Top 10 Edtech trends that schools must take on!

Although most schools boast of being equipped with state-of-the-art facilities pertaining technology, they must ensure their investments are optimally utilized and instrumental in effective learning outcomes. Here are the top 10 edtech trends that schools and academic institutions must take on

1. Children are effusive with technology to collaborate outside school to make friends and socialise. Bringing in collaboration to classrooms by way of learning on a digital platform nurtures students’ interests and motivational levels. Such learning environments helps garner support from peers as well as encourage healthy competition.

2. Schools will have to consider investment on providing greater volumes of bandwidth. With the deployment of latest tech devices, schools will also need seamless bandwidth to support the use of these devices and cloud technologies.

3. Students’ expectations are higher than ever to access latest and seamless technology in classrooms and campus. Schools must aim to be at the forefront of technology to meet these expectations.

4. Applications of machine learning systems to track student knowledge, measure their progress, and offer intervention. The machine learning systems also provide personalized learning paths for students; help in automating repetitive tasks such as attendance, collecting assignments, aid teachers design better learning environments etc. 

5. Schools will have to be equipped with robust security systems to ensure data safety. Detecting ransomware and securing internal networks with governance policies will become crucial to schools.

6. One device for each child to give every child an opportunity to work as an individual while collaborating with groups digitally. This will facilitate not only intra-class or intra-school communication but children to also learn and share ideas with other schools and organizations across the globe

7. Talking of expanding horizons schools and adapting to latest trends schools will have to deploy economic solutions like cloud based applications and collaborative platforms to meet technology demands of their students and teachers.  

8. Apart from being used for enterprise and personal reasons, video calls will make way in classrooms as well. Video communication with an expert on a subject or teacher and her/his class 4000 miles away to discuss a science experiment or to solve an arithmetic problem differently using video call will be a trend soon.

9. Outsourcing IT management may be a better and cost effective deal as schools have limited IT personnel with limited skillsets. The outsourced agency will bring in expertise and future-proof technology and willing to take ownership of risks pertaining to security and safety of data.

10. Adoption of Microsoft and Google products will be wider, schools will leverage the usability of products and tools from the tech giants like Microsoft and Google. Adoption of Google Drive, Google Classroom, Google Expeditions, One Drive and Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Windows 10 etc.  

However school managements will have to take efforts to evade fears surrounding teachers about being replaced with technology and its tools and assure them that the tools will assist them and contribute to the learning environment in their classrooms.