Future Tech Trends for K-12 Classrooms

Nov 3

Computing Trends for K-12 Learning Environments

In recent years, educators have increasingly valued a collaborative, personalized, and project-based approach to teaching. Technology has made this possible and successful in new ways, and K-12 school districts have been leveraging a growing list of tech tools to build better learning experiences in both in-person and remote classrooms.

The education technology (edtech) that is gaining traction highly values versatility, connectivity, and student-centered learning. A survey in 2016 found that 75% of administrators and educators surveyed incorporated technology into their daily lessons. This year, a survey found that 95% of instructors said that they had experienced the benefits of edtech in the classroom. The pandemic has accelerated the need for and understanding of edtech, and continues to demonstrate its potential for improving knowledge retention and learning outcomes. Edtech is in full steam with the emergence of improved learning tools, virtual learning environments, and powerful apps. Educators and district-level administrators must keep up with this fast-changing technological landscape that's transforming educational systems everywhere.

The following are computing trends that are rapidly growing in K-12 learning environments across the U.S.

Growing Adoption of Web-based Tools

The recent need for remote learning has led to a surge in the use of web-based learning tools. These tools are designed to increase and improve interaction and collaboration between students and educators. Some of the most popular web-based education tools include:

Edmodo: Teachers create collaborative online student groups, measure students' performance, provide educational materials, and communicate with parents;
Socrative: Teachers create educational games and exercises that students can play using mobile devices, tablets, or PCs;
CK-12: This tool is designed to lower the cost of acquiring K-12 textbooks. Its open-source interface allows educators to create and distribute educational materials that meet the standards of different school districts, and can be updated and shared more easily than a textbook;
ClassDojo: Educators use this tool to positively reinforce good behavior by providing students with instant feedback, points, and rewards. The information gathered is shared with administrators and parents.

Fully Virtual K-12 Classrooms are Becoming More Common

District-level administrators are rethinking traditional learning environments and questioning norms that have been common for decades. In a bid to keep students on-track as the pandemic raged through 2020, many school districts found that fully virtual K-12 classrooms were the solution. While some parents were skeptical at first, the hesitancy was short-lived for many. By the end of the first pandemic schoolyear, polls indicated that many parents embraced remote and hybrid classrooms for their safety as well as for improved learning outcomes.

Many parents are now advocating for post-pandemic online school; 70% of parents in a recent survey said that they desire online learning options going forward. It appears that hybrid classrooms will be part of the new normal, where students and teachers will continue to collaborate in virtual spaces. A smaller portion of students will never set foot in a traditional classroom again.

More Accurate Learning Analytics

As distance learning has taken root in school districts across the country, so has the use of learning analytics (LA) to monitor learning outcomes and identify areas of improvement. LA leverages the vast volumes of learner data available in online learning environments to give administrators, educators, researchers, and parents insight into how students learn best on collective and individual levels. LA offers data that a teacher in an in-person classroom simply could not collect before.

Learning analytics help educators evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction to identify areas of improvement, including creating personalized learning plans for individual students. Today's learning analytics are highly accurate and only improving, driven by the increased use of edtech in diverse learning environments.

Growth of VR and AR in Education

Recent surveys indicate that 85% of public school teachers interviewed said that VR provided “great value” in the classroom. Goldman Sachs predicts that VR in education will be a $700 million industry by 2025.

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) believes that VR and AR will revolutionize learning in K-12 schools: the technology could help to close achievement gaps for struggling students and school districts through immersive, personalized, and optimized lesson plans. In a report released this summer, ITIF recommended that Congress direct the Department of Education to invest in the development of VR/AR edtech tools for classrooms of all levels.

Esports in Schools

School districts are increasingly supporting and embracing esports, which are now on the verge of going mainstream. The High School Esports League (HSEL) now has members in more than 3,000 schools, consisting of over 140,000 students across the country. Over 100 universities already offer esports scholarships.

Some educators see esports as an effective way of promoting 21st-century skills—remote collaboration, communication, and teamwork—and as a way to cultivate love for STEM fields at a young age. Some studies suggest that esports are in fact beneficial for mental health by decreasing stress, mitigating symptoms of depression, improving memory, and encouraging interaction with peers. Some teachers are already blending esports and games-based teaching practices into their curriculum.

Conclusion

Technological advances are transforming K-12 education in ways that few could have imagined a year ago, let alone a decade ago. The influence of technology on education in the coming years is going to be extensive and enduring. Technology has created fundamental structural changes to education, introducing both hardware and software digital learning tools to classrooms to improve student engagement and performance.

It’s safe to say that school districts that embrace emerging technologies for their K-12 learning environments will increase educational productivity, lower the costs for instructional materials and program delivery, and optimize teachers’ effectiveness and workload in the long-run. Not to mention, in the rapidly-changing times that we’re in, that these districts will be able to quickly adapt and pivot with remote and hybrid tools.

At Vanguard, we are committed to supporting teachers, students, and school districts by providing innovative and reliable technology solutions. Through our Asset Management Solutions, we offer a complete cloud-based system for getting the right tech tools into your students’ hands. From IT hardware configuration to rental and maintenance, we personalize and plan every step. We have a close partnership with HP to provide cutting-edge, secure, and reliable classroom technology to K-12 schools.

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