Educational Technology Trends for 2015

by Kristie Burk

2015 is right around the corner. Here is what I predict as the top educational technology trends for the upcoming year:

1. Data/Learning Analytics – We cannot escape it.  Big data is here to stay and teachers will be expected to become more expert at using data to drive their lessons, to assess students and to improve their teaching.  If you want to become more of a data expert in 2015, start with this article called “Averages Don’t Matter…and Other Common Mistakes in Data Analysis.”

2. Flipped Classrooms – The flipped classroom is a pedagogical model in which the typical classroom and homework elements are reversed. Short instructional videos can be viewed by students at home while classroom time is devoted to exercises, practice, projects or discussions. Here is an excellent resource guide to the flipped classroom and a previous article on how the Ohio State Football program is using a flipped model.

3. BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) vs 1:1 –  Should students be expected to bring their own devices to school or should schools provide a device for every student? I expect this debate to continue well into 2015.

4. Blended Learning – In our high schools, blended classes allow students to spend some time face-to-face with their teachers and to spend some time online. The Downingtown Area School District is way ahead of other area districts and will be offering over 100 blended courses in 2015-16. Want to learn more? Here are some resources on blended learning that I’ve curated.

5.  Personalized learning  – In 2015, more students will have access to material and activities that are customized for their level of knowledge and for their learning styles.  I see this trend expanding across the country as more educators think about ways to meet students where they are. Here is a great blog piece by Ben Mountz on how he personalizes learning for science students at DHSE.

6. Coding – With the “Hour of Code” and other similar events occurring just a few weeks ago, schools will become even more interested in teaching students about programming. In 2015, I expect to hear more conversations about making technology a core subject.

7. Gamification – 28 million people harvest their crops on FarmVille every day while 1.5 million students fail to graduate high school every year. Perhaps we can reach these students through gamification, presenting educational content in game format. Here’s a great infographic that explains more.

8. Online Collaboration – In 2015, I predict that more and more of our students (and teachers) will be using Google Apps for Education to collaborate with each other in ways that they haven’t previously.

9.  Schoology – In 2015, more teachers in DASD will be using Schoology, our learning management system, where students can submit their assignments, communicate with their teachers, discuss class topics, and take online assessments.  They can even integrate Schoology’s calendar with their own online calendars. Another benefit to Schoology is that parents can be partners in this process with their own access codes.

What do you think about these trends? Let us know at dtowntechchat.wordpress.com!