Technology is the need of the hour in every classroom and every student and teacher's hand," says David Warlick, an education technology pioneer.
While Zoom lectures and virtual classrooms form the core of EdTech, the future of education technology shall venture beyond. Several innovations in education technology are changing the way people consume and learn. Movement restrictions owing to the pandemic were revolutionary to education, confining children to their homes and pushing schools and academic institutions to gear toward EdTech. In line with this, over 70% of colleges are poised to launch at least one online undergraduate program in the next three years. It would be interesting to see how the new ecosystem is implemented across different cultures, courses, and regions.
Tools Revamping the Education System Today
The marvel of digital exposition stands to transcend into education. Let's look at the technological avenues deemed critical to the future of education.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI helps with high content personalization. AI-based tools help tailor programs to suit the needs and demands of students and professors. Its features provide a clearer picture of students' progress, interests, learning styles, and abilities. These insights enable teachers and professors to mend their teaching programs, modules, and methods toward a more flexible and adaptive teaching style. AI makes education malleable to individual students' needs.
Another innovation is AI-powered chatbots. These chatbots help reduce the burden on the support team, ensuring enhanced quality of user data and analytics.
AR and VR
In 2018, AR and VR in the global education sector stood at USD 9.3 billion and were poised to reach USD 19.6 billion in 2023. The most crucial benefit of AR and VR is their ability to replicate the physical world digitally. AR and VR put the users (in this case, students) in a virtual world. If not, they at least help augment a virtual subject in the real world. This helps make learning a fun and engaging exercise.
Among the pantheons of innovative tools stands the Shanghai-based Neo Bear. This start-up develops AR-based toys and mobile apps which help students grasp words and languages. It had raised over USD 56 million. PlayShifu, based out of Bengaluru, is another revolutionary tool. It renders myriad AR-based immersive and educational toys for children aged 4-12. Yet another is Gujarat-based Foton VR which provides content for science subjects for fifth to tenth-grade students.
Smart Classes
Another area integral to the development of education technology is "Smart Classes'. These are learning spaces enhanced with education technology, helping improve the teaching and learning experience, a holistic upgrade poised to increase the size of the pie – benefiting both tutors and students.
The crux of smart classes is that each student grasps information bits and learns differently. These comprise several interactive EdTech tools, enabling students to learn, collaborate and innovate. To this end, Smart classes are of three types – the Standard Smart Classroom, the Intermediate Smart Classroom, and Student-led Smart Classroom.
As a social media entrepreneur, Matt Mullenweg, says, "Technology is best when it brings people together." The concept of 'Smart Classes' reinforces the idea of interactive and collaborative learning.
Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT is a confluence of physical objects having advanced features, including cameras, sensors, and analytical tools. These connect to the Internet and other devices, enabling data sharing and real-time communication.
Coming to education, IoT has some valuable use cases. One such instance is smartboards. This help stirs up interactive and connected learning. A lesser-known aspect is leveraging bright lighting to control the brightness and intensity of light levels in a classroom to create an ambiance for attentive, comfortable, and relaxed learning.
Vertical Search Engines
When we say search engines, we invariably think of Google, a horizontal search tool that scours the entire web. Vertical search engines, on the other hand, get restricted to searching a niche. This enables students to find what they need more quickly and speedily, accelerating their learning. One way is using these to access online resources and databases such as Coursera, Udemy, and many others.
Gamification
Gamification blends playing and learning by leveraging gaming as an instructional tool. Incorporating gaming technology into the classroom helps make learning a difficult or complex subject matter more exciting and interactive. Specifically, it can help with history, geography, mathematics, and even the sciences.
Gamification can get executed in several ways. Running a virtual field trip is one. This avenue helps explore famous locations or recreate historical events. Another is taking part in a Webquest, an educational adventure that encourages students to find information and add a spin to the research process.
Learning Made Easy through Digital
Peeking into the future, David Andrade, educational technology strategist, predicts AI and wearable technology to come to the forefront of academic institutions within four to five years. EdTech solutions enable educators to teach smartly and effectively through tools.
An ideal approach is understanding and assessing which channels suit the academic institution. Better yet, one can opt for a custom software tool curated to match the culture and philosophy of the school or college.
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