Giving Compass' Take:

· EdSurge emphasizes the importance of analyzing different ed tech tools and provides a way to separate the good tools from the great ones.

· Why is user data an important part in identifying a great ed tech tool? What other qualities factor in to a great ed tech tool?

· Learn why an empowered teacher is the best ed tech tool.

In the last five years, there have been some remarkable shifts in the tools educators use in the classroom and to perform their many responsibilities. We’ve seen the market fluctuate dramatically, as early iPad-dominated classrooms gave way to the rise of Google. The boom and bust of Common Core standards have left their mark, just as new concerns over media literacy and privacy are doing currently.

As a director for Common Sense Education, I’ve enjoyed something of a ringside seat, having edited close to 1,000 edtech reviews written by expert educators. We look at a huge variety of products and services, and we’re always tweaking our rubric and updating aging evaluations. Yet one thing has remained oddly consistent: only 4 percent of our reviews get a 5-star rating.

Here’s the thing, though: we want this percentage to be higher. From our perspective, the more 5-star tools that are out there, the better. And while we’ve seen many tools jump from 3- to 4-stars, the jump from 4- to 5-stars remains rare. To evaluate products, we use a 15-point rubric that evaluates three key qualities (engagement, pedagogy and support) essential to great digital learning. We look at whether a tool promotes conceptual understanding and creativity, how it adapts to students' individual needs and how well it supports knowledge transfer.

Read the full article about ed tech tools by Tanner Higgin at EdSurge.