Top Trends in Educational Technology [2024]

rends are like a snapshot of a changing world. The next moment, the snapshot will be different. We have yet to determine which trends will persist and define the context, and which will change course under the influence of other factors. Sometimes, we can make mistakes.

However, knowing the trends helps us scan the horizon and prepare for the most likely changes. In this article, we dive into the recent trends in educational technology to support long-term strategic thinking and be ready to implement changes in your learning process quickly.

Current Trends in Educational Technology

#1. Unconventional Platforms

Can platforms like TikTok offer educational value? Absolutely. The education technology landscape is rapidly evolving, expanding beyond conventional online learning tools to include platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Audible, and Instagram. 

With digital natives increasingly seeking out these unconventional sources for their learning needs, EdTech innovators should create new types of educational platforms. Solutions that captivate their audiences and deliver education through entertaining and fresh formats. This is one of the education tech trends you should definitely keep in mind if you're planning to teach Z generation and beyond.

💡Real-Life Example: Flip, an educational solution from Microsoft, makes it easy to quickly record and instantly publish short educational videos. You can set up flexible access settings for different groups and assignments.

#2. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence isn’t just a tool, it’s a new dimension of education. It’s becoming a key player in the education sector, opening up new perspectives and posing interesting challenges to modern teaching methods. 

💡Interesting Stats: According to surveys conducted by Forbes, 60% of educators have already integrated AI into their teaching methods. 

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What are the prospects for using artificial intelligence in education?

• Personalized learning: Artificial intelligence allows you to adapt educational materials and methods to the individual needs of each student. Such personalized learning contributes to more effective assimilation of the material and increases motivation for learning.
• Automation and optimization: This education technology can save teachers time by performing routine tasks such as checking tests and creating a schedule. This gives teachers more time to work on the quality of education and interact with students.
• Interactive teaching materials: Thanks to artificial intelligence technologies, you can create interactive lessons, simulators, and virtual master classes, making online learning more engaging and understandable.
• Content generation: Have you ever tried to draw a picture using AI? The resulting images can be useful, for example, for illustrating some schemes or presentations. The advantages of using AI technology in this case are obvious – the creative task will be solved much faster than without a machine assistant.

#3. Datafication And Learning Analytics

💡Interesting Stats: Based on the latest stats, the knowledge retention level increased from 25% to 60% in the last 10 years. This is mostly thanks to the fact that we have the opportunity to analyze student data and improve how we teach.

Datafication is really a huge trend in the education sector. It's all about turning various learning aspects into quantifiable data, which then gets analyzed for insights into student performance, engagement, and learning patterns. This paves the way for learning analytics, which predicts outcomes and tailors educational experiences.

One of the coolest perks of learning analytics is personalized learning. By diving into data on how students engage with content, educators can tweak their teaching to fit individual needs, help struggling students, challenge high-performers, and fix curriculum gaps.

#4. Immersive Learning

This education technology, rooted in behavioral and cognitive science, makes training super engaging and effective by simulating real-world scenarios.

💡Interesting Stats:  VR learners feel way more connected to the training — like 3.75 times more than in regular classrooms and 2.3 times more than with e-learning.

This emotional connection means they remember and apply what they've learned way better.

It's no wonder big names like Verizon and Walmart are on board. When employees put on a virtual reality headset, they feel like they're actually on the job, practicing both operational and soft skills. Plus, the data from virtual reality training helps companies fine-tune their methods and boost performance. And get this: studies show that immersive learning significantly improves engagement, preparedness, and knowledge retention.

#5. Blockchain

This education technology is revolutionizing how we handle academic records by creating secure, unchangeable ledgers for transcripts, diplomas, and test scores.

Plus, with smart contracts, students and teachers can set assignment deadlines and manage student loan payments seamlessly. Imagine getting rewarded with cryptocurrency for acing your classes or paying off student loans on time — talk about motivation!

Recent stats show that educational organizations are pretty open to implementing Blockchain technology in their online learning process.

Companies like BitDegree and Blockcerts are leading the charge, offering courses and verifying academic credentials on the blockchain. It’s all about transparency, accountability, and making education more engaging and efficient.

#6. Digital Twins

Digital Twins is a pretty new technology in education. They use augmented reality and VR to create super immersive learning experiences. Imagine learning to use a lathe machine, but instead of just watching a video, you're in a full-on simulation where you can see everything from every angle. 

💡Interesting Stats: More than 40% of US manufacturers are expected to implement digital twin technology by 2025 for their training needs.

This education technology is being used in everything from cooking classes to engineering lectures, making learning way more hands-on and interactive. It's like turning online lessons into virtual field trips where you actually get to do stuff, not just watch. More and more universities are jumping on this trend, making remote learning feel a lot more real and engaging.

#7. Chatbots & AI Assistants

The Daily Mail reports that for the first time, Harvard University's introductory programming course was taught by a chatbot during the 2023-2024 academic year. It's expected that the neural network will lighten the teachers' workload and assist students in mastering the course, all while providing constant access to educational materials. 

The chatbot can find errors in code, explain confusing parts, and provide feedback on programs. However, Harvard acknowledges that the bot isn't perfect yet. The university is also experimenting with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 models.

💡Interesting Stats: More than half of the students (55.9%) have a positive attitude towards the use of AI chatbots in education. 

Despite all the benefits, the use of chatbots in educational institutions faces challenges. Among them are the need to establish and constantly update programs, ensure the security and privacy of data, and the need to improve algorithms for the most effective interaction with users. 

In the future, chatbots can become even more integrated and complex, learning from large amounts of data and improving their skills in interacting with users. Such technologies will contribute to achieving the highest quality of education and improving the learning process.

#8. Wearables Devices

Smart wearables are body-worn or implantable computing and sensor devices that can record information from the wearer and/or their surroundings. You might ask, what does that have to do with education?

Wearable technology, including smartwatches and augmented reality / virtual reality headsets, is transforming education by making learning experiences more engaging and immersive. Yes, it’s one of the new trends in educational technology. These devices allow for real-time monitoring of student performance and stress levels, enable efficient remote learning, and contribute to safer classroom environments.

💡Use Cases: AR/VR headsets, can transport students to virtual historical sites for immersive history lessons, while smartwatches can monitor students' health and stress levels during exams to provide real-time support.

Final Thought

Of course, these are not all the educational technology trends. However, these current educational trends show the direction in which technologies are developing. Education is becoming more accessible. Hands On Learning is gaining significant attention, and correspondingly, technologies that facilitate its implementation are also advancing. 

All these cool education technology tools help make lifelong learning possible — where everyone keeps learning new stuff and improving their skills throughout their whole life. We just have to understand how can we harness these tools to create even more opportunities for continuous learning.