A recurring concern raised with me by educators and school leaders across Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria centers on the potential drawbacks of online learning systems like Edrolo. This feedback often cites worries about increased screen time, particularly during classroom hours.

This is a valid and shared concern among many schools we work with - and it’s something schools have been thinking about for at least a decade - how can you use digital technologies to effectively enhance learning? 

Over the years, we’ve collaborated with educators to develop strategies that strike a balance: leveraging Edrolo’s measurable benefits while minimising the risks associated with excessive screen time.

Here I share some practical examples of how schools successfully use Edrolo to enhance learning outcomes without increasing in-class screen usage.

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Why reduce in-class screen time?

The push to limit screen time stems from a desire to foster deeper in-class engagement and face-to-face interactions, which are essential for conceptual understanding. And we fully back this! While Edrolo’s resources are invaluable, they are most effective when integrated thoughtfully into a broader teaching strategy. The examples below illustrate how high-performing schools achieve this balance.

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1. Assessing progress in class

While Edrolo’s teacher-presenter videos are comprehensive, many teachers prefer to deliver theoretical content themselves. By taking ownership of theory delivery, teachers tailor lessons to their class’s specific needs and promote active engagement.

How it works:

• Teachers introduce a topic using their preferred approach.
• Students complete a short Edrolo progress test as part of class - noting here screen time is minimal and very specific in its purpose. This provides immediate feedback, identifies growth areas, and highlights gaps in understanding for both the students and their teacher.
• Edrolo directs students to specific resources to address knowledge gaps independently out of class, turning passive revision into targeted, purposeful learning.

This approach ensures that classroom time is interactive and discussion-driven while students still benefit from Edrolo’s tailored support outside class.

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2. Flipping the classroom for deeper engagement

The flipped classroom model remains a cornerstone of effective teaching in many high-performing schools. Often these schools use Edrolo videos to prepare students before class, allowing teachers to focus on practical application and addressing learning gaps or misconceptions in the lessons.

How it works:

• Students watch Edrolo videos shared by the teacher at home to familiarise themselves with new topics.
• The teacher can use the Edrolo data dashboard to see which students have engaged with the content, taken notes or flagged questions.
• When students arrive for class, they’re already familiar with the topic - meaning the teacher can go deeper during the lesson, or use the time to unpack trickier concepts, get students practising and applying their knowledge or addressing any misconceptions.
• Classroom discussions can center on applying concepts, promoting deeper understanding and critical thinking.

This method minimises in-class screen time, instead channeling it into pre-class preparation that enables extension and deeper engagement within class.

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3. Bridging accessibility gaps

Even in the most ideal teaching situations, factors like learning disabilities, language barriers, or mental health challenges can hinder student comprehension. I’ve written on this before as it’s something I’m very passionate about having seen the impact working in tertiary education. 

Edrolo addresses these barriers by offering a customisable, accessible learning system.

Key features:

• Students can pause, rewind, and subtitle videos to suit their learning pace.
• Specific resources target individual gaps, empowering students to address challenges at their convenience.
• Teachers can use Edrolo data to identify struggling students and use intervention strategies effectively.
• Teachers can download and print presenter slides as well as exam master tasks for offline completion.

This approach ensures inclusive education, allowing all students to access quality learning tailored to their needs.

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Designed for results: Why high-performing schools use Edrolo

The power of the Edrolo system lies in how we’ve co-designed it with leading educators and schools, ensuring alignment with evidence-based pedagogical strategies like explicit instruction, spaced repetition, and metacognition. 

Every feature and activity is purpose-built to maximise learning outcomes while saving teacher time. This is how we help every teacher get results daily.

Key benefits:

1. Improved results: Studies show a 14% improvement in student outcomes for those using Edrolo versus non-users. Dive into our full 2024 growth report here.
2. Teacher efficiency: Pre-built, curriculum-aligned units/lessons reduce the time teachers spend creating lessons.
3. Actionable data: Schools receive detailed insights into student growth, relative performance, and learning gaps.

By integrating these features into their teaching, schools leverage Edrolo to drive academic success without sacrificing classroom engagement.

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Dispelling myths about screen time and online platforms

While the concern about increased screen time is valid, it’s essential to evaluate how technology is used. Effective systems like Edrolo do not inherently increase screen time but provide tools to use it strategically. Schools producing their own digital resources often face higher teacher workloads, inconsistency in curriculum delivery, and limited access to student data, compared to systems like Edrolo.

By focusing on quality over quantity, Edrolo ensures that screen time is purposeful, engaging, and aligned with learning goals.

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Building trust through proven results

We’ve worked with 1000s of schools and millions of students over the past decade, earning trust through measurable outcomes. We understand the hesitation to adopt or continue with digital systems and are committed to demonstrating how we enhance efficiency and results.

Our promise:

• Transparency: We provide clear, evidence-based data on how Edrolo improves learning outcomes.
• Support: Our team is available to help schools navigate these decisions and plan for and effectively use Edrolo’s to fit their school goals and priorities.
• Continuous improvement: Feedback from educators drives ongoing refinements to our system.

The debate around screen time, I think, highlights a broader challenge: balancing technological innovation with in-class practice. This is not new, but debate is only intensifying post-COVID, with the emergence of generative AI, and whatever is next on the horizon!

To me this is not an if question, it’s a how question. The schools we work with continuously demonstrate that thoughtful integration of Edrolo can achieve multiple positive outcomes including improving outcomes and reducing teacher workloads, while balancing screen time.

If you’re keen to discuss how to effectively embed Edrolo, or want to chat about anything I’ve raised here, feel free to email hello@edrolo.com. We’d love to hear from you.