| | December - 20218IN MY OPINIONBy Tom Hooper, CEO, Third Learning SpaceThe chaos created by Covid-19 will undoubtedly impact the world for months and years to come, but in terms of Edtech, are we witnessing a `short-term' bubble or will the acceleration of investment that we are seeing in learning technologies continue beyond the lifespan of the virus?When schools, colleges and universities were closed in March, the sector had to adapt almost overnight. Moving from almost 100% classroom-based delivery to online and distance learning was a scenario that most teaching professionals had never faced before. It wasn't necessarily an issue with `new' technology but having to embrace digital solutions at such pace brought obvious challenges for many schools.The reality of digital poverty was also stark, widening the social attainment gap as millions of children without the required technology or WIFI connection were unable to access lessons or learning material. This is a travesty and has been widely acknowledged by government, schools and charities as an area that needs huge investment going forward.Innovative and evolving Edtech solutions have the potential to reduce such social inequalities; demonstrating the importance of building on some of the positive trends that Covid-19 has accelerated in the education sector. An increased demand for virtual solutions, coupled with a greater acceptance from teaching professionals that wider `blended learning models' can hold real value when it comes to supplementing children's learning.ACCELERATED INVESTMENT IN EDTECH IS NO SHORT-TERM BUBBLE
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