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The EDiT talks. We're All in It Together: What Vendors and Schools Both Need to Get Right on Technology Adoption
A conversation on technology sprawl, budget pressures, and the shared responsibility between schools and EdTech vendors to get adoption right.
EDT&Partners
EdTech Strategy
Impact & Outcomes
EdTech
Schools & Universities
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In this edition of The EDiT Talks, Chris Rothwell, Senior Consultant at EDT&Partners, is joined by Kevin Knight, CEO of WeVideo, for a conversation on technology adoption in education. Chris works across technology and education strategy, while Kevin brings over 25 years of EdTech leadership experience and leads WeVideo's focus on interactive, measurable video learning.
The EDiT talks is a series of conversations with leaders shaping the future of education and technology.
In this clip from their conversation, Chris asks Kevin a deceptively simple question: if you could change one thing about how schools approach technology adoption, what would it be? Kevin's answer goes somewhere unexpected — and more honest than most vendor conversations get.
What schools and vendors both need to get right on technology adoption
Chris asks Kevin what he would change about how schools approach technology adoption. Kevin's answer covers two things: the leadership challenge of technology sprawl inside schools, and — unusually for a vendor — the responsibility that EdTech companies themselves carry.
Key points from the conversation:
- Many school districts are carrying redundant technology that has accumulated over time through decentralised purchasing decisions, creating fragmented data and wasted budget.
- In a tight budget environment, the right response is not always to cut people or programmes. It is first to audit and consolidate the technology stack.
- A single, coherent view of student progress across a school or district is more valuable than multiple disconnected systems.
- Change management works better when it is championed from the top, but it should not be forced. Finding willing champions and letting them prove the value is a more sustainable path.
- Vendors also carry responsibility. It is not enough to build capable tools. EdTech companies must design for integration and interoperability, not create walls that trap customers.
- Kevin's closing position: the sector works better when vendors prioritise what is best for the customer over competitive positioning. Better decisions for schools ultimately mean better outcomes for students.
"I would certainly rather reduce redundant systems than have to eliminate teachers. That may sound a little counterintuitive coming from a vendor — but we do see it." — Kevin Knight
They accumulate. A tool adopted for one department, another for a different need, a third inherited from a previous initiative. Over time, the stack grows. The data fragments. And the picture of what is actually happening for students becomes harder to see.
That is the reality Kevin is describing. And it is one that most school and district leaders will recognise.
What stands out in this conversation is where Kevin places the responsibility. Not just with the institution, but with the vendors themselves. The best technology partnerships are not built on capability alone. They are built on a genuine commitment to making things work together, in service of the outcomes that matter.
EDT&Partners
The EDT&Partners Editorial Team brings together education and technology experts sharing insights, stories, and strategies shaping the future of learning.
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