Parents of children by now have seen education bloom into more of an online learning center, known as EdTech, rather than pencil and paper work. Parents might be asking themselves, What is Edtech?   

Edtech stands for Education Technology which is where teaching lessons as well as work and research take place exclusively online. Many children are engulfed in social media and technology, so they already know how to get around the device.

“Parents and teachers, even those who may not be all that tech savvy, have something to offer young people in terms of how to appropriately use technology,” Kerry Gallagher the author of Connect Savvy said.

Parents with students using Edtech are encouraged to reach out to their children, school administrators, and teachers to get a better understanding of it.

“Your child may have some concerns about how edtech is being used, or not being used, in the classroom. And that, too, is important information for parents to know and act on,” Gallagher said. “What’s more, these conversations give your child an opportunity to ‘be the teacher,’ and share what they know with you, and that’s good for them and good for you.”

Students use Edtech in many different ways such as programing, organizing their work, and share their work with others. This makes school easier to get through and get the children ready for the future.

“Just as technology has modernized the workplace, it’s also brought schools into the 21st century with access to more information in formats beyond the traditional textbook, greater ability to collaborate with classmates and even experts in the field, more opportunities to be creative, and more efficient teaching and administrative tools,” Gallagher said.

There are parent tools that can be put on devices so that the student’s personal information is not used around the web and monitor what their child is doing on their device.

“Students should be encouraged to think about their own comfort zones when it comes to privacy and their own definition of community,” Gallagher said. “No one should be required or pressured to share or publish their work if they’re not comfortable doing so and it’s important to always consider the privacy and safety of the student, before sharing their work outside of their school and family communities.”

According to Gallagher parents should use their knowledge and guidance to show their kids the right way to use technology.

“And while it might not be possible to keep up with all the changes in technology, we all have the ability and the responsibility to guide our children in how to approach whatever tools are put in front of them in a healthy and positive way,” Gallagher said. “Technology and even teaching styles change, but curiosity, thirst for knowledge, ethics, and personal responsibility are constants.”