The future of educational technology is one that we cannot wait to see unfold. It presents so many potentials to the way educators teach and learners learn. Unlike the traditional way of teaching which approached teaching and learning as a one size fits all, educational technology broadens the options on ways to learn.
There is talk of artificial intelligence that can be used to present reading material to a learner at the level which they understand, like a customized level of reading. This certainly beats handing the same textbook to learners who are at different leading levels. The one who required more simplified reading will have access to that, at the same time the learner at a more advanced level of reading can be adequately stimulated.
Another exciting approach to learning is the introduction of the gamification approach, this is teaching resource that turns learning into a video game. The approach here is to motivate learners to complete work at one level in order to reach a new level. The learner is able to track their success as they progress from one level to another. Along with gamification there is also an uptake of virtual reality as a learning tool, the possibilities are endless.
There are also ground breaking technologies that have been seen to improve the learning abilities of learners with autism, ADD and other mental challenges. The advantage of technology and artificial intelligence is its flexibility which provides learners with best ways of learning suited to their situation and circumstances.
Educators will also be able to get creative with their teaching instructions and the outcomes achieved will be more interesting. However, this means that, once again educators will require more professional development on how best to make use of these technologies in learner centred ways. The challenge to overcome here is know when to use which technology and how to optimise its functionality.
The exciting news is we are not going back to the old ways of learning, there are new exciting educational technologies on the horizon and we cannot wait to see how it will revolutionize teaching and learning as we know it. Imagine textbooks non existant in the next two or so decades, what will libraries look like, what will classrooms look like? Exciting times ahead.