It's Time to Embrace Technology as the Future of Education

Insights from Educate., 8th Edition

Schools are beginning to re-open after a year of navigating a challenging educational landscape.

Researchers, administrators, policymakers, and educators are wondering how this past year has changed the future of education. Will schools embrace hybrid learning and 1:1 device access going forward?

Having taught at international schools for most of my career, I have been surrounded by technology as a teaching tool for over a decade. My courses have been designed for a 1:1 laptop classroom, and my teaching philosophy centers on personalized education by utilizing the vast amount of resources available on the internet.

While schools abroad have embraced technology and private schools have encouraged a 1:1 environment, schools in the U.S. are woefully behind in providing reliable device and internet access for all students.

It is my hope that we have learned something during this pandemic. Gone are the days when the teacher wields a ruler at the chalkboard, drilling students incessantly on facts and figures. Students no longer have to memorize dates and places of conflicts in social studies class or commit the biography of a famous author to memory.

Information is readily and conveniently available online. Our task now is to ensure our students know how to find valid and reliable information. This means shifting away from rote memorization and multiple-choice tests and embracing project-based learning and design thinking principles.

We must teach students to be problem-solvers and expert decision-makers. We must teach students how to process and improve upon what they have learned, establishing meaning and thoughtfulness to the world around them.

Bryce Welker, CPA writes in the article “What is the Future of Online Education?”, “now that we’re in the midst of what many experts are calling the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it looks like a great time to give our education system a much-needed facelift.”

Businesses have begun to take note that education is lagging in preparing students to be critical thinkers in an increasingly globally competitive environment. I expect to see more involvement and encouragement from the outer edges of policymaking.

And as Welker notes, online education is a booming industry for adult learners as well. I completed both of my graduate degrees online and will be starting a Ph.D. online in the coming months. I love learning online. The freedom, flexibility, and accessibility make online learning the future of education.

It’s time to provide every student with a device and internet access. It’s time to recognize that we must change how we teach to keep pace with the development of society.

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Education News and Research

• A COVID-19- Global Education Tracker has been launched by Johns Hopkins University, the World Bank, and UNICEF to measure the impact of the pandemic on worldwide education. Gathering information from more than 200 countries and territories, the tracker will measure the following: status of schools, modalities (in-person, online, hybrid), remedial education availability, and vaccine available for educators. According to data, 51 countries have returned to in-person education, while more than 90 countries are being instructed with multiple modalities. The UN Children’s Fund states, “the Tracker is intended to offer evidence that informs policymakers and researchers working on COVID-19 responses.”
• Michigan has a teacher turnover problem, says Koby Levin at Chalkbeat. This is “limiting the educational opportunities of Black students and those from low-income families.” Levin lays out several possible solutions to creating environments where teachers want to stay including providing additional training and mentorship, improving working conditions at schools, and including more teacher voice in school decisions. Levin notes, “More money could pay for decreased class sizes, better teacher training, better learning materials, or for more school staff …who give teachers the freedom to focus on teaching.”
• The Learning Policy Insitute details the importance of “A Restorative Approach for Equitable Education.” According to the authors of the brief, the effect of systemic racism in education combined with the impacts of the pandemic has created more significant challenges for educators and schools. Instead of dwelling on the have-nots, the brief reviews the possibilities of a future in education where we re-think current school structures. By investing in cultural responsiveness, restorative practices, and embracing diversity skills and tools, we can better prepare for teachers to create a more inclusive environment.
• The U.S. Census Bureau provides detailed information on students' device access in light of the challenges of remote learning in the pandemic. Georgia and Florida trail significantly behind states such as Vermont and Indiana who are providing more access to technology for student learning.

Professional Learning and Inspiration​
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​Why A Revolution Is Needed In The Management Of Education by Steve Denning, Forbes

Denning argues that a change in the role of the teacher is necessary to usher in 21st-century education. He cites that a hold-up in the bureaucracy of schools is keeping organizational purpose hidden, further hindering a transformation to learning as a transactional process. Denning suggests altering the mindset from a top-down approach to learning to a problem-solving and collaborative educational practice.

Obviously, management and education are connected. When education systems and schools are run on the basis of 20th century management, we should hardly be surprised that the education that they teach also turns out to be 20th century. It’s time to move on. Education itself needs to be fundamentally reinvented, along with a different way of running schools and education systems.

​Supporting Online Students: Why Teaching with Empathy Matters by Dr. Thomas MacCarty, Southern New Hampshire University

Dr. MacCarty provides advice to online instructors, specifically in higher education, on the importance of teaching with empathy. Citing research and expert sources, Dr. MacCarty delves into how to communicate with students on difficult matters, such as submitting late work and/or responding to behavioral issues. He explores why a caring attitude matters for students and how leaders can create a more comfortable environment where students can thrive.

Empathetic teaching has always been important, but its importance in the online environment cannot be understated. The care and concern shown by instructors for their students does not go unnoticed. Students appreciate when instructors show concern for what is happening in their lives; having an instructor with a teaching approach that focuses on empathy helps them navigate through anxiety or uncertainty.

​5 Ways to Build Resilience in Students by Sarah Gonser, Edutopia

Gonser reiterates the essential role educators play in building resiliency in students. By helping students understand that overcoming obstacles is a life skill, they are better prepared for life after school. Gonser delineates five ways to help build resiliency including modeling learning from mistakes and labeling difficult emotions.

It’s a skill that takes practice. “Resilience works like a muscle we can build through effort and repetition, and we want to keep our muscles strong and flexible so we can think of many ways to solve a problem,” Mary Alvord, a psychologist and author, tells Fagell. “At the core, resilience is the belief that while you can’t control everything in your life, there are many aspects you can control, including your attitude.”

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About the Editor

​Jennifer Osborne is an experienced educator with graduate degrees in Educational Leadership and Guidance and Counseling. She has taught in five countries across a wide variety of classrooms and schools. Jennifer is passionate about authentic education for students and personalized professional learning for teachers.

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