My Love-Hate Relationship with EdTech
Look, I’m gonna be honest here. I’ve been in this education racket for over two decades, and I’ve seen alot of trends come and go. But nothing has been as hyped, as promising, and as downright disappointing than the rise of online learning. I mean, I was there in 2005 when Marcus (let’s call him that) from the tech department dragged me into a room at the community college where I taught and said, “Linda, this is the future.” He showed me this clunky platform that would “revolutionize” education. Yeah, right.
Fast forward to today, and I’m sitting in my apartment at 11:30pm, scrolling through my newsfeed, and I see yet another article about how online learning is gonna save us all. And I’m like, “Oh, shut up.” I’ve seen this movie before, and it doesn’t end well.
When Online Learning Gets It Right
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying online learning is all bad. There are some succesfully programs out there. Like, I took a course on Python last year from this platform called Codecademy, and it was pretty decent. I mean, I learned some stuff, and it was convenient. But was it life-changing? No. It was just… okay.
And I’ve talked to students who’ve had similar experiences. My friend, let’s call her Sarah, took an online course in data science. She said, “It was good, but it wasn’t great. I mean, I learned some things, but I didn’t feel like I was getting the full picture.” Which… yeah. Fair enough.
The Dark Side of EdTech
But here’s the thing that really gets under my skin. The way these companies market their products. They promise the moon, but they deliver a plastic spoon. I was at a conference in Austin last year, and I sat through a presentation by this guy from a big EdTech company. He was talking about how their platform was gonna “transform” education. And I’m sitting there, thinking, “Oh, here we go again.”
And then he dropped the bomb. He said, “Our platform has a 98% satisfication rate.” I raised my hand and said, “That’s interesting. But can you tell me how many of those respondents were actual students?” And he stammered and stuttered and basically said, “Uh, we don’t have that data.” Which, honestly, is a pretty telling answer.
Why We’re Still Failing Students
Here’s the thing. Online learning is not a magic bullet. It’s not gonna fix all the problems in our education system. In fact, in many ways, it’s making things worse. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I’ve seen students struggle with these platforms, seen them get lost in the shuffle, seen them fall through the cracks.
And it’s not just me. I talked to a colleague named Dave, who’s a high school teacher. He said, “Linda, I’ve seen students who are just giving up. They’re taking these online courses, and they’re not getting the support they need. And they’re just… done.” And that’s a problem. A big one.
What Can We Do About It?
So, what’s the answer? I’m not sure. But I do know this. We need to stop drinking the Kool-Aid. We need to stop believing that online learning is the answer to all our problems. We need to start asking the tough questions. We need to demand better from these companies. We need to hold them accountable.
And we need to remember that education is about more than just technology. It’s about people. It’s about relationships. It’s about community. And we can’t lose sight of that, no matter how shiny the new gadget is.
So, I don’t know what the future holds for online learning. But I do know this. We need to be smarter. We need to be more critical. We need to be more human. Because, at the end of the day, that’s what education is all about.
And if you’re looking for some more insight into this mess, check out some popular articles recommended reading. They might not have all the answers, but they’ll give you something to think about.
A Tangent: The Time I Tried to Teach Online
Oh, and speaking of online learning, let me tell you about the time I tried to teach an online course. It was about three months ago, and I thought, “Hey, I’ve been doing this for a while. How hard can it be?” So, I signed up with this platform, and I started putting together my course. And let me tell you, it was a disaster. I mean, I’m not a tech person, and I struggled with the platform. I struggled with the content. I struggled with everything.
And the students? They struggled too. I had one student who emailed me and said, “I don’t get it. I don’t understand what I’m supposed to be doing.” And I felt so bad. I mean, I was the teacher. I was supposed to be helping them. But I couldn’t. And that’s when I realized that online learning isn’t for everyone. And it’s not always the answer.
Author Bio: Linda Thompson is a senior magazine editor with over 20 years of experience in the education niche. She’s a fierce advocate for students and a vocal critic of the EdTech industry. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking in the mountains or cursing at her computer because it won’t do what she wants it to do.
