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Why Ed-Tech Startups Don't Scale (2022)

giansegato.com

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Re: Why Ed-Tech Startups Don't Scale (2022)

#71

I’d want to see extensive research on the benefits of Ed-Tech products before they are unleashed on classrooms full of actual students. “Making things easier for teachers” is often not the case and simultaneously creates costs for training and support at these institutions along with the exponential growth required to administer these new roles. And then of course are the students themselves. How do iPads compare to…

> How do iPads compare to textbooks?

I've worked briefly in school where kids had iPads since 1st grade and in my opinion it was a catastrophe. Most obvious problem is simple – it's very difficult to get kids concentrated on anything. Tiny working memory and control over cognitive load makes it especially hard for kids to learn and no distraction helps. And iPad with especially funny, "engaged" and other material meant to be helpful created a tons on these – "Look, how colors change in the animation!", "I wonder what I can do with fingers on screen?", "Can I scroll slower and faster?", "Copmetition! Who is the fastest scroller!", "What math?".

Re: Why Ed-Tech Startups Don't Scale (2022)

#72

Maybe as a venture funded startup they don’t. I run a modestly successful edtech business that I have line of sight to making my full time gig in a few years if growth continues. www.reportcardcomments.com I think consumer edtech that makes products focused on making individual teachers’ lives easier has a niche. Maybe not as a 100x unicorn, but as a one person business, there’s plenty of opportunity yet out there.

This is not an “edtech startup.” It’s a side hustle

whats the startup purity test?

Re: Why Ed-Tech Startups Don't Scale (2022)

#73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not an “edtech startup.” It’s a side hustle

whats the startup purity test?

By strict definition it is a startup. By practical definition, this is just a small business. Startups typically intend to scale.

In my mind, I think of it as the “farmers market test”

* small or hobby business - you personally make and sell your items at the local farmer market.

* startup - you might sell at the farmer market, but you also have a factory that distributes and ships.

Re: Why Ed-Tech Startups Don't Scale (2022)

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They have no choice though

The university has a choice to not force such things. There are open source alternatives such as openstax. There's little reason to force students to buy expensive textbooks.

I agree; in my state, the universities are not required to have open source textbooks, but if they do use them, they are required to mark them in course catalogs so that students can pick them. I have yet to see this in practice though
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