EdTech Top 40: It’s All About Unique Tools and Interoperability

June 25, 2024
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“As districts continue to explore different tools to enhance learning, the obstacles they now face aren’t just about picking the best tool, but picking safe, effective and interoperable tools that work together to build a highly effective learning ecosystem."

This year’s EdTechTop 40 shows districts, teachers and students continuing to experiment with a wider range of digital tools.

The 2024 list, from LearnPlatform by Instructure, features many familiar names—such as Canva, Google Classroom and YouTube—and five new entrants: PBS, Panorama Education, Scratch, Adobe and Grammarly.

“As districts continue to explore different tools to enhance learning, the obstacles they now face aren’t just about picking the best tool, but picking safe, effective and interoperable tools that work together to build a highly effective learning ecosystem,” said Melissa Loble, Instructure’s chief academic officer.

“Districts need trusted guidance and transparent information to empower them to make efficient and effective decisions that will improve teaching and learning,” Loble adds.

The EdTechTop 40 covers nearly 4 million student and teacher interactions and finds schools using 8% more digital tools than they did in the prior academic year. Districts accessed an average of 2,739 distinct edtech tools during the school year, with an average of 1,436 per month.

The list comprises learning management systems, supplemental platforms, courseware platforms, study tools, classroom response and assessment tools, and sites and resources.

“On the one hand, we know districts are actively looking for opportunities to consolidate their edtech, but with the explosion of new AI-enabled tools, there has been a lot of experimentation,” notes Shiren Vijiasingam, Instructure’s chief product officer. “We expect scrutiny on how these tools are helping the teaching and learning process.”

The top three reasons educators are using technology are to boost student engagement, personalize learning and save time. When it comes to accountability, just under a third of the tools on the 2024 Edtech Top 40 have met one of the Every Student Succeeds Act’s four tiers of evidence.

Here is the EdTech Top 40 (in alphabetical order):

  1. ABCya!
  2. Adobe*
  3. Blooket
  4. Canva
  5. Canvas LMS
  6. ClassLink
  7. Clever
  8. Code.Org
  9. Cool Math Games
  10. Desmos
  11. EdPuzzle
  12. Encyclopedia Britannica
  13. Epic!
  14. Gimkit
  15. GoGuardian
  16. Google Classroom
  17. Google Workspace for Education
  18. Grammarly*
  19. History.com
  20. i-Ready
  21. IXL Learning
  22. Kahoot!
  23. Kami
  24. Khan Academy
  25. Math Playground
  26. Nearpod
  27. NYTimes.com
  28. Panorama Education*
  29. PBS*
  30. PhET Interactive
  31. Prodigy
  32. Quizizz
  33. Quizlet
  34. Scholastic
  35. Scratch*
  36. Securly Filter
  37. Study.com
  38. Weebly
  39. Wikipedia
  40. YouTube

*Indicates the product is new to Edtech Top 40

About ClassLink

ClassLink is a global education provider of identity and analytics products that create more time for learning and help schools better understand digital engagement. As leading advocates for open data standards, we offer instant access to apps and files with single sign-on, streamline class rostering, automate account provisioning, and provide actionable analytics. ClassLink empowers 21 million students and staff in over 2,800 school systems. Visit classlink.com to learn more.

About ClassLink

About

ClassLink is a trademark of ClassLink, Inc.