The future of technology in education

As experts in family and education it is our job to understand and be up to date with the latest news and trends in the industry. We are all well aware that the world is evolving very rapidly, with some even branding this as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

With all these advancements in technology, however, education still seems to be in urgent need of a digital transformation. In some cases we are still using methods developed in the 1800s and in desperate need modernisation. The benefits in improving the infrastructure will be dramatic and demonstrable, making the entire educational system more efficiency and effectiveness, empowering educators, unlocking the potential of students and ultimately contributing to a higher quality of education for society. 

Technology must be used to help and support our educators and students in a way that simplifies their work and increases educational outcomes.

Thanks to technology, education has become more accessible, learning has become much more visual, flexible and personal. However, even with all the technology and AI available, you will always need quality instructional content that connects with students

The function of technology is not to replace aspects of education but to assist and improve them. Technology should minimise distractions from the learning experience. One thing that we have learned from the global pandemic is that just throwing in a new technology such as Zoom calls won’t always work.  Many argue that constantly replacing individual elements of the system with a technologically advanced alternative is not the right way to do things.  We might need a full ‘root and branch’ overhaul that looks at making large scale holistic changes.

These changes will include how we work with parents who will increasingly be more involved with their childs education as teching transcends the limits of the classroom.

Some of the key digital trends in the EdTech industry that we are taking a keen interest in include:

• Personalisation: student-centered learning experiences.
• Hybrid learning scenarios: transcending the limits of the classroom.
• Gamification: playful and fun learning.
• Micro-learning: fragmentation of educational content in bite size chinks.
• Immersive learning (AR & VR): new formats that mix the physical and the digital.
• STEAM and SoftSkills:
• Big Data: storage, treatment and analysis of information for the advancement of pedagogy

To keep up to date in the education industry, you can continue to inform yourself inEdtech Magazine. See you at the next global educational event of the year,ConnectED in June.