School Tech: The Hot Mess That’s Stressing Everyone Out

Disorganized school tech is driving us all crazy and failing our students. Let’s simplify things and give them the skills they actually need for the future.

This is the digital ecosystem at my daughter’s high school. #EdTech (2024)

The Disconnected Digital Maze

As a business owner, I’ve seen firsthand the impact of inconsistent, disorganized digital systems: when employees get confused or can’t find key information or lack a shared set of priorities, chaos ensues.

As a parent, I’m watching my high school senior struggle every night to find assignments, track what’s due, and confirm what’s been turned in. High school students like her navigate a wide array of platforms—Canvas, Google Classroom, Genesis, IXL, and more.

And teachers post assignments in different ways, times, and places, which forces parents like me to step in to help track missing work. In one of my daughter’s classes, the teacher uses:

• Canvas LMS: For course structure, assignments, and announcements

• Gmail: For 1:1 communication with students

• Genesis: For grades and missing work

• Google Docs: For assignment submissions

• Third-party apps: For specific tasks or subjects

Other teachers use entirely different platforms and methods, like verbal reminders, paper handouts, and additional apps, creating cognitive challenges for students who rely on consistency and structure. For neurodivergent students, this daily “treasure hunt” leads to cognitive fatigue and overwhelming stress.

The educators I speak with seem unaware of how disjointed these systems are and the effect they have on students' ability to learn effectively. Even more concerning, many don’t believe there’s anything they can do to improve it.

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This is the future of work if we let it continue.

The tech-related disorganization and overwhelm in school systems doesn’t just affect students—it carries over into the workplace.

For example, many new employees are struggling with basic organizational skills, like managing emails, naming files, using a shared calendar and tracking tasks. This means that business owners must invest more time and resources in remedial training for employees — for basic organizational skills that should have been taught in school.

And if we don’t address these issues early, we’re setting up the next generation for even more stress and inefficiency.

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Cognitively Inclusive Standards Can Help

Around 1 in 14 children and 1 in 16 adults have ADHD (see the recent CDC research here), which means we really must prioritize systems that work for everyone. Acknowledging neurodiversity in all schools and workplaces means recognizing the need for simpler tools and more inclusive, accessible work practices.

By designing systems with everyone in mind, we can better support diverse needs and set people up for lasting success.

Cognitively inclusive practices, aligned with proven executive function strategies, would include standardized formats, consistent locations for accessing work, clear communication, and the use of shared calendars and task managers to help reduce task switching.

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We Can Do Better, Working Together.

Our students—and our future workforce—deserve a better start.

By addressing the current “hot mess” of disorganized school tech with simple changes, consistent methods, and more cognitively inclusive design, we can significantly improve both education and workplace readiness.

And the good news? We don’t need a massive budget or a team of consultants to make it happen—just a shared commitment to ease the burden for everyone and the willingness to take that first step.

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Five Simple Fixes For School Tech

School tech strategies that could benefit everyone (neurodivergent people too) by reducing confusion and promoting good organizational habits.

1. Shared Calendars: Please, Just Use Them!
   We get it, teachers are busy. But why aren’t we using the one tool that could end the chaos? If assignments were posted on the google classroom or canvas “shared calendar” students might actually know when all the things are due. Bonus: These integrate with Google Calendar, which they can see on their phones. No more 'Wait, when is the test?' moments at 10 pm.

2. Let the LMS Do The Task Management
   That to-do list feature in Canvas and google classroom that teachers ignore, is a student’s best friend. When teachers use it consistently, students can stop asking 'Did I turn that in?' every 5 minutes. It also can provide one rollup list of every assignment that is due, overdue and missing for the student. Using this feature would make things more visible to everyone.

3. Standardize Layouts & Locations
   We don’t need a new syllabus design for each class. Stick with a standard format, make them all the same, add key dates and important grading and contact details, and have every teacher pin the document to the course home page in the same spot, so we can find it again. This can help everyone’s brains work smarter, not harder.

4. Use A “One Source of Truth” System

   If kids need to check Canvas, Genesis, Gmail, Google Docs, and a handwritten note taped to the fridge, something has gone terribly wrong. You can help students to stop spending so much time hunting for the work, and more time doing the work, by eliminating all the systems, and just using one.
   (P.S. This goes for the parent tech, too: Sending me a link to the S’mores app from ParentSquare, then emailing a Signup Genius link, is too much task-switching and a giant waste of time.)

5. Teach the Tech, Already
   It’s great that we have all these cool apps and systems, but can someone teach my student how to use just one of them, really really well? Teachers, students, and parents all need a crash course in their Ed-Tech. Students need other basic digital training too - things like how to name a file, create a folder, and declutter their Google Drive at the end of each year. Let’s stop pretending students and teachers already know what to do, and really dig in to improve and build skills in this area.

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Thanks for reading Elastic Life - work, life, leadership and ADHD.
I am a family business owner, leadership coach, mother of two neurodivergent teens, and a passionate advocate for work-life integration and neurodivergent-friendly policies. Feel free to connect on LinkedIn or visit my website Resourceful Leaders to find out more about my coaching practice.

#EdTech #DigitalLearning #WorkforceSkills #InclusiveEducation #Neurodiversity #ADHD #FutureOfWork #Cognitive Inclusion

[please note that this post was edited after publish date, for improved clarity, and an updated CDC attribution link]