By Riddhi Divanji and Sydney Parker, foundry10
A recent panel at the 2025 Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) conference, brought together EdTech researchers, teachers, and implementation specialists to speak to the nuanced ways that digital learning platforms impact K-12 teachers’ daily classroom practice.
Personalized digital learning platforms such as Dreambox, Lexia, iReady, and ALEKS tailor instruction and feedback to students’ individual learning needs. Teachers can then access data on student knowledge to design assessments and create a customized sequence of learning content.
Facilitated by foundry10 Director of Research Samantha Bindman, Associate Researcher Riddhi Divanji, and Research Coordinator Mikka Hoffman, the panel Automation v. Customization: The Unseen Impacts of EdTech on Teachers drew on foundry10 research findings to examine how some digital platform features meant to support teacher efficiency can simultaneously support and hinder teachers’ feelings of empowerment, competence, and connectedness in the classroom.
Panelists Beau Casazza and Beth Willams, both teachers, shared their experiences using digital learning platforms in the classroom, highlighting various features and implementation strategies that have helped or created barriers in their daily practice. Rena Clark, EdTech Implementation Specialist offered insights into implementation considerations for school administrators looking to make the most of these tools in their schools.
Below, please find insights from the panelists on the current state of this technology and how digital learning platforms (also known as adaptive learning technologies or ALTs) can be better designed and implemented to create enriching learning experiences.
Why did you decide to study how adaptive learning technologies impact students and teachers? What was the most surprising finding from your research?
Riddhi Divanji: Our interest in this research began at a 2018 conference where educators and technology developers were discussing a fundamental question: How does automated learning software change the teaching and learning process?
During those discussions, we noticed concerns about how these tools might be altering essential aspects of learning. For example, traditional classroom learning often involves students developing important social-emotional skills when they encounter challenges—like learning to ask for help from teachers or peers when they’re stuck.
But with AI-powered systems providing instant feedback and automatically moving students to the next activity, the traditional ways teachers guide students through difficult learning moments are changing. Teachers in the session described feeling that their role was shifting in ways they hadn’t anticipated.
These conversations sparked our curiosity. We wanted to understand both the benefits and unintended consequences of these powerful technologies on the classroom experience—particularly for teachers, whose perspectives have often been overlooked in educational technology research.
Our initial exploratory study led to the more comprehensive research we’re discussing today, which reveals the complex ways these technologies are reshaping teachers’ daily work and professional identity.
How has having data from digital learning platforms influenced your own teaching? How has it shaped your decisions both in and out of the platform?
Beth Williams: Data has helped me pinpoint student needs more efficiently and adjust my instruction to better support how students think and problem-solve. While it provides insight into where students excel or need more support, I’ve found that it’s most effective when paired with hands-on practice and verbal explanations.
The data helps me differentiate instruction—challenging students who are ready for more while providing targeted support for those who need it. It also offers valuable insights for communicating with parents, giving them concrete examples of their child’s progress. Additionally, collaborating with colleagues using ALT data allows us to adjust instructional strategies, track growth over time, and refine how we teach to meet students’ evolving needs.
How have you seen these technologies affect the connections between teachers and students? Have there been any surprises along the way?
Rena Clark: When personalized math learning platforms were first introduced, we occasionally saw classrooms where every student had headphones on, working in isolation. However, as we refined implementation, these platforms actually opened the door for valuable instructional practices that enhanced learning rather than replacing teacher-student interactions.
One of the most impactful shifts was the ability to provide just-in-time support at an appropriate level for each student. iReady MyPath, for example, adapted to students’ needs, allowing them to access math instruction at their readiness level and make progress accordingly. Through our work, we found that the most effective use of these platforms was keeping students in the adaptive environment. Teachers who over-assigned specific lessons based on current class content sometimes unintentionally created barriers. If a student wasn’t ready for the lesson, it became frustrating, and if they had already mastered the concept, it felt redundant. Instead, the adaptive lessons were more effective unless they were being used intentionally in small groups or pairs.
These platforms also supported blended learning models, maximizing the teacher’s role as the most valuable resource in the room. Many classrooms transitioned to a station rotation model, where one group met with the teacher, another worked collaboratively, and a third engaged in personalized learning on the platform. Other classrooms used a half-and-half model, with half the students on the platform while the other half participated in a direct lesson. Some teachers opted for full-class implementation, using the data in real time to monitor students and engage in meaningful one-on-one check-ins.
These platforms can provide crucial insights into student learning progressions. Teachers can use data to determine students’ readiness for upcoming content. We often looked at student data alongside tools like the Achieve the Core Math Coherence Map and Important Prerequisite Math Standards documents from Achievement Network. This allowed for targeted pre-teaching of essential concepts and strategic intervention. The data also helped us form cross-grade-level insights, ensuring we addressed major standards and prerequisite knowledge gaps.
Ultimately, by integrating these platforms effectively both in and out of the classroom, we not only reinforced learning but also empowered teachers, students, and families in meaningful and personalized ways.
How have you used ALTs to strengthen your relationships – whether with students, parents, or colleagues?
Beau Casazza: ALT’s allow me to strengthen my relationships with students, parents, and colleagues in different ways for each group. When students are working with ALTs I am able to work in small groups and check in with students individually, knowing that the rest of the class is receiving appropriate practice.
With parents, the data provided from ALTs allows us, as a support team, to better understand a student’s current skills, growth in a given year, and where opportunities for growth exist. Finally, with colleagues, ALTs give us a data point to help determine where our students need support, help group students for differentiation, and are ready to move on to new material. That said, we consistently view data from ALTs in the context of multiple data points that include teacher observation and student work.
Overall, the use of ALTs provides an opportunity for insights regarding skill mastery and decisions; however, they don’t replace in person instructions, collation between students, and time spent learning together as a community!
How could ALTs be better designed to give teachers more meaningful choices?
Beau Cassaza: Allowing teachers to customize the flow of content, specifically the curriculum choices, would be fantastic which would allow the ALT to work in a supportive role. Anytime teachers can set parameters and input relevant content for students, the experience is more meaningful and productive.
Learn more about the Technology, Media, and Information Literacy team at foundry10.