5 #EdTech trends every school should know
“Classrooms don’t need tech geeks who can teach; we need teaching geeks who can use tech”
As technology continues to influence our lives (in almost every aspect), bricks and mortar education is becoming less practical. Schools are expanding their horizons past these traditional concepts, incorporating #EdTech into their curriculum.
There are a ton of arguments about how education technologies should be used, or even if they add value to the teaching process.
Regardless of your stance however, #EdTech (as an industry) is unlikely to disappear. Instead, new processes will be put in place, in schools the world over, to help implement evolved styles of learning.
5 #EdTech trends that dominated 2017
- The continued penetration of smartphones: schools are finding it harder to discourage the use of smartphones in the classroom setting. Most pupils have access to one. Schools embracing the use of smartphones often see them as being fun, engaging and effective for pupils using them as part of the learning process
- Virtual reality: probably the largest tech trend in 2017 (not just in #EdTech), the innovations already seen in VR this year are suggesting it has a strong future in education
- High-quality content: as tech develops so too does the quality of content it can produce. #EdTech trends are surging towards the proliferation of better and better content
- Wi-Fi: having a good wireless network in schools has been an issue for a long time now. Some setups cannot meet the standards of technology today and desperately need to be updated. This is especially true in more remote and poorer areas of the world. #EdTech innovators will continue to develop basic Wi-Fi capabilities, so schools can meet advancements and developments in technology
- BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): an interesting trend in schools is BYOD. When learners bring in their own devices, the learning process becomes far more personalised in nature. BYOD highlights a significant method of learning, which could become more and more popular in future years, where learning becomes pupil-led and collaborative.
“Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational”
4 challenges that need to be overcome in #EdTech
- Resistance to change: perhaps the hardest obstacle to overcome, particularly in an industry that has held fast to the same methods for a long time. The sooner schools - and those who can directly influence learning - understand that change is inevitable, the sooner education and technology can work in tandem. We are not suggesting that ALL #EdTech is good but we are confident it is has a significant role to play in the future of ALL education.
- Cost: something that impacts both sides of the same coin! For #EdTech companies, finding financial aid can be a challenge. For schools, the cost of implementing #EdTech can be difficult to justify.
- DOES #EdTech work: scientific research proving the long-term effect of #EdTech is severely low in comparison to the many years that back up traditional learning. This can divert attention away from HOW to implement #EdTech to WHY we should implement #EdTech.
- Too much to pick from: the #EdTech industry is booming right now. This means the number of #EdTech products is high. Competition is difficult for #EdTech startups; it is getting harder and harder to stand out in this industry.
#EdTech innovation can lead the revolution of teaching methodology. That being said, it needs to be used as a tool to improve teaching - not as a sole resource for teaching in itself.
We will continue to see #EdTech broach further into the curriculums of our schools - how far it can take us will be an interesting thing to see!
How has your school adapted to modern demands of technology, and implemented quality pedagogy with top #EdTech resources? We'd love to hear. Please comment below.