Five ways technology will transform education
Technology has always been seen as a silver bullet when it comes to disrupting or completely transforming traditional industries. Human potential – the way we share, connect, buy, sell, travel – is so closely associated with big leaps in technology, that many are waiting to see what learning will look like by 2030.
“Education has a long history of being seduced by technology, in the expectation it will solve all sorts of problems,” says Garry Falloon, professor of STEM education and digital learning at Macquarie University. “Dating from the 1920s when universities in Utah and Wisconsin began radio broadcasting curriculum to local schools, technology has been heralded as an effective way of supporting and evolving education."
“The greatest potential impact of technology in the classroom will be the use of data and learning analytics to inform key teaching decisions,” says Mark Rohald, Chief Executive Officer of edtech company Cluey Learning. “Using data will empower teachers to make much more informed decisions in terms of what each student knows, doesn’t know, and should be doing next. This can then be combined with qualitative inputs from the teacher, leading to a more adaptive, personalised and optimised learning experience.”
With an estimated market worth of AU$360 billion, edtech companies are set to transform education at a faster rate and with more impact than at any other time in history.
AI won’t produce robot teachers, but it will improve the teaching process
“Technology won’t replace human teachers in classrooms,” argues Rohald. “Instead, it will help put each student at the centre of their learning and enable teachers to focus on what matters most for individuals.”
This means that every child’s learning journey can be measured by a smart system which could provide a detailed and holistic view of their progress over time, taking into account preferences and emotional signals, identifying gaps in performance, eliminating human error by relieving teachers of administrative duties and challenging the current fixation on standardised tests as the ultimate measure of educational success.
AI would optimise the teaching process by providing insights on which students need individual attention, when to adjust lesson plans and how engaged the class is, ultimately allowing teachers to focus on the critical business of actually teaching.
Online learning will continue to proliferate and evolve to include more sophisticated features
eLearning and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been the biggest disruptors to tertiary and post-school education to date, taking the form of digital coursework and live online sessions which see students connect with tutors from anywhere in the world.
Online learning means that the very best teachers aren’t confined to small classes at top schools, addressing problems of equity and resource scarcity. It allows students to take on ideas in their own time, to practise at home for as long as they need, and to keep pace with their peers.
The next generation of eLearning will likely involve a greater degree of personalisation as students operate according to their own individual learning algorithm. This could be informed by performance and feedback data – even biometric markers, such as eye positioning and heart rate indicators. Ultimately, integrated learning technology and eLearning platforms will be used to connect real people in real time.
AR and VR technology will make learning much more engaging
Tech has enabled learning at a whole new level of enjoyment, heavily supplementing rote learning and traditional skills. Children today explore online games and apps from an early age to improve literacy and numeracy. Many schools are now incorporating simulations and models, which augment reality and add another layer of understanding to concepts like space and gravity, geography, even exposure to different cultures.
AR and VR technology is quickly making its way into schools, letting teachers expand beyond static, text-based learning, creating an immersive and interactive learning experience and improving the retention of concepts.
Students will take more responsibility for their own learning
Although teachers still perform a critical job, students (and their parents) will increasingly be tasked with taking more responsibility for their own learning, setting their own pace according to a personalised algorithm and curating the infinite sources of information at their fingertips.
Technology in schools won’t be contained to 'computer time', but rather enable each students’ unique learning journey.
Technology will better prepare students for jobs of the future
According to a recent survey by Cluey Learning, more than 60 per cent of senior students in Australia believe that schools aren’t doing enough to prepare them for jobs of the future.
Commercial game-like simulations which ask students to solve real-world problems, as well as the emphasis on practical STEM skills like coding and UX/UI, encourage real-world problem-solving and instil adaptive, future-facing skills to prepare the next generation for an uncertain job market.
Want to learn more?
To mark the arrival of a new decade, Cluey Learning has launched 2020 Vision, a campaign which explores the future of education. With a focus on helping students achieve longer term learning growth, the brand will reveal new research and expert predictions for the decade ahead. As part of the campaign, Australians will also have the chance to enter and receive up to 10 years of free school tutoring. Visit clueylearning.com.au/blog/2020-vision to enter and for the latest future-facing tips and insights.