District Administration® and FETC®’s Top Ed Tech Products of the Year contest spotlights the most innovative new solutions on the market that are helping school leaders meet the ever-evolving education technology needs of their districts and schools.
A panel of experts chose 15 winners from more than 130 submissions, all of which will be featured during the in-person Future of Education Technology Conference® Jan. 26-28 in Orlando.
Click here for more information and to register for FETC 2022.
Here’s a look at one of the Top Ed Tech Products of 2022:
IMPACT™: Rapid-cycle Evaluation by LearnPlatform
What it is: IMPACT™ is a rapid-cycle evaluation (RCE) engine that uses data from multiple sources (e.g., usage, achievement, demographics, cost, feedback) to generate evidence about the effectiveness of education technology interventions. District administrators can use this evidence to make informed decisions about ed-tech interventions, and ensure they are advancing outcomes for students and working for teachers and budgets. Rapid-cycle evaluations run using IMPACT are formative and iterative, allowing administrators to examine what works in their local contexts using real-world data and a cyclical research design within a condensed timeframe. They generate practical, relevant evidence school districts use to make more data-informed decisions, and involve the following steps:
1. Developing or refining a research question.
2. Identifying and preparing existing data for analysis.
3. Analyzing data and reporting results.
4. Looking for success points (i.e., subgroups where the ed-tech product has a positive impact).
5. Deciding on implementation changes based on a review of success points.
Why we like it: We think this is a very interesting tool, providing great information on the value and results from other ed-tech tools and services. Given the mass spending spree over the past 18 months, this type of analytics will provide districts with valuable information to establish long-range financial plans. Many districts want to know if their technology purchases are producing results. This tool allows district administrators to assess the impact of their digital tools across a variety of contexts. Districts can generate and analyze evidentiary data from multiple sources about the effectiveness of education technology interventions. District administrators can use this evidence to make informed decisions about ed-tech interventions, and ensure they are advancing outcomes for students and working for teachers and budgets.
As always, we encourage you to perform your own due diligence before making any investments.
