EdSurge is a news, community and opportunities website offering free, open resources about Educational Technologies in K-12 and Higher Education environments. It is independently produced which means that it is more likely to offer objective insights due to its degrees of separation from products and funding.
Founded in 2011 and running under CEO/Founder Betsy Corcoran, the site covers a range of related topics including social-emotional learning, charter schools, leadership, financing, literacy, computer science, digital learning, data privacy, mergers and acquisition. It specifically offers resources under the banners of news, research, events, a product index, a podcast, a jobs board and a newsletter. In the About Us section of the site they state
As a leading education news organization, we report on the people, ideas and technologies that shape the future of learning. Through our work, we aim to help educators, entrepreneurs, policymakers and other stakeholders be part of the rich and complex conversations about the evolving learning environments for everyone and the technologies and tools that support them.
What makes this site a particularly compelling place to search for market projections is their stand and statements on ethics and their transparency in terms of their advertising, funding and ownership. Their editorial policies are also designed to be both open to corrections and feedback as well as rooted in diversity, inclusivity and accuracy. EdSurge therefore acts as an accountable, thorough and vetted source for market projections and insights into the educational technologies industry for K-12 and Higher Education environments. This organization is based in Canada and can be contacted at feedback@edsurge.com or via their Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn pages.
EdSurge help others see and understand what people in the education field is doing through stories, news, reports, and even host events to connect people. I like that they not only write about technology products, but also everything about learning. You’re not just reading about news and trends, there are also tools on educational products (teaching and schoo administration management) and analysis on how they work and rate. The CEO Besty Corcoran came to China in 2018 for the Global Education Technology event, and since then there has been more exposure on education in China on EdSurge. I think it’s great to see and help others understand objectively how education is going through change in China.
EdSurge has a searchable index for product reviews which is quite powerful as we are able to quickly generate more information on the desired topic such as 21st century skills, assessment, professional learning and etc. I also appreciate the fact that case studies are collected through educators’ shared experiences. This creates a community-driven database that is easily assessable and quick to read. The news, podcasts, and research is relevant to the current trends such as the pandemic, social-emotional regulation, online learning, zoom fatigue and etc. There are also on-going virtual events that bring educators together to discuss and learn among one another. I would expect future versions to be reflective of changing technological advances.
EdSurge is a valuable resource for educational systems who want to be “in the know” of educational technologies and to discover where ed tech is headed. It also offers relevant information to entrepreneurs, policymakers and stakeholders who interested in implementing educational technologies in their organization through a variety of outlets. It is great that they offer virtual instruction and presentation that brings a community of learners together and voice their concerns, interests and comments. This is an especially valueable resources during the COVID pandemic where educational technologies and proficiency/efficiency in using them has been vital. I look forward to EdSurge keeping up with the next wave of educational technology and reading updates.
What really stands out about EdSurge for me, and why I think it’s a useful and valuable resource for the broader community of educators (those specialized in the tech space and not), is that it operates as an independent news and research initiative (and in 2019, EdSurge was purchased by International Society for Technology in Education, a nonprofit membership organization for educators). I think this is very attractive as we (as consumers of this information) can be a little more confident that analyses or product indices are not skewed by the deep pockets of sponsors or hidden agendas. EdSurge appears to be closely connected to educators, telling their stories of how learning technologies are shaping their classrooms and keeping relatively up to date with current challenges the workforce is facing. Their product index is particularly handy for educators looking to discover new technologies and offers validations and a decision guide for further assistance (https://index.edsurge.com/). This may not be the resource to get a hold of the most innovative trends in EdTech, but I can see myself utilizing EdSurge to keep up-to-date with trending topics, identify and compare some popular emerging technologies, and be fairly confident that I am ingesting quality information.