In a fast-moving industry, such as technology, we’re always having to keep up with new tech trends making headlines and changing our world. IT professionals, especially, have a duty to stay aligned with technologies and consider how their organisations could leverage these new solutions. Without keeping a close eye on what’s trending, competitors could easily get the upper hand and leave slow to react businesses behind.
As mentioned, with the tech industry always coming up with new and innovative deliverables, we’re going to briefly cover three of those key trends that, we think, are worthy of mentioning. These technologies are having a positive influence on the education sector and are changing what is possible and how we learn, let’s have a look at these three trends.
1. The independence potential of AI
AI or Artificial Intelligence has taken the world by storm, making its way into thousands of existing tools, providing more intelligent solutions that drive efficiency and save time. AI has been incorporated in tools from live chat to marketing, offering users an alternative route to producing assets alongside the support and direction of artificial intelligence with best practice knowledge.
Another industry leveraging AI is education, allowing organisations or educational institutions to build training courses more efficiently, offering a faster proposed curriculum structure. Another use case is building specialist tutor bots with in-depth knowledge about topics’ students are learning. Supportive tools like knowledge or tutor bots can save tutors time answering more simpler questions and allowing learners to receive answers at any time. Such bots can be fed hundreds or thousands of manuals covering specific topics which can then be used to answer specific subject questions, easily becoming an expert in a chosen field.
Furthermore, AI or Artificial Intelligence is making knowledge more accessible to learners from developing countries, who lack infrastructure or experienced tutors to lead training courses in classrooms. Learners now can work alongside AI’s strengths, building proposed learning curriculum and delving deeper into topics that would not necessarily have been available through books or teachers.
While society may have concerns about AI replacing human jobs, PwC’s analysis does suggest that AI and other related technologies could create as many jobs as it may replace in the UK over the next 20 years, resulting in a small positive job increase.
2. Blockchain for learner records
Blockchain is essentially a database or ledger technology of sorts that safely records data across many computers in such a way that it can’t be altered. Each block within a chain contains a few transactions or recordings, that would then be copied across multiple store points for security, much like cloud computing concepts.
According to PwC, blockchain technology could boost the UK GDP by £57 billion by 2030, with applications for tracking products and services, such as financial services, verification management and much more.
While this is still a developing trend, blockchain technology has the potential to unify educational achievements, credentials and learning logs in a secure ledger. This could reinvent the way educational institutions record and recognise learners across the globe, establishing a universal repository. Regardless of college, university or training organisation, learner data could be accessible from any location provided through a single source or access point.
3. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) for all needs
VR and AR is the last key trend we’ll cover, it’s being used for immersive learning experiences, in fields needing practical application, such as engineering, education, medicine, transportation, and may others, including entertainment. The technology allows users to experience simulated situations for training purposes, such as visualising an aeroplane cockpit and flying a plane, without the risks of failure in the real world.
VR’s popularity is on the rise, with data suggesting that 1 in 3 people in the UK want to see more applications in education by 2030, supporting the developing interest and value of immersive learning technology.
Additionally, VR also offers a unique opportunity for special education needs, providing custom designed experiences that allow students with learning difficulties or disabilities to overcome barriers to communication and travel. VR could provide safe and controlled classrooms for autistic learners to develop their career or people skills.
Technology trends are always going to be present and continue to evolve within our lives and the generations after us, driven by humans’ nature to drive efficiency and optimise the world we share. As we do continue to innovate and overcome obstacles, we should embrace tech trends for growth and development. Technology enhances our ability to connect and communicate across geographical barriers, fostering a global exchange of ideas and culture. It also offers tools for productivity and creativity, helping us manage our time more effectively.
By aligning new technologies with our collective goals for wellbeing and sustainability, we can leverage these tech trends of power for innovation and build a stronger future for society.
