Industry Standard
This post is part of an ongoing series of chapters from the book CHOICE. Please view this post for an introduction and table of contents. To keep up with each new chapter published, please subscribe.
What is the industry standard for educational technology?The device that every school district should use? The one that industry experts claim will be the best for learning?
There is none.
The device with the greatest impact on a student is a personal preference. Either by the student, the parent, the teacher, the administration, or some combination. No rulebook, standard, or expert says every student should use this one device.
There is an old saying in technology circles: “No one was ever fired for buying IBM.” It's a word of caution, advising against getting burned by purchasing the newest thing when there's an established 'good enough' option. The phrase has endured because it's true, but it shouldn't be the sole guiding principle in making decisions.
There are guidelines depending on who you consider an expert or who you work with for vendors. There is often some motive behind these guidelines (financial being the biggest).
But, talk to 20 experts in a field and you'll get 20 unique technology set ups for how they complete their work.
There isn't an industry standard for educational technology. Every author, programmer, professional, educator has their own set up. Their preferred hardware and software. And these preferences often change.
Don't try to find an industry standard or a one size fits all solution. It just doesn't exist.
Educators don't believe there is a one size fits all solution for anything else in education. Why would the device the student uses be any different?
Personalized learning requires personalized tools.