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The recent events showed the world that remote education isn’t only efficient if properly implemented but essential for the safety of students and teachers. If previously, the popularity of traditional education was in decline because of the availability of online courses, remote programs from top universities, and the abundance of free information on the Internet, now, the calls for a paradigm change in education are as loud as ever. Technology and educational establishments respond to the calls and do their best to keep up with the pace and adapt to the ever-changing demands. 

Without a doubt, technology changes education. However, the extent of the said changes and their nature aren’t immediately apparent. This article will shed some light on the subject, explore general trends of technology changes in education, and how the world of education responds to the 2020 crisis.

Content:

1. Changes in Education Due to Technology & 2020 Crisis

2. How EdTech Responds to the Crisis? 

3. Conclusion

Changes in Education Due to Technology & 2020 Crisis

Since the bureaucracy started transforming from a necessary tool into a time-hungry monster because of the progress, the automation of education took off. A lot of changes were made within the next several decades to streamline the processes within the establishments n order to ease the burden teachers and administrators face dealing with “bureaucratic paper filling, data-driven, mind-numbingly useless work.” 

The work is far from over, but with management systems, administrative and reporting tools, monitoring applications, etc, a lot of improvements to the situation were made. However, now, a new goal is present: to make it easier for students to receive effective education regardless of their location and needs. Solving remote education is arguably more difficult than dealing with counterproductive bureaucracy. However, it’s an important step in solving the educational crisis as a whole. Moreover, now, due to the pandemic, the development and implementation of remote education are essential for ensuring the safety of students, teachers, and other personnel. Even though some countries push for the reopening of the schools despite the pandemic, the decision is rather controversial. Besides, even when the virus is under control, remote education can become vital at boosting education’s efficiency and delivering this essential service to remote areas easily. 

How EdTech Responds to the Crisis

Attempts to make remote education a viable and effective solution have been a part of education technology changes paradigms for quite some time now. However, now it’s a hot topic. And while some higher education establishments have been on track to make remote a reality rather than a wild idea, primary and secondary education establishments where teacher-student cooperation is far more important have been lagging behind. Now, when a staggering 1.6 billion children are affected by school closures all around the world, things need to change and change quickly. 

Considering the current state of affairs, technology changes in education ‘inspired’ by the crisis include 

Virtual classrooms for primary and secondary schools

As we mentioned earlier, unlike colleges, primary and secondary schools find it harder to adapt to the situation and provide efficient interactive online courses. Not only, teacher-student relations are more important in this case but also schools lack the foundation some of the universities have. Nonetheless, there’s an exception to every rule. Countries all over the world do their best to deliver remote education to children. Some are more successful than the rest though. For example, Florida has a state-wide virtual school that provides pupils with ‘online elementary, middle, and high school courses. With engaging and interactive content available 24/7 from anywhere in the world.’ The virtual school has existed for quite some time now. However, when the crisis hit, it was powered-up to help deal with the bigger loads.

Education about education technology

Learning from examples of successful EdTech implementation is essential. Thus, the EdTech Hub was created – an initiative by the World Bank, Gates Foundation, and Dfid which shares reports and knowledge regarding EdTech implementation during the crisis. 

Countries Respond

Countries realize the necessity to implement remote education ASAP. For instance, in Italy, ‘Enrico Poli, head of Zanichelli Venture, the parent to Zanichelli Editore, which has long been developing integrated digital education products for the country, reports that the Italian government put out a request for proposal to ensure remote learning was possible for all of its students.’ Part of the initiative is to create adaptive tutors, to which students will have access from their smartphones. Currently, adaptive tutors enhance the learning experience in Latin, Grammar, and Literature. 

Apps for different tastes and requirements

Education apps are booming. Developers do their best to streamline remote education. AR, VR, AI come in handy in making the process as painless as possible. What’s important now is to build convenient systems that would make remote teacher-student cooperation smooth and fast, deliver reliable interactive courses systems, examination apps, and complex management systems that would hold everything together and help monitor and manage all the processes. Education isn’t a place, it’s a service, and with a proper tool at hand, it is possible to deliver this service wherever there are electricity and Internet connection. Future technology changes in education can yield great results if we have the dedication and determination to change the status quo. Of course, no system ever would be able to completely replace live interaction and teacher guidance. Nonetheless, the negative consequences of the absence of a live connection can be mitigated to the bare minimum by proper tech response.

Conclusion

The push for change that is presented by the crisis shouldn’t be ignored as the tough times emphasize the weaknesses present within the system. Thus, what we have now is a more or less clear vision of the required changes and changes in technology in education are of particular importance, right after HealthCare and general economic adaptations. Here at KindGeek, we try to do our best to mitigate the negative effect of the crisis on our industry, trying to target the source of the problem. Also, we’d be happy to find a partner with whom we’d be able to solve some of the education sphere pains and issues. We know how to handle complex education projects, navigate in cumbersome regulatory environments, and deliver a smooth user experience for students, teachers, and administrators. If you are in need of a reliable tech partner for your education project, you’re looking in the right place as we have a full-cycle development capacity required for such an enterprise. 

In any case, if you have questions, feel free to contact us.