EdCircuit Staff 
June 20, 2018
Washington, D.C. — The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is launching a new community-driven review platform that gives educators insight into which tools, technology and apps will best meet their learning objectives. ISTE Edtech Advisor, available free to all ISTE members, will allow educators to confidently find and share information about the tech tools they use, discover new tools and apps, and access reviews, ratings and input from a trusted community of tech-savvy educators.
Educators count on peer feedback when selecting edtech tools, but it can be difficult to secure reliable recommendations. Edtech Advisor, powered by LearnPlatform, with a database of over 5,000 tools, allows ISTE members to access detailed reviews and feedback from peers. The Edtech Advisor provides data-driven insights to help determine a product’s potential to transform learning and identifies contexts where the tool has been most successful.
Currently, educators have limited tools to support decision-making on edtech tools, apps and resources. Existing reviews do not take into consideration the context of the use (type of learning environments, whether the tech is being used by students or a teacher, whether it’s being used for instruction or assessment, etc.).
Edtech Advisor provides ISTE members with:
- A single location to share and learn about product experiences with other educators.
- A platform that supports informed decision-making on new products and apps.
- Real classroom/teacher experiences that provide a more complete picture of a product’s potential.
- Data points for discussing an app’s effectiveness with peers.
- An easy-to-use platform with information on thousands of edtech tools.
ISTE members who participated in the Edtech Advisor pilot highlighted the value of this new approach. “I trust the ISTE community, so it’s nice to be able to see what products they use when I want to improve how I teach a particular topic,” said Karen Polstra, computer science teacher and ISTE member.
“Choosing the right tools and apps to use in the classroom is far too important of a decision to be made without accurate, trustworthy data that takes into consideration the context and circumstances in which the tool will be used,” said Richard Culatta, CEO of ISTE. “The ISTE Edtech Advisor puts this information right at teachers’ fingertips. Data-driven choices about edtech have never been easier.”
LearnPlatform was created by Lea(R)n to organize, streamline and analyze classroom technology. Both ISTE and Lea(R)n believe in the power of technology to accelerate effective learning and are committed to helping educators make informed choices about products by increasing access to data and evidence.
“Our mission is to expand equitable access for all students to the tools and teaching practices that work best for them,” said Karl Rectanus, co-founder and CEO of Lea(R)n. “That’s why we’re so proud to collaborate with ISTE and its global network of educators as they harness their collective expertise, save time sharing real-world insights and make important decisions each day to do what’s best for learners.”As ISTE members gain experience with and provide feedback about ISTE Edtech Advisor, ISTE plans to expand its functionality and capabilities to meet their evolving needs. Edtech Advisor will launch at the ISTE Conference & Expo in Chicago. For more information, visit iste.org/edtechadvisor.
About ISTE
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a nonprofit organization that works with the global education community to accelerate the use of technology to solve tough problems and inspire innovation. Our worldwide network believes in the potential technology holds to transform teaching and learning.
ISTE sets a bold vision for education transformation through the ISTE Standards, a framework for students, educators, administrators, coaches and computer science educators to rethink education and create innovative learning environments. ISTE hosts the annual ISTE Conference & Expo, one of the world’s most influential edtech events. The organization’s professional learning offerings include online courses, professional networks, year-round academies, peer-reviewed journals and other publications. ISTE is also the leading publisher of books focused on technology in education. For more information or to become an ISTE member, visit iste.org. Subscribe to ISTE’s YouTube channel and connect with ISTE on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About LearnPlatform
LearnPlatform is the comprehensive edtech management and rapid-cycle evaluation system for educators and administrators to organize, streamline and analyze their classroom technology to improve instructional, operational and financial decisions. The SaaS edtech system of record gives education organizations the ability to inventory and select digital learning tools, establish and maintain regulatory compliance, and measure outcomes to gain meaningful, actionable evidence to ensure learning ecosystems are safe and cost-effective. K-12 districts, higher ed institutions and state education agencies use the research-based LearnPlatform to continuously improve standards of practice that drive blended and personalized learning at scale, expand equitable access to education technologies and increase student achievement.
Further Reading
- eSchool News – What’s on the horizon at ISTE 2018?
- TechCrunch – Education technology is a global opportunity
- Nibletz –ISTE 2018 Preview: Rethink Ed Is Rethinking Student Success
Chaz Austin