Thanks for articulating this problem so well. I have dabbled in EdTech ideas as side projects but have always faced the dilemma you mentioned -- if you build it for schools districts, parents, you could make money but then you loose the purpose of teaching.

Technologies like ChatGPT etc. promised to revolutionized Ed-Tech but in my opinion have miserably failed (except if you count getting answers to your homework problems without trying revolutionary)

I also think that a lot of EdTech products and a lot of Youtube channels are also catering to "pop science" with videos on diverse topics. But we still lack a product that could teach someone say Calculus or Kinematics

Another area where technology has failed is the ability to understand where the student is struggling. And I don't mean evaluating them and putting them on basic, advanced, etc. levels. But say you are stuck on a Calculus problems and have made some progress, a teacher would be able to look at your solution and guide you effectively. Even current AI solutions will give you a generic hint (at best).

So your thoughts totally resonate -- EdTech truly is a tech disappointment. I am beginning to think that it is maybe not Tech but perhaps we do not fully understand the idea of learning OR maybe the current technologies are not built for learning.

I would love to hear thoughts from this community.

Call me crazy, but I actually believe Duolingo is a huge net positive in education. Yes, it's a game and yes, people learn a language extremely slowly. But wouldn't you rather them spend time on this than Instagram or TikTok?

Education is so misunderstood because most people don't actually want to do it--it's hard! Just like eating healthy is hard (and not as tasty), committing to teaching yourself something is hard. So solving the engagement piece is very important.

I really think Mathacademy has kinda cracked the pedagogy problem in the math space. I've been following Justin Skycak on X and love how they approach the perennial problem of learning outcomes in edtech . Check this out: https://www.justinmath.com/books/#the-math-academy-way

EdTech is a cool “idea” but most people don’t want to learn. It doesn’t scale imo, and it’s better to do it as charity for people in dire poverty who want a way out (no money in that).

For those better off than that, I’d rather sell them stuff or keep them engaged than try to get them to think/become smarter because honestly and brutally speaking, nobody is going to pay for that.

For 99% of people… As long as they have basic literacy and can make some money, they will want to spend that money on entertainment and other time waste activities.

Those who want to be smarter will find a way, without needing some cool education platform.

I spent a decade in edtech. It's an area where I have much passion, but it's not something I can do if money is my goal.

> Research shows low-stakes assessment is when the moment of learning often happens

Okay, but psychology research like this needs to be taken with context on long term behavior. Is this advice practical? No, not in this case. The problem is that very few people can actively learn that way for multiple hours in one day, let alone be motivated for studying in that intense way for subjects they do not like. Any barrier will stop them. That research applies to cramming for exams, when stressed, which most EdTech isn't really useful for (at that point, people are learning intensely anyway). This human nature has not changed.

And your suggestions (not to be rude) are to excite kids about the subjects they find least motivating. But the problem is already motivation.

Youtube is motivating because it is fun. It might not work, but it fits the motivation level you have.

Why not forget about the strong moats/tendencies of EdTech projects to fail to revolutionise, forget them targetting parents, and either pick a subgroup of learners who actively do want to change how they learn, or work on the motivation problem? Why are some kids so much less motivated to learn Math than others? Should we change that and how can we?##

Here's an example I find interesting: The western world accomplished bringing Biology from dominantly male to an equally balanced subject. How did that change happen? We benefit from all these women researching in Biology. Could it happen to other sciences? Or the reverse? These kind of questions interest me.