5 Education Technology Trends That Will Have A Major Impact In 2021

Whoever said "being a teacher is easy" needs a harsh reality check - being an educator, facilitator or teacher is not child's play (pun intended). From John Keating in Dead Poets Society to Erin Gruwell in Freedom Writers, every teacher has their own set of challenges. Even the most disciplined and earnest Master Shifu struggled with Po at the beginning.

He had to revise his teaching techniques to suit the temperament of his new student, a kind he had not encountered before. Unlearning his traditional methods, he identified Po's immense love for food and incorporated it into the training techniques. Hence, Shifu turned Po's weakness into his strength by improvising his techniques all along.

Even though we'd love to, this is not a Kung-Fu Panda appreciation post. Just a testament to the fact that every facilitator needs to adapt to the situation to ensure their teachings reach their pupils. 2020 turned most educators, from primary school teachers and college professors to industry trainers and professional learning coaches, into their own versions of Master Shifu.

"Anything is possible when you have #innerpeace"- #MasterShifu

In light of the pandemic, thousands of schools, training centers and coaching institutes switched to remote overnight. If not for Educational Technology tools, this transition would have been back-breaking, to say the least. To match the needs, Ed Tech evolved to suit both the learners and the facilitators, sowing the seeds for some of the most futuristic and ground-breaking educational technology that will continue to gain popularity in the times ahead.

Here are the top 5 Ed Tech trends that will rule the way we learn in 2021.

Trend 1: E-Learning Will Continue

 
Not trying to state the obvious here but distance learning is here to stay and for good reason. Apart from keeping the learners safe, it is more flexible and allows students and professionals to learn better and at their own pace anywhere, anytime. In fact, the Research Institute of America reveals that E-Learning increases retention rates by 25 to 60 percent.

Not just that, it's also highly scalable, allowing the best educators to reach many students at the same time - or at different times, in the case of on-demand pre-recorded courses and at a much lower cost than traditional in-person classes. No wonder this industry is expected to hit $375 billion by 2026.

TechDogs' Opinion: As schools, colleges and even businesses will move towards the online learning and training modes more than ever, Learning Management Systems and learning platforms like Coursera and Udemy would be in high demand. The market would also open for new players in the game to rise to the occasion and grow rapidly.
 

Trend 2: Learning Will Get A Lot More Immersive

Modern-day high school is more than just classroom teaching. It's museum trips, excursions and lab courses, oh the fun! Similarly, training today is not conducted as a one-way discourse, they're more hands-on and interactive. With young and adult learners stuck at home, only Ed Tech can make hands-on practical learning possible. The power of AR and VR can allow facilitators to create 3D depictions of chemical elements, the human body and even dinosaurs at home (unless you want another Jurassic Park, don't try this at home).

Not just that, interactive VR laboratories allow STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students to run experiments without being in a physical lab. Businesses can create virtual replicas of equipment to train their teams hands-on. Moreover, we already have Google Expeditions that lets classes take virtual field trips to places like Mount Everest and the Louvre! So that's taken care of.

TechDogs' Opinion: Organizations are seeking to make remote learning a permanent resort. That means learning beyond Zoom sessions by making education more immersive through technologies such as Virtual reality, Mixed Reality and 3D simulation. Education will become more experiential and interactive. The best part for parents? You won't have to wake up at 7 to drop your kids to school!
 

Trend 3: Adios STEM And Hola STEAM

 
Gone are the days of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics); STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics)based ed-tech learning programs are taking the forefront. Evolved from STEM, this new trend of EdTech applies meaningful Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (the new element) and Math content to solve real-world problems through hands-on learning activities and creative design.

Highlighting the importance of STEAM, Sandy Buczynski, an associate professor with the University of San Diego's Master of Education program says, "The next generation of scientists will need to develop their communication skills through both traditional means of writing and speaking, as well as more artistic means including illustrating, animating, videography, cartooning and model building."

TechDogs' Opinion: Organizations will begin adopting technologies that better align with STEAM education. This will help educators incorporate multiple disciplines simultaneously and engage learners in experiential learning, collaboration and problem-solving by taking thoughtful risks. It will further expose student learning to a creative processes. We can expect both young and adult learners to understand human essence better, be more empathetic and be trained in soft skills in the future, not just tech-trained nerds.
 

Trend 4: Gamify It, Please

 
Did you know that the "sandbox" style game, Minecraft, has been used to create stage performances, write stories and even teach students about DNA? Are you aware of a tool named Socrative that offers a "space race" feature that turns quizzes into a competitive game?

While teachers have always used reward systems and brownie points to keep their pupils motivated, the digital learning age is taking it to another level and for good reason. Gamification not only makes learning more engaging but also develops a sense of accomplishment in the learning process. In fact, 72% employees claim that Gamification inspires them to work harder. Not just that, almost 9 out of every 10 learners say that they're eager to complete a task and are in a competitive mood if it is gamified.

TechDogs' Opinion: While pop-quizzes and rewards in learning management systems will never go out of fashion, Gamification will evolve much beyond that in 2021. Existing games would have a higher education mode to facilitate learning, where you learn while you play. Not just the games but the rewards would evolve too, with businesses offering employees subscriptions and memberships for every level of upskilling and training they complete.
 

Trend 5: You Can't Leave Out Artificial Intelligence

 
Isn't it amazing when Netflix recommends what to watch next "because you watched..." something? Imagine having that for learning and knowing the right course for your career trajectory based on your earlier learnings and qualifications. Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables that and a lot more through adaptive learning.

AI-empowered adaptive learning structures content as per the learner's needs and capabilities. Frankly, it's the most personalized form of tutoring you can get apart from Master Shifu maybe. With the customized content, learners are able to grasp better. In fact, Thinkster even promises up to a 90% improvement in math scores for K-8th graders through its AI-powered math tutorials.

TechDogs' Opinion: The use of AI-powered bots to learn and solve queries along with AI-based intelligent learning recommendations and AI-enabled content structuring have been on the rise for quite some time now. In the future though, AI would empower not just facilitation but also administration. Administrative assistance would use AI to manage all student information and processes, including admissions, learning graphs and scholarship grants.
 

In The End–Does It Even Matter?

A brief and quick response to that would be-yes, EdTech matters, now more than ever. We're looking at a generation of tech-savvy pupils, both young and old. We're looking at a workforce that needs to know how to work the best with the latest tech and tools and Ed Tech is where it all starts. At this point, you can either evolve to revolutionize technical education and employee-training for good, or be responsible for the next generation of professionals that have undergone half-baked learning.