You can indeed personalize education without the use of tech. But technology can help you leverage personalization way more efficiently than non-tech strategies. In this brief article, I want to point out and discuss some of the roles that tech plays in the personalization of education for students.

• Objectives— Technology can provide an efficient way to create, share, and track student objectives and outcomes as well as connect them back to performance on learning outcomes. Without the use of edtech, a school would need a team of data analysts to achieve the same results, making the process way less efficient. With the meager budgets that today’s school districts receive, hiring a team of data analysts to crunch numbers would be cost-prohibitive.
• Time— Technology allows students to work independently while teachers are working 1-1 and in small group teaching sessions; technology can support students working on different tasks at different times where a teacher can only be one place at a time. For example, a lot of schools use apps powered by artificial intelligence to not only tutor students who need extra help but also provide enrichment activities for students who quickly master the week’s objectives.
• Learning Environment— Technology can be used to give access to learning resources both in and outside of the classroom. This especially works well with blended learning, as students can access readings, videos, etc., while they are at home. Since background information for the lesson can be accessed online at home, educators can devote class time to hands-on learning experiences.
• Learning Pace— Technology can provide efficient tracking of individual student mastery, which makes it practical to allow students to work at different paces. Realizing that all learners are different and learn at a different pace is the cornerstone of good teaching. It also helps educators differentiate instruction for their students.
• Learning Path— Technology can recommend or help teachers recommend targeted learning resources or pathways for students to follow; apps can provide data that helps students and teachers make more informed decisions about future learning activities. This saves teachers a lot of time since they can make the teaching and learning process more efficient.

In this article, we have discussed how tech makes the personalization of education more efficient. Do you agree or disagree? As always, leave your comments below.