Top 5 Technological Advances in Education
1) Social Media
Social media has been a hot topic in education in recent years. They provide a convenient platform for students and teachers to easily share ideas and information, engage in conversation and assess each other’s work. Horizon expects that social media will radically change the way in which schools and students communicate with each other in the short term. Flipping the classroom is a well-known example of the innovative use of social media in education. The YouTube platform is used by the teacher to share knowledge through video.
2) Online Learning
Learning in online learning environments could mean a significant improvement in education over the next two years. Students spend a lot of time on the internet in their spare time. This is a great opportunity for schools to teach students. How to work better within online networks? By teaching them strong digital skills and offering them good online learning environments. Horizon expects new hybrid forms of education where students mainly learn online and only visit the school for certain activities. It should be noted that it will still take a while before online learning is experienced as ‘natural’.
3) Creator Society
Thanks to the possibilities of digital media, we will be moving towards a ‘creator society’ within five years in which we no longer only consume, but increasingly make our own products. The report cites user-generated videos, self-published eBooks, personalized domains and the Maker Movement as examples of this . Education can contribute to this development by paying attention to critical thinking, media creation, design and entrepreneurship.
4) Data-Driven Learning
Another trend that is expected to bring about change within five years is the use of Big Data in education. With the help of LMS, data on student development can be collected and analyzed on a large scale. This not only makes the learning process and points for improvement for education more transparent, but also offers opportunities for Personalized Learning. Various projects around Big Data and Personalized Learning are already taking place in the United States.
5) Virtual Assistants
The use of virtual assistants in education is a long-term development, so if you need design services ask yourself or ask somebody like where can I find ‘ wordpress web design agency near me?’ Early examples of this can already be seen in smart devices where you can have your phone or tablet carry out commands by means of speech recognition. Horizon expects that the traditional mouse and keyboard will make way for speech recognition and motion sensors within the next five years. This allows students to interact more naturally with digital media and opens the door for virtual assistants.
Which of these five possible developments with regard to technology in education do you see as a very important development?