These EdTech Trends Are Transforming Education
Take a moment to think back to your childhood, especially those days of rote learning and tedious repetition… Remember how there were endless notes to be copied, facts to be memorized, and monotonous drills that sucked the joy out of learning?
For many of us, education was a one-size-fits-all experience, with little room for creativity, exploration, or personalization. But thankfully, classrooms around the world have gotten quite the makeover thanks to new advancements in EdTech!
From making teachers’ lives easier with AI assistants to transporting students to distant lands with the power of virtual reality, and even making learning fun with games, these are the top trends that are transforming education in 2024 and beyond. Best of all, these innovations not only enhance learning but can also enrich the skills and education section on your resume!
Artificial Intelligence
Let’s go back to your childhood classroom one more time… but this time, imagine walking in and being greeted by an AI assistant who knows your name, your learning style, and has already prepared a custom learning plan for the day. Cool, huh?
This isn’t a George Lucas sci-fi film — it’s real life! Artificial intelligence is quickly integrating into practically every aspect of our lives, education included. By 2028, the AI education market size is expected to be more than $21 billion!
However, we don’t need to wait until 2028 — educators are already using AI to create lesson plans, personalize learning experiences, grade assignments, and save time. Outsourcing some of the ‘boring tasks’ to AI allows teachers to focus more on what really counts: teaching and connecting with their students.
There are thousands of companies and websites using AI, such as Carnegie Learning. This EdTech company leverages AI to create individual educational programs that can adapt to the needs of each student all the way from kindergarten to grade 12.
Another great example is Sizzle AI, which is a “free AI tutor” that helps students master complex concepts in a more fun and accessible way. Too bad we didn’t have something like this when we were stuck applying the rule of differentiation in Calculus 101, right?
AR and VR
These next two EdTech trends feel as futuristic as they are exciting: AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) technologies.
… But what is AR and VR? Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are technologies that seamlessly blend digital elements with the physical world through cameras and screens.
These technologies can create hyper-realistic simulations to make learning easier and more fun. Likewise, this method of teaching greatly improves understanding and memorization of subjects, since students can easily visualize and interact with the material.
If that sounds confusing, let us give you a few examples:
With the help of VR, medical students can study even the smallest details in human anatomy — without needing to cut open a cadaver! In fact, Massachusetts General Hospital is already using virtual reality headsets to help medical students and residents practice operating (albeit, on pixels instead of humans).
It’s not limited to higher education, either. A history teacher in high school can ask students to point their smartphone at a textbook page and 3D models of famous landmarks or ancient battles can come alive on their screen!
Gamification
As we’ve seen in the previous section, learning isn’t confined to the inky papers of a textbook or a few basic PowerPoint slides. EdTech companies have started to really lean into gamification to make learning more immersive and interactive.
Instead of memorizing concepts or reading the same paragraph five times, imagine teleporting to an exciting game that’s full of quests, an interesting storyline, and friendly competition with other classmates — all while learning the same concepts as you would in a textbook. This is gamification in a nutshell.
Some teachers are already successfully using video games to teach their lessons. For example, one history teacher was praised for using the highly popular Assassin's Creed game to teach his students about the Greco-Persian War and other important moments in Greek history.
In fact, the Assassins Creed franchise even has a special “Discovery Tour” mode that was designed to be educational and give a guided tour of historical sites. The company even collaborated with historians and experts to make sure the information was factually correct!
However, gamification isn’t limited to PlayStation and Xbox — there are tons of educational apps for smartphones as well. One of the most well-known examples is the language learning app Duolingo, which has revolutionized how millions of users around the world learn new languages through a fun and interactive game-like style. On Duolingo, users engage in lessons that include speaking exercises, listening exercises, and even gamified quizzes that adapt to individual learning progress.
EdTech companies, inspired by the success of Duolingo, have gradually developed similar gamification tools to motivate students and make learning more fun. One such example is Khahoot!, a game-based learning platform that allows teachers to make interactive games for students. The platform uses elements like points, leaderboards, and competition to enhance students’ learning experience.
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Thanks to artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and gamification, education is more engaging, fun, and effective than ever before.
