources are available to help educators stay informed about emerging edtech trends, and how can they make the most of them?
To get started, we encourage you to take advantage of the information and insights available through online communities and professional organizations such as: iste and CoSN. We at AWS use CoSN and Metropolitan School Council Create a generative AI readiness checklist. For higher education institutions, we partner with: Educause Create a similar checklist specific to your university.
Educators are also encouraged to use this tool. edtech index In different ways. Teachers can review the index to identify trusted third-party verifiers before requesting products through the district’s approval process. District-level ed-tech professionals can use the “My List” feature to compare existing tools with tools that provide similar functionality requested by teachers, and provide side-by-side comparisons of important ed-tech information.
At the end of the day, it’s important to stay informed and involved in the technology landscape, but it’s not just about keeping up. It is important to embrace these innovations and find ways to leverage them to drive meaningful and transformative change in education. I think there’s a real impact there.
What emerging technologies or trends do you think have the greatest potential to transform edtech over the next five years?
I think the first one is Personalized learning powered by generative AI. By leveraging AI-driven recommendations and seamless integration with classroom management systems, you’ll be able to create truly personalized experiences.
I’m also very bullish on the continued evolution of. Data-driven decision makingempowering educators to make more informed, evidence-based choices about the tools and approaches they use.
I’m excited too Continuing advances in immersive technology such as augmented reality and virtual reality. As these platforms become more accessible and user-friendly, I think the potential for creating truly engaging and contextual educational experiences increases exponentially. Imagine being able to explore the surface of Mars and witness historical events firsthand. This level of interactivity and depth of learning is unmatched.
At the root of all this is the Accessibility, equity, and inclusion become increasingly important In edtech. We believe there will be a greater focus than ever on designing products and platforms that serve people’s needs. all It is aimed at learners of all backgrounds and abilities. Accessibility can no longer be an afterthought. It must be a core principle of design.
How does AWS collect information about the impact and trends of edtech tools in the education sector, and how does that impact our approach to supporting the edtech industry?
We are very focused on measuring the real-world impact of the edtech tools and solutions available on our platform. Areas such as chronic absenteeism, talent shortages and mental health are three key themes that we hear a lot, and not just from our customer base.
We also collaborate extensively with a wide range of industry partners to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the technology landscape. We regularly host CEO roundtables and community forums where you can learn directly from education leaders and industry stakeholders about the challenges they face and emerging trends.
groups like Holon IQ Provide us with valuable market research and data that we use to make decisions. This comprehensive impact data feeds directly into Edtech’s future products, allowing us to identify the most effective and innovative technology solutions, further enhance what’s working, and fix what isn’t. and can really fill this gap in the market. Our goal is to continually evolve and expand our education technology ecosystem to ensure educators have access to the cutting-edge resources they need to foster student success.
