Technology Challenges in K-12 Education
By John Thompson and Amy Hoepfner
According to EdSurge Research, there are several strong technological trends in K-12 education today. Below is a summary of a few of the more critical ones affecting students, teachers, and administrators in school districts across the country.
Infrastructure: In 2013, only 30% of school districts met FCC connectivity goals for schools. By 2015, 77% of school districts had met that goal, leaving 23% without adequate connectivity. High-speed bandwidth, wireless access, and low-cost devices are critical to support the recent changes in education. The challenge remains for children to have ubiquitous access to the internet to support their learning. Districts are working hard to provide longer access to school internet after school hours, assist families in getting internet access in the home, and working with libraries to help students utilize their broadband access outside of school.
Computer Science: Projected to increase by 12% from 2014 to 2024, computer and information technology jobs are growing faster than graduating students can fill them. As such, there is a movement to add computer science and coding curriculum to the core of K-12 education subjects. Computer science now counts toward high school graduation requirements in 28 states and growing.
Data Privacy: The amount of data that exists for each student is staggering, and the argument of who owns that data rages. In 2015, 15 states passed legislation about student data privacy, and in 2016, California and New Hampshire joined with Deleware and Oregon expecting to follow in 2017. Key issues are what data can be collected, what can be done with it, who can grant permission for its use, and who is responsible for safeguarding it.
Edtech: Free apps supporting teachers and education have increased a great deal in the last year. Edmodo, Class Dojo, and Remind are popular apps that assist teachers in connecting with their students online both in and out of the classroom. The challenge is choosing an app that will be the right fit for the teacher’s needs but that will also continue to be in business a few months down the line in this highly competitive environment.
Student Assessment: 2/3rds of students polled in 2015 believe there is too much emphasis on standardized testing. As states are starting to relax the testing requirements and provide legal ways for students to opt out, testing mechanisms are starting to focus more on reasoning and data analysis rather than strict right and wrong answers. Tests are becoming shorter and easier to administer with new digital testing methods and ways for assessment to be embedded unobtrusively in learning programs.
“Supercharged” Technologies: EdTech Magazine predicts that several technologies are poised to change the face of education as we know it: Virtual Reality, 3D Printing, Internet of Things (IoT), Wearables, and Artificial Intelligence. Some of these technologies are already finding their way into today’s classrooms, laying a foundation for ground-breaking changes in how students will learn in the future.
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For more information on the research cited above, please see the detailed article here: https://www.edsurge.com/research/special-reports/state-of-edtech-2016/k12_edtech_trends
For more information on up and coming “supercharged” technologies, please refer to this article: http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2015/12/5-tech-trends-could-supercharge-education-2016