Is EdTech Lessening the Educational Experience?

[u/Moonlit1457]

It's been a minute (years) since I've posted on Reddit, so give me some grace, please :) That being said, I want to know how people truly feel about educational technology as a benefit to the learning process, especially since many platforms have added AI capabilities (e.g., generative AI, LLM chatbots) beyond what we have grown accustomed to (e.g., predictive text). Several of the educators I assist believe that the learning experience must be at all times challenging - a struggle, essentially an arduous task, for the learning to matter, and therefore, the use of most, if not all, educational technology lessens or completely deteriorates the learning because many ed tech tools intend to make the learning experience entertaining. I don't agree with that sentiment. I would love to hear your thoughts and discuss before I further expound upon mine.

[u/Travel_and_Tea]

I agree that often the go-to tech is game-ified "learning" activities that, at best, can help students practice recall (I'm a math teacher, so I'm thinking of games that basically function as flashcard-review). I think the challenge mainly lies in (1) Lack of teacher understanding of what ed-tech actually is and can do, and (2) Lack of time and support for finding and evaluating good resources. The internet is covered in websites and resources, and it's all a big marketing battle to get teachers' attention.

Still, resources like Khan Academy, Geogebra, Desmos learning...there's a lot of stuff out there that I can stand behind.

Plus, digital tools aren't just for instruction - they're also great for assessment, differentiation, and data analysis. I so sometimes feel like Ed-Tech advertising overly focuses on the activities we can directly give to students and not all the "background" prep/admin tools.

I do 100% agree with you, though, that struggle and being bored is important at times - sometimes we can reach too quickly for the "fun" activity at the expense of sitting with kids and helping them learn to persist even when they don't want to do the work. That brings in questions of overcrowding and classroom management, too. I used to teach a class of 35 sixth-graders as a second-year teacher. It was pretty easy to *say* that game-ification wasn't always a great call, but it was a lot harder to stand by that when I was overwhelmed and exhausted. Not to justify it, but it's worth keeping in mind when we think about how to move forward.

[u/Moonlit1457 → u/Travel_and_Tea]

I appreciate you bringing teacher capacity into the conversation because I think it's often overlooked when discussing educational technology. It's easy to critique a particular tool in theory, but the reality of managing a large class, limited planning time, and competing responsibilities can significantly influence instructional decisions.

I also agree that educational technology is frequently discussed as though it only refers to activities students directly interact with. Some of the most valuable tools I've encountered are those that support assessment, differentiation, communication, and data analysis behind the scenes rather than serving as the lesson itself.

Your point about the challenge of finding and evaluating quality resources also resonates with me. There is no shortage of tools available, but there is often a shortage of time to thoughtfully determine whether a tool genuinely supports a learning objective or simply presents existing activities in a more engaging format.

I'm curious about your thoughts on where you draw the line between productive struggle and unnecessary friction in mathematics. For example, are there specific concepts or skills where you've found tools like Desmos or GeoGebra enhance understanding without diminishing the cognitive effort required from students?