of assessment results that help illuminate
the extent to which particular interventions
are working, and who is benefiting from the
changes in what ways.”
THE HOW
Mobile and Digital Learning
Digital learning made a slow entrance into
mainstream education, but with the use of
tablets and mobile devices, the number of
teachers using game-based learning in the
classroom has doubled in the past six years.
“The explosion in teacher interest and usage
of videos and game-based learning could be
a harbinger of a new awakening for digital
learning,” Julie Evans, the CEO of Project
Tomorrow, says. In a 2015 survey conducted
by Project Tomorrow, 48 percent of K-12
teachers and nearly two-thirds of K-5 teachers
reported adopting the use of games in their
weekly lessons. According to Education
Week, 23 million devices were purchased in
2013 and 2014 alone. More recently, tablets
are taking over as an affordable option for
bringing technology to each individual
student. One-to-one computing hopes to
provide teachers with the time to give each
student more personalized attention and time
to work at his/her own pace.
New Learning Spaces
Gone are the days of sitting head-behindhead, avoiding eye contact with your teacher,
hoping she won’t call on you for the answer to
her question. Student-centered environments
in colleges and schools breed creativity and
innovation through small-group learning
and instruction. “In a personalized learning
classroom, technology frees up time for
teachers to do what they do best: teach
students in small groups and customize
instruction,” Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg says. Zuckerberg along with the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many
others are seeing the positive outcomes of
personalized learning. Reinventing learning
spaces is a subtle approach that will make sure
the student population is served adequately,
allowing teachers to spend more personalized
time with each student in a group. Through
technology, students are provided access to
24/7 learning, allowing them to take learning
outside of their typical classroom setting and
work on their own time. This means a cultural
shift in the use of mobile technology in the
classroom.
STEM Integration
The United States is pushing for young
people to become scientists, engineers,
and innovators to shape tomorrow and to
continue to be global leaders. As a common
buzzword in recent years, STEM – science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics
– continues to play a crucial role in early
learning. In a report by U.S. News, early
development of STEM skills supports
reading, language, and STEM skills later
in life. Typically, STEM learning is a focus
of high school-level students. Inadequate
attention is being paid to STEM in early
childhood education since other key
competencies, such as basic skills in literacy
and numeracy, are topics of focus. Educators
are working toward proper preparation for
teaching early childhood STEM classes
to create an even more valuable learning
experience for elementary students.
Professional Development for Educators
The ever-changing landscape of education
is hard to stay privy to as an educator. Putting
hundreds of hours into lesson plans each
school year makes the thought of adopting
changes a daunting one. Personalized
professional development is changing the
way teachers are learning to teach their
students. Administration-required seminars
are being replaced with real-time alternative
credentialing. Teachers are learning new
ways for classroom learning, combining
online learning, service-based learning, and
hands-on learning to provide students with a
valuable educational experience.
As technology continues to change and
education tirelessly tries to keep up, students
and teachers can look forward to the exciting
opportunities in learning. School districts
will continue to work to make thoughtful
technology purchases that develop a vision
for the future of education. Once technology
is purchased, schools must remember a
crucial step in rollout: educating faculty
and staff on how to successfully utilize the
technology in the classroom. The right
technology, with the right professional
development, can lead to a valuable education.
From online learning, to utilizing wearables
for interactive teaching purposes, education
trends are going to continue to morph to
ensure that students graduate knowing they
are ready to take on the world. n
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