2013 is set to see an almost unprecedented embracing of technology in education. We’ve compiled some of the major ed-tech trends for 2013 into this article.
2013 will not doubt see countless technological advancements, some of these occurring in education. Here’s a look at some of ideas of what may happen in education in the next year:
1. Use SMS marketing to connect education with life
– Connect with your students by using the tools and channels that they use most.
– 53% of college students own a smartphone.
– 47% of them own a feature phone.
– 93% text message on their phones.
– 89% of surveyed colleges send text message alerts as a part of a crisis communication plan.
– Schools can use SMS to connect with students several ways like:
* Updating students on deadlines, coursework and schedule changes.
* Notifying classes or entire schools of emergency closures.
* Keeping staff and students informed about important events.
2. Social Media enables students to education communities
– Students can use social media to inform the public about issues.
– How schools have used social media to address issues:
* One class set up a Facebook page to raise awareness about an environmental problem in their community.
* They also recorded and uploaded a rap video to YouTube addressing this issue.
* Universities are also using social media to connect with students and their communities.
– 100% of surveyed universities had a Facebook account.
– 80% had a Twitter account.
– 70% had a YouTube or Vimeo channel.
– Schools use social medie for a variety of reasons including:
* 83% Engaging Alumni
* 38% Engaging the local community
3. Universities offer free non-credit online courses
– They will continue to offer free webcasts of courses and lectures that anyone can view online.
– There are a variety of free education resources online including:
* OpenCourseWare
* Massive Open Online Courses
* Online Accredited Courses
* Online Courses
* DIY Degrees
– Several universities offer free courseware including:
* Stanford University
* Massachusetts Institute of Technology
* Johns Hopkins University
– One popular Stanford University Massive Open Online Course had 160,000 participants register from 190 countries.
4. 3D Printing hits the road
– Affordable 3D printers are making more things possible in the classroom.
– Some predict that one day every classroom, if not every student, will own a 3D printer.
– Since 3D printing technology is becoming more accessible to the public, more teachers and students are using it.
– Some 3D printing companies are developing 3D student curricula.
– 3D printers have been known to create:
* Paper covered by solar cells.
* buildings from dust
* a human vein
5. What else can be expected?
– Here are a few more predictions
– Universities embrace e-books: Colleges may begin to ditch the traditional monograph in favor of less expensive e-books, which may attract more readers.
– Counseling goes high-tech: As a student-to-counselor ratios increase, some schools may opt for virtualizing college counseling. This way, students can sign up for one-on-one help when they need it.
– Game-based learning matures: As game-based learning becomes more accepted and effective, teachers will likely use them more often in their classrooms.
– BYOD increase in popularity: The bring-your-own-device movement may gain in popularity as schools realize they can save big bucks by allowing students to use their personal devices in the classroom.
– More schools will go to the cloud: Universities may become more cloud-based as they find it can drive down IT costs, cut application costs, and allow anytime access for faculty, staff and students.
– Schools will embrace open textbooks: Colleges may opt for the low-cost and cost-free open textbooks, over traditional textbooks, which are available for students to use and teachers to modify.
