Edtech spending is likely to double in the next five years to about $404 billion.

Edtech, short for education technology, is an approach that taps into technology to increase the performance and outcomes of educating students. SaaS startups in particular are well placed to participate in edtech opportunities. And, although technology is used at home, we will review the technology in the classroom where the participants are students, teachers and other specialists.

Many articles cover intriguing new technologies in edtech, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, gamification and so on. The focus of this article is less on these technologies that are being implemented, and more on the bigger picture and the benefits and impact that edtech has in the learning environment.

EdTech And SaaS
SaaS, or software as a service, is cloud-based software delivered to a web browser without requiring users to be involved in time-consuming installations. This software is typically paid for over time, making it more affordable and also flexible for the user. As you can imagine, startups and solutions that use SaaS are very popular, which of course applies to the edtech space.

SaaS-based edtech platforms can be tapped into by students around the world. This new SaaS-based education makes it easier for teachers and students to thrive, whether they are in the classroom or, at times, when remote learning is desired.

Data-Driven Education Helps Learners With Disabilities
Today’s physical classrooms are diverse and complex, and access to technology helps meet each student’s needs. Educators select edtech tools that meet the most important criteria for use in the classroom. These tools can free teachers up from administrative tasks such as grading and testing to develop individual student relationships.

One of the most exciting and important results of the edtech boom is that it provides access to all learners, including those with disabilities. Edtech brings various benefits to students with disabilities, such as audio recordings, text-to-speech solutions, one-to-one devices such as iPads for all students, and videos. Large interactive whiteboards, otherwise known as smart boards, provide a touchscreen that can be used in classrooms, along with features such as file and screen sharing. With the assistance of all this technology, edtech has certainly had a profound effect on the entire spectrum of learners.

Privacy In EdTech
With the ever-growing rate of edtech in today’s classrooms, there have been many changes for the teachers as well as the students. You can see the increase in personalized content, virtual spaces for students and teachers to interact, and many technologies that help hone the learning process. All of this information sharing and web hosting has been very beneficial, but we must not lose track of how we best protect students’ privacy. There are many startups in the edtech space creating edtech solutions, but student privacy is not always front and center in these offerings. The privacy policy must be spelled out in the software in an easy way for teachers and students to understand how their sensitive data is being protected and not manipulated.

Challenges Facing EdTech
Edtech is exciting. The trends covered in this article spell out why it is so beneficial, and the number of funds injected into all areas of edtech continues to increase at substantial rates. But, like anything, there are plenty of challenges that must be overcome.

One important issue is the lack of teacher training that is required to effectively implement edtech solutions in the classroom. In addition, many teachers are invested in the status quo of the teaching paradigm and may not be interested in embracing edtech into their curriculum.

And, like the internet with the initial promise that it would usher in an unprecedented level of equality across all of society, how do we ensure that all schools get to take advantage of edtech and not just those that are in the wealthiest areas of a country? This is truly a great opportunity when you consider innovative workforce development and generating interest in career pathways. Edtech has an opportunity to meet this unique moment, which is critical to where our society is today.

In particular, high-demand industries like healthcare, IT, advanced manufacturing, among others are critically ripe for strategic interventions from edtech and with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion; it presents a transformative opportunity to also further develop the workforce of the future.

Edtech is in an exciting period of creative expansion, so who will determine what are the most effective platforms and solutions and who gets to use them? It is possible to make the case that education moves much slower than technology, so how do we avoid not implementing edtech solutions that shortly become out of date and need to be replaced with more advanced technology before the current solutions have been mastered and the benefits realized?

All of these challenges in the edtech space must be dealt with in order for all students to benefit equally from this promising educational development.