EdTech is international. Everyone needs to learn all the time. The global nature of the industry brings news from Canada, the US, and Finland for this week’s column.
Today Canada marks its second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Teachers and students have observed September 30 as Orange Shirt Day for slightly longer to recognize the history of residential schools and their impact on generations of Indigenous people. Several online resources are available to teachers to discuss the issues with their students in age-appropriate ways.
A primer on Orange Shirt Day: https://honouringindigenouspeoples.com/orange-shirt-day/
Internationally, the education market is worth $5 trillion. According to Edvocate, edtech investment alone will reach $300 billion by 2025. With those figures in mind, the company released the results of the 6th Annual Tech Edvocate Awards.
Nominations were solicited from their readers, and the website held online voting from May 1, 2022, to July 31, 2022. A panel of two edtech thought leaders selected the finalists and winners, including two PreK-12 teachers, one college professor, two K-12 administrators, one college administrator, and two PreK-12 parents.
Winners and finalists: https://www.theedadvocate.org/finalists-and-winners-of-the-2022-tech-edvocate-awards/
The need for privacy and identity authentication in education is crucial but underdeveloped. Identity Automation made its Universal Authentication Director generally available today. It is a key capability of their Identity and Access Management (IAM) platform, RapidIdentity.
The Universal Authentication Director allows districts to introduce multi-factor authentication (MFA) to both staff and students.
“With an aim to ensure digital equity and access for all, we’re pleased to unveil Universal Authentication Director as the latest offering within our RapidIdentity IAM platform,” said Jim Harold, CEO of Identity Automation. “This launch arms districts with the ability to seamlessly blend authentication across all web applications and for all users once they’re on RapidIdentity, so IT no longer has to worry about activating a myriad of MFA options across their edtech ecosystem and users authenticate once when they begin using their device. Identity Automation uniquely marries authentication and authorization – serving as an adaptive security tool that maximizes efficiency and security like no other K-12 solution available today.”
Teacher workload management may be the next big solution for the EdTech industry to work on. Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland found that feeling in control of their workload and other workplace environment factors prevents teacher burnout.
“Some teachers seem to feel that they have very little opportunity to influence their workload, and they are mainly just trying to cope with the factors contributing to it. Workload management skills can therefore play an important role in promoting teachers’ coping,” said Doctoral Researcher and lead author Katariina Räsänen of the University of Eastern Finland.
Of course, a strong and supportive workplace community helps prevent burn out too.
“Positive experiences in the workplace received recognition, and a constructive and enabling work climate seems to protect against cynicism towards, and alienation from, the professional community,” says Räsänen, who also works as a lecturer.
Press release: https://www.newswise.com/articles/teachers-turnover-intentions-burnout-and-poor-work-climate-are-interlinked
Latest posts by Kate Baggott (see all)
- The EdTech News for Friday, March 17, 2023: AI Supports Reading Development, Educators Detect AI-Generated School Work - March 17, 2023
- The EdTech News for Friday, March 10. 2023: Families Coding, Mindsets Changing, and Edusity is Educating - March 11, 2023
- The Hiring Manager: Human or Bot? Job Seekers Need to Know - March 9, 2023