InfoMentor
What do you think will be the main things we'll be seeing in Ed tech in 2018?
Edtech is an exciting industry to be a part of – one that should be focused on the key challenges facing education today. Therefore, technology that improves the learning experience for pupils and makes life easier for schools will increase in prevalence over this year and beyond. Technology is extremely fast-paced, with new or adapted solutions coming on to the market regularly. The main trends the industry is likely to see this year include a continued interest in cloud-based technology, giving schools easy access at any time and allowing them to store information securely in the cloud.
Collaborative tools are also becoming more important to help reduce teacher workload, so solutions which help teachers to share and work together virtually, therefore avoiding repetition of work. Digital literacy will increase its profile to become as important as reading, writing and Maths. Social media is already a huge part of most industries and so will increase in important for education, perhaps adapting to become more useful and relevant. Finally, virtual reality is at the forefront of technology in general. For schools this means pupils will become immersed, virtually in their learning using the very latest functionality.
What do you think will be the main Edtech challenges in 2018?
A key challenge for the education technology industry is that the world is changing at an exhilarating rate and yet education is one of the last industries to undergo a transformation. Schools need technology that helps them to not only manage this change but also keep them up to date with a constantly changing world.
Many schools are adapting their traditional teaching and learning methods to embrace and integrate technology. They appreciate that technology can provide the support needed to make changes so that they can continue to effectively teach and inspire young minds. By assisting teachers to equip pupils with the skills they need to become agile thinkers and adaptable problem solvers, technology can help to prepare pupils for roles and occupations that are yet to be imagined.
The traditional role of a teacher is changing. Rather than instruct pupils and fill them with knowledge like an empty container, teachers are taking on more of a facilitator role, flipping the learning experience so that pupils take more control of their own learning. Edtech has the challenge of being able to support these changes with effective technological solutions that work in harmony with a school’s individual needs.
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