The Hidden Costs Of Having Too Many Digital Tools In Schools

"Imagine being a teacher trying to handle different apps, accounts, and platforms every day. Having one platform for homework, another for grading, a third for attendance, a fourth for communication, and so on, can be overwhelming. What promises to make teaching and learning easier can turn into a challenge, not just for teachers but for students and even parents. Digital tools were introduced into schools with the intention to make lessons more engaging, personalize learning for students with different needs,"

"Surely, technology has incredible potential in education. It can offer interactive courses, automate boring tasks, provide performance and attendance info, make learning more inclusive, and offer support for students with different abilities or backgrounds. However, when schools adopt too many digital tools at once, the benefits start to fade away. Instead of making life easier, all this tech creates confusion, wastes money, and actually increases stress for both teachers and students."

"When schools introduce digital tools, they usually focus on what they promise to offer, such as better engagement, more efficient grading, or creative learning methods. But they often overlook the price that adds up. Every new platform usually comes with licensing or subscription fees. These fees may not seem like a lot on their own. But when a school subscribes and pays for many tools at once, each offering different features, the costs increase quickly."

Schools adopt multiple digital tools to boost engagement, personalize instruction, and automate administrative tasks. Many platforms promise efficiencies, but simultaneous adoption multiplies licensing, subscription, and support costs. Teachers face fragmentation from multiple interfaces and logins, which consumes planning and instructional time and increases stress for staff, students, and parents. Overlapping features create wasted spending and management overhead. Excessive tools also raise data privacy risks and exacerbate inequities when students lack reliable devices or connectivity. Consolidation, selective procurement, centralized platforms, and targeted professional development reduce redundancy, lower costs, and improve usability, equity, and instructional focus.

Read at eLearning Industry