What enters your mind when you see the term EdTech innovation?

Virtual reality? Intelligent tutors? MOOCs? All of the above?

How about…chalkboards?

The rectangular slab hangs on the office wall, firmly erected by the side of my desk. It is a picture of chaos. The chalkboard is a blank canvas for ideation that, before long, becomes clothed in multi-coloured scratchings and faded markings. It harks back to my days as a research mathematician, providing safe sanctuary for free-form thinking and arousing the liveliest curiosities of my fellow problem solvers.

EdTech innovation comes in all shapes and sizes

My product team occupies something of an innovation hub. Our room is already plastered with digital whiteboards that afford the interactivity our creatives seek. The modernised look and feel of the office is a reflection of what we envision for the classroom of the future — dynamic, interactive and engaging.

So my colleagues raised a few eyebrows when I first pitched for the chalkboard. It was partly sentiment that drove me to place the order for this crusty relic.

There’s something distinct about the sound of clattering chalk that I relish. It signals to me that ideas are coming out to play. The dusty residue does not trouble me — even as an asthmatic — as it merely reflects the sprinkling of new thoughts.

I was also driven by pragmatism. The chalkboard has a way of bringing order from all the chaos, illuminating key ideas and moving thinking forward. It has proven its worth in the industrial confines of product management just as it did in the academic world.

But my main motivation for the chalkboard comes from what it symbolises: that innovation can find expression in unexpected places. Innovation, after all, is nothing more than a new method, idea or product that helps people to accomplish their goals more easily.

The chalkboard dates back several centuries (as early as the eleventh if you consider the writing slate). It was a ground-breaking tool for classroom instruction because it gave teachers a way of sharing visual representations of ideas in real time as they transferred knowledge to their students.

The chalkboard was the EdTech innovation of its day and, on account of its widespread use today, has stood the test of time.

We would do well to keep in mind that EdTech is not a 21st century invention. Digital tools may accelerate the move towards new, innovative ways of learning and teaching, but they are just the latest chapter in a long history of educational innovation.

The chalkboard is not without controversy. It can be a destructive force for learning. My positive experiences are tainted with memories of chalk-wielding lecturers who scribbled furiously on the boards for an hour straight without pause. No elaboration, no discussion.

This ‘chalk and talk’ approach promotes direct instruction which, at times, is detrimental to students’ learning. At its worst, the chalkboard is a medium for perpetuating flawed pedagogies.

The most important EdTech lesson of all is that innovation is not defined by new tools, but rather the uses to which those tools are put. Innovation will always be in the hands of the user.

In our office, the chalkboard adds value as a medium for collaborative brainstorming. Whenever there is a temptation to slip into lecture mode, I remind the chalk-bearer that there are better tools available.

New innovations are often born out of an urge to do things in new ways. But new for the sake of newness is a toxic mindset that has plagued EdTech for the past century. Many so-called innovators have set their stall out with new technologies, while relegating pedagogy to an afterthought. This approach has resulted such absurdities as the paperless classroom, which is so dogmatic in its attachment to digital tools that it discards the value of offline materials.

We need to flip the prevailing orientation of EdTech by starting with a clear statement of pedagogical goals and only then select the most appropriate tools.

I hope and expect that chalkboards will play a role because of how simple and flexible they are in supporting our educational goals. They may seem hopelessly out of place with the shiny, digital tools of today, but users will always adopt solutions that fulfil their most important needs. At the same time, no single tool should be treated as sacrosanct. The chalkboard is as prone as any other instructional tool to subverting good pedagogical practices.

The chalkboard is my daily reminder that today’s EdTech innovators stand on the shoulders of giants. We are not the first to develop new tools for learning and teaching, nor are our successes guaranteed. Innovation is in the hands of the user, and EdTech solutions must be driven by sound pedagogy. The tools come second.