Educational Technology Trends
By MIGUEL LARA
Educational Technology Trends
Sources:
New Media Consortium (NMC)
EDUCAUSE
AECT
Educational Technology Trends
Short-Term Trends (1 to 2 years)
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BYOD / 1:1
Blended Learning
Learning Spaces
Flipped Classroom
Educational Technology Trends
Mid-Term Trends (3 to 4 years)
 Makerspaces
 Open Educational Resources
 Wearable Technology
Educational Technology Trends
Long-Term Trends (3 to 4 years)
 Adaptive Learning
 The Internet of Things
Short-Term Trends
BYOD / 1:1 Device
On average, college students spend more than 3.5 hours per day using
their mobile phones1
Students own an average of 2.7 devices2
How devices are being used: As clickers (polling), to annotate slides, take
notes, record lectures, share resources, and for specific apps.
1http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/06/13/554002/10036312/en/TechSavvy-College-Students-Are-
Gathering-Gadgets-Saying-Yes-to-Showrooming-and-RejectingSecond-Screening.html
2http://www.informationweek.com/interop/bring-everything-byods-evolution-in-highereducation/d/d-id/1114042
Short-Term Trends
Increasing Use of Blended Learning
One in ten students are enrolled exclusively in online courses.
7.1 million American students are engaged in online learning in some form.
Based on a study, students felt that instructors were more accessible when
learning materials and discussion forums were placed online. There was
altogether more persistent communication through the use of virtual
learning environment.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2014023
http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/highered.html
http://news.emory.edu/stories/2014/10/er_blended_learning_talk/campus.html
Short-Term Trends
Redesigning Learning Spaces
Many universities are
creating more dynamic
classroom layouts, often with
seating arrangements that
foster collaborative work.
Learning spaces to support group
activities outside of classroom
settings through mobile furniture,
dual projection screens, and
maximized wall-writing surfaces.
Short-Term Trends
Flipped Classroom
Class content is delivered through videos, readings, or podcasts that
students access at home. Class time is devoted to more active projectbased learning in which students work together to solve challenges.
The flipped classroom requires a lot of autonomous work, which may be
disorienting to students who prefer to rely on the teacher as the leading
source of information.
www.eduimed.com/index.php/eimj/article/download/316/200
Mid-Term Trends
Makerspaces
Also known as Techshop, Fablabs, or
Hackerspace.
Provide a core set of tools (including
basic electronics equipment, 3D
printer, a lasercutter, a vinyl cutter, a
CNC router, a CNC milling machine,
and more) that allow novice makers
to make almost anything given a brief
introduction to engineering and
design education.
http://makezine.com/2013/05/22/the-difference-between-hackerspaces-makerspaces-techshops-and-fablabs/
Mid-Term Trends
Proliferation of OER
According to a 2014 study by US PIRG
Education Fund and the Student
PIRGs, of 2,039 students surveyed,
65% said that they had not bought a
textbook due to its high price.
Open textbooks are being considered
as a viable means for cutting excess
costs with the goal of making
education more affordable for
students.
Mid-Term Trends
Wearable Technology
VR headsets enable students to
explore potentially dangerous
situations from the safety of the
classroom.
One virtual education expert has
created a virtual construction
worksite where engineering
students can identify unsafe areas
without exposure to harm.
Health care research and training
continues to advance the potential
of wearable technology, as well
Long-Term Trends
Adaptive Learning Technologies
These technologies adjust to
individual students’ needs as they
learn.
They analyze how students are
interacting with the material:
If a student spends too much time
reading a single passage, the
software will provide more
resources to better comprehend
the concept.
Long-Term Trends
The Internet of Things
IoT is a network of connected
objects that link the physical world
with the world of information
through the web.
A potential use of IoT in eduation is
“Hypersituation”: the ability to
amplify knowledge based on the
user’s location (iBeacon)