Transforming Education With Edtech

Common Sense Media recently released a comprehensive risk assessment of AI teacher assistants/lesson planning tools. Their findings reveal that while these tools promise increased productivity and creative support, they're also creating "invisible influencers" that could fundamentally undermine educational quality. Unlike GenAI foundation model chatbots, these tools are specifically designed for instructional planning and classroom use and are rapidly being adopted across districts. Key Concerns from their report: • "Invisible Influencers" in Student Learning: AI-generated content directly shapes what students learn through potentially biased perspectives and historical inaccuracies that teachers may miss; evidence also shows these tools suggest different approaches and responses based on student race/gender • “Outsourced Thinking" Problem: Tools make it dangerously easy to push unreviewed AI instructional content straight to classrooms, while novice teachers lack experience to spot subtle errors and biasses • High-Stakes Outputs: IEP and behavior plan generators create official-looking documents that could impact student educational trajectories even though these plans should be human-generated (and in the case of IEP goals are mandated to be human generated) • Undermining High-Quality Instructional Materials: Without proper integration, these tools fragment learning and can undermine coherent, research-backed curricula Recommendations from the report: • Experienced educator oversight required for all AI-generated educational content • Clear district policies and guidelines for AI teacher assistant implementation • Integration with existing high-quality curricula rather than replacement of established materials • Robust teacher training on identifying bias and evaluating AI outputs • Careful oversight of real-time AI feedback tools that interact directly with students We'd also recommend foundational AI literacy for teachers before they begin using GenAI teacher assistants, so that they are aware of the potential limitations. While AI teacher assistants aren't inherently problematic, they require the same careful implementation and oversight we'd expect for any tool that directly impacts student learning. The potential for enhanced productivity is real, but so are the risks to educational equity and quality. This report underscores the urgent need for GenAI EdTech tool makers to provide evidence of how their tools mitigate these issues along with evidence-based policies and professional development to help educators navigate AI tools responsibly. All of which underline how important AI Literacy is for the 2025-2026 school year. Link in the comments to check out the full report. Also check out our 5 Questions to Ask GenAI EdTech Providers resource in the comments if you are planning to implement any of these tools in your school or district. #AIinEducation #ailiteracy #Education #K12 AI for Education

500 students share one computer in Niger. Yet they're conducting advanced physics experiments that students at elite schools can't access. The secret? WebAR turning basic smartphones into portable STEM labs. Think about that. In Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 10% of schools have internet. Student-to-computer ratios hit 500:1. Yet mobile subscriptions jumped from single digits to 80% in a decade. Students already carry the infrastructure—we just weren't using it right. Traditional EdTech Reality: ↳ VR headsets: $300+ per student ↳ Heavy apps requiring 5G speeds ↳ Labs costing millions to build ↳ Rural schools: permanently excluded The WebAR Revolution: ↳ Runs in any browser, optimized for 3G ↳ No app store, minimal storage ↳ Science scores improving 10-15% ↳ Every smartphone becomes a laboratory But here's what grabbed me: A physics teacher in rural South Africa has one broken oscilloscope. No budget. Her students scan printed markers, and electromagnetic fields pulse across their desks. They run experiments infinitely—no equipment damaged, no reagents consumed. One student told her: "Engineering is for people like me now. The lab fits in my pocket." What changes everything: ↳ Mobile-first matches actual connectivity ↳ Browser-based works offline ↳ Teachers need training, not new buildings ↳ Inequality becomes irrelevant The Multiplication Effect: 1 teacher with markers = 30 students experimenting 10 schools sharing content = communities transformed 100 districts adopting = educational equality emerging At scale = STEM education without infrastructure gaps We spent decades waiting for labs that won't arrive. Now any browser becomes one. Because when a student in rural Africa explores the same 3D molecules as someone at MIT—using the phone already in their pocket—you realize: WebAR isn't shiny technology. It's a quiet equaliser making world-class STEM education fit into 3G connections and $50 phones. Follow me, Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld for innovations where accessibility drives transformation. ♻️ Share if you believe quality education shouldn't require perfect infrastructure.

𝐄𝐝𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡’𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐚𝐲𝐬 A recent piece in The Economist offers a sobering reckoning with five decades of classroom technology. The story of McPherson Middle School in Kansas, which recently rolled back laptop-centric learning after disappointing results, mirrors what rigorous research has been warning for years. Despite bold claims of “personalization” and “adaptive learning,” large-scale evidence remains thin. A 2024 meta-analysis of 119 studies on early-literacy technologies led by researchers at Stanford University found, at best, marginal test score gains. Many interventions showed no effect or even negative outcomes. Neuroscientist reviews covering tens of thousands of studies reach a blunt verdict: 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵. And yet spending continues to surge. American schools now spend around $30 billion annually on edtech within a $165 billion global industry. Adoption has been driven less by evidence than by marketing, free pilots, and the administrative appeal of dashboards and automation. Teachers often report not liberation, but added surveillance, compliance work, and fragmented attention. The most troubling signal is longitudinal. National reading and subject scores in the US rose steadily until around 2012–15, precisely when in-class screen use accelerated. Since then, performance has declined. Cross-national data show a consistent pattern: heavier classroom computer use correlates with lower achievement, while classrooms with minimal or no device use tend to perform best. Why? Distraction is only the surface problem. Many platforms privilege gamification over concept mastery, short feedback loops over sustained thinking, and screen mediation over human interaction. Digital drills can help in narrow domains like spelling, arithmetic, or specific learning disabilities. But transfer beyond the app environment remains weak. Researchers increasingly argue for age-sensitive restraint. For younger children, peer and teacher interaction matters more than any interface. For older students, technology works only when its use is limited, intentional, and clearly subordinate to pedagogy. More than a decade ago, Bill Gates suggested it would take ten years to know whether edtech really works. Hundreds of billions later, the answer is clearer than the marketing suggests. Perhaps the most unsettling question raised by the article is this: 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬, 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝? #EdTech #EducationResearch #EvidenceBasedPolicy #LearningSciences #TeachingAndLearning #ClassroomPractice #DigitalEducation

I spent the day with academicians reflecting on a simple but important question: Are we teaching subjects, or are we shaping thinking? What became clear through the dialogue is that education today needs more than incremental change. It needs reimagination. From curriculum to pedagogy to assessments, every layer must evolve in the context of Design Thinking and AI. Design Thinking, in my view, is not a tool or a course. It is a shift in worldview. When the way we see changes, knowledge reorganises. When knowledge changes, capability evolves. And when capability evolves, outcomes transform. Without this shift in thinking, any change we make will remain superficial. One of the core gaps in our system is this: - We focus on content, but not on purpose - Students learn subjects, but not why they are learning them - Problem solving is taught, but problem framing is not Education must move from content delivery to problem orientation. AI now accelerates this shift. For decades, education has been centred around answers. Today, answers are easily available. What is becoming scarce is the ability to ask the right questions. This changes the role of education fundamentally: - From answers to questions - From memory to thinking - From linear learning to multi-dimensional problem solving It also requires a rethink of assessments. Not just evaluating answers, but evaluating how students frame problems and approach solutions. At the same time, we must be conscious of the risks. Easy access to knowledge can weaken cognitive depth. Foundations matter. Concepts matter. Thinking cannot be outsourced. The balance is clear: - Human for thinking - AI for doing Another important insight is that change in education cannot be driven through isolated interventions. It requires sustained effort, dialogue, and a structured approach to transformation. Institutions will have to identify their friction points, prioritise them, and work through them over time. What encouraged me most was the intent across institutions. There is openness to rethink, to experiment, and to evolve. The opportunity ahead is significant. To move from teaching subjects to shaping thinkers, from solving problems to defining them, and from producing graduates to building agenda setters. That, to me, is the real purpose of education in an AI-first world. Intellect Design Arena Ltd School of Design Thinking Purple Fabric #DesignThinking #8012FinTechDesignCenter #AIinEducation #FutureOfLearning #HigherEducation #ReimagineEducation #Innovation #Learning #Leadership #DigitalTransformation

The antidote to academic dishonesty isn’t stricter monitoring—it’s deeper engagement. After more than 30 years in education, I’ve learned that students cheat when they see no purpose in their learning. But when we bridge the gap between curriculum and real-world application, something remarkable happens: students become invested in their own growth. Key strategies that work: • Connect every lesson to tangible outcomes • Share stories of how past students used these skills • Invite industry professionals to show practical applications • Create projects that solve real community problems In this way, you will have students who are too engaged in authentic learning to consider shortcuts or cheating with AI. How are you making learning meaningful in your field? I’d love to hear your approaches. #EducationalLeadership #StudentEngagement #TeachingStrategy #ProfessionalDevelopment #EducationInnovation

India's edtech sector recorded a five-fold increase in funding during the first half of 2025, reports Jessica Rajan for The Economic Times (ET), citing data from Venture Intelligence. Between January and July this year, the sector raised $120 million through 11 deals, compared to $22 million across seven deals in the same period last year, the data shows. Funding activity was mainly driven by firms focusing on study-abroad services, workforce upskilling platforms, and startups working on AI to expand into language learning and vernacular education, the report says. "Companies that succeed here understand the importance of cost-efficiency, personalisation and overcoming language barriers. What we are seeing now is long-term structural demand and what excites us is the shift from content delivery to more intelligent, personalised learning experiences powered by AI and data,” Dev Khare, Partner at Lightspeed, told ET. Firms like Leap, BorderPlus, Emversity, Stimuler, and Seekho, among others, have received funding this year. Investors are only concerned if the company can grow into a big business and are going on product demos and AI enhancement, the report says further. "Education is a long-term household priority and we continue to explore new opportunities, including AI-native platforms that enhance learning across the entire education journey. As innovation deepens, we expect strong momentum in this sector to continue,” Sandeep Singhal, co-founder and Managing Partner at WestBridge Capital, shared with ET. This trend is continuing into the second half of this year as well, with VC firms backing more AI tutoring startups, adds the report. How will edtech funding evolve this year? Share your take in the comments section. Source: The Economic Times - https://lnkd.in/gNs6nyVG ✍: Novinston Lobo 📸: Getty Images #EdTechIndia #EdTechFunding #Fundrising #VentureCapitalists

India doesn’t lack students. It lacks sustainable EdTech. And the last 3 years have exposed that truth brutally. From Zoom classes to billion-dollar valuations. EdTech in India had its moment. But the crash that followed was equally brutal. On my podcast with Harshil Gala, CEO of NAVNEET TOPTECH, we unpacked the hard truths and opportunities that lie ahead. Here’s what stood out for me 👇 1. Market miscalculations : Everyone quoted “25 crore students” as the TAM. But no single product applies to all. India is fragmented: - 200 IB schools - 2,000 ICSE schools - 30,000 CBSE schools - 3,00,000 state board schools Many startups overestimated adoption, ignored willingness to pay, and collapsed. 2. Post-COVID correction : Parents shifted spending toward CBSE/English-medium schools and better infrastructure. But hype-driven models relying on aggressive sales tactics couldn’t survive. The sector is now being rebuilt around sustainability, not valuation. 3. The future is skill-based :  NEP + NCF are pushing India from rote learning to experiential, skill-based education. This isn’t a 3-year play, it’s a 30–40 year transformation. EdTech that aligns with this timeline will thrive. 4. AI in education :  Navneet’s AI, trained on 60+ years of proprietary content, is helping teachers generate quizzes, presentations, and games. The future isn’t “replacing teachers.” It’s empowering them. 5. The investment lens : VC funds run on a 7-year cycle looking for 100x returns. But education runs on decades. This mismatch has already exposed dozens of failed models. Winners will be the ones who build cash-flow positive, patient businesses. Education, it’s a responsibility. If you’re building in EdTech, stop chasing shortcuts. Align with how India actually learns, not how you wish it did. Because in this space, hype dies fast. But sustainable impact compounds for generations. A big Thanks to the our sponsors of the podcast: Powered by: NoFilter Juice  Co-Powered by: Titas Footwear  Venue Partner: Lets Work co-spaces  Growth Partner - GrowthOS Digital Media Partners - StartupNews.fyi 

For over a century, the core of our education system has been built on a simple premise: knowledge transfer.    The teacher has the information, and the student's job is to acquire and retain it.    The age of AI is rendering that model obsolete overnight.   When every student has access to a tool that can instantly summarize complex theories, write elegant prose, and solve difficult equations, the value of simple knowledge retention plummets.    The debate over banning these tools in classrooms completely misses the point. It’s like trying to ban the calculator in the 1980s.   The real, far more urgent question is: What is school for, when the answers to everything are instantaneous?   💡 Critical Thinking & Discernment: The ability to evaluate the information AI provides, spot biases, and separate signal from noise.   💡 Creative Synthesis: The art of connecting disparate ideas in novel ways to create something entirely new.   💡 Ethical Reasoning: The wisdom to wield these powerful tools responsibly and with integrity.   💡 Incisive Questioning: The skill of formulating the perfect prompt or inquiry that unlocks a deeper level of insight.   We are moving from a world that rewards knowing the answer to a world that rewards knowing what question to ask.    Our challenge as leaders and parents is to redesign our educational framework. We must cultivate a generation of critical, creative, and ethical thinkers who see AI as a catalyst for deeper learning and innovation.

One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen in online education is that the most successful learning businesses are designing for change, not just for completion. People don’t buy courses because they want to watch videos but because they want something to change, whether it’s in their work, their skills, their business or their life. Whether you're offering education as part of a product or your entire business is built around learning, one thing remains true: real impact comes from focusing on transformation, not just content. That means going beyond lessons and modules. It means building systems that support the full learning journey — like community spaces, group meetups, instructor-led discussions, live Q&As, personalized learning paths and even nudges or gamification to keep people engaged. And more recently, AI-led learning experiences. When you do that well, something powerful happens: Learners don’t just complete your course, they come back. They share wins. They ask better questions. And they bring others with them. I’ve seen course creators drive so much transformation, their learning programs surpass their original business in revenue. That’s the power of designing for change (not just completion). The best learning businesses today aren’t chasing minutes watched. They’re helping people grow.

In 2020, global edtech funding hit $16.1 billion, a 318% jump from the year before. In India, the market ballooned from $700 million in 2019 to $3.5 billion by 2021. BYJU’S became a national obsession, crossing 100 million registered users, and raising over $3 billion in funding. It felt like we were witnessing the future of education which was accessible, scalable, data-driven. But five years later, the cracks are hard to ignore. The same sector that was once hailed as a revolution is now dealing with widespread regret. It first showed up in the data. Studies found that online learning during the pandemic led to 0.2 standard deviations worth of learning loss in math and reading. In India, ASER reported that basic reading levels in rural areas dropped by 6.2 percentage points during the edtech boom years. While user acquisition looked great on pitch decks, completion rates on major platforms hovered around 15-20%, compared to 60-70% in traditional classrooms. Even BYJU’S, with its massive user base, saw monthly active users drop to 5.5 million by 2022. And then came the financial shakeout. By 2023, global edtech funding had halved to $7.8 billion and continued to decline. In India, the market shrank to $2.1 billion by 2024, with over 15,000 jobs lost. BYJU’S valuation was slashed from $22 billion to under $5 billion. Unacademy and Vedantu laid off more than 1,600 employees combined. The fundamental promise, to democratize education, fell short because of realities that were easy to ignore in investor presentations but hard to overlook in real life. Only 31% of rural households in India had sufficient internet access. Online learning proved significantly less effective than in-person teaching, especially for young learners. Teachers burned out, parents struggled, and a 240% rise in pediatric eye strain cases made everyone question the costs of so much screen time. Further, Governments decided to step in. In 2023, India introduced tighter regulations under the Consumer Protection Act, fining edtech companies ₹17.5 crore for misleading ads and aggressive sales. Yet, not everything is broken. The dust is settling, and the industry is recalibrating. We’re seeing a shift towards hybrid models, which data shows deliver 16% better outcomes than purely online or offline ones. Platforms are prioritizing engagement over scale, with a renewed focus on teacher enablement rather than replacement. Tools that assist teachers are reporting 85% higher satisfaction rates. We often mistake short-term hype for long-term change. Edtech didn’t fail because technology can’t transform education. It failed because the expectations were untethered from the complexity of learning Now, we’re entering a more grounded phase, a realistic renaissance. Smaller, slower, more thoughtful. #edtech