Top Trends in Educational Technology [Update 2024]

Education is evolving more rapidly than ever, especially as it’s driven by the relentless march of technology. Gone are the days of chalkboards and textbooks as the digital age ushers in a new era of learning. From interactive platforms to immersive virtual reality experiences, educational technology, or EdTech, is transforming how we teach and learn. To keep you updated with the newest, below are the top 10 latest trends in educational technology.

What is Educational Technology and Why Should it Matter?

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) has defined EdTech as “facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources”. In short, EdTech is simply a process of using technology in education to build better teaching-learning experiences that result in higher learning outcomes.

For example, several hospitals are training their new nurses with online safety courses by using animation.

1. Why should it matter?

There are lots of reasons why educators have shifted to using EdTech to replace traditional paper-and-pen teaching methods. Particularly, we list some common advantages of EdTech that you could t easily see here:

2. Innovate teaching methods

Technology is an innovation of humans, so when an educator can apply technology to teaching, it is also innovative. Edtech allows teachers to provide multimedia to address diverse learning styles, such as animation, live video, etc. Besides, EdTech enables teachers to create online courses where students can learn in their own space and at their own pace.

3. Improve collaborative teaching

Technology has made it possible for everyone to stay connected. Students and teachers, connect, discuss, share their opinions, and act upon situations collaboratively.

For example, eLearning is an educational tool that features collaboration by enabling students to share and discuss. Instead of being in a classroom and listening to teachers speak for 30 minutes, eLearning students can join an online group/platform and learn together by interacting with their peers. In this case, teachers are more accessible and act as mentors to help students develop themselves. This collaborative learning approach has bridged the gap between teachers and students and also helped students strengthen their interpersonal skills.

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4. Increase teaching and learning process

Firstly, EdTech benefits how teachers teach, both online and offline. Students do not always have to go to a specific class at a specific time; they can learn whenever and wherever.

Secondly, EdTech changes the way students approach learning. Edtech makes learning more fun and exciting for students. When we feel engaged in learning, we learn better, remember better, and also apply knowledge better in real life.

Lastly, technology makes education smarter, and more effective, thus, satisfying learners’ needs more. Also, it solves training video problems. True educators bring valuable knowledge to learners, both in theory and in real life. However smart educators are those who can create teaching from what learners want to learn.

To sum up, EdTech doesn’t mean teachers have to become an IT expert. But it’s true that teachers could do these fascinating things only with technology, and that’s why we need EdTech in life.

Top 10 Current Trends in Educational Technology

If you are an innovative educator, following the trend in education is probably not something new but rather essential. Even with this list, however, it is still up to you to choose the most suitable ‘trendy’ aid for your teaching and training.  Here we select the 10 education technology trends to help you stay at the curve.

Trend	Description
Microlearning	Short, focused learning units accessible anytime, anywhere, using interactive content to engage learners.
Video-Assisted Learning	Using videos to enhance lessons, improve comprehension, and reduce teacher workload, especially in distance learning.
Blockchain Technology	Distributed data storage providing transparency and decentralization, used for verifying skills in MOOCs and e-Portfolios.
Big Data	Gathering and analyzing learner data to personalize the learning experience, improving course content and delivery.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)	Automates tasks like grading, provides AI tutors, and tracks student progress, enhancing in-class teaching and learning.
Learning Analytics	Using data to understand and optimize student learning, identify challenges, and improve teaching strategies.
Gamification	Integrating game elements into learning to boost engagement and create a positive, fun learning environment.
Immersive Learning (VR/AR)	Uses VR and AR to create interactive, experiential learning, particularly useful for explaining complex concepts.
STEAM Education	Incorporates arts into STEM for hands-on, creative problem-solving, encouraging curiosity and collaboration.
Edutainment	Combines education and entertainment to make learning engaging and enjoyable, encouraging lifelong learning.

1. Microlearning

With the growth of short-content platforms, our average span is becoming shorter and shorter. As a result, it’s no surprise that microlearning is the most prevalent trend in educational technology. What makes microlearning so cool? For starters, it’s super flexible. You can learn wherever and whenever, on your phone, tablet, or laptop. It’s all about getting straight to the point, which means no fluff—just the stuff you need to know, delivered in an engaging way.

Plus, microlearning uses videos, quizzes, flashcards, and interactive content to keep things fun and interesting. It’s perfect for those who want to learn something new but don’t have hours to spare.

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2. Video-assisted learning

In recent years, video-assisted learning has become more and more popular as classroom displays. The “video day” now is not television on a trolley being wheeled into the class. With the Internet and digital devices, every day can be a “video day”. Now, the video trend has developed into many types of creative learning solutions (microlearning for employees, for example).

This trend in educational technology is also booming in distance learning conditions, in which students learn through computer screens. Videos, especially animated videos, are extremely beneficial to enrich lessons and make content comprehensible. It improves students’ outcomes and reduces teachers’ workload.

If you are interested in implementing animation as your education visual aid, take a look at the free e-guide below.

3. Blockchain technology

The Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) from blockchain brings so many benefits to education, especially data storage. Every time new data is added, it adds another “block” into the system, so the storage is technically limitless. Simultaneously, the data will be encrypted and distributed across multiple computers in the system. It makes transacting data decentralized and transparent.

Blockchain technology is used well in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and e-Portfolios to verify skills and knowledge. The DLT systems will answer the problems of authentication, scale, and cost for eLearning agencies. Moreover, it can help student applicants publish their accomplishments during the job-seeking phase.

4. Big data will get bigger

To cater to learners’ needs, the learning experience needs to be personalized. And with COVID-19 and online learning booming, we now have bigger data than ever before. Instructional designers have relevant information about learners’ experiences to customize and present the course in a suitable format. Some information you should look for is the course’s topic learners’ enrolled; learner performance (time per course, completion, test result), and learner feedback (rating, survey).

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The use of AI in education has skyrocketed over the past few years. 60% of educators said that they adapted AI in their classrooms.

First and foremost, AI can automate basic activities in education, like grading. It’s now possible for teachers to automate grading of the multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions. Thus, automated grading of students’ writing may not be far behind.

Furthermore, both learners and educators could benefit from this trend in educational technology. For example, students could get help from AI tutors while teachers are too busy to take care of everyone. Also, AI-driven programs can give both learners and educators helpful feedback. That’s why some schools use AI systems to monitor student progress and to alert teachers when there might be an issue with students’ performances.

Therefore, it’s clear that AI is a powerful assistant for in-class teaching. Meanwhile, why don’t you help your learners get more out of the educational experience via AI?   

6. Learning Analytics

The current landscape of learning analytics has dramatically expanded, especially for higher education.

Learning analytics allows educators to measure and report student learning just by the web. From that, it’s possible for them to better understand and optimize learning.

When teachers read the insights from students’ learning processes, they can improve the knowledge and skill acquisition of their students accordingly. For instance, teachers could see what type of information (text, images, infographics, or videos) that students enjoy most to use it more in the next lessons. Also, teachers would notice what pieces of knowledge weren’t effectively delivered to enhance them next time.

Moreover, learning analytics helps educators to identify blocks of students who may have academic or behavioral challenges. From that, teachers could develop a way to help students reach their full potential.

7. Gamification

If you are looking for a way to turn learning into a more fun and engaging process, gamification is one of the most suitable technology trends in education. There is no reason for students not to be actively involved in the classroom game. Students can learn and practice while they are joining in exciting game activities. Plus, gamification is also used as an internal communication animation method to keep every learner on the same page.

The adoption of gamification is most popular in the K-12 education sector. It’s because kids are quickly engaged in gaming videos or getting higher scores in a game. However, it doesn’t mean that higher education or corporate training don’t need fun elements to improve the engagement level of learners.

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8. Immersive Learning with VR and AR

The class learning experience has undergone a tremendous change since virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) came into education. The rise of the demand for experiential learning pushes forward the development of learning with VR and AR.

Learning has become much more interactive than traditional methods. While VR provides a constructed reality, AR gives an enhanced view of a real image. Thus, they help to explain complex concepts that plain images or even lab’s hands-on experiments couldn’t show students.

For example, VR is pretty helpful when you are attending a medical training course. In detail, VR creates a chance for students to experience real-world surgeries in a low-risk environment.

9. STEAM

STEAM-based program is the new EdTech improvement over the STEM programs. This new trend in educational technology applies meaningful Science, Technology, Engineering, Art (the new element), and Maths content to solve real-world problems through hands-on learning activities and creative design.  

Concerning the advantages of STEAM, the first thing is that it helps students become increasingly curious about the world around them. Moreover, it also creates a safe environment for the learners to express and experience their ideas while able to think outside of the box. The comfort when doing hands-on learning also helps students collaborate better with others.

10. Edutainment

Edutainment is one of the coolest trends in educational technology right now. It combines education and entertainment to create an engaging learning experience. This approach taps into the idea that we learn best when we’re genuinely interested and having a good time. Instead of using dry books and documents, teachers can incorporate a game that teaches math, a video that makes history come alive, or an app that lets students explore science experiments virtually.

Edutainment is suitable for learners of all ages, from kids to adults. It makes education accessible and enjoyable, encouraging lifelong learning by keeping things fresh and engaging.

Conclusion

In the end, we know that there is a lot to digest when we talk about trends in educational technology. However, keep in mind that technology has seeped into education and renewed its whole teaching and learning process. Especially eLearning, an educational tool that not only increases the accessibility and convenience of education but also changes the learning behaviors and learners’ desires for learning.

But here is good news: you don’t need to go alone on this EdTech ship. Because you have us, who will join you in bringing forth the true value of learning, inspire learners, and make education more relevant and empowering? Check out our portfolio here and experience how learning could be inspired through educational animation.

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