On May 2-3 2022, we hosted two virtual convenings, bringing together educators, students, procurement professionals, researchers, network leaders, funders, and designers to share initial research findings and brainstorm possible ways to make EdTech design more equitable.

We gathered insights and ideas from community members from all over the country, such as Vielka Hoy, whose company Bridge to College matches students to colleges according to academic, financial and social fit, and Jamie Lewsadder, Chief Technology Officer for La Cañada School District. Jamie was an English teacher and now serves over 4000 students in her district. Here are some additional bios of folks who attended:

• Daniel: I'm a Program Designer at StreetCode Academy. I work with our Instructors to create inspiring introductions to technology that help our students see themselves in tech. My practice is centered on enabling creativity and agency with technology.
• Sylvester Mobley: I work for a Philadelphia-based tech and innovation education organization focused on preparing underrepresented people for leadership roles in tech and we use a variety of ed-tech platforms. I'm also a managing partner in a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage tech companies and we look at ed-tech companies as potential investments.
• imane aboutajedyne: Female from Morocco, eager about creating a better education especially in developing countries. I'm a visiting scholar at Arizona State University, and a Phd student in Engineering Education.
• Anna Russo: Strategic Foresight Team, and we work with communities to think about what the future of learning looks like and then create a shared vision around that and then begin to design implications strategy towards that vision.

Project Introduction

After a few icebreakers led by sam and Isaac, Isabel shared the three major questions that have guided EdTech Remix:

1. How might we encourage more edtech designers to use equity centric processes and learning science research as they create new products? What are blocks or obstacles?
2. How might we influence more venture capitalists and foundations to consider the processes and pedagogies used when they make funding decisions about new EdTech products?
3. How might we help more school district buyers, parents and other customers find and choose products that center equity?

Research Findings

Ariam presented findings that emerged from the initial desk research:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/hRh4RRmMZ6vkjNZh0jBNnNjBqJ4JThTQH0V1m8S7jYCRxSawtfsxY35XctVccyF-H4xHx7Z9qCLNs9UPgNp7y4YSE-SdsBVXsKC8S9W85pUSIwIJZSVFihP86H6V2FIs0BShYCD4S3uwv3g3IdkLhBzJyTMThQLwGGhc1BYzlUh3yv-pSojteE9V8t8E0Q

Ariam and Tunde also shared 8 major insights from a combination of desk research and field research (which included interviews with funders, designers, researchers, and more).

Learn more about the 8 insights here.

Attendees were then invited to share their initial thoughts about these research insights via a Mural board with the following questions:

• How does this finding resonate with your experience and research?
• What experiences or research have you had that contradict or add nuance to this finding?