education technology project

Become an Insider

Sign up today to receive premium content.

What Is Educational Technology (Ed Tech), and Why Should Schools Invest in It?

Long gone are the days of overhead projectors and handwritten papers. Today’s teachers have robust technology at their disposal, and students have grown up in an  increasingly digital world . But, with so many software applications, devices and other technologies on the market, it’s easy for teachers to become overwhelmed with  the array of opportunities  available to them.

K–12 schools used, on average,  2,591 ed tech tools  during the 2022-2023 school year, according to a Statista survey. This is a 1.7 percent increase from the 2021-2022 school year and a nearly 190 percent increase from the 2018-2019 school year, when districts used an average of 895 tools.

With all the technologies available, K–12 IT leaders and administrators need to ensure they’re selecting the right tools for their users. The best way to ensure educational technology is being used is to invest in software and hardware that are valuable to both students and teachers.

Click the banner   to learn how to optimize your school’s device lifecycle.

What Is Ed Tech in K–12 Schools?

Educational technology, or ed tech, encompasses a wide variety of applications, software, hardware and infrastructure components — from online quizzes and learning management systems to  individual laptops for students  and the  access points  that enable Wi-Fi connectivity.

Interactive panels are a popular tool, and schools have recently implemented learning management systems that allow parents to connect with teachers. Even  virtual and augmented reality  can be found in some classrooms, says Rachelle Dené Poth, who teaches Spanish and STEAM (science, technology engineering, art and math) classes at  Riverview School District . An International Society for Technology in Education–certified educator, Poth is also an attorney and author.

“AR and VR transform how students are learning by immersing them in a different environment, giving them a more hands-on, authentic and meaningful experience,” says Poth. “This enables them to better connect with the content in a way that they understand and can build upon, leveraging the new with the knowledge they already have.”

MORE ON EDTECH:   Emerging technologies for modern classrooms steal the spotlight.

What Is the Value of Educational Technology Today?

Even if the district doesn’t have the latest VR tech, educational technology still plays a vital role in the classroom.

“I think ed tech is necessary in the sense that it allows us to do things that, if we were to go back, I could not imagine doing,” says David Chan, director of instructional technology for Evanston Township High School .

Before Chan  joined the administrative team  10 years ago, he spent a decade in the classroom — an experience that he believes allows him to do his job better. Having been in the teachers’ position, he can make more informed decisions from the perspective of how technology can impact, benefit or burden the hundreds of teachers in his school.

“First and foremost, the ed tech should support the teaching and learning,” he says.

Certain ed tech, such as quizzes in the middle of class, can  collect and analyze valuable data  for teachers in real time, Chan adds. Online quizzes provide snapshots of where students are in the moment, allowing teachers to capitalize on crucial learning opportunities rather than reviewing and grading a handwritten quiz later when that opportunity has passed.

“We have always been able to personalize learning for our students pre-technology; it just took more time, and we had fewer resources,” Poth says. “With the different tools available today, especially with artificial intelligence and robust LMS platforms, it helps us have a better workflow and reduces the amount of time it takes to move between tools.”

The average number of educational technologies K–12 districts used during the 2022-2023 school year

Incorporating technology into the classroom can also highlight potential career paths for students. Through coding, creating a podcast, taking apart a drone or learning graphic design, students can explore various technologies that will likely  play a role in their future .

“Technology allows students to get a bit more authentic with projects,” says Chan. “It makes them feel like it’s more than just a school project. It could be something they see themselves doing outside of school.”

What Is the Impact of Educational Technology?

When researching a new educational tool, the first thing to answer is the question of impact: How does this impact and provide value to teachers and students?

“We always want to focus on the why and the how, not the ‘wow’ factor,” says Poth. “Why should we use it, and how is it going to enhance or transform student learning? Because it worked for someone else’s class doesn’t guarantee that it’s going to have the same impact on other students. Always focus on the pedagogical value before purchasing the technology.”

DIVE DEEPER:   Planning and administrator support are necessary to sustain devices.

Tech that’s difficult to use presents a significant obstacle to adoption. Narrow the potential list to solutions that don’t require complicated setup for educators, or ensure that the proper training and support are in place. “The best compliment I get from teachers is that they didn’t have to call my team  to learn how to use it ,” Chan says.

It’s also crucial to consult  the privacy policy  of any new technology. Verify that it aligns with  the necessary laws and regulations , as well as your school’s own policies.

Tips for K–12 Schools Investing in Ed Tech

Chan’s advice for all ed tech purchases — from trying something new to renewing an existing license — is to be slow and intentional. One of the biggest mistakes schools can make is to jump in too quickly.

“Piloting allows us to scale up in a responsible way,” he says.

After doing the research to ensure a new device or software aligns with the school environment, do a pilot run with a few licenses or devices. Ask teachers and students who participate for feedback. Having those conversations can aid IT teams with the full launch or with other technologies in the future.

Rachelle Dené Poth Spanish and STEAM Teacher, Riverview School District

A helpful tip, shares Chan, is setting up a standard workflow so the IT department is carefully reviewing every item the school pays for before it’s renewed. These checks are opportunities to review existing data from companies to see if the ed tech is being used at the volume expected. If not, don’t be afraid to cut the cord with services, particularly if teachers are unhappy with them, which impacts  the return on investment .

Poth suggests enabling  single sign-on , which streamlines access and prevents roadblocks to adoption. “It’s super helpful for students and teachers, especially when trying to bring different tools into the classroom.”

Ultimately, ed tech is here to stay, and its presence in the classroom will only increase. Administrators and IT leaders can start by analyzing the tools they currently have, then begin having conversations with teachers and students about ways to improve.

DISCOVER:   District sets out to learn how its teachers are using technology.

• Personalized Learning
• Collaboration
• Digital Transformation
• Procurement
• Return on Investment

Related Articles

Unlock white papers, personalized recommendations and other premium content for an in-depth look at evolving IT

Copyright © 2024 CDW LLC 200 N. Milwaukee Avenue , Vernon Hills, IL 60061 Do Not Sell My Personal Information

20 Innovative Edtech Projects From Around the World

what did I miss?

For the past two decades, I've worked on issues at the intersection of the education and technology sectors in middle- and low-income countries and emerging markets around the world. It's been a fascinating job: Over the past 20 years, I've been an advisor to, evaluator of, and/or working-level participant in, educational technology ('edtech') initiatives in over 50 such countries. When it comes to ICT use in education, the promised revolution always seems to be just around the corner. Indeed: I am regularly pitched ideas by people who note that, while many past promises about the potential of the use of new technologies in education have failed to pan out, they are confident that "this time, it's different".

At the same time, I am quite often asked to help other folks identify intriguing initiatives that might, individually and/or collectively, illuminate emerging trends and approaches in this sector:

"I'm interested in examples of innovative educational technology projects from around the world, especially those primarily focused on helping teachers and learners in developing countries. In other words: Not the usual suspects. Can you suggest a few projects and companies that I might not know about -- but should?"

I receive a version of this request most every week (sometimes even multiple times in a single day). Given the frequency of such inquiries, I thought I'd quickly highlight 20 such efforts from around the world, in the hope that people might find this useful. The hope is to point readers in the direction of some interesting projects that they might not know much about, but from which there is much we can learn.

While I am not sure if, indeed, things will turn out to be 'different this time around', the overall volume of such projects, and the sophistication of many of them, are quite notable. There is more happening, in more places, than ever before. A number of efforts have been informed (in good ways) by past failures. That said, others will no doubt attempt to 'reinvent the flat tire' and display a characteristic common to Einstein's definition of insanity: "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Hopefully none of the groups profiled below will fall into that trap, but I suspect that a few of them might.

The list here, a mix of for-profit and non-profit initiatives, is deliberately idiosyncratic and non-representative (see the many caveats and explanations that follow below the list). Some of these projects are no doubt doomed to 'fail'; others will most likely be restructured more than once as they try, to borrow the words of Deng Xiaopeng, to "cross the river by feeling the stones". And maybe, just maybe, a few of them might actually turn out to be as 'transformative' as they hope to be.

Tech & Learning Newsletter

Tools and ideas to transform education. Sign up below.

With that said, and in alphabetical order, here are :

20 innovative edtech projects from around the world

1. ALISON ALISON provides free online courses. Considered by some to be the first 'MOOC' (a characterization that others may strongly contest , most people credit these folks ), it boasts a large number of learners in developing countries.

2. BRCK BRCK began by focusing on designing hardware and software products to help solve connectivity problems specific to many African contexts. Based out of the iHub in Nairobi, which is a regional epicenter for innovative educational technology initiatives in East Africa (a future EduTech blog post will highlight some of the fascinating edtech-related projects happening in Kenya in more detail), it now counts education as area of focused attention.

3. Bridge While not traditionally thought of as an edtech firm, the private education provider Bridge International Academies uses ICTs in many innovative ways as part of its business model. The company is, to be sure, a lightning rod for attention (a few minutes on Google, or on the related Wikipedia page , can serve as a jumping off point into related discussions that are worth having; my purpose is not to explore them here), but its use of technology is undeniably noteworthy. Much can be learned from this use about what's possible and practical, let alone what's desirable (as well as what isn't), when it comes to edtech in many educational settings in Africa. Disclaimer : Like Andela , Byju's and Coursera (all companies worthy of potential inclusion on this list), Bridge has received investments from the IFC , the private sector financing arm of the World Bank Group. I don't work on these investments (the IFC operates separately from my team at the World Bank), but I know the people who do.

4. EkStep In my mind, the most interesting large scale educational technology effort anywhere in the world right now is being led by EkStep , a philanthropic effort in India that is building open source platforms for use by government to help meet a number of challenges .

5. Eneza Eneza offers low-cost quizzes and related products to help learners in Kenya (and increasingly in other parts of Africa as well), especially when it comes to exam prep. It is a notable example of a 'mobile first' approac h to edtech.

6. Enuma (Kitkit School) Enuma is an XPRIZE finalist for its Kitkit School project. Drawing insights and expertise from working with students with special educational needs and from the world of online gaming, it aims to promote literacy and numeracy among young learners.

7. Foundation for Learning Equality The Foundation for Learning Equality (FLE) is best known for KAlite , an offline version of the Khan Academy. Building its experience with KAlite, FLE has developed Kolibri , which makes high quality education technology available for off-line use in low-resource communities.

8. Geekie Geekie , a graduate of the education accelerator supported by Brazil's Lemann Foundation , offers 'adaptive learning' solutions that are used by many learners in Brazil.

9. inABLE inABLE , a small Kenyan NGO, explores innovative uses of technologies to support the education of students with visual impairments.

10. Mindspark Mindspark is an adaptive-learning product from Educational Innovations that aims to help children to improve their skills in mathematics. It is the subject of one of the most notable rigorous evaluations of an edtech product, J-PAL's Disrupting Education? Experimental Evidence on Technology-Aided Instruction in India .

11. Nafham Nafham is a free online platform that hosts educational video lessons aligned to Egyptian and Syrian curricula.

12. OLE OLE , the Open Learning Exchange, coordinates an international network of organizations exploring the use of low-cost, locally relevant teaching and learning content in local languages in such places as Nepal and Ghana .

13. onebillion onebillion , an XPRIZE finalist , is exploring innovative approaches to promoting the development of literacy and numeracy skills among young children in Africa .

14. University of the People University of the People (UoPeople) is a tuition-free online university that offers accredited degrees , with a strong focus on supporting learners in developing countries.

15. Pratham Books' Storyweaver Storyweaver , an initiative of Pratham Books , a not-for-profit children's book publisher in India, is an online platform that connects readers, authors, illustrators, and translators to create free stories for children around the world in their mother tongue .

16. Rumie Rumie provides free learning content to students around the world, with special attention to some of the most challenging educational environments .

17. Siyavula Siyavula provides openly licensed, curriculum-aligned Open Education Resources (OERs) for learners in South Africa (and beyond ).

18. Ubongo Ubongo is a non-profit social enterprise that creates interactive edutainment for kids in Africa. Based in Tanzania, it is perhaps most famous for its Ubongo Kids educational cartoon.

19. WorldReader WorldReader provides free access to digital books through mobile apps and platforms to readers in developing countries.

20. __ #20 is left deliberately blank here, as an acknowledgement that this list just scratches the surface. I could easily have done a second (and third, and fourth) list of 20 (or 19) projects that would be just as varied and intriguing as this one.

A few related caveats and explanations :

• I fully acknowledge that there is a decidedly Africa-centric focus here. For the past few years, I have spent more time talking to African entrepreneurs, and those who support (and in some cases impede) them, than I have with similar groups from other places, and I'll admit to a geographical bias as a result. (That said, astute readers will notice, for example, that nothing from Nigeria is highlighted here -- a rather large omission!).
• On a related note : There is also an over-representation of initiatives based in North America that are predominantly focused on working with educators and learners in in low and middle income countries. I am based in Washington, DC, and many of these groups pass through town, so it is easier for me to be in contact with them.
• The country which I consider to offer the most interesting and innovative edtech projects, many of which are largely unknown outside of its borders, is China . No Chinese projects or firms are listed here, as this will be the topic of a follow-on blog post.
• There are a few projects listed from India, but as with China, I could have assembled multiple lists like this focusing only on India, given the related activity and ferment happening there. This will also be the topic of a follow-up blog post.
• Depending on time and requests, I might offer similar lists focusing only on other countries across Asia (there are many innovative efforts in Pakistan and Indonesia, for example, that are not well known internationally which might be of interest to a global audience).
• Projects supported by traditional publishers are absent from this list. This is not meant to imply that there isn't a lot of innovative stuff happening as traditional publishers continuing their 'transition to digital'. Of course there is. That said, such efforts tend to be well-chronicled elsewhere, and these groups have their own well-financed marketing and PR arms, and so I have not mentioned any of them here. (I'll note parenthetically, and for what it's worth, that a good number of the efforts listed here utilize open educational resources , or OER.) The same goes for education efforts of large tech firms, although a number of the projects listed here have been supported in various ways by large tech firms, under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and/or business development efforts.
• To my knowledge, few (if any) of these projects are based in Silicon Valley. That choice is deliberate (and it means that very interesting initiatives like Cell-Ed are omitted).
• A World Bank colleague of mine covers Latin America, and so I've largely omitted projects from there from this list here. (There's only a single project from Brazil ... that country will be the topic of a related follow-on post.)
• I've left off a number of very interesting an innovative projects and groups that have already been the focus of previous EduTech posts (which have, for example, featured Coursera , CyberSmart Africa , PlanetRead , Talking Book , and Ustad Mobile ). All are worthy of inclusion here .
• I've also left off national, government-supported educational technology initiatives, as these are regularly featured on the EduTech blog . For what it's worth, a good number of these will be highlighted in an upcoming series of country-specific posts.

Looking for other examples of innovative edtech projects from around the world? Here are some places to look:

• Buried within a recent (and very good) Brookings report on educational innovations around the world ( Can we leapfrog? The potential of education innovations to rapidly accelerate progress ; it's quite good, you should definitely have a look) is a short list of 'Innovations Spotters'. These groups, which identify, analyze and/or support innovative education projects (many of which utilize ICTs) can be found on p. 84 of the Brookings report. They include: Ashoka Fellows and Changemaker Schools; R4D–CEI Program Database; EdSurge Curriculum Products; WISE–ed.hub, awards, and prizes; OECD Innovative Learning Environments; Graduate XXI/IDB; HundrED Finnish 100; InnoveEdu; USAID and mEducation Alliance ; UNICEF–Innovation Fund and Mapping; Harvard Global Education Innovations Initiative; Teach for All–Alumni Incubator; Development Innovation Ventures; Humanitarian Education Accelerator; and the Global Innovation Fund. Very helpfully, Brookings has made available a spreadsheet for download (note that this is an Excel file) that contains its master list of over 2850 (!) projects.
• The Global Learning XPRIZE is "a competition that challenges teams from around the world to develop open source scalable software solution that will enable children in developing countries to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic within the 18-month competition field-testing period". While some critics may be put off by this prize, considering it to be an example of 'techno-utopian Silicon Valley solutionism' (if not ' ed-tech imperialism ') that is harmful or unproductive, the quality of many of the groups competing for this prize (two of the finalists are in the list above) are absolutely top-notch. In my perspective, no other group has been as successful as XPRIZE in catalyzing diverse groups of talented educators, researchers and technologists to come together to develop tools and products explicitly meant to address the needs of learners in very difficult learning environments in low income countries. Will this work? Who knows, and the cautionary words of critics are well worth considering, but the semi-finalist and finalist competitors are really a top-notch bunch.
• UNICEF and the Center for Education Innovations at R4D have identified many notable programs in this regard. Here's a big list of many of them.
• A number of initiatives have been singled out for recognition under the WISE Prize for Education ; the WISE Accelerator has supported a number of efforts that it hopes many merit recognition for the WISE prize in future years.
• Start-up activity in the education sector across Africa has been simmering for a while. A number of firms are receiving support from the Injini accelerator; Teresa Mbagaya and VentureBurn highlight some others. The famous Silicon Valley startup incubator/accelerator Y Cominator has traditionally shied away from supporting edtech firms and non-profit efforts ( OpenCurriculum has been a notable exception), but this may be beginning to change . An e xcellent recent report from Caribou Digital concludes that "an ad-supported internet isn’t going to be sustainable in emerging markets". If this is true, it might be that it will be from emerging markets and the do-called 'developing world' that some of the most innovative edtech business models might emerge.

Have I missed other resources and projects? Absolutely. Some people may disagree with the aims or approaches of some of these groups; others may think that we need a lot more efforts like those listed above (I suppose it's possible to hold both views as well.) Hopefully, though, I've helped point some people towards some projects and organizations that they've never heard about, but which they might find of interest: to support; to collaborate with; and/or to engage with critically. I do think, however, that we can learn something from all of them.

Note : The image used at the top of this blog post ("Oh no, what am I missing?") comes from Pixabay and is in the public domain ( CC0 1.0 ).

cross posted at blogs.worldbank.org/edutech

Michael Trucano is the World Bank's Senior Education & Technology Policy Specialist and Global Lead for Innovation in Education, serving as the organization's focal point on issues at the intersection of technology use and education in middle- and low-income countries and emerging markets around the world. Read more at blogs.worldbank.org/edutech .

Bringing AI, STEM and Robots To American Samoa

UN Research Sheds Light On AI Bias

Microsoft Copilot: How To Use It To Teach

Most Popular

By Diana Restifo 28 March 2024

By Matthew X. Joseph 25 March 2024

By Erik Ofgang 25 March 2024

By Steve Baule and Dillon Martinez 25 March 2024

By Ray Bendici 22 March 2024

By Sascha Zuger 21 March 2024

By Erik Ofgang 21 March 2024

By Michael Gaskell 19 March 2024

By Frank Pileiro 15 March 2024

By Ray Bendici, Diana Restifo 14 March 2024

These 12 innovators are transforming the future of education

Quality education is vital in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but this has been significantly disrupted by COVID-19. Image:  UNSPLASH/Ivan Aleksic

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Michele Parmelee

.chakra .wef-9dduvl{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-9dduvl{font-size:1.125rem;}} Explore and monitor how .chakra .wef-15eoq1r{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-size:1.25rem;color:#F7DB5E;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-15eoq1r{font-size:1.125rem;}} Education is affecting economies, industries and global issues

.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;color:#2846F8;font-size:1.25rem;}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-1nk5u5d{font-size:1.125rem;}} Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale

Stay up to date:.

Listen to the article

• COVID-19 continues to disrupt schoolchildren’s right to a quality education.
• In March 2021, schools in 57 countries were still closed, according to the World Bank.
• Deloitte launched the World Class Education Challenge on the World Economic Forum's UpLink platform to search for innovators who are bridging gaps in learning and access.
• Deloitte will invest US$1 million in the 12 top innovations, announced today, supporting them to scale their solutions to impact more learners. This is part of Deloitte’s World Class ambition to provide educational opportunities to 100 million individuals by 2030.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s workers, problem-solvers and leaders. Access to a quality education is vital not just for children to thrive, but for social and economic development.

The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals set out that every child should have a free, quality primary and secondary level education. It’s estimated that the disruptions to education resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have set back progress in educational gains by 20 years . While all students were impacted by the pandemic, the difference between the privileged, and those being left behind, has widened even further.

In India, for example, one study suggests nearly 40% of students in less privileged households have not been able to study at all. And the government estimates some 30 million schoolchildren have no access to smartphones, devices or the internet to attend school online.

World Class Education Challenge

Deloitte is committed to using this moment to truly catalyze change. We must identify what is working, the new ways and innovations that are delivering results for students, and scale them. To find ideas with the highest potential for impact and scale, Deloitte ran the World Class Education Challenge on the World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform.

The Challenge had three focus areas: providing equitable access for students being left behind; investing in teachers’ development; and equipping students with the skills they will need in 2030. It focused on finding solutions in Africa, India and Asia Pacific.

From almost 400 submissions, 12 innovators have been selected. These individuals and their organizations will work alongside Deloitte professionals to help address the global education crisis. They will also receive up to US$1 million in professional services on a pro bono basis and financial grants.

Announcing the Top UpLink innovators

The 12 innovations chosen to be Top UpLink innovators are:

Developed with the needs of African teachers in mind, Learnable is an augmented teaching assistant that allows teachers to compose and distribute dynamic, interactive lessons via a dedicated mobile app and WhatsApp. Lessons can be saved offline, so that students do not need constant internet access.

Nomad Education

Nomad Education is a free mobile app which offers 350 academic certificates that helps more than 1 million francophone children every year to succeed in their studies, whatever their social, geographic or academic background.

Pan-African Robotics Competition

The Pan-African Robotics Competition (PARC) is the largest robotics competition in Africa and has educated more than a 1000 African youth in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM), while also offering a Virtual Learning Platform (VLP) to enable the African youth to virtually learn to code, design and build their own robots. It also integrates a feature for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

A lack of quality STEM education directly impacts productivity and economic development in Nigeria. Millions of students have no access to traditional laboratories, which are expensive to build and maintain, says Oyebisi. StanLab is a cloud-based, 3D virtual laboratory platform, providing near real-life laboratory experience for students without access to physical laboratories.

UCT Online High School

UCT Online High School's mission is to turn physical limitations into digital opportunities for Africa’s children to access aspirational, quality secondary school education. Its purpose-built online school and free online curriculum pave the way for high quality, online and blended learning to be delivered at scale, and stimulate digital transformation of the education systems on the continent.

Call-A-Kahaani

Emotional intelligence, critical thinking and problem solving are key skills for the future of work. Call-a-Kahaani is Udhyam Learning Foundation's Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platform to empower youth with entrepreneurial mindsets, leveraging engaging interactive storytelling.

Ekatra is a tool for educators and organizations to deliver learning at scale, using text (including SMS and WhatsApp) message-based micro courses targeted to improve learning, with the mission to bring important knowledge to people no matter what their circumstances are.

Rocket Learning

Rocket Learning builds vibrant digital communities of parents and teachers to support foundational learning for some of the world's most underprivileged children. It is helping 20,000 teachers reach over 200,000 parents daily with contextualized content in their local language sent via WhatsApp groups. This supports parents with the crucial early years education, including teaching children to recognize letters and numbers.

ASIA PACIFIC

#GenEducators

An initiative of Generation Peace, this solution aims to empower educators to reinvent the way they teach. The web-based learning platform is designed to help Indonesian educators encourage innovation in their classrooms – and raise the next generation of critical thinkers. It offers practical tools, proven strategies, and best practices from around the world to inspire future change-makers.

Komerce is transforming the lives of rural Indonesian communities by unlocking e-commerce potential through education. The innovative platform teaches Indonesian youth e-commerce skills, and connects them with small and medium-sized enterprises in their rural towns, to both boost the local economy and provide opportunities for young people.

Scaling Skills That Matter

An innovation of The Posify Group, The Posify Academy is a student-led, evidence-based combined well-being and career development platform, arming youth with a sense of purpose and equipping them with future skills, so they can navigate this rapidly evolving world with confidence, and uncover and deliver their unique potential.

Tech-Voc Career Accelerator Program

An initiative of Edukasyon.ph, Tech-Voc Career Accelerator drives youth not in education, employment and training (NEET) in the Philippines to the frontlines of employment by transforming their interest into a passion for technical-vocational work through holistic skills development, industry training and linkages, and continuous learning.

The group of top innovators submitted to the education challenge were officially announced during the Sustainable Development Impact Summit. You can watch the session and find out more about the solutions here .

Have you read?

What will education look like in 20 years here are 4 scenarios, the evolution of global education and 5 trends emerging amidst covid-19, a silent and unequal education crisis. and the seeds for its solution., don't miss any update on this topic.

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

The Agenda .chakra .wef-n7bacu{margin-top:16px;margin-bottom:16px;line-height:1.388;font-weight:400;} Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

.chakra .wef-1dtnjt5{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;-webkit-flex-wrap:wrap;-ms-flex-wrap:wrap;flex-wrap:wrap;} More on Education .chakra .wef-nr1rr4{display:-webkit-inline-box;display:-webkit-inline-flex;display:-ms-inline-flexbox;display:inline-flex;white-space:normal;vertical-align:middle;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:0.75rem;border-radius:0.25rem;font-weight:700;-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;line-height:1.2;-webkit-letter-spacing:1.25px;-moz-letter-spacing:1.25px;-ms-letter-spacing:1.25px;letter-spacing:1.25px;background:none;padding:0px;color:#B3B3B3;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;}@media screen and (min-width:37.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:0.875rem;}}@media screen and (min-width:56.5rem){.chakra .wef-nr1rr4{font-size:1rem;}} See all

How boosting women’s financial literacy could help you live a long, fulfilling life 

Morgan Camp

April 9, 2024

How universities can use blockchain to transform research

Scott Doughman

March 12, 2024

Empowering women in STEM: How we break barriers from classroom to C-suite

Genesis Elhussein and Julia Hakspiel

March 1, 2024

Why we need education built for peace – especially in times of war

February 28, 2024

These 5 key trends will shape the EdTech market upto 2030

Malvika Bhagwat

February 26, 2024

With Generative AI we can reimagine education — and the sky is the limit

Oguz A. Acar

February 19, 2024

• Future Students
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff

News and Media

• News & Media Home
• Research Stories
• School's In
• In the Media

You are here

How technology is reinventing education.

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of  Stanford Graduate School of Education  (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the  Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately  worried  that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or  coach  students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the  AI + Education initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of  CRAFT  (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the  Digital Learning initiative  at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of  virtual field trips  to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

More Stories

⟵ Go to all Research Stories

Get the Educator

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

• Contact Admissions
• GSE Leadership
• Site Feedback
• Web Accessibility
• Career Resources
• Faculty Open Positions
• Explore Courses
• Academic Calendar
• Office of the Registrar
• Cubberley Library
• StanfordWho
• StanfordYou

Improving lives through learning

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Emergency Info
• Terms of Use
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

• Become a Member
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computational Thinking
• Digital Citizenship
• Edtech Selection
• Global Collaborations
• STEAM in Education
• Teacher Preparation
• ISTE Certification
• School Partners
• Career Development
• ISTELive 24
• 2024 ASCD Annual Conference
• Solutions Summit
• Leadership Exchange
• 2024 ASCD Leadership Summit
• Edtech Product Database
• Solutions Network
• Sponsorship & Advertising
• Sponsorship & Advertising
• Learning Library

The Hottest Topics in Edtech for 2022!

• Education Leadership

For a few years now, we’ve shared on this blog the hottest edtech trends of the year based on the topics resonating with educators who submit proposals to present at the annual ISTE conference . The topics that presenters submit can tell us a lot about what educators are interested in — and experimenting with — in their schools and classrooms.

Often the topics don’t change much from year to year, but that hasn’t been the case the past two years. 

Last year, after many months of remote learning under their belts, educators were eager to share their best practices about online learning, as well as how to build equity and boost social emotional learning, which were three of the hottest topics going into 2021.

While those topics made the list again this year, there were some surprises at the top of the list. Here are the eight hottest topics for 2022, starting with No 8. 

8. Augmented, mixed and virtual reality 

The ISTE community has been excited about this topic for years now, but it’s been elevated recently as tools for immersive learning become more affordable, accessible and easier for both teachers and students to use.

“Education has just started to tap into what it can bring,” says Camilla Gagliolo, a longtime educator and ISTE’s senior director of event content. “Personally, I’m really excited about the growth in AR/VR and in immersive learning.”

Augmented reality involves superimposing a computer-generated image on your view of the real world. Think Pokemon Go. 

Virtual reality is a 3D, computer-generated environment that you can immerse yourself in. Using an Oculus or a similar headset, you can transport yourself to a another place or time and interact within it, whether it’s visiting the Great Pyramid of Giza or exploring the functions of the human body.

Some of the newer trends involve being able to interact with historical events that have been recreated in a virtual environment. So, you can show up at an event and actually be part of it — well, sort of.

The pandemic has caused a lot of educators to focus on how to better engage students in content online, and AR/VR is a sure-fire way to do that. 

In addition to having students experience learning through AR/VR, many educators are helping students create their own experiences.

Look for sessions on how to do this and much more with AR/VR in your classroom when the ISTELive 22 program goes live in February.

7. Social-emotional learning

As soon as COVID-19 closed school buildings in 2020, it was immediately clear that educators would need to do far more than teach their students. Every single student was struggling with something in addition to trying to adapt to a new way of learning, and educators were on the front lines of helping students feel safe, secure, emotionally stable and ready to learn. 

But many of their needs — like food, internet and medical care — were shared by the whole family, so educators realized they couldn’t help students in isolation. They had to work with families as a whole. 

In a way, roles were reversed — or at least blurred: Educators helped families meet their basic needs by assisting them with finding resources like meals, child care and other services, while parents took over a lot of the teaching tasks. 

What evolved was a whole-village approach to education, where, for the first time on a grand scale, teachers and schools were working in concert with students and families. 

“When the parent community took over the teaching, the teachers had to help the parents help the children,” Gagliolo said. “There is a new role for parents, and I think this is going to change how we work with parents going forward.”

Many individual educators and school systems as a whole developed innovative ways of working with parents and are eager to share what they’ve learned at ISTELive 22 .

6. Equity and inclusion

Never has equity and inclusion seemed more urgent than in the past two years. The pandemic brought inequities — whether they were due to socio-economic status, special needs or the family circumstances of the student — into sharp focus. 

The most immediate need was devices and bandwidth. Schools, government, the business sector and local communities combined forces to deliver devices and connectivity to nearly every household in the country, but that's not enough.

“ It took a pandemic to give every kid a device,” Gagliolo says. “Now the challenge is to get meaningful learning with these devices.”

Educators have been doing just that — experimenting with ways to make learning more engaging, student-centered and inclusive with technology tools.

 “Even Zoom has become a tool of access,” Gagliolo says. “The pandemic actually brought to the forefront what tech can do to bridge equity and meet the need for tools, platforms and access.”

Although the learning curve was high, many educators discovered strategies and ideas for making learning more accessible to a range of learners using various tools. And they are eager to share what worked at ISTELive 22.

5. Online tools and apps

This topic has been a favorite of presenters and ISTE conference participants for years because it appeals to the tech geek in all of us. But this time around, there’s an emphasis on highlighting tools that — just like students and educators themselves — have made a big leap in what they are capable of because of the pandemic.

“There’s been so much improvement in tools and apps,” Gagliolo said. “They were forced to be much more stable. They can handle more interaction and have developed features for connecting students with teachers.”

A lot of what the newest versions of tools are offering allow students to learn — and share their learning — in a variety of ways, whether it’s being able to quickly upload a video, make a comment via a sound recording, or create and quickly upload an artifact.

Free creation tools like Adobe Spark as well as myriad video-creation tools have taken a big leap in terms of ease of use and accessibility.    

4. Distance, online, blended learning

This was hands-down the hottest topic of 2021 as educators around the globe were still learning how to best transition their teaching to online formats. The biggest hurdle at first was how to use the tools. The learning curve was high as educators had to figure out everything from creating breakout groups in Zoom and Teams to establishing rules about cameras and appropriate backgrounds. 

This year the topic is less about how to use the technology and more about how to best engage students. 

And the stakes are high. Disengaged students can simply turn off their cameras when they are bored. But with the threat of learning loss looming, no educator wants any student to miss out on access to learning. So they’ve been coming up with lots of ways to stimulate collaboration and build community — online and in person. 

“There are a lot of new strategies and new tools developed over the past two years that engage students at a high level,” Gagliolo says. 

Although it’s not exactly new, she points to FlipGrid, as a tool that’s being used in diverse ways. It allows students to record comments, facilitates a connection between home and school, and lets students demonstrate their storytelling chops.

And speaking of tools, learning management systems, once the bane of educators’ existence, have enjoyed a resurgence. Educators in general have become more comfortable with these tools and are seeing the potential for communicating with students and parents in a much more streamlined way. 

3. Computer science and computational thinking

Computer science and computational thinking have long been a favorite topic of teachers who love technology and see it as a gateway for their students to enter STEM careers. So it’s no surprise that it made it to the No. 3 spot on the list.

What is more surprising is the evolution of computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) as something strictly reserved for math and science class to a discipline that has infiltrated all subjects, from literature and art to music and dance.

“You think of CS and CT as being for math and science, but we’re seeing educators incorporating it into language learning and storytelling quite a bit,” Gagliolo says. “It’s taking different shapes and forms and not just in the traditional areas.” 

Tools like Scratch, Snap, Tynker and KODU allow students to use programming to create stories. They develop their characters, or sprites, and build out their environments. “They can create their world and their scenario,” Gagliolo says.

2. Instructional design and delivery

Of all the topics on the list, this one is perhaps the most exciting because it illustrates a sophistication in how educators are thinking about educational technology, Gagliolo says. The focus is on educational strategies and instruction with technology for higher-order thinking — not tools and gadgets.

“The pedagogy and learning strategies are rising to the top more than the technology topics,” Gagliolo said. “It shows that awareness that learning comes first and tech tools are there to support.”

Instructional design and delivery covers an array of topics from designing content in online formats that is accessible to all learners to ensuring that the content is culturally relevant. It covers ways to encourage community and interaction among students and teachers as well as an awareness of research on how students learn and how online delivery differs from face to face. 

This information is not just from educators who have the instructional designer title. Remote learning  made educators of all subject areas and grade bands realize that they, too, were assuming the role of instructional designers. 

1. Project-based learning 

Also known as problem- and challenge-based learning, PBL is a model where students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. 

While this model isn’t new to ISTE presenters, what’s astonishing is that it landed on the top, Gagliano said. What it shows is that as educators become more comfortable with various tools, they are focusing more on pedagogy and how to guide students to use tools to practice their personal passions and achieve their goals.

“It’s a level of maturity that ISTE has advocated for for a long time,” she said. "It’s more about the learning strategy than the tool.”

Many of the conference proposals related to PBL are for poster sessions, which means these are from educators eager to show a project their students have taken on. What that shows is that PBL has moved from the theoretical to the practical. These are projects that have been tested in classrooms around the world.

Many of them, Gagliolo says, are related to design thinking. Students are coming up with problems and solutions, prototyping and iterating. 

Diana Fingal is ISTE's director of editorial content.

• artificial intelligence

Digital Technologies in Education

The use of information and communication technologies in education can play a crucial role in providing new and innovative forms of support to teachers, students, and the learning process more broadly.

The World Bank Group is the largest financier of education in the developing world, working on education programs in more than 80 countries to provide quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.

The WBG works in partnership with governments and organizations worldwide to support innovative projects, timely research, and knowledge sharing activities about the effective and appropriate use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in education systems -- "EdTech" -- to strengthen learning and contribute to poverty reduction around the world, as part of its larger work related to education .

The World Bank estimated the levels of “Learning Poverty” across the globe by measuring the number of 10-year old children who cannot read and understand a simple story by the end of primary school. In low- and middle-income countries “learning poverty” stands at 53%, while for the poorest countries, this is 80% on average.  With the spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), 180+ countries mandated temporary school closures, leaving ~1.6 billion children and youth out of school at its height and affecting approximately 85% of children world-wide. While most countries are working towards re-opening schools, there are still intermittent closures and use of hybrid learning. 

Reflecting on COVID Response and Remote Learning

Technology played and continues to play an essential role to deliver education to the students outside of school. Commendably, all countries were able to deploy remote learning technologies using a combination of TV, Radio, Online and Mobile Platforms. However, many children in low income countries did not participate in remote learning with about a third of low income countries reporting that 50% of children had not been reached in a joint UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank survey . The pandemic has also led to significant losses in learning. School closures and limited access to remote learning means that Learning Poverty is likely to worsen from 53% to 63% especially in low-income countries if no remediation interventions are taken.  

The crisis has starkly highlighted the inequalities in digital access and that ‘business as usual’ will not work for delivery of education to all children. To close the digital divides in Education and leverage the power of technology to accelerate learning, reduce learning poverty, and support skills development a focus must be placed in bridging the gaps in: i) digital infrastructure (connectivity, devices and software); ii) human infrastructure (teacher capacity, student skills and parental support); and iii) logistical and administrative systems to deploy and maintain tech architecture.

Education systems must adapt. It is against this backdrop that the EdTech team at the World Bank has identified five key questions to address in the short to medium term. These questions touch on the need to re-imagine education, to provide an equitable, engaging and fun learning experience for all children.

How can countries leverage EdTech investments to develop resilient hybrid learning systems?   This question requires both reflecting on the lessons from implementation of remote learning during COVID and addressing the new digital infrastructure access divide.  The World Bank is working with countries to identify how to address issues of affordable connectivity, device procurement, cloud solutions and multi-modal delivery of education.  Moreover, the investments that countries have made in remote learning could be leveraged address existing challenges in education. Many countries are now thinking about a dual role for remote learning: as an insurance policy against future calamites especially in a world experiencing climate change as well as a way to reach out of school children and provide a lifelong education to all citizens.  

How can countries recover learning loss, more effectively harness data and personalize learning with technology? The World Bank is deepening its work on adaptive learning systems, remote assessment and how education systems can more effectively use learning analytics to personalize education.  A major part of this work will be developing a new strategy for Education Management Information Systems (EMIS 2.0) to support more effective use of data.  

What are the changing roles and new skills for teachers in hybrid learning systems and how can additional human connections be leveraged through technology? The World Bank is exploring teacher competency frameworks, teacher networks, and communities of innovative teachers to support countries to empower teachers.  Teachers are still central to learning even, or rather, especially in an environment rich with technology. Evidence is growing that bypassing Teachers and not engaging them with technology does not lead to student learning improvement.

How can countries leverage open technology ecosystems to expand access to quality content and learning experiences? The World Bank will collaborate with partners developing open global public goods and strategies to engage the large ecosystem of innovators in client countries to support the design and development of new educational content and curriculum.  The team will develop communities of practice around EdTech innovation hubs and creative talent to develop new open educational libraries.  A key content area of focus will be climate change.

How can technology support the development, measurement and accreditation of future skills? The World Bank will support countries to define 21st century competencies in students and teachers; explore ways to more effectively measure these skills and accredit these skills in collaboration with external partners sharing knowledge and experience in communities of practice on hard to measure skills and blockchain for education.  

Education technology by itself is not a panacea

Though investment in EdTech has been increasing, learning and outcomes as a result have not changed considerably in many countries. An OECD report found that, when it comes to impact of computer usage in schools as measured through PISA, “impact on student performance is mixed, at best."  COVID however has changed the debate on EdTech from a question of if to a question of how.  Experience to date highlights that teaching and learning remotely is not the same as face-to-face pedagogy.  Many teachers with access to e-content, for instance, use it like any another textbook to read from in class.  Some adjustments include shorter and more modular content, more engaging content such as edutainment, continuous feedback, smaller group on-line discussions on more open-ended questions. Education at its heart is about human connections and relationships.  While we can never replace the magic that happens between great teachers and students in an in-person environment, we should focus on the social aspects of technology to enhance connections from a distance. Much more attention must be directed on how technology will enhance teaching and learning in a blended learning environment reaching students, both in school and at home.

World Bank EdTech Strategy

As education systems invest in EdTech, the World Bank advocates these five principles for how to design and implement technology to re-imagine education:

1. ASK WHY:   EdTech policies need to be developed with a clear purpose, strategy and vision of the intended education change to address the learning crisis.

If technology is the answer, what is the question? Education technology should be focused on the “education” and not just on the “technology”. Before investing in and deploying EdTech, policymakers must ask what education challenges need to be addressed and what resulting change is desired.  Policies must be holistic to account for teacher capacity and incentives, appropriate digital learning resources linked to the curriculum, and formative assessments that capture learning.  Education at its core is a human-centered socially intensive endeavor. Technology is a means to these goals.

2. DESIGN FOR SCALE: EdTech design should be flexible and user-centered with equity and inclusion at its heart in order to realize scale and sustainability for all.

Design for scale begins with proactive engagement and empathy for all possible end-users -- students, teachers, administrators, parents, etc. Engagement with different users will reveal different needs. Understanding these needs will lead to inclusive and flexible designs that will be equitable and hence scalable.  Today, the use of EdTech has demonstrated and is exacerbating inequities in education systems.  This need not be the case.  Beginning the design process with how technology can be utilized for all will lead to initiatives that are equitable and adaptable to specific contexts and thereby sustainable at scale.

3. EMPOWER TEACHERS: Technology should enhance teacher engagement with students through access to content, data and networks allowing them to focus on personalized student learning.EdTech cannot replace teachers, it can only augment teaching.

Evidence from around the world shows that, over time, the role of teachers become more central, and not peripheral, as the result of the effective use of EdTech.  Technology will replace some of what teachers currently do, while at the same time supporting teachers as they take on new, often more sophisticated duties and responsibilities as a result of technological change. Teachers can be facilitators of learning, part of a learning team, a collaborator with outside expert mentors, a team leader on a project-based learning activity, etc. At the same time, in those circumstances where there is a scarcity of teachers or low-capacity teachers, technology can play an important role in assisting learners to, in part, overcome this absence. Where teachers lack content or pedagogical knowledge, technology can support structured lesson plans or text-based nudges to build this capacity. Teachers’ use of technology will empower them to leverage an array of resources to provide more focused, personalized learning to students.

4. ENGAGE THE ECOSYSTEM: Education systems should take a whole of government and multi-stakeholder approach to engage and incorporate the most innovative ideas to support student learning.Ministries of Education should leverage all stakeholders in the education system when developing and implementing EdTech programs and policies. The best content, software, applications, algorithms and edutainment will be spread across many innovators in the country and around the world.

Ministries of Education should actively identify ways to find, incentive, integrate and sustain the creators in their country. This content can be delivered over the most appropriate channel – radio, TV, mobile, web – and bundled with data on learning and feedback to support continuous learning.  This ecosystem includes key stakeholders such as students, teachers, school leaders, parents, NGOs, donors and the private sector including app developers, publishers, equipment manufacturers, telecommunication companies and cloud service providers. Clearly, EdTech requires that all these actors work in concert to a common goal taking a “whole of government approach.” Successful EdTech policies and deployments requires that Ministries of Education leverage all stakeholders – inside and outside the education system.

5. DATA DRIVEN: Transparent standards and interoperable data architecture supports evidence-based decision making and a culture of learning and experimentation.

Technology can and should be used to easily collect data from educational institutions, analyze this data and support decision making. Technology is currently available to measure outcomes, track student performance, manage student retention, track book distribution, manage teacher recruitment, track education system spending, etc. Without these, countries will not be as efficient in supporting schools, students and teachers. This data however is diffused through various systems in Ministries of Education and other parts of government. Countries must have flexible, scalable systems that avoid data silos that don’t talk to one another and vendor-lock in (where future decisions on the use of EdTech are constrained by technology choices made in the past). To operationalize this principle, Ministries of Education should promote transparent standards that facilitate interoperability of systems, data and content and remove barriers to competition in order to promote a data-driven decision-making culture.  Many times, learnings from this data is not fed back into the system.  A culture of gathering rigorous data about the ‘impact of EdTech’ must be priority. With the pace of technological change, evidence quickly becomes stale. Hence, constant learning through iteration, controlled experimentation, and nimble evaluations is critical to separate ‘hope’ from 'hype' surrounding different technologies and informing all further EdTech decisions. The culture of data-driven decision making must be strengthened.

In order to operationalize these principles, the World Bank focuses on the discovery, diffusion and deployment of new technologies.  

Discover, document, generate and analyze evidence-based technology solutions in education attuned to developing countries. 

The World Bank supports the EdTech community across countries to discover new innovations, build the evidence base and facilitate the transformation of ministries of education into learning organizations. In some sense, policy makers are supported to think like a system, but act like entrepreneurs. This is achieved through institutional support for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) into projects that use EdTech; the inclusion of partnerships with like-minded organizations and the development of global public goods that can be used across multiple countries.

Diffuse this knowledge widely across policy makers in our client countries and support capacity development to better use this new knowledge. The World Bank promotes multi-stakeholder approaches, including partnerships beyond the traditional education sector, to support the effective, appropriate and impactful use of EdTech.

The World Bank works in partnership with governments, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, private companies, civil society and communities worldwide to support innovative projects, timely research, and knowledge-sharing about EdTech with the ultimate goal of improving teaching and learning. To do this, it invests in the capabilities of its staff to identify and lead partnerships, drawing on relevant experience and expertise. The World Bank also recognizes the role played by the private sector and seeks to harness its innovation and ingenuity to strengthen efficiencies in the public sector.  This approach of networking expertise is critical to ensure that EdTech experiences are effectively shared across regions and that last-mile support to educational institutions supports implementation of government programs.

Deploy solutions, at the pilot level and at scale, tackling adoption barriers (including in procurement) and in ways informed by evidence, and which allow for efficient course correction. The World Bank supports countries as they seek to strengthen and expand existing educational practices and approaches through the use of new technologies, as well as to transform them. The World Bank works with partners to develop digital global public goods that adhere to its 5 EdTech principles. These digital global public goods are digitized knowledge and ideas that countries can build upon and adapt to their contexts.

To execute this strategy the World Bank will provide support to countries through lending operations, partnership networks, and development of digital global public goods in support of the overall World Bank education approach.

Reimagining Human Connections: Technology and Innovation in Education at the World Bank

Current and Past Projects

Notable recent projects include:

• In Burundi, the Burundi Skills for Jobs: Women and Youth aims at supporting job creation for women and youth, with a focus on digital skills and support the creation of a new Institute of Computer Science/Computer Engineering and Digital Transformation, anchored at the University of Burundi in partnership with world class universities.
• In Nigeria, the Edo Basic Education Sector and Skills Transformation Operation leverages technology to improve  teaching  and  learning  processes  in  basic  education  and has institutionalized remote learning EdoBEST@Home program to provide access to all students outside school.
• In Pakistan, the Higher Education Development Project  includes support to equip Students and Higher Education Institutions with Modern Technology and to leverage technology to improve the teaching, learning and research environment in Pakistan including upgrading Pakistan’s National Research and Education Network (NREN)).
• In Morocco, the pandemic created an electroshock on the education system that motivated the country to come up with a new system that prepares the schools for the new realities and for the future of education. Classrooms are kept smaller and new methods of teaching have been developed to enable teachers to animate classes in a way that students understand better. In addition, the schools are more connected than ever. System of evaluation of the new way of teaching and learning is being developed. Complementing, but not replacing in-person teaching by online classes. Developing pedagogical models that support the return to school and provide different learning formats for different situations/students. Morocco is introducing a hybrid-model for families to choose.
• In Turkey, an COVID emergency response Project – Safe Schooling and Distance Education Project aims to build future resilience in the education system by creating a new hybrid learning model to support access to digital resources, improve connectivity and access to education data. The Project will also build out the national ecosystem of innovators to support the development of new learning resources and build capacity of teachers to effectively use these digital resources to support hybrid learning.  
• EVOKE, an online alternate reality game supporting social innovation among young people around the world including a latest iteration on use of Blockchain for conditional cash transfer in Colombia. Also support for FabLabs in higher education institutions in countries like Bangladesh, research into the use of e-readers in schools in Lagos, and pilots of the Khan Academy in Nigeria and Guyana.
• Join Upcoming Events (Twitter Announcements)
• Learn about Past Events (Events Archive)

Resources 

We release a number of publications each year on specific projects and themes related to technology and innovation in education.  See attached a sample of some of these resources linked to the critical questions we will address in the coming year:

1. How can countries leverage EdTech investments to develop resilient hybrid learning systems?  

• What is Hybrid Learning?
• Exploring the potential of Digital Infrastructure
• Understanding the perceived effectiveness of remote learning – lessons from 18 countries
• How can countries implement low tech remote learning?
• Remote Learning During COVID-19 – how to implement multi-channel delivery

2. How can countries recover learning loss, more effectively harness data and personalize learning with technology? 

• Mitigating learning losses and accelerating learning through Adaptive Learning
• Considering an adaptive learning system – a roadmap for policy makers
• Remote Assessment – Potential of phone-based formative assessments to support learning continuity

3. What are the changing roles and new skills for teachers in hybrid learning systems and how can additional human connections be leveraged through technology?  

• Supporting teachers in the age of the pandemic
• The Changing Role of Teachers and Technologies amidst the COVID-19 pandemic  
• Transforming how teachers use technology
• How to use technology to help teacher be better

4. How can countries leverage open technology ecosystems to expand access to quality content and learning experiences?  

• Open Learning Management Systems – How to select and evaluate
• Open Educational Resources are free but you still need to invest to use them

5. How can technology support the development, measurement and accreditation of future skills?   

• Reimagining Youth Skills
• Leveraging Blockchain
• Digital Learning and Skills part I

Comprehensive list of past publications (Archive)

Download Knowledge Packs

Knowledge Packs are resources developed by the World Bank’s EdTech team to serve as short, practical guides on individual topics within education technology. 

• Virtual and XR Laboratories for Workforce Development (pdf, last version September 2023)
• Education TV Knowledge Pack  – (pdf, last version June 2020)
• EdTech Knowledge Pack on Remote Learning response to COVID-19 (pdf, last draft 8 April 2020). 
• EduRadio knowledge pack
• Mobile Distance & Hybrid Education Solutions knowledge pack
• More COVID-19-specific resources

Founded in 2019, the EdTech Hub was established to accelerate progress toward ending the global learning crisis by increasing the use of evidence to inform decision-making about education technology. Technology has the potential to help address the global learning crisis. But that potential is not yet being realised. Some reasons for this include:

• incomplete understanding of what works and what does not
• many under-researched issues
• intervention designs are often not evidence-based
• policy decisions are often not evidence-based
• stakeholders are disconnected
• the evidence that does exist is not easily accessible

The EdTech Hub aims to address these gaps. The EdTech Hub will synthesize existing evidence, conduct new research, support innovations to scale, and provide advisory support to governments and other country partners.

The EdTech Hub is collaboratively run by a partnership of organisations: Overseas Development Institute, Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, Results for Development, Open Development and Education, Brink, Jigsaw Consult, BRAC, Afrilabs and eLearning Africa. The EdTech Hub is funded by the UK Department for International Development, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Education Continuity Partnership under COVID-19 with OECD, Harvard & HundrED

In the wake of COVID-19, the Harvard Global Education Innovation Initiative , HundrED , the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills and the World Bank Group Education Global Practice is gathering information from around the world on the education response to the crisis. This includes a series of webinar conversations and a series of education stories.

Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund ( SIEF )

The World Bank’s Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund (SIEF) supports scientifically rigorous research that measures the impact of programs and policies to improve education, health, access to quality water and sanitation, and early childhood development in low and middle income countries. The majority of the evaluations are randomized control trials (RCTs) and they were chosen through a competitive process open to researchers worldwide.

On July 29, 2020, SIEF announced six evaluation teams that will receive funding through SIEF’s COVID-19 emergency window . These evaluations will rapidly generate evidence on how to keep students engaged with learning and remote education at home and how to prepare them for the return to school. Each evaluation will also collect detailed cost data that can help shed light on the resources required for scale and sustained implementation. Teams include: Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Pakistan, Sierra Leone.

Global EdTech Readiness Index Partnership

The Global Edtech Readiness Index is part of the Global Education Policy Dashboard (GEPD) funded by a partnership between the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.K.'s Department for International Development and government of Japan.

The World Bank, with support from Imaginable Futures has created the EdTech Readiness Index (ETRI). The tool will enable countries to: (a) identify good practices and areas where EdTech policies can be strengthened, and (b) monitor progress as countries take action. 

The ETRI goes beyond measuring the availability of devices and the level of connectivity to capture key elements of the larger education-technology ecosystem in a country, guiding efforts to increase learning opportunities and reduce inequalities. ETRI is organized around 6 pillars: School Management, Teachers, Students, Devices, Connectivity, and Digital Resources. For each pillar, the ETRI reports on a practice indicator (to capture the practices at the school level), a de jure policy indicator (to capture whether there is a policy to inform each practice), and a de facto policy indicator (to measure the extent to which the policy is implemented)

Continuity and Acceleration of Learning

The Continuous and Accelerated Learning (CAL) program aims to support multi-modal continuous learning by supporting the development, dissemination and delivery at scale of new and existing global public goods and regional learning continuity approaches, in the short term to offset the impacts of school closures, and in the medium to long term to ensure continuity and accelerate learning after schools re-open while building resilience into the education system. Support will be focused on improving foundational learning and lowering learning poverty by adapting to students’, teachers’ and parents’ needs, anywhere, anytime in a more inclusive, equitable, effective and resilient way than pre-COVID-19.

As part of the Continuous and Accelerated Learning (CAL) program “Teachers for a Changing World: Transforming Teacher Professional Development Spotlight” (T4T) in partnership with HundrED a created a global contest to identify and promote scalable and impactful solutions for teacher professional development using technology.

The CAL work is supported by GPE and other donors and involves partnerships with UNESCO and UNICEF.

Reimagine Education: Digital Learning for Every Child Everywhere with UNICEF

UNICEF and the World Bank are joining forces to support countries to use technology as an accelerator to address key global education challenges related to equitable access to quality and relevant learning.  This partnership will build on, extend, and complement existing global joint initiatives partnerships and programs that use digital technology to address the learning crisis. It also supports the improvement of teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom; student development of skills needed to succeed in school, work, and life; connecting all schools to the Internet; and research on technological innovations for education. This partnership is unique, representing the convergence and alignment of the World Bank and UNICEF’s global and country-level expertise, reach and ability to support implementation at scale. 

mEducation Alliance

The mEducation Alliance is a non-governmental organization focused on the evidence-driven and sustainable role of technology in education to  advance quality educational outcomes. Formed in 2010, the mEducation Alliance is a  unique, multi-stakeholder convening platform for government and donor policymakers, other investors, researchers, and practitioners to work together, particularly in lower-resource, developing country contexts.

The mEducation Alliance is dedicated to strengthening formal and non-formal educational systems by:

• Convening: connecting EdTech investors, policymakers, and practitioners;
• Communicating: sharing good practices within the global EdTech community; and,
• Catalyzing: accelerating EdTech investments and the scaling of promising interventions and initiatives.

Key mEducation Alliance Key Activities and Product Highlights

• Ecosystem building for and acceleration of EdTech interventions
• Dissemination of good practices via a variety of multimedia channels
• Annual Symposia and other networking events (virtual and in person)
• EdTech research profiles and research roundtables
• Landscape and literature reviews
• Investment consultations for donors and EdTech service providers
• Catalyzing education grand challenges and competition calls
• Working groups for donors and policymakers
• Launch and support of a range of signature EdTech initiatives (e.g, Math Attacks!, Young Digital Champions, EdTech Academy)

The World Bank is an alliance member, along with the British Council, EdTech Hub, GIZ, Gesci, Global Partnership for Education, GSMA, IAmLearn, IDRC CRDI, ISTE, ITU, KERIS, Norad, OAS, Peace Corps, SPRIDER, US State Department, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNESCO, DFID, USAID, World Vision, World Wide Web Foundation, Brookings, and ADEA.

Publications

Flyer: EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY OR ‘EDTECH’ – April 2022

Blog:  EdTech hope or hype? Insights from East Asia Pacific

EduTech Blog Series

STAY CONNECTED

This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser. To learn more about cookies, click here .

• BookWidgets Teacher Blog

Lessons from technology - 8 Innovative educational projects

The new school year is about to start all over the world. In the US, it started the 1st of August, In Europe, most schools start on the 1st of September. Nonetheless, a new school year is always exciting. Schools try to surpass themselves every new school year.

To do that, schools set up schoolwide projects, and teachers try to reinvent themselves using their creativity. Frontline Education reached out to us with the idea of combining amazing stories of schools transforming their processes with technology by setting up innovating projects.

This post will show you 8 educational projects that make excellent use of technology to make both small and big changes. We hope that these ideas inspire you.

Innovative classroom projects

1. the camera doesn’t lie.

When we think of innovative technology, terms like artificial intelligence and machine learning certainly come to mind. But teachers at Martin County School District in Florida are enhancing their classrooms with a more ordinary piece of technology — a camera.

“Any serious athlete watches footage of their performances,” April Strong, a former teacher and now instructional coach, told us. “Why not teachers, too?”

April started using video in two ways. First, by watching other experienced teachers who have recorded and shared their teaching videos. Then, by reviewing her own classroom instruction. To get started, she borrowed an iPad from the school’s media center and simply pushed record every single day. The value, she found, was not only in accountability to her craft, but it also brought clarity to her teaching—and still does.

“Video brought clarity to my practice so I could bring the greatest work to my classroom for my students. That’s the power of video. Nobody told me I had to do it. There was no other reason other than it was the perfect time because I was wondering what I truly looked like as a teacher. Video was, and is still, very clarifying. I might be using the most effective strategy ever, but if I don’t actually see it as my students saw it, I’m not growing and I’m not truly clear on if I hit my target. That’s what makes me most passionate about video in the classroom.”

Using video helped shape how April and Martin County School District teachers become the best in their profession. When asked how others should get started, her message was simple: “All you need is your cell phone, and a place to prop it up, and the bravery to literally just push that red button.”

EdTech Hack

2. Johnsonville Learning network

Anthony Johnson is a 4th & 5th-grade science and social studies educator. He’s also an Apple Distinguished Educator, TED Innovative Educator, Lego Master Educator, Defined STEM Certified Educator and Rowan-Salisbury Schools Teacher of the Year for 2016-17. AND the mayor of Johnsonville, his classroom.

Anthony’s classroom, called Johnsonville, focuses on three main elements: collaboration, critical thinking, and citizenship. Anthony’s goal is to inspire a love for learning. Johnsonville is a very busy place that encourages hands-on learning and uses interesting projects to teach students everything about science and social studies.

He uses “Hotweels” to teach students the basics of physics like Newton’s third law, “Spheros”, “Lego” and drones to teach them about forces and motion, and a 3D printer to teach them about the human body. Check out how he does this right here:

Innovative school-wide projects

3. ar school wall.

Augmented Reality is an excellent tool to plan an interactive learning walk in your school to show (new) parents around. Only recently, principal Joost Dendooven of the Mozaiek primary school in Belgium renovated his school’s hallway with a new eye-catcher: a photo wall.

The school selected more than 400 photos out of the school’s archive and placed them on the wall. Then, the school added an augmented reality effect to the photos on the wall using the HP Reveal app. In order to add augmented reality effects to the photo wall, the school looked for interesting newspaper articles and fun videos about their school activities.

When parents or other visitors enter the hallway, they get an iPad or iPhone with the installed AR-app. All they have to do is scan a particular photo on the photo wall with their device and the image will come to life with some background information, a newspaper article or a video.

Even around the school and on the playground, they added AR-effects with videos and explanations of school activities that took place.

4. Cutting Edge Rural

Forty-five miles west of Columbus, Ohio sits Graham Local Schools in rural Champagne County. Three buildings make up the entire school district: one elementary building, a middle school, and a high school. Rolling hills and fertile farmland are abundant in this section of Ohio, access to professional development and neighboring resources, however, are not. So when then-superintendent Dr. Kirk Koennecke began his role, his challenge was making sure teachers had opportunities to grow while balancing budgeting needs and the reality of how far a district can send their teachers for those opportunities.

That’s where technology and innovative thinking came in.

Like many rural districts, it’s not always easy for Graham Local Schools to access in-person professional development, so they began using a blended learning model, allowing remote teachers to learn on their own time, in the way that works best for them.

“We’ve really tried to become more progressive and personalize a model of professional learning at Graham where teachers get to choose from a menu of opportunities, most of which are led by our own staff.”

Dr. Koennecke utilized personalized learning pathways, where teachers can choose an area of development, allowing them to feel a greater connection to their educational journey. He wanted to empower his teachers and even started encouraging them to meet students and professionals where they are — on any platform.

“The last thing that we did is, we’ve tried to push social media use with our teachers. While we don’t require it, I’m very proud of the way the use of Twitter and Facebook and Instagram have grown in our district to try to meet people where they are, especially now students. Our Instagram accounts are growing and growing because we’re trying to push information to students. But Twitter is a way that all of our leaders and many of our teachers not only share and celebrate information in each other, but also learn.”

5. Appy Day

As there are many interesting educational events around the globe, the Primary school “Mozaiek” is worth your visit (if you’re from Belgium of course). Every school that focuses on using technology to optimize a students’ learning outcomes should consider sharing their ideas by organizing an inspirational day for all educators in the environment. It’s very important that other principals and educators learn from each other and step out of their comfort zone. There’s only so much to learn.

Appy Day focuses on practical classroom examples and several “spark”- sessions. 6 Belgian Top teachers share their knowledge of how an iPad can be the lever to a powerful learning environment. Appy Day also teaches visitors how a school can transform digitally in the most efficient way. Maybe your school is next to organize an “Appy Day”.

Innovative world-wide school projects

6. the kakuma project.

Koen Timmers , a top-10 Global teacher award nominee, is the driving force behind the Kakuma Project project. This project, started in 2015, is a group of more than 350 teachers from 75 countries over 6 continents willing to offer free education via Skype. They sent some laptops to the Kakuma Refugee Camp (Kenya), and started to teach via Skype.

Imagine up to 200 students taking a look at one single laptop screen. The teachers teach courses like Maths, Science, English, and Religion to the refugees.

Besides the main goal – to educate refugee students – this project also connects students from all over the world with the refugee students so they get a better understanding of what “living as a refugee” actually means.

7. The innovation playlist

First, watch this video that raises an important question: “What is school for?”.

Now, dive into these important questions: To what extent does this video reflect the perspectives of different constituencies in your school community? Would you be willing to ask your students to watch it? Why or why not?

Rather difficult isn’t it? This video is one of the many resources on the innovation playlist, a playlist that wants to encourage educators and principals to change the old fashioned school system for the better. The Innovation Playlist can help your school make a positive and informed change. It represents a teacher-led model, based on small steps leading to big change. It shows you best practices from innovating educators and non-profits from across the US.

8. Teach SDGs

Teach SDGs stands for teaching Sustainable Development Goals. There are 17 SDG’s, such as “No poverty”, “Clean water and sanitation” or “Life below water”.

Teaching students about these topics and making them aware of these world problems is one thing. Engaging them to step up is another. Students need to look for “solutions” and pitch their idea. They can use social media and other tools to shape their project.

To give you an idea of the impact students can have: A school in Canada used a 3D printer to print coral reefs, a technique to make sure that the real coral reefs don’t fade. Another school found out about mealworms that consume plastic.

During this project, students make videos of what they’ve learned and share them with other schools so they learn from each other across the globe.

Looks like you got some new ideas for the starting new school year. I hope these innovative projects inspired you to think bigger and more creative. Or that they simply gave you some new ideas on how to develop your own teaching skills. If you need more on professional development, this post helps you to get started. And if you’re looking to digitize your lessons, you should try out BookWidgets . 👍

Join hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and get the best content on technology in education.

BookWidgets enables teachers to create fun and interactive lessons for tablets, smartphones, and computers.

For enquiries call:

+1-469-442-0620

Top 10 Creative EdTech Projects

Home Blog Career Top 10 Creative EdTech Projects

Getting students' attention during a classroom session is of the utmost priority to educators. If only the students pay attention to the teacher, they will understand the concepts thoroughly and perform well. Utilizing innovative tools and techniques can create a fun and exciting environment for them.  

Understanding the significance of student engagement in education, many companies have shifted their focus to this domain.  When the students use the tools or techniques developed under the  Edtech projects , their learning environment improves, and they will build a sense of liking towards school and classwork . Going for the  Microsoft Excel training  will aid you understand about rows, cells, columns and other data types . 

What are  Edtech Projects ?  

EdTech is the domain that combines education with technology. The introduction of tablets, computers, projectors, and other technical equipment in a classroom or conducting different activities comes under  educational technology projects . The EdTech platforms help students by providing a comprehensive education using technology. As per a report by Grand view research, the market is expected to show 16% growth in the next seven years.

There are various techniques that companies working in the EdTech sector have introduced so far. The educator should learn about them to decide which would be best for his students. Understand that using an efficient EdTech Project can bring a remarkable change in children's academic growth. You can also opt for the  most effective training to get future-ready  and enhance your skills.   

Innovative  EdTech Projects

Let us dig deeper and discuss a few innovative projects. It will help you decide which project can boost your teaching process:  

It is a cloud-based lab that gives an excellent virtual experience to those students who do not have access to actual laboratories. Students at various locations do not get the best learning experience as the cost of building and maintaining the labs is too high. Stan Lab has eliminated this issue and has worked as a boon for pupils who cannot reach a real lab.  

It is not a typical EdTech firm but a private education provider that uses information and communication technologies as a part of its business strategy. It lets educators and trainers train and engage their employees better through performance management and skill development tools they have integrated. 

Using this LMS app, you can set goals and agendas for the students. So, when someone wants to learn a skill from you, you can assign them the course and track their progress.  

Cloud Computing

Exploring EdTech open-source projects that can change the learning process, you cannot miss cloud computing. The use of the cloud is not confined to the big multinationals handling significant tech projects. 

Even schools and other training institutes can also use this technology. Cloud helps make the study material available online, which the students can access from anywhere in the world. 

Everything, from regular classroom sessions to assessment tests, happens on the cloud endpoint. Students do not have to lug around books or leave the comfort of their homes. They only need authorized access to the cloud, and all the learning will conveniently happen.  

Competency-based Learning

As the name suggests, this learning mechanism works by comparing the skills that two or more individuals attain. Though this teaching pedagogy has multiple benefits, only skilled instructors or educators can use it efficiently. 

Understand that when you assess students based on how they are putting their skills to use, it might lead to negative competition. A qualified educator strategically handles this and ensures that the students develop a competitive spirit but take it healthily.   

It is another Edtech project that provides language certification courses through an app. The platform got more than 500 million downloads during the last decade. Moreover, the daily number of users of the app is increasing rapidly. 

The company has a mission to make learning fun and exciting for students, and for that, they have made its interface super attractive. When you start using the app, it will feel like a game. So, the students would learn everything without feeling any pressure, which will certainly improve their performance.  

Alison  

It is a free online skill development platform with various courses listed. The app has countless users from different parts of the world and excellent reviews. You can join the certification program that interests you the most and get certified to explore better opportunities in your domain.   

BRCK  

It is a digital classroom in a box that has transformed the way learning happens in the schools of Kenya. They have designed their setup strategically to solve the connectivity issues in African countries. Their software and hardware design are user-friendly, and so far, a plethora of students have benefited from this digital learning pedagogy.  Advanced Microsoft Excel training  will support you in gaining immense knowledge of pivot tables and charts.

EkStep  

It is a commendable initiative to improve the literacy level in India. The aim is to make education accessible to over 200 million children through online resources. Through their online study environment only, they develop an ecosystem that significantly improves the overall learning experience for children. It is growing as an open-source platform that the government can use to overcome various challenges in the education industry.   

It is an initiative by a small NGO in Kenya through which they make learning happen through visual impairments. They believe physical inability should not become a disability and stop children from getting literate. So, they collaborate with different tech companies and other third parties to push their students to fit in the mainstream world.  

This platform offers adaptive learning solutions for various learners in Brazil. Each student gets custom resources based on the grasping power and learning pace. In addition, the educators on this platform can also offer a one-to-one tutoring option that gives students a classroom-like feel and improves their overall performance.   

University of the People

UoPeople works as a tuition-free online university that offers various degree programs. Learners from different developing countries can avail themselves of the courses on this platform and keep brushing up on their skills. You can find multiple graduate and post-graduate programs on this platform, and the degree you get is valid worldwide.   

It is a technology-powered learning platform that provides a high-quality learning experience. The platform works with a vision to make interactive maths and science courses accessible to all students. They have more than 10 million textbooks on the desk, which the students can use to learn. Moreover, they check all the tests you give instantly, so you won’t have to wait for the results.  

Onebillion  

Onebillion is a constantly evolving learning platform that focuses on improving the numeracy skills of students. The teaching pedagogy they use is utterly engaging. Moreover, the best part is that all the learning is student-centric.   

Nafham  

This online platform offers video lessons to students based on Egyptian or Syrian curriculum plans. The educator is right in front of the student during a teaching session. So, the overall experience becomes much more convenient and gives the feel of a real classroom. There are over 23 thousand videos on the platform, and 1 million students have enrolled in it.  

Enuma  

Their famous KitKit school gained much popularity as a promising EdTech project. There are other learning suites under Enuma, including TODO English TODO Maths, which can help make learning simple yet effective. They use the concept of online gaming to meet the special education needs of the students. 

It is one of the best self-directed learning solutions that can help build a strong learning foundation. Moreover, the numeracy skills of students can also improve exponentially with this platform.   

EdTech Ideas for Students and Teachers

Businesses, educators, and parents always look for innovative EdTech ideas to make learning fruitful for children. According to a study conducted by McGraw Hill Education, 4 out of the 5 students agree that technology has helped them perform better.  

P latform for Special Kids  

You can use motion-based learning practices for special kids to ripe extra benefits. These children actively react to movements and bring all their attention to them. Especially kids who have dyslexia or autism can benefit greatly from these platforms. Moving objects make them challenge their brains and grasp what is being taught.   

Example    

The best examples of such platforms are Soli and Kinems.  

Studying with Augmented Reality  

Augmented reality is a widely used education practice these days. Research shows that when you integrate AR into your teaching practices, your students are more likely to retain the concepts taught to them. In addition, the classroom sessions conducted through augmented reality practice discuss the challenging topics in detail. That is why it is wise to switch to this learning mode.  

The best examples of platforms that make studying with augmented reality possible are ImmersiveVReducation and Gamar.   

Teacher Lessons Marketplace  

Some platforms let teachers build their own marketplace and share the lessons they curated with their students. They can create their profile on these platforms and share their portfolio. From here, students can pick the educator of their choice and continue to learn.   

Example  

Core Learning Exchange and Teachable are the best examples of platforms where teachers can create their profiles. They can also create a marketplace for their courses that the students can access.    

Course Selection with AI

Another fruitful technique that educators can use is providing career counseling to students. There are many courses available these days, so it gets challenging for students to decide where they want to enroll. This startup idea comes under the  EdTech genome project . So, educators can use  artificial intelligence to help students choose the best-suited course based on their behavior and body language.  

Example   

Delphia and Cognii are the best examples of platforms that help in course selection with AI.   

Live Classroom with Robotic Camera  

Online classes are no longer a new concept. However, this one with a robotic camera is an entirely different experience. It is more interactive and gives a real-time classroom experience. The teacher stands before the screen, and the session gets broadcasted to the student community worldwide.  

Harvard HBX is the first and the best live classroom with a robotic camera setup.   

Gamified Courses and Classes  

It is the trendiest and most opted-for ed-tech platform for school learning in the current times. It uses graphics, motion pictures, and interactive storytelling to deliver lectures with students engaging well. This concept has proven results; any educator can implement it in the classroom without a second thought.   

The best example of this learning mode is Brainscape.   

Top EdTech Companies  

The inclination of renowned businesses towards an  EduTech project  is increasing with each passing day. Every tech giant has directed its research toward the education sector, and companies in education-related domains are introducing technology into their operations. Some of the top EdTech companies that are the talk of the town these days and are changing the way learning happens are listed below:  

• Amplify  
• 2U, Inc.  
• Great Minds  
• Bright Horizons  
• Skillsoft   
• Guild Education  
• Multiverse   
• Duolingo  
• Dreambox Learning  

There are plethora of other industrial giants working in this domain. Moreover, the number is rising rapidly with each passing day.   

The competition at the school and professional levels is rising every day. Hence, only the students who focus on conceptual understanding and deeper learning can survive and make an excellent living. To make it possible, educators should try innovative learning pedagogies that interest students and build their interest. They should explore the ideas and tools listed above and see what brings extraordinarily great results for their students. You can master the emerging technology with  KnowledgeHut IoT training  and identify market opportunities.

Secure a position among the best paid jobs in the world. Where every workday brings you closer to your financial dreams. Your journey to prosperity begins now!  

The best examples of Edtech are: Udemy, Multiverse, Google Meet, and even YouTube is one of the EdTechs .  

The most common educational technology is e-learning or video-assisted classroom session.   

EdTech introduces technology into the education sector to make learning fun and result-oriented .  

Zeshan Naz holds 6 years of work experience in Content Marketing. EdTech is her field of expertise and she looks forward to helping more professionals get ahead in their careers. Zeshan is an avid reader and in her leisure time, loves traveling around and exploring places.

Avail your free 1:1 mentorship session.

Something went wrong

Invest in Your Future: Upcoming High-Paying Career Courses to Consider

How Important Is Technology in Education? Benefits, Challenges, and Impact on Students

Many of today’s high-demand jobs were created in the last decade, according to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). As advances in technology drive globalization and digital transformation, teachers can help students acquire the necessary skills to succeed in the careers of the future.

How important is technology in education? The COVID-19 pandemic is quickly demonstrating why online education should be a vital part of teaching and learning. By integrating technology into existing curricula, as opposed to using it solely as a crisis-management tool, teachers can harness online learning as a powerful educational tool.

The effective use of digital learning tools in classrooms can increase student engagement, help teachers improve their lesson plans, and facilitate personalized learning. It also helps students build essential 21st-century skills.

Virtual classrooms, video, augmented reality (AR), robots, and other technology tools can not only make class more lively, they can also create more inclusive learning environments that foster collaboration and inquisitiveness and enable teachers to collect data on student performance.

Still, it’s important to note that technology is a tool used in education and not an end in itself. The promise of educational technology lies in what educators do with it and how it is used to best support their students’ needs.

Educational Technology Challenges

BuiltIn reports that 92 percent of teachers understand the impact of technology in education. According to Project Tomorrow, 59 percent of middle school students say digital educational tools have helped them with their grades and test scores. These tools have become so popular that the educational technology market is projected to expand to $342 billion by 2025, according to the World Economic Forum.

However, educational technology has its challenges, particularly when it comes to implementation and use. For example, despite growing interest in the use of AR, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technology, less than 10 percent of schools report having these tools in their classrooms, according to Project Tomorrow. Additional concerns include excessive screen time, the effectiveness of teachers using the technology, and worries about technology equity.

Prominently rising from the COVID-19 crisis is the issue of content. Educators need to be able to develop and weigh in on online educational content, especially to encourage students to consider a topic from different perspectives. The urgent actions taken during this crisis did not provide sufficient time for this. Access is an added concern — for example, not every school district has resources to provide students with a laptop, and internet connectivity can be unreliable in homes.

Additionally, while some students thrive in online education settings, others lag for various factors, including support resources. For example, a student who already struggled in face-to-face environments may struggle even more in the current situation. These students may have relied on resources that they no longer have in their homes.

Still, most students typically demonstrate confidence in using online education when they have the resources, as studies have suggested. However, online education may pose challenges for teachers, especially in places where it has not been the norm.

Despite the challenges and concerns, it’s important to note the benefits of technology in education, including increased collaboration and communication, improved quality of education, and engaging lessons that help spark imagination and a search for knowledge in students.

The Benefits of Technology in Education

Teachers want to improve student performance, and technology can help them accomplish this aim. To mitigate the challenges, administrators should help teachers gain the competencies needed to enhance learning for students through technology. Additionally, technology in the classroom should make teachers’ jobs easier without adding extra time to their day.

Technology provides students with easy-to-access information, accelerated learning, and fun opportunities to practice what they learn. It enables students to explore new subjects and deepen their understanding of difficult concepts, particularly in STEM. Through the use of technology inside and outside the classroom, students can gain 21st-century technical skills necessary for future occupations.

Still, children learn more effectively with direction. The World Economic Forum reports that while technology can help young students learn and acquire knowledge through play, for example, evidence suggests that learning is more effective through guidance from an adult, such as a teacher.

Leaders and administrators should take stock of where their faculty are in terms of their understanding of online spaces. From lessons learned during this disruptive time, they can implement solutions now for the future. For example, administrators could give teachers a week or two to think carefully about how to teach courses not previously online. In addition to an exploration of solutions, flexibility during these trying times is of paramount importance.

Below are examples of how important technology is in education and the benefits it offers to students and teachers.

Increased Collaboration and Communication

Educational technology can foster collaboration. Not only can teachers engage with students during lessons, but students can also communicate with each other. Through online lessons and learning games, students get to work together to solve problems. In collaborative activities, students can share their thoughts and ideas and support each other. At the same time, technology enables one-on-one interaction with teachers. Students can ask classroom-related questions and seek additional help on difficult-to-understand subject matter. At home, students can upload their homework, and teachers can access and view completed assignments using their laptops.

Personalized Learning Opportunities

Technology allows 24/7 access to educational resources. Classes can take place entirely online via the use of a laptop or mobile device. Hybrid versions of learning combine the use of technology from anywhere with regular in-person classroom sessions. In both scenarios, the use of technology to tailor learning plans for each student is possible. Teachers can create lessons based on student interests and strengths. An added benefit is that students can learn at their own pace. When they need to review class material to get a better understanding of essential concepts, students can review videos in the lesson plan. The data generated through these online activities enable teachers to see which students struggled with certain subjects and offer additional assistance and support.

Curiosity Driven by Engaging Content

Through engaging and educational content, teachers can spark inquisitiveness in children and boost their curiosity, which research says has ties to academic success. Curiosity helps students get a better understanding of math and reading concepts. Creating engaging content can involve the use of AR, videos, or podcasts. For example, when submitting assignments, students can include videos or interact with students from across the globe.

Improved Teacher Productivity and Efficiency

Teachers can leverage technology to achieve new levels of productivity, implement useful digital tools to expand learning opportunities for students, and increase student support and engagement. It also enables teachers to improve their instruction methods and personalize learning. Schools can benefit from technology by reducing the costs of physical instructional materials, enhancing educational program efficiency, and making the best use of teacher time.

Become a Leader in Enriching Classrooms through Technology

Educators unfamiliar with some of the technology used in education may not have been exposed to the tools as they prepared for their careers or as part of their professional development. Teachers looking to make the transition and acquire the skills to incorporate technology in education can take advantage of learning opportunities to advance their competencies. For individuals looking to help transform the education system through technology, American University’s School of Education Online offers a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Master of Arts in Education Policy and Leadership to prepare educators with essential tools to become leaders. Courses such as Education Program and Policy Implementation and Teaching Science in Elementary School equip graduate students with critical competencies to incorporate technology into educational settings effectively.

Learn more about American University’s School of Education Online and its master’s degree programs.

Virtual Reality in Education: Benefits, Tools, and Resources

Data-Driven Decision Making in Education: 11 Tips for Teachers & Administration

Helping Girls Succeed in STEM

BuiltIn, “Edtech 101”

EdTech, “Teaching Teachers to Put Tech Tools to Work”

International Society for Technology in Education, “Preparing Students for Jobs That Don’t Exist”

The Journal, “How Teachers Use Technology to Enrich Learning Experiences”

Pediatric Research, “Early Childhood Curiosity and Kindergarten Reading and Math Academic Achievement”

Project Tomorrow, “Digital Learning: Peril or Promise for Our K-12 Students”

World Economic Forum, “The Future of Jobs Report 2018”

World Economic Forum, “Learning through Play: How Schools Can Educate Students through Technology”

Request Information

Publication

An ed-tech tragedy? Educational technologies and school closures in the time of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed education from schools to educational technologies at a pace and scale with no historical precedent. For hundreds of millions of students formal learning became fully dependent on technology – whether internet-connected digital devices, televisions or radios.

An Ed-Tech Tragedy? examines the numerous adverse and unintended consequences of the shift to ed-tech. It documents how technology-first solutions left a global majority of learners behind and details the many ways education was diminished even when technology was available and worked as intended.

In unpacking what went wrong, the publication extracts lessons and recommendations to ensure that technology facilitates, rather than subverts, efforts to ensure the universal provision of inclusive, equitable and human-centred public education.

Organization

An Ed-Tech Tragedy? borrows the structure of a theatrical play to document and analyse the impacts and repercussions of the pivot from school-based education to remote distance learning with technology.

details the ambition that often marked the initial transition from schools to ed-tech as the pandemic took hold.

explains the many ways the promises of ed-tech were challenged when technology was deployed globally as a primary solution to maintain education during widespread and prolonged school closures.

questions dominant narratives emerging from the technology-centric experiences of the pandemic period.

puts forward principles and recommendations to guide future efforts to leverage technology for education, while keeping schools and humans at the centre of teaching and learning

An Ed-Tech Tragedy? recounts this tumultuous period, documenting the actions and decisions taken by governments, schools and technology companies. The publication contrasts the promises of ed-tech with the realities of what ed-tech delivered as a response to school closures that impacted over 1.6 billion learners and stretched intermittently from the beginning of 2020 to the end of 2022. The evidence and analysis highlight trends observed across countries and zoom in on the specificities of local experiences, creating a global mosaic of what students, teachers and families experienced when connected technology was elevated as a singular portal to teaching and learning.

Aimed at general and specialist audiences alike, this publication shows how the abrupt and deep changes brought about by the recourse to remote digital learning during the pandemic continue to ripple through the education sector even as schools have fully reopened. It questions whether more and faster integration of technology is desirable for learners, teachers and schools and if ed-tech is, as it is often billed, a key ingredient of educational resilience.

Related items

• Artificial intelligence
• Future of education
• Educational technology
• Topics: Display
• See more add

More on this subject

Other recent publications

Publication 2024 Gender Report 5 April 2024

How Has Technology Changed Education?

Technology has impacted almost every aspect of life today, and education is no exception. Or is it? In some ways, education seems much the same as it has been for many years. A 14th century illustration by Laurentius de Voltolina depicts a university lecture in medieval Italy. The scene is easily recognizable because of its parallels to the modern day. The teacher lectures from a podium at the front of the room while the students sit in rows and listen. Some of the students have books open in front of them and appear to be following along. A few look bored. Some are talking to their neighbors. One appears to be sleeping. Classrooms today do not look much different, though you might find modern students looking at their laptops, tablets, or smart phones instead of books (though probably open to Facebook). A cynic would say that technology has done nothing to change education.

However, in many ways, technology has profoundly changed education. For one, technology has greatly expanded access to education. In medieval times, books were rare and only an elite few had access to educational opportunities. Individuals had to travel to centers of learning to get an education. Today, massive amounts of information (books, audio, images, videos) are available at one’s fingertips through the Internet, and opportunities for formal learning are available online worldwide through the Khan Academy, MOOCs, podcasts, traditional online degree programs, and more. Access to learning opportunities today is unprecedented in scope thanks to technology.

Opportunities for communication and collaboration have also been expanded by technology. Traditionally, classrooms have been relatively isolated, and collaboration has been limited to other students in the same classroom or building. Today, technology enables forms of communication and collaboration undreamt of in the past. Students in a classroom in the rural U.S., for example, can learn about the Arctic by following the expedition of a team of scientists in the region, read scientists’ blog posting, view photos, e-mail questions to the scientists, and even talk live with the scientists via a videoconference. Students can share what they are learning with students in other classrooms in other states who are tracking the same expedition. Students can collaborate on group projects using technology-based tools such as wikis and Google docs. The walls of the classrooms are no longer a barrier as technology enables new ways of learning, communicating, and working collaboratively.

Technology has also begun to change the roles of teachers and learners. In the traditional classroom, such as what we see depicted in de Voltolina’s illustration, the teacher is the primary source of information, and the learners passively receive it. This model of the teacher as the “sage on the stage” has been in education for a long time, and it is still very much in evidence today. However, because of the access to information and educational opportunity that technology has enabled, in many classrooms today we see the teacher’s role shifting to the “guide on the side” as students take more responsibility for their own learning using technology to gather relevant information. Schools and universities across the country are beginning to redesign learning spaces to enable this new model of education, foster more interaction and small group work, and use technology as an enabler.

Technology is a powerful tool that can support and transform education in many ways, from making it easier for teachers to create instructional materials to enabling new ways for people to learn and work together. With the worldwide reach of the Internet and the ubiquity of smart devices that can connect to it, a new age of anytime anywhere education is dawning. It will be up to instructional designers and educational technologies to make the most of the opportunities provided by technology to change education so that effective and efficient education is available to everyone everywhere.

You can help shape the influence of technology in education with an Online Master of Science in Education in Learning Design and Technology from Purdue University Online. This accredited program offers studies in exciting new technologies that are shaping education and offers students the opportunity to take part in the future of innovation.

Learn more about the online MSEd in Learning Design and Technology at Purdue University today and help redefine the way in which individuals learn. Call (877) 497-5851 to speak with an admissions advisor or to request more information.

Off the page, into the water: UC alum and seventh-grade teacher teaches through canoe building

The delhi middle school teacher initiated a special learning program in her middle school classroom..

Emily Hohlefelder knows the importance of digital platforms in today’s learning environments. A seventh-grade teacher at Delhi Middle School, Hohlefelder has experienced the impact of digital connectivity on education both in the classroom and during her own time as a student at the University of Cincinnati.

“There are so many platforms!” says Hohlefelder, pointing to the lasting impact COVID-19 and remote learning had on teaching and learning. “So many different ones, all asking students to present their information in different ways: recording themselves, recording just their voice or having to create some sort of digital image.”

Students in Emily Hohlefelder's seventh-grade class work on the frame of the skin-on frame canoe. Photo/provided

None of this is news to the 2023 graduate of the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology, who was introduced to future-forward teaching tools during her first year as an undergraduate in the  Middle Childhood Education program . Specifically, it was an educational technology class with School of Education professor Sarah Schroeder that opened Hohlefelder’s eyes to the possibilities of instruction and learning in a hyper-connected, always-on world.

She also honed in on how platforms, especially interfaces for creative student work, can cause anxiety in some students, leading Hohlefelder to complete and submit a project on reducing student anxiety around technology use. Schroeder was impressed with Hohlefelder’s insights and invited the first-year student to present her research at the Ohio Undergraduate Technology conference in Columbus. 

“I was like, ‘Sure, I’ll go with you!’” laughs Hohlefelder, who went on to become dual-licensed in middle childhood and special education with a certificate in digital learning design. “I felt pretty underqualified – I was 19 and in my first year, but she took a chance on me.” Schroeder subsequently helped Hohlefelder publish her work as well, co-authoring a paper titled  “Reducing Student Anxiety About Creative Digital Work”  for publication in  Edutopia , an online outlet for educational news and insight.

“I ended up doing a grant-funded project on reducing student anxiety with technology while I was an undergrad. It fueled a lot of great new information, especially coming out of COVID, on how technology can cause a lot of anxiety when it comes to different methods of learning for students.”     

Building Life Skills (and a Canoe)

Proven expertise with technology and insight into digital platforms might make Hohlefelder an unlikely champion for hands-on, nature-focused learning. But for a person with a lifelong ambition to help all learners reach their potential, she works to stay alert to opportunities that expand her ability to reach pupils – which is how she ended up bringing a canoe-building project into her classroom.

“The director of the program is one of my good friends,” says Hohlefleder. “I had watched him go into schools for the past three years, so why wouldn’t I want to bring this into my own school?” The Urban Wilderness Program , she goes on to explain, is a Cincinnati-based non-profit that delivers wilderness experiences to schools with kids who, demographically, don’t enjoy easy access to outdoor enrichment.

“A lot of my students had not been in a canoe before. They had not been on a body of water.”

Emily Hohlefelder, Seventh-grade teacher at Delhi Middle School

Seventh-grade Delhi Middle School students shape parts for the classroom canoe build. Photo/provided

The STEM-based project saw students construct a skin-on frame canoe as part of their daily classwork, which Hohlefelder was able to tie into traditional areas of study such as math and science, as well as social studies and language arts. “At the same time, they were able to learn teamwork, critical thinking skills and how to work together to pursue a common goal,” she says. “And it always helps students, especially in middle school, when that goal is tangible. So fostering that kind of community was truly the goal we were looking for here at Delhi with the canoe build.”

Another significant benefit of the classroom canoe project? The collaborative build provided a holistic means to reach students who sometimes struggled to engage with learning material. “It was fun to see kids who were usually reserved or not interested in the academic setting of the classroom really come out of their shell when it came to getting to use their hands for something,” explains Hohlefelder. “The build takes about two weeks, so it becomes routine for them. A lot of them really enjoyed it.”

A Risk Worth the Reward

The canoe-build project was, admittedly, a big swing – especially for a teacher so early in their career (this is, in fact, Hohlefelder’s first year teaching at Delhi Middle School). But that same spirit she found during her first year, when she said yes to the conference opportunity in Columbus despite feeling underqualified, spurred her to take the chance.

 “As teachers, we already have a million things going on,” she says. “And trying something for the first time? I’m like, this could fail – this could go very badly. But it’s worth taking the risk if it’s going to benefit the students.”

A student connects planking to one of the ribs on the canoe frame. Photo/provided

The canoe is currently on display (alongside a pair of oars carved as part of the program) in the school, but Hohlefelder envisions this canoe build as an annual seventh-grade project that, in time, populates a nearby pond with a fleet for public use.  And though the students didn’t know it when they initially built the canoe, there is a part two to this project they recently learned about – a May field trip in which they themselves will take the canoe out for some freshwater fun.

“We have to teach them, at the end of the day, that it’s not about the tests,” says Hohlefelder. “It’s not about the data. It’s really about what kind of people we are teaching here. How are we teaching them to serve the community when they’re older?

“Projects like these are the ones that I know they’ll remember past middle school.”

Featured image at top: Emily Hohlefelder stands next to completed skin-on frame canoe built as a seventh-grade classroom project. Photo/provided. 

• Next Lives Here

CECH’s School of Education is highly regarded for preparing the next generation of educators. The program is led by a team of experienced and qualified faculty who are dedicated to teaching students to meet the demands of modern classrooms and address the educational needs of diverse student populations. The program offers a variety of courses and experiences that will help students develop their understanding of child development, instructional methods, and classroom management.

For more information about the School of Education,  please visit the school’s website.

Contact the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology . 

• School of Education
• Alumni Association
• College of Education, Criminal Justice, & Human Services

Related Stories

April 11, 2024

Emily Hohlefelder, a 7th-grade teacher at Delhi Middle School, applied lessons she learned as a UC education student in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services, and Information Technology (CECH) to initiate a special learning program in the classroom. The result? A canoe-building project that proved both educational and uniquely engaging.

Amid shift to remote learning, UC students emerge ed tech leaders

July 10, 2020

When area schools scrambled to move instruction online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UC education students stepped up to help teachers adapt their lesson plans online.

Journal-News: UC education expert weighs in on ‘new normal’ for schools

August 17, 2020

More than 70,000 area K-12 students will soon resume their school lives in Butler County amid a very different school atmosphere, reports the Journal-News. In examining how COVID-19 will affect the lives of Butler County students, it turned to Laura Dell, associate dean for the University of Cincinnati’s School of Education.

• UN Women HQ

Call for proposals: Empowerment of Disadvantaged Women and Girls Through Education and Digital Technology

Based on the previous experience of the "Empowering Women in Agricultural Transformation" project, funded by the Korean Trust Fund and implemented by UN Women, education and skills development emerged as a key issue for the development of women and girls, particularly in rural areas. With the BuyFromWomen platform developed under this project, women and girls have demonstrated their appetite and capacity for digital technologies and business opportunities. As part of the implementation of activities under the "Empowerment of Disadvantaged Women and Girls through Education and Digital Technology" project, UN Women is seeking an Implementing Partner (IP) to carry out a number of activities, including the development of training modules/curricula, the development of e-learning program content, the selection of girls and women for vocational training, and the conduct of community awareness and advocacy activities.

Call for proposals (PDF, 212 KB)

Anti-fraud Policy (PDF, 261 KB)

Partner agreement (PDF, 326 KB)

Contact information

• Contact person: Yacouba Doumbia
• Email: yacouba.doumbia[at]unwomen.org

Latest news

• About UN Women
• Executive Director
• Regional Director for East and Southern Africa
• Regional Director for West and Central Africa
• Announcements
• Guiding documents
• Report wrongdoing
• Procurement
• Regional and country offices
• Gender Data Repository
• UN Women in Action
• Enabling Environment
• Production of Quality Gender Data
• Uptake and Use
• Leadership and political participation
• Climate-Smart Agriculture
• Empowering Women in Trade
• Recognising, Reducing and Redistributing Unpaid Care Work in Senegal
• Regional Sharefair on the Care Economy
• The Gender Pay Gap Report
• Unpaid Care
• Women in the green economy
• Intergovernmental support
• Africa Shared Research Agenda
• UN system coordination
• Peace and security
• Governance and national planning
• Policy and advisory support
• Youth Engagement
• Women’s Leadership, Access, Empowerment and Protection (LEAP)
• Programme implementation
• Representative
• South Sudan
• UN Women Representative In Sudan
• African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI)
• African Women Leaders Network (AWLN)
• Spotlight Initiative
• Special Representative to the AU and UNECA
• Partnerships
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Guinea Bissau
• Republic of Guinea
• Siera Leone
• In focus: International Women's Day 2024
• 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence Campaign 2023
• UN Women at Women Deliver 2023
• In focus: 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2022
• In Focus: World Humanitarian Day
• International Day of Rural Women 2022
• International Youth Day 2022
• International Women’s Day 2023
• International Day of Rural Women
• 76th Session of the UN General Assembly
• Generation Equality Forum in Paris
• Gender equality matters in COVID-19 response
• International Youth Day
• Media contacts
• Publications
• Gender Journalism Awards
• About Generation Equality
• Generation Equality Forum
• Action packs
• 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence

• Kansas State University

Status of ITS resources

• K-State home
• » K-State News
• » Teacher participants needed for K-State College of Education training on rural STEM classes

K-State News

• K-State Today
• Seek research magazine
• Graduation/honors lists

K-State News Kansas State University 128 Dole Hall 1525 Mid-Campus Dr North Manhattan, KS 66506

785-532-2535 [email protected]

Teacher participants needed for K-State College of Education training on rural STEM learning

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

MANHATTAN — A $2.7 million federal grant is helping the Kansas State University College of Education improve rural education in the state, and the college is offering free training and thousands of dollars in resources for teachers to take advantage of the last year of grant funding. The College of Education’s Rural Education Center , or REC, is seeking rural teachers and schools to participate in the final year of programming funded by a nearly $2.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. The grant is designed to promote students’ interest in degrees and careers in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math. Participating schools receive funds for professional development sessions and $3,000 to purchase technology, enabling them to host their own LEAPES camp this summer. Project LEAPES is an acronym for Learning, Exploration, and Application for Prospective Engineering Students. The 2024 Project LEAPES Virtual Camp will take place 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Monday-Thursday, June 3-13, and Monday- Friday, June 17-21, excluding the Juneteenth holiday. This year's camp will include new robotics kits and self-paced asynchronous coding activities. The registration fee is $100 and is open to students in upper elementary and grades 6 through 8. Classes are offered synchronously over Zoom, with students reporting to their local classroom to use equipment. The local teacher will co-teach with a K-State faculty member online. Teachers who sign up will receive a $1,000 stipend and more than $3,000 worth of classroom equipment. They will also receive two professional development sessions on April 15 and April 29 where they’ll learn to use the new equipment. In partnership with The Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets , or CReSIS, at the University of Kansas, the REC builds upon its successful Summer STEM program to encourage students throughout the state of Kansas to consider careers in STEM through Project LEAPES. Last summer approximately 280 students from 32 schools participated in the middle school virtual camps. Five more classrooms participated asynchronously in Fall 2023 with approximately 120 students participating. Additionally, 80 students participated in the high school camp hosted at the University of Kansas. The LEAPES grant is part of more than $47 million in awards recently announced under the National Defense Education Program in STEM, biotechnology and enhanced civics education. J. Spencer Clark, professor and REC director; Lori Goodson, assistant professor and REC assistant director; and Ennis Rios, program coordinator, are assisting with the project. Schools may register online at commerce.cashnet.com/edudean?itemcode=EDUDEAN-4a . For more information, contact Rios at 785-532-3977 or email the Rural Education Center at [email protected] .

Media contact

Division of Communications and Marketing 785-532-2535 [email protected]

College of Education

Patrice Scott 785-341-5004 [email protected]

• Statements and disclosures
• Accessibility

• Manhattan, KS 66506
• 785-532-6011
• © Kansas State University
• Updated: 4/10/24

University of South Florida

Lifelong Learning

Office of University Community Partnerships

Main Navigation

7 Current Project Management Trends to Keep You Ahead

• Leigh Perkins
• August 1, 2023
• Project Management
• Text-based Story

Project managers tend to be highly organized, structured thinkers, which is another way of saying that project management is not a field known for its creativity and flexibility. However, the worldwide upheaval of the last two years has influenced the best project managers to embrace change in technology, strategy, tools, relationships, and processes, transforming the set-in-its-ways PM domain. Check out 7 current project management trends to keep you ahead of your less resilient competition.

7. Focus On Emotional Intelligence and Soft Skills

While technical skills have always been important in project management, emotional intelligence (EQ) and soft skills are an even greater focus for project management professionals.

Strong communication skills are vital for effective stakeholder management, team collaboration, and conflict resolution. Project managers must be able to convey ideas clearly, actively listen, and adapt their communication style to different audiences. Leadership skills are equally crucial. Project managers need to inspire and motivate their teams, provide guidance, and facilitate decision-making processes.

Recognizing the significance of effective leadership, collaboration, and stakeholder management, organizations are investing in training programs to develop these essential skills. Project managers who can empathize, communicate effectively, and build strong relationships with team members and stakeholders will be better equipped to handle challenges and drive project success.

6. Hybrid Methodologies

Hybrid project management is a way of optimizing your work by combining more than one PM methodology. Today, there are about two dozen methodologies to mix and match to suit the needs of your team or project. Conventional or predictive methods include Waterfall, which is focused fairly rigidly on planning and analyzing the future for risks. Iterative or adaptive methods include Agile, which is focused on planning, scheduling and risk-management similar to traditional methods, but endowed with a flexibility to change paths. Adaptive teams work in shorter sprints as part of a rapid development cycle. Agile is No. 1 in software development environments, but it can be challenging in its purest forms for projects outside of the scrum.

More and more teams are going with a blended approach that benefits from both methods. The Project Management Institute (PMI) reports that 60 percent of companies competent in Agile use hybrid methods all or most of the time.

To prepare students and working professionals to embrace the hybrid trend, training programs and universities are increasingly adding hybrid approaches to their curricula, including USF, which offers pure Agile and hybrid courses in project management .

5. AI and Automation

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing various industries, and project management is no exception. More than three quarters of project managers today use software platforms to plan, execute, and manage their projects and teams. These platforms are indispensable for scheduling, budgeting, keeping track of progress, and communicating about meetings, milestones, deadlines and obstacles. Add AI and automation to the mix and suddenly project managers can offload the grind of repetitive tasks to technology.

From helping teams automate repetitive tasks and analyzing large datasets to generating accurate predictions, AI-powered project management tools are becoming a regular part of project management. These tools not only save time and effort but also enhance overall project efficiency in the following ways:

• Update tasks and track project health
• Set reminders for timesheets
• Generate project reports
• Schedule meetings and set alerts
• Monitor data, including KPIs and profit margins
• Predict risk

Because digital platforms are integrating AI and automation into their capabilities, project managers do not need to become experts in how AI works, but they should understand the trend well enough to make it work for their needs. Gartner predicts AI and chatbots will be so integrated into project management that leaders will begin to consider them new stakeholders.

4. Sustainability and Green Project Management

With growing awareness of environmental issues, many organizations have zeroed in on sustainability as a top priority. Now, green project management is gaining traction, focusing on reducing waste, minimizing carbon footprint, and adopting eco-friendly practices. Project managers are incorporating sustainable considerations into project planning, procurement, and execution to ensure responsible project delivery. This trend aligns project management practices with broader sustainability goals and positions organizations as socially responsible entities.

3. Stakeholder Relationships

You cannot succeed in this new era of project management without developing the soft skill of building relationships with all your stakeholders. Begin by identifying them – the sponsor, the steering committee, your project team, and the customer. Then, to align with the current trend of managing the people of your project, spend a significant portion of your “management” time working on stakeholder expectations and encouraging buy-in of your project. Here are some suggestions for project managers who haven’t yet hopped on the interpersonal skills bandwagon:

• Ask stakeholders for their opinions, in person or via survey.
• Show sincere interest in their feedback.
• Assign a team member to each stakeholder or stakeholder group, tasked with keeping in regular contact and reporting concerns and suggestions.

2. Data Analytics

Big data is making a big impact in project management. Useful data comes from a range of sources, such as smart devices, videos, social media, and websites. Project managers who gain insights from big data analysis can optimize many elements of their project outcomes. Here are some of the emerging benefits of data analytics on the PM industry:

• Lowering project costs: Data allows you to predict trends, helping you forecast for resources and determine the right budget, estimates, and timetables.
• Improving risk management: Data analytics helps you identify risks and can help you develop an effective risk response strategy.
• Reducing project complexity: Data analytics can help you streamline projects by identifying, for instance, project hours required or resources vs. capacity.  

1. Remote Working

Now and into the near future, location dependence will no longer be a given in project management. Remote and distributed project teams are expected to become the new norm for staffers and freelance project managers. Project managers must adapt their strategies to effectively manage teams across different locations, time zones, and cultures. Collaborative tools, video conferencing platforms, and cloud-based project management software are essential for fostering communication, maintaining team cohesion, and ensuring project transparency in this new virtual landscape.

Gain an Edge with Project Management Credentials from USF

Perhaps no trend is more instrumental to your success as a project manager than earning industry-recognized certification. USF’s project management courses dive deep into foundational methods and next-generation solutions, including preparation for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam. Another key trend? Earning the PMP certification boosts project manager salaries by as much as 22 percent.

Return to article listing

Explore More Categories

• Director's Corner
• Hospitality
• Human Resources
• K-12 Education
• Leadership and Management
• Process Improvement
• Professional Development
• Sales and Marketing

About Corporate Training and Professional Education

USF Corporate Training and Professional Education empowers people to craft their future without limits through engaging professional growth learning and certification programs. Its programs focus on an array of topics – human resources, project management, paralegal, process improvement, leadership skills, technology, and much more.

DIU, Naval Postgraduate School Partner to Advance Defense Research, Education & Innovation

The Defense Innovation Unit and the Naval Postgraduate School have signed a memorandum of understanding to accelerate defense education, research and prototyping through staff exchanges, collaborative experimentation projects at the Naval Innovation Center within NPS and student fellowships at DIU.

DIU said Tuesday it will also work with NPS to advance the adoption of commercial dual-use technology platforms and deliver critical tech capabilities to the fleet and the joint force.

“DIU partners with many Silicon Valley organizations, from tech icons to start-ups as well as universities, and NPS is a natural fit given its defense focus,” said DIU Director Doug Beck . 

“Through this partnership we will connect companies with NPS talent and technology leaders, providing a catalyst for their learning and applied research to deliver innovative solutions for the joint force,” added Beck .

Beck signed the MOU with Ann Rondeau , a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral and president of NPS.

Rondeau said NPS provides a venue for students to test new ideas with industry partners and serves as an innovation hub to transition research concepts into prototype capabilities and applications.

“This new partnership with DIU will greatly enhance the impact our students can have on the fleet and force through expanded collaborations and greater access to emerging technologies,” she added.

• Ann Rondeau
• defense education
• Defense Innovation Unit
• defense research
• dual-use technology
• joint force
• memorandum of understanding
• Naval Innovation Center
• Naval postgraduate school

CISA Launches New System for Automated Malware Analysis

Space Command’s Modeling & Simulation Tool Achieves Minimum Viable Capability

NSF & NobleReach Emerge Choose 11 Biotechnology Projects for Research Commercialization Pilot

30 Best universities for Mechanical Engineering in Moscow, Russia

Updated: February 29, 2024

• Art & Design
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in Moscow ranked based on their research performance in Mechanical Engineering. A graph of 269K citations received by 45.8K academic papers made by 30 universities in Moscow was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. Moscow State University

For Mechanical Engineering

2. Bauman Moscow State Technical University

3. National Research University Higher School of Economics

4. Moscow Aviation Institute

5. N.R.U. Moscow Power Engineering Institute

6. National Research Nuclear University MEPI

7. National University of Science and Technology "MISIS"

8. Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

9. Moscow State Technological University "Stankin"

10. RUDN University

11. Moscow Polytech

12. Moscow State University of Railway Engineering

13. Finance Academy under the Government of the Russian Federation

14. Moscow Medical Academy

15. Russian State University of Oil and Gas

16. mendeleev university of chemical technology of russia.

17. Russian National Research Medical University

18. Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

19. National Research University of Electronic Technology

20. Moscow State Pedagogical University

21. Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration

22. State University of Management

23. Moscow State Institute of International Relations

24. Russian State Geological Prospecting University

25. russian state agricultural university.

26. New Economic School

27. Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation

28. Russian State University for the Humanities

29. Russian State Social University

30. Moscow State Linguistic University

Universities for Mechanical Engineering near Moscow

Engineering subfields in moscow.