12 Emerging Educational Uses of Technology

That are the Most Exciting Right Now

by KELLY WALSH on SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

As we Enter a new School Year,

Which Uses of Technology Hold the
Most Promise to Impact Learning?
Well, its that time of year again the start of a new
school year. With it often comes the irresistible urge to
make another list, or even better many lists! Lists

help us to plan, and they can also help us reflect and

assess.
One list I really enjoy putting together as we head into a
new academic year is an updated look at which
educational uses of technology have shown the most
promise over the last year. Which tools and techniques
most excite me as I look forward to another year of
striving for continuous improvement as a teacher,
technologist, and #edtech advocate? And as different
technology uses take the spotlight, which of them are
standing out a little less?
So, looking back and thinking forward, here are a dozen
instructional uses of technology that are the most
compelling right now. Some of these are BIG ideas,
driving real change in our classrooms and schools, and
some are simpler concepts that are making small but
meaningful changes in how we engage our students on
a day to day basis.

Augmented Reality
AR is just so much fun and comes in many different
flavors. Everything from free or inexpensive
smartphone apps to full blown 3D workstations like
those from zSpace. AR is just one of the coolest
educational technologies that many educators have not
even come across yet! To better understand AR in the
classroom, check out how these teachers and students
are using augmented reality.

Adaptive Learning & Competency

Based Education
Ive heard people refer to Adaptive Learning and CBE
as one and the same, but to my way of thinking, they
are very related but still distinct. That being said, Ive
listed them here together because they are based on the
same fundamental concept learning paths and tools
that can adapt to what a student knows and doesnt
know, and allow them to master materials at their own
pace.
Adaptive Learning still has a while to go to make it to
mainstream, but tools like Moby Maxhave led the way
in the elementary and secondary levels, and now LMSs
common to higher ed are increasingly seeking to add
Adaptive functionality (Britespace from D2L is a good
example). The pace of adoption is quickening.
CBE is essentially a fundamental change to how
students get credentialed, which is largely enabled by
Adaptive Learning tools and pathways. CBE basically
the traditional clock hour as the measurement of
learning with, well learning. SNHUs President Paul
LeBlanc gives a great overview of CBE and its
potential in this interview. CBE is changing higher
education in a serious way, helping to decrease the cost
of, and time to, degree attainment. This is a huge boost
to busy working adult students.

The Flipped Classroom

The Flipped Classroom continues to emerge as one of

the most exciting grassroots movements in the
academic world. Teachers all across the world are
trying it and loving it. Make no mistake, the flipped
classroom is no trend it is a clear reflection of how
technology truly can be a powerful tool for educators
who are inspired to do the very best by their students.
For two years running, the vaunted Horizon Report
from ELI & NMH has noted the flipped classroom as
being ready for widespread adoption right now, and
teachers and schools have been implementing at a
rapid rate! Flip on!

Student Response Systems

Engaging with students and gathering feedback are two

core benefits of technology in the classroom and
Student Response Systems are designed to that end.
While SRS technology is by no means new, it has
morphed considerably over the years, and continues to
evolve and emerge.
The first SRS were costly proprietary clickers, but
todays best SRS are free and device independent,
which is opening them up to many more educators to
use in their classrooms. Tools like Kahoot, Socrative,
and Quiz socket enable students to participate in
interactive surveys, questions, quizzes, etc., from a
phone, tablet, or computer. There is also a great lowtech alternative called Plickers that has garnered a lot
of well deserved attention.

Video Collaboration Tools

The power of todays easy to use video solutions is
empowering teachers to bring the world into their
classroom, and to make themselves more available to
students. This is another technology that is by no
means new, but it continues to evolve steadily. Thanks
to the increasingly ubiquitous smartphone, video is
becoming an anytime, anywhere solution. In addition
to live collaboration, tools like Movenote and
VoiceThread make it possible to collaborate via video
asynchronously.
If you arent leveraging the power of video to bring
guest speakers into your classroom, interact with other
classrooms across the world, or let a home-bound
student participate in class, you are missing out on a
world of possibilities.

Social Learning in Online Courses

I truly believe that better incorporation of social
learning is vital to making online learning more
engaging. Many online programs struggle to attain
retention rates similar to most in-seat programs. One of
the elements generally lacking in online learning (but
natural to the face-to-face classroom) is a healthy level
of social interaction. When online teachers make the
effort to build social interaction into the digital
classroom, they create multiple opportunities to
enhance engagement and improve learning outcomes.
The growing adoption of online learning makes it more

important than ever that online courses incorporate

social interaction into their lesson plans and
assignments.

3D Printing

Not everyone has access to 3d printing yet, but I have

little doubt most schools will by the end of this decade.
3D printing is an amazing maker tool, and teachers
and schools aredoing exciting things with this
technology. If you dont have access to 3D printing,
check your local library system and nearby universities,
as many are starting to serve as hubs for 3d printing.

Interactive Collaboration Tools

This is one of the most commonly sought types of

teaching and learning tools, and the Web delivers!
There are so many good free tools that can be used to
create opportunities to collaborate via digital
technology in (and out of) the classroom. Check out
these 20 Fun Free Tools for Interactive Classroom
Collaboration for a wide variety of tools and ideas.

Tools to Embed Questions in Videos

Admittedly, this is not the kind of game changing ed

tech idea that others on this list are, but I still think it is
worth noting. Over the last year, EdPuzzle, EduCanon,
and Zaption are a few of the tools that I have seen
mentioned over and over in the ed tech social media
over the last year. This capability has just blown up
over the last year or so, getting a lot of attention, and
for good reason. What a powerful instructional idea!
Take any of the kazillion videos available on YouTube

(or one you made and published there) and require

readers to reply to questions at any point in the video.
Deliver these in a setting that reduces most of the
distracting clutter of YouTube. Sound good? Heck yeah!
Have you tried this yet? What are you waiting for? Click
here and see how easy it is!

Open Educational Resources

The concept of Open Educational Resources has been

around for decades, but the effort to get faculty
informed and to advocate for a move to these low cost,
adaptable resources has a long way to go. I did see
some nice progress this year in my own little corner of
the world. We have used various techniques and
resources, including OER, to lower the costs of text
books at The College of Westchester. I believe
the future has never looked brighter for Open
Educational Resources.

Mobile First or Mobile Only

I heard (former Seton Hall CIO and current Robots-nPencils CEO) Phil Komarny say it quite a few years back
and it often echoes in my head: Think Mobile First or
Mobile Only. Its so true mobile is changing
everything and education is no exception. This is surely
an area where we are going to continue to see big
changes as the world slowly gets its head around the
way the powerful devices so many of us have in our
hands can seriously change how we communicate,
connect, reach out, access content, research, learn,
think, act, and the list just keeps growing.

If learning really can take place any time, any where,

shouldnt we encourage it? This is yet another change
that is happening whether we choose to acknowledge it
or not. More teachers are embracing the power of this
device as an instructional aid.

So there you have it

These are the academic uses of technology that are

putting a smile on my face these days, sowing hope in
my heart, and inspiring my desire to help make a
difference. What do you think? What excites
you? What are the #edtech ideas, tools, and
techniques that you think hold the most promise to
make an impact and improve learning for your
students?