How is Edtech Effectively Changing the Way We Learn?

With the rapid growth of the Edtech ecosystem, the traditional "chalk-and-talk" classrooms are gradually phasing out. A recent report from Adroit Market Research suggests that the K-12 (kindergarten to 12th grade) education technology market currently stands at $105.68 billion and is expected to grow to $322.68 billion by 2029.

Educators prefer blended learning, powered by digital technology initiatives, to improve students' learning experiences. This approach is gaining more popularity because digital learning awareness and usage are rising. Moreover, governments worldwide are taking extensive initiatives to support the online learning environment and the EdTech industry.

This article will discuss how EdTech initiatives are transforming the education sector. We'll discuss how these factors affect the teaching and learning landscape for online education and remote learning. We'll also discuss what steps educators should follow to enable digital transformation in their institutes.

Table of Contents

➥ 8 Practical Ways EdTech is Supporting Students & Teachers

⇒ EdTech Increases Collaboration Between Learner & Provider

⇒ EdTech Democratizes Learning Access 24/7

⇒ Video Learning & Interactive Technology Increases Learner Engagement

⇒ EdTech Enables Personalized Education & Differentiated Learning

⇒ EdTech Brings Gamification to Classrooms & Online Lessons

⇒ EdTech Encourages Inclusive Interactions in Classrooms

⇒ EdTech Enhances Teaching Efficiency Via Modern Classroom Management Tools

⇒ EdTech Enables Efficient Exam Preparation & Automate Grading

➥ Implementing Impactful Educational Technology

8 Practical Ways EdTech is Supporting Students & Teachers

Edtech adoption is increasing. A recent EdTech survey, including over 3.2 million students and teachers, states that students and teachers access 140+ unique EdTech tools throughout the school year to support teaching and learning. Here are some of the ways EdTech is impacting online programs and virtual learning.

1. EdTech Increases Collaboration Between Learner & Provider

Collaborative learning and digital communication are EdTech's evolutionary advantages. Learners and teachers use collaborative content development tools like G Suite and Office 365 to manage study materials. Google Classroom is a great EdTech collaboration platform to manage whole classrooms virtually.

EdTech tools allow access to a global learning community. Learners use video communication tools like Zoom and Hangouts to connect digitally, not just with their peers but all over the world. Today, they can easily collaborate on futuristic research projects and work with leading research teams remotely. Students can also join study groups using social media platforms to share ideas and network with like-minded peers.

2. EdTech Democratizes Learning Access 24/7

Education is for everyone. It is the right of every human. Yet, it is not available to everyone as millions of students are still out of school. EdTech is democratizing digital learning to make it accessible for all. Through e-learning and virtual classrooms, learners can choose their educational paths and set their academic goals from the comfort of their homes at their own pace.

EdTech tools eliminate language barriers, allowing students to learn in their mother tongue. Such tools are especially beneficial in uplifting rural education. With increasing mobile and connectivity penetration, it is becoming easier for students to access quality learning resources anytime and anywhere.

Moreover, EdTech has made it easier to scale high-quality education, particularly using MOOCs. Prerecorded lessons from top instructors and educators in the world are helping students who do not have access to quality teachers in their region. Not to mention the cheap rates at which these courses are available.

3. Video Learning & Interactive Technology Increases Learner Engagement

With billions of hours of daily watch time, the video format is quickly overtaking text-based modalities. Video learning is an effective part of the EdTech digital learning ecosystem. For instance, educators can use video format for demonstrating experiments.

Video-based approaches provide an immersive learning experience for both teachers and students. Videos enable microlearning for learners that respond well to bite-sized information or have a shorter attention span. As a result, the learners may experience better retention rates when complex information is broken down into understandable chunks of content. Students can always go back to watch the videos on-demand, which is generally not possible in traditional classrooms.

Moreover, videos make content accessible to a wider audience which is extremely useful in the case of solidifying remote learning. With attention-grabbing animated lessons and explainers, videos can increase student engagement. Overall, video learning offers an innovative medium to deliver content that effectively instills creativity in the classroom.

4. EdTech Enables Personalized Education & Differentiated Learning

For the longest, traditional education has been a collective one-size-fits-all approach where a group of students with different intellectual capabilities, strengths, and interests is taught with the same methodology.

EdTech aims to target students individually based on their interests. Personalized education offers a customized learning plan based on the learner's preferences. The role of educators in personalized student learning is to ensure that customized learning plans align with high-quality education standards and that all students graduate with comparable competencies in their respective interests.

Differentiated learning is another similar concept where the educator adapts teaching methodology as per the student's needs. Teachers may also provide one-on-one tutoring to students.

Moreover, EdTech has started leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enable personalized learning. AI models can better understand and extract behavioral and academic data to predict data-driven student preferences.

5. EdTech Brings Gamification to Classrooms & Online Lessons

A McKinsey survey suggests that students are excited to use tools that make learning more entertaining. Many EdTech companies are now offering gamification in their products to make them more engaging for students.

Gamification improves the student learning experience. Students compete and compare their performance with their peers in low-stake competitions, classroom exercises, and quizzes. Students are awarded batches and rewards for completing every in-app lesson.

Moreover, modern technologies like VR/AR offer immersive simulations which provide a rich and innovative learning experience. For instance, disruptED is a mobile app that provides AR/VR learning experiences for kids. It contains books with letters, shapes, and engaging animations that provide deeper learning and comprehension for kids.

6. EdTech Encourages Inclusive Interactions in Classrooms

One of the major USPs of educational technology is that it ultimately aims to engage every student in the world. Hence, it is vital for EdTech tools to be more diverse and inclusive. For instance, EdTech applications must have different engagement modalities like visual, keyboard, and sound to cater to children with special needs.

EdTech initiatives must enable teachers to engage with all students belonging to diverse backgrounds. For instance, Pedagogue is a social media application that connects educators from all over the world who share their teaching experiences, advice, and strategies. Educators can make interactive learning experiences for students using various content learning templates. These shared experiences instill better awareness and understanding in teachers regarding diversity among students.

Moreover, EdTech tools must reduce language barriers by offering learning in regional languages, further improving education accessibility. These tools should consider cultural and religious boundaries to increase trust among users. To enable this kind of inclusive EdTech, companies should bring cultural diversity to their teams to have different perspectives from individuals who can share their lived experiences and incorporate them into EdTech tools.

7. EdTech Enhances Teaching Efficiency Via Modern Classroom Management Tools

Robust classroom management tools are the backbone of online education and remote learning. Teachers cannot manage whole classrooms without an integrated management tool. These tools can:

• Organize workflows
• Encourage communication and collaboration
• Mark attendance
• Assign timed tasks
• Grade assessments
• Monitor student activity
• Aim to boost student participation

8. EdTech Enables Efficient Exam Preparation & Automate Grading

EdTech applications have essentially become the "study buddy" of students looking to ace their exams, such as various university entrance tests. Many of these tools now support test preparation features with online study material, teacher and mentor assistance, relevant exercises, practice questions, and sample exams.

Moreover, these tools enable educators to conduct, track and monitor online assessments, eliminating the need for the physical presence of students. It simplifies grading with instant results.

EdTech businesses are also experimenting with artificial intelligence and machine learning-based automated grading to reduce the load on teachers. Such tools can potentially grade research manuscripts and essays based on their quality.

Implementing Impactful Educational Technology

Though the education industry requires a complete overhaul globally, no single education initiative can achieve the same results everywhere. Educational institutes should asses their preparedness and capacity for digital transformation. They can follow a number of steps for implementing EdTech initiatives, such as:

• Create a transformation plan by assessing where EdTech intervention is required and outlining short-term and long-term goals.
• Take stock of their existing resources such as infrastructure, equipment, and connectivity network.
• Collaborate with all stakeholders, including educators, learners, community leaders, and parents.
• Engage with reputable EdTech providers with a proven track record of delivering robust EdTech transformation that is privacy-compliant with FERPA, COPPA, CIPA, and PPRA to protect critical information.
• Develop a system of regular assessment, progress tracking, and course correction for EdTech initiatives.

Nextfiniti helps educators build robust EdTech solutions aligned with the latest EdTech trends. Our dedicated team of engineers understands the needs of students and teachers and creates rich and interactive learning experiences. Book a free meeting with our experts today!