Towered Tech

Start with teaching needs, not features

Before looking at any product, write down what teachers and students actually need to do each week. A typical list: post work and resources, collect submissions, give feedback, track who is behind, and let families see what is due. Rank these. A platform that does your top five smoothly beats one that does fifty things awkwardly.

Include a few teachers who are confident with technology and a few who are not. If both groups can complete the core tasks without training, that is a good sign.

The checklist

Teaching and learning

  • Creating, scheduling and copying assignments across classes is quick.
  • Feedback tools suit your subjects: comments on documents, rubrics, audio or video feedback, maths notation.
  • Students can see clearly what is due, what is late and what has been returned.
  • It works well on the devices students actually use, including phones and older laptops.
  • Some work can be done with a weak or intermittent connection.

Accessibility

  • The vendor publishes an accessibility conformance report or statement against WCAG.
  • Screen readers, keyboard navigation and zoom work across the core tasks.
  • Videos can carry captions, and text works with read-aloud tools. See accessibility tools in class.

Privacy and security

  • A written data agreement that says what student data is collected, why, where it is stored and when it is deleted.
  • No selling of student data and no targeted advertising to students.
  • Single sign-on with your school's existing accounts, and role-based permissions.
  • A clear process for families to see or correct their child's data. Background on the student privacy page.

Integrations and administration

  • Class lists sync from your student information system rather than being typed in.
  • Grades flow back where your school needs them.
  • Works with tools you already use, ideally through open standards such as LTI for plugging in learning tools.
  • Data can be exported in a usable format if you leave.

Support and cost

  • Training materials for staff, students and parents, in the languages your families use.
  • Support response times written into the contract.
  • Total cost over several years: licences, add-ons, training time, migration and integration work.

Run a short pilot

  1. Pick two or three shortlisted platforms and a small group of classes across ages and subjects.
  2. Give each pilot a fixed period long enough to include a full assignment cycle.
  3. Ask teachers, students and a few parents the same short set of questions at the end.
  4. Score each platform against your ranked needs, not against its feature list.

Your district or school may already have approved platforms and a procurement process. Check it before you contact vendors, and involve whoever handles data protection early.