It is always traditional at the beginning of each year
to ponder the one just past, and make predictions on the one underway.
Fortunately, a series of educational technology conferences
and mini summits in my area made the job a bit easier for this year. From the
break-out session speakers and keynote at the large Mass CUE Conference (www.masscue.org); to the more intimate
discussions at the Massachusetts Education Technology Administrators
Association technology director event (www.techdirectors.org);
a number of trends are expected to dominate ed tech in 2013.
Here are the collective trends to watch from educators and
administrators in this state which will no doubt resonate with educational
technologists across the country.
Digital disconnects – This use to mean the difference
between those online and those not. It has taken on new meaning as the growing
inequality of technology software and hardware investments within the same
districts, whether by building, by class, or by grade level. I have heard lots
on this topic, as districts begin rolling out pilot Google Docs, Microsoft 365,
or 1:1 initiatives. Technology budgets don’t seem to be getting any larger, so
this will probably become a growing concern.
Digital citizens – The ability for all students to have a
digital presence in their school district and beyond, including student
accounts, profiles, email, and collaboration tools. It used to be that you
weren’t a real business if you didn’t have a web site of your own. The same is
quickly becoming true in education with student profiles and email accounts.
This will become even more so as we head toward national core standards testing
in two years.
Collaboration in the cloud -- No matter who you talk to in
education these days, it seems that everyone’s head is in the cloud (singular).
Whether the motive is student-teacher collaboration, student-student
collaboration, or simple a cost savings measure, more and more school districts
are investigating cloud-based computing. Google Docs remains the most popular foray
for many, but Microsoft 365 for educators launched in 2012 to offer the same
features, along with all the Office Suite favorites.
Bring your own devices (BYOD) – As I listen to educators
discuss 1:1 initiatives in local school districts, it is apparent that many
favor the ability for students to bring their own devices (BYOD) to school,
whether they are smartphones, tablets, MP3 players or e-readers. This certainly
makes sense for those districts that can’t afford to invest in a single device
program, but it certainly increases the support issues for technologists.
Big data in the classroom – Thanks to evidence-based
learning, Big Data has gone beyond the board room, and is firmly entrenched in
the classroom. Education is becoming all about data and analysis, and measuring
how individual students, grades, and schools, measure up. This is both good
news and bad news. It gives school administrators desperately needed
information on where changes may be needed. It is also turning many
instructional technologists into full-time testing and tech support roles,
rather than being curriculum enhancers.
Responsible use policies – Acceptable use policies are
certainly well understood and common place. But some school districts are
favoring responsible use policies, where nothing is shut off (well, technically
it is by grade level), but students are encourage to police themselves online. In
theory this sounds fine, but the jury is still out on how well such policies
will work in practical terms.
Content producers – Merely doing your homework and keeping
up with classroom won’t cut it anymore. Increasingly, schools are opting for
the total educational experience, and students are expected to come up with all
sorts of related media and social media elements that further brand their work.
This is actually a great thing, and may be one of the most important tools for
teaching students how to think creatively, stretch their imaginations, and
learn how to promote themselves among their peers.
BIO: Weldon is a freelance education and technology writer
in the Greater Boston area. Contact him at DWeldon646@comcast.net.
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