What is EdTech….Really?

Edtech can look different in different contexts.
Sometimes, it means one computer in a principal’s office used by a select few, if at all. Sometimes, it is the teacher’s laptop, and students gather around it.
Sometimes, it is a computer and a projector used primarily for lectures.
Sometimes, it is a computer in a lab that students get to go to once in a while because the one computer teacher at the school has to get everyone in.
Sometimes, students have their own 1-to-1 devices, access to a lab, and much more.

Sometimes it really is what AECT describe as “the ethical study and application of theory, research, and practices to advance knowledge, improve learning and performance, and empower learners through strategic design, management, implementation, and evaluation of learning experiences and environments using appropriate processes and resources.”

EdTech is not always a school filled with all types of computers, tablets, headsets, robotics, and whatever else we can dream of, used by students and teachers who have their own devices at home and unlimited access to the Internet.

There can be many different variables. What is important to remember that context matters, and we have to ensure that the theories, best practices, and principles consider variance.