More than half of teachers say edtech is not used to its full potential at their school, findings shared with Tes reveal.
The YouGov survey also found that eight in 10 teachers (81 per cent) think edtech will “never replace the central role of the teacher” and more than half (51 per cent) think that tech solutions “create as much work as they save”.
The poll follows findings published by Oak National Academy yesterday that more than half of teachers have not had their workload reduced by using the online resources quango after it expressed ambitions of “alleviating teacher workload” earlier this year.
Education minister Baroness Barran also told delegates at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester yesterday that schools felt “burned” by edtech promises.
Today’s survey finds that 53 per cent of teachers agreed that “a lot of my school’s edtech goes unused or isn’t used to its full potential”, with 15 per cent disagreeing and 13 per cent saying they were neutral. The remainder replied “not applicable”.
However, only a minority (7 per cent) of teachers polled believe the impact of edtech has been negative. Some 46 per cent said it is “essential in delivering a good education when resources are limited” and 42 per cent said they “can’t imagine teaching without it”.
The findings, commissioned by Juniper Education, found that teachers want “smarter, better focused” edtech, according to an accompanying report.
Nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) agreed that properly targeted and financed edtech would improve future teaching and learning, and more than a third (35 per cent) said their school needs to invest more in edtech solutions.
Value for money
According to the Juniper report, Unveiling Teachers’ Perspectives on Edtech in Schools: A Comprehensive Exploration, just over one in 10 (13 per cent) agree that their providers offer good value for money.
Recent research by the Department for Education found that edtech businesses generated between £3.7 billion to £4 billion in 2021.
Oak, which is now a government arm’s-length body after being turned into a quango last year, is set to receive £15.2 million in funding in 2023-24.
Edtech ‘not designed with teachers in mind’
According to the report, 56 per cent of teachers say that they often think that new edtech solutions are not designed with the classroom teacher in mind.
An additional four in 10 (38 per cent) say that too much time is spent focusing on the “potential benefits of edtech” and not enough on the “fundamentals of teaching and learning”.
Another reason for teacher frustration is the multiplicity of providers and the quality of assessment, the report finds. Almost half (48 per cent) agree that it’s difficult to work with lots of different providers, and 56 per cent say they would find edtech easier to use if solutions and suppliers were better integrated.
Too many edtech providers
When asked to choose in which areas they would like to see more edtech used, 54 per cent opted for solutions that would help with their out-of-class teaching workload (for example, marking and reports).
Nearly half (48 per cent) wanted more online resources and digital assessments, and a quarter (27 per cent) opted for services that focused on assessment and the wellbeing of children and staff (25 per cent).
The findings are based on responses from 1,004 primary and secondary school teachers between 14-25 April 2023.
Gavin Freed, chair of Juniper Education, said: “It’s clear that edtech is a gamechanger for schools, that innovative solutions can transform the educational outcomes for children and that teachers believe it’s of enormous benefit. But it’s equally clear that not all edtech is created equal.”
He added: “If we are to continue to offer the support and development the profession has rightly come to expect, then we must put teachers and their priorities at the heart of any solutions we offer.”
