Education Technology is Mostly Useless!
Or Are We Asking the Wrong Question?
A recent letter published in The Economist asked a deliberately provocative question: Is education technology mostly useless? (Source)
At first glance, the claim feels exaggerated. Schools across the world have invested billions into digital platforms, AI tools, learning management systems, adaptive learning software, and classroom hardware. Classrooms today look very different from those of twenty years ago. Screens are everywhere. Data dashboards are ubiquitous. Ed-tech conferences fill convention halls.
Yet despite this extraordinary investment, a stubborn reality remains.
Learning outcomes have not improved at the same pace.
This disconnect raises an uncomfortable but necessary question. Perhaps the problem is not that technology has failed education. Perhaps it is that education has misunderstood what technology can actually do.
The Promise That Was Sold
For decades, ed-tech has been marketed as a transformational force. The narrative was compelling.
Technology would personalise learning at scale.
It would close achievement gaps.
It would reduce teacher workload.
It would democratise access to high-quality education.
Investors embraced this story. Governments funded it. Schools purchased it.
But education is not retail, finance, or media. It is a deeply human enterprise. Learning is relational, emotional, social, and developmental. It is not simply an information transfer process.
When technology was positioned as a substitute for teaching rather than a support to teaching, disappointment became inevitable.
When Technology Failed to Deliver
History provides many examples where large-scale technology initiatives promised transformation but produced limited gains.
One of the earliest was the global push for one-to-one laptop programs. The One Laptop Per Child initiative distributed millions of devices worldwide with the aim of improving learning outcomes. Independent evaluations found little measurable impact on academic achievement. (Source)
Similarly, large district laptop rollouts in the United States showed minimal improvement in student test scores despite significant investment. (Source)
Interactive whiteboards followed a similar trajectory. Schools invested heavily, believing that visual engagement would drive achievement. Research later found that while engagement increased initially, long-term academic gains were inconsistent (Source)
The rise of Massive Open Online Courses created another wave of optimism. Around 2012, many predicted that MOOCs would replace universities entirely. Instead, they revealed a different reality. Completion rates were extremely low, and participation was dominated by already well-educated learners. (Source)
Gamification platforms offered yet another promise. Points, badges, and reward systems increased short-term engagement, but long-term learning gains were limited. (Source)
Even adaptive learning software, designed to personalise instruction through algorithms, produced mixed results unless integrated carefully into teaching practice. (Source)
Across all these initiatives, a common pattern emerges.
Technology was introduced as the solution before the educational problem was clearly understood.
Research consistently shows that the impact of screen time depends on both duration and context. Studies indicate that excessive screen exposure in young children is associated with slower language development, reduced attention and executive functioning, and weaker social interaction skills. The OECD has also found that high screen use among students is linked to a higher likelihood of poor mental well-being, while evidence suggests academic outcomes tend to decline when daily digital use exceeds moderate levels. At the same time, organisations such as the World Health Organisation emphasise that limited, supervised, and purposeful screen use can be beneficial, particularly when balanced with physical activity, sleep, and face-to-face learning. (Source)
A Necessary Clarification: This Is Not an Argument Against Technology
It is important to be clear. This discussion is not an argument against technology in education. In reality, technology is now indispensable to modern schooling. In many contexts, we don’t in fact believe education technology is mostly useless.
Digital platforms have expanded access to learning across borders. Data analytics allows educators to identify student needs earlier than ever before. Artificial intelligence is beginning to transform feedback, assessment, and operational efficiency. Virtual collaboration tools are reshaping how students work together globally.
The future of education will unquestionably be more technologically integrated than ever before.
The real issue is not whether schools should adopt technology. That question has already been answered.
The real issue is how they adopt it.
Too often, schools pursue technology as a symbol of progress rather than as a tool aligned with a clear learning strategy. Devices are purchased before teachers are trained. Platforms are adopted before pedagogical goals are defined. Investments are made without evaluating long-term impact.
This is not a failure of technology. It is a failure of leadership and implementation.
When used thoughtfully, technology can enhance teaching, personalise learning pathways, improve operational efficiency, and expand global access to education.
When used without clarity of purpose, it becomes expensive noise.
Technology becomes useless when it is adopted without a strategy.
The Incentive Problem
One of the most insightful critiques of the ed-tech sector is not about technology at all. It is about incentives.
Most ed-tech companies operate within a consumer technology mindset. Their success metrics often include engagement rates, platform usage, subscription growth, and time spent on screen.
None of these metrics measure whether students are actually learning better.
Research from the World Bank found that many large-scale digital education initiatives failed to improve outcomes because they prioritised device deployment over pedagogical integration. (Source)
As a result, markets reward signals that are easy to measure rather than those that truly matter.
Schools end up buying tools that look impressive but do not meaningfully improve learning.
Technology as Infrastructure, Not a Product
Perhaps the most useful way to reframe the debate is to think of education technology not as a product, but as infrastructure.
The OECD has repeatedly emphasised that technology alone does not improve learning outcomes. Its impact depends heavily on how it is used by teachers. (Source)
When strong teaching practices exist, technology can amplify learning. When they do not, technology simply magnifies inefficiencies.
The core drivers of learning remain unchanged.
Strong teacher-student relationships.
Clear curriculum design.
Purposeful assessment.
A culture that values effort and growth.
The Leadership Dimension
The most overlooked factor in ed-tech success is leadership.
Studies from the Education Endowment Foundation consistently show that digital tools are most effective when integrated into a clear teaching strategy and supported by professional development. (Source)
Technology should follow strategy. It should serve a clearly defined vision of learning rather than dictate it.
The most effective schools use technology quietly and intentionally. It supports learning without dominating it.
The Real Risk Ahead
The greatest risk today is not that ed-tech is useless. It is that artificial intelligence may repeat the same mistakes on a much larger scale.
The World Economic Forum warns that AI in education will only deliver value if it supports teachers rather than attempts to replace them. (Source)
Education cannot be automated. It can only be enhanced.
The Question We Should Be Asking
So perhaps the original question is the wrong one.
Instead of asking whether education technology is mostly useless, we should ask something more fundamental.
Are we clear about what education is for?
If we define education as the delivery of content, technology will always seem like the solution.
If we define education as the development of human potential, technology becomes only one part of a much larger equation.
This distinction matters.
Because the future of education will not be determined by how much technology schools adopt.
It will be determined by how intelligently leaders integrate it into a clear vision of learning.
An intentionally provocative statement: “Education technology is mostly useless”
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