Introduction: Innovations in EdTech

Context

Technology has been reshaping traditional educational interactions around the world. Innovation in EdTech is ubiquitous and is changing how teaching and learning happens

Innovation is granular

Technology is transforming not only broad teaching-learning interactions, but also the granular actions within them (for e.g. how and when feedback is received by a learner)

Innovation is scalable

EdTech innovations have been able to achieve reasonable scale fairly rapidly, reaching teachers, students, and parents worldwide

Innovation is essential

Continuously catalyzing innovation to strengthen and build on value offerings (such as building teacher capacity) is essential for meaningful EdTech adoption

Innovation is pervasive

Edtech innovations have proliferated in a range of contexts, from developed to developing countries, leveraging technologies along the spectrum from radio to AI

Innovation is brewing

White spaces exist across the teaching-learning spectrum for EdTech, however, the pandemic and mounting global evidence has spurred considerable growth in the sector

This Document

This document aims to provide a deeper understanding of how innovations in EdTech have redesigned multiple teaching and learning interactions across varying contexts around the world led by the following stakeholders – teachers, students, and parents.

Approach

To demystify the innovations in the EdTech landscape, the following approach was adopted -

Landscape

Innovations identified from across the globe - over 350 innovative K-12 EdTech solutions

1

Categorize

Mapped the solutions to nine prioritised teaching and learning interactions

2

Synthesize

Analysed the solutions in each interaction to extract the value that technology has unlocked

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1

Landscape

Some of the sources examined to identify the most promising EdTech innovations, as of October 2020

Awards and competitions
Databases and market research aggregators
Reports and blogs
2

Categorize

Nine teaching-learning interactions prioritized spanning across the three primary stakeholders - teachers, students, and parents.

Lesson Preparation (LP)

Technology reduces teacher effort to create engaging and personalized lesson plans 

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Lesson Preparation (LP)

Teacher prepares a plan to deliver the lesson

Lesson Delivery (LD)

Technology allows for a teacher to transform into a coach who provides personalized instruction

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Lesson Delivery (LD)

Teacher executes a  lesson plan 

Teacher Professional Development (TPD)

Technology enables scalability and flexibility of TPD, providing teachers more ownership of their own growth

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Teacher Professional Development (TPD)

Teachers engage in learning activities to strengthen and develop their own teaching practices

Homework (HW)

Technology reduces teachers’ time and effort to create, assign and ensure compliance for homework

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Homework (HW)

Teacher creates, assigns and corrects practice exercises to students in order to strengthen their understanding of concepts already taught in the classroom.

Assessments (AS)

Technology reduces effort to create engaging assessments

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Assessments (AS)

Teacher conducts assessments (formative and summative) to gauge students’ progress on learning to inform lesson planning and delivery

Self-Learning (SL)

Technology enables a higher degree of personalization to individual student’s learning needs

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Self-Learning (SL)

The student independently engages in obtaining knowledge or skills to either develop mastery or bridge learning gaps

Doubt-resolution (DR)

Technology enables students to become increasingly independent in the doubt resolution process

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Doubt-Resolution (DR)

Student identifies doubts at any point in the learning process and attempts to resolve them both within the classroom and outside

Parent-teacher communication (PTC)

Tech enables increased depth and quality of engagement between parents and teachers

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Parent-Teacher communication (PTC)

Parents engage with teachers and the school on their child’s holistic experience at school

Parental participation (PP)

Technology enables parents to provide increased level of learning support to their children

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Parental Participation (PP)

Parents and family members  support their child for continued learning at home

Flip the cards to see how technology can transform each interaction
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Synthesize

The analysis aims to highlight the diversity of EdTech innovations across developing and developed contexts. Some of the key themes sought through the analysis span (i) understanding how technology is leveraged within infrastructural constraints, (ii) exploring various EdTech hypotheses that have emerged to strengthen the teaching-learning processes, and (iii) evidence supporting the impact of the solutions.

Detailing the teaching - learning interaction into granular processes tounderstand the actions that technology can enhance

Mapping the diversity of solutions (including Indian government products) across the spectrums of technology, engagement, personalisation, effort

Delineating the key features of each category of products within each interaction to understand how technology has enhanced the interaction

Deep dive into an exciting within each interaction to showcase its technology, scale and evidence

Disclaimer: CSF has prepared this document on the basis of information which is publicly available, and sources believed to be reliable. The information provided is complete as of October 1, 2020. No part of this report should be considered as an official position of any of the products/programs, founders/funders, users/clients of the organizations and programs covered in the analysis.